Small Swedish Town Becomes Home To Urban Development Experiment | CoolBusinessIdeas.com

October 30, 2020October 29, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Stockholm-based architecture firm Anders Berensson Architects has unveiled designs for the Tibro Train Tracks, an ongoing urban development project to transform an abandoned track area in the Swedish town of Tibro into an innovative hub for urban planning experiments. Commissioned by the municipality of Tibro with support from the ArkDes Swedish Center for Architecture and Design, the practice-based research project explores the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11, which calls for sustainable cities and communities. Under the direction of SDG 11, the Tibro research project aims to find new ways of sustainably revitalizing small, rural towns.

Located in southern Sweden, the small town of Tibro is best known for its furniture industry and local manufacturing. As a result, the architects opted to highlight the town’s history by taking an inventory of the machines and industrial features that could be adapted into site-specific projects and interventions.

Polar’s New Fitness Smartwatch | CoolBusinessIdeas.com

October 30, 2020October 29, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Polar has a new fitness-orientated smartwatch, and it’s not for the faint of heart. The Polar Vantage V2 is designed for hardcore fitness fanatics and athletes, with a massive range of in-depth features that will appeal to people whose lives revolve around exercise, but will baffle someone who reluctantly goes to the gym a couple of times a week.

The follow-up to the Polar Vantage V, the Vantage V2’s aluminum case is 21% lighter than the Vantage V at 52 grams, water-resistant to 100 meters, and comes in three colors: Black, green, or a cool grey-lime. The screen measures 1.2 inches and has a 240 x 240-pixel resolution, while the battery will last for 40 hours normally, or 100 hours with an extended battery mode active.

REE demonstrates its wildly innovative vehicle platform of the future | New Atlas

October 29, 2020October 28, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

When we first encountered REE’s ultra-modular EV chassis, we struggled to know what to make of it. Speaking to CEO Daniel Barel, we couldn’t seem to pin down any specifics. What is it? A flat, modular vehicle chassis in which all steering, suspension, motor, gearbox and braking functions are bundled up into removable, replaceable “corner units” in the wheels.

These corner units have built-in electronics so that every single function can be fully electronically controlled. It’s not just drive-by-wire, it’s steer-by-wire, brake-by-wire, everything-by-wire. So you can put a steering wheel and pedals in if you want, but it’s just as happy to take instructions from an autonomous drive system, or heck, even a remote control. There’s no difference as far as the chassis is concerned.

The iFixit iPhone 12 Pro teardown is finally here | Mashable

October 29, 2020October 28, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

If you’re interested in the iPhone 12 Pro’s innards, you may want to block five minutes out of your day to watch iFixit’s new teardown video.

The smartphone repairability experts over at iFixit published an iPhone 12 Pro teardown that offers a detailed look at how the new Apple device is held together on the inside. Among other things, it confirms something we already knew: The battery is a downgrade from the iPhone 11 and isn’t any better than the one in the regular iPhone 12.

Harley-Davidson’s ebike is here, just don’t call it a Harley | CNN

October 28, 2020October 27, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Harley-Davidson, an aging brand that has faced shrinking sales over the past year, is starting an ebike company that it hopes could help it connect with a younger audience and grow its business.

Serial 1, the new Harley-Davidson venture, revealed the first glimpse Tuesday of its electric bicycle, which it says will be for sale in the first half of 2021. Harley-Davidson (HOG) originally showed off photos of a concept electric bicycle in January 2019, but the company will be a minority shareholder in Serial 1, and venture capitalists will own the majority of the new brand, though Serial 1 declined to reveal the investors.

Harley-Davidson has also launched an electric motorcycle, Livewire, to help reach new customers, but will keep that full-fledged motorcycle under the Harley name.

The war against plastic is distracting us from pollution that cannot be seen | Live Science

October 28, 2020October 27, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

The war against plastic may be overshadowing greater threats to the environment. In a collaboration with experts from the environmental sciences, engineering, industry, policy and charities, we have written a paper in the journal WIREs Water which highlights concerns that relatively easy action against plastic pollution can conveniently mask environmental apathy, and that people are being misled by alarmist headlines, emotive photographs, and “greenwashing.”

Plastic is an incredibly useful and versatile material on which much of modern society relies, yet it has become one of the most topical environmental issues of the day. Over the past few years, plastic pollution has encouraged action from individuals, organizations and governments at levels similar to some of the greatest threats to the environment, such as climate change and biodiversity loss.

Makers Of Impossible Burger Are Working On Plant-Based Milk | Digital Trends

October 21, 2020October 20, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

The meat-free Impossible Burger has gone from “impossible” to “frankly, pretty commonplace” within an impressively short period of time. Perhaps looking for its next big sci-fi challenge, Impossible Foods announced Tuesday that it is moving beyond plant-based meat and into another animal product in the form of plant-based milk.

“The plant-based alternatives that are out there are inadequate,” Impossible CEO Pat Brown said. “The reality is that if they weren’t, there wouldn’t be a dairy market.”

While Impossible Milk is still in the research and development phase and not yet available commercially, the company showed off samples of the new milk-inspired foodstuff (err, drinkstuff) during a demonstration from its food lab; showcasing a plant-based milk alternative that appears far more creamy and milklike than current milk substitutes such as soy milk, almond milk, coconut milk, and assorted others. It also will not curdle when it comes into contact with hot beverages, as shown by the researcher carrying out the demo by mixing it with hot coffee.

How Safe Is Your Data While Working Remotely? | Entrepreneur

October 16, 2020October 15, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

On the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic, cybersecurity has become a major source of concern for companies and individuals. With more people working remotely, cybersecurity efforts have moved out of the office, leaving individuals and companies with a need to set up better security at home.

According to a report by Centrify, a leading provider of Identity-Centric Privileged Access Management solutions, “Nearly three-quarters of business decision-makers (71%) believe that the shift to 100% remote working during the Covid-19 crisis has increased the likelihood of a cyber breach”.

World’s first portable MRI machine comes to patients | New Atlas

October 15, 2020October 14, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

A study published in the journal JAMA Neurology is reporting promising results testing the world’s first portable MRI machine in a real-world intensive care setting. The groundbreaking device effectively detected brain abnormalities in almost all patients studied, paving the way for new bedside diagnostic capabilities.

Developed by healthcare technology company Hyperfine, the point-of-care (POC) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system was first revealed last year. The device is claimed to be 20 times less costly, use 35 times less power, and is 10 times lighter than current MRI machines.

Traditional MRI machines are big and expensive devices, requiring custom-built rooms to contain the powerful magnetic fields used for imaging. Until recently, the prospect of a portable MRI machine was unimaginable but recent advances in computing power have enabled images to be produced using smaller magnets.

Coronavirus: ‘Lockdown was madness but saved us financially’ | BBC News

October 6, 2020October 4, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

The coronavirus pandemic has hit the global economy hard, but some people’s personal finances have never looked better.

Since the US shut down en masse in March, mum-of-three Paula, who lives in New Hampshire, has paid off some $20,000 (£15,270) in credit card debt the family had racked up in the aftermath of an unexpectedly expensive work relocation.

The 35-year-old’s job as an analyst ended in June, but her husband is still working and she benefited from a temporary $600 boost to weekly unemployment payments Congress approved in response to the crisis.