Ikea launches first Christmas ad with 'irreverent' take on festive hosting Ikea is launching its first Christmas ad, encouraging Britons to defy ‘home shame’ and open up their homes to guests over the festive seasons. The ‘Silence the Critics’ campaign, created by Mother, kicks off with a TV ad featuring a couple who become racked with home shame when they’re faced with the prospect of having guests round. This isn’t helped when ornaments and objects from around the home come to life to taunt them about the state of their house. The couple are left with no choice but to take action and spruce up their home, of course using ideas from Ikea. The retailer hopes the advert will go against brands’ usual Christmas strategy of releasing sentimental Christmas ad with a “humorous and irreverent” take on festive hosting.
The Ard-Vark by Kerwin Lumpkins The Ard-Vark is a basic electronics box that can be remotely controlled by an app on your iPhone, iPad or Android phone. It is Arduino compatible. Have you ever wanted to build a project that needed electronics but you didn't know how to start? Would you like to add motion to one of your creations, and be able to control it with your phone or tablet and not have to learn electronics, soldering, programming and a few hundred other things?
Second life lithium battery storage in Kenya to come in at 'half the cost' of lead acid While it's early days for recycling and for second life reuse, the potential in both supply and demand terms could be really big. Image: Aceleron. Lithium-ion waste from a solar lantern scheme run by oil & gas major Total in Kenya will be recycled into new batteries for solar home systems by start-up Aceleron.
The Science Creative Quarterly & A DIALOGUE WITH SARAH, AGED 3: IN WHICH IT IS SHOWN THAT IF YOUR DAD IS A CHEMISTRY PROFESSOR, ASKING "WHY" CAN BE DANGEROUS SARAH: Daddy, were you in the shower? DAD: Yes, I was in the shower. SARAH: Why? DAD: I was dirty. Snapmaker Launching 2.0 Version of Combination 3D Printer, Lasercutter and CNC Mill (and Selling the 1.0 at a Discount) I'm typically skeptical of tools that claim to do multiple things. (One notable exception is the LogOx, which I've confirmed performs all of its tasks well.) I'd be extra-skeptical of a tool that claimed to be able to handle three separate digital fabrication operations. But 5,050 Kickstarter backers were not skeptical, and thus a couple of years ago the Snapmaker Modular 3-in-1 3D Printer was successfully funded, and the company has thrived. Snapmaker's invention is a desktop machine that can 3D print, and do lasercutting, and do CNC milling.
Thingternet My Nest article got me thinking about smart metering. In my head, smart metering is all about energy efficient homes constantly connected to utility companies, controlling all my appliances to minimise my energy use. The reality is a bit different A few hundred thousand UK homes have had smart meters installed so far. The full roll-out will start in 2014 and should be complete by 2019. Rocky Mountain Institute Claims New Gas Generating Stations & Pipelines Are Tomorrow's Stranded Assets Clean Power Published on November 7th, 2019 | by Steve Hanley November 7th, 2019 by Steve Hanley Z code Z Code (like Q Code and X Code) is a set of codes used in CW, TTY and RTTY radio communication. Actually, there are different sets of Z-codes: one originally developed by Cable & Wireless Ltd., for commercial communications in the early days of wire and radio communications, another one independently developed by NATO forces later for military needs and use. The NATO Z Code is still in use today, and is published in the unclassified document ACP-131. There are other set of codes internally used by Russia's military and other operating agencies.
Cohousing coming to West Sacramento Washington Commons is hosting a reception on November 11th to show off the design of their future home to be located the ½ acre property it owns in the Washington Neighborhood of West Sacramento. The community was founded by local residents who seek a collaborative neighborhood based on the shared values of supportive personal connections and sustainable living. These eventual homebuyers pooled their funds to purchase the property, pay for pre-development costs and brought in a Portland cohousing developer to partner with them. The four-story, 35-condominium unit building to be constructed at 330 G Street, one block from the Sacramento River, is being submitted to the City of West Sacramento for entitlements this month.
Q code The Q code is a standardized collection of three-letter message encodings, also known as a brevity code, all of which start with the letter "Q", initially developed for commercial radiotelegraph communication, and later adopted by other radio services, especially amateur radio. Although Q codes were created when radio used Morse code exclusively, they continued to be employed after the introduction of voice transmissions. To avoid confusion, transmitter call signs are restricted; while an embedded three-letter Q sequence may occur (for instance when requested by an amateur radio station dedicated to low-power operation), no country is ever issued an ITU prefix starting with "Q". The codes in the range QAA–QNZ are reserved for aeronautical use; QOA–QQZ for maritime use and QRA–QUZ for all services. Early developments[edit]