Wearable Tracking Gadgets with Raspberry Pi

Symantec added tracking gadgets with Raspberry Pi.

Are you whiling the time away until you get your first smartwatch or preparing to run to the local store to buy the latest fitness tracker?

If so, you may wish to know that snoops can track such devices and at a fraction of the prices you will be paying for the latest in wearable tech.

People who use wearable gadgets to monitor their health or activity can be tracked with only $70 (£40) of hardware, research suggests.

The security firm Symantec took a Raspberry Pi and added components including a Bluetooth 4.0 adapter, SD card and battery pack. All-in, the home-made tracker cost around $75 which is about £44/56 Euros.

The company took a number of such devices to busy public locations in both Switzerland and Ireland, as well as a major sporting event, and ran them in passive mode. By simply scanning the airwaves for signals broadcast by wearables, the Raspberry Pi were able to successfully track each and every one of them via their serial numbers or a combination of other factors, prompting the researchers to say:

“In our testing, we found that all the devices we encountered can be easily tracked using the unique hardware address that they transmit. Some devices (depending on configuration) may allow for remote querying, through which information such as the serial number or a combination of characteristics of the device can be discovered by a third party from a short distance away without making any physical contact with the device.”

The researchers also delved further into wearable tech and the associated apps, looking for other potential security and privacy concerns, and it found several.

Symantec discovered that 52% of the self-tracking apps it examined did not have a privacy policy which, it says, may suggest that the developers do not take security and privacy as seriously as they perhaps could.

Researchers also discovered a large amount of unintentional data leakage with the average app contacting 5 domains (one even contacted 14 domains) in a short period of time. Whilst there may be legitimate reasons for a fitness or other tracking app to contact a number of domains for the transmission of data or to serve ads, for instance, Symantec said that the number of domains being contacted increased the risks of data leakage through human error, social engineering or careless or malicious handling of data.

The researchers also discovered other concerns, such as weak session management, which could lead to session hijacking, which could in turn lead to further problems.

Symantec’s blog post ends with the company pointing out that self-tracking apps and devices are not synonymous with privacy and suggesting that those who value their privacy will not get involved in self-tracking in the first place.

However, knowing that many users will continue to use fitness trackers, smartwatches, etc., regardless, the company offers up the following tips which I would describe as being little more than damage limitation rather than a security solution:

*Use a screen lock or password to prevent unauthorized access to your device

*Do not reuse the same user name and password between different sites

* Use strong passwords

*Turn off Bluetooth when not required

*Be wary of sites and services asking for unnecessary or excessive information

* Be careful when using social sharing features

*Avoid sharing location details on social media

*Avoid apps and services that do not prominently display a privacy policy

*Read and understand the privacy policy of app and services

*Install app and operating system updates when available

*Use a device-based security solution if available

*Use full device encryption if available

In addition, a investigate group looked during a apps compared with some activity monitors or that use a smartphone to accumulate data. About 20% of a apps Symantec looked during did zero to blear information being sent opposite a net even yet it contained critical ID information, such as name, passwords and birthdate.

“The miss of simple confidence during this turn is a critical repudiation and raises critical questions about how these services hoop information stored on their servers,” pronounced a Symantec team.

Further review suggested that many apps did not do adequate to secure a thoroughfare of information from users behind to executive servers. In some cases it was probable to manipulate information to review information about other users or pretence databases into executing commands sent by outmost agents.

“These are critical confidence lapses that could lead to a vital crack of a user database,” pronounced a team.

Wearable Tracking Gadgets with Raspberry Pi

Learning C Programming Lesson 8 Arrays

C programming language offers a data structure named the arrays , which could store a fix-size consecutive assortment of basics of the similar type. An array is usage to store an assemblage of data, but this is frequently more valuable to think of an array as an assortment of variables of same type.

In place of declaring distinct variables, for example number0, number1 …, and number99, you state one array variable for example numbers and usage numbers [0], numbers [1], and …, numbers [99] to signify individual variables. A specific element in an array is retrieved by an index.

All arrays contain of adjoining memory locations. The lowermost address agrees to the first component and the maximum address to the latter element.

An array is a collection of memory situations related by the detail that they all have the similar name and the similar type. To mention to a specific location or component in the array, we state the name of array and the location number of the specific element in array.

Arrays are valuable critters that frequently show up when this would be suitable to have one term for a collection of variables of the similar type that could be retrieved by a numerical directory. For instance, a tic-tac-toe board could be held in array and every element of tic-tac-toe board could easily be retrieved by its location (the upper leftward might be location 0 and lower right position 8). At nature, arrays are fundamentally a way to store numerous values under the similar name. You could make array out of any data-type counting structures and classes.

In C programming, the frequently arising problematic is to handle comparable types of data. For instance: If the user wants to accumulation marks of 100 pupils. This could be done by generating 100 variables separately but, this procedure is somewhat tedious and unviable. These sorts of problem could be controlled in C programming by arrays.

Presume you declared array of 10 pupils. For instance: arr[10]. You could use array associates from arr[0] toarr[9]. Nonetheless, what if you need to use component arr[10], arr[13] etc. Compiler might not show fault using these components but, might cause fatal error throughout program execution.

For More Details Please Watch This Video:

Learning C Programming Lesson 8 Arrays

Learning C Programming Lesson 7 Converting Variables

There might be times that you get a file that has numerous (or all) of the variables definite as strings, which is, character variables.

The variables might comprise numeric values, nonetheless if they are distinct as type string, here are very insufficient things you could do to examine the data.  You could not get means, you could not do a regression, you could not do an ANOVA, etc… Occasionally the data set comprises numerical values that are deposited as strings. We would address this situation first. Then we would address the situation where the string variables really contain strings, and the objective is to assign every value the string receipts on to numeric value.

Nowadays that we distinguish the Converting Variables are string variables, we could use the list command to understand what the strings deposited in these variables look similar. Though the variable discipline is distinct as str2, you could see from the list that this contains only numeric values. Even so, since the variable is defined as str2, Stata could not perform any sort of numerical examination of the variable discipline. The similar is true for variable read.

One technique of converting numbers deposited as strings into numerical variables is to usage a string function named real that interprets numeric values stowed as strings into numeric values Stata could recognize by itself. The main line of syntax states in the dataset. The second produces a novel variable read_n that is equivalent to the value of number stowed in the string variable recite. The real(s) is the function that interprets the values detained as strings, wherever s is the variable comprising strings.

A second technique of achieving the similar result is command destring. Let us try utilizing the destring command and see how this works. The main line of syntax loads the dataset yet again, so that we are beginning with a dataset comprising only string variables once more. Second line of syntax functions the destring command.

As you could see from the describe command, the destring command transformed all of variables to numeric, excluding for race, gender and schtyp. Meanwhile these variables consumed characters in them, the destring command leftward such variables unaccompanied. If there were any numeric variables in dataset, they would continue unchanged.

Learning C Programming Lesson 7 Converting Variables

Keyword Density For Best SEO Practice

Keyword Density is the most important factor of that impact on Search Engine Optimization.What is the perfect Keyword Density ? That’s the question which question have no any accrued perfect answer,because the main reason is Google and also main search engines update or maintain their algorithm with very strongly complex mathematical calculation which calculation that’s very upon different site and key phrase.

Is in there have SEO tips or tricks for checking safe keyword density check? Yes,i am also recommend SEO Checker to check your website Keyword Density and SEO Score.You can using this tools for improving your other tags and on-page optimization.

Best And Perfect Keyword Density Calculation

Example: Find the Website has 100 overall words and the Key word decided on is usually.

• Google

Let Assume the word “Google” present 2 times on the html document. So, the Optimal Word Density calculated from below strategy,

(Keyword presence / total words) * 100

This is the main strategy for Density, keyword having single word value. So right now the density is (2 / 100) * 100 = 2%

Best and Optimal Keyword Density for single word: 2% to 4%

Now Consider the Keyword is three words that is Key Phrase

• Google Keyword Density

So the strategy is different and also it’s used as a generic strategy for both if it’s a single word or Key Phrase.

(Keyword presence / total words) * 100 * Key Phrase word count

It’s a 3 word so the Key Phrase word count is 3.

Let assume the Key Phrase present 2 time so Keyword Density is going  (2 / 100) * 100 * 3 = 6%

Due to Keyword Stuffing the Keyword ratio is checked more deeply. The Phrase is having 3 words Consider the 3 Words are Presence and Density ratio as follows,

1. Google – 4 times – 4%


2. Keyword – 2 times – 2%


3. Density – 3 times – 3%

Just about all preceding divide expression rate was in Maximum Density selection because without a doubt we now have looked in regards to the Excellent one term solidity. Keyword and key phrase is actually Increased Importance compared to array of 2% in order to 4% which means this is recognized as as Search phrase filling solely and so position your entire Phrase additionally throughout Finest relation.

Very best and also Maximum Occurrence intended for Keywords and phrases: Keyword and key phrase in addition to all divided words are generally 2% for you to 4%.

Greatest Practice of Protected Key word Collection and also Functionality

If you would like possibly be finest and also risk-free in this On Page Search engine optimization your site need to comply with this bellow principles

• Keep the whole phrases relation within the web site involving 2% to be able to 4%.


• Tend not to decide on sole term Pick Concept Key phrases that provides you with additional google search impressions in different word formations


• Employ word alternatives of the words you have chosen


• Enhance your title, h1, image alt tickets using the keyword and key phrase

Expect this might give you a number of Superior SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMISATION Idea to suit your needs regarding the Optimal Search phrase Denseness rate and also Usage.

Note: 

We have been definitely not advised to utilize that particular percentage mainly this specific relation will probably be employed around finest search engine optimization individuals.

Look for available your competition as well as boost ones key word prefer that. Retain the item in this particular Secure Key word Solidity relation after that you are not think about as a Spammer therefore employs this specific and maintain your web site fresh and also legitimate regarding Search engines like google.

Keyword Density For Best SEO Practice

Sewing an invisibility cloak with lasers

Invisibility cloaking is already a reality, but don’t expect it works just like in Harry Potter.

The idea of invisibility has fascinated people for millennia and has been an inspiration or ingredient of myths, novels and films, from the Greek legend of Perseus versus Medusa to H.G. Well’s Invisible Man and J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter.

For the past decade or so, extremely promising advances have been reported. Using either metamaterials – artificial materials with properties typically not found in nature – or natural materials, scientists have devised all sorts of invisibility cloaks. All of these work, yet all of them are flawed in one way or the other. They render an object invisible only from one angle or only for a particular set of frequencies like microwaves and so on. In order to make a perfect invisibility cloak, one needs extremely advanced manufacturing methods. Scientists at University of Cambridge have devised a breakthrough technique that will allow us to build materials previously unavailable, including those that could be used to build invisibility cloaks – the genuine kind.

Cambridge University researchers used laser light as “needles” to sew nanoparticles into materials that can be used to make invisibility cloaks.

The study, reported overnight in the journal Nature Communications, is part of the quest to develop metamaterials that contain nanoparticles smaller than light waves.

The theory is that objects made of these artificial materials can reverse the arrangement of light that bounces off them, making them look like something else or rendering them invisible.

“We have controlled the dimensions in a way that hasn’t been possible before,” said co-author Ventislav Valev, a Bulgarian-born physicist and science-fiction buff.

Light really only does one of two things when it hits an object — it can be reflected or absorbed. When you look at a surface, the color you’re seeing is the light that is reflected off its surface. To make something “invisible” all you really need to do is wrap it in something that makes light behave in a different way (as if that’s an easy thing to do). There are a variety of promising nanoparticles that may be able to refract light in unusual directions, making them essentially invisible, but assembling those into a metamaterial has been virtually impossible until now.

Metamaterials might be the way to develop cloaking technology, but it has potential in a wide variety of more practical (and less sexy) uses. For example, some metamaterials could absorb certain very narrow wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum while reflecting others, making them ideal for use in sensors and scientific equipment.

Laser Thread whatever you’re going to use a metamaterial for, you first have to build one, and the nanoscale construction method developed by the University of Cambridge team has the potential to make that possible. The lasers being used are unfocused and produce billions of tiny needles of light that line up gold nanoparticles in long strings. The strings can then be stacked on top of each other to make larger pieces, eventually leading to a macroscopic scrap of the desired metamaterial. [Read: The wonderful world of wonder materials.]

It’s not as easy as flipping on the laser and watching the nanoparticles string themselves together, though. The particles have to be electrically connected to join up into a proper metamaterial strand. To get everything lined up, the team used spacer molecules called cucurbiturils (CBs). These hydrocarbons form a scaffold that keeps the particles just the right distance apart so that ripples of electrons can flow along the surface of the chain (this is called a plasmon). The plasmons concentrate laser energy on the particles and reinforce billions of nanoparticle connections simultaneously.

This is only the first step towards building metamaterials that not too long ago would have been deemed impossible. Before invisibility cloaks can become a reality, scientists must work out how to make the right materials at a microscopic scale. The scientists say light holds promise as a way of triggering the assembly of nanomaterials because of its speed and “highly tunable interaction with matter”.

Sewing an invisibility cloak with lasers

Google Keyword Planner Tools (Keyword Tool)

The search engines Keyword planner formerly referred to as because The search engines Keyword tool which facilitates to discover the Search Number of the actual Keyword in past times several years.

We can in a position to uncover simply how much Lenders considering the Key terms Seek.

And yes it delivers specifics of your Advertiser Rivalry along with biding Benefit to the Search term and supplies much more Suggession Key terms. Which will helps to focus on essentially the most researched keywords and phrases and acquire far more site visitors via researches. It can be incorporated to be able to Adwords Currently.

Google keyword planner is the most powerful keyword tools.

Google Keyword Planner Link : https://adwords.google.com/KeywordPlanner

Google Keyword Planner Tools (Keyword Tool)

Most Important 3 Website Ranking Fact

Web site Rank is utilized by Search engines along with all the other search engines like google to display it can be search results for every research issue. Could rank will be the only way in order to fix plenty connected with data depends on several top priority.

Consequently, Each search engines like yahoo utilized several own algorithms, standing components and also supplements to obtain the lookup outcome. This particular metrics can ascertain the website Rating of website page.

Purpose Of Website Ranking

Now daily, there are an incredible number of Websites easily obtainable in the online world for each and every search dilemma. Search results purpose is usually straighten out the perfect printed web pages with regard to individual tapped out research issue. For that reason, Each Google search having it is own position metrics as well as Algorithms to kind the actual research effect.

Nevertheless, huge amount of listings will probably needed more advanced protocol to find out greatest harmonized webpages. Thus, each search engine barely attempting to enhancing their net Rating metrics although, Yahoo could be the only search engine received good results regarding long time period in the lookup area.

Precisely how Internet website Rankings tend to be scored?

Each and every site World-wide-web Rank can defer simply by merchant just like (Google in addition to more) each vendor having different factors, measurements and site facts. And so, the actual ranking ought to fluctuate is dependent upon this rank providers.

Without having web page seller authorization it’s challenging to get the accurate information concerning web page visitors details. Site visitors additionally takes on a vital purpose to help computing your position from the website. Site visitors particulars usually are the key factor which makes additional variation with this rating.

Here is the List of factors that matters most to calculate this ranking

• Page Quality


• Page Quantity


• Other Quality and relative website Links to the Page


• Proper SEO


• How long the Page available


• User experience about the Page

The above mentioned number will be the most typical SEO Factor which are employed by many sellers to be able to status the web site. Also there are numerous invisible variables which might be unknowable.

Top Most critical rankings we need to need to learn

We know there are many website ranking instruments as well as web-sites can be purchased. Everybody can be employing to produce to be able to determine the actual position.

We have to locate what exactly is important most crucial to get within the initial web site associated with The search engines look for mainly because that is the rank we should boost. Thus, right here is the report on Web site Ranking you must need to know just click the start press button for you to investigate more concerning this write-up.

Most Important 3 Website Ranking Fact

Sony has updated its PS4 to support 3D Blu-ray playback

Fans of 3D movies who have PS4 should be happy to know that Microsoft and Sony have finally announced support for playback of 3D Blu-rays.

Eight long months after the launch of the Xbox One and PS4 finally Sony has released the latest PS4 update 1.75, adding 3D Blu-ray support to its latest console among other new features.

“PS4 System Software 1.75 is now ready to download. Get downloading!” the company wrote on its PlayStation Europe account, posting an image that confirms 3D Blu-ray movies will be now supported on the console.

The latest update is Version 1.75. The update adds a few minor patches, but the big news is that it came with support for 3D Blu-ray playback. This is a feature that many people have been screaming for since the console was released. Sony has beating the Xbox One with this update as Microsoft are also adding 3D Blu-ray support in their next update (expected in August).

The PlayStation 3 is already capable of playing 3D Blu-ray discs and has been for some time. It was considered weird; therefore, that Sony did not support the format on the PS4 from the beginning. Especially when Sony Pictures has been a major supporter of 3D movies in the last few years.

Also added is an improvement in sound quality when films or TV shows are played back at one-and-a-half times the normal speed (for scanning to the right point). We’re not entirely sure why Sony has decided to move system messages from top right to top left though, although that could be a precursor for a new feature in a forthcoming additional update.

Users can also now set their PS4s to download featured content automatically when in standby mode.

New Features with the Update:

1. Playback of Blu-ray 3D™ is now supported.

2. Sound quality has been improved during 1.5x playback with Blu-ray Disc™ and DVD videos.

3. System messages previously displayed on the top-right corner of the screen are now displayed on the top-left corner of the screen.

4. [Featured Content] has been added to Settings (Settings) > [System] > [Automatic Downloads and Uploads]. When this setting is enabled, featured content from the PlayStation®Store is automatically downloaded while the PS4™ system is either powered on or in standby mode. To download while in standby mode, go to Settings (Settings) > [Power Save Settings] > [Set Functions Available in Standby Mode], and then turn on [Connect to the Internet].

The PS4 system software update 1.75 is rolling out to consoles now, so look out for the update on your machine.

Sony has updated its PS4 to support 3D Blu-ray playback

Roombots: Self-organizing Robotic Furniture

It is still in the early stages but smart, ‘roomboots’ the self-assembling robotic furniture, with adaptive functionally adjusting to your specific needs.

How amazing it will be if you can just snap your fingers or issue a verbal command for a table, a chair or any other furniture to assemble right in front of you. Can you imagine? That the chair you’re sitting on became a sofa on demand as the day moved from light to dark. Or if all your furnishings could move out of your way as you walk through a room.

We’re still a long way from owning furniture that transforms as easily as Optimums Prime, but a group of researchers from the Biorobotics Laboratory at the Ecole Polytechnique Federal de Lausanne (EFPL) in Switzerland have created a group of modular shape-changing robots called Roombots that are 3D reconfigurable, meaning they can change shapes and in this case, would become adaptive furniture.

Modular robots are robots made of multiple simple robotic modules that can attach and detach. Connectors between units allow the creation of arbitrary and changing structures depending on the task to be solved. Compared to “monolithic” robots, modular robots offer higher versatility and robustness against failure, as well as the possibility of self-reconfiguration. The type of scenario that we envision is a group of Roombots that autonomously connect to each other to form different types of furniture, e.g. stools, chairs, sofas and tables, depending on user requirements. This furniture will change shape over time (e.g. a stool becoming a chair, a set of chairs becoming a sofa) as well as move using actuated joints to different locations depending on the user’s needs. When not needed, the group of modules can create a static structure such as a wall or a box. Our dream is to provide multi-functional modules that are merged with the furniture and that lay users and engineers can combine for multiple applications.

“It’s a bit of a science-fiction project in my lab to create intelligent furniture which can change shape and functionality,” explains lab director Auke Ijspeert. “We envisage the Roombots moving and combining to create a diversity of elements including tables and chairs.” The goal is to create furniture that can be re-used in multiple ways.

Designs would consist of Roombot modules — which resemble two dice stuck together, and contain a battery, three motors for movements and pivoting, and a wireless connection. Each module is just 22cm long and the team imagines just 10 of them could combine to build a broad range of furniture. “The Roombots would be coupled with more passive materials such as a table top or cushion to create the end results,” says Ijspeert.

The team is now experimenting with different ways to control the furniture, using tablet computers, or speech or gesture recognition. In the case of an elderly person, the robots might have more autonomy, Vespignani said. But don’t worry, “I don’t envision a scenario where the robots are completely autonomous,” he said.

The Roombots are still a proof of concept. Vespignani says it’ll probably take decades before the mechanical capabilities of the robots catch up with the computational capabilities.”What I really hope is to provide Lego blocks for people to find their own use such as artists or designers,” says Ijspeert.

Roombots: Self-organizing Robotic Furniture

It’s Time for SmartShoe to Find Your Way to Your Destination

Smartshoe is the latest addition in wearable technology.

Wearable technology always sounds good. But in practice dealing with a computer system on your face looked like a little bit improper. Now the good news is the newest wearable technology the smartshoe comes up with computer technology on your feet. This is smoother than any other wearable tech believed by the developers.

Ducere Technologies Pvt., an Indian startup, is ready to sell the world’s first Smartshoe – “Le Chal” (which means “take me along” in Hindi). Ducere Technologies Pvt. is going to start selling its Bluetooth enabled Lechal shoes for more than $100 a pair in September. The shoes sync up with a smartphone app that uses Google maps and vibrate to tell users when and where to turn to reach their destination.

Just tell your phone where you want to go and then you can leave it in your pocket because the buzzing in your left or right shoe will lead the way.

About LeChal :

The Lechal smartshoe comes in two flavours: A complete pair of shoes with Lechal insoles, or a “barebones” package of two insoles that you can slip into your own shoes. The smartshoe connects to your iOS, Android, or Windows Phone device via Bluetooth. The insole contains the usual slew of sensors that you’d expect from a wearable computer, allowing the companion app to accurately track how many steps you’ve taken, how many calories you’ve burnt, and so on. What truly sets the Lechal apart from a fitness band, though, is that each insole can vibrate.

“The shoes are a natural extension of the human body,” said Krispian Lawrence, 30, co-founder and chief executive officer of the company. “You will leave your house without your watch or wristband, but you will never leave your house without your shoes.”

When you first slip on a pair of Lechal smartshoes, you pair it with a companion app on your smartphone. This app does the usual health tracking stuff (calories burnt, setting targets, mapping where you’ve been); you can also plan a route on the app and send it to your smartshoes. Then, while you’re walking, running, or cycling around, your shoes will vibrate to indicate which direction you should turn. This is obviously a much nicer way of combining fitness tracking and haptic feedback, the Lechal looks like it could be the perfect companion for anyone’s workout.

The bulk of Lechal’s tech seems to take the form of the Lechal Pod, a Bluetooth-enabled black disk that plugs into the  back of specially made insoles or shoes. Only eight millimeters thick, the pod syncs with a user’s smartphone and tracks steps taken, calories burned, and even direction and navigation. When a user needs to turn, the pod will provide haptic vibrations that correspond with the next set of directions. So if a wearer needs to turn right, the pod in the right foot will buzz. It’s an ingenious idea, and if it works, it could set the standard for the smart shoe category – if it actually takes off, that is.

There are a slew of other features, too. When you snap your fingers near the pod’s charger, it’ll tell you how much more time is left until your device is fully charged. The smartphone app – available for iOS, Android, and even Windows Phone – can be controlled via gestures like shakes and flicks. Clearly, though, with sensors, haptic feedback, and smartphone integration, there are a lot of cool things that you could do with a pair of smartshoes. They might vibrate when you walk past a store with a special offer, for example, or automatically communicate with nearby smartshoe wearers so that you can find an exercise partner.

It’s Time for SmartShoe to Find Your Way to Your Destination

Researchers Figure out the Secret of Sandstone Shapes

Finally the mystery of Sandston shapes revealed.

The beautiful and majestic sandstone arches and pillars that mark areas in Utah and beyond are not a direct reflection of erosion. They are not just a direct result of wind and rain. They are not created atop a layer of concrete – rather there is a medley of tools used in the creation of sandstone landforms. Researchers gathered together to determine how the rustic arches are formed. The study, published in the journal Nature Geoscience, discovered how once the hardened surface of the sandstone was penetrated; it crumbled into a pile of sand. There is a toolbox from nature involved in making these beautiful and alien shapes.

Geologists said the pressure of gravity helped prevent against erosion certain parts of a sandstone rock. Putting compact cubes of sand under different weight loads and then dipped them in water, researchers watched as the edges of the cube slowly slip away within a few minutes, leaving less grains of the sand to carry the extra weight. As it continued, the stress on the leftover column gradually caused the grains to secure together and withstand further erosion.

“The stress field is the master sculptor – it tells the weather where to pick,” Dr Jiri Bruthans from Charles University in Prague, the study’s first author, told BBC News.

Ultimately, it’s the rock’s internal stresses and structure that determine and help create such formations’ magnificent shapes.

Jiri Bruthans, a hydrogeologist from the Charles University in Prague, worked on the study. He stated erosion, like wind and rain, was just a “tool” used to develop the landforms.

The researchers blasted a sandstone face, and discovered something interesting. While erosion removed the excess “material” from the landform, it did not create it. Rather, it was created by the stress fields from the overlying rock weight. As stress increased, and parts of the pillar eroded away, the sand grains locked together, decreasing the chances of further erosion. Wind and rain helped to smooth away the loose pieces of sediment.

The scientists wanted to know how soft material could continue to build rapidly, even after the blast.

Working with co-author, Alan Mayo, a hydro geologist from the Brigham University in Utah, the team gathered sandstone samples for a lab review. The samples were cut into small cubes and placed under pressurized plates to simulate the impact of the overlying rock weight. The researchers then added elements of simulated rain and natural forces, like erosion.

Sandstone Structures Shaped by Stress and Nature’s Toolbox When these elements collaborated, the once crumbly sand developed into pillars, alcoves and arches, and more radically – they resisted further erosion.

Mayo states the study shows that although erosion should collapse the material, it instead adds to the increasing pressure to lock the sand grains together. The researchers state although the explanation is plausible and the research sound, it is possible not all sandstone formations are created equal.

“Nature is very complex,” Bruthans said.

He added erosion and weather alone should not be credited for the landforms. Rather, stated Bruthans, it was the stress field which provides the shape to the sandstone formations.

In an accompanying comment article for Nature Geoscience, Prof Chris Paola from the university of Minnesota, US, described the discovery as “an exquisite and stylish formative mechanism for a beautiful and elegant more or less landform”.

 

“These pure sculptures have delighted numerous visitors, some of whom should have paused to marvel the place they arrive from,” Prof Paola wrote. “Here is a solution.”

Researchers Figure out the Secret of Sandstone Shapes

GoTenna: a device that lets you communicate without network

The new gadget GoTenna allows network-free texting.

The situation is so irritating when we face the network problem in low coverage or no coverage area. Locations with minor to no signal can be absolutely disgusting, and overcrowded events can be just as bad. But now the solution is right here. A device named ‘GoTenna’ lets you send message when no network is available.

Important Facts about GoTenna:

1. It’s actually a walkie-talkie dongle


2. This device lets user send messages and location to each other


3. It uses radio wave to communicate over 50 miles


4. Created by two Brooklyn brothers


5. It also provide the map of the location

 

Here is How GoTenna Is looks like:

The GoTenna is basically a 2W radio and an antenna with a microUSB connector, a Bluetooth LE data interface, a rechargeable Li-ion battery and flash memory, enclosed in a box measuring 5.8 x 1 x 0.5 inches.

The device can be extended to 8 inches in length. It weighs 2 ounces.

The casing consists of high-grade, durable metal, nylon and silicone that are water-resistant and dust-tight.

The GoTenna has status indicator lights and a nylon attachment strap.

Working principle of GoTenna:

The GoTenna is essentially a small, low-power (2 watts) radio transceiver. It’s powered by a lithium-ion battery, and it connects to your smartphone or tablet via Bluetooth. The company behind GoTenna is rather vague about the technical specifications of the device, but given the max claimed range (up to 50 miles), it probably transmits on a very low frequency (and probably has very low max bandwidth). GoTenna creates an ad-hoc, encrypted network between any other GoTennas in range. It’s kind of like a smartphone equivalent of a CB radio.

You can connect the GoTenna to any iOS or Android device via Bluetooth. After that, all you have to do is download the GoTenna app and fire off a message to anyone else who might be in range. Depending on your elevation and environment, the signal can travel upwards of 50 miles. By default, only your intended recipient will be able to read your message, but a “shout” feature allows messaging any GoTenna user within range. It doesn’t use cell towers or WiFi at all, so it’ll work even if all other forms of communication are unavailable.

Development of this device:

The device was conceived in the US towards the end of 2012 in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. According to the Federal Communications Commission, the storm knocked out around a quarter of cell towers across a 10 state area, leaving people unable to communicate when it was most critical. Siblings and goTenna founders Daniela and Jorge Perdomo saw that there would be a benefit to people being able to communicate in such situations via their mobile phones regardless of mobile network service.

“Our mission is twofold: to let people communicate whenever and wherever they want, on their own terms, and also to make sure that in times of a true emergency, people are able to reach others around them,” says Daniela Perdomo.

Prototype devices were created at Brooklyn hackspace NYC Resistor and continued development was followed by seed funding in late 2013. Investors include Bloomberg Beta, Collaborative Fund, Brooklyn Bridge Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz and MentorTech Ventures.

Features and Prize:

The GoTenna lets users send and receive text messages for free instantaneously, as well as share locations on offline maps. Its features include automatic message retry and delivery confirmation.

It offers a proximal friend map, location pinging and end-to-end encryption. Messages are self-destructing.

The GoTenna enables individual and group messaging, lets users “shout” broadcasts to anyone within range, and has an emergency chat feature. The latter two features employ unencrypted messages.

It saves messages received when the user’s smartphone is turned off.The device is compatible with iOS 7 and higher, and Android 4.x and higher.

A GoTenna can be connected only to one smartphone. Stored messages are deleted automatically if another smartphone tries to connect to it, which is a safety feature.

GoTenna is taking preorders starting Thursday. For $149, you get a pair of devices. Following the first batch of sales up to $50,000, GoTenna plans to raise the price to $299 per pair.

So it’s time to go beyond the network with GoTenna.

 

 

GoTenna: a device that lets you communicate without network

3D Ice Cream Printer, Invented by the MIT Students

The filament used for 3D printing is useful, but not terribly interesting. Others have taken to printing using other substances, some for notable purposes, others more or less for novelty.

After mastering the art of generating meatless hamburgers and pizza with all the fixings, 3D printing has moved on to dessert, thanks to the work of three MIT students who invented a machine that can create star-shaped ice cream. 

A trio of students from MIT has developed a 3D-printer that can produce ice creams in any shape in just 15 minutes.

By hacking together a soft serve ice cream maker, a freezer and a 3D printer, Kyle Hounsell, Kristine Bunker, and David Donghyun Kim created a machine that extrudes soft ice cream into any given shape then quickly freezes it with a blast of liquid nitrogen.

The students from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) developed the contraption using the principals of a fused deposition model printer.

The cooling system:

The students built a cooling system using liquid nitrogen to fix the ice cream in place as it was squirted out of the 3D printer’s nozzle into the desired shape. The instant cooling allowed the printer to build up the ice cream layers just as a traditional extrusion-based 3D printer squirts down layers of plastic.

“First, we needed to print into a cooled environment so that the ice cream would hold its shape once printed,” the students explained to 3D printing site 3ders.org. “We bought a small upright freezer which was large enough to both put the Solidoodle inside and allow for the full build volume we were aiming for.”

 

The setup also includes a temperature control system which keeps the extrusion nozzle (where the ice cream is pumped out) at 18°F (-7C) as soft serve ice cream begins to melt completely at just two degrees warmer than this.

Although the print area is only roughly the size of someone’s hand, the students say this was necessary to keep the print time low.

“We felt that waiting more than 10-15 minutes for an ice cream to be printed would cause the consumer to lose interest,” they explained. “Additionally, this was a short enough time for the ice cream to keep its shape in the freezer would excessive liquid nitrogen being poured onto it.”

 

“The main reason we feel an ice cream 3D printer is an important addition to current additive manufacturing technology is that it interests children,” the MIT students explained.

The students had to balance the accuracy and printing resolution of the printer to enable interesting shapes and creations with the speed of printing, as no one wants to wait 30 minutes for their ice cream to appear.

“We imagine this technology being marketable in ice cream parlours such as Dairy Queen where customers can order an ice cream treat, wait 15 minutes, and see the shape they chose be created,” they said. “Of course last, and more importantly, we aim to enjoy the ice cream after successful printing.”

The proof-of-concept printer needs refinement before it is likely to see commercial duty, but the technology could appear in an ice cream truck near you soon, if the students or a third party decides to continue developing the system further.

Still, the innovation is yet to be commercialized. The students say that they will need to modify the machine to bring it to the market. Till then, think about your favorite ice cream shape!

3D Ice Cream Printer, Invented by the MIT Students

A city under a glass dome is planned to be built in Dubai

Dubai reveals the plan to build an entire city surrounded by glass dome. The city will be world’s first climate controlled city. The city will cover 48 million Sq Ft and is going to be called “Mall Of The World”.

Dubai is earth’s one of the popular city for some breathtaking, innovative and amazing buildings and property and is continuously growing more and more with advanced properties. Now it comes up with another plan of record-breaking construction.

Do you remember ‘Spider Pig’ of movie The Simpsons? The pig, made it easier for lots by simply Homer, manufactured enough spend to help populate some sort of silo in just 2 days, so how does Homer decide to remedy this challenge? Normally, staying Homer, he includes out the silo into the river, triggering an ecological problem in the act. Quit without choice with the EPA, Arnold Schwarzenegger decides the most effective plan would be to put the dome above Springfield. Such as Simpsons’ Schwarzenegger, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum imagined it’s a good idea to close an area inside a glass dome. The only real big difference is actually in which we’re handling it in reality, rather than fiction this time.

The indoor city — which will be called the “Mall of the World” — will cover an area of 48 million square feet and will set new records for various large behemoth structures: the largest indoor theme park in the world (the one actually covered by the dome), the largest mall (8 million sq. ft.), along with 20,000 hotel rooms catering to all types of tourists, and a cultural district with theaters built around New York’s Broadway, Ramblas Street in Barcelona, and London’s Oxford Street.

“The objective is to create an integrated city with a plethora of best-in-class options within pleasant environments,” Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said in a statement

An unforgiving sun constantly scorches Dubai, and the UAE and this is something that may well detract visitors to the region. The Mall of the World is the answer to these problems but in reality it’s more likely to serve as a reminder of the distinction between rich and poor.

However for those lucky enough to be living in the temperature controlled dome there’s very little reason for them to leave. The dome serves as a microcosm but there isn’t really a macrocosm in this example. Instead the dome is a place in and of itself, ostracized and separate from the larger whole. There’s something sad about this concept and it’s clearly exclusive. The glass dome is a visual symbol that says this is an area controlled for the benefit of those who can afford it.

Within the 48 million square foot area the needs of visitors and residents will be catered for all under temperature conditions favourable to the time of year. The glass dome will provide shelter and cool air in the summer and in the winter it can be retracted to provide fresh, cool air.

Dubai Holding, the Sheikh’s property company stated:

“…tourists will be able to enjoy a week-long stay without the need to leave the city or use a car. The 7 km (4.3miles) long promenades connecting all facilities will be covered during the summer and open during the winter, ensuring pleasant temperatures throughout the year.”

Dubai is a city that’s manufactured and it’s reflective of the packaged and mass produced reality we live within. The city is likely to look like pieces from everywhere else rather than having anything (other than the dome) that makes it unique to Dubai and the UAE.

For visitors looking for authenticity this is unlikely to be the place to go. For visitors looking for pampering and opulence you probably can’t go too far wrong with the Mall of the World.

A city under a glass dome is planned to be built in Dubai

Have an older iOS device lying around? Turn it into a security camera

It’s amazing to see just how many old iOS devices people have lying around. The rapid pace of The New World of Technology has relegated many older iPhones, iPod Touches, and even some iPads to dust-collection status. These devices are often perfectly good but newer devices are just so much faster and offer more features that their owners simply have little need to use their old devices. Selling them is often a pain, so they just sit around unused. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could find a use for your old iDevice and help protect your home or loved ones at the same time?

Manything is an innovative new service that turns your iOS 5+ device (including that old iPod touch or iPhone collecting dust in a drawer) into a free WiFi video camera. The Manything iOS app (free, App Store) records and streams video via the cloud to your manything.com account and allows you watch it remotely in real-time, view recorded sessions and make and share clips.

Compatible devices include:

• iPhone 3GS, 4, 4S, 5


• iPod Touch 4th and 5th generation


• iPad 2,3,4


• iPad mini

If you have an unused iOS 5 device around, that solves problem 1 above. The second problem (the recurring fee for the service) is also covered because the Manything service is free during the beta period. After that, pricing for the storage is reasonable: 1GB is free, 3GB is $3 per month, 10GB is $8 per month, and 50GB is $15 per month.

The service includes:

• Live monitoring


• Sound & movement detection


• Unlimited devices


• Clip sharing

 

Let’s start making a security cam:

1. Download the Manything app on your iOS device or devices.

2. Run the app and register through Facebook or email.

3. Log in and select “Record using this device” on the device you want use as your at-home security cam.

4. Select “View my cameras” on your second Apple device for remote live monitoring and to receive push notifications and email alerts on-the-go. This is optional, since you can also use the Manything Web app to watch video live, access recorded clips, and make adjustments to your settings.

5. You can either stop here and get started using Manything’s basic video monitoring on your iOS device( or launch IFTTT to create the Manything/Belkin WeMo Switch recipe).

6. Select Manything as your “If” and the Belkin WeMo Switch as your “Then” to create the following recipe: “If my iPod Touch/iPad/iPhone detects motion, then turn my WeMo Switch on then off.”

7. Now you can sit back and let Manything and IFTTT send you notifications based on motion triggers — and all for free (assuming you already have a spare iOS device kicking around at home and other IFTTT-compatible gadgets like Belkin WeMo Switches or Philips Hue LEDs).

So, now you have a WiFi security camera.

Overall, this is a good example of putting old technology to good use. So if you have some older iDevices lying around, give the Manything App a try and let me know how it works out for you.

Have an older iOS device lying around? Turn it into a security camera