Radical UK hydrogen car revealed
A ground-breaking hydrogen-powered city car, which has been designed in Britain and financed by the grandson of Ferdinand Porsche, is to be unveiled next week. Autocar can reveal that the Riversimple Urban Car will have a far smaller fuel cell than in current industry prototypes and thus needs less hydrogen to be stored on board and in fuelling stations. The vehicle is no bigger than a Smart car, weighing just 350kg, and has been developed over three years by teams at Oxford and Cranfield universities. It can reach 50mph and travel in excess of 200 miles, consuming the equivalent petrol energy of 300mpg in hydrogen. Power comes from a 6kw fuel cell, which is tiny compared to the 100kw system powering the Honda Clarity. It uses a composite body to keep the weight down and four electric motors on each wheel, which double as brakes and electricity generators. Hugo Spowers, head of Riversimple, said: "Cars evolved under very different constraints to those of today, so we must move on.
The World is Running Out of Sand – Member Feature Stories
“It is to cities what flour is to bread, what cells are to our bodies: the invisible but fundamental ingredient that makes up the bulk of the built environment in which most of us live.“ — Vince Beiser, author of “The World in a Grain: The Story of Sand and How It Transformed Civilization” Think of a valuable resource. What images come into your mind’s eye? Now, what if I told you sand was also an incredibly rare and precious resource? You may not realize it, but nearly everything around you is built with sand. Sand Isn’t as Plentiful as You Think You may be thinking: But sand is everywhere, there are whole deserts filled with the stuff. The sand in a desert, though, is useless as a construction material. The fact that desert sand is useless makes for some unexpected situations. Sand also regenerates slowly. Construction’s Endless Appetite for Sand The world has seen a construction boom in recent years. Sand is also used for reclamation projects — reclaiming land from the sea.
Driveways Harrow
Climate change: COP24 deal to bring Paris pact to life
Image copyright Reuters Negotiators in Poland have finally secured agreement on a range of measures that will make the Paris climate pact operational in 2020. Last-minute rows over carbon markets threatened to derail the meeting - and delayed it by a day. Delegates believe the new rules will ensure that countries keep their promises to cut carbon. The Katowice agreement aims to deliver the Paris goals of limiting global temperature rises to well below 2C. "Putting together the Paris agreement work programme is a big responsibility," said the chairman of the talks, known as COP24, Michal Kurtyka. "It has been a long road. Rich nations often reduce emissions by paying for carbon-cutting projects in other countries. Fraud and double accounting have rendered many of them worthless - they are often dubbed hot air schemes. Media playback is unsupported on your device The common rulebook envisages flexibility for poorer nations. What did the delegates focus on? It sounds easy but is very technical.
Raspberry Pi Blog - News, Announcements, and Ideas
Looking for this year’s perfect something to put under the tree ‘from Santa’? Well, look no further than right here — it’s time for our traditional Christmas shopping list! Woohoo! Which Raspberry Pi? As you are no doubt aware, the Raspberry Pi comes in more than one variety. Raspberry Pi 3B+ For someone learning to write code for the first time, we recommend the Raspberry Pi 3B+. Raspberry Pi Zero W The Raspberry Pi Zero W comes at a lower price, and with it, a smaller footprint than the 3B+. Pre-loaded micro SD card Whatever Raspberry Pi you choose for the lucky receiver of your Christmas gift, we also recommend getting them a pre-loaded micro SD card. Books, books, books We’re releasing two new books this week that are perfect for any Christmas stocking! Code Club Book of Scratch Volume 1 The Code Club team is buzzing over the release of the first Code Club book, which is available to order now. The Official Raspberry Pi Beginner’s Guide Magazine subscriptions Accessories and such Swag Add-ons
Addicted to Your iPhone? You’re Not Alone
On a recent evening in San Francisco, Tristan Harris, a former product philosopher at Google, took a name tag from a man in pajamas called “Honey Bear” and wrote down his pseudonym for the night: “Presence.” Harris had just arrived at Unplug SF, a “digital detox experiment” held in honor of the National Day of Unplugging, and the organizers had banned real names. Also outlawed: clocks, “w-talk” (work talk), and “WMDs” (the planners’ loaded shorthand for wireless mobile devices). Harris, a slight 32-year-old with copper hair and a tidy beard, surrendered his iPhone, a device he considers so addictive that he’s called it “a slot machine in my pocket.” He keeps the background set to an image of Scrabble tiles spelling out the words face down, a reminder of the device’s optimal position. Listen to the audio version of this article: Download the Audm app for your iPhone to listen to more titles. Harris is the closest thing Silicon Valley has to a conscience. His approach seems to have worked.
‘Man-Free’ Feminist Music Festival Found Guilty Of Discrimination In Sweden
It had been billed as the worlds ‘first major music festival for women, non-binary and transgender’ people. However, a man-free music festival in Sweden has now been found guilty of discrimination. Men were allowed to buy tickets to the event but many – including technicians, managers and artists’ entourages – were restricted to a ‘man pen’ in a backstage area. A look back at Sweden's 'man-free' Statement Festival 2018 A look back at Sweden's 'man-free' Statement Festival This is a modal window. No compatible source was found for this media. Beginning of dialog window. End of dialog window. The event, called Statement, was held in the city of Gothenburg, but the country’s discrimination ombudsman said it was illegal. Spokesman Clas Lundstedt said: ‘It is important to point out what an infringement is. The festival’s organisers hit back saying they were too buys changing the world to comment.
Fears of new Indonesia tsunami as Anak Krakatau volcano seethes
Media playback is unsupported on your device Coastal residents near Indonesia's Anak Krakatau volcano have been warned to keep away from beaches amid fears it could trigger a new tsunami. On Saturday, giant waves crashed into coastal towns on the islands of Sumatra and Java, killing at least 222 people and injuring 843. It is thought that volcanic activity set off undersea landslides which in turn generated the killer waves. Anak Krakatau was erupting again on Sunday, spewing ash and smoke. Video shot from a charter plane captured the magnitude of the event in the Sunda Strait, between Sumatra and Java. President Joko Widodo has expressed his sorrow for the victims and urged people to be patient. Rescue efforts are being hampered by blocked roads but heavy lifting equipment is being transported to badly hit areas to help search for victims. What warning was given? The head of the National Disaster Management Agency, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, held a news conference on Java. Survivors' stories Read on
