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

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8 Up-and-Coming Cities to Visit In 2016

We’ve all been there: the disappointing weekend getaway, the subpar “hot” restaurant, the overpriced speakeasy. All represent the classic hype over substance dilemma (and the requisite frustration). For your 2016 travel plans, we’ve curated a list of 8 up-and-coming spots with enough soul and substance to please even the most demanding jetsetter. Of course this is all subjective and there are loads more places to visit.

Asheville, North Carolina

Redefining the mountain town

Nestled in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains, Asheville is not wanting for natural beauty. When the scenic location is added to the food scene, charming architecture, and burgeoning beer community, an ideal weekend escape emerges. When in the South, eat southern and start your day at Biscuit Head (massive biscuits and 7 types of gravy) and end it at Rhubarb (chef-driven riffs on traditional southern). Along the way drop into Wedge Brewing Company for a craft flight and get your steps in with a hike on Craggy Gardens Trail.

San Antonio, Texas

More than the Alamo

Consistently overshadowed by Austin, Texas’s third largest city has plenty to offer on its own. Center your stay at the Hotel Havana, a laid-back, retro Cuban hotel in the middle of the downtown buzz. Beef up your historical knowledge on the Texas Mission Trail (4 historic missions located on a hike/bike trail). Experience a neighborhood dive spot and cool off with a Michelada or two at Tito’s Mexican Restaurant. A walk through the historic King William District is also worth your time: historic 19th century homes adjacent to San Antonio’s edgiest neighborhood, Southtown. Head a few miles north to the Pearl Brewery District for dinner, and enjoy the charcuterie plate and pork cheek poutine at Cured.

Portland, Maine

The other Portland

Synonymous with lobster and lighthouses, Portland is the perfect localvore retreat. Regional cuisine, craft beer, and a unique regional culture make Portland an enticing destination. Start by getting your lobster fix with a roll and beer at Eventide Oyster Co .Don’t forget the camera to capture picturesque lighthouses along the southern Maine coast. Stop in for dinner at Central Provisions (seasonal small plates and craft cocktails). Make sure you’re appropriately appointed with a trip to Portland Trading Co., before catching an indie concert, exhibition or both at Space Gallery.

Taos, New Mexico

Pueblos and Green Chile

Pueblos, New Mexican cuisine and skiing are just a few highlights in this artsy New Mexican community. Base your stay at El Pueblo Lodge; a charming boutique hotel with spacious casitas and welcoming staff. Be sure to eat at both El Meze (chef-driven New Mexican) and the Love Apple (new American/French in a former chapel). Familiarize yourself with New Mexican Culture and pop into the (local and national artists) and walk through the Taos Pueblo (a UNESCO World Heritage Site). If visiting during the winter, be sure to spend at least one day at Taos Ski Valley, one of the best mountains in New Mexico.

Kyoto, Japan

Preserving traditional Japan

Juxtaposed against the modernity of Tokyo, Kyoto is city of tradition. Geisha houses, Japanese gardens, and kaiseki meals dominate the culture of the city and make it a unique destination. Base your stay at a Ryokan (a traditional Japanese boutique hotel before boutique hotels were a thing), and meander through Nishiki Market for a broad sampling of Japanese cuisine. To change your opinion of fried food forever, stop at Kushi Tanaka (set course menu items range from pumpkin to quail egg). Redefine the notion of food as art and stop at Kinmata Ryokan for a traditional kaiseki meal (reservations required). Walk through the picturesque Gion District and experience a story book Japanese landscape.

Edinburgh, Scotland

Picturesque Scotland

Known as the Athens of the North, Edinburgh offers incredible Gothic architecture, palaces, and of course the requisite pubs. Base your stay at the Rutland Hotel, a perfect location for touring old and new Edinburgh. Walk the royal mile, beginning with a tour of Edinburgh Castle and ending at Holyroodhouse (both historical residences of the UK Royal Family). Hike up to Arthur’s Seat, for unparalleled views of the city, before heading to the Scran and Scallie for a pint (and the bone marrow toast). Scotland weather can be a bit blustery, and Dick’s is the perfectly appointed shop to stock up on cold weather gear to get you through your visit.

Auckland, New Zealand

The other down-under

The largest city in New Zealand tends to be overlooked. Most traveling far enough to reach this distant location in the South Pacific are going for outdoor adventure, and that, unfortunately, is an oversight. Auckland provides the perfect urban foil for the rest of your New Zealand vacation. Famous for its coffee culture, start your day with a flat white at Miller’s Coffee. Gain a deeper understanding of Kiwi history with a walk through Auckland War Memorial Museum before dining at the Depot Eatery (rustic vibe with small plates and fresh seafood). For the adventurous set, Auckland also offers multiple bungee jumping locations.

Lisbon, Portugal

Don’t call it a comeback

One of the most severely affected European capitals of the financial crash, recently, Lisbon has been roaring back to life. The city boasts some natural advantages: perfect weather, scenic hills, and a beautiful coastal location. In addition to the setting, the redevelopment of the historic Rossio Square, has helped drive restoration across the city. Put on your foodie hat and walk through the Mercado de Ribeira. You’ll find a number of top chefs and happening bars to try in this refurbished industrial market. If still thirsty, head over to a seemingly non-descript parking garage, and head to the roof. On top you’ll find the charming Park—a local bar scene with unrivaled views of the city. Walk off your vices with a visit to the Casa Musea Dr. Anastacio Gonclaves a superb house turned museum curated by an eccentric globetrotting doctor (concerts are also held in the museum).

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UPSLOPE BARREL AGED MILK STOUT

The latest installment in Upslope Brewing's Lee Hill Series could very well be the best. Upslope Barrel Aged Milk Stout is an imperial stout brewed using premium malt and lactose sugar. It's then placed in Maryland-style rye whiskey barrels for seven months. The result is a rich, complex beer with notes of cocoa, vanilla, and cinnamon — elegantly packaged in slim, 19.2oz cans.

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PIZZACRAFT STOVETOP PIZZA OVEN

Lets face it, the more opportunities to eat pizza you have, the better. And the Stovetop Pizza Oven from Pizzacraft should provide plenty of new opportunities. Dual cordierite stones are used to absorb the heat from your gas range and redistribute it evenly. It also comes equipped with a built-in thermometer that lets you know when it's ready to cook and a moisture vent on top to keep the pie crisp. Cook at temps that get up to 600°F and make better pizza at home than you can get from the delivery guy.

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Mood Lighting Is This Life-Size BB-8 Floor Lamp's Only Skill

Now that almost everyone on the planet has seen Star Wars: The Force Awakens, it’s officially time for BB-8 to finally take the merchandising torch from R2-D2. We’ll definitely miss Artoo, but how could we ever say no to products like this life-size BB-8 floor lamp?

An original ThinkGeek creation, the lamp stands 26-inches tall and is made from formed aluminum so it’s something your grandkids’ grandkids will be able to pass on down the family line.

A set of LEDs underneath BB-8's head cast a soft glow onto the droid’s body where it’s then bounced into a room. And for those who foolishly complain about LED lighting looking too cold, the lamp actually has three different color temperature settings—cold white, amber, and warm white—that can be cycled by simply tapping BB-8 on the head.

At $350 the lamp is definitely one of the pricier The Force Awakens collectibles, but if you bothered to read the fine print on the back of your movie ticket, you’ll realize that you’re pretty much required to buy this stuff once you’ve seen the film.

[MIKA27]

Do Monster Megalodons Still Lurk In Our Waters?

The sighting of a seven-metre shark off the South Australia coast this month has excited the world’s media with some making reference to the great white that featured in the classic 1975 film Jaws. It was certainly a big shark but there are tales of even bigger beasts lurking in our waters.

A quick Google search on “megalodon” brings up around 1.2 million hits about this monster prehistoric shark, made famous in the 2002 eponymous B-movie. Web pages feature frightening movie clips claiming to show evidence that this gigantic fossil shark, once reaching around 17m in length, is still alive out there, perhaps living in deep seas where they escape detection.

Megalodon (meaning “big tooth”) is really the vernacular name used for Carcharocles megalodon, an extinct relative of today’s great white and mako sharks in the family Lamnidae. Megalodon is known from its huge fossil teeth, the largest being 18 centimetres long, found nearly all around the globe in fossil marine deposits. It lived from about 16 million to 2.6 million years ago.

Reconstructed jaws of Carcharocles megalodon by the American Museum of Natural History, New York. This 1927 reconstruction is now thought to be about 30% too big, based on what we know about the teeth, but gives a good idea of the monstrous size of this shark.

The recent Discovery Channel mockumentary about megalodon still being alive had a short disclaimer that it was fictional. Nonetheless, it seems to have sparked a lot of subsequent interest in whether or not such a shark could really out there.

Several articles have been written with shark experts debunking these myths. So where did the stories of megalodon’s survival originate from, and what is the truth behind these claims?

Great White sharks: the big one that got away

Perhaps the first case of megalodon mania sprung from real published records of a monster great white in an esteemed museum collection. The largest living predatory shark today, the great white shark(Carcharodon carcharias) grows up to around 6.4m, based on a shark caught off Cuba in 1964.

Early records in the published scientific literature speak of an 11-metre giant caught of Port Fairy, Victoria in the 1860s. The jaws of this fish were sent to the collections of the British Museum of Natural History, in London. The calculated size of the fish was published in the book Catalogue of Fishes of the museum by Albert Günther, Keeper of Zoology at the museum in 1870.

But in the 1970s, American ichthyologist John Randall doubted this measurement and so he visited the museum in London to recalculate the body size. The original jaws that Gunther studied were examined and their measurements plotted against other specimens where accurate body length to jaw size was known.

Randall’s new calculation of the Port Fairy specimen was approximately five metres in length, within typical great white body size range. Randall suggested that a typo crept into the original publication where it should have read 16.5 feet but instead stated 36.5 feet.

Strangely, it was not picked up in the second edition of the book in which Günther added a maximum size of the shark being 40 feet (12.2m). These inaccurate size estimates published in such a scientifically respectable book no doubt fuelled the idea that monster great whites really did exist in modern times.

One last bit of relevant information about just how big great whites might grow comes from a report of measured bite marks on a whale carcass off Albany during the last decade of whaling in Western Australia.

Back in the mid-1970s, Colin Ostle was employed by the department of fisheries, and his job was to measure the whale carcasses that were taken by the whaling company.

I spoke with Colin and he told me how he also routinely measured shark bite marks on whale carcasses and recorded them in his notebook. Over a seven-year period he also caught around 60 great whites, so he was very familiar with their behaviour.

The largest jaw bite marks he ever recorded measured 19×24 inches as part of five bites, all made by the same very large shark which attacked a floating sperm whale carcass that had broken free of its chain as it was towed in to the harbour.

When compared to a 16-foot shark (4.87m) with a known bite gape of 11×13 inches, the scaling up of these large bites would suggest a shark up to 7.8m in length was then alive in the seas off Albany. In 1968, even larger shark bites were claimed to be observed on a whale carcass, but measurements were not recorded.

Shark ecologist Dr Charlie Huveneers of Flinders University is cautious about extrapolating absolute size from bite marks, but conceded to me that:

[…] it is quite conceivable that sharks larger than the scientifically confirmed maximum size exist, as for most species scientists are unlikely to have measured the largest individual of that species.

Woodcut from Niels Stensen’s 1667 monograph on the dissection of a great white shark. Megalodon teeth are pictured at right. Stensen identified them as sharks teeth rather than fossilised tongue stones.

New research about Megalodon and its demise

Around 400 years ago, megalodon teeth were thought to be petrified tongues. In 1667, the Danish anatomist Nicolas Steno figured out from his dissection of a great white shark head that they were the teeth of ancient large sharks.

Scaling up teeth and jaw size with known living sharks yields an approximate maximum size for megalodon around 17m. But, in weight, it would have been at least ten times the mass of a large great white shark.

Unlike great whites, we deduce that megalodon targeted large baleen whales as its prime prey, as we have found its tooth marks on fossil whale bones and sometimes teeth stuck into whale fossils. Some of these specimens can also be put down to scavenging behaviour.

A large m tooth from California measuring close to 15cm. The largest tooth ever measured was just over 18cm, suggesting a maximum body length of up to 17m for this shark.

In recent years several scientific papers by Dr Catalina Pimiento, of the Florida Museum of Natural History, have greatly elucidated our knowledge about this impressive prehistoric predator. Her study calculating its trends in body size through time show its average size was likely around 10m for most of its 14-million year reign.

We know that its raised its young (starting at 2m length) in nursery areas of the eastern Pacific. Another study confirms that the species died out at least 2.6 million years ago, based on many reliably dated fossil sites.

Pimiento suggests that the the modern baleen whale fauna was probably established after the extinction of megalodons.

The reasons for megalodons demise are unknown, but could relate to either climate change or biological factors, like the events concerning the evolution and migration of whales to colder Antarctic waters where the sharks could not go.

I proposed this idea back in 1995 in the first edition of my book The Rise of Fishes. Dr Pimiento’s new research currently in press seems to support the view. She told me:

I found no evidence for a relationship between megalodon distribution and climate, and therefore, no support for such hypotheses. Instead, I found that megalodon trends in distribution coincide with diversification events in marine mammals and in other sharks, further supporting the biotic set of hypotheses.

It seems likely that the growth and huge size of modern baleen whales, the largest animals on the planet, could well have been driven by predation pressures from megalodons.

Their ability to endure and feed in near freezing Antarctic waters might have been a key reason why megalodons went extinct. Thankfully, for all of us who love swimming and diving in the sea.

John Long, Strategic Professor in Palaeontology, Flinders University

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Jewellery Made From An Actual SR-71 Blackbird Is Cool As Hell

Any old jerk can wear a fancy ring, but how many people can say their bling was made from materials that once flew at mach 3.2+ on the famed Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird spy plane? Now that’s some provenance.

But before you fly off in a rage over the remaining SR-71 spy planes being sold off piece-by-piece for scrap, that’s not quite how this custom piece of jewellery from Wedgewood Rings came to be. The titanium outer band is actually from the ejector nozzle of a Blackbird, and was sourced from a retired Air Force machinist named Dan Freeman who repaired and maintained the spy planes during their heyday.

So while the titanium metal portion of this ring did fly on the SR-71 Blackbird at one point, you won’t find the remaining planes, currently on display in museums across the country, full of holes and missing parts.

The inner wood portion of this ring also has an interesting backstory. It’s made from teak, but teak that was reclaimed from the deck of the USS North Carolina which served in every Pacific naval battle in World War II. The decommissioned ship now serves as a museum and memorial in Wilmington, North Carolina, but not before its deck was completely replaced and the original teak lumber was made available to the public.

So, want one of your own? Wedgewood has already made a few custom rings using the teak from the USS North Carolina, but you’ll need to source the SR-71 titanium parts yourself, which, apparently isn’t as difficult as it sounds.

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We Just Reached Peak Hipster With A Cassette-Playing Turntable

Are you happy now, hipsters? Instead of walking away from your fashionable fad at its peak hipness, you’ve let it linger long enough to become a consumer commodity. Not only is hipster-beloved brand Urban Outfitters thriving, it’s now spawning unholy consumer electronics like this cassette-playing turntable.

It’s easy to point the finger at ION Audio for a creation like this — and we do, at least in part — but Urban Outfitters deserves most of the blame for continuing to fan the hipster flames and creating genuine demand for a $US99 ($140) record player that also plays another medium we were all pretty certain was dead.

Urban Outfitters positions the portable device (powered by four AA batteries) as an easy way to convert classic vinyl and forgotten audio cassettes to MP3 files through iTunes. But that’s complete BS when elsewhere on its site it’s also selling albums on vinyl and cassette, and even blanks for making your own modern mix tapes.

To make matters even worse, the ION Duo Deck is almost certainly not the best way to listen to either your vinyl or cassette collection. So even if you’ve convinced yourself that analogue audio is superior to digital, at least spend a few extra bucks to make your outdated music sound as good as it can.

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To Get Customers Acclimated To Rotary Telephones, Theatres Played This PSA

Telephones got their start in the late nineteenth century, connected through exchanges. In the early twentieth century, however, Bell introduced a new dial system, and needed to tell callers how to use it.

The new rotary telephones were a major departure from that of early phones, and would soon become widespread. To get callers prepared, the company sent a film to local theatres, demonstrating its use:

This short subject newsreel was shown in movie theatres the week before a town’s or region’s telephone exchange was to be converted to dial service. It’s extremely short — a little over a minute, like a PSA. The film concisely explains how to use a dial telephone, including how to dial, how to recognise dial tone, and how to recognise a busy signal.

The first dial telephone was manufactured in 1897. It was part of an automatic switching/dialling system invented by Almon Strowger and patented in 1889. (You can see this switching system in action on the film “The Step By Step Switch”). But the Bell System didn’t start to roll out Strowger’s invention until 1919, though they did showcase the technology in 1904. In 1922, New York City was introduced to dial. The first popularised dial telephone was a desk set candlestick model; the smaller, more familiar desk set came later.

It took decades for dial to sweep the entire Bell System. The last holdout was Catalina Island, off the coast of California, which finally converted to dial in 1978. In Camp Shohola, Pennsylvania, an internal automatic switch system still connects campers with the outside world, it’s the oldest functioning Strowger switch in the world.

Eventually, the rotary phone was overtaken with touch-tone phones, beginning in the 1970s. It’s interesting to see just how phones have changed, and how people had to become acclimated to their use after their deployment.

This video could be useful today to educate someone who’s only ever grown up with a mobile phone.

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It's A Quick (And Illegal) Climb To Get To The Top Of Giza's Great Pyramid

Eighteen-year-old German tourist Andrej Ciesielski got a view that few people get to see – Egypt from the top of the Great Pyramid of Giza. It’s an illegal climb, and he was caught by police when he reached the bottom.

Ciesielski claimed that the trip up only took eight minutes, but another 20 to reach the bottom.

Walking around in the complex I was waiting for the right moment to start climbing The Great Pyramid of Giza. When I started climbing a street seller was standing behind me but I didn’t care about him I turned around he laughed and I continued climbing.

At the half some people got attention on me and looked up to. That’s how the police spotted me. They shouted something in Arabic I think but I didn’t care and kept going while listening to music.

The Great Pyramid is open to the public, but visitors are forbidden from climbing the structure: watching the video, it’s clear why: it’s rough, dangerous and given the attraction to the site, continual climbing would degrade the structure. That said, it’s an interesting view of something most everyone sees from a distance.

Egyptian police caught the youth when he reached the bottom, but was released after questioning.

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Cuba Is Finally Getting Home Broadband

Cuba is one of the least-connected nations in the world. But yesterday its state telecommunications company announced that it was launching the first domestic broadband scheme in Havana.

The company, called ETECSA, will allow citizens who reside in Old Havana — the city’s old colonial centre — to order the Huawei-provided broadband service. Cafes, bars and restaurants will also be able to get in on the action.

The Associated Press points out that in the past home broadband has only been available to “diplomats and employees of foreign companies who pay hundreds of dollars a month for Internet links that are a fraction of the average speed in other countries”. While public Wi-Fi has started to appear in Havana, it costs $US2 an hour — about 10 per cent of the average mostly salary in Cuba.

It’s not clear how affordable the new domestic broadband connections will be. But it’s still a positive sign for a data-starved nation.

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THIS AWESOME SOUTH AFRICAN TREEHOUSE WAS BUILT IN THE MIDDLE OF LONDON

Virgin Holidays have built a South African inspired treehouse on London’s Southbank to promote travel to the southern country. This cozy accommodation is probably the most plush tree-house I've ever seen.

Inspired by the Lion Sands Game Reserve accommodation in South Africa, this awesome treehouse rests 35-feet above the ground and provides one of the unique view of the Thames river. Unfortunately, the structure is only a temporary instillation. It will be taken down after three weeks.

“The biggest challenge with this project was evoking the feeling of a tree-house in the middle of Africa, when we are clearly in the middle of London,” says Hubert Zandberg, the interior designer behind the treehouse's interior aesthetic.

Want to know the best part? You can win an overnight stay in the tree-house.

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CUDDLING WITH BABY PANDA'S IS THE BEST JOB ON EARTH

Is your job stressing you out? It may be time to switch career paths.

Lucky for you, the Giant Panda Protection and Research Center in China just started taking applications for the best job in the world! They're offering $32,000 a year to cuddle with baby pandas all day long. But that's not all! The job also comes with amazing benefits such as use of a company SUV, free meals, and accommodation.

YOUR WORK HAS ONLY ONE MISSION: SPENDING 365 DAYS WITH THE PANDAS AND SHARING IN THEIR JOYS AND SORROWS.

Interested in applying? You need be at least 22 years old, have basic panda knowledge, and have good writing and photography skills. But don't be fooled by how perfect the job sounds. Caring for baby pandas isn't a walk in the park.

"You need perseverance for this job. We expect that the applicants will be mainly white-collar workers from big cities. They are used to eating whatever they want, but inside the giant panda base, the choices will not be plentiful," Says Ye, the market manager behind the campaign.

What are you waiting for? This job could change your life. Apply here.

[MIKA27]

The Pentagon's New List Of F-35 Bugs Is Predictably Awful

The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program is the most expensive military program in the world, so it should be no surprise that the F-35 aircrafts are loaded with powerful weapons controlled by powerful computers. Unfortunately, the guns don’t fire yet, and the computers still don’t work right.

A Pentagon official released a damning report on Monday detailing a stunning number of deficiencies that still plague the troubled F-35 fighter jet. The report is particularly important because the Air Force is supposed to announce that its version of the aircraft will be operational by the end of the year. However, the new Pentagon report clearly states that the aircraft should not be flown in 2017 given the number of bugs that need to be fixed.

The document lays out dozens of problems facing the F-35 in all variants of the aircraft, many of which are caused by software failures. This is especially troubling because the F-35 relies on special computers to keep both the aircraft and its weapons operational. Computers actually control just about every component on the new jet, and that’s actually become the F-35’s greatest weakness.

One group of bugs reported is particular to the variant of the F-35 that the Marines are using. The bugs are found “in fusion, electronic warfare, and weapons employment result in ambiguous threat displays, limited ability to respond to threats, and a requirement for off-board sources to provide accurate coordinates for precision attack.” The bug essentially renders the F-35 useless.

Another critical flaw is that the aircraft is difficult to maintain and update. In 2014, a famous 60 Minutes segment documented how the internal diagnostic systems on the plane failed to accurately track the heath the key components in the vehicle. The new report claims that the “Each new version of software, while adding some new capability, failed to resolve all the deficiencies identified in earlier releases.” (Emphasis ours.)

Other bugs included the fact that the F-35 doesn’t know whether it’s using new or old parts. The aircraft’s computer “incorrectly authorizes older/inappropriate replacement parts” according to the document. The fighter jet also doesn’t know when it’s moving too quickly: “The Integrated Exceedance Management System, designed to assess and report whether the aircraft exceeded limitations during flight, failed to function properly.” So that sounds pretty bad, too.

Perhaps the worst of all the bugs is the fact that the F-35 will likely kill you if you try to eject from it. “Recent discoveries that require design changes, modifications, and regression testing include the ejection seat for safe separation, wing fuel tank over‑pressurization, and the life-limitations of the F-35B bulkhead. For these specific reasons and others, further program delays are likely.”

What was supposed to be a futuristic aircraft built for stealth combat and surveillance has famously turned into a huge money pit, but it’s beyond embarrassing at this point. Back in 2012, the Pentagon slammed Lockheed Martin on the performance of the new age fighter jet, vowing not to bail the program out if Lockheed couldn’t work out the bugs in its new aircraft. Sadly, not much progress has been made since then.

Whether or not the aircrafts will ever be used in combat remains to be seen, but it’s safe to say that other nations’ governments will think twice before making any block purchases of the aircraft. For now, we can at least appreciate the ambition of the program and also every coolmoment we’ve seen as the F-35 has readied for combat. As Air Force Lt. Gen. Christopher C. Bogdan said four years ago, “I don’t see any scenario where we’re walking back away from this program.” It’s just a damn shame that he and the rest of the top brass are wasting a trillion taxpayer dollars in standing by the damn thing.

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The Very Fancy Fitbit Alta Is Available From Today

The Fitbit Alta is here, and promises to be the slim, sleek fashion-forward fitness wearable of our dreams. Here’s all the details.

Looks-wise it’s got a satin finish, stainless steel body and a range of customisable, interchangeable bandsin various colours and materials to choose from — including leather and silver. There’s a quick-release function so you can switch the style of your band to suit the occasion.

Tory Burch’s designer accessory range for Fitbit will also extend to the Alta, at a date yet to be announced.

To see your activity stats or the time, you tap the OLED display — which you can also customise with a range of clock face options.

You can receive call, text and calendar notifications via on-screen message and vibration when your phone is within bluetooth range.

In terms of tracking, you’ve got your all-day activity, exercise and sleep covered — as expected — which assists with providing in depth stats on your overall health.

What’s new is “Reminders to Move” to keep you, well, moving. You will be prompted to meet a series of mini-goals throughout the day, consisting of of 250 steps an hour — with a pat on the back when you do.

Automatic recognition via SmartTrack of when who are performing a workout promises to make tracking easier and more intuitive, providing insights into how exercise fits into your daily activity. SmartTrack is designed to detect and record a range of activities beyond just walking and running, such as outdoor biking, elliptical, dance classes, cardio-kickboxing, basketball, soccer and tennis.

For goals, the focus is on weekly check-ins via the app, which Fitbit says will “encourage you to find and embrace a more consistent fitness routine that works for you”.

Compatibility is extensive, with accessability to Fitbit’s tools and apps on over 200 Android, iOS and Windows mobile devices and computers.

The battery life for the Alta is up to 5 days for a singe charge.

Fitbit Alta is available for $199.95 for presale today at Fitbit.com, and will be available in major Australian retailers including Harvey Norman, JB Hi-Fi, Officeworks and Rebel Sport from March 2016.

Launch accessories include classic fitness bands available in black, blue, teal and plum for $49.95 and luxe soft, premium hide leather bands available in graphite and blush pink for $99.95.

The camel leather band ($99.95) and hand-polished stainless steel silver bangle ($169.95) are coming soon, with a shiny gold bangle to be available later in 2016.

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Scientists In Germany Take A Major Step Towards Nuclear Fusion

Physicists in Germany have used an experimental nuclear fusion device to produce hydrogen plasma in a process similar to what happens on the Sun. The test marks an important milestone on the road towards this super-futuristic source of cheap and clean nuclear energy.

Earlier today in an event attended by German Chancellor Angela Merkel (herself a PhD physicist), researchers from the Max Planck Institute in Greifswald turned on the Wendelstein 7-X stellarator, an experimental nuclear fusion reactor. (Actually, the researchers let Merkel do the honours). This €400 million ($616 million) stellarator is being used by physicists to test the technical viability of a future fusion reactor.

Unlike nuclear fission in which the nucleus of an atom is split into smaller parts, nuclear fusion creates a single heavy nucleus from two lighter nuclei. The resulting change in mass produces a massive amount of energy that physicists believe can be harnessed into a viable source of clean energy.

It will likely be decades (if not longer) before true nuclear fusion energy is available, but advocates of the technology say it could replace fossil fuels and conventional nuclear fission reactors. Unlike conventional fission reactors, which produce large amounts of radioactive waste, the by-products from nuclear fusion are deemed safe.

Via Max-Planck-Institut für Plasmaphysik, Tino Schulz – Public Relations Department, Max-Planck-Institut.

Back in December, the same team of researchers fired up the doughnut-shaped device for the first time, heating a tiny amount of helium. During today’s experiment, a 2-megawatt pulse of microwave was used to heat the hydrogen gas and convert it into an extremely low density hydrogen plasma. “With a temperature of 80 million degrees and a lifetime of a quarter of a second, the device’s first hydrogen plasma has completely lived up to our expectations,” said physicist Hans-Stephan Bosch in a press statement.

W7-X isn’t expected to produce any energy, but it will be used to test many of the extreme conditions that future devices will be subjected to in order to generate power. Temperatures within the device could conceivably reach 180 million degrees F (100 million degrees C).

As noted by John Jelonnek, a physicist at Germany’s Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in a Guardian article, “It’s a very clean source of power, the cleanest you could possibly wish for. We’re not doing this for us but for our children and grandchildren.”

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A New Light-Based Transistor Could Completely Change The Way Chips Work

Transistors are everywhere — in your computer, car, phone and refrigerator — but they’re not shrinking fast enough to satisfy our hunger for ever-faster devices. A new kind of light-based transistor might just fix that.

At its most straightforward, a transistor — or field effect transistor, to give the microscopic device found in all your electronics its proper name — is just a tiny switch. It has three terminals: a source, a drain, and a gate. By varying the voltage (or the field, as you may’ve guessed) at the gate, it’s possible to control the current that flows from the source to the drain. Simple. Throw enough together, and you can create complex circuits to carry out logical operations — like a computer chip.

But making these transistors smaller is tough. They already measure just nanometres in size, made of ultra-thin layers of silicon that is scattered — the technical term is doped — with other atoms to imbue them with their switching abilities. But as they’re made smaller, it’s harder to control how the atoms are added, and that can result in an unpredictable switch. Which is bad when you want something to work reliably.

Now though, as Technology Review reports, a team of researchers from the University of North Carolina in Charlotte has developed a new kind of transistor that controls the current that flows through it not using an applied voltage but with light instead. Think of it as a smart microscopic wire: When it’s illuminated it allows electrons to flow, when it’s dark nothing passes through. While that alone may not sound too useful, the team points out that the devices can be made smaller than field effect transistors because they don’t require doping in the same way. In turn, that should allow more to be squeezed into the same space, allowing speeds to increase in a a way that satisfies our thirst.

A schematic of a field effect transistor on the left, and the new light-based transistor on the right.

The science behind the transistor itself is pretty simple. Materials have been known to be photoconductive — that is, conduct more or less electricity depending on their illumination — for a while now. What the team has done is create a device which uses a ribbon of such a material — in this case cadmium and selenium — that’s just a couple of atoms thick. In tests where the illumination was controlled using laser beams, the team has found that they conduct around a million times more current when on than off, which is broadly comparable to regular transistors. The research is published on arXiv.

That all sounds to good to be true — and for now it is, because there are some major hurdles to overcome before light-based transistors can be used in anger. There are decades of engineering work applied to building large grids of conventional transistors and the electronic networks required to switch them. Swapping to a light-based control system is relatively unexplored, with plenty of questions: How do you send light to each transistor? How much power will that use? How fast can the switches be flicked on and off?

There might not be many answers right now, but we sure look forward to hearing about them in the future.

[MIKA27]

Lab-Grown Coral Is The Latest Hail Mary Plan To Save Earth's Reefs

Earth’s coral reefs are dying so quickly that some scientists say they will be gone by mid-century. But now, there’s a desperate attempt afoot to save these incredible organisms from extinction: in vitro fertilisation.

After years of captive breeding, scientists are now reporting that lab-grown corals have reproduced in the wild for the first time. Specimens of Elkhorn — a highly endangered reef-building species that once blanketed vast swaths of the Caribbean seafloor — were reared from gametes collected in the wild, fertilised in vitro, and planted back out in the ocean. They have now reached sexual maturity.

For marine conservation biologists, this is a major achievement. But it’s a far cry from what’s needed to save coral reef ecosystems, which support a quarter of all marine species.

In 2010, researchers at SECORE international and several aquariums teamed up to develop techniques aimed at rearing large numbers of Elkhorn embryos in captivity. Unlike earlier “coral gardening” efforts, in which fragments of adult coral are collected, spawned asexually in nurseries and then returned to their reef, the focus of SECORE’s effort has been on producing new genetic varieties of coral via sexual reproduction.

“SECORE developed a technique whereby male and female gametes are caught in the wild and fertilised in the laboratory to raise larger numbers of genetically unique corals,” SECORE director Dirk Petersen said in a statement. That genetic diversity is critical to weathering new environmental challenges.

Elkhorn corals spawning by releasing gametes into the ocean at night.

But injecting diversity into a reef is slow, tricky business. In the wild, Elkhorn corals only reproduce once a year, following the full moon in August. During the past several breeding cycles, SECORE biologists have set out nets to gently collect sperm and eggs as they’re released. The gametes are then brought to a lab and mixed in vitro to produce embryos. After a short period in a nursery, these embryos are settled out into a reef. Four years later, they’re ready to reproduce again.

While the team’s success is encouraging, SECORE is cognisant that lab-grown coral aren’t going to be performing any miracles. In the Caribbean, coral populations have declined an estimated 80 per cent over the past four decades.

“Our techniques can only support natural recovery, which means that conditions have to be appropriate to allow long term survival of outplanted corals,” Petersen said.

Unfortunately, conditions in the marine tropics are becoming less and less coral-friendly with each passing year. Massive coral bleachings, brought on by too-warm ocean waters, are now a regular event. As acid builds up in the world’s oceans, it’s becoming harder for corals to secrete and maintain their calcium carbonate exoskeletons. And many corals are extremely sensitive to pollution. As we reported last year, oxybenzone, a compound found in nearly ever major brand of sunscreen, poisons corals about a dozen different ways.

Lab-grown coral is a triumph for science. But we’re going to need to do much, much more, if we want to keep the oceans liveable over the long-run.

[MIKA27]

Mumbai's Garbage Fire Is So Huge You Can See It From Space

Here is a trash fire. This new image posted by the NASA Earth Observatory shows the devastating smoke cloud coming off the Deonar dumping ground in Mumbai, India. According to the report, the landfill handles 3700 metric tonnes of waste ever day, accounting for about a third of the city’s garbage.

NASA sensors first detected signs of the fire last week. The above true colour image was captured by the Landsat 8. Though it’s hard to see from space, some of the trash piles are a startling nine storeys high. Here’s a more zoomed out image, which makes what is a horrible urban ecological disaster look beautiful.

There’s no word on what started the fire, but as NASA notes, there are some reports that it might have been done on purpose.

[MIKA27]

A LOOK AT THE VIOLENT & TERRIFYING GANGS OF EL SALVADOR

You may not have heard of them but Mara Salvatrucha (aka MS-13) are easily one of the largest and most fear criminal gangs in the world. Spread across continental US, El Salvador, Honduras & Guatemala their membership has swollen to well over 50,000 members.

They first rose to prominence in the US in the Los Angeles area and have since expanded right across the US. Today local police regularly deport immigrant Salvadoran gang members back to El Salvador - a case of shifting the problem from one area to another. It doesn't just stop with MS-13 either, their arch rivals 'Calle 18' are also embroiled in drug trafficking, violent crime and murders. Together both gangs constantly fight over turf and distribution areas.

Here's several confronting images of gang members in penitentiaries, (much like their Russian counterparts) their tattoos signify their alliance to particular groups, factions and cliques within the criminal community - a brotherhood of those for whom the law does not apply.

[MIKA27]

Someone (Mostly) 3-D Printed a Working Semi-Automatic Gun

FOR THE LAST three years, the evolution of firearms has been playing out all over again in plastic form: Deadly,working guns that anyone can generate with a download and a few clicks on a 3-D printer have mutated from mere individual components to a single shot pistol to a reusable rifle. Now the 3-D printed gun community is approaching the next controversial milestone in that progression of printable ordnance: a semi-automatic weapon.

Last weekend a 47-year-old West Virginia carpenter who goes by the pseudonym Derwood released the first video of what he calls the Shuty-MP1, a “mostly” 3-D printed semi-automatic firearm. Like any semi-automatic weapon, Derwood’s creation can fire an actual magazine of ammunition—in this case 9mm rounds—ejecting spent casings one by one and loading a new round into its chamber with every trigger pull. But unlike the typical steel semi-automatic rifle, Derwood says close to “95 percent” of his creation is 3-D printed in cheap PLA plastic, from its bolt to the magazine to the upper and lower receivers that make up the gun’s body. “No one had ever tried to get a semi-automatic 3-D printed gun working before…I’m just one of those types, I like to find new things that people say can’t be done,” he says. “It’s simple, but it works. The gun shoots great.”

Here’s a video of Derwood test-firing the gun:

But unlike other 3-D printed weapons that have spooked gun control advocates and raised thorny First and Second Amendment questions, the Shuty-MP1 is far from a fully printed firearm. Derwood’s “95 percent printed” description may apply to the overall material that makes up the gun. But unlike some other 3-D printed guns, he didn’t attempt to build the most complex moving parts or stress-absorbing elements from plastic; its store-bought Glock barrel, hammer, firing pin, bolts, and springs are all metal.

Despite those metal shortcuts, the Shuty’s semi-automatic features represent another incremental step in the improvement of homemade weapons manufactured with digital DIY tools. And by making the weapon at home, Derwood successfully circumvented all gun control laws. Since the metal parts he purchased aren’t subject to any regulation, he legally created a weapon that carries no serial number and didn’t at any point require a background check or even ID.

The Shuty-MP1 isn’t actually the first 3-D printed semi-automatic weapon, or even the the first “mostly 3-D printed” one. Derwood says he believes he created that first-of-its-kind firearm himself last year with an earlier version of his Shuty invention. The latest version only streamlines that earlier weapon’s design to bring it closer to the shape and size of a traditional gun, to avoid a welding step that was necessary in the older version, and to improve its reliability.

Here’s a video the components of the Shuty-MP1 being assembled into a working firearm:

Derwood says he was first introduced to 3-D printed firearms through a group of digital DIY gunsmiths known as FOSSCad, which has been collectively honing and sharing printable weapon designs for years. But Derwood says he won’t be publishing the CAD files he used to make the Shuty-MP1; he says he built the weapon merely as an engineering challenge, not to undermine gun control laws as more political 3-D printing-focused gunsmiths like Defense Distributed have sought to do. “Some people like to build things for themselves,” he says. “It’s an off-the-grid type of attitude.”

Despite his videos showing the Shuty-MP1’s construction, Derwood says he’s not worried it could be used by criminals looking for an untraceable and unregulated weapon. After about 18 shots, he says, the plastic around the gun’s barrel begins to melt and deform unless it’s allowed to cool. “If you keep shooting, it’s going to fail,” he says. “That makes it not such a desired weapon for a criminal.”

Then again, Derwood says he’s working on a version printed in nylon instead, which he believes would increase the weapon’s tolerance for stress and heat. The march of gun-printing progress continues.

[MIKA27]

SOG MACV MULTI-TOOL

SOG just announced a brand new multi-tool, the MacV, and it has an insane amount of utility fit into a small package. Made out of super durable 3Cr13 stainless steel, this one pieced tool is both designed to last, and to pay homage to the Vietnam era special operations unit the company and tool is named after.

The hard-cased black tool has a 1/4″, 5/16″, and 3/8″ nut driver, a line cutter, both a small and large flat-head screwdrivers, a philips-head screwdriver, a pry bar, a 1/4″ hex bit driver, blade sharpener, a lanyard whole, and – of course – a bottle opener. This tool complies with TSA regulations, making it so you can take this thing with you wherever you may need it. Whether it’s tightening screws, sharpening knives in a pinch, or just opening a beer, this tool is up for the task. You can pick up the MacV for $13. [Purchase]

[MIKA27]

Grovemade Entryway Collection

The last time I posted about Grovemade, I focused on them branching out from EDC accessories into the world of desk accessories.

Once again, Grovemade has expanded their line of beautiful goods handcrafted from quality materials to now include an entire Entryway Collection that will elevate your place from cool and hip to worthy of a magazine photoshoot. The Entryway Collection includes a: Catch-All, Mirror, Wall Planter and Wall Hooks that have each been created from varying combinations of domestic hardwoods, laser-cut aluminum, veg-tanned leather, German wool and porcelain. Finishes vary based on which piece you’re interested in, but we’re willing to bet that there’s at least one piece from this gorgeous collection that you’re going to want to hang within ten feet of your door at home or the office. [Purchase]

[MIKA27]

Adidas Hamburg Tech

Adidas have released the Adidas Hamburg Tech, a remake of the ´80s "City Series” with an updated technical design. Inspired by traditional football models, the new version of the famed Hamburg silhouette features durable cordura nylon and suede uppers, leather accents and translucent rubber outsole. Signature nuback leather 3-stripe branding completes the look. Available in two color combinations.

[MIKA27]

Soundjump

The Soundjump by MAQE, is a beautifully designed wireless speaker with premium sound and long lasting power. The sleek aluminium device also doubles as a powerbank, thanks to its 6000mAh magnetic replaceable battery that will power the speaker for 20hrs or fully recharge your smartphone 2-3 times. Additional battery units are available for when you need some extra long playtime. The Soundjump also features dual custom 45mm full range drivers, dual front & back passive radiators, DSP, a Class-D amplifier, plus a built-in mic & speakerphone. Available in black or grey.

[MIKA27]

SOVRN Drifter HD Pack

SOVRN Republic have introduced an upgraded version of their popular 30L Drifter model. The 32L SOVRN Drifter HD keeps the same good looks of the original convertible duffle/backpack, but now has several new features including a detachable rain shield, chest/waist straps, lockable zipper pullers & a laptop compartment (up to 17"). The rugged bag features multiple PVC grab handles and an extra heavy duty zipper system that is built to last.