Month: December 2015

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#StarWars Sphero BB-8 droid – how it works – an annotated infographic

E&T magazine

The Sphero BB-8: the iconic toy from the latest Star Wars movie, The Force Awakens. There’s always one specific toy that captures the zeitgeist of a blockbuster movie – and even more so when it’s a blockbuster movie that opens right before Christmas – and there’s no doubt that for 2015 it’s Sphero’s cute rolling robot, BB-8. How does the little droid work? Let’s have a look inside. You can read more about Star Wars, including how to make your own lightsaber, hyperdrives and the return of celluloid film in E&T’s Star Wars special issue, available online now. Click on … Continue reading #StarWars Sphero BB-8 droid – how it works – an annotated infographic

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E&T news weekly #75 – we choose our favourite engineering and technology news stories from the year 2015

E&T magazine

Friday December 18 2015 It’s the last Friday before Christmas and the last time this year E&T’s editors will be bringing you their thoughts on what’s been happening in the week’s news. For a change, and in the spirit of the season, rather than restrict ourselves to the seven days just gone we’ve looked back at the past twelve months and thought about which of the many, many stories that have appeared on http://eandt.theiet.org/news/index.cfm were particularly significant either globally or personally. See you again in 2016!  Vitali Vitaliev, features editor Iceland: powered by the planet Sometimes, on seeing a feature … Continue reading E&T news weekly #75 – we choose our favourite engineering and technology news stories from the year 2015

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Christmas tree care tips – stop the needle drop – an annotated infographic

E&T magazine

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas is 13 days away. Or less, if you’re tardy in reading this post! Despite an overwhelming festive smorgasbord of imitation, non-drop, possibly fibre-optic and/or psychedelic tree options, Christmas just ain’t Christmas for many people without that fresh pine scent and those sole-of-foot-poking needles of a traditional Norway Spruce tree. Keep yours fresh with these terrifically topical top tree tips. Click on the graphic for an expanded view. Continue reading Christmas tree care tips – stop the needle drop – an annotated infographic

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E&T news weekly #74 – we choose our favourite engineering and technology news stories from the week

E&T magazine

Friday December 11 2015  Vitali Vitaliev, features editor American teenager builds turkey-roasting drone This is one of the most bizarre news stories I have come across this year, so much so that it almost defies any comment. Yet it immediately brought back memories of one of the most popular magazines of my childhood – ‘Yuniy Tekhnik’, or ‘Young Technician’ in Russian. With a monthly circulation of over 8 million copies, it used to be the favourite read of any Soviet teenager who knew how to read – and most of us did. The magazine actively encouraged inventiveness among its readers, … Continue reading E&T news weekly #74 – we choose our favourite engineering and technology news stories from the week

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Modular smartphone launched by @Fairphone – a mobile designed with a long lifespan, OMG! – an annotated infographic

E&T magazine

Amsterdam-based technologists Fairphone has announced a new modular smartphone. The company aims to produce a smartphone designed with minimal harm to the planet and with a longer lifespan than most phones. The idea behind this phone is that its battery, circuitry, screen, cameras and microphone modules can all be switched out with relative ease, whether to replace broken components or to upgrade to more powerful versions in the future. “We need to build products that last much longer than the next upgrade cycle”, the company says. Is this a (slight) return to the concept of quality before profit? To the … Continue reading Modular smartphone launched by @Fairphone – a mobile designed with a long lifespan, OMG! – an annotated infographic

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E&T news weekly #73 – we choose our favourite engineering and technology news stories from the week

E&T magazine

Friday December 4 2015  Tereza Pultarova, reporter UK government commits to zero emission transport by 2050 The UK joining the handful of countries paving the way towards zero emission transportation is certainly highly commendable. But let’s not forget that the UK is also one of the major culprits of the current climate change. According to American climate scientist James Hansen, one of the key people to help push the climate change agenda into the mainstream in the 1980s, emissions by current worst polluters such as China and India are just a drop in the ocean compared to what countries such … Continue reading E&T news weekly #73 – we choose our favourite engineering and technology news stories from the week