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Submission + - Renault Offers New Use for Drones: Traffic Scouting (slashdot.org) 1

Submitted by Nerval's Lobster
Nerval's Lobster writes: Renault’s new concept car gives drivers an unusual companion: a small flying drone, controllable via tablet or preset GPS waypoints, which scans the area ahead for obstacles and traffic. Designed with the Indian market in mind, the Renault Kwid has a SUV-style body that makes it ideal for off-roading. It’s the first concept car unveiled by the company outside of Europe. The so-called “flying companion” can exit the vehicle via a retractable hatch in the roof, and buzz around the immediate vicinity shooting video and photos; as this is a concept, actual hardware and software specs aren’t available, although Renault’s engineers envision something closer to the size of a small bird than some of the larger drones currently available. Renault’s engineers found their inspiration for the Kwid’s shape in American off-roaders, with a high chassis and sturdy lines; inside, the driver sits in the middle as opposed to the right or left, on a bench seat. The vehicle can accommodate five people total. But how practical is a “driving drone”? Considering all the accidents caused by people texting or Web-surfing while driving, it seems questionable to introduce a piece of hardware that could prove even more distracting—imagine trying to successfully guide a drone with touch-screen controls while navigating a fast-paced roadway, and you can see why the idea of a “flying companion” would raise the collective blood pressure of traffic-safety officials. Yes, it would be safer for a passenger to handle drone-flying duties while the driver concentrates on the road; but it’s also a near-certainty, if such a concept ever went into production, that more than one driver would attempt to multi-task the navigation of two vehicles at once. Do you think this idea is feasible?

Submission + - How Adobe Got Rid of Traditional Stack-Ranking Performance Reviews

Submitted by Hugh Pickens DOT Com
Hugh Pickens DOT Com writes: Bob Sutton reports that in 2012 Adobe moved from yearly performance rankings to frequent “check-ins” where managers provide employees targeted coaching and advice. There is no prescribed format or frequency for these conversations, and managers don’t complete any forms or use any technologies to guide or document what happens during such conversations. They are simply expected to have regular check-ins to convey what is expected of employees, give and get feedback, and help employees with their growth and development plans. "The aim is to give people information when they need it rather than months after teachable moments have passed," writes Sutton. Donna Morris, Adobe’s senior vice president for People and Places, says her team calculated that annual reviews required 80,000 hours of time from the 2000 managers at Adobe each year, the equivalent of 40 full-time employees. After all that effort, internal surveys revealed that employees felt less inspired and motivated afterwards—and turnover increased. According to Sutton, Adobe’s bold move seems to be working. Surveys indicates that most Adobe managers and employees find the new system to be less cumbersome and more effective than the old stack-ranking system where managers must divide employees into groups — for example, maybe 15 percent of people can be assigned the highest rating. “That goes against our core value of being genuine,” says Ellie Gates, director of management effectiveness at Adobe. “Our goal should be to inspire people to do their best work.” Since the new system was implemented, voluntary attrition has decreased substantially, while involuntary departures have increased by 50% because the new system requires executives and managers to have regular “tough discussions” with employees who are struggling with performance issues—rather than putting them off until the next performance review cycle comes around. "It is reducing unnecessary cognitive load, while at the same time, nudging managers to engage more often and more candidly with direct reports to help them develop their skills and plan their careers," concludes Sutton. "It also bolsters accountability because managers have far more responsibility for setting employee compensation than under the old system."

Submission + - Ink-Jet Printing Custom-Designed Micro Circuits (slashdot.org)

Submitted by Nerval's Lobster
Nerval's Lobster writes: Researchers have demonstrated a technique that produces inexpensive, functional electrical circuits that can be printed using about $300 worth of materials and equipment, including generic inkjet printers. The technique, developed by researchers from Georgia Tech, the University of Tokyo and Microsoft Research, allows circuits to be printed onto irregularly-shaped materials or almost anything able to go through the paper feed on a printer designed for consumers. The chief advantage of the technique is the ability to print circuits using silver nanoparticle ink rather than relying on the thermal-bonding technique called sintering, which is time-consuming and can destroy delicate base materials. Researchers were able to print new circuits in about 60 seconds on almost any material that could go through the printer, though resin-covered paper, PET film and glossy photo paper worked best, while sheets of canvas cloth and anything magnetic were ineffective. Once printed using silver ink on flexible base material, the circuits can be attached to existing hardware by simply laying or taping it in place and making connections using conductive tape or conductive glue. (Soldering would destroy the underlying material.)

Submission + - Duke Univ. Device Converts Stray Wireless Energy Into Electricity for Charging (computerworld.com)

Submitted by Lucas123
Lucas123 writes: Engineers at Duke University say they've constructed a device that can collect stray wireless signals and convert them into energy to charge batteries in devices such as cell phones and tablets. The WiFi collection device, made of cheap copper coils and fiberglass, can even aggregate energy from satellite signals and sound waves.The researchers created a series of five fiberglass and copper energy conductors on a circuit board, which was able to convert microwaves into 7.3V of electrical energy. By comparison, Universal Serial Bus (USB) chargers for small electronic devices provide about 5V of power. The device, the researchers say, is as efficient as solar cells with an energy conversion rate of 37%.

Submission + - Taking a QUIC Test Drive (connectify.me)

Submitted by agizis
agizis writes: Google presented their new QUIC (Quick UDP Internet Connections) protocol to the IETF yesterday as a future replacement for TCP. It was discussed here when it was originally announced, but now there’s real working code. How fast is it really? We wanted to know, so we dug in and benchmarked QUIC at different bandwidths, latencies and reliability levels (test code included, of course), and ran our results by the QUIC team.

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