Month: January 2016

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E&T news weekly #79 – we choose our favourite engineering and technology news stories from the week

E&T magazine

Friday January 29 2016  Jonathan Wilson, online managing editor Children now spend more time online than watching TV Children now spend more time online than they do watching television, according to a new report from research agency Childwise. In a survey covering the views of 2,000 young people aged between five and 16, it was found they now use the internet for three hours a day on average, compared with just 2.1 hours sitting in front of the television. If the children I know are anything to go by, this is indeed the common picture across the country. Is this … Continue reading E&T news weekly #79 – we choose our favourite engineering and technology news stories from the week

Engineering, Events, UncategorizedLeave a comment

E&T’s pick of things to do in February

E&T magazine

Whether you’re up for a long slog around the halls at a big international trade show or just looking for an entertaining talk to occupy you during a winter’s evening, here’s E&T’s selection of events going on in February.   Mobile World Congress Barcelona, 22-25 February The GSMA Mobile World Congress is the mobile comms sector’s big international get together, where the industry gathers every year to talk about the latest technology developments and do business. The conference element features visionary keynotes and thought-provoking panel discussions, alongside an exhibition with more than 2,000 companies displaying the cutting-edge products and technologies … Continue reading E&T’s pick of things to do in February

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#StarWars #TheForceAwakens officially does Quite Well at the box office – an annotated infographic

E&T magazine

“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” has overtaken “Avatar” as the top grossing film in U.S. box office history. Yes, this graphic is already out of date. Apparently the space one passed the blue dudes one in the first week of January and hasn’t shown much sign of slowing down worldwide since then. Not much more to add to that really: the numbers speak for themselves. Not many old films there, eh? Only Titanic comes from the last century. We’re tempted to add that there aren’t many truly great films on this list, either, but far be it from us to … Continue reading #StarWars #TheForceAwakens officially does Quite Well at the box office – an annotated infographic

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Book Review: Fardwor, Russia! A Fantastical Tale of Life under Putin – Oleg Kashin

E&T magazine

By Jade Fell “I predict we will abolish suffering throughout the living world. Our descendants will be animated by gradients of genetically pre-programmed well-being that are orders of magnitude richer than today’s peak experiences.” ― David Pearce Oleg Kashin is a rather notorious Russian journalist whose open criticism of the Putin government may or may not have motivated unknown assailants to beat him to within an inch of his life back 2010. You’d think such an event would put the dampeners on a guy, but apparently Kashin was undeterred and returned full force to publish his first work of fiction, … Continue reading Book Review: Fardwor, Russia! A Fantastical Tale of Life under Putin – Oleg Kashin

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E&T news weekly #78 – we choose our favourite engineering and technology news stories from the week

E&T magazine

Friday January 22 2016  Jack Loughran, news reporter Robots to trigger widespread redundancies by end of decade Robots are increasingly being presented in the same negative tabloid light that is sometimes shined on immigrants. Comin’ over ‘ere, stealing our jobs etc etc. Personally I see the move towards robotics taking the place of humans in mundane repetitive roles as solely a good thing; society just needs to accommodate the change rather than be fearful of it. We’re heading closer to the utopian (depending on who’s talking) ideal of complete automation for all tasks not strictly requiring a human brain to … Continue reading E&T news weekly #78 – we choose our favourite engineering and technology news stories from the week

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Orange amps launch orange Orange O Edition headphones at #NAMM2016 Mmm… Orange!

E&T magazine

Guitar amp dudes are certainly diversifying their product lines in new and unusual ways these days. Marshall has gone sideways in to sunglasses and mobile phones. Announced today at the mammoth musical new-gear bazaar that is the NAMM trade show in sunny Anaheim, California, Orange is now going toe-to-toe (ear-to-ear?) with Marshall’s headphone tie-up with Zounds (the Swedish company behind the UrbanEars range of cool ‘phones) by releasing its own range of skull-shaking ear goggles. The O Edition Headphones (as no one in their right mind will be calling them when asked where they bought them) have been designed to deliver superior audio performance … Continue reading Orange amps launch orange Orange O Edition headphones at #NAMM2016 Mmm… Orange!

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How an H-Bomb works – or, How I Learned To Start Worrying And Hate The Bomb – an annotated infographic

E&T magazine

Ever wondered what an H-Bomb is? How it works? What it does? Why we should all be terrified of it? Answers, we got ’em, in the form of this H-Bomb infographic. Basically, your average hydrogen bomb in the street – that’s the H-Bomb to you, mate – is a thermonuclear weapon, see, that uses the energy from a primary fission bomb to ignite a secondary nuclear fusion reaction. Bish, bash, bomb. Job done. The result is the most destructive weapon ever created by man. Good thing / bad thing? Discuss*. Click on the graphic for an expanded view.   *The … Continue reading How an H-Bomb works – or, How I Learned To Start Worrying And Hate The Bomb – an annotated infographic

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Easy #WearableTech upgrade for any analogue watch – instant #SmartWatch – an annotated infographic

E&T magazine

Casting envious glances at all the shiny-brainy smartwatches pouring out of global gadget-fests like CES 2016? Old watch feeling a bit stupid? Fear not! For a projected selling price of $99, Chronos will smartify your existing analogue watch, allowing you to continue wearing your Patek Philippe heirloom, yet still join the obsessional footstep-tracking, personal health-monitoring, phone-bothering smartwatch generation. Nice. The Chronos smartwatch add-on is a pad that simply attaches to the back of a regular watch to add Apple Watch-like smart functionality, such as notifications, fitness tracking and phone controls. Click on the graphic for an expanded view. Continue reading Easy #WearableTech upgrade for any analogue watch – instant #SmartWatch – an annotated infographic

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Not all @SpaceX #Falcon9 rockets fall over and set fire to themselves – an annotated infographic

E&T magazine

In light of Space X’s Falcon 9 rocket falling over and setting fire to itself recently, we thought it was a good time – and only fair – to share this more uplifting infographic about the fledgling space company’s successful launch and upright landing of an unmanned rocket in December 2015. Click on the graphic for an expanded view.   Continue reading Not all @SpaceX #Falcon9 rockets fall over and set fire to themselves – an annotated infographic

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New issue of E&T now available online – the new year, new issues issue – flooding, fraud and freaky drugs for faster feet

E&T magazine

We should be living in a cashless society by now, our mucky old notes and coins replaced by shiny new contactless cards or flashy mobile phone wallet apps. But cash just refuses to go away. We are drawing out cash from our accounts more than ever before, which makes it a prime target for criminals – but the thieves are moving from muggings and con-tricks to more technically savvy methods of stealing your money. Our feature looks at the weaknesses in cash machine systems and what can be done to make them more secure. This is also our first issue … Continue reading New issue of E&T now available online – the new year, new issues issue – flooding, fraud and freaky drugs for faster feet