sci&tech
RIP Steve Jobs
Dying at the age of 56 is truly a tragedy, especially of a man who was beginning to epitomise modern, and most importantly, stylish computing. He made technology seem, at least to most, cool. His death has sparked an immense amount of media interest in his life; in particular, his life achievements. One that particularly struck me was his successful submission of 317 patents. I was curious, so I actually checked this out. I looked through the patent submissions for the iPhone 4, the macbook air, the ipod; every piece of apple equipment I could think of. I was honestly surprised; every single one had his fingerprints on. He is credited as an inventor on almost every Apple product we use today. So perhaps he does deserve this veneration. Perhaps he does deserve flowers, post-it notes on his store fronts and iPhone cases with his face on. Perhaps he really was as enigmatic and innovative as everyone says.
I find comparisons always useful in situations like these. Immediately I thought of Google. It is, after all, one of Apples biggest competitors. Android constantly battles iOS in the smart phone and tablet market. Suppose, instead, Sergey Brin and Larry page died. Fingers crossed you know of them. I, personally, would be mortified. I use these guys’ technology every day. On my phone, on my computer, the amount of information they have freed and made available for consumers is utterly astounding (they even have a patent search, which I found particularly useful). But I can say with some confidence that there would be nothing of the outpouring of emotion we have seen this week in the news. Speeches and tributes on Jobs appeared from Barack Obama, Dmitry Medvedev, Bill gates, David Cameron, Mark Zuckerberg and Michael Bloomberg etc., the list is quite literally endless. So what makes Steve Job’s so different? He’s just another head of a tech company that makes them computers and that?
Even more interesting are the comparisons which have surrounded Jobs himself. I’ve heard Da Vinci, Einstein, Edison, J D Rockerfeller and Henry Ford all related to the god in the black turtleneck. I even heard a genuine comparison on a few blogs between Johan Gutenberg and Job’s creation of the ipad2. Now, I loathe Apple, but I can confirm fairly impartially that the printing press which is seen as one of the greatest developments in the world and an unremarkable tablet device which has been sued numerous times for patent infringement are not the same. So what was Steve Jobs? An inventor? An artist? Or as the main stream media, world politicians and every coffee blogging hipster with a pitchfork would have us believe, the hand to heart best thing since sliced bread.
I think we need to detach ourselves from the ‘mactrix’, and honestly consider what Steve Jobs was. I believe Jobs was two things. He was, at least initially, a pioneer. He was developing software in a world without mobile phones, laptops or even compact disks. Undoubtedly a smart man, Jobs entered a complete technological abyss when few others did, and, remarkably, succeeded. Secondly he was a designer. I’m no artiste, but I can understand that what Apple has created fits perfectly into what people think is trendy. There is little argument that Apple products are overpriced and contain utterly unremarkable technology, but they do seem to have something special. This and their sleek marketing campaign were almost certainly spearheaded by Jobs, and for that he truly deserves praise, albeit begrudgingly.
Another of my thoughts occurred while I was trawling through the patent directory, I checked out the other designers on the submissions. Each one contains the names of 12-15 other people that had a hand in designing each piece of Apple technology. Some appear quite frequently. Students of History will tell you that a fixation on ‘individual genius’ is a bad thing. What of those accomplices of Jobs who will be completely forgotten by history or the touch screen technology which invigorated their Apple’s products? Presumably the world leaders will also have tributes for them.
Steve Jobs death, especially at such an age was sad. We are beginning to lose the generation of those Silicon Valley pioneers, and for all my utter detestation for Apple, its products and practices, he brought basic computing, high quality design and most recently Smartphones to the masses. Most importantly though he enthused people with a love of technology and created products that excited people. Clearly, I don’t like Apple, but anyone with these ideals and courage most certainly deserves some restrained adoration but certainly not immortalisation.
Wii U: how to blow a market lead
At this year’s E3 press briefing, Nintendo revealed their widely rumoured successor to the Wii. With such overwhelming success for the company in the current generation of consoles, and an eagerness to recapture some of their lost hardcore fans, the gaming giant needed to come up with something special to cater for their wide target market, but failed to do so in their desperation to continue leading the trend.
The briefing focussed heavily on their new console’s controller, the unholy love-child of everyone’s tablet PC obsession and a trusty old game pad, initially creating confusion as to whether the company was releasing a new peripheral or full console. Designed to offer “a new window into the game world,” the controller’s touch screen provided a different view in the games Nintendo demoed on the day, but none in a particularly innovative or captivating way.
The console is also limited to one Wii U controller per system, leaving remaining players still aimlessly waggling their Wiimotes, a motion the market is undoubtedly growing tired of. This hinders new gameplay for the majority of players, and leaves the Wii U clinging too tightly to its predecessor to really leave space for any radical changes in game development.
Furthermore, we have to ask whether Nintendo have really done enough to make their current console obsolete. The press bore witness to plenty of all-age frivolity that we’ve come to expect from Nintendo, but nothing so decisively different to make owners of a Wii console sell up cheap and invest in a Wii U for more of the same at a higher price for HD graphics and one new controller. The company’s focus on the controller and lack of detail about technical specification also affirms their continued devotion to gameplay over graphical capability, but with essentially more of the same on show, I see no real reason to upgrade in two year’s time.
While the Wii was embraced by “non-gamers” due to its simplicity, Nintendo has also strayed from its winning formula by introducing a complex controller. Dual analogue sticks is a reassuring addition for the Ninty gamer of old, but for the current Wii audience, where the majority of Nintendo’s income now lies, it’s just a confusing addition to what was previously a simple idea. Nintendo have tried desperately to maintain their hardcore audience while also hooking in a new players of all ages, but simply cannot succeed at both. It’s time they embraced one or the other fully, instead of half-arsing around in the middle and satisfying neither.
If Nintendo wanted to introduce this second “window” in a controller, they should have done it two years ago while they were still ahead of the curve, and they should have done it more simplistically, targeting the wider non-core audience. In an effort to lure their core gamers back, please everyone and remain innovative, they’ve gotten lost. Their market advantage has further been jeopardised by revealing their hand too soon. By unveiling their new console two years ahead of release, their competitors will have adequate time to prepare and surpass Nintendo’s offering by responding to consumer reaction.
The Samoan time travellers
Samoa, an island in South Pacific halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand, has decided to change its time zone.
It’s that simple to do, since there’s no ruling body which prevents the Samoan government from deciding on the change. As of 27 December 2011 the country will jump a full day ahead, from Thursday to Saturday.
As long as the country’s estimated 179,000 inhabitants and their business partners are made aware, the change may actually cause less confusion than they currently encounter. At the moment Samoa is 21 hours behind Australia, which has made doing business with them extremely difficult.
Samoan Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi explained: “We’re losing out on two working days a week.
“While it’s Friday here, it’s Saturday in New Zealand and when we’re at church Sunday, they’re already conducting business in Sydney and Brisbane.”
Under the proposed change, Samoa will be just three hours ahead of Sydney. The last country to make a similar change was Kiribati in 1995, also for economic reasons. The move boosted Kiribati’s tourist economy as they became the first country to see in the third millennium.
Few other countries have ever made the move, and this is actually the second time that Samoa will do so. Under King Malietoa Laupepa in 1892, Samoa moved in the opposite direction.
Perhaps it shouldn’t be quite so easy to decide to move time zones – if only for the sake of cartographers who, by the end of the year, will have to reissue maps to encompass the changes. At least their New Year’s plans won’t get messed up.
Trending Topic: #obl
Osama bin Laden’s death, aside from being heralded as a historically monumental occasion in itself, has also proven the power and immediate reach of social media.
Within twenty-four hours, social media channels exploded with activity.
The inadvertent live-Tweeter, Sohaib Athar (@ReallyVirtual), who unknowingly recorded the moments of bin Laden’s death, reluctantly gained tens of thousands of followers.
“Uh oh, now I’m the guy who liveblogged the Osama raid without knowing it.”
“and here come the mails from the mainstream media… *sigh*”
Athar’s accounts technically broke the news on Twitter before any journalistic speculation, or the announcement of Obama’s national address.
Trending topics on Twitter were 50 per cent Osama-Obama related on May 1, while Tweets per second reached all time highs. Before and after Obama’s speech, there were peaks of 5,000 Tweets being logged per second.
The real ‘biscuit’ was taken by user-added Google Map locations of ‘Osama Bin Laden Compound’. It’s still unknown who created the pins, and Google have yet to remove other falsely located pins. Allegedly, bin Laden himself was found by the US forces tracking one of his couriers for months, before the final stage of Operation Geronimo was carried out.
Since the announcement, however, worldwide Twitter trends have returned to their normal Justin Bieber related topics. Even #obl is no longer a Trending Topic in the United States. Given the shocking impact and global furore after the attacks on the Twin Towers in 2001, it’s surprising that the social media trends and hubbub have not continued past the twenty-four hour mark.
While people can’t individually be expected to talk about the same topic incessantly (or remember to hash tag it), the drop in interest is dramatic. Athar’s Tweets proved the immediacy of social media, but popularity stakes equally show that it can swing the other way.
The Bieber-Tweeter demographic might be strong – and constant – but surely the global contingent interested in major world news is stronger? It would be easy to condemn social media for a ‘read-digest-discard’ attitude, but that’s all in the 160-character nature of Twitter. Does this back up the widespread feeling that bin Laden’s death won’t make much ‘difference’?
Flowing on from Spotify
Spotify’s recent cutbacks to ten hours of music per month for users of their popular free service seems set to open up the free music market once again. The change comes prior to the service’s much anticipated US launch, and is rumoured to be the result of music labels pressuring the company to increase its paying user base.
Spotify aimed to provide a free music service available for all when it launched in 2008, providing an alternative to piracy. However, yesterday’s blog post featuring the announcement has quickly massed comments from users displaying their disappointment and announcing their departure from the service. If you’re one of many now panicking about how you’re going to ration out your 10 hours, don’t worry, there are other options.
Mflow is an alternative free music service, currently only available in the UK. It sets itself apart by offering uninterrupted streaming of music through its downloadable app or straight from a browser, with no advertising. Currently, the young service remains in an open beta, and features around five million songs (less than half of Spotify’s impressive library). It is further distinguished from Spotify through is its impressive social network integration and “flow” functionality.
A “flow” allows music recommendations to be easily posted to social networks or other Mflow users. Very much a Twitter-Spotify hybrid, Mflow allows users to create a profile and follow each other, essentially subscribing users to each other’s listening habits. The service also tracks how many of a user’s “flows” are then listened to by their followers, and more. Furthering its Twitter feel, trending music is monitored through use of hashtags. Mflow creates an interesting social music concept, which far excels anything seen on Spotify or elsewhere, and should continue to grow as the site develops.
Once you’ve got some followers, Mflow then allows you to earn credit by recommending songs. If someone goes on to purchase a song you posted in a “flow” you’ll earn 20% of the cost of the song, which you can then use to bolster your own mp3 collection. This has created a focus on new and upcoming music as some users spend their time discovering new gems in the hope that followers will purchase them.
The service generates income through offering the songs for purchase through digital download, and despite only being in beta, looks to be a highly promising alternative for those seeking free music online.
Near Field Communication: getting nearer
The technology featured in Barclaycard’s memorable water slide advert could be in widespread use by the end of this year according to recent estimates (albeit without the fun of the slide).
Payments using contactless technology are already commonly used for transport – with systems like London’s Oyster card and Hong Kong’s Octopus card (which has been going since 1997) – and now could be making its way across the high street. Trials have already taken place at some Subway, Boots, Tesco and Co-op stores around the country, and this summer McDonald’s plans to install contactless card readers at all its 1,200 branches in the UK. This follows the lead of smaller companies like Caffe Nero, EAT and Little Chef who have already rolled out readers in all their locations.
These contactless debit cards are already available from Barclaycard, Visa and MasterCard, and banks such as NatWest, Lloyds TSB, Barclays and HSBC are all beginning to hand out the cards – which can also be used in the same ways as traditional debit cards – to their customers. There are an estimated 11 million cards currently in use in the UK, with another estimate suggesting that over 40,000 businesses could be geared up to accept contactless payments by the end of the year. The technology could even be built into wristbands at several music festivals this summer.
Using the cards is simple, just hold your card against the reader for a second or so until it confirms and then your payment is done. It should even work with your card still inside your wallet. The technology used is similar to that of RFID, and for extra security you will occasionally be asked to enter your pin as well. All cards currently available in the UK have a transaction limit of £15, so if your card is stolen then the thief can’t get away with much.
However, that’s not where this technology ends. Near field communication (NFC) builds on this contactless technology and enables the payment system to be built directly into your mobile phone. With a range of about 10cm between your phone and the reader, the instructions for use are pretty much the same as with the cards.
This system is already popular in countries like Japan, and the first service to use it in UK is set to launch this summer. Mobile network Orange has partnered with Barclaycard to launch a NFC enabled handset – expected some time between April and June this year – which should work with all existing contactless payment points. O2 is also partnering with Visa to launch a competing service later in the year.
Several phone manufacturers are getting on board, with the likes of Nokia, RIM (Blackberry), LG and Samsung all having announced their intentions to include the technology in future models. There are also rumours that Microsoft will build support for NFC into their Windows Phone platform and that – in a move which will surely move the technology into the mainstream – Apple will include it in the next (or next but one) version of the iPhone. Analysts Juniper Research even predict that one in every six phones will be supporting NFC by 2014. Google are one step ahead, however, and have already included the technology in their Nexus S smartphone, with support being added to their Andorid platform.
The future of NFC certainly looks bright, with contactless payments expected to really take off over the next few years. Another estimate from Juniper Research says that in 2014 over $110bn will be spent worldwide through NFC payments. If NFC in mobile phones is this successful then we could see the uses of it expanded: perhaps combining with Oyster cards and having your travel ticket built into your phone? Or how about using it as an event ticket or as your boarding pass? (Air France has already run trials at Nice airport.) It could even replace your key or key card for easier access to your accommodation or office, all in all meaning one less thing for you to – or forget to – carry around.
Mozilla Firefox 4
The latest version of Mozilla Firefox is here – and it’s not just your regular ‘bit-quicker-but-nothing-new’ update. Developers have been working at it for a year, and if you’re not already using the ‘infinitely superior’ web browser…where have you been?
The newest incarnation of Firefox sees the aesthetics of Windows 7 combine with the seamless transitions of Mac mouse-movements, and the clean layout of Google, all in one browser. It’s easier to use, and might even surpass the expectations of the most die-hard Google Chrome fans.
Its new features appear to have been developed for tab-loving fiends. There’s a Panorama view, to let you select tabs as thumbnails and reorganise your tabs into groups.
Reorganise your individual tabs into Tab Groups
For the Facebook stalkers amongst us (don’t deny it, you’re one of them too), the “Pin as App Tab” feature is ideal. It minimises any tab into an icon on your tabs bar, and glows whenever it has refreshed itself with any new updates.
Firefox 4 allows you more on-screen space, too. The Bookmarks and URL bars have been streamlined and compressed – and you can do away with any of them, if you really want – so that you have even more room to view websites.
That's a lot of Nouse - but at least there's lots of screen space and no fear of your browser crashing from too many open tabs
If personalisation is your thing, check out the Add-ons and Appearance Personas being continually developed, as you read this very article. The Add-ons have an ‘App Market’ feel of their own, although as with any market, be careful with what you choose to download.
For proud Android or iPhone owners, Firefox 4 gets even better. You can Sync your computer and your mobile phone (and they’ve revamped the mobile phone application as well). Your phone will remember your browsing history and sync bookmarks you’ve made on your computer, for inter-connected browsing across your devices. There’s no way in which you won’t feel like James Bond. Or Agent Cody Banks, at least.
It’s quicker, as well: Mozilla claim that the new browser is six times faster than their oldest version. What’s not to love?
Apple: the reality behind the hype
Those who read my last blog post may have picked up on my less than sunny attitude to Apple and their plethora of over-priced and over-hyped products. I thought I would prove to any doubters that my my confidence that “ for every product they have there is a cheaper better alternative on the market” is based on hard fact. So here it is, a short list which I seriously hope anyone who is thinking about investing money in something like this has a read of.
IPhone 4 – Price: £510 (16GB)
Google Nexus S – Price: £429 (16GB)
What makes it better?
Bigger screen, lighter, MUCH better battery life both talk time and standby and a digital compass. It also has a great new feature called NFC or Near Field Communication which has applications such as contactless credit card payments, wireless ticketing and basic sharing abilities. Finally it’s the latest Android 2.3 which comes with the plethora of apps you’d expect in Android marketplace. Still, Apple do offer free engraving for when you ever need a reminder of how much money you spent on it.
IPad – Price: £612 (32GB)
Notion ink ADAM – Price: £439 (8GB plus 32GB SD card, 40 GB in total)
What makes it better?
PixelQi screen which switches between regular LCD and eInk for easy reading without eye strain or glare, an decent battery, faster processor, rotating autofocus camera, Near Field Communications like the Nexus S, and a hugely improved speaker. Lastly, it wins hands down in the name game. Really Mr. Jobs, what were you thinking?
Now, if you thought those products were overpriced, take a look at their computers. The amount of people I saw who came back to University with MacBook’s in their arms made me almost break down and cry. I’ll be the first to say they look pretty and do increase your street cred by at least a few hundred thou’ but that is literally the only thing they have going for them, and I am more than prepared to take to task anyone who thinks otherwise.
MacBook – Price: £867 (the CHEAPEST model)
Dell – Price: £489 (Dell isn’t even good value, I am just using it as an example)
What makes it better?
Almost £400 difference, I shouldn’t need to say anymore. The Dell absolutely rinses the obsolete Core 2 Duo Mac with its new generation i5, it has a whole 1GB extra of RAM bigger hard drive, higher resolution and even comparable battery life. And, for all those budding MI6 agents out there, the Dell comes with a free integrated fingerprint reader. Eat that.
Apple wired mouse – Price: £40
I’m not even going to compare that to anything.
Apple is strange, really strange. I see their products as the perfect embodiment of consumerism and advertising. They essentially sell inferior products at a greater price because of their image, because we as consumers equivocate image with quality, and that really isn’t the case. Just think about their image for a moment. Everything they make is clean, shiny and in most cases white. Take a look at their adverts, maybe pop into their store or go on their website and you begin to see a pattern of complete consistency emerging. I suppose it’s a lesson, and a good one at that, on how to advertise. The quick witted of you will probably be saying by now well, “Why do people buy branded clothing, or eat branded food, why don’t we just all don Primark jumpers and mash Tesco value peanut butter into our face?” Well, it’s a weak response. If you think about it it’s literally impossible for clothing or food to be analogous to high end technology goods.
I really don’t just have a grudge against Apple. They have been selling overpriced goods to a consumer base which is unfortunately ignorant of what they are buying. This is of course not through any fault of their own; the information simply isn’t readily available. I really hope anyone who is thinking of buying any of their products has a good hard look at the available alternatives before submitting and being bent over a table by Apple.
Oh and that really is it, I’m going to end the apple bashing right there.
Overtaking the iPad
ADAM, the new tablet computer launched by Notion Ink
This is the year of the tablet computer. Apple and Samsung tried to get ahead of the game late last year with the iPad and Galaxy Tab respectively, and didn’t do too badly in securing a market. Apple will of course never have a problem peddling any of its crap to its swathes of drones out there, but Samsung failed fairly miserably.
When I got my hands on the iPad I found it distinctly mediocre. The screen, something which all Apple touch products have buttressed their popularity upon, is, admittedly, fantastic. However, this is unfortunately where the praise ends. The battery life is poor, its form factor is uncomfortable to use, it has no HDMI output, no cameras and it can’t handle flash websites like iPlayer. Finally, a big problem I have with it, as with the iPhone, is the restrictive nature of the apps and almost complete disregard for developers. With the exception of the iPod which is up there with sliced bread, I hate Apple. I hate their products and I hate their image. Doubtless there are some overzealous fanboys out there who want to cave my skull in but I can say with confidence that for every product they have there is a cheaper better alternative on the market.
Now to the Tab. This wasn’t a bad attempt by Samsung, it had a smaller screen (7” versus iPad’s 10”) and resolved some serious issues like HDMI output, flash compatibility and the added bonus of both front and rear facing cameras. But the biggest problem, which brings me nicely onto my next topic, was its operating system; Android.
I’m sure you’ve all heard this word thrown around a lot, but I’ll give you a quick explanation of what it is. Essentially Windows is to computers what Android is to smart phones. The company was greedily snapped up by Google as they spied the mobile internet bubble on the horizon in 2005 and since, has gone from strength to strength. So what’s wrong with it on the Tab?
Well, Android is a mobile operating system, for mobile phones, not tablet computers. This essentially leaves the Tab as simply a glorified phone, along with the big question of why it did not wait for Android to improve its tablet support. In short, it was trying to bag as many consumers as possible before the next wave of tablets hit. These would have the new, improved, and most crucially tablet designed Android operating system: Honeycomb.
The Consumer Electronic Show or CES was at the beginning of 2011 and this was the platform for second generation of tablets to start showing off. There was an unbelievable amount of tablets here from all the big names like Motorola and Asus but one that stood out for me was something from a small Indian start-up which couldn’t even afford its own booth: Notion Ink.
Its product, ADAM, is one of the best pieces of equipment I have ever seen. Technology- wise, it has the new generation Nvidia Tegra dual core processor which could outstrip the iPad any day, an unbelievably long battery life and all the usual features such as 3G, Wi-Fi, GPS, rotating camera, etc. However, one of the most impressive parts of this product is the screen. Like the iPad, it is 10” with a decent resolution, but additionally, it has something called PixelQi which at the touch of a button transforms it into a matte eInk surface. This essentially means that you can use the regular LCD screen and then switch it to the same screen as the Amazon Kindle in order to reduce strain while reading books or anything else.
Perhaps the best thing about this is the price tag- it is just under £300 for the most basic model, or just over £400 for the top range one. Compare that to the iPad which ranges from £429 to £714. It will come shipped with the latest Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) and, when Google finally release it, you can update it to the aforementioned tablet specific Honeycomb.
I have been tracing the story of this tablet back from early 2010 and I literally cannot wait to get my hands on it. Its quality and community related spirit have given it a big following on the internet and I really recommend you check it out, even if it is to see what you could have had.
The Dirty Phonebook
Privacy is dead. You might have entered your email into countless sites, strangers can probably browse your drunken Facebook photos from last night, and you’ve got multiple sites dedicated to information all about you… but that’s all insignificant now.
The Dirty Phonebook is a new US based website that allows anonymous users to post up any phone number, say who it is, and what they think of them. While that’s already pretty terrifying in itself, given the amount of angry people you can find in the recesses of the internet – but it gets worse. The site then offers free calls to any of the numbers posted, and invites other users to ring them and review them with comments.
Despite advertising itself as “100 per cent hilarious fun,” what ensues is usually a violent outburst of expletives, racial slurs, and overtly sexualised comments, all to be found in just a few clicks. Thankfully, this degenerative site is limited to the States only, but with the company expanding and recruiting and the traffic to the site growing it could soon be going international.
The site now has nearly one million phone numbers, each with its own discussion. When you ring, real people answer, and are often subjected to a torrent of abuse for alleged wrongs that have been posted to the site. However, the website claims it can be used for good as well, offering “the inside scoop on a blind date,” and a way to check out online sellers to “avoid being a victim of schemes.”
The internet is a wonderful thing, but with sites like The Dirty Phonebook rising in popularity, it can also be quite concerning. People deserve their privacy, and with wild accusations happily accepted as fact, privacy is stripped maliciously away. While someone did point out to me that this article would also be contributing to that traffic, it’s perhaps worthwhile writing about as a warning that this should not be the future of the internet. If I ever get a call, I’ll happily just give up on technology and go back to living in the Dark Ages.
The hyperbole of the electric car
Nissan Leaf
Contrary to popular belief, 2011 will not be the breakthrough year for green transport in the form of the electric car.
While I’m all for green transport, the advancement of technology, and being more environmentally friendly, I am hesitant to buy into the newly generated hype surrounding the electric car. With the government providing a £43 million subsidy for electric vehicles this year and several large manufacturers set to enter the market, everyone seems eager to jump on the battery-powered band wagon and rave about how the electric car is the next big step forward to a cleaner future. It’s not.
Firstly, the international corporations that are beginning to manufacture electric cars for the masses have but one motive; profit. And who can blame them? After all, to them it’s just business. The electric car is the next big thing for the conscientious consumer, and each company is competitively vying for its share of the action. Take one look at the recent accusations of industrial espionage against China regarding Renault’s electric program, and the potential for profit can quickly be inferred. As a result, big companies are determined to market the environmental aspects of the electric car in order to sell it to the public.
An average petrol engine car produces 164g of carbon dioxide every kilometre, with the gas released then contributing to the greenhouse effect. Electric cars, on the other hand, are being branded by manufacturers as having “zero-emissions,” meaning that technically no CO2 passes out of the exhaust. This makes the electric car appear to be a very attractive alternative to the dirty pollution of the petrol engine.
However, to cut transport emissions using electric cars now would simply mean an increase in energy supply emissions, as the demand for power increases. In the UK in 2009, transport accounted for 122Mt of CO2 emissions, and energy supply for 186Mt. Transport is not the larger issue here, and with the electric car directly relying upon our energy supply, the reduction in emissions would be minor. For the electric car to live up to its reputation as a green alternative, the power it uses would have to be from renewable sources.
Currently, the UK is missing its renewable energy targets, with only 2.6% of its energy sourced from renewables. The introduction of the electric car will simply increase demand, and without the infrastructure in place to support further generation from renewable sources, we will just be burning more fossil fuels, and increasing our already high energy supply emissions. Yes, there are some benefits to this, and the process that takes place in power stations is more efficient, but it’s a long way from the “zero-emissions” being advertised by advertised the manufacturers and government.
For now, the idea of green transport realised in the electric car is simply a farce. With further funding (such as the £43m subsidy for electric vehicles) and time, the UK could make a real impact into its high energy supply emissions. Until that happens and we have the facilities to accommodate not current and future demand with renewable sources of power, the electric car will never be green, no matter how many times you write “zero emissions” on it.
2010: the hottest year on record
Last week, NASA released data showing this last meteorological year to be the hottest ever in their 130 year records.
The meteorological year, which ended on November 30th, boasted a global average temperature of 14.65°C. This was an increase of 0.12°C on the previous warmest year, 2005, which had a global average of 14.53°C. The average is taken by measuring temperatures both over land and sea, and despite a natural phenomenon known as La Nina, which means the oceans are naturally cooler this year, the record was still broken.
Throughout the year, meteorologists have been debating whether the year will be the hottest on record. Up till the final month, the difference between 2010 and 2005 was too nominal to definitively say whether the record would be broken or not, but 2010’s November, with an average of 14.85°C, made all the difference. In spite of the frigid temperatures experienced by many areas of Europe, the global average temperature exceeded the previous warmest November by nearly a full degree.
The increase has been attributed to the dramatic 10°C rise in Arctic temperatures over the previous November record. The results, recorded in Hudson Bay, are most likely due to the unexpected lack of ice in the area. The missing ice usually covers the water, acting as a reflective shield, meaning that the majority of solar radiation gets reflected straight back into space. Without the covering, the water has absorbed far more radiation, accounting for the change in temperature.
Proof for global warming is hard to come by, but it’s hoped that this latest data will disprove theories that global warming had stalled after there had been no increases for 4 years running. Before the data’s release, the head of the U.N. panel of climate scientists, Rajendra Pachauri, was confident of the rise, stating, “The trend is overwhelming, particularly over the past 50 years.”
However, regardless of the apparent trend, global warming remains an area of fierce debate among scientists. Careers, reputations, and even large amounts of money sit on both sides of the issue. One of the biggest bets to date is a $10 000 wager on whether the average temperatures from 2012-2017 will be higher than those measured in 1998-2003. James Annan, a climate scientist working in Japan made the bet in 2005, with two Russian physicists who are sceptical about global warming. While the outcome of the bet remains to be seen, it would appear things are on track.
At least global warming, if true, will be good for someone.
eInk and the future of print
The first eInk prototypes were under development in the early nineties, but it’s taken around twenty years for its revolution of print to really begin.
EInk, for those unsure, is the technology used in eBook readers, such as Amazon’s Kindle and the Sony eReader. Essentially, eInk offers a suitable alternative to reading on paper, as it replicates the visual aesthetics of printed paper in a screen, but without use of a backlight.
Electronic ink works by utilising millions of microcapsules, each barely wider than a human hair. Within each capsule there are thousands of both negatively charged black pigment particles and positively charged white pigment particles. These particles are naturally suspended with a clear fluid, until an electric field is applied. Upon application of the field, depending on its positive or negative charge, the particles are forced up or down. The pigment that moves upward then becomes visible to the reader.
Perhaps it is easier to consider a room with a glass ceiling. Imagine that there are lots of balloons held in a net in mid-air. In the net there are two types of balloons; some black and some white. The black balloons are filled with helium, but the white balloons have just been blown up normally. Upon their release, the black balloons will rise, and the white ones will fall, separating the colours. If you were then to look down through the glass ceiling, you would only see the black balloons.
EInk works in a similar way, except as the particles are charged, both white and black can be made to rise to the “ceiling” of the capsule depending on the charge of the electric field that is applied. These thousands of coloured particles once positioned at the top of the capsule, appear to a reader as a black or white spot.
The success of electronic ink lies largely in it not necessitating the use of a backlight, as with a normal screen. This avoids eye strain, and enables users to enjoy reading using just natural light without it becoming hard to read. Indeed, the better lit the environment, the easier it is to read from an eInk device, such as in bright sunlight, where using an LCD screen would be near to impossible.
Also adding to the popularity of eInk is its environmentally friendly image. Not only does the use of a screen mean that not as much paper need be produced, but the capsules themselves only require a very small amount of power to change the colour they are displaying. This results in an eInk display using very little power, lasting for months at a time off only one charge of a small battery (the kindle battery is 3.7 V, with a capacity of 1530 mAh).
The most recent development in electronic ink technology has been the introduction of colour. This has been achieved by embedding an RGBW filter on top of the layer of microcapsules. When the white particles are forced to the top of the capsules, they reflect ambient light back through the filters, allowing it to appear as colour to a reader.
It’s possible to apply electronic ink to a wide range of uses, including advertising, keypads, watches, phones, wireless devices and more. The versatility of eInk and its relative youth means that it’s certainly one to watch to for the coming decade as it becomes more and more widely used.
Google’s hit list
You all know Google as the wonderful search engine that became a household name. What you may not know, is that Google has it in for just about every other major company online. Where there is money, the sprawling mass of Google is sure to follow. So here, to keep you up to date, is Google’s Hit List.
1. Facebook
The contender to Google’s crown, Facebook is the web’s second largest site. This clash of the titans started when Facebook announced that it would not be allowing Google to index its rapidly growing list of user generated content. Facebook claimed this was due to privacy concerns, but regardless of reason, this did not sit well with the search engine. This, among other issues, gives Facebook the number one spot.
To kill off Facebook, rumours of a new social networking project, titled “Google Me,” have been both confirmed and denied by Google at different times. Whether the project is real or not, we can be sure that a social network is something Google is considering, and it would relish the opportunity to beat Facebook at its own game.
2. Microsoft
Number two on the list is Bill Gate’s empire. Google has long since been chipping away at Microsoft territory, firstly by beating MSN to becoming the most used search engine. Since then, Google has introduced Gmail to replace Hotmail, launched its superfast browser Chrome to compete with Internet Explorer, and remained both completely unfazed and undamaged by the huge advertising campaign that launched the “Google-killer,” Bing.
This week Google continued their aggression by announcing the upcoming release of a Google Chrome laptop. The Chrome operating system is designed primarily for web based activities, and will now start to contest Windows’ use in laptops and netbooks.
3. Apple
Interestingly, the Android OS that runs nearly all smartphones, is Google made. However, Apple has refused it from the very beginnings of its iPhone, and has succeeded in securing its position as market leader. Google has since gone about trying to amend the situation by collaborating with Apple rivals, HTC, in making the Google Phone, but to little success. Be certain that Google will return to take another stab at mobile phone production soon.
4. Twitter
Twitter, unlike Facebook, does allow Google to index its material, but that doesn’t make them safe. It would seem that whenever a new company strikes success, Google is there to try and improve on it. In this case, Google quickly launched Google Buzz to try and steal some of the madly tweeting users. However, Buzz failed miserably, and Google are still licking their wounds, making Twitter a sure target for the hit list.
5. Amazon
Amazon’s latest success has been the revolutionary eBook reader, Kindle. It’s their bestselling product ever, and the bookstore that compliments it is ever growing with titles new and old. With success like this, it should come as no surprise that this week Google also announced their new Google eBookstore. This collection of over 3 million books is compatible with all eBook readers, meaning that Amazon can no longer be certain of Kindle users’ future business. It’s also now not unlikely that Google will launch an alternative eBook reader over the next year.
So yes, to answer your question, Google has fingers in all the pies. The good news is that this fierce competition can only be beneficial for us as consumers, as companies tirelessly compete to outdo each other. And, while I’ve made Google out to be a bit of a monster here, I’d like to just add I that genuinely admire their constant innovation. Check out their introduction to the new eBookstore, and then tell me they aren’t helping to drive already great things forward. I’m just looking forward to seeing what they will try next.
The murky waters of climate change research
When the rest of you saw the snow begin to fall, you probably began thinking of all things wintery and Christmassy, but for me the early and heavy snowfall brought to mind the considerably less festive 2009 Climategate episode. For those not familiar, or have forgotten, one of the greatest modern scientific scandals was caused when a hacker broke into the computers at the University of East Anglia’s Climate Research Unit (aka CRU) and released over a 1000 private emails and 72 documents.
The government funded research facility, burdened with investigating Anthropogenic Global Warming (climate change caused by human activity), came under heavy fire when the private documents appeared to show the scientists involved behaving in ways that undermined their scientific research. The data included a particularly controversial email written by Phil Jones (head of the CRU) stating “Kevin and I will keep them out [of the IPCC report] somehow — even if we have to redefine what the peer-review literature is!”
This caused considerable furore, since the integrity of a scientific publication depends on the fact that it has been reviewed by other experts in the field, and the attempts to keep certain members of the scientific community, who happen to oppose the conclusion found in the IPCC report, out of the review process obviously appears dubious.
Other accusations against the climate scientists included suppression of evidence, fantasies of violence against sceptics and most interestingly personal doubts about whether there even is global warming let alone if it’s anthropogenic. This last point is evidenced in an email which states that:
“the fact is that we can’t account for the lack of warming at the moment and it is a travesty that we can’t. The CERES data published in the August BAMS 09 supplement on 2008 shows there should be even more warming: but the data are surely wrong. Our observing system is inadequate.”
On the other hand, it must be taken into account that after the investigation into the CRU, no one was found of any wrongdoing, scientific or otherwise. And to add, there are just as many websites, journals and the like arguing equally convincingly and eloquently for AGW, which serves to make matters even more confusing. So it seems it is difficult to rely upon the ‘experts’ in this case (which governments appeared to have no difficulty in when drafting the various protocols, applying levies and raising ‘green’ taxes) especially when you have high profile figures such as Harold Lewis, a fellow of the American Physical Society for 67 years, sending equally high profile resignation letters which damn the climate scientists:
“[The reason for my resignation] is of course, the global warming scam, with the (literally) trillions of dollars driving it, that has corrupted so many scientists, and has carried APS before it like a rogue wave. It is the greatest and most successful pseudoscientific fraud I have seen in my long life as a physicist. Anyone who has the faintest doubt that this is so should force himself to read the ClimateGate documents, which lay it bare. (Montford’s book organizes the facts very well.) I don’t believe that any real physicist, nay scientist, can read that stuff without revulsion. I would almost make that revulsion a definition of the word scientist.”
It is difficult for layman such as me to justify the case either way, so I make no attempt to. But what I will say is that the APS using the word ‘incontrovertible’ to describe their climate change conclusions is incredibly inappropriate, to say the least. Few things in the world of physics are incontrovertible; this is not one of them. Now, I am all for the reduction of pollution and waste, and the promotion of clean energy and energy independence, but to fine the public and businesses with levies and taxes based on debatable science and Al Gore-style fear mongering makes me very uncomfortable.
Second graph constructed by Professors Ross McKitrick and Christopher Essex.