STUFF: News, Technology, the cool and the plain weird

[MIKA27]

NYPD Caught Editing Wikipedia Articles On Police Brutality

Looks like the long arm of the law is trying to diddle Wikipedia into submission. Members of the NYPD are trying to scrub Wikipedia’s entries about police violence.

Capital New York traced edits to IP addresses registered to the NYPD. Looking at which entries the NYPD tried to alter highlights a disturbing pattern. These are blatant attempts to bend the narrative on horrific state-administered brutality:

Computer users identified by Capital as working on the NYPD headquarters’ network have edited and attempted to delete Wikipedia entries for several well-known victims of police altercations, including entries for Eric Garner, Sean Bell, and Amadou Diallo. Capital identified 85 NYPD addresses that have edited Wikipedia, although it is unclear how many users were involved, as computers on the NYPD network can operate on the department’s range of IP addresses.

It isn’t the first time people in power have been caught trying to make the crowdsourced encyclopedia reflect their reality. People have tracked the edits Congress makes to Wikipedia. But in that instance, most of the edits were for weirdo entries like “horse head mask” rather than articles that directly referred to Congressional misconduct.

The NYPD, in contrast, has made edits that are clearly in its best interest, attempts to whitewash the bloodiest moments in contemporary NYPD screw-ups by literally re-writing history and recasting critical moments of police violence as irrelevant blips:

On Nov. 25, 2006, undercover NYPD officers fired 50 times at three unarmed men, killing Sean Bell, and sparking citywide protests against police brutality. On April 12, 2007, a user on 1 Police Plaza’s network attempted to delete the Wikipedia entry “Sean Bell shooting incident”.

“He [bell] was in the news for about two months, and now no one except Al Sharpton cares anymore. The police shoot people every day, and times with a lot more than 50 bullets. This incident is more news than notable,” the user wrote on Wikipedia’s internal “Articles for deletion” page.

The matter is “under internal review,” according to an NYPD spokesperson.

Police IPs were also linked to entry changes on stop-and-frisk, police misconduct, fictional NYPD officer Andy Sipowitz and the band Chumbawumba.

[MIKA27]

A Cyclone Destroys a Nation

Torrential rains and winds up to 185 miles per hour lashed the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu on Saturday, downing power lines and flattening buildings throughout the country. The official death toll of the storm, called Tropical Cyclone Pam, is eight, but the final figure is likely to be considerably higher: Rescuers have been unable to communicate with residents living in the archipelago's outlying islands.

Vanuatu President Baldwin Lonsdale said that Cyclone Pam destroyed schools and hospitals and rendered thousands homeless. "I stand to appeal on behalf of the government and the people to give a helping hand in this disaster," he said, his voice heavy with emotion. The governments of Australia and New Zealand flew military planes loaded with supplies to Vanuatu, a cluster of 65 islands located some 2,000 miles east of Australia, and have pledged millions of dollars in aid.

As a tropical nation, Vanuatu is no stranger to major storms. "Vanuatu has a cyclone season," the Oxfam country director in Port Vila, Colin Collet van Rooyen, told the New York Times. "But local residents say they have never experienced anything like this."

Alas, devastating cyclones may become more commonplace in Vanuatu, a low-lying nation considered extremely vulnerable to climate change. Roughly three quarters of the population of 267,000 work in fishing and agriculture, two industries sensitive to rising sea levels and warmer temperatures. Prolonged dry spells have begun to threaten the country's water supply, while intense rainstorms have damaged staple crops like cabbage.

"The scale of this disaster is unprecedented in this country and the proud people of Vanuatu are going to need a lot of help to rebuild their homes and their lives,"van Rooyen said.

Scientists have warned against attributing single weather events to climate change—even storms the size of Cyclone Pam.

However, a report commissioned by the Australian government predicts that regional cyclones will only be more intense.

Vanuatu is well aware of the risks of climate change—in 2013, the country established a ministry devoted to mitigating the risks of rising sea temperatures, drought, and other environmental disasters. But for now, the country must recover from a cyclone whose damage may not be fully realized for years.

[MIKA27]

Cuba Is Getting Wired

It's an image that's familiar around the world: A group of young people, glued to their laptops or smart phones, lounging around a public space and taking advantage of free, wireless Internet. But in Cuba, this scene is far from ordinary. When the famed artist Kcho provided wi-fi at his cultural center some weeks ago, he established the first such venue in the country's history. Now, in a rapidly changing Cuba, milestones like this have become more commonplace.

To its beneficiaries, free wi-fi is about more than gaining access to computer games and social media. It also involves establishing contact with the outside world. One 20-year-old at the cultural center was using wi-fi to chat with his father, who lives in the United States.

"Thanks to this service I can talk to him," the man, Adonis Ortiz, told the Associated Press.

These unprecedented commercial ties—some bank restrictions are also being lifted—have outpaced the political reconciliation between the two countries. The U.S. government still enforces a trade embargo of Cuba, and the two have yet to open embassies in their respective capitals. Nevertheless, President Obama and his Cuban counterpart, Raul Castro,are scheduled to meet at the Summit of the Americas next month in Panama City.

Three months after President Obama announced that the U.S. and Cuba would normalize relations, the island's long period of isolation appears to be coming to an end—and telecommunications is just one dimension of the change. On Saturday, a group of 80 civic and business leaders will travel from New Orleans to Havana to attend a conference, marking the first direct flight between the two cities in 57 years. And next week, a New York-based tour operator will launch a weekly charter flight between the Cuban capital and New York's JFK airport.

Still, Cuba's antiquated communications infrastructure presents an obstacle to economic development. In anticipation of restored U.S-Cuban ties, Havana is seeking billions of dollars in foreign direct investment across a range of sectors, but the lack of IT resources hampers these relationships. Nine out of 10 Cubans lack access to a mobile phone, and Internet connections are slow and subject to government censorship. State-run Internet cafes in the country charge $4.50 an hour for online access, a huge sum where the average monthly salary is about $20. Broadband Internet connections in Cuban homes are virtually unheard of.

The transition to a modern, Internet-driven economy won't happen overnight. Nor is it certain to force political change. In the U.S., critics of normalization have argued that establishing closer economic ties to Cuba will only empower the Castro regime. Senator Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican and probable presidential candidate, has cited evidence that engagement with other Communist countries did not compel them to liberalize.

"We have those policies of normalization toward Vietnam, for example, toward China," Rubio said in December. "They’re not any more politically free today than they were when that normalization happened."

Kcho's cultural center offering free wi-fi in Havana, too, offers little promise of political liberalization—the center even hosted Fidel Castro last year. But for Cubans long deprived of the quality Internet service the developed world takes for granted, getting online has less to do with politics than with daily conveniences such as communicating with friends and buying things off the web. Belkis Baisal, a bed and breakfast operator in Havana, told AFP that regular Internet access will allow her to advertise her rooms.

Normalization, she said, is a positive sign.

"It's better to have friends than enemies."

[MIKA27]

Don't Watch This If You Suffer From Claustrophobia

When I first bumped into this clip, my mind refused to accept what my eyes were seeing. And, to this moment, my brain still doesn’t fully understand how these people managed to squeeze their bodies into such a minuscule hole. One thing is clear: If these guys suffered from claustrophobia, this video wouldn’t exist.

According to the YouTube’s description, that tiny hole is an alternative entrance to Deep Cave, in Edwards County, Texas.

[MIKA27]

This Floating, Solar Powered House Is Up To 98 Per Cent Recyclable

If you’ve ever considered trading your house for a life on the water, but don’t fancy the idea of cramped, below deck living quarters, then this floating, solar-powered home, designed by renowned Italian architect Giancarlo Zema, might be just the thing for you.

As our climate warms and sea levels continue rise, our coastlines will change irrevocably. EcoFloLife, the firm behind Zema’s “Waternest 100,” has spent years designing a new generation of energy-efficient homes to accommodate our changing planet and lives. The 1,000 square foot Waternest 100 is made from recycled timber and a recycled aluminium hull. The design includes skylights, balconies, and large windows that offer sweeping views of the natural surroundings. The roof is essentially a giant solar panel, and best of all, the home can be set to float atop any calm body of water.

Here are some sneak peeks the floating homes that may one day pepper our waterways:

Hey, even if our world gets swallowed by water, at least we’ll be able to float away in style.

[MIKA27]

NEPTUNE SUITE: A TASTE OF WHAT PERSONAL COMPUTING SHOULD STRIVE TO BECOME

When Neptune launched its grand idea for upending the smartphone ecosystem, many responses boiled down to: What?

Sure, the idea sounded downright radical: Instead of a smartphone streaming to devices like a smart watch, the Neptune Hub and Pocket were created with the opposite relationship in mind. There was Hub, a smart watch powerful enough to run apps, take calls, and send messages. And there was Pocket, a relatively minimalistic screen that fit in your pocket, like a smartphone, but was little more than an input device.

Many people didn’t get it. “Most of the negativity was from people that don’t see this as a first start,” says Simon Tian, Neptune’s 20-year-old founder.

“They thought we were just going to stop at the pocket screen.”

Today, Neptune launches what it calls Suite, a group of devices to augment Hub. There’s the Tab, a tablet with an attachable keyboard. There’s also a dongle that will stream to your TV, and wireless earbuds you can wear around your neck, and which cleverly doubles as a charging cord. It’s all selling for the price originally announced for the Hub and Pocket: $899 at retail, or a couple hundred less if you pre-order via Neptune’s Indiegogo campaign.

Working with industrial design firm Pearl, Neptune already has done much of the industrial design and component planning required to start intensive tooling and testing. Moreover, Neptune has now revealed that the core technology making it all work is something called WiGig, a new wireless protocol that allows streaming from the Hub to the other devices at up to 7GB per second—which Neptune claims creates latency too small to notice.

Now, it’s just a matter of funding and proving that there’s a market for such a novel experiment in computing.

Aiming Big

Tian isn’t shy about what Neptune is supposed to become. As he writes on the Indiegogo page:

This is only the beginning of a whole new computing era. Imagine a world where devices are so commoditized that they’re just part of the environment. They can be everywhere; in your home, at the office, in your car, in restaurants, shopping malls, schools… Need a screen? Simply find one and use it as yours.

Devices are also a lot more easier to design and produce, enabling product designers and manufacturers to potentially create an infinite variety of devices. Screens can be embedded into household appliances, cars, walls, and much more. Everything will become smart, by simply becoming accessories for your wrist.

This vision has precedent in computer science.

In the early 1990s, Mark Weiser argued computers would become ubiquitous tools found everywhere in our environment. They would mold themselves to the needs and preferences of whomever was using them at the time. This thinking preceded Minority Report and Her by many years: You’d walk into a room, the computers in it would know who you are, and you’d be able to resume whatever stream of work or play you’d been involved with.

Suite is probably the first time that someone has been far-sighted enough—or crazy enough—to make that impersonal computing ideal a reality. Indeed, perhaps the biggest insight behind Neptune’s idea is this: the continuity problems that bedevil our digital lives simply go away if a single, wearable computer becomes a central computing node. No more synching between tablet and phone. No more weird transitions as you try to recreate Internet searches or migrate photos or profiles from one device to another. Moreover, the entire ecosystem gets cheaper when all your screens aren’t simply duplicating each other’s computing power.

The technology seems ready, or least very close to being so. It makes you wonder whether Apple, Samsung and the like might start tinkering as well, or if Neptune has enough of a head start to launch a radical, product right under their noses.

It's such individuals like Tian who drive innovation and future technology for the greater future up against the giants who of late seem to churn out new models of what would otherwise be considered old technology.

[MIKA27]

BMW URBAN RACER

Jans Slapins is a 3D modeller who specialises in creating unique, highly detailed automotive prototypes like the futuristic BMW motorcycle you see here. His most recent creation was a Lamborghini rat rod that went on to become a viral sensation, going so far as to be featured on Top Gear and in car magazines around the world.

His latest design takes its queues from the BMW Motored back catalogue, with a 1200cc twin cylinder boxer engine capable of 115hp, invertered forks up front and a mono shock, single-sided swing arm at the rear. Jans wanted to reference modern fighter jet design, specifically stealth aircraft, whilst also keeping some warmer human touches – like the wooden fuel tank guards and diamond stitched leather seats.

Click here to see more via Jans’ website.

[MIKA27]

The Cursed Reservoir of New Jersey

Sometimes even the most peaceful and tranquil of places can have an underlying current of menace just under the seemingly pristine veneer. These are places where peace and beauty walk hand and hand with darker, more dangerous, and indeed more mysterious forces. For one popular and scenic fishing paradise in the U.S. state of New Jersey, all is not languid sunny days fishing the azure waters, as lurking beyond the surface are perhaps forces beyond our understanding.

Clinton Township, in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, is home to the popular fishing spot Round Valley Reservoir, which at 2,350 acres (8 km2) in area and up to 180 feet (55 m) deep, is New Jersey’s largest and deepest manmade lake, and is the second largest lake in the state, period. The reservoir was created in 1960 by the New Jersey Water Authority, which flooded a circular valley- hence the reservoir’s name- surrounded by Cushetunk Mountain after constructing two large dams. Originally formed to provide water to central New Jersey, namely communities in Bergen and Essex Counties, Round Valley Reservoir was opened to fishing in 1972 and the lake and the scenic surrounding wilderness areas of the Round Valley Recreation Area offer SCUBA facilities, boating, camping, hiking, and biking trails, as well as various other outdoor activities. The opening of the lake to fishing in particular boosted the lake’s popularity, as it was well stocked with a variety of fish species and is one of only two lakes in New Jersey that has a population of lake trout. The variety of fish here, including bass, pickerel, catfish, American eel, yellow perch, brown trout, and rainbow trout, the state records for many of which have been caught here, as well as the remarkably clear blue water into which one can peer all the way down to the bottom in depths of around 20 feet or even more, have made Round Valley Reservoir a fisherman’s haven.

Yet behind this picture perfect outdoor heaven is a darker, more insidious and mysterious feature of the lake; various unexplained deaths and disappearances of fishermen, swimmers, kayakers, and hikers, among others, some of whom have gone missing without a trace. Most of these have been attributed to drowning, but some were apparent suicides and others were seemingly just freak accidents. In total, there have been at least 26 deaths and disappearances in the area since 1971, and such cases have become so numerous over the years that the area is sometimes ominously referred to by locals as the “Bermuda Triangle of New Jersey.” Six of the victims’ bodies have never been recovered, and possibly even more.

One of the first famous cases of a mysterious disappearance in the reservoir occurred on May 4, 1973, when Thomas Trimblett, 23, and his brother-in-law Christopher Zajaczowski, 22, were out on the lake fishing in a 12-foot aluminum boat. At some point, the boat inexplicably capsized and the two men went under to never be seen again. Extensive search and rescue efforts to find the two only turned up the boat, an oar, some fishing tackle, and two, unused life jackets. The two bodies have never been found.

After that, cases of people mysteriously vanishing in or around the lake started to pour in. A mere four years later, Craig Stier, 18, and Andrew Fasanella, 20, were last seen traveling along the north shoreline of the reservoir and seemingly disappeared off the face of the earth. A few days after they were reported missing, their empty canoe washed up on shore yet the bodies have never been found. On March 14, 1989, a John Kubu, 37, and his friend Albert Lawson both vanished while on a fishing trip on the lake. Although Lawson’s body was eventually recovered in 1993, the body of Kubu remains at large. In another strange case, on Oct. 22, 1993, Jeffrey Moore, 27, and friend Raymond Barr were out on the lake for a relaxing day of fishing when their boat inexplicably capsized in clear, calm conditions and in full view of other boaters in the vicinity. One of the nearby boaters rushed to the rescue and managed to pull Barr from the water, but Moore was nowhere to be found despite a frantic search of the area. Moore’s body has never been recovered and there has never been any trace of what became of him.

Over the years, there have been several attempts to delve into Round Valley Reservoir’s depths in an attempt to locate the missing, yet success has proven to be elusive. In 1977, a battery-powered submersible typically used for oil rigs was brought to the lake to scour the bottom in the macabre search for missing bodies. The sub was state-of-the-art and piloted by a seasoned operator, Andre Galerne, who had once worked with none other than deep-sea explorer Jacques Cousteau, yet even after a week of exhaustive searches no bodies were found. In 1999, State troopers specially trained in underwater recovery launched a meticulous hunt for bodies in the lake’s depths, but the efforts were hampered by large amount of underwater growth and submerged tree trunks, as well as darkness down in the deeper parts of the lake. A submarine was used to look for bodies again in 2006 but again no sign of any of the missing persons was uncovered. There have also been numerous search efforts using divers as well as land searches conducted over the years, typically when water levels are lower than usual and using dogs trained to sniff out cadavers, pieces of bone, teeth, and scraps of clothing that may have belonged to the missing along the receding waterline.

While many of these official searches have failed to produce any results, there have been a few success stories. In 2013, the body of missing fisherman Kenneth Rohatyn, 56, was discovered in about 70 feet of water when a State Police Marine Unit picked up an anomalous reading on sonar and subsequently sent in recovery divers. The fisherman had been fishing in a canoe about 20 yards from shore when he disappeared, and it was a mystery as to how he had fallen into the water. In another case, in 2014 the body of a missing kayaker was recovered in 51 feet of water after an intensive search by multiple emergency units such as water rescue units and divers. The man had apparently fallen from his kayak near a boat ramp yet had failed to reach the nearby safety before vanishing beneath the surface. A New Jersey registered car, most likely the victim’s, was found abandoned in the boat ramp’s parking lot. In July, 2014, another body of a kayaker, Chen Shao, 24, was found 150 yards off shore after he had fallen from his kayak. The witness who saw the incident claimed that the man had struggled to get back into his kayak after falling in but was somehow unable to do so and had sunk beneath the water as the kayak slowly drifted away. Police spent 6 hours searching for the body with sonar and other equipment.

Some of the bodies of missing people are found not by authorities engaged in active searches, but rather by regular people who just happen upon them. In 1989, two amateur divers were 50 feet down in the lake when they came upon the gruesome discovery of a human skeleton that was still wearing green rubber boots and covered in tattered bits of clothing. The body was later identified as a fisherman who had been missing since 1976. Spookily, the body of another missing fisherman who had been with the victim at the time of his disappearance was found in a similar manner just 11 months later. In March of 2012, a hiker on Pine Tree Trail noticed a body bobbing around out in the lake and called the police. When the floating body was later recovered it turned out to be that of a white male in his 20s or 30s, although the identity of the victim was a mystery, as was the reason for how he had wound up in the water. Authorities have claimed it was an apparent suicide. In another, even creepier incident, in May, 2012, a fisherman by the name of Edward P. Woodell Jr. was out for a relaxing day of fishing when he caught more than he bargained for. The man’s hook snagged something in the water, and when he pulled it in, the shocked fisherman found there was a boot on the end of his line containing the partial skeletal remains of a human foot. Police units proceeded to scour the area for more remains, but there was no trace of any more. It is still unknown who the foot once belonged to, how the mysterious victim died, or indeed where the rest of the body is.

The large amount of deaths and disappearances at Round Valley Reservoir has given the place a menacing air of mystery, and many rumors and legends have sprung up around it. Some believe that the reservoir was built over sacred Native burial grounds and is cursed by vengeful spirits. Indeed, the land the lake was created on was long inhabited by the Lenape Indians, making it very possible that indeed there are ancient burial grounds here somewhere beneath the lake’s placid waters. Others believe that some sort of lake monster has made its home in the lake, a rather absurd idea considering Round Valley Reservoir is a manmade lake.

One very prominent legend concerning the lake concerns the existence of a whole ghost town lying at the bottom, complete with buildings, homes, silos, fences, roads and trees, submerged deep in the lake’s cold, dark waters. This idea also has some plausibility due to the history of the lake’s creation. When the plans to flood the valley in order to make the reservoir and address water shortage issues were put into effect, there were locals who opposed the project and resisted selling their land to the government. When the state moved in and began purchasing properties and land in earnest, many residents ended up facing an ultimatum; either move their homes at their own expense or leave them behind. It is said that although many abandoned houses and structures were demolished or salvaged before flooding of the valley began, others are rumored to have remained standing when the water came pouring in and so it is perfectly feasible that there could be a submerged ghost town in the lake to some extent. Some rumors are that actual ghosts roam this town and are the ones responsible for the mysterious deaths and disappearances in the lake. These rumors are further fueled by the reports of people falling into the lake who are inexplicably unable to exit the water even in calm conditions or when nearby safety, almost as if they are being pulled down by unseen hands.

Besides malevolent spirits, curses, and underwater ghosts, the real reason for the deaths and vanished people is likely something more mundane and tied to the unique nature of the lake and its locale. Round Valley Reservoir is situated in the middle of a circular valley, which is conducive to producing sudden, powerful gusts of wind that are magnified within the valley’s confines. These winds are known to reach speeds of up to 40mph or more, and whip up out of nowhere to produce waves of surprising size, which could in turn be responsible for some of the reports of capsized boats. These fierce winds are known to howl into the lake out of nowhere and disappear just as quickly.

The lake’s very cold temperatures, which originate from its depth and altitude, also can be deceptive as the water is frigid even on warm spring days, and conspires against anyone unlucky enough fall in. Once in the icy water, which saps body heat 32 times faster than cold air, the cold quickly shocks the body, causes spasms, and numbs or cramps up extremities to the point that it is difficult or impossible to grasp the side of a boat or other possible safety such as a life jacket or rescue line. This might certainly give the impression that some ghostly aggressor is holding someone down or preventing rescue. The victim might also panic and thrash or kick about in the water, which actually causes the body to lose heat even faster as the blood pumped to extremities is quickly chilled. Disorientation and severe pain set in within mere minutes, and hypothermia, unconsciousness and death are not far behind unless the victim can exit the water quickly, something that strong winds would inhibit. Even very strong swimmers can be overwhelmed by such conditions in short order and the problem is compounded by the abrupt, strong, unforgiving winds and the large number of people who do not wear life vests on the lake.

The cold water can also explain the mysterious disappearances of bodies that are never found, as it tends to stave off decomposition and the resulting gasses that would normally float a body to the surface where it would be more likely to be found.

On the bottom, a corpse is also likely to become entangled in the many twisted trees still remaining on the bottom of the reservoir from before the valley was flooded, making them hard to spot for divers and obscuring them from sonar.

In addition to cold water and sudden, violent weather changes, the lake’s circular shape also distorts perception of distance for people out on the water, giving the illusion that they are closer to shore than they really are. This optical illusion could contribute to people drowning once they fall in, as they may be under the impression that they can swim to shore, when in reality they are too far to make it in the frigid water before their body gives out. The tricks the circular lake plays on the eyes also may give a false sense of security for people that are in boats that are too small for deeper, choppier water. Regulations at Round Valley Reservoir state that only non-motorized and very small motorized boats up to 10 horsepower are allowed on the lake, making these craft more susceptible to the sudden gusts of wind and large waves that can appear here at a moment’s notice. It seems that a combination of small boats, abnormally high winds, and cold, hypothermia inducing water may have a large role in the number of deaths that occur at the lake.

Yet, the rumors persist that some evil, paranormal force is at work here, and that this lake is a cursed, haunted place that is to be approached at one’s own risk. What causes the deaths and disappearances here at this otherwise scenic fishing locale? Are there ancient curses from long lost burial grounds, vengeful spirits, or some other dark forces at work here? Or is the lake simply cursed with a bad combination of physical factors and geography? Whatever the reasons, it seems that the mysterious and sinister legend of Round Valley Reservoir will likely persist for some time.

[MIKA27]

2015 FORD MUSTANG ROCKET BY GALPIN AUTO SPORTS

When the 418 ponies under the hood of the Mustang just doesn’t do it for you, you’ll undoubtedly find yourself delving into the world of aftermarket Mustang packages. While there are a ton to choose from throughout the country, the 2015 Ford Mustang Rocket by Galpin Auto Sports is the latest to catch our attention.

By adding a Whipple supercharger, Magnaflow exhaust system and a performance tune, Galpin was able to take this beast up to 725 horsepower. In addition to some work under the hood, the California based customizer also applied some updates to the exterior ranging from the carbon fiber body parts to the 21 inch wheels wrapped in Pirelli P-Zero rubbers. Galpin didn’t go at the exterior alone though, collaborating with Fisker Karma to design the aesthetics (the same guy behind the Aston Martin DB9, BMW Z8 and many more). Of course power and good looks can only take you so far without stopping power and handling abilities. That’s exactly why the crew installed a fully adjustable suspension setup sourced from Steeda and Brembo brakes on all four corners. The exact pricing details still aren’t clear, but you can expect to spend north of $100,000 for this 2-door animal.

[MIKA27]

TWELVE SOUTH HIRISE FOR APPLE WATCH

Let the Apple Watch accessories bonanza begin. With a release date set for April 24th, the Apple Watch is poised to be one of, if not the biggest tech release of the year. As with any Apple product release, you can also expect the accessories market to be just as busy. TwelveSouth presents their first contribution to the wearables market in the HiRise for Apple Watch.

More than just a bedside charging stand, HiRise was built to complement the aesthetic appeal of the Apple Watch, not hinder it. Whether you opt for the Sport or the 18-Karate Gold Edition, this thing was designed to cradle your device with care. The brushed metal stand displays your watch at an elevated and angled height that lets you easily interact with the wearable while it’s charging. When you’re heading out on a business trip, simply pop the charging disk out of the silicone-lined cutout, and off you go. It will be available in both silver and black when it begins shipping in May. [Purchase]

[MIKA27]

This Car Parade Of DeLoreans Is The Coolest Thing

A prediction about the future that I’m pretty confident in making: this picture will be the best thing to come out of St Patrick’s Day 2015. The photo, showing a line up of DeLoreans and a BTTF DeLorean caboose, was taken by BruceK and shows the DeLorean portion of the 2015 St Patrick’s Day Parade in Toronto.

The DeLorean was built in Northern Ireland, hence the St Patrick’s connection

[MIKA27]

Final Fantasy XV's Summon Will Blow Your Damn Mind

There are a lot of cool moments in Final Fantasy XV: Episode Duscae, the much-anticipated demo that’s finally out today for PS4 and Xbox One (alongside FF Type-0 HD).

You can explore the world, take on sidequests, get to know Noctis and his merry band of bros, and spend a whole lot of time playing around with the high-octane combat system. The demo is rough, but it’s full of promising ideas and definitely worth your time if you care about Final Fantasy at all.

You can also get a… certain summon, which you can activate once Noctis runs out of HP and use against just about any outdoor enemy in the game. In Final Fantasy, summons are a Pretty Big Deal, and FFXV appears to be no exception. I shouldn’t say anything else. Just watch this.

(Make sure you set the video to HD.)

[MIKA27]

THIS HELLISH UNDERGROUND FIRE HAS BURNED FOR 100 YEARS

Fires rage unimpeded below the earth’s surface in Jharia, India, slowly consuming a vast store of coal and occasionally opening immense chasms that swallow everything above them. Johnny Haglund documents what it’s like living with such an inferno for The Earth is on Fire, which recently took second place at Pictures of the Year International for Science and Natural History Picture Story.

The best explanation is the fires, which started in 1916, are the result of coal mines that were improperly shut down. Twenty years ago, the earth opened and destroyed 250 houses in just two hours. Over time the flames have chewed through 41 million tons of the coal, worth billions of dollars. Today, some 70 fires are currently burning. People live amongst smoke and toxic fumes that constantly seep out of the earth, causing respiratory and skin problems. Haglund experienced the danger and discomfort while visiting Jharia and the surrounding region last year.

“At the end of every day I had a layer of coal on my clothes and my skin and sometimes and I often felt like my face was burning,” he says. “I had pretty heavy boots, but sometimes just walking around the soles almost melted off.”

To eke out a living, some people steal coal from the 20-plus mines, selling it in local markets or using it for cooking and heating. Though they might go unnoticed by authorities, these individuals often are injured or killed falling into fissures. Many of them are children, struggling up the mine’s embankments with heavy loads.

Children Playing Close to a crack in the ground

“I have been [working as a photojournalist] for many years, and I never get used to kids suffering,” Haglund says. “I saw young kids—six or seven years old—carrying coal with no shoes on, breathing that air. It was terrible.”

A crack only 200 metres away from a nearby village

Underground fires are notoriously difficult to put out. A similar fire in Centralia, Pennsylvania has burned for decades, eventually forcing most residents to relocate. Some experts say Jharia has enough coal to burn for another 3,800 years. Fires can be extinguished by sand, water, or cutting off the oxygen supply.

A coal mine in the early morning. The mines are a hazardous and deadly place to work.

Efforts to relocate residents have been hampered by bureaucratic holdups and local resistance. Haglund says he spoke to many families who would gladly move, but said the government hadn’t offered them enough money and they can’t afford to leave on their own. “They feel stuck,” he says.

In Jharia, several houses have collapsed due to the fires.

A young man carrying coal

Many people go into the mines every day to collect coal to sell at the local market.

Two workers in a coal mine take a break whilst the earth burns above and beneath them.

A woman carries a heavy chunk of coal. It took two men to help her lift it.

MIKA: Makes you appreciate your job more don't you think and stop complaining about first world problems and issues.

[MIKA27]

Cervantes and the Spanish search for his lost tomb

A few fragments of bone are all that is left of Miguel de Cervantes, author of Don Quixote. His tomb, missing for centuries, has been found in a convent in Madrid.

But how were the remains of one of Spain's greatest writers lost for nearly 400 years?

"At first, I took it as a bit of a joke," said Luis Avial, an expert in ground-penetrating radar and the man who started the search.

According to records, the grave of the writer who pioneered the modern novel was lost in the Convent of the Barefoot Trinitarians, where he had asked to be buried after his death in 1616.

The Trinitarians had helped free Cervantes from five years of slavery in Algiers. Five years after he was captured by pirates during his soldiering days, the religious order helped pay for his ransom in gold.

Don Quixote, as shown in this illustration from the Spanish National Library

'Unjustly forgotten'

There is even a stone plaque on a wall at the convent commemorating the rescue and the writer's wish to be buried there.

But the location of his tomb was forgotten after his bones were moved to the convent's present location in the late 17th Century.

Prof Francisco Etxeberria explained the excavation of the crypt within the convent

Centuries passed and, although his story of the knight errant who tilts at windmills became one of the most widely read books in the world, no-one came looking for Cervantes.

"It is a bit embarrassing, for example in England we compare him to Shakespeare," said Mr Avial. "Cervantes is an eminent literary figure who has been unjustly forgotten in his tomb."

"He was a person who suffered captivity, persecution, forgetfulness and the little appreciation of his person and his work," said Pedro Corral, head of art, sport and tourism at Madrid city council.

But securing permission to start the search proved harder than expected. The convent building is protected and still has nuns cloistered within its red brick walls.

Researchers believe the bodies were piled on top of each other when they were moved to the crypt

Dusty shelves

It took four years of negotiations with everyone from the mayor of Madrid to the city's archbishop to get the agreement and the funding needed to begin.

The search started with a sweep of the convent floor using 3D scanners and ground-penetrating radar to help pinpoint the excavation site - a crypt that no-one had entered for 40 years.

In January, the team of researchers, led by renowned forensic scientist Prof Francisco Etxeberria, was finally ready to move underground and set up its makeshift lab.

Its first surprise came after the removal of some dusty old shelves. The researchers could see the outlines of tombs on the floor.

"As the floor was excavated, a first layer began to appear and that is when we found the children," said historian Fernando de Prado.

Almost 300 infants were found buried inside the crypt.

But the walls held an even bigger surprise. Using long, thin endoscopes to peer through the stone, the team was able to explore 33 niches.

The dankness of the tomb had left a confusing mix of bone, wood and fabric and the content of each alcove had to be carefully worked through.

The dampness within the crypt left the remnants of the tomb damaged and corroded

The team's excitement grew when a group of adults was found within one of the niches.

Using old death records, the team realised that the number of male and female bodies matched the records of people who had been buried with Cervantes in the old church and then moved.

The team believe that the bodies were piled together and placed inside the crypt.

"We have confidence that it is the group of people that were buried with Cervantes," said lead archaeologist Almudena Garcia Rubio.

Miguel de Cervantes - Father of modern novel

• 1547: Born near Madrid
• 1571: Shot and wounded at Battle of Lepanto
• 1575: Captured and enslaved for five years in Algiers
• 1605: Publishes first part of The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha, second part in 1615. Don Quixote is man obsessed with chivalry who sets out in search of adventure on his ageing horse Rocinante and with his faithful squire Sancho Panza
• 1616: Cervantes dies aged 68, with six teeth remaining. Buried at Convent of Barefoot Trinitarians
• Grave lost when convent rebuilt in late 17th Century

Don Quixote's faithful squire was Sancho Panza, as seen in this illustration at the Spanish National Library

Gunshot wounds

Confirming which bones belong to Cervantes may prove tricky.

There are currently no known family members living or dead that could be used to match his DNA.

His characteristic battle wounds will not be of much help either.

Cervantes was shot three times by a gun known as an arquebus at the Battle of Lepanto in 1571, leaving him with no use in his left hand.

But after 400 years there is not enough of his body left to check for wounds.

Despite all the difficulties, the searchers say they are confident they have found the creator of Don Quixote.

The scarcity of his bones does mean that some of the mysteries of his life may remained unsolved, such as the cause of his death.

"We still have to discover the human dimension of Cervantes," said Mr Corral.

For Cervantes biographer, Jorge Garcia Lopez, a professor of Spanish language, his fame as a writer overshadows everything else that we know about his life.

"We don't know what his worries were, his illusions, ambitions, hopes," he said.

400th anniversary

But analysing the DNA of those buried with him might help the team narrow down which bones are those of Cervantes.

Only then will he be reburied on the same quiet street and the crypt reopened to the public to coincide with the 400th anniversary of his death next year.

"These might be just the mortal remains of Cervantes but it is also a motivation for people to want to discover the person, that colossal figure of a good man, of Cervantes and his extraordinary literary work in the Spanish language," said Mr Corral.

Where he was once buried in poverty, he will now be laid to rest with ceremony. And this time, nobody will lose him.

[MIKA27]

The U.S Marines’ Stealth Jump Jet Plan Is Wishful Thinking

USMC generals say they absolutely have to have their mega-expensive F-35B. But their idea on how to use it is problematic—at best.

The F-35B, the Marine Corps version of the stealthy Joint Strike Fighter, has the shortest range and the smallest payload of any of the F-35 variants. It’s also the most expensive, with a unit price tag of $140 million, not including R&D. The Marines’ requirements—to do short-takeoff, vertical-landing (STOVL) and fit aboard the ships the Corps uses—dictated the use of a single engine and drove the internal layout of the fuselage.

Marine Corps leaders have been confident that the F-35B alone will deliver strategic options that justify its price and its impact on the Air Force and Navy versions. That’s a tall order. A Marine expeditionary force is organized around a single amphibious warfare ship, classified as an LHA or an LHD. These are 50,000-ton warships but they have to carry Marines, their equipment, and helicopters as well as jet fighters. Normally, the air combat element includes just six Harrier “jump jets,” and no force of six aircraft has won a war yet.

The idea behind the Marine Harrier force has always been that it can expand beyond the ship’s capacity, by using shore bases that other fighters cannot reach: short civilian runways or even stretches of road. This kind of operation has been performed by the Marines, in combat, exactly three times in the 40-year history of the Harrier force.

The question today is a simple one: What scenario can we contemplate where you need supersonic, stealthy multi-role fighters, but you don’t need the full carrier air wing? In the past few months, the Marines have rolled out some potential answers.

Corps commandant Gen. Joseph Dunford told a House defense appropriations subcommittee in late February that a shipboard detachment of four to eight F-35Bs would deliver “the same kind of access” in “high-risk regions” as a joint strike package today that would include “cruise missiles, fighter aircraft, electronic-warfare platforms, aircraft which specialize in suppression and destruction of enemy air defenses, and strike aircraft.” The F-35 detachment is “a day-one, full-spectrum capability against the most critical and prohibitive threats,” Dunford said.

On land, the Marines would use a new concept of operations known as distributed STOVL operations (DSO), said Lt. Gen. Jon Davis, Marine deputy commandant for aviation. The idea behind DSO is to obtain the advantages of forward basing—deeper reach and faster response—while keeping people, aircraft and equipment on the ground safe from counterattack from threats that are likely to include guided tactical ballistic missiles.

Mobility is the key. The plan calls for mobile forward arming and refueling points—improvised bases that supply fuel, ammunition, and the minimum support necessary to turn jets between sorties. The idea is that they can moved around the theater inside the adversary’s targeting cycle—assumed to be 24-48 hours—so that they can survive without being accompanied by anti-missile defenses. Decoy bases would be established to complicate the enemy’s targeting problem.

Both the small shipboard unit and the DSO idea have obvious problems.

Dunford’s eight-aircraft detachment would be kept very busy sustaining combat air patrols, providing over-the-horizon intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) and performing close air support and strike. Britain’s new aircraft carriers are 70,000-ton ships because the operations analysts calculated that a stand-alone air wing would need 24 aircraft to cover those missions.

Without a carrier, Dunford’s force has no persistent ISR or airborne early warning—and any nation qualifying as a high-risk threat will have anti-ship cruise missiles on fast attack craft, on trucks or masked in commercial containers. Airborne early warning was invented in World War II in the Pacific, because by the time the kamikazes appeared on the horizon, it was too late for an effective defense. The same goes for this new breed of cruise missiles.

DSO sounds like an adventure in logistics. The Marines’ biggest wartime off-base Harrier operation, in 1991 during Desert Storm, was supported by 45 8,000-gallon tanker trucks, and the F-35B is more than twice the Harrier’s size. Davis envisages that in some cases, the new improvised base will be supplied by KC-130J tankers—but each sortie will deliver five F-35B-loads of fuel at best. As was finally confirmed in the run-up to last year’s Farnborough air show, the F-35’s exhaust is tough on runways: Many tons of metal planking will be needed to protect poor-quality runways or roads, even in a rolling vertical landing. It will have to be moved on the same cycle as the rest of the mobile base.

Force protection could be a challenge. The mobile base will need either a huge sanitized zone or its own active defense against rockets, mortars, and shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles, which no practical decoy or jammer will distract from the F-35B’s exhaust.

These ambitious operational concepts should be tested, in force-level exercises against an aggressive and independent Red team, before we get much further into the $48 billion F-35B procurement. There could be no better use for the first F-35B squadron, once Marine leaders declare it ready for combat later this year.

[MIKA27]

AMILLA FUSHI RESORT MALDIVES

Officially opened on 1 February 2015, the Amilla Fushi Resort is the newest breathtaking retreat in the Maldives. Located on a unique island Amilla at Baa Atoll, the luxury resort is surrounded by pristine clear waters, white beaches and rich, lush vegetation. Guests can opt to stay at 12-metre high Tree Houses, Beach and Lagoon Houses, or Ocean Reef Houses elevated above the crystal waters, and enjoy timeless pleasures the resort has to offer such as delicious, unpretentious food, superb wines, and relaxed yet flawless service.

[MIKA27]

NOMAD POD FOR APPLE WATCH

The Apple Watch is supposed to last up to 18 hours under normal use, so while you should make it through your day just fine, multi-day use is pretty much out. Unless you're carrying the Nomad Pod for Apple Watch. This portable charging station boasts an integrated 1800 mAh lithium polymer battery which is good for up to full four Watch charges, or enough to get your through the work week if necessary. It's also built to hold and protect the charging cable, and provides a soft resting spot for your timepiece while it juices back up.

[MIKA27]

A New Synthetic Compound Can Neutralise Chemical Weapons In Minutes

Chemical weapons are a dangerous and all-too-real threat. Now, a team of scientists has developed a new compound that can deactivate chemical weapons — including nerve agents like sarin — in just minutes.

A team from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, have found inspiration for the new compound in enzymes called phosphotriesterases. Usually produced by bacteria, these proteins deactivate some pesticides — and nerves gases — in milliseconds. Problem is, those enzymes can break down easily, losing their ability to halt the actions of the dangerous compounds.

So the researchers attempted to reproduce the same effects using a synthetic catalyst. Science describes nicely how they went about the process:

They started with metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), a recently developed class of porous compounds composed of metals arranged in a crystalline network linked by carbon-based molecules. MOFs are highly adaptable materials… and because MOFs are porous, they have large surface areas that can rapidly create chemical bonds, making them good candidates for catalysts.

In the natural enzyme, phosphotriesterase, two zinc atoms act as so-called Lewis acids, which accept electrons to bind with the nerve agent. Once the agent has bonded, hydrolysis occurs — a water molecule attacks the agent, slicing and dicing essential chemical bonds, thereby deactivating it. The scientists designed a MOF with a similar structure, but they replaced the zinc with zirconium, which likewise behaves as a Lewis acid and makes for an ultrastable MOF.

In tests published in Nature Materials, the team used their catalyst to deactivate a pesticide similar to nerve agents but safer to use in the lab. Experiments showed that the new compounds — known as NU-1000 — deactivated half of the pesticide in 15 minutes.

Further testing by US army facilities has shown that it neutralises half of the nerve agent GD — more toxic than the well-known sarin — in just three minutes. The researchers claim that that’s 80 times faster than any previous compound has managed.

It’s still not perfect, though. Indeed, the natural version — though fragile — works up to 100,000 times faster, so the team certainly has some way to go before it’s as good as nature itself. But for now, it’s a significant milestone in the quest to keep the world safe from chemical warfare.

[MIKA27]

The Largest Spiral Escalator Ever Built Just Opened In Shanghai

Japanese firm Mitsubishi Electric is the only manufacturer of spiral escalators in the world — but there aren’t many. Now, a shopping centre in Shanghai has opened up two new iterations, each of which reach seven stories up into the building.

Spiral escalators are still fairly rare. You can find a few in the US at Caesars Palace Forum Shops in Las Vegas, for example.

These new ones, at the New World Daimaru Department Store, are truly amazing: The 12 curved escalators form two huge spiral staircases, dominating the central atrium. Mitsubishi Electric first developed the spiral escalator in 1985, and has delivered 103 units to customers in Japan and across the world since then. The Shanghai mall was the largest order for a single project to date.

Building a curved escalator is incredibly difficult, as Mitsubishi Electric explains:

horizontal speed decreases as it moves along the slope, making circular designs impractical. Mitsubishi Electric’s engineers overcame this dilemma by inventing the Center Shift Method, shifting the center of the circle around which the escalator rotates in response to the degree of gradient, realising smooth rotational movement in perfect harmony with vertical movement.

The escalators achieve smooth movement through specially designed chains that can respond to various angles of motion and rails and handrails made with proprietary processing techniques for optimal flexibility, yet the increased range of motion does not sacrifice precision, as the final processing accuracy is 0.1 mm.

Here’s the original concept image of the mall:

And here is a video from February showing us around inside the brand new mall:

[MIKA27]

Here's What Could Happen If Antarctica's Ice Is Melting From Below

File this under “Welp, this is worse than we thought.” A study published in Nature Geoscience finds that warm seawater is likely getting under an East Antarctica glacier and melting it from below. If the glacier’s ice shelf melts, runway melting could cause another 11 feet of sea-level rise — that’s on top of previous estimates.

Scientists have traditionally worried about the West Antarctica ice sheet, a low-lying region especially prone to runaway melting. Last year, two major studies concluded the West Antarctica ice sheet had started a slow-motion collapse, and there’s nothing we can really do about it. Its melting will cause in estimated 3m rise in sea levels over the next few centuries.

This new study of the Totten Glacier in East Antarctica just adds more bad news and even more sea-level rise. After several research flights over the area, researchers were able to map out the depth of the seafloor below. Chris Mooney at the Washington Post explains what they found:

The result was the discovery of two undersea troughs or valleys beneath the ice shelf — regions where the seafloor slopes downward, allowing a greater depth of water beneath the floating ice. These cavities or subsea valleys, the researchers suggest, may explain the glacier’s retreat — they could allow warmer deep waters to get underneath the ice shelf, accelerating its melting.

Once warm seawater erodes the ice shelf that separates glacier and ocean, seawater can pour into the low-lying area behind it, accelerating its melting, too. That’s where the 3.35m additional sea level rise estimates come in.

All this goes to show how sea level rise can sneak up on us. The researchers were only able to detect the hidden troughs under the ice shelf after several flights with instruments measuring variations in Earth’s gravity. Other surprises may lurk under the ice, too. Estimates are estimates, and they can be wrong in both directions, but in this particular case, it’s looking like future generations are even more screwed than we once thought.

[MIKA27]

1944 WILLYS JEEP

The story behind the creation of the Jeep is a fascinating one, in fact it’d make an excellent film if we could somehow convince the movie studios to lay off all the comic nonsense. As the Second World War descended over Europe, the USA began to ramp up its own military capabilities, by 1940 the government had approached 135 American automotive companies and requested prototypes for a new 1/4 ton 4×4 that could be used for reconaissance, towing and also be capable of being equipped with light weaponry.

Astonishingly, the government had requested detailed vehicle plans within 11 days, followed by a working prototype in 49 days and 70 test vehicles within 75 days. It was a borderline impossible feat and only 3 bids were received, from Ford and Willys-Overland and American Bantam. Despite the fact that American Bantam was by far the smallest of the three, they successfully produced the best design and the Army took the somewhat controversial step of sharing the blueprints with both Willys and Ford.

The contract was awarded to Willys and production began almost immediately on the 31st of March, 1941. By the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor 2,605 Jeeps had been delivered, in the wake of the attack the Army contracted Ford to produce Jeeps in parallel with Willys so that production could be ramped up to almost unprecedented levels.

As the war raged on, the Willys Jeep became one of the most sought after vehicles in both Europe and the Pacific, production numbers reached well over 600,000 units and both the Germans and Japanese had begun the task of reverse-engineering their own versions of the lightweight 4×4.

Due to the huge volume of Jeeps produced during WWII it’s still possible to buy them for very reasonable sums of money, communities exist all over the world dedicated to keeping them running and it’s possible to buy recently restored examples like the one you see here for between £12,000 and £15,000. If you’ve been meaning to get into green laning and you have a soft spot for original WWII vehicles you can click here to visit the listing for this Jeep on Bonhams. It’s due to be auctioned on the 21st of March 2015 at the Goodwood 73rd Member’s Meeting.

[MIKA27]

RIVET ONE MOTORCYCLE

The result of a collaboration between William Shatner and American Wrench, theRivet One Motorcycle is a ride worthy of Captain Kirk. It's a three-wheeled ride, with exposed rivets on the WWII-inspired bodywork, a comfy-looking padded seat, and a streamlined profile worthy of a future from the past that never quite arrived. Further details are scant, but Shatner will be driving his across the country later this year, and you can sign up now to reserve your spot in line for what promises to be a unique, hand-built bike.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPqOG_i7cxw

[MIKA27]

BALVENIE 15 SINGLE BARREL SCOTCH WHISKEY

There's something special about the way a scotch whiskey interacts with a Sherry Cask. Such is the case with one of the newest releases from The Balvenie, their 15 year old Single Barrel Sherry Cask whiskey. It's matured in European oak sherry butt for 15 years in a cask that held Oloroso sherry previously, and then released in batches of no more than 650 bottles from each single cask. Bottled at a slightly higher 47.8% ABV, this scotch is bursting with sweet flavors like liquorice and sherry with a long yet smooth finish.

[MIKA27]

Fresh Trailer For Sci-Fi Film Ex Machina, From The Writer Of 28 Days Later

We caught a brief glimpse of Ex Machina last year, the android-flavoured film set for a local release next month and now we have an equally-long, second opportunity of exposure in the form of a fresh trailer. If you’re into strangely attractive robots, this one’s for you.

If you’re not familiar with the film, it features Alicia Vikander, Domhnall Gleeson and Oscar Isaac. Isaac plays a genius roboticist and Vikander his walking, talking artificial intelligence “Ava”, while Gleeson is a programmer hired by Isaac’s character to go all Turing test on his creation. Written and directed by Alex Garland, who also penned 28 Days Later and Sunshine, the script will be on the excellent side of, uh, excellent.

Ex Machina looks part-thriller, part-intellectual joy. It was released in the UK back in January and is currently charting at 90 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes, so it should be well worth checking out at the cinema.

[MIKA27]

Mission Impossible 5: Here's The First Awesome-Looking Trailer

Ready for more of Tom Cruise running? (Not as bad as Steven Segal though ) The first trailer for Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation is up and it’s freaking awesome.

Call me crazy, but I’ve always really enjoyed the Mission: Impossible franchise. Rogue Nation is the fifth instalment, which tells the story of a nation state set up to be bad spies and take out the IMF.

The film stars Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg, Jeremy Renner, Ving Rhames, Alec Baldwin and Rebecca Ferguson, and hits Aussie screens on 6 August.