Monthly Archives: May 2014

EBay, Ellison Embrace Microgrids to Peril of Utilities

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“Microgrids are emerging as a credible threat to the dominance of America’s 100-year-old-plus utility monopoly. The systems use computer software and remote measuring devices to control energy sources such as rooftop solar panels and natural gas-fueled power generators. They allow a home or business owner, a college systems engineer or a farmer on a mountainside to generate, distribute and regulate their locally produced power with an ease and sophistication that only utilities had a few years ago.  In the developing world, they may leapfrog the need for conventional utilities — the same way mobile phones leapfrogged the need for landlines.”

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-10-17/ebay-to-ellison-embrace-microgrids-in-threat-to-utilities.html

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Google Acquires Titan Aerospace, High-Altitude Drone Startup

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“The details of the purchase weren’t disclosed, but the deal comes after Facebook disclosed its own purchase of a Titan Aerospace competitor in U.K.-based Ascenta for its globe-spanning Internet plans.  Both Ascenta and Titan Aerospace are in the business of high altitude drones, which cruise nearer the edge of the earth’s atmosphere and provide tech that could be integral to blanketing the globe in cheap, omnipresent Internet connectivity to help bring remote areas online. According to the WSJ, Google will be using Titan Aerospace’s expertise and tech to contribute to Project Loon, the balloon-based remote Internet delivery project it’s currently working on along these lines.”

http://techcrunch.com/2014/04/14/google-acquires-titan-aerospace-the-drone-company-pursued-by-facebook/

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Samsung data center fire causes outage, errors on smart TVs, phones

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“Seeing an error message on your Samsung phone, tablet or Smart TV today? You’re not alone, as the Samsung.com website appears to be down and owners worldwide have reported anything from error messages to being unable to access apps on their smart TVs. Reports have spread on Twitter — mostly from a community news site called Wikitree — that a fire at a Samsung SDS building in Gwacheon, South Korea is the culprit. Despite some scary photos and video of the blaze (after the break) Korean news reports indicate there were no fatalities. The big question left? Why a fire at one location seemed to have such a large affect on the company’s devices and services.”

http://www.engadget.com/2014/04/20/samsung-com-outage-sds-fire/

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Latest chapter for Google self-driving car: mastering city street driving

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“A mile of city driving is much more complex than a mile of freeway driving, with hundreds of different objects moving according to different rules of the road in a small area. We’ve improved our software so it can detect hundreds of distinct objects simultaneously—pedestrians, buses, a stop sign held up by a crossing guard, or a cyclist making gestures that indicate a possible turn. A self-driving vehicle can pay attention to all of these things in a way that a human physically can’t—and it never gets tired or distracted. Here’s a video showing how our vehicle navigates some common scenarios near the Googleplex.”

http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-latest-chapter-for-self-driving-car.html

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German Exhibit Hall Designed By Algorithms, Manufactured By Robots

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“University of Stuttgart researchers have created what some say is the first permanent building to be significantly designed and built using robotics.  The team employed a robotic arm and custom software to build the 250-square-meter geodesic structure—a curvy shell composed of self-bracing panels—faster and with greater precision than could be accomplished with human hands alone. And they did so while minimizing the project’s environmental impact.  The result is a sinuous building called Landesgartenschau Exhibition Hall in Schwäbisch Gmünd. The hall is made out of 243 geometrically unique plates of 50-millimeter-thick beech plywood designed and cut using robotics.”

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/bot-built-exhibit-hall-shows-architectural-flair-and-avant-garde-design/

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Sky’s the limit: New towers targeting rich Asians soar in New York

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“These mansion-size apartments with 30-mile views will go unoccupied much or most of the time. These towers are shaped by their clientele: a transnational nouveau riche looking for a second (or third or fourth) home. Having made fortunes in nations less regulated economically and less stable politically than the USA, these buyers want a safe investment as much as, or more than, shelter.  Could this boom be a bubble? Richard Wallgren, 432 Park’s marketing director, says that it’s hard to overbuild in Manhattan.  One57 says that more than half of its buyers come from outside the USA, including 15% from China.  One57 will receive tens of millions in tax breaks to encourage construction.”

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/12/12/new-york-high-rise-boom/4005289/

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Turkey Arrests More Than A Dozen In Connection With Mine Disaster

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“Turkish authorities arrested more than a dozen people in connection with the country’s worst mining disaster.  According to the Times of India, the arrests include mining company executives.  The BBC reports that after the rescue operation concluded on Saturday, the death toll stood at 301. Tuesday’s disaster occurred when an explosion sent carbon monoxide gas into the mine’s tunnels while 787 miners were underground. Sky News reports that some of the miners’ family members dispute the death toll and are accusing the government of a ‘cover-up to hide the true scale of the disaster.’  36 people were arrested because they were suspected of wanting to take part in protests.”

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/05/18/313624499/turkey-arrests-more-than-a-dozen-in-connection-with-mine-disaster

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Bitcoin traders settle class actions over failed Mt. Gox exchange

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“Once the world’s biggest bitcoin exchange, Mt. Gox is slated to be liquidated after the Tokyo District Court granted the company’s request to abandon plans to revive its business.  In return for settling separate class actions, the U.S. and Canadian customers will share in a 16.5 percent stake after Mt. Gox is sold to Sunlot, a firm backed by child actor-turned entrepreneur Brock Pierce and venture capitalist William Quigley.  In addition, the customers will split the 200,000 bitcoins that Mt. Gox said it found after seeking bankruptcy protection, and will also split up to $20 million in fiat currency held by the administrator for Mt. Gox.”

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/04/29/us-bitcoin-mtgox-settlement-idUSBREA3S02W20140429

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CNET Founder Creates New Venture That Addresses Bitcoin Volatility

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“Halsey Minor, founder of CNET, today announced the launch of a new bitcoin venture called Bitreserve, a platform that aims to provide real-time transparency and address bitcoin volatility, transaction traceability, and proof of solvency.  The idea: Allow members of the service to hold bitcoin denominated as real-world currency.  While Minor will serve as Bitreserve’s Executive Chairman, Tim Parsa will serve as the start-up’s chief executive officer. Members of the Bitreserve system are able to hold bitcoin denominated in US dollars, euros, yuan, yen, and pound sterling. According to Bitreserve, these so-called bitcurrencies will be backed by a full reserve of traditional currency.”

http://newsbtc.com/2014/05/15/cnet-founder-creates-new-venture-addresses-bitcoin-volatility/

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The DOJ’s “Operation Choke Point” Has Driven 30 Industries To Bitcoin

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“The DOJ is targeting 30 high-risk industries, as labeled by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) in 2011.  BitPay has proven to be an incredible ally to the porn industry and has led Bitcoin’s charge into the high chargeback industry.  Porn.com and now Verotel both accept Bitcoin using bitpay; both are able to charge lower fees without the risk of chargeback.  OKCupid has been using Bitcoin for over a year now… Almost as long as the DOJ has been unintentionally pushing these industries towards Bitcoin.  Every industry in the world can benefit from Bitcoin Blockchain technology; it’s just that these 30 have been given a forceful push by the government.”

http://www.cryptocoinsnews.com/news/dojs-operation-choke-point-driven-30-industries-bitcoin/2014/05/01

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