Month: January 2014

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E&T magazine news – Yahoo e-mail snafu, girls vs boys university challenge, smarter solar, a beer-drinking electronic tongue and more!

E&T magazine

We don’t often do this, so we hope you’ll forgive our very occasional shameless self-promotion lapses from time to time. Hey, you never know, you might actually find some of our latest news stories interesting or at the very least mildly diverting from the day job/dullard colleagues/wife and kids. News stories like how Yahoo customer e-mails were hacked in the latest security breach, whereby usernames and passwords of some of Yahoo’s e-mail customers have been stolen and used to gather personal information about people they have recently corresponded with. Or how while applications to university have risen, fewer males are … Continue reading E&T magazine news – Yahoo e-mail snafu, girls vs boys university challenge, smarter solar, a beer-drinking electronic tongue and more!

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New #BMW #Mini John Cooper Works concept unveiled – an annotated graphic

E&T magazine

We’ll ease in to the weekend behind the wheel of this infographic about the new John Cooper Works car, a supercharged version of BMW’s Mini One. The brainchild of pioneering designer Sir Alex Issigonis, the Mini – which first took to the road in 1959 – became a motoring icon. Fifty-five years later, the Mini John Cooper Works concept was revealed at the recent Detriot Motor Show. Click on the graphic for an expanded view. Continue reading New #BMW #Mini John Cooper Works concept unveiled – an annotated graphic

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New issue of E&T magazine online now – the #Utopia issue – utopias, dystopias and more

E&T magazine

What does the ideal world look like, in an ideal world? This month, in the new issue of E&T magazine we look at the ideas of utopia and how one person’s utopia can be another’s dystopia. There are plenty of truly wacky utopias, while other utopias have helped shape the modern world in surprising ways. Today’s techie Internet culture has its roots in the Silicon Valley of the 1970s, for example, which in turn was influenced by the Californian hippie culture of the 1960s. It’s one of the technological utopias we examine in this issue, alongside visionary utopias based on … Continue reading New issue of E&T magazine online now – the #Utopia issue – utopias, dystopias and more

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The future London black cab will be ‘green’

E&T magazine

Last week, E&T Magazine visited an event where some of the future designs for London’s iconic black cab were introduced. Attending the event was the Mayor of London Boris Johnson, who said that by 2018 all new London taxis should be able to switch into an emission-free more. We spoke to the companies presenting their designs and asked them, how are they going to tackle the challenge. We were particularly impressed by Frazer-Nash’s vision of a solar-powered charging station that will assure the energy powering the electric-hybrid vehicles will be as clean as it gets. Designing a taxi for London … Continue reading The future London black cab will be ‘green’

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US Navy readies electromagnetic rail guns – an annotated graphic

E&T magazine

The US Navy is apparently having a lot of fun with taxpayers’ dollars. Not content with plans to install high-power laser weapons (as we reported in April 2013, with an accompanying spiffy infographic), now they’re fooling around with electromagnetic railgun weapons that can fire projectiles further and faster than any previous gun. Tons of fun to had there, we’re sure. Prototype launchers, built by BAE Systems, are expected to be delivered in 2014. Instead of using a chemical explosive, a railgun creates a magnetic force between two power rails conducting large amounts of electricity. The magnetic pulse can send a … Continue reading US Navy readies electromagnetic rail guns – an annotated graphic

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Comet-chasing spacecraft #Rosetta woken up after three years asleep – an annotated graphic

E&T magazine

The European Space Agency (ESA) is today performing a challenging operation, waking up the comet-chasing spacecraft Rosetta after 957 days of hibernation. The waking-up manoeuvre has commenced today at 10am GMT with Rosetta’s internal clock turning on its internal computers. The spacecraft will require up to seven hours to warm up its star-tracking navigation system, fire its rocket thrusters in order to slow down its spin to be able to turn on a transmitter and beam a message to the Earth. Controllers at ESA’s European Space Operations Centre in Darmstadt, Germany, hope to confirm the spacecraft has been successfully resuscitated … Continue reading Comet-chasing spacecraft #Rosetta woken up after three years asleep – an annotated graphic

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Google Glass – officially safe to wear whilst driving! As long as it’s not activated!

E&T magazine

A woman stopped by police for driving while wearing Google Glass has been cleared of wrongdoing by a court in California. Cecilia Abadie, was stopped on a San Diego freeway in October and when the California Highway Patrol officer saw she was wearing Google Glass they gave her a citation usually given to people driving while a video or TV screen is on in the front of their vehicle. But the San Diego traffic court threw out the citation, with commissioner John Blair ruling she was not guilty because the offence for which was ticketed requires proof that the device … Continue reading Google Glass – officially safe to wear whilst driving! As long as it’s not activated!

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Apple hit technical difficulties with #iWatch concept – design and manufacturing challenges

E&T magazine

Apple is reportedly working to overcome several issues with its iWatch, which has hit snags in battery life, display technology and manufacturing processes, according to recent leaks from Asian supply chain sources. Thus far, we remain largely unconvinced and unmoved by the merits of advanced intelligence in a wristwatch – after all, who uses even 10 per cent of their mobile phone’s capabilities? – but it is the tao of technology to move ever onwards. The current issue of E&T magazine addresses all these issues and more in our watch special, looking at the state of the watch market – … Continue reading Apple hit technical difficulties with #iWatch concept – design and manufacturing challenges

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Future London #MetroCab taxis have to be emission free by 2018; could be solar-powered

E&T magazine

All new London taxis will have to be zero emission capable by 2018, the Mayor of London announced at an event showcasing designs of future environmentally friendly cabs. The London Taxi Company, Frazer-Nash and Karsan have put their newly designed vehicles on display today in London, all opting for hybrid technology enabling the vehicles to switch conveniently between an electric zero-emission mode and petrol powered engines. “To date, one Achilles heel (of the London taxis), particularly the older models, has been the pollution generated by chugging diesel engines,” said the Mayor of London Boris Johnson before the event. “As part … Continue reading Future London #MetroCab taxis have to be emission free by 2018; could be solar-powered

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GPS study reveals new insights in to the advanced skills of birds when flying in V formation

E&T magazine

The familiar sight of a flock of birds flying in a perfect V formation across the sky – how do they do that? Research led by the Royal Veterinary College at University of London has proved for the first time that birds precisely time when they flap their wings and place themselves in aerodynamic optimal positions when flying in formation. Custom-built GPS and accelerometer loggers have uncovered groundbreaking new insights into the flying-V formation. It was previously not thought possible for birds to carry out such aerodynamic feats because of the complex flight dynamics and sensory feedback required, but the … Continue reading GPS study reveals new insights in to the advanced skills of birds when flying in V formation