The Technology Thread - Part 1

[Mightmitenot]

The rise of rge Von Newman machine.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/gadgets/71089806/motherbot-builds-her-own-offspring

 

[Mightmitenot]

Solar power carbon fibers made out of CO in air?


http://www.salon.com/2015/08/20/researchers_use_solar_power_to_make_carbon_fiber_out_of_thin_air/

 

[Mightmitenot]

Fusion Breakthrough?

http://news.sciencemag.org/physics/2015/08/secretive-fusion-company-makes-reactor-breakthrough

 

[Mightmitenot]

Japanese researchers produce laser beam in the 1.5 angstrom unit wave length.

http://www.upi.com/Science_News/201...ngth-atomic-laser/3391440692055/?spt=hs&or=sn

 

[Mightmitenot]

http://media.brisbanetimes.com.au/t...y-starfish-on-great-barrier-reef-6820238.html

Starfish terminators to preserve coral reefs?

 

[Mightmitenot]

http://www.geeksnack.com/2015/09/04...might-reveal-the-early-state-of-the-universe/

Quark gluon plasma created in super collider: estimated temp 4 trillin C, 7 trillion F.

 

[KevanG]

Also known as the perfect temperature for s'mores!

(I don't science good. I'm sorry. )

 

[Mightmitenot]

Also known as the perfect temperature for s'mores!

(I don't science good. I'm sorry. )

Lets just say that heat woul DEFINITELY caramelize the marshmallows.

From ornit.

Around Neptune.

 

[Mightmitenot]

Perhaps it is time to welcome our new robotic overlords.

http://www.rawstory.com/2015/09/res...uilds-hundreds-of-children-and-improves-them/

 

[Mightmitenot]

Extending battery charge on iPhone

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry...5e069a1e4b0aec9f352e057?utm_hp_ref=technology

 

[Mightmitenot]

Kirigami like cutting may make sun tracking solar cells more pragmatic.

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/09/09/3699810/solar-cells-inspired-by-paper-cutting/

 

[Teelie]

A bit of a cross post here.

Microsoft is downloading Windows 10 to PCs, even if you don’t “reserve” a copy

Not the typical abuse of power from a government agency but given their severe dominance in the market, it is still an abuse of power.

This is a boneheaded move. People with limited hard drive space, data caps (Comcast, also a dominate player, is imposing this as a business and not technical ploy to make people pay even more money) and a reluctance to upgrade to Windows 10 is not making Microsoft look very customer friendly.

I don't know how they thought forcing people into this was somehow a good idea.

You might be in the process of acquiring Windows 10—whether you want the free upgrade or not. Microsoft has confirmed that it is “helping upgradable devices get ready for Windows 10 by downloading the files they need” in the event that owners decide to migrate to the new OS, even if they have heretofore passed up on "reserving" their free upgrade from Windows 7 or 8.

The issue seems to revolve around the Microsoft update KB3035583, and as such it appears to only afflict individuals who have chosen to receive automatic updates. As far as we can tell, if you have automatic updates turned off, Windows 10 won't be pre-loaded onto your PC.

According to The Inquirer, the situation was first reported by an anonymous reader who claimed to have discovered a hidden directory called $Windows.~BT on his computer, despite not opting in for a free upgrade to Windows 10. The directory weighed in at "3.5GB to 6GB," according to the reader.

“I thought Microsoft [said] this 'upgrade' was optional. If so, why is it being pushed out to so many computers where it wasn't reserved, and why does it try to install over and over again?” he told the outlet.

His concerns are mirrored by numerous people across the Internet, who have been reporting similar revelations since as early as July. Getting rid of the unwanted files isn’t as quite as simple as clicking the delete button, unfortunately. But it doesn’t require any significant computer knowledge, either. Addictive Tips has a concise solution for the dilemma, which involves uninstalling the KB3035583 update prior to removing the actual folder.

While potentially disconcerting at first blush, the news isn’t exactly a shocker. Microsoft has been aggressive about promoting Windows 10, bombarding Windows 7 & 8 users with pop-ups suggesting the change. More crucially, by opting for automatic upgrades, a user is essentially agreeing to allow software developers to do as they will—in this case, proactively downloading Windows 10 in preparation for any changes of heart.

Here's Microsoft's statement to The Inquirer, in full:

For individuals who have chosen to receive automatic updates through Windows Update, we help upgradable devices get ready for Windows 10 by downloading the files they’ll need if they decide to upgrade.

When the upgrade is ready, the customer will be prompted to install Windows 10 on the device.

Ars Technica

 

[Mightmitenot]

NASA Ultra High Definition broadcast coming.

http://www.multichannel.com/news/distribution/bc-nasa-launch-uhd-channel/393712

The NASA TV UHD channel will offer 2160p60 content from the space program and allow consumers to view the UHD footage on a wide range of TVs and IP-connected devices.

 

[Teelie]

“Empty” Epson ink cartridges are still 20 percent full

For those of us who ever doubted ink cartridges were a rip off, now you have confirmation. And never buy from Epson either.

The high-end Epson 9900 printer, which retails for around £3,000 ($5,000), reports that ink cartridges are empty even when they are still about 15-20 percent full. This behaviour is particularly egregious as a set of 700ml ink cartridges for the Epson 9900 printer comes in at around £2,500—so, users are being forced to replace the cartridges when there's still about £500 of ink available.

This finding comes from Bellevue Fine Art, a printing company in Seattle. When their Epson 9900 printer reported that an ink cartridge was down below 1 percent capacity, it refused to print any more pages until the cartridge had been replaced. Bellevue Fine Art, in a fit of curiosity, decided to cut open some of the allegedly empty cartridges to see how much ink was actually left.

You will probably be unsurprised to hear that there was actually a lot of ink still available: in a 700ml cartridge, there was generally between 100 and 150 millilitres of ink still in the bag, about 14-21 percent. In smaller, 350ml cartridges, between 60 and 80ml of ink remained or about 17-22 percent.

A professional printing company could go through a set of 700ml ink cartridges every few weeks, so a wastage fee or tax of £500 per set is pretty hefty.

Of course, we shouldn't just assume that Epson is intentionally fleecing its customers. There could be a technical reason for the misreporting. Perhaps, once a cartridge falls below 15-20 percent, there is some issue that degrades print quality, or perhaps it puts the print heads at risk of drying out. If something like this was the case, though, you would think that Epson would put extra ink into the cartridges so that customers actually get 700ml of usable ink. Sadly, that doesn't seem to be the case. Bellevue Fine Art poured out an entire 700ml cartridge and found there was indeed just 700 millilitres of ink.

Bellevue Fine Art has contacted Epson about this issue "many times," even sending cartridges to the company for examination. So far, though, they have "always been ignored, or told that we were just wrong." The company is hoping that the video demonstrating the issue (embedded above), which has gathered some 500,000 views in the last few days, will finally get Epson to respond.

Ars Technica

 

[:eek:]

LG plans flexible, rollable TV for CES 2016

http://www.whathifi.com/news/lg-plans-flexible-rollable-tv-ces-2016

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

Keep the news coming guys! Love all this stuff

 

[Mightmitenot]

Touch sensing electronic skin developed.

http://abc7news.com/archive/7934023/

 

[:eek:]

Sharp 85in 8K TV to go on sale in Japan

http://www.whathifi.com/news/sharp-85in-8k-tv-to-go-sale-in-japan

 

[jokesonm3]

I still say that 8K TV's are unnecessary till the average joe has a 4K TV and the 4K TV's become mainstream.

 

[Teelie]

Most people don't have a 4K television. Most people don't need a 4k television because most of the media isn't in 4k making it unnecessary. 8k television is just more marketing to the ultra rich, the ultra bleeding edge and the ultra gotta-have-it's. 8k won't be relevant for at least a decade if it even becomes relevant at all. By that time I am betting it will get leap-frogged by 3D television or holograms or some kind of virtual reality stuff.

 

[Mightmitenot]

One step closer to an invisibility cloak.

http://www.rawstory.com/2015/09/uc-...n-invisibility-cloak-that-can-redirect-light/

 

[Mightmitenot]

Glide me to the Moon,
And let me play among the stars.
Let me see what spring is like
On Jupiter and Mars.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry...utm_hp_ref=science&ir=Science&section=science

 

[jaganar]

ok MEGA DUMB QUESTION ....

on the SAMSUNG TAB 10 INCH tablet , i am looking on ebay and seeing the VERIZON one saying you need the SIM CARD to use it ...(can someone PLEASE EXPLAIN TO ME why i need a simcard )

 

[Mightmitenot]

http://phys.org/news/2015-09-cooled-giant-magnet-ready-mission.html

Superconductin magnet ready to go online.

 

[Mightmitenot]

Ebola diagnosing may be done in the field, speeding up containing outbreaks.

http://www.cnet.com/news/new-technology-could-help-contain-spread-of-ebola/