Tesla autopilot - what it's like to drive.

I drove a self-driving car in Vancouver. The Tesla, the luxury electric car, just rolled out an autopilot function a few weeks ago that combines laser radar, ultrasound detectors, GPS, and regular camera inputs to recognize the road and obstacles as it drives. Here is the maverick founder of the Tesla company describing (revealing) the technology to the press. Start at 6:40 in the video: 

http://youtu.be/aBYnj10wzbw

So I went to the tiny dealership in downtown Vancouver, accompanied by three friends who were excited to come along when they heard I'd booked it. The Tesla store like to describe themselves as an information center rather than a dealership, because sales and vehicle delivery is all arranged online. There a single vehicle in the showroom and lots of computer screens, and a very different feel compared to other car dealers. 

We took a narrow passage from the storefront to a parking garage where two vehicles were waiting. The car has a luxurious, sleek feel throughout. It has the absolutely largest display console you've ever seen. And a smooth, slightly heavy, remarkably quiet feel when you drive it. And way, way too much power. I never even pushed the accelerator more than half way. Fast acceleration is fun but it's the exact opposite of what interests me about electric cars. (See http://youtu.be/LpaLgF1uLB8)

With a few instructions from the sales agent, I pulled twice on the cruise control lever, and it took over the steering. If you force the wheel a different direction while it's driving, it takes a small amount of force, like the resistance of pulling a magnet off a refrigerator door, and the steering wheel vibrates to acknowledge you've taken over steering. It's very intuitive. 

You have to keep your hands hovering over the steering wheel in case it can't identify the road markings, but it has an eery and smooth feel. 

Here's someone's video where you can see both the view of the road and a close up of the dashboard. 

http://youtu.be/4CZe5DXeYzw

Google Tricks 2015 "I'm Feeling Lucky"

You've probably seen these before. I hadn't seen "gravity" or "sphere"...and they missed "askew"

Passive solar home air heating from recycled pop cans

http://youtu.be/bRZvAAqzXIw

How To Pay For Anything With Blank Paper - clever con

Wow - look how effectively a little distraction allows this guy to pay for things in one store after another with blank paper.

http://youtu.be/D6ezOYm6MHs

Secrets Of The Shoplifters

An interesting documentary on what it takes to catch shoplifters, and the lengths the shops and robbers go to in an ever-escalating battle.
Some shoplifters steal to order for others, and have little compunction over what they feel is a Robin Hood act.

http://youtu.be/7otyVMBXI-M

City fruit harvest - waste not, want not.

Here's a venture going on in several cities, to harvest fruit from neighborhood trees so it doesn't go to waste. Going the next step with this idea would be  to sell fruit trees to homeowners at a discount, maintain their trees and harvest the fruit and give the homeowner back a small percentage of the fruit and keep the rest. The selling point to such a homeowner is that the organization would have the resources to figure out optimal fertilizer, optimal pruning, peak harvest time and all the details to maximize the harvest that an individual homeowner would never have time for, so it's a win-win. The organization would develop a route like a paper route through a neighborhood to visit and maintain all of their trees like a giant urban orchard. 

The group that does this currently (not selling or maintaining the trees) in Vancouver is the https://m.facebook.com/VancouverFruitTreeProject/

and the one in Ottawa is http://ottawa.hiddenharvest.ca/

Reclaimed sunken logs

This company dredges up ancient logs that sank to the bottom of the river a hundred years ago, carefully dries them out, and makes flooring and furniture. Apparently the pine trees at the time grew in thick forests and because they compete for light and space the one few with very narrow rona like a hardwood, so it's a high quality wood.

http://www.logsend.com/wood.html

Better flavor from limes

"Sear your limes in a skillet, then juice them and pass the juice through a coffee strainer to remove any solids. By adding heat, you're caramelizing the natural sugars in the limes to counter the acidity. This also adds an earthy, smoky flavor."

http://www.popularmechanics.com/home/a17085/how-to-use-acid-in-a-cocktail/

Massive pileup in the snow

Oh no!

The arrival of two police vehicles at 3:46 and 3:51 does little to slow down the incoming traffic!
http://youtu.be/mgvOHnujspg

DIY sustainability and off-grid projects.

Got to admire these guys!

Here's a guy who is taking salvaged parts and making energy saving devices to live off the grid.

Scrap parts to make electricity (water turbine) and hot water (wood stove percolates hot water into a tank)

 http://youtu.be/0ieFZI4-6K8

A wood fired water heater that gets to 566 degrees with a few little sticks of wood.  http://youtu.be/5IRLVCJ1olA

or some homemade solar panels  http://youtu.be/ouLa4Ftu3O8
or making your own fuel logs from scrap paper  http://youtu.be/2aLZ88_DZz8

or a parabolic lens solar cooker from a sheet of plastic. What happens when it rains? http://youtu.be/f_zKk03CJKU

Where does good judgment come from?

"Good judgment comes from experience, experience comes from bad judgment." -quote from Mulla Nasreddin c.1200

Mondegreens Kiss this guy

Why You Mishear Taylor Swift: "The Science of Us"
http://www.msn.com/en-ca/health/wellness/why-you-mishear-taylor-swift-the-science-of-us-episode-11/vp-BBmXcOF

See more at kissthisguy.com

Kindergarten mechanic

Cutest "how-to" video ever. replaces wheel bearing on 2001 Corolla

http://youtu.be/f2hUKOchIL8

Battery life and range on the Nissan leaf.

Some interesting points on this wiki. Battery life is optimized at LOWER temperatures.Heat is bad for battery capacity.

Also,

For those that already own a Leaf, there are a few things you can do to minimize battery capacity loss:

• Keep the state of charge in the 30-40% range (on the Gid meter) as much of the time as reasonably possible. This roughly corresponds to 3-4 fuel bars for a new Leaf. Charge to 80% or 100% right before you need to make a longer drive.
• Shallower cycling (DOD) of the battery pack when possible. For example, two cycles of 60% to 30% SOC rather than one cycle of 90% to 30% should be better for the battery pack.
• Avoid parking in the sun when possible. Solar loading may increase the yearly average battery temperature by 1.3-3.1 degrees Celsius for a vehicle always parked in the sun (based on studies of the Prius, Media:HEV_Battery_Life.pdf)
• Drive and accelerate more slowly and more efficiently. This will have two effects:
  • Minimizing waste heat (estimated to be 1% at 10 KW power draw, 3% at 30 KW power draw)
  • Reduced cycling of the battery for the same number of miles driven, which will reduce cycling losses

On October 4, 2012 Nissan released a video of Chelsea Sexton interviewing Andy Palmer, Nissan executive vice president of product planning. The following points were made:

• To establish degradation expectations, Nissan used as a norm the LA4 driving cycle and 12,500 miles per year
• For that norm, expected degradation is 80% at 5 years and 70% at 10 years
• There are 4 variables that affect whether that mean will be achieved:
  • The speed and gradient on which you drive--highway speed will have a greater degradation
  • Frequent fast charging (recommend no more than one QC per day)
  • Miles driven per year
  • Temperature
• Arizona Leafs are averaging 7,500 miles per year (but this was not known prior to sale of the Leaf in Arizona, it is post hoc information)
• Based on 7,500 miles per year, the Arizona Leafs are projected to retain 76% of capacity after 5 years (translation: in order to have "only" 24% capacity loss at 5 years, Arizona Leafs are limited to driving 37,500 miles, and only driving the less demanding LA04 cycle)
• Capacity bar meter reads "pessimistically"
• Leaf has 95% satisfaction rate, the highest of any car Nissan sells
• 2013 model year will have evolutionary, not revolutionary changes; the gauge accuracy is addressed
• Nissan is looking at options to address the complaints about pressing "OK" on the Navigation screen each time Leaf is turned on

http://www.electricvehiclewiki.com/Battery_Capacity_Loss#Nissan.27s_Responses_and_Actions

New 'thirsty' concrete absorbs water

Can't use it where there's freezing weather...

http://youtu.be/LWiq0NbJmaw

Time lapse Doppler Radar: 2010 to 2012

Mesmerizing video. I think it rains more at night, which is why you see a pattern flash regularly from right to left. Interesting how certain areas are particularly hard-hit repeatedly.


http://youtu.be/C65qRbD0xTo

Monica Lewinsky: The price of shame

Monica Lewinsky on Cyberbullying 

at 12:47: "Cruelty to others is nothing new. But online, technologically-enhanced shaming is amplified, uncontained, and permanently accessible."

http://youtu.be/H_8y0WLm78U

Nasogastric tube fixed with a loop placed with magnets

When NG tubes come out they are difficult and uncomfortable to replace. This innovation would really prevent a lot of that. AMT Bridle Pro (R)

coolest sound

Cool sound starts at 3:50

Better ice climber after accident - advanced prosthetics

Pretty intense beatboxing

Micro-lending WSJ

Micro-lending WSJ
The uber -ization of money
Lending Club and Prosper, SeedInvest and Fundable
Loyal3 aims to connect public companies to loyal customers who want to buy shares as early as the IPO, while EquityZen and others do the same for private companies.
ZestFinance, founded by former Google executives and flush with venture capital, uses big data to offset the inherent risks.


http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-uberization-of-finance-1446835102?vh=9c3112ace7e71bbdaed10dcdbf16de6a150f2c66&ts=1446905828

Indoor farms, where the weather is perfect every day

"turn a run-down steel factory into a 69,000-square-foot farm. It will be capable of turning out 2 million pounds of produce annually...use 95 percent less water than a field farm, and like others offer more productivity per square acre, and save energy costs such as tractor fuel"

http://www.popsci.com/farms-grow-up-thanks-to-technology

Scale of the solar system distances

"Now the first thing you will realize is that space is extremely well named and rather dismayingly uneventful...
On a diagram of the solar system to scale, with the Earth reduced to about the diameter of a pea, Jupiter would be over 300 meters away, and Pluto would be two and a half kilometers away (and about the size of a bacterium, so you wouldn't be able to see it anyway.) On the same scale, Proxima Centauri, our nearest star, would be 16,000 km away." p.34
A Short History of Nearly Everything. Bill Bryson.

Pump Up the Bass to Douse a Blaze: Mason Students' Invention Fights Fires

Very cool! Using sound waves to displace air and dissipate the heat to extinguish a fire.

http://youtu.be/uPVQMZ4ikvM

The concept of using sound to suppress fire is not new. Pressure waves push away the oxygen a fire needs and spread the flames over a larger area, reducing heat and weakening the blaze. In 2011, DARPA released a video showing two massive speakers extinguishing a fire placed between them. Robertson and Tran were convinced they could develop this idea into a practical, handheld device.

The trick was finding the right frequency. The students tried for eight months before finally identifying the acoustic sweet spot: low-frequency rumblings in the 30- to 60-hertz range. "When we first put out a cigarette lighter, we were pretty excited," Robertson says. Later they were able to snuff a frying-pan fire in a matter of seconds.

Unlike sprinkler systems or traditional fire extinguishers, the pair's backpack-size Wave Extinguisher leaves behind no chemicals, powder, or water. Eventually, Tran imagines fleets of drones using sound to beat back flames from buildings or forests. This would keep firefighters out of danger and alleviate the need for thousands of gallons of water.

The concept of using sound to suppress fire is not new. Pressure waves push away the oxygen a fire needs and spread the flames over a larger area, reducing heat and weakening the blaze. In 2011, DARPA released a video showing two massive speakers extinguishing a fire placed between them. Robertson and Tran were convinced they could develop this idea into a practical, handheld device.

The trick was finding the right frequency. The students tried for eight months before finally identifying the acoustic sweet spot: low-frequency rumblings in the 30- to 60-hertz range. "When we first put out a cigarette lighter, we were pretty excited," Robertson says. Later they were able to snuff a frying-pan fire in a matter of seconds.

Unlike sprinkler systems or traditional fire extinguishers, the pair's backpack-size Wave Extinguisher leaves behind no chemicals, powder, or water. Eventually, Tran imagines fleets of drones using sound to beat back flames from buildings or forests. This would keep firefighters out of danger and alleviate the need for thousands of gallons of water.

http://www.popsci.com/turn-bass-turn-down-heat

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=DanOeC2EpeA

Birds encased in glass.

Isn't this the strangest thing you've ever heard of?

"During Wisconsin's Peshtigo fire of 1871, for example, a cold front and twisting winds combined to form a fire tornado... It burned so hot, silica in the soil evaporated. When the thunderheads rained, the mineral fell in molten form. Survivors found birds—suffocated midflight by the fire's insatiable appetite for oxygen—encased in glass."
How Science Is Fighting Wilder Wildfires Than Ever Before | Popular Science, Nov 2015.
http://www.popsci.com/year-wildfire


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Alfa Romeo 4C: You'll Want To Love It - XCAR

A really nice, detailed review of an ultra light new sports car.

http://youtu.be/LrNBCUSqqsE

Glue With More Mussel | Popular Science

Using biomimicry to create better surgical adhesives. Pretty cool research. 

Unlike Gorilla Glue and Super Glue, which become useless when wet, Wilker's formulas are based on the super-sticking power of mussels. And they're some of the strongest glues ever made. 

Inspiration

Wilker drew inspiration from mollusks that cling to rocks in stormy seas. The secret to their adhesion is the cross-linking of special proteins, which he tweaked for even greater effectiveness. "In biomimicry, you don't usually beat out nature," Wilker says, "but we made some stuff that's crazy strong."

Application

Wilker thinks his glues could eliminate the need for surgical screws, plates, sutures, or staples—fixtures he says belong in carpentry or a medieval torture chamber, not modern medicine. Mussel-inspired glues could mend arteries, seal wounds, and serve in airplane and car manufacture too.

Impact

Today, about 99 percent of adhesives are made from petroleum or emit formaldehyde (or both). Wilker's glues provide a more sustainable, nontoxic replacement. "I don't know of anything else out there with this kind of potential," he says, "but I'm biased."

http://www.popsci.com/glue-with-more-mussel


From Wilker's home page:
"The underwater adhesion and high bonding strengths of marine biological materials bring to mind many applications ranging from wet-setting biomedical adhesives to new materials with tailored moduli. Current materials engineering efforts rely on our abilities to alter the polymer compositions and carry out the syntheses on large scales. As we incorporate more advanced functionalities into the polymers we are tailoring the materials for specific uses. Perhaps most in demand are new adhesive materials for biomedical procedures and devices. At the moment there are no adhesives available that are simultaneously wet setting, strong bonding, and non-toxic. Marine biology may have already solved this problem, hence our exploration of these materials"

https://www.chem.purdue.edu/people/directory/faculty/details/69

Also, Here's another glue that's elastic, biodegradable, nontoxic, and cure when you shine a light on it. 
http://time.com/4037531/maria-pereira/?xid=time_socialflow_twitter

"...Pereira’s goal was to develop a glue that could stick in the body’s harshest environment: the heart, which pumps what she describes as “a hurricane of blood” 60 times a minute. An adhesive that could attach under such wet and dynamic conditions must be elastic enough to expand and contract with each beat of the heart, and be hydrophobic (to repel blood away from the surface), biodegradable and nontoxic..."

Here's her product: 

https://tissium.com/

Hobbesian (selfishness)

Hobbesian theory that people have a fundamental right to self-preservation and to pursue selfish aims but will relinquish these rights to an absolute monarch in the interest of common safety and happiness

http://i.word.com/idictionary/hobbism

 he believed that human action was motivated entirely by selfish concerns, notably fear of death

http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/Hobbes-Thomas

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