Η ΓΝΩΣΗ ΤΗΣ ΣΤΟ ΣΧΟΛΕΙΟ ΚΑΙ ΠΕΡΑ ΑΠΟ ΑΥΤΟ
Following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, a team made up of Carlo Ratti Associati, along with construction firm Webuild and structural engineer Michel Virlogeux, has proposed a new – and safer – replacement.
Category: Architecture, Lifestyle
Tags: Building and Construction, Bridge, Carlo Ratti Associati
LA-based Eli Electric Vehicles is launching its flagship Zero electric micro-car in the US market later this year, hoping to build on sales success in Europe and beyond. The teeny two-person city dweller starts at just $11,990.
Category: Automotive, Transport
The Krafla Magma Testbed (KMT) "has the potential to be for geoscientists what the Large Hadron Collider has been for particle physicists." So say researchers working on the project to drill straight into a magma chamber to explore massive geothermal power.
Tags: Geothermal, Clean Energy, Iceland, Alternative Energy, Green+Energy, Geology
The most prevalent chronic liver condition worldwide is non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a build-up of fat in the liver that isn’t caused by heavy alcohol use. Linked to genetics and overweight or obesity, if NAFLD is left untreated, it can progress into its most severe form, called NASH (non-alcoholic steatohepatitis), which is characterized by liver inflammation and scarring. NASH also increases the risk of liver failure and liver cancer.
Tags: Fasting, Diet, Liver disease
An incredible new study has upended our understanding of genetic Alzheimer's disease, finding that nearly everyone carrying two copies of a culprit gene had distinct biological markers of the degenerative condition by the age of 65. This means the APOE4 gene may no longer merely a risk factor but the driver behind a new stand-alone genetic Alzheimer's disease type that could impact up to 10 million Americans and more than 200 million people worldwide.
Tags: Alzheimer's Disease, Dementia, Brain, Age-Related, Disease
I can't say I've seen anything like this "underwater mobility device" before. The idea is simple enough; you extend the Seabike's pole to the appropriate length, then strap it to your waist with a belt. Then you find the pedals with your feet, and start turning the crank, with the waist strap to push against.
Tags: Swimming, Marine, Water Sports, Fitness, Ocean
Changes in the geopolitical situation are drastically altering how the major military powers are dealing with logistics. Since the Second World War, the main focus of Western planning has been in regards to a land war in Europe. This meant sorting out how to move soldiers and materiel around in a continental setting with plenty of port facilities.
Category: Military, Technology
Tags: Textron, Ships, Amphibious, Ground Effect Vehicle
The vast, rocky Eastern Desert of Sudan, known to locals as the ‘Atbai,’ is a part of the Sahara Desert and home to nomadic groups. During 2018 and 2019, archeologists undertook fieldwork in the region as part of the Atbai Survey Project, aiming to investigate the relationship between indigenous nomads and ‘foreign’ Egyptian and Nubian cultures who ventured into this desert.
Category: Science
Tags: Archeology, Climate Crisis, Macquarie University, Historic, Fossils
No matter how many amazing camper vans other brands come out with, there's still only one Volkswagen California... and it just got a dramatic makeover, from tires to pop-up roof.
Category: Automotive, Transport
Tags: Campervan, RV, Volkswagen, Camping, Outdoors, Plug-in Hybrid, PHEV
Apple's newest iPad Pro models incorporate a novel OLED display.
Image: Apple
At its "Let Loose" event on Thursday, Apple announced new products, apps, and accessories aimed at content creators and multimedia users. Whether you're a photographer, videographer, or even a video editor, there's a lot that's new. Here's a rundown of today's announcements.
iPad ProThe headline feature of the latest iPad Pro is its new OLED display, which promises to deliver deeper blacks and brighter whites for photo and video applications, resulting in improved contrast, better motion processing and improved HDR.
Recent VideosApple says that standard OLED screens don't produce the levels of brightness required for its XDR display technology, so the iPad Pro's OLED screen employs a feature Apple calls "Tandem OLED," which uses two OLED panels and combines the light from both.
The result is a screen that produces 1000 nits of full-screen brightness, with up to 1600 nits of peak brightness for HDR. This matches the numbers for the previous 13" iPad Pro (which used a mini-LED panel) but significantly improves upon the previous 11" model, which maxed out at 600 nits.
Apple's newest iPad Pro models incorporate "Tandem OLED" displays that combine the light from two OLED panels to generate enough brightness for Apple's XDR display.
Image: Apple
For the first time, the iPad Pro's screen includes a nano-texture glass option, which does a better job of maintaining image quality and contrast while reducing glare and which Apple says should provide a better experience for people using color-managed workflows or those who work in bright conditions with light and reflections.
The new iPad Pro is the first device to use Apple's newest M4 processor, skipping over the M3 generation entirely and seeing a big jump in processing power. Apple claims the M4 delivers up to 50% faster CPU performance than the previous M2-based iPad Pros and up to 4x the rendering performance of the M2.
"The new iPad Pro is the first device to use Apple's newest M4 processor, skipping over the M3 generation entirely"The M4 also received an update to its Neural Engine, which is dedicated to AI processing. Apple claims it delivers faster performance than neural processing units in any PC and can support AI-based features in applications, citing the example of using AI in Final Cut Pro to isolate the subject from a 4K video clip at the tap of a button.
The iPad Pro receives a design makeover as well. To start, the front-facing camera has been moved from the short edge of the device to the long edge, making it much more usable in landscape view. Considering that Apple has often positioned the iPad as a possible laptop replacement, complete with detachable keyboards, this makes a lot of sense. In fact, it's surprising it took this long.
The new 11" iPad Pro is just 5.3mm (0.21") thick, compared to 5.9mm on the previous 11" model, and weighs in at 444g (0.98 lbs), 22g lighter than its predecessor.
The new iPad Pro models are even thinner than their predecessors.
Image: Apple
The new 13" iPad Pro is even thinner at 5.1mm (0.20"), compared to 6.4mm for the previous 13" model, which represents an impressive 20% decrease in thickness. (Who says Apple isn't obsessed with making things thin?) It weighs 579g (1.28 lbs), compared to 682g on the previous model, a 15% drop.
Despite reduced weight and size, Apple says the new iPad Pros deliver the same level of battery performance as their predecessors thanks to the increased power efficiency of the M4 chip and that the new processor can deliver the same performance as the M2-based iPad Pros with just half the power.
Finally, the new models double the base-level storage to 256GB, with storage options up to 2TB. The 11" model starts at $999, and the 13" model starts at $1299.
Final Cut Pro 2 for iPadApple also announced Final Cut Pro 2 for iPad, the first major update since the application debuted a year ago. The new version adds external project support, allowing editors to create or open projects on an external storage device like an SSD. This makes it possible to start a project on an iPad and later bring it into Final Cut Pro on a Mac if desired.
Final Cut Pro 2 for iPad includes support for live multi-camera recording.
Image: Apple
The other significant feature in Final Cut Pro 2 is Live Multicam, which allows users to connect and preview up to four iPhone or iPad cameras live for multi-camera recording and editing. When using Live Multicam, Final Cut Pro will automatically transfer and sync video from each connected device to simplify a multi-camera workflow.
As with the original version of Final Cut Pro for iPad, the new version has a subscription model that costs $5/month or $49/year.
Final Cut CameraIn addition to Final Cut Pro 2, Apple introduced a free app called Final Cut Camera, which can be used with the new Live Multicam feature in Final Cut Pro 2. Final Cut Camera includes monitoring tools like zebras and audio meters, and allows users to adjust settings like white balance, ISO and shutter speed, and supports manual focus.
The Final Cut Camera app provides more granular controls than Apple's built-in camera app.
Image: Apple
Final Cut Camera isn't limited to integration with Final Cut Pro. It can also be used as a standalone app for shooting video, providing much more granular control than Apple's built-in camera app and potentially creating some new competition for advanced third-party video recording apps like Blackmagic Camera or Filmic Pro.
iPad AirFor users who may not need or want all the features offered by the iPad Pro, Apple also unveiled new iPad Air models. Most noteworthy is the addition of a new 13" iPad Air. Apple says it added the larger model based on the fact that roughly half of iPad Pro users choose the 13" screen size.
The iPad Air now includes 11" and 13" models.
Image: Apple
The updated iPad Air models are built around Apple's M2 processor, which Apple claims results in 50% faster performance than the previous M1 model.
Like the iPad Pro, the iPad Air sees the front-facing camera move to the long edge of the device to better support camera use in landscape mode. Also, like the iPad Pro, base storage has doubled and now starts at 128GB with options up to 1TB.
The new iPad Air is compatible with accessories like Apple's Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil. The 11" iPad Air starts at $599, while the 13" model starts at $799.
AccessoriesAlong with new iPads and apps, Apple updated one popular accessory, the Magic Keyboard, and introduced a second, the Apple Pencil Pro.
The new Magic Keyboard, which connects to an iPad using magnets, is thinner than previous models and adds a row of function keys. It also includes a larger trackpad with haptic feedback. The new Magic Keyboard for 11" iPads retails for $299, while the model for 13" iPads retails for $349.
The Apple Pencil Pro is an evolution of the existing Apple Pencil. Its party trick is that the pencil barrel becomes a control surface: squeeze it, and a sensor in the barrel with haptic feedback can be used to do things like open a tool palette. It also includes a gyroscope, so it's possible to rotate the pencil to reorient the direction of a shape or brush. The Apple Pencil Pro works with iPad Pro and iPad Air and retails for $129.
Apple says all the new products announced today can be ordered immediately, with availability beginning next week.
Many runners don't like the way hydration packs bounce and sway with every step, nor do they like holding onto water bottles. Vessel Athletics' Hydroshirt offers what might be a better alternative to both, in that it incorporates its own snugged-down water bladder.
Tags: Hydration, Shirt, Running, Kickstarter
It's highly unlikely that you've ever seen a pedal-electric delivery vehicle quite like the ePack before. In order to accommodate its 4,000 liters of cargo space, the six-wheeler has the same articulated form factor as a semi-trailer transport truck.
Category: Urban Transport, Transport
Tags: Pedal-assisted, Quadbikes
China's A Dece Oasis (ADO) has launched an Indiegogo for what's billed as the lightest carbon folding ebike – at 12.5 kg. That's very back-friendly indeed, but is it the lightest of the light? Nope. That honor still goes to UK company Hummingbird.
Tags: ebikes, Pedal-assisted, Foldable bike, Folding, Carbon Fiber, Lightweight
Google has announced the Pixel 8a, its latest mid-priced smartphone, bringing the sensors and lenses from the Pixel 7a but the more powerful processor and features from the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro. It also gets a brighter screen, now earning Google's 'Actua' branding.
Recent VideosThe main camera is a 64MP camera with an F1.89 lens with an 80° angle of view (approximately 26mm equivalent, in 35mm terms). This uses a Type 1/1.73 (7.4 x 5.5mm) sensor.
There's also a 13MP ultrawide with an F2.2 aperture and 120° angle of view (∼12.5mm equiv). The front camera remains a 13MP camera with F2.2 lens and 96.5° AoV (∼19mm equiv). Both these cameras use Type 1/3 (4.7 x 3.5mm) sensors.
PixelWhile the cameras themselves remain unchanged, the 8a gets an upgraded screen, now offering a peak brightness of 2000 nits. This, and a wider color gamut, earn it the company's 'Actua' branding, previously only used on the top-end phones. It can refresh at up to 120Hz, to give a smooth, responsive look.
The panel is not exactly the same as that in the Pixel 8, though, with the company calling it a glass-OLED, rather than the plastic-OLED panel used in the 8.
Google says one of its core aims with the new phone was to deliver "the best camera in a smartphone under $500." Underpinning these hopes is the use of the same Tensor G3 processor used in the more expensive Pixel 8.
The Pixel 8a will be available in four colors, including Aloe (pictured), Obsidian (black), Bay (blue) and Porcelain (off-white).The Pixel 8a includes features such as 'Best Take,' which takes a burst of images and then lets you choose the expression for each person in the image. It also includes Magic Editor, which uses generative AI to fill in the background, allowing you to select, resize and move subjects in the image, and Magic Eraser to remove distracting objects.
It also includes a "photo unblur" system that tried to up-res blurry parts of your images.
New to the Pixel 8a is Audio Magic Eraser, which analyses the audio in videos, splits it up into what it thinks are the different sound sources, and lets you selectively delete just the distracting audio elements.
It also includes the Guided Frame feature that gives audio cues for people with limited vision, which has been expanded to help take photos of pets, food and documents, as well as faces. As with all recent Google cameras it also utilizes the company's 'Real Tone' processing to more accurately render a wider range of skin tones.
The company promises a 15% increase in battery life over the 7a, and the 8a maintains the same IP67 weatherproofing rating as its predecessor. It's also essentially the same dimensions, at 152.1 x 72.7 x 8.9mm (6.0 x 2.9 x 0.4").
The Pixel 8a will be available starting from $499, in 128Gb or 256Gb varieties. Google promises security updates will be provided for seven years from launch.
With a "more is more" approach to its latest offering on Kickstarter, London-based Gadget On has packed everything from a sundial clock to a SIM card ejector into its new TitanSpin multitool. And, oh yeah, the whole thing is also a fidget spinner.
Category: Good Thinking, Lifestyle
Tags: Titanium, Multitools, Kickstarter, Camping, Crowdfunding
Situated on a steep hillside plot in California, this compact dwelling by Mork-Ulnes Architects was constructed on the existing foundations of a 1950s garage. Its interior layout is likened to a Swiss Army knife in the way it maximizes features in a compact space and it showcases some clever downsizing ideas that are suitable for a small family.
Category: Tiny Houses, Lifestyle
Tags: Building and Construction, Tiny Footprint, Micro-House, House
The Hasselblad XCD 2.5/25 V has a snap-back focus ring, engaging manual focus and revealing a distance scale.
Image: Hasselblad
Hasselblad has announced the XCD 2.5/25V, a 25mm F2.5 lens for its X-system 44x33mm medium format cameras.
Recent VideosThe 2.5/25V ends up acting as a 20mm equivalent ultra-wide lens on the X1D, X2D and 907x cameras, making it the second-widest option in the lineup, behind the 21mm F4. As with all XCD lenses, it features an internal leaf shutter, in this case allowing flash sync all the way up to its maximum speed of 1/4000 sec.
Hasselblad suggests its use for "shooting at night or dusk and blue hour," and says it can be used for: "cityscapes, street photography, natural landscapes/astrophotography ... as well as low light indoor portraits and close-ups."
Image: HasselbladIt shares the features of the company's V ("versatile") series of XCD lenses, including a snap-back manual focus ring that reveals a distance scale on the barrel. It also has a user-configurable control ring, that can be used to control settings such as aperture value or ISO.
The complex 13-element, 10-group design includes four aspherical elements and three extra-low dispersion glass elements. It features an internal focus design driven by a stepper motor to deliver what the company describes as "fast, accurate, and responsive focusing."
It can focus down to 25cm (9.8"), giving a maximum reproduction ratio of 1:5.8.
The 2.5/25 is 105mm long and 75mm in diameter (4.1 x 3.0") and accepts 72mm filters. It weighs 592g (20.9 oz).
The lens will cost $3699.
Press Release:
HASSELBLAD INTRODUCES THE XCD 2,5/25V, A WIDE ANGLE LENS FOR NIGHT PHOTOGRAPHYThe XCD 2,5/25V is the widest-angle lens in the Hasselblad XCD Versatile (V) series lenses. It has a 20mm full-frame equivalent focal length and a maximum aperture of f/2,5. With its expansive view and large aperture, the XCD 2,5/25V was designed for turning nocturnal cityscapes, starry skies, and indoor portraits into extraordinary captures.
Its wide-angle focal length encompasses a wealth of scenic elements, providing photographers with ample space and composition. The f/2,5 large aperture, coupled with its excellent optical performance, ensures rich highlights and shadows are captured within every frame, even at dusk or after dark.
The XCD 2,5/25V features an optical structure of thirteen elements in ten groups, including four aspherical elements and three ED elements, meeting the high-resolution requirements of 100-megapixel sensors. This ensures images are sharp and crisp from the centre to the edges while effectively suppressing chromatic dispersion.
The optical quality of the lens is also showcased by its robust close-up capabilities. With a 25cm minimum focusing distance and 1:5:8 magnification, its large aperture accentuates close ups, enhancing the expressiveness of subjects like gourmet dishes and flowers.
As part of the Hasselblad XCD V lens series, the design of the XCD 2,5/25V is known for integrating user-friendly functionality with elegance, in both its aesthetics and control. Enhancing the elegance is an engraved “V" insignia on the lens, with the "H" logo engraved on both the focus and control rings.
With a gentle push- pull of the focus ring, photographers can quickly switch between AF and MF modes. In MF mode, intuitive scale marks on the lens keep focus distance and depth of field at a clear glance, enabling precise focus control. Functions such as aperture, shutter speed, ISO, and exposure compensation can be customised on the control ring, serving as an extension of the camera, allowing users to capture the perfect moment with ease.
The XCD 2,5/25V is equipped with a linear stepping motor and a smaller, lighter focusing lens group, providing a quick and responsive focusing experience when paired with Hasselblad X or V system cameras that support PDAF.
The lens adopts a large-diameter leaf shutter module with a shutter speed of up to 1/4000s. This enables both global shutter and flash synchronisation at all speeds.
The XCD 2,5/25V lens is priced at $3,699 USD / 4,199 EUR and is available to purchase online and at selected retail stores worldwide. For more information about the XCD 2,5/25V, visit www.hasselblad.com.
Viltrox has formally announced the release of its AF 16mm F1.8 Z lens, a fast, wide autofocus prime lens for full-frame Z-mount cameras. It joins the lineup next to Viltrox's existing AF 16mm F1.8 lens for Sony E-mount. Viltrox says the lens is aimed at applications like astrophotography, landscape and architecture.
Recent VideosThe AF 16mm F1.8 Z is built around 15 elements in 12 groups, including 4 ED and three aspherical elements. It has a minimum focus distance of 0.27m (11") and a maximum magnification ratio of 0.1.
A stepper motor drives autofocus. The lens has a nine-bladed aperture.
The lens also includes two function buttons and includes one-click access to infinity focus, a feature that should be popular with astrophotographers. It features a 77mm filter thread. Viltrox describes the lens as "dustproof."
Although Viltrox is formally announcing the AF 16mm F1.8 Z today, reviews on YouTube began appearing last week.
The AF 16mm F1.8 Z has a suggested retail price of $549 and is available immediately.
Viltrox AF 16mm F1.8 Z specifications Principal specificationsLens typePrime lensMax Format size35mm FFFocal length16 mmImage stabilizationNoLens mountNikon ZApertureMaximum apertureF1.8Minimum apertureF22Aperture ringYesNumber of diaphragm blades9OpticsElements15Groups12Special elements / coatings4 ED, 3 asphericalFocusMinimum focus0.27 m (10.63″)Maximum magnification0.1×AutofocusYesMotor typeStepper motorFull time manualUnknownFocus methodInternalDistance scaleYesDoF scaleNoPhysicalWeight550 g (1.21 lb)Diameter85 mm (3.35″)Length103 mm (4.06″)SealingYesFilter thread77 mmHood suppliedYesTripod collarNoThe Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center has unveiled Tiangong, an electrically-driven general-purpose humanoid that's capable of stable running at 6 km/h, while also able to tackle slopes and stairs in "blind conditions."
Category: Robotics, Technology
For many of us, one of the joys of being able to work from home is being around our pets more often. And they might be purr-fect work colleagues – pets have been shown to lower stress levels and improve heart health – if they could just understand and respected boundaries a little better.
Category: Good Thinking, Lifestyle
Tags: Kickstarter, Pet-owners, Pets, Cats, Home office, Home decor
