'Super Cruise' technology to change future of driving

What if your car were to automatically correct its movement if you happened to wander over the yellow line? Or an internal device that could help drivers avoid collisions? With "Super Cruise", these enhancements are now possible. Michigan-based General Motors (GM) has announced that some of its new Cadillac models will be equipped with "Super Cruise" technology by 2017. "It features hands-off lane following, automatic speed control and automated braking," GM said in a statement. GM also plans to roll out another smart technology known as vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication by 2017. V2V will allow cars equipped with the technology to swap information about their location, speed and direction of travel. This new feature takes GM one step closer to creating a driverless car, similar to what Google is already working on. Google's self-driving car has already logged more than 483,000 km.

'Solid' light could compute previously unsolvable problems

Researchers at Princeton University have begun crystallizing light as part of an effort to answer fundamental questions about the physics of matter. The researchers are not shining light through crystal -- they are transforming light into crystal. As part of an effort to develop exotic materials such as room-temperature superconductors, the researchers have locked together photons, the basic element of light, so that they become fixed in place. "It's something that we have never seen before," said Andrew Houck, an associate professor of electrical engineering and one of the researchers. "This is a new behavior for light." The results raise intriguing possibilities for a variety of future materials. But the researchers also intend to use the method to address questions about the fundamental study of matter, a field called condensed matter physics. "We are interested in exploring -- and ultimately controlling and directing -- the flow of energy at the atomic level," said Hakan Türeci, an assistant professor of electrical engineering and a member of the research team. "The goal is to better understand current materials and processes and to evaluate materials that we cannot yet create." The team's findings, reported online on Sept. 8 in the journal Physical Review X, are part of an effort to answer fundamental questions about atomic behavior by creating a device that can simulate the behavior of subatomic particles. Such a tool could be an invaluable method for answering questions about atoms and molecules that are not answerable even with today's most advanced computers. In part, that is because current computers operate under the rules of classical mechanics, which is a system that describes the everyday world containing things like bowling balls and planets. But the world of atoms and photons obeys the rules of quantum mechanics, which include a number of strange and very counterintuitive features. One of these odd properties is called "entanglement" in which multiple particles become linked and can affect each other over long distances. The difference between the quantum and classical rules limits a standard computer's ability to efficiently study quantum systems. Because the computer operates under classical rules, it simply cannot grapple with many of the features of the quantum world. Scientists have long believed that a computer based on the rules of quantum mechanics could allow them to crack problems that are currently unsolvable. Such a computer could answer the questions about materials that the Princeton team is pursuing, but building a general-purpose quantum computer has proven to be incredibly difficult and requires further research. Another approach, which the Princeton team is taking, is to build a system that directly simulates the desired quantum behavior. Although each machine is limited to a single task, it would allow researchers to answer important questions without having to solve some of the more difficult problems involved in creating a general-purpose quantum computer. In a way, it is like answering questions about airplane design by studying a model airplane in a wind tunnel -- solving problems with a physical simulation rather than a digital computer. In addition to answering questions about currently existing material, the device also could allow physicists to explore fundamental questions about the behavior of matter by mimicking materials that only exist in physicists' imaginations. To build their machine, the researchers created a structure made of superconducting materials that contains 100 billion atoms engineered to act as a single "artificial atom." They placed the artificial atom close to a superconducting wire containing photons. By the rules of quantum mechanics, the photons on the wire inherit some of the properties of the artificial atom -- in a sense linking them. Normally photons do not interact with each other, but in this system the researchers are able to create new behavior in which the photons begin to interact in some ways like particles. "We have used this blending together of the photons and the atom to artificially devise strong interactions among the photons," said Darius Sadri, a postdoctoral researcher and one of the authors. "These interactions then lead to completely new collective behavior for light -- akin to the phases of matter, like liquids and crystals, studied in condensed matter physics." Türeci said that scientists have explored the nature of light for centuries; discovering that sometimes light behaves like a wave and other times like a particle. In the lab at Princeton, the researchers have engineered a new behavior. "Here we set up a situation where light effectively behaves like a particle in the sense that two photons can interact very strongly," he said. "In one mode of operation, light sloshes back and forth like a liquid; in the other, it freezes." The current device is relatively small, with only two sites where an artificial atom is paired with a superconducting wire. But the researchers say that by expanding the device and the number of interactions, they can increase their ability to simulate more complex systems -- growing from the simulation of a single molecule to that of an entire material. In the future, the team plans to build devices with hundreds of sites with which they hope to observe exotic phases of light such as superfluids and insulators. "There is a lot of new physics that can be done even with these small systems," said James Raftery, a graduate student in electrical engineering and one of the authors. "But as we scale up, we will be able to tackle some really interesting questions." Besides Houck, Türeci, Sadri and Raftery, the research team included Sebastian Schmidt, a senior researcher at the Institute for Theoretical Physics at ETH Zurich, Switzerland. Support for the project was provided by: the Eric and Wendy Schmidt Transformative Technology Fund; the National Science Foundation; the David and Lucile Packard Foundation; the U.S. Army Research Office; and the Swiss National Science Foundation.

Meet the Canadian astronaut who is training on Atlantic Ocean floor

A Canadian astronaut takes part in the underwater mission designed to give a taste of what it would be like in the space orbit and is currently living on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean. Jeremy Hansen was currently on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean at the Aquarius Reef Base in Florida, 20m below the surface, Sky News reported. The 38-year-old said that there's a hole in the floor that's open to the ocean all the time, and the air pressure keeps the water out, and they just go in and out. Hansen, who's the exploration lead for NASA's extreme environment mission operations, has been tweeting images of his underwater adventure, including an early morning snap of a passing barracuda.

Bad back? These are the best sex positions to ease the pain.

For a long time, spooning was considered a sexual position everyone could get behind, so to speak. But for people who suffer from back pain, is it really the best option? For the first time, a new study out of the University of Waterloo in Canada has some real answers to your questions about how to avoid exacerbating (or creating) back pain during sex. "Spooning had previously been considered a one-position-fits-all for both men and women with back pain," said Natalie Sidorkewicz, lead author of the study, which will be published in the journal Spine. "That ignores the fact that there are different kinds of back pain triggered by different kinds of movements." And that's where this study comes in. The Waterloo research team recruited 10 healthy male subjects and 10 healthy female partners (the couples were required to have at least one year of sexual experience with each each other) and they did not suffer from lower back pain. The couples were outfitted with reflective markers that acted as sensors, similar to what video game animators and visual effects artists use, to model the spine angles used during five different sexual positions. They also monitored how hard muscles worked during sex, and even which muscles were effected by orgasm (more on that later). (University of Waterloo) The study's lead author Natalie Sidorkeqicz demonstrates a spine movement on a model. (University of Waterloo) The first phase of the study looked closely at male movement in the "spooning," two variations of the "missionary position," and two variations of the rear-entry quadruped (also known as "doggy-style") position. (In this case the study used heterosexual partners, but the recommendations can be applied to anyone--male or female-- who is controlling or not controlling the movement in these positions.) In general, Sidorkewicz advises that in any position, controlling the movement with the hip and knee rather than the spine will be more spine sparing, and for the person not controlling the movement, maintaining a neutral spine is key to reducing lower back strain. Their more specific recommendations focus on two kinds of back pain. People who are "flexion-intolerant" might experience worsening pain when they touch their toes or sit for long periods of time. For those people, spooning is actually the worst position for the male (or the person controlling the movement). After that, flexion-intolerant back pain sufferers should avoid the missionary position where the arms are propped on the elbows, then the rear entry position in which the female (or male) partner not controlling the movement is propped on their hands. The two best positions are the missionary variation where the person controlling the movement is propped on their hands, and the rear-entry position where the female (or male) partner is propped on their elbows. Extension-intolerant back pain sufferer might experience pain by lying on the back or stomach. For those people the recommendations are essentially reversed. Spooning might be the most pain free position for those people, and the rear-entry position where the partner not controlling the movement is propped on their elbows is the worst position. Researchers noted that for two positions, missionary and rear entry, not all variations are created equally. In the study, slight changes in the posture of the female partner changed the kind of muscle movement the male partner used in the rear entry position. And a slight change to the posture of the male partner in the missionary also changed the kind of muscle movement that was used. "That really lends itself to the interaction between the couple and how the partner could be a part of that intervention," Sidorkewicz said. It is the first study of its kind to look at the biomechanics of the spine during sex, which now gives doctors real evidence to make recommendations to the many patients who suffer from lower back pain. At any given time, 31 million people in the U.S experience lower back pain, according to the American Chiropractic Association. "If you look at some of the existing literature and text books that make recommendations on sexual positions and technique, remember they were just people's opinion," University of Waterloo professor Stuart McGill, a co-author of the study, said in a University of Waterloo video. "There was no science that had been performed before to create the foundation for the recommendations." Upcoming research based on the data collected in this study will be published in the coming months. They include a separate study focused on the spine movements of the female partners, the effect of orgasm on spine movements, and a look at the impact of the sex position recommendations on back pain sufferers. Sidorkewicz suspects that the guidelines produced from this study could also reduce some of the awkwardness in the doctor's office when it comes to talking about pain in the bedroom. "The survey reports were all pointing for a study like this to be done," Sidorkewicz said. "A lot of the low back pain patents that were being interviewed were saying that they were having a lot of pain with the movement and as a result that was making them reduce the frequency of their sexual activity." "We're hoping this will facilitate a dialogue between practitioners and their patients." For more about which sexual positions to avoid for flexion-intolerant and extension-intolerant back-pain sufferers, see this chart. (Viewer discretion advised). Abby Phillip is a general assignment national reporter for the Washington Post. She can be reached at abby.phillip@washpost.com. On Twitter: @abbydphillip

High-tech survey proves there's more to Stonehenge than meets the eye Read more: http://www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/high-tech-survey-proves-there-s-more-to-stonehenge-than-meets-the-eye-1.2000049#ixzz3Cv9dcB7m

LONDON -- A high-tech survey reveals that there is more to Stonehenge than meets the eye, finding previously unknown monuments. Researchers have produced digital maps of what's beneath the World Heritage Site, using ground-penetrating radar, high-resolution magnetometers and other techniques to peer deep into the soil. Birmingham University said Wednesday that the project produced detailed maps of 17 previously unknown ritual monuments and a massive timber building which is thought to have been used for burial ceremonies. RELATED STORIES Obama visits Stonehenge after NATO summit The project leader, Professor Vincent Gaffney of Birmingham University, says the findings included types of monuments previously unknown to archaeologists. Professor Wolfgang Neubauer of Germany's Ludwig Boltzmann Institute says the new maps make it possible at last to reconstruct the development of Stonehenge over its 11,000-year history. Read more: http://www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/high-tech-survey-proves-there-s-more-to-stonehenge-than-meets-the-eye-1.2000049#ixzz3Cv9mqGlW

Group selfies get a name: Usie

By: Beth J. Harpaz Associated Press, Published on Wed Jul 30 2014 NEW YORK—What do you call a group selfie? An usie, of course! As in “us.” Pronounced uss-ee, rhymes with fussy. “Usies are a growing trend that I think have far more social value than selfies,” said Michal Ann Strahilevitz, a professor of marketing at Golden Gate University in San Francisco who studies consumer behaviour. “It’s magical capturing moments we share with other people.” In contrast to one-person selfies, usies are “more about the relationship, and less about you and your hair,” she said. The word — sometimes spelled usie, sometimes ussie — has been showing up in written material since at least April 2013, according to Ben Zimmer, executive producer of Vocabulary.com and language columnist for The Wall Street Journal. A Business Insider story from January noted that the outstretched arm of the photo-taker in usies is a “signature” of the image, because the shooter has to get the camera far enough away to get the group in the frame. The Times of India in March said Pope Francis’ group selfie with visitors at the Vatican last year “could possibly be the first chronicled celebrity usie.” And a PopStopTV.com report from June was headlined: “Selfies Are Dead, Usie is the Latest Trend!”

Scientists say eating your leftovers is good for you and the environment

Researchers have found that food waste has a big impact on the heat-trapping gasses we release into the environment. Mary Heller is a senior research specialist with the Center for Sustainable Systems at the University of Michigan. In a new study, he and U of M's Greg Keoleian looked at the greenhouse gas emissions involved with the production of the food we eat and the food we waste. “If we look at the greenhouse gas emissions associated with that food waste, it is equivalent to adding an additional 33 million average passenger vehicles to our roads every year,” Heller said. "If we look at the greenhouse gas emissions associated with that food waste, it is equivalent to adding an additional 33 million average passenger vehicles to our roads every year." - 2014 Marty Heller, study's co-author Heller and Keoleian studied the emissions associated with about 100 different types of food. They discover that certain types of foods have the highest greenhouse gas emissions associated with their production. "Typically we see a very distinct difference between foods that are animal based — meats, dairy —and foods that are plant based," Heller said. "To a large extent that's because of the additional feed that is required to keep an animal alive and sort of their conversion efficiency of the feed that they consume." He also found that some of those animals, cows in particular, emit a great deal of methane which is a very potent greenhouse gas emission. USDA dietary guidelines help and hurt The most recent dietary guidelines from the USDA say we should be eating more fruits and vegetables, more low-fat dairy products and seafood. And in this country we eat more meat than the guidelines say that we should. One of the things they looked at is what would happen to greenhouse gas emissions if we shifted our diets to match what the USDA recommends. "We found that if we were to maintain the same level of caloric intake as we do with our current diet that the greenhouse gas emission associated with our production of that food would increase by about 12%," Heller said. He emphasized that the average person eats too many calories, according to those recommendations. "On average we should decrease our caloric intake by about 20% according to those recommendations. The recommendations end up calling for lower intake of meats, which carry large carbon footprint, but they also call for an increase in dairy consumption. " he said. "And dairy productions also tends to be greenhouse gas intensive." They found the tradeoff is close to a wash. Benefits to cutting back on food waste Heller's research found that the amount of food that we waste is roughly equivalent in greenhouse gas emissions to the savings the U.S. would realize, as a country, going to a completely vegetarian diet. He admits that neither of those scenarios is realistic for the U.S. right now. "But combined (reducing our food waste and perhaps reducing the amount of meat that we consume) can lead to very significant decreases in greenhouse gas emissions associated with our food system." Heller added that the reduction would be "upwards of 30% reduction."

Snail believed extinct from climate change rediscovered

A snail once thought to have been among the first species to go extinct because of climate change has reappeared in the wild. The Aldabra banded snail, declared extinct seven years ago, was rediscovered on Aug. 23 in the Indian Ocean island nation of Seychelles. The mollusk, which is endemic to the Aldabra coral atoll - a UNESCO World Heritage Site - had not been seen on the islands since 1997, said the Seychelles Islands Foundation. A research team from the Seychelles Islands Foundation found seven of the purple-and-pink striped snails on Aldabra atoll's Malabar Island last week. The snail faces many pressures in Aldabra atoll. The coral islands grew atop an extinct volcano in the Indian Ocean. The isolated atoll, which also is home to the largest population of giant tortoises in the world, provides opportunities to study evolution and biodiversity. Conservationists are unsure how a terrestrial snail like the Aldabra banded snail initially reached these hot, dry islands surrounded by saltwater without drying out. The snail's apparent demise was linked to declining rainfall on Aldabra. © Copyright (c) The StarPhoenix

China's Yutu rover is still alive, reports say, as lunar panorama released

t hasn't been an easy few lunar months for the Yutu rover, which reportedly had problems positioning its solar panels in March while exploring the lunar surface. That said, reports are emerging that the rover is still alive. Along with those reports came a new panorama released in time for the Moon Festival in that country. As you can see in the video above, the new panorama shows the Chang'e-3 lander and the tracks of the Yutu rover in the Mare Imbrium (Sea of Rains). The duo landed on the Moon on Dec. 14, 2013, with the rover on the top. Yutu then drove on its six wheels on to the surface only about seven hours after the touchdown happened. The act was hailed as an accomplishment for China, which is the third nation to make a soft landing on the moon after the Soviet Union and the United States. It also was the first to touch down on the moon in more than a generation, as other lunar programs have focused on orbiters (such as NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, which remains in operation above.) See the video and read more at: http://phys.org/news/2014-09-china-yutu-rover-alive-lunar.html#jCp

Couple Catches Monster Shrimp in Florida

A couple went for causal fishing in Florida and caught a monster shrimp. According to Live Science report, fisherman Steve Bargeron, while on a fishing trip off a dock in Fort Pierce, Florida saw the couple with a strange creature, which looked like a lobster. Bargeron said that the couple was not interested to keep the strange creature. He also clicked few images of the uncommon shrimp before throwing it back into the lake. The images were posted on the Facebook page of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC). The FWC says that the creature was 45 cm long (about 18 inches), and was a mantis shrimp, which is more appropriately called stomatopod. But, they are unable to know the exact species of mantis shrimp it is, as there are 400 species or even more. Mantis shrimps have exciting features as their eyes have many advanced features. The best about this creature is lethal methods by which it kills its preys. Roy Caldwell, an integrative biology professional, said that the strange sea creature is an over-sized mantis shrimp. "This particular group is Lysiosquillidae and are almost all banded yellow and black across their bodies. They can live for 30 years and can grow to be 12 inches (30.5 centimetres) long", affirmed Caldwell. He also said that the specimen of the Lysiosquillidae family as big as the couple found in off Florida is unlikely. Scientists say that they have examined stomatopods for 50 years and an 18-inch catch is strange because the largest mantis of the same species noticed last time was 15 inches long. The fisherman said that at that time, he did not have measuring tape to measure the accurate size of the shrimp.

LUXURY & SUPERCAR WEEKEND IN VANCOUVER

Everyone loves a super car. They would love to drive one, but even looking at one is a great thing to do as well. These are the top of the line cars, and individuals love to be near to them. At Vancouver’s luxury and super car weekend, individuals can do just that. It is easy to see why so many car enthusiasts flock to this even that goes on each year in Vancouver. Phil Star reports that there are over 100 million dollars worth of luxury cars at this event, with brand names such as Masserati, Lamborghini, and Ferrari. According to the official website: L&SW offers a unique up-close and personal opportunity to view the world’s most important examples of automotive achievements from manufacturers and private collections such as Lamborghini, Pagani, McLaren, Bugatti, Ferrari, Maserati, Jaguar, Rolls Royce, Bentley, Aston Martin, BMW, Lincoln and many more. Included among these displays are the latest models of Luxury and Supercars along with award-winning Concours Classics supercars entered for display by private collectors, many never seen before. The daily times reports that Vancouver has more luxury car owners per capita than any other city in North America. It is easy to see why there are so many luxury cars that are available for these shows. Not many of them have to be shipped in, which makes it very easy to get all of these high end cars that will be shown during this show. The high property taxes make for some great roads, which are very nice for these high end cars to drive on. The nicer the road, the more a luxury car owner will be willing to drive their expensive car on it. Craig Stowe, director of the super car show, told Xinhua that Vancouver – known for its multi-million dollar houses and wealthy socialites – has more luxury car ownership per capita than any other markets in North America. “It’s a beautiful, small city, with great roads and a lot of wealth. And with wealth comes appreciation of super cars and the more super cars you get on the road, the more super cars are bought,” he said. The Canada Journal even reported that one car was worth 6 million dollars. These are some very expensive cars, and it is very fun for individuals to be around these expensive cars and dream a little. Events like these bring a lot of attention to a city like Vancouver. This three day event was a major success, and it seems as though this type of even will continue to return to the high end city of Vancouver. It will be a great thing to see more luxury cars in Vancouver as the years go by.

Warmer-than-usual fall ahead, Weather Network says

TORONTO -- One of Canada's most prominent forecasters says weather watchers need only look back at the summer to see what Mother Nature has in store for the fall. The Weather Network's fall outlook says temperature and precipitation trends that took hold during the summer are likely to continue for the next few months across most of the country. Chief Meteorologist Chris Scott says British Columbia's balmy, dry summer will likely give way to a warmer than usual fall with below-average rainfalls. RELATED STORIES It's already snowing in Calgary: winter hits southern Alberta Farmers' Almanac predicts nasty winter: 'shivery and shovelry' He says Prairie dwellers and Ontarians hoping for a break from an unusually chilly, soggy summer aren't expected to get much relief. Scott expects only the Maritimes will see a departure from their summer weather trends. The network is calling for a return of cooler air that will bring temperatures and precipitation levels back down to around seasonal norms. Summer wore an unusual form across most of the country, Scott said, adding conventional weather trends were reversed in most cases. The typically cool region of Goose Bay, Labrador, for instance, recorded as many days over 30 C as the frequently sizzling southern Ontario city of Windsor. Similarly, British Columbia residents accustomed to cooler days had a chance to savour the season under unusually sunny skies. Scott said fall looks to offer more of the same in most cases, adding that the next three months won't be without the volatile temperature shifts that have come to be synonymous with the season. "We think that's going to be the telltale signature of this fall, as it often is ... these wild swings up and down," Scott said in a telephone interview. "But when you average everything out over those three months, it's going to still keep that same tendency to be a bit milder towards B.C., and then we still have a tendency towards coolness in the centre part of the country." That coolness, Scott said, will likely be enhanced by what's shaping up to be the season's most active weather cells. Scott said their models suggest some unusually stormy weather will make itself felt around the Great Lakes as well as the eastern Prairies. Those areas can expect higher than average precipitation for the season, he said, adding Atlantic Canada also has potential for heavy rainfalls if the local hurricane season becomes more active than it has been to date. Significant wet weather is expected to come late to British Columbia, Scott said, conceding the news may be unwelcome to ski resort owners hoping for an early start to the season. In Toronto, where memories of a damp and nippy summer are still vivid, reception of the network's fall weather prognostications was about as warm as the forecast. "I feel like I better take off to Mexico sooner rather than later," said Rob Primerano. "I usually wait until January but maybe I'll go sooner." "I'm disappointed, I hate the rain," opined Alanna McPherson. Others took a more philosophical approach. "There's a lot of good in this world, weather should be the least of your worries, that's what I think," said Hin Jang. "I was born in Toronto so I've seen worse." Scott cautioned the forecast could be influenced by a weak El Nino, a condition in which waters in the Pacific Ocean are slightly warmer than usual. The effects of El Nino are difficult to quantify, he said, adding they're generally felt more towards the end of the season and into the winter. Scott said the network's fall estimates are heavily based on the patterns observed during weak El Nino seasons of the past, but said they're about as likely to change as the weather itself. "Even though the weather pattern wants to hold onto what we saw this summer, fall is just a wildly different beast in terms of the variation you get," he said. Read more: http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/warmer-than-usual-fall-ahead-weather-network-says-1.1998067#ixzz3CphhIj28

Ship from lost Franklin expedition found

OTTAWA—One of the lost ships from the ill-fated Franklin Arctic expedition has been found, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced Tuesday. A remotely operated underwater vehicle searching the Victoria Strait made the discovery on Sunday. It’s one of two ships that belonged to Sir John Franklin’s doomed Arctic expedition, though researchers aren’t sure yet whether it’s HMS Terror or HMS Erebus. “I am delighted to announce that this year’s Victoria Strait Expedition has solved one of Canada’s greatest mysteries, with the discovery of one of the two ships belonging to the Franklin Expedition,” Harper said in a statement. “This is truly a historic moment for Canada. Franklin’s ships are an important part of Canadian history given that his expeditions, which took place nearly 200 years ago, laid the foundations of Canada’s Arctic sovereignty. Harper later told reporters that the ship is in good condition. He praised the team of government and non-government organizations that participated in the search, which the Star has been accompanying. “This is a good historic event. For more than a century, this has been a great Canadian story and mystery. It’s been the subject of scientists and historians, writers and singers,” Harper said. “I think we have a really important day in mapping together the history of our country,” he said. “Of course, I would have liked it to have been picked up and brought down but that’s not possible but we do have an image,” Harper said during a visit to a Parks Canada lab in Ottawa where the find was revealed. The prime minister watched as a sonar image of the lost ship was displayed on a screen. “What we see here is the acoustic shadow,” said Ryan Harris, a Parks Canada official who headed the search. Harris says the ship is five metres off the sea floor in the bow and four metres in the stern. He said the sonar image shows some of the deck structures are still intact including the mainmast, though it was sheared off by the ice when the ship sank. He said the contents of the ship are likely well preserved. Franklin was leading a Royal Navy expedition that left Britain in 1845 to find a possible trade route between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Franklin and 128 crewmen were lost in the original expedition. Since 2008, Parks Canada has led six major searches for the ships, scouring hundreds of square kilometres of seabed. This year’s search was one of the largest and went equipped with new technology that Harper said was likely key to making the discovery.

GoPro Flyover of Apple's Spaceship HQ Build Site Gives You The Scenic Tour Read more: http://hothardware.com/News/GoPro-Flyover-of-Apples-Spaceship-HQ-Build-Site-Gives-You-The-Scenic-Tour/#!bNzZfl#ixzz3C1SDzihy

When GoPro's versatile cameras first hit the market, they became an instant hit. Finally, ordinary users were able to capture some cool lifestyle footage without having to break their bank accounts. Now, drones have hit the market in a big way, and when combining them with a GoPro, some truly fascinating footage can be captured. In case you missed it, we talked about one such example of this in early July, after an owner of a drone and GoPro took advantage of his local Independence Day fireworks. Interestingly, I saw someone do the exact same thing in my eastern Canadian town for Canada Day fireworks, so this solution is one that's really catching on fast. Now, it's Apple's upcoming "Spaceship" campus that's been treated to this high-flying GoPro action. This Cupertino-based campus is far from completion, but that doesn't make this footage any less interesting. Cupertino really isn't a big city, so to see a campus this enormous situated there is quite something - it looks like it'd take a solid 4 or more minutes to drive the perimeter of the blocks it dominates.

The video really doesn't show that much outside of a top-view - it doesn't fly near the ground at any point, probably in fear of the existence of Apple iTurrets. Even if you're disinterested in the campus itself, this kind of video really shows what's possible with a GoPro and a drone. This is really only the beginning. As for the campus, it's going to be quite the thing to behold once it's completed.

Dodge previews Mopar Challenger dragster

When it comes to drag racing in the US, Dodge and Mopar go hand-in-hand. Mopar (a simply contraction of the words Motor and Parts) began life in 1937 and is today Chrysler group's creator of factory-authorised after market parts. The latest iteration is the 2015 Mopar Challenger Drag Pak test car built on the Dodge Challenger platform. While it isn't equipped with the fearsome Hellcat engine, it instead is running a massive 7-litre Race Hemi V8 engine with an aluminum block, steel liners and custom engine calibration. It also boasts a Chrysler-based 727 automatic transmission, a race-style stick shifter with integral line lock, and an aluminum driveshaft. The interior is currently based on the 2015 Challenger SRT with the addition of Mopar gauges, driver and passenger lightweight racing seats, along with safety nets, five-point harnesses and a full roll cage built to US National Hot Rod Association specs. The test car runs on 15-inch front and rear wheels, 28-inch diameter drag style front tyres (4.5 inches wide) and 30-inch diameter rear tyres (9-inches wide). It also has performance front and rear brake rotors, calipers and master cylinder. At the back of the car, racers will find a four-link rear suspension with Panhard bar, rear solid axle with 9-inch aluminum third member, rear shocks with adjustable compression and rebound, and an anti-sway bar. All specifications are still preliminary and being evaluated, as they are pending US NHRA approval.

Fly 11 days non-stop? Now that's long-haul

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Airbus has moved a step closer to introducing a new class of unmanned solar-powered aeroplanes with unlimited range after one of this new breed of aircraft completed an 11-day non-stop flight. The company’s defence and space division has just finished the test of its High Altitude Pseudo Satellite (Haps) Zephyr 7 vehicle for the Ministry of Defence, paving the way for a new range of capabilities for the military. These vehicles could in the future provide surveillance and communications capabilities similar to satellites – but at a fraction of the cost of launching rockets into space and from any conventional runway rather than a dedicated spaceport.

The Zephyr is an ultra-light aircraft weighing in at just 50kgs. It has a wingspan of 75ft and flies at altitudes of 65,000ft – almost twice as high as passenger jets – filling the gap between conventional drones and satellites. Although still in development, it carries up to 5kg of payload and can be equipped with video cameras and infrared sensors, giving its commanders on the ground real-time surveillance capabilities from a platform that remains on station almost indefinitely. It has also been kitted out with communications equipment, meaning it could in the future provide long-range radio and internet connections in areas that lack the required infrastructure, making it a low-cost alternative to satellites. Using Haps as a relay station, in tests handsets 400 miles apart have been able to communicate with each other. Paul Brooks, Haps head of business development and sales (pictured below), said the recent test was significant because the more than 250-hour flight was conducted through winter conditions at a secret location in the South Hemisphere. “It’s easier to do long flights in the summer when there are 15 hours of light and nine hours of dark,” he said. “We flew in winter conditions which was a real test.” Zephyr’s solar arrays on its wings provide 1,000 watts for each kilogram they weigh. These power the vehicle’s motors and two propellers, driving it along at 30 knots at altitude, using about 450 watts, about three times as much as a lightbulb, and also charge its lithium-sulphur batteries. However, the challenge comes when the sun goes down, he said: “Zephyr’s batteries store about 350 watt hours for each kilo they weigh meaning that flying in the dark is a major test. The latest test was also flown in winter weather which is more challenging.” As well as Zephyr being able to pilot itself with only minimal input from its controllers, the designers have had to overcome major challenges developing the system. “This is less of an aircraft and more of a satellite,” said Mr Brooks. “We are dealing with issues most aircraft designers don’t. The temperature it operated in during the last test got down to -80 Celsius and batteries don’t work so well in the cold, we’re also working in a radiation environment at that height.” Ultimately it is hoped that Haps will be operated in a similar way to satellites, with teams able to control many of them from a centralised base, unlike today’s drones. “Conventional unmanned aerial vehicles can be almost as expensive to operate as normal aircraft, requiring teams of pilots for each one,” said Mr Brooks. “With Haps, it will cheaper because you can have lots of them operated centrally and send one to an area of operations and it will stay there for months at a time until you tell it to come back.” Mr Brooks said Zephyr was “born out of the UK”, with Airbus buying the system from FTSE 250 defence research group QinetiQ last year, and a team of 40 Airbus staff are now developing Haps at the company’s bases in Farnborough and Germany. Zephyr already holds the record for flight duration having clocked up 14 days in the air in 2010 – more than 336 hours – and the programme has clocked up almost 1,000 of flying time. Mr Brooks said this put it ahead of the competition by a factor of 10 but Airbus could face competition in the sector from some unexpected rivals. In March social media company Facebook bought Somerset based solar-powered drone business Ascenta for $20m, and the company’s chief executive has revealed plans to use high flying aircraft to provide broadband connections from altitude.

Competition: Google bought Titan Aerospace in April A month later Google bought New Mexico-based Titan, which is also in the solar drone business. The web search giant has already started work on Project Loon, a network of balloons on the edge of space that are designed to provide internet connections in rural areas, fill coverage gaps and restore communications after disasters.

Cat cafe in Montreal opens its doors; claims to be North America's first Read more: http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/cat-cafe-in-montreal-opens-its-doors-claims-to-be-north-america-s-first-1.1985046#ixzz3C1OhUXsM

A new Montreal cafe is hoping plenty of people do. The Cafe des Chats, which opened its doors on Saturday, is a lot like a regular coffee house -- except it's home to eight cats. Along with the usual tables and chairs designed for human clientele, the space is filled with scratching posts, plush toys, and a special multi-level window perch for the felines-in-residence. Nadine Spencer, who helped set up the business along with her partner, said the concept is a big hit in Asia and, more recently, has gained popularity in Europe. "We thought, 'why not bring this to Montreal?' I think it's a city that could definitely use it," she said Sunday. "There's a lot of places that don't accept cats these days and there are a lot of students here for a short time. And it's also great therapy." According to Spencer, the cafe is the first of its kind in North America. But not for long. There are plans to open cat cafes in several cities, including Vancouver and Toronto. There's even another one set to open a few blocks away in Montreal. The crowd of people packed into Spencer's cafe on Sunday suggests there's plenty of demand. Michelle Lau made the trip from Toronto for the opening weekend. "We're big cat lovers and I can't wait until one opens in our city," said Lau, 24, explaining that she has a dog at home and is reluctant to bring a kitty into the mix. "I think it's just a nice environment. You sit down, you have a coffee, and you play with the cats." Part of the goal was to give a few cats a second chance. They were all adopted from the SPCA and quickly made themselves comfortable in their new home, Spencer said. The cats have their own private quarters at the back of the shop, for when they want some quiet time or need to use the kitty litter. "Personalities are already coming out," she said. "There's definitely The Godfather, who kind of oversees everything. There's the big boss, Big Foot, and the Three Little Rascals, as I like to call them. I think they're going to be the ones to be in charge eventually." Read more: http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/cat-cafe-in-montreal-opens-its-doors-claims-to-be-north-america-s-first-1.1985046#ixzz3C1Os1pbr

Astronomers Discover A Planetary Impact Outside Our Own Solar System

In a study published in the latest issue of Science, astronomers led by graduate student Huan Meng, of the University of Arizona in Tucson, announced the discovery of remains of a mammoth planetary collision. The team made its observations using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope and several different ground-based instruments. The collision occurred between two planets orbiting a sunlike star called NGC-2547 ID8, which lies about 1,140 light-years from the earth. The star is a young one, with a system of planets still in the process of formation. The collision, which may have occurred as recently as two years ago, left a ring of dust and debris circling the star. "This is the first detection of a planetary impact outside of our own solar system," said Meng. It provides a glimpse into the earliest era of the formation of our own solar system, since NGC-2547 ID8 is the same mass and size as our parent star, and, at just 35-million years old, the same age our sun was when its planets were accreting from the material that circled it. "We think two big asteroids crashed into each other," said Meng, "creating a huge cloud of grains the size of very fine sand, which are now smashing themselves into smithereens and slowly leaking away from the star." Previous observations of NGC-2547 ID8 had already recorded variations in the amount of dust around the star, hinting at possible ongoing asteroid collisions. In the hope of witnessing an even larger impact – which is a key step in the birth of a terrestrial planet – Meng and his team turned to the Spitzer space telescope to observe the star on a regular basis. "Spitzer," said co-author Kate Su, "is the best telescope for monitoring stars regularly and precisely for small changes in infrared light over months and even years." Beginning in May 2012, the telescope began watching the star, often on a daily basis. The collision occurred sometime in the five months between observations that took place in 2012 and those that took place in 2013. Collisions between rocky bodies create a lot of dust, which in turn shine brightly in the infrared A dramatic increase in infrared light from NGC-2547 ID8 suggested the recent formation of a cloud of fine dust particles. Computer modeling work suggested that the increase—which gradually faded over the following year—was caused by the impact of two large, rocky objects, perhaps similar to the asteroid-like protoplanetary bodies in our own early solar system that eventually coalesced to form planets like the earth and Mars. "We are watching rocky planet formation happen right in front of us," said co-author George Rieke. "This is a unique chance to study this process in near real-time." The collision would have created a gigantic mass of incandescent, vaporized rock. Out of this a thick cloud of silicate spherules condensed that were then ground into dust by collisions. "I can't imagine something else," Meng explains, "that could produce so much dust just within four months." "The signal is fading," Su said, "as the cloud destroys itself by grinding its grains down so they escape from the star. Expelled from the system by radiation pressure from NGC-2547 ID8 (explaining the spike in the infrared—caused by the dust formed immediately after the collision—and its rapid decline) the dust cloud will be gone entirely in just a year or two. Illustration by Ron Miller

NASA Opens Media Accreditation for Orion Move in Preparation for First Flight Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/2154935#ixzz3BzMzm9Ty

NASA managers will be available to discuss the progress being made on Orion during the move, the exact date and time of which will be announced as soon as possible. The event will not be carried live on NASA Television, but highlights of the move will air on NASA TV's Video File segments and the agency's website. For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, the Orion spacecraft will be fueled with ammonia and hyper-propellants for its mission. It will later be moved again for the installation of its launch abort system. Orion is undergoing preparations for its maiden flight in December, an uncrewed flight that will take it 3,600 miles above Earth on a 4.5-hour mission to test the systems critical for future human missions to deep space. After two orbits, Orion will reenter Earth's atmosphere at almost 20,000 miles per hour before its parachute system deploys to slow the spacecraft for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. International media without U.S. citizenship must apply for credentials no later than 4:30 p.m. EDT Tuesday, Sept. 2, and are required to submit a scanned copy of their "I" visa and passport to access the event. Green card holders must submit a scanned copy of their card. All scanned documents must be emailed to jennifer.p.horner@nasa.gov for credential request processing. The deadline for U.S. media is noon Sept. 5. All media representatives must present two forms of legal, government identification to access Kennedy. One form must be a photo ID, such as a passport or driver's license. Media accreditation requests need to be submitted online at: https://media.ksc.nasa.gov Questions about accreditation should be addressed to Jennifer Horner at jennifer.p.horner@nasa.gov, 321-867-6598 or 321-867-2468. The Orion spacecraft will carry astronauts farther into the solar system than ever before,. It will provide emergency abort capabilities, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space. For more information about the Orion Program, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/orion Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/2154935#ixzz3BzNNq6S6

New limited-edition coins have super power Series unveiled at Fan Expo

The Royal Canadian Mint on Friday unveiled four limited-edition Superman coins, reproducing colourful iconic images from DC Comics' book covers. Three of the new coins have been minted in silver, T with face values of $10, $15 and $20, and the fourth is in gold with a face value of $100. The mint is only producing 10,000 of each silver coin, and the gold coin is limited to a run of 2,000. The coins were unveiled at Fan Expo Canada in Toronto by a federal minister who said he grew up with the "fantastic" adventures of Superman. House Leader Peter Van Loan was also quick to point out the Man of Steel's Canadian roots, saying Superman's co-creator was Joe Shuster of Toronto. "Folks of my generation will know him as a cousin of the famous comedian Frank Shuster of the Wayne and Shuster duo, and Joe Shuster was, of course, born in the city," said Van Loan, who brought his daughter and son along to the unveiling. The new coins are based on art that graced comic book covers in 1938, 1972, 2001 and 2012, including Action Comics No. 1, which features Superman hoisting a green car above his head in "arguably the most famous comic book of all time," the mint stated. The other coins feature images including Superman's alter ego Clark Kent pulling back his shirt to reveal the S-Shield and Superman in the "classic iteration of his costume," taking to the skies with his cape fluttering behind. Their launch follows the release last year of seven Superman coins to mark the hero's 75th anniversary. "By celebrating Superman, we are highlighting the fact that many Canadians share a love of comic books and admiration for one of the world's greatest pop culture heroes," said Patrick Hadsipantelis, vice-president of marketing at the mint. He said the new coins exemplify the mint's internationally renowned craftsmanship. The coins are on sale online now and will be available in Canada Post outlets and at other distributors.

Sask. man who smokes a lot of pot found not guilty of drug trafficking Read more: http://regina.ctvnews.ca/sask-man-who-smokes-a-lot-of-pot-found-not-guilty-of-drug-trafficking

CTV Regina Published Wednesday, August 27, 2014 9:48AM CST A marijuana trafficking case against a Saskatchewan man has gone up in smoke after he argued in court that he simply tokes a lot of pot. Devon Douglas Lavallee was charged after RCMP found about a pound of marijuana in his vehicle during a traffic stop near Weldon, southeast of Prince Albert, last August. During the trial, an RCMP constable testified that Lavallee possessed the two half-pound bags of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking. However, Lavallee said he is a heavy marijuana user, having smoked between five and 13 grams of pot a day for 13 years, and argued that the large amount of pot was for personal use. He told the court he uses it recreationally and to relieve chronic back pain. In a decision released online earlier this week, provincial court Judge Felicia Daunt said while Lavallee is “prone to exaggeration,” she accepted his assertion that he smokes at least five grams of marijuana a day. The judge noted that Mounties didn’t find a scale, cellphone, small plastic bags or other paraphernalia associated with drug trafficking during a search of Lavallee’s home. Daunt found Lavallee not guilty of possession for the purpose of trafficking, but guilty of the lesser offence of simple possession. Read more: http://regina.ctvnews.ca/sask-man-who-smokes-a-lot-of-pot-found-not-guilty-of-drug-trafficking-1.1978890#ixzz3Bydywx00

Ottawa shredding monthly paper bill fees

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Industry Minister James Moore says the practice of companies charging extra for paper invoices is unfair. Photograph by: Sean Kilpatrick, The Canadian Press Files, The Canadian Press The big telecom companies may have agreed to exempt some customers from fees charged for paper invoices, but the federal government says it's going to end the whole practice. Industry Minister James Moore says the government will introduce legislation to end what is called pay-to-pay, the practice of charging people extra for a monthly bill on paper. "We do not believe that Canadians should pay more to receive a paper copy of their telephone or wireless bill," Moore said Friday. The telecom firms met under the auspices of the Canadian Radiotelevision and Telecommunication Commission Thursday and agreed to exempt some people, including seniors, the disabled, military vets and people without Internet access. The CRTC said it wasn't enough and called for another round of discussions, but that seems to have been overtaken by Moore's announcement. The minister says the practice of charging extra for paper invoices is unfair and Canadians expect lower prices and better service from the telecoms. "That is why our government committed to ending this unfair practice and putting the interests of Canadian consumers first," he said. The Thursday meeting included telecom giants Bell, Rogers and Telus. Billing practices and fees are a patchwork in the industry. Cogeco, which supplies cable, Internet and phone services in Ontario and Quebec, has never adopted the practice, although it does encourage customers to go paperless. MTS Allstream, SaskTel and Shaw Communications, also don't charge extra for paper invoices. Other companies, however, do charge for paper bills - up to $6 per month in some cases, plus tax - and both the fees and exemption policies vary widely. Rogers, for instance, has been known to waive its $2 fee if customers object for various reasons. The Public Interest Advocacy Centre has estimated consumers pay $734 million every year in fees to get bills on paper. That's the motivation for the telecom giants to keep the fees in place for as long as possible, said NDP critic Andrew Cash.

DNA Shows History of Paleo-Eskimos in North American Arctic, New Study

A new study has been released exploring the DNA of current and ancient people of places like Alaska, Greenland, and Siberia, revealing that a number of cultures survived the harsh climate for thousands of years. The study conducted by an international team headed by the Centre for GeoGenetics at the Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, showed that the Paleo-Eskimo, who lived in the Arctic from about 5,000 years ago until about 700 years ago, represented a distinct wave of migration, separate from both Native Americans. Lundbeck Foundation Professor Eske Willerslev from Centre for GeoGenetics at the Natural History Museum, University of Copenhagen, said that the Paleo-Eskimos were the first people in the Arctic, and they survived without outside contact for over 4,000 years. Dr. Maanasa Raghavan of Centre for GeoGenetics and lead author of the article, asserted that the Paleo-Eskimos, after surviving in near-isolation in the harsh Arctic environment for more than 4,000 years, disappeared around 700 years ago about the same time when the ancestors of modern-day Inuit spread eastward from Alaska. Co-author Dr. William Fitzhugh from the Arctic Studies Centre at the Smithsonian Institution said that ever since the discovery of a Paleo-Eskimo culture in the North American Arctic in 1925, archaeologists had been mystified by their relationship with the ‘Thule’ culture ancestors of the modern Inuit. Agencies/Canadajournal

NEW DRUG EFFECTIVE IN TREATING HEART FAILURE

New York: An experimental drug has reduced deaths from chronic heart failure by 20 per cent compared with an existing treatment, a new study has claimed. The drug, being developed by the Swiss pharma giant Novartis, could reach the patients in the US and Europe by next year. In a large clinical trial, the drug reduced both the risk of dying from cardiovascular causes and the risk of being hospitalised for worsening heart failure by about 20 per cent. "I think that when physicians see these data, they will find it compelling, and what we will see is a paradigm shift," said Dr Milton Packer, a professor of clinical sciences at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Centre in Dallas and one of the two principal investigators in the study. According to Novartis executives, the company will file for approval of the drug, called LCZ696, in the US by the end of the year and in Europe in the first quarter of 2015, 'The New York Times' reported. That means the drug could get to patients as early as next year. "It's very rare that a drug like this comes along, one where people live longer, have less hospitalisations and other costs and feel better," said David Epstein, the head of Novartis's pharmaceutical division. The research involved more than 8,400 patients in 47 countries who were randomised to receive either LCZ696 or enalapril, one of a class of drugs called ACE inhibitors that have been the standard treatment for heart failure. The patients were followed for a median of 27 months. By that point, 21.8 per cent of those who received LCZ696 had died from a cardiovascular cause or had been hospitalised for worsening heart failure, the report said. Researchers found that figure was 26.5 per cent for those receiving enalapril. That represents a 20 per cent relative reduction in risk. The reductions in risk for both cardiovascular death alone and hospitalisation alone were also about 20 per cent. About 32 patients had to be treated with LCZ696 to prevent one death from cardiovascular causes. The research was published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

I'm an old dude, a bit of cynic, and alarmingly, I find myself getting increasingly jaded. I used to be all about peace and love and joy and truth. These days the news is really crushing my groove. I'm not about to stick my head in the sand and pretend that the world isn't going to hell in a handbasket. Ain't no denying that. What I am going to do however, is direct my focus to the more pleasant stories I find in the news and on the web. As a junkie news reader, I can tell you, this represents roughly 7% of stories from day to day. Not here. Here, 100% of what you'll find should make you smile, give you hope or enlighten you in some way. Here, you'll see that despite all the crap, as a species we're still growing, evolving and innovating. Enjoy!