Month: September 2014

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Malaysia Airlines flight #MH370 – search site reveals underwater volcanoes, deep trenches – an annotated infographic

E&T magazine

As if the search teams hunting for the wreckage of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 didn’t have enough problems already, an analysis of the area of current focus has revealed a forbidding seabed terrain of previously unmapped deep-sea trenches, mountains and extinct volcanoes. The dramatic terrain has naturally compounded the difficulties of the search team in locating any trace of the plane. Click on the graphic for an expanded view. Continue reading Malaysia Airlines flight #MH370 – search site reveals underwater volcanoes, deep trenches – an annotated infographic

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The weekly best of E&T: 3D printer in space, remote control of rats and the parcelcopter

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Friday September 26 2014 James Hayes, technology features editor Computer modelling to cut carbon footprint of air travel Computer modelling and simulation is transforming aerospace development by enabling designers and engineers to ‘build’ software-based prototypes that can be tested against highly accurate ranges of variables – such as operational pressures and tensions, and new kinds of materials and payloads. Aircraft encounter continually-changing environmental stresses during the course of a flight, and the fine-tuning of these can help determine potential ways of improving fuel efficiency – see also  ‘Green skies ahead: charting a course to sustainable aviation’ Dickon Ross, editor in … Continue reading The weekly best of E&T: 3D printer in space, remote control of rats and the parcelcopter

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E&T news weekly #18 – we choose our favourite engineering and technology news stories from the week

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Friday September 19 2014   James Hayes, technology features editor Hacking behind third of London’s car theft Hacking NFC-enabled car door locks is a growing problem, but is just one aspect of growing automotive cyber-security concerns. The connected road vehicle is going to become increasingly targeted by hackers – for a variety of motives ranging from sniggering mischievousness as they cause in-car infotainment systems to suddenly switch on at full volume, to bloody assassination following an immobilisation attack on a VIP’s limousine.   Vitali Vitaliev, features editor First woman elected president of Royal Academy of Engineering I was thrilled to … Continue reading E&T news weekly #18 – we choose our favourite engineering and technology news stories from the week

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If #ScotlandDecides YES, what might the Union Jack flag look like in the future – an annotated infographic

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The current Union Jack flag is a composite of the flags of England and Scotland, plus Ireland’s cross of St Patrick, adopted prior to Irish Home Rule. If Scotland were to vote yes today in the majority for breaking away from the Union, what will become of the Union Jack flag? The flag’s backstory: in 1603 King James VI of Scotland inherited the crown of England and became King James I of England. At this point, although both kingdoms had the same king, they remained separate sovereign states with their own parliaments, judiciary and laws. In 1606, the King ordered … Continue reading If #ScotlandDecides YES, what might the Union Jack flag look like in the future – an annotated infographic

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New issue of E&T magazine now available online – the Back to School issue

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The new issue of E&T magazine is available online now: the Back to School issue. Yes, it’s that time again for back to school: the three little words every child dreads, but which are as inevitable as the autumn leaves falling. We look at ICT in the classroom and how the new curriculum is a welcome change. It takes the students more ‘under the hood’, from computer architectures to coding. It was a lack of computing graduates that inspired Cambridge technologists to come up with the Raspberry Pi. The new curriculum now allows teachers to use the miniature computer in … Continue reading New issue of E&T magazine now available online – the Back to School issue

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#Rosetta comet landing site identified – J marks the spot – an annotated infographic

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Scientists have selected a landing site on the surface of 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko for the first-ever comet landing attempt in November. Dubbed ‘Site J’, the spot where the Philae lander carried by the Rosetta spacecraft will attempt to touch down lies on the head of the comet. The location was chosen from five candidate sites as part of a complicated evaluation process, which forced the engineers to many trade-offs. “As we have seen from recent close-up images, the comet is a beautiful but dramatic world – it is scientifically exciting, but its shape makes it operationally challenging,” said Stephan Ulamec, Philae lander … Continue reading #Rosetta comet landing site identified – J marks the spot – an annotated infographic

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#PistoriusTrial verdict: Oscar guilty of culpable homicide (manslaughter) – trial history – an annotated infographic

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A South African judge has found Oscar Pistorius guilty of culpable homicide, or negligent killing, in the shooting death of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, but declared him not guilty of murder and premeditated murder. The sentence for a culpable homicide conviction is at the judge’s discretion and can range from a suspended sentence and a fine to up to 15 years in prison. Sentencing will be announced at a later date. Pistorius was also convicted on one of three unrelated firearm charges. The judge ruled that the athlete was guilty of unlawfully firing a gun in a public place when a … Continue reading #PistoriusTrial verdict: Oscar guilty of culpable homicide (manslaughter) – trial history – an annotated infographic

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#AppleWatch and #iPhone6 officially here… and there was much rejoicing – an annotated infographic

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And lo, it came to pass: Apple finally announced some new gadgets and the interwebs went in to meltdown. As everyone in the world now knows – even people in medical comas and lost civilizations deep in the Belgian Congo, prob’ly – Apple has unveiled its newest iPhone, alongside a larger-screened version and the company’s first foray into the wearables market – the Apple Watch. The iPhone 6, the latest iteration of the company’s flagship smartphone, has already boosted screen size from the 4 inch iPhone 5S to 4.7 inches, but the new iPhone 6 Plus comes with a 5.5-inch … Continue reading #AppleWatch and #iPhone6 officially here… and there was much rejoicing – an annotated infographic

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Malaysia Airlines #flightMH17 definitely hit from the outside, preliminary report states – an annotated infographic

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A preliminary report into the causes of the MH17 tragedy has confirmed the aircraft was penetrated from outside, in line with suspicions it was shot down by either side of the conflict in eastern Ukraine. The report, released by the Dutch Safety Board (DBS) who is leading the investigation, said damage found on the wreckage “appears to indicate that there were impacts from a large number of high-energy objects from outside the aircraft” and that “the pattern of damage observed in the forward fuselage and cockpit section of the aircraft was not consistent with the damage that would be expected … Continue reading Malaysia Airlines #flightMH17 definitely hit from the outside, preliminary report states – an annotated infographic

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#Apple #iPhone6 is a new threat to Samsung’s sliding market share – an annotated infographic

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It’s been a topsy-turvy week for Apple, first with the news that it was probably a vulnerability in its iCloud service that was exploited in order to winkle out amateur-ish, pseudo-saucy photos of foolish celebrity ladies; then the news that it probably wasn’t iCloud’s fault; to finally the announcement from its 2012 arch eco-nemesis Greenpeace that Apple is now looking pretty spiffy in the renewable energy department – much classier than Microsoft, Google and Amazon, for instance. Now with the iPhone 6 launch imminent, Apple is looking forward to giving its most-hated market rival Samsung a sound kicking in the … Continue reading #Apple #iPhone6 is a new threat to Samsung’s sliding market share – an annotated infographic