Month: July 2014

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Ad agencies targetting marketing messages as #wearabletech #gadgets take off – an annotated infographic

E&T magazine

Good news! As if we didn’t already have enough problems with spam e-mail, mobile pop-ups, video pre-roll and web tracking, now the advertising industry is targetting wearable technology, such as smart watches, as the next market in which to to inveigle their client’s inane wares. Whoop de doo. There’s a great Futurama scene where the gang are physically attacked by flying pop-up ads: disturbingly likely. Behold, the future. Ah well, if you don’t buy in to wearable technology, you can safely avoid this whole hornet’s nest. There are no pop-up ads on an analogue watch. Wearable technology is, of course, … Continue reading Ad agencies targetting marketing messages as #wearabletech #gadgets take off – an annotated infographic

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#F35 glitch list grounds entire fleet – Florida fire KOs fighter – an annotated infographic

E&T magazine

The US military has grounded the entire fleet of 97 Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter jets until completion of additional inspections of its single engine. This incident marks the eighth time that the entire fleet has been grounded and is the latest glitch to hit the $398.6 billion F-35 Joint Strike Fighter programme. The plane’s engine, built by Pratt & Whitney, a unit of United Technologies, may have been involved in an accident that saw an F-35 catching fire on 23 June shortly before take-off at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. “Additional inspections of F-35 engines have been ordered, and … Continue reading #F35 glitch list grounds entire fleet – Florida fire KOs fighter – an annotated infographic

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Tour de France bike and rider rules – an annotated infographic #TDF

E&T magazine

Ahead of some men going on a really long bike ride this weekend, i.e. the Tour de France starting in Yorkshire, we look at the regulations governing bike and rider. UCI rules drawn up in 2000 to ensure safety and prevent a technological arms race have led to a situation where professional racing bikes have been outstripped by the latest developments in materials and design. Every aspect of the race bike has to conform to the rules – right down to the number of spokes and the size of the saddle – and the rider’s clothes are also regulated. Earlier … Continue reading Tour de France bike and rider rules – an annotated infographic #TDF

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Hot news! E&T news weekly #9 – we choose our favourite news stories from the week

E&T magazine

Friday July 4 2014   Internet of Things address book to boost connections The IoT is fast-becoming a driver for enabling technology innovation: a wannabe open-source IoT operating system – Contiki – has also emerged. However, the moniker ‘Internet of Things’ is fast becoming a misnomer:  there’s an argument for designating it more as a Web of Things, as many of the endpoint devices, and other connected entities, will not strictly speaking form part of the infrastructure of an internet, nor indeed necessarily have to be ‘manageable’. James Hayes, technology features editor     Facebook investigated over secret experiment Social … Continue reading Hot news! E&T news weekly #9 – we choose our favourite news stories from the week

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#Iraq government concerned about weapon stocks as war against #ISIS takes its toll – an annotated infographic

E&T magazine

Iraq’s front-line multi-role helicopters and U.S. supplied Abrams tanks are taking so much punishment in combat with ISIS insurgents that Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki’s government is growing desperate for replacements. Iraqi helicopter and armour losses have escalated in combat with ISIS rebels. The Iraqi military exhausted its inventory of 300 Hellfire missiles on June 15 and has asked the U.S. for 1,400 more. Baghdad is also trying to source warplanes and attack helicopters from Russia and the Czech Republic. Click on the graphic for an expanded view. Continue reading #Iraq government concerned about weapon stocks as war against #ISIS takes its toll – an annotated infographic

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@RoyalNavy to build HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier – largest Navy ship ever built – an annotated infographic

E&T magazine

The 65,000-tonne HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier will be the largest ship ever built by the Royal Navy and the second biggest supercarrier in the world. HMS Queen Elizabeth will be formally named by the Queen on Friday, when she will smash a bottle of whisky against it at Rosyth in Fife, where the aircraft carrier has been assembled and fitted out. Ahead of this ceremony, Admiral Sir George Zambellas, First Sea Lord and chief of the naval staff, has said that having two carriers rather than one – a topic still up for debate ahead of next year’s Strategic … Continue reading @RoyalNavy to build HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier – largest Navy ship ever built – an annotated infographic

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#PhoenixTowers in Wuhan city, China, will be 1km high and environmentally responsible – an annotated infographic

E&T magazine

World’s tallest this, highest that, smartest whatever, biggest doohickey – we humans love to compare stuff to other stuff, which in turn ensures more stuff will be forthcoming to which we can compare the old stuff that used to impress us, but which has now been rendered dull and pointless by the new stuff. In that very spirit, we bring news of China’s planned Phoenix Towers, a one-kilometre tall skyscraper designed to be the environmentally responsible centrepiece of Wuhan city and which makes London’s Shard look like total crap, that being a measly 310m tall. The environmental credentials of Phoenix … Continue reading #PhoenixTowers in Wuhan city, China, will be 1km high and environmentally responsible – an annotated infographic