Monthly Archives: February 2016

Apps to help you become more sustainable

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Do you want to safeguard the planet so your children can breathe fresh air, drink clean water, enjoy a pleasant morning with moderate sun and cool breeze? Do you want them to paint the same happy pictures of rainbows and butterflies; mountains and rivers? You should take the first step to lead a more sustainable life. I agree it’s very hard in a world full of booby traps and convenient unsustainable alternatives, but fear not, sustainability apps are here as your knight in shining armor. Here is a list of four apps that support sustainable lifestyle:

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Inspiration & Motivation in new tab of your browser

Reading Time: 4 minutes

For many of us, the browser has already become the main working tool, and it has its advantages and disadvantages. We can work on any computer from anywhere, but we have to fight with a lot of distractions. So this article will tell you how to counter them (I mean distractions) without losing motivation and inspiration, with extensions for Google Chrome.

  • Momentum

momentum extension

Momentum refers to you by name and makes a new tab in a beautiful start screen with useful information such as weather and time, flavored motivating quote. From here there is an additional list, search and quick links that can be configured to access the necessary resources (just do not add to Facebook).

Momentum Extension

 

 

 

 

  • Motivation

chrome-motivation-procrastinateThis extension will ask your date of birth and turn the browser into the unforgiving timer showing your age in years up to 0.000000001. When looking at a flying time lost all desire to wast
e it!

Motivation

 

 

 

 

 

  • Mortality

Mortality Chrome ExtensionAnother strong expansion that’s great motivation for action. As Motivation, Mortality shows the timer counting your years with millisecond precision, and even displays the living and the remaining time (based on the average life expectancy of 80 years). Each circle is equal to the month of life. Mortality

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • Dayboard

unnamedThis extension will replace your calendar, day planner with important tasks. Being accepted for the job, you add to the list of five cases scheduled for today, and see them every time you open a new tab. What can bring a greater sense of satisfaction than a tick, standing next to the task execution?

Dayboard

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • Be Limitless

AAEAAQAAAAAAAAKcAAAAJDE4NTQwYTdiLWQxMGMtNGEzZC1hYWI3LTJjYWJmOTE2MWNkZQBe Limitless also invites us to set goals: the first – for a day, the second – the long-term. But this expansion does not stop and analyze how much time you spend on various sites, palming you these statistics when you open the tab. In addition, there are more and quick notes.

Be Limitless

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • Random Quote

a-random-quote-visible-in-new-tab-of-Google-ChromeIf you prefer using motivating quotes, then you’ll love Random Quote. Extension shows you a beautiful quote famous people, furnished in a minimalist style. However, in English, but this fact also can be used as motivation for language learning.

Random Quote

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • Dream Afar

2015-04-30-dream-afarDream Afar is not motivates it’s inspires, which is also important. Every time you open a new tab, you will enjoy the scenery of one of the most beautiful corners of our planet, and perhaps even work harder to save up for a new journey. In addition to a beautiful picture on the screen and there was a place to find, watch, weather, history, bookmarks and applications.

Dream Afar

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • Google Art Project

17594137555_0590480ce5_cArtworks inspired by no less spectacular scenery. Thanks to Google and various galleries joint project around the world, you have the opportunity to admire paintings by famous artists in new tabs. For cases where you do not want to admire, there is a button with a list of frequently visited sites to quickly jump to the right.

Google Art Project

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • Delight

unnamed-2Pictures talented photographers – it’s great, but the video looks much more spectacular, agree. With Delight your surfing will begin with a fascinating taymlapsa some beautiful places. If you need the weather, bookmarks or apps – they are also close at hand.

Delight

 

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Take a virtual walk through the Kozminski Univerity corridors

Reading Time: < 1 minute

Google provides a virtual walk through the Kozminski University. Now everyone can easily walk virtually at our university. It is also a very interesting idea for people who would like to study at Kozminski Uni.

CLICK HERE

 

Exchange traders use computer games as a private communication channel for insider trading

Reading Time: 2 minutes

November 28 FBI Special Agent David Chavez gave a presentation at the event New York Hedge Fund Round Table.

According to Chavez, in 2009 the US government began to actively combat illegal trade insider information in the hedge fund industry (investment funds oriented to guaranteed return). During this time it produced a lot of arrests and the charges against hedge fund managers and stock traders.

console-games

Particular attention is paid to communication channels Chavez, who used the workers in this industry for data transfer. For example, traders buy cheap mobile phones with prepaid tariffs, getting rid of the device after every illegal contact. In addition, in the course were incomprehensible to outsiders posts on social networks, serves as a signal of when to buy or sell securities.

But the most creative way, according to Chavez, was the use of computer games.

A brilliant solution in this case turned out to be things like the Xbox and PlayStation.

With their help, you can connect to the network, find the right person in any Call of Duty, and then conduct a private conversation with him, and – guess what – to transfer him to non-public information.

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Over the past few months, this is not the first time that the media are discussing the possibility of using games consoles as the private channels of communication in the conduct of illegal activities. In mid-September, widespread news that communication in the preparation of terrorist attacks in Paris could occur through the applications on gaming consoles.

Then Interior Minister of Belgium acknowledged that for PlayStation 4:

Follow more complex than WhatsApp

Later it turned out that in the case of Paris consoles have not been applied, but such cases is still unknown. For example, in May 2015 a resident of Australia, was sentenced to two years in prison for downloading on the console instructions for building bombs and communicate with its members via LIH

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“Not a Dream” of Tesla

Reading Time: < 1 minute

Videomakers Freise Brothers filmed the commercial for Tesla in the imaginary world of the future, independent of the fuel is in short supply. Electric car looks stranger in it, but the local take it surprisingly easy, refusing fuel to power electricity.

Voiceover (Jonathan David Dixon) read out some of the sayings of Nikola Tesla on the benefits of electricity.

It is not known whether the company itself ordered the video clip from Freise Brothers, but his twitter Tesla Motors share it with the caption, “We can not accept.”

 

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MAVEN – GM’s (DRIVERLESS) CAR-SHARING PROGRAM

Reading Time: 5 minutes

MAVEN, GM’s CAR-SHARING SCHEME, IS REALLY ABOUT A DRIVERLESS FUTURE

(autonomous vehicles – part 4)

#AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES, #GENERAL MOTORS, #LYFT, #RIDE SHARING, #UBER

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Picture:URL:http://www.wired.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/GM_Spark_STORY-ART1.jpg or URL:http://www.wired.com/2016/01/maven-gms-car-sharing-scheme-is-really-about-a-driverless-future/

 

Article: (from WIRED – http://www.wired.com/category/transportation/)

  • “Maven, GM’s Car-Sharing Scheme, Is Really About a Driverless Future”

Author: Alex Davies; Date of Publication: January 21, 2016

URL:http://www.wired.com/2016/01/maven-gms-car-sharing-scheme-is-really-about-a-driverless-future/

 

General Motors is launching a car-sharing program. It is called Maven, and it is to be accessible in exactly one city. What is more, nevertheless the fact that the concept is similar to the approach implemented by ZipCar, a car sharing company, it has to be stressed that GM does not actually want to be perceived as a contender. It is possible to conclude that General Motors – within this project – is concentrating solely on the future. However, it is also crucial to emphasize that the Detroit automaker has presented even more ambitious projects this month. The company introduced the Chevy Bolt, the first mass-market electric car. Moreover, it acquired the remains of Sidecar, the defunct Uber competitor, to dismantle it for parts. Furthermore, what was also presented in a separate post, the company is cooperating with Mobileye to develop maps for robo-cars. What is more, it is crucial to emphasize that GM is also working with Lyft with an aim of building a network of driverless vehicles. Due to the fact that Maven is available only in Ann Arbor, Michigan, it is likely to consider this project as a strange step. However, it has to be also emphasized that GM intends to deploy the Maven service within other cities soon – and it will not offer the convenience of Uber or Lyft. “Oh sure, there’s money to be made in car-sharing, as ZipCar and others have shown. But it’s small potatoes for a company like GM. It isn’t until you take the long view that this move makes sense,” Davies stresses. It is possible to conclude that Maven can be the base for the self-driving car network General Motors wants to create. It has to be stressed that the typical “owner-driver” concept that has been the most essential part of the auto industry for a century will not be vanishing anytime soon, however, the industry is in the middle of fundamental, revolutionary transition. What is necessary to stress is the information that GM claims some 5 million people worldwide use vehicle sharing services like Uber, and that number is anticipated to reach 25 million by 2020. Furthermore, it is necessary to emphasize that the emerging car sharing industry will be entirely remade by autonomous vehicles, and GM is trying to position itself for that change now. “We feel that we are very well-positioned as a company to be at the very forefront of this change in ownership model, change in mobility, particularly in the urban environment,” says GM President Dan Ammann. Moreover, it is possible to conclude that Maven can be characterized as a key to how GM is addressing that shift. It is important to emphasize that, in the beginning, the service is to be accessible to students and faculty at the University of Michigan’s Ann Arbor school grounds. Moreover, while concentrating on the number of available Maven vehicles, it has to be stressed that Chevrolet vehicles – Volts, Sparks, Malibus, and Tahoes – will fill 21 parking spots. It is also necessary to stress that users will have the opportunity to reserve cars via the Maven app, as well as use their phones to unlock and start the vehicles. What is more, the cars will support Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, what will allow users to carry their digital lives with them into whatever car they rent. “It’s a truly personalized experience. You can take your life with you,” says Julia Steyn, GM’s head of urban mobility programs. It has to be stressed that the program is complimentary and charges as little as $6 an hour to use a car, which includes insurance and gas. Furthermore, what is also crucial to emphasize is the information that GM is not the only automobile manufacturer exploring the new business models. It has to be stressed that Ford, among other undertakings, is testing peer-to-peer car sharing for its employees, and moreover, it will soon let up to six people jointly lease its cars. What is more, BMW conducted a vehicle sharing program in the Bay Area until November of last year, and Daimler’s Car2Go service works in many cities throughout the US and Europe. Finally, in November, Audi deployed a premium car sharing service in San Francisco and Miami. It is necessary to emphasize that – in the next few months – GM aims to extend Maven to other municipalities. Furthermore, its actual mobility programs, including car sharing services in New York City and Germany, will be enclosed into the new program. It is possible to conclude that Maven will offer services adjusted to users in cities, on campuses, and residences like co-ops. “We see it as a real commercial opportunity,” Ammann says. It is necessary to conclude that it is possible to distinguish many opportunities concerning the expansion of this new program: geographically, with more cars, with more types of cars, by trying new pricing schemes, and by bringing in new customers. However, for the moment, all that is distinct from GM’s autonomous vehicle research and its partnership with Lyft. GM wants to launch a ride-hailing network using driverless vehicles. It has to be emphasized that Maven can be the groundwork for that type of service, with ready-made groups of users, accurately organized by geography as well as by how they like to travel, already using a GM service. “We’re putting in place all the building blocks,” Ammann says. “This is all part of a very comprehensive approach.

In my opinion, it is crucial to emphasize that due to the autonomous vehicles’ development processes, the automotive industry – and thus its most essential part; the classic “owner-driver” model – is in the middle of fundamental, revolutionary transition. Moreover, it is necessary to stress that according to the General Motors Company nearly 5 million people worldwide use vehicle sharing services like Uber, and that number is anticipated to reach 25 million by 2020. Furthermore, it is necessary to stress that even though the car sharing programs are estimated to serve more than 20 million of people globally by 2020, this emerging car sharing industry will be also entirely remade with the introduction of autonomous vehicles. It is possible to conclude that, due to the current GM’s strategy toward Maven car sharing platform – therefore obtaining ready-made groups of users, accurately organized by geography as well as by how they like to travel, already using a GM service –, this service can be a perfect base for autonomous car sharing network. All things considered, I believe that the project of driverless car sharing services will have a significant impact on the broadly defined issue of travelling. In my opinion, autonomous car sharing companies will also have in their offers the opportunity to use their cars in a similar manner to bus services (specific routes and stops – in order to use while going to work or shopping), and moreover, the system will be basing on an Internet platform, where people will basically buy their “tickets”. However, while focusing solely on the advantages of autonomous vehicles, it will be possible to purchase or rent and plan even the longest journeys, not thinking about sitting in the “driver’s seat”.

Nevertheless, it is important to take into consideration the fact that some of benefits provided by autonomous vehicles may be limited by specific driverless cars’ regulations.

MZ

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GENERAL MOTORS AND CAMERAS ON CUSTOMER CARS

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GM IS USING CAMERAS ON CUSTOMER CARS TO BUILD SELF-DRIVING CAR MAPS

(autonomous vehicles – part 3)

#AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES, #GENERAL MOTORS

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Picture:URL:http://www.wired.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/GM_Mobileye_R5_8.10-094.jpg or URL:http://www.wired.com/2016/01/gms-building-self-driving-car-maps-with-cameras-on-customer-cars/

 

Article: (from WIRED – http://www.wired.com/category/transportation/)

  • “GM’s Using Cameras on Customer Cars to Build Self-Driving Car Maps

Author: Alex Davies; Date of Publication: January 5, 2016

URL:http://www.wired.com/2016/01/gms-building-self-driving-car-maps-with-cameras-on-customer-cars/

 

General Motors is planning to use cameras on customer cars in order to create as well as develop the maps that will help self-driving cars navigate. What is crucial to stress is the information that the American automobile manufacturer is analyzing – scrutinizing – new technology from Mobileye, an Israeli provider of visual processing chips and software. It has to be emphasized that the technology invented and supplied by the Mobileye Company is able to identify vehicles, pedestrians, and other obstacles, as well as road markings, signs, and traffic lights. Furthermore, it is necessary to stress that the Mobileye technology powers favorite features like lane departure warnings, and is introduced into hundreds of thousands of GM cars. What is also important to emphasize is the fact that GM’s concept bases on pulling that camera data – exploiting its OnStar system – from client vehicles to design exceptionally accurate, constantly updated road maps. Moreover, it is crucial to stress that those maps would allow a driverless car to know its position within about 10 centimeters. It has to be emphasized that it is a great advantage over contemporary GPS systems, which estimate location counting the margins of error in meters – “Good enough for knowing what street you’re on, but not for navigating a robo-car through traffic,” Davies stresses. It is possible to conclude that mapping processes compose an increasingly critical, valuable part of the pursuit towards the automotive autonomy. The more data regarding specific area a vehicle receives, the more it can concentrate its sensors and computing power on temporary obstacles like cars, pedestrians, and cyclists. “Creating and updating maps using on-board camera technology supplies the missing link between on-board sensing and the requirement for full redundancy to enable safe autonomous driving,” says Amnon Shashua, Mobileye’s co-founder and CTO. Furthermore, Alex Davies concludes: “That’s why the consortium of BMW, Audi, and Mercedes recently bought Nokia’s mapping arm, HERE, for $3.1 billion. It’s why TomTom is still relevant. It’s why Google has a fleet of cars loaded with sensors scoping out all the roads its autonomous cars will later traverse.” It has to be emphasized that as the maps General Motors aims to create will depend on visual data, they are unlikely to be as comprehensive as well as precise as those that HERE, TomTom, and Google are developing – as those which are based principally on LIDAR data. Nevertheless, it is possible to conclude that GM possesses an instantaneous advantage by using technology that goes into its cars anyway – scale. “GM is committed to bringing semi-autonomous and fully autonomous vehicles to our customers, and this technology will be a critical enabler to getting us there,” says Mark Reuss, GM’s head of product. What is crucial to stress here is the fact that, currently, GM is testing the technology on five cars; the second phase would extend that up to 30. If that testing goes well, a company representative stresses: “this could move quickly,” concluding that the company could deploy the technology into its new vehicles later this year.

I would like to stress that even though the constantly updated maps General Motors aims to develop will depend on visual data and they are unlikely to be as precise as those which are based principally on LIDAR data, GM, while pulling the camera data, will base on its OnStar service (a personal onboard assistant) therefore it will possess an instantaneous advantage by exploiting technology that can be activated within its cars anyway. All things considered, it is necessary to emphasize that the mapping processes compose an increasingly critical, valuable part of the pursuit towards automotive autonomy.

MZ

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AUTONOMOUS RACING CARS – SAFER ROADS FOR EVERYONE

Reading Time: 6 minutes

RACING SELF-DRIVING CARS WILL MAKE ROADS SAFER FOR EVERYONE

(autonomous vehicles – part 2)

#AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES, #MOTORSPORTS

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Picture:URL:http://www.wired.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/G7C5023.jpg or URL:http://www.wired.com/2015/12/roborace-autonomous-vehicle-racing/

 

Articles:

  • “Racing Self-Driving Cars Will Make Roads Safer for Everyone”

Author: Alex Davies; Date of Publication: December 2, 2015

URL:http://www.wired.com/2015/12/roborace-autonomous-vehicle-racing/ 

  • “Formula E & Kinetik Announce Driverless Support Series”

Author: Formula E; Date of Publication: November 27, 2015

URL:http://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2015/november/formula-e-kinetik-announce-roborace-a-global-driverless-championship.aspx

 

In motorsports, Formula One has long been recognized as the Queen, as the sport where the most advanced, sophisticated technology is rapidly as well as viciously developed, but also brutally tested. However, it is necessary to stress that this perception is agreed to shift with a racing series aiming to definitely eliminate the most obsolete, but still the most important component of an F1 car – the driver. Formula E, the all-electric racing series currently in its second season, is launching “Roborace,” an international motorsports series destined specifically for autonomous vehicles. According to Alex Davies, the author of article “Racing Self-Driving Cars Will Make Roads Safer For Everyone”, this unique championship will provide a competitive platform for the autonomous driving solutions that are now being developed by many large industrial automotive and technology players as well as top tech universities. It is possible to conclude that the Roborace Series, initiated in partnership with automaker Kinetik, encourages as well as indicates to be more than an absolutely magnificent demonstration of what the technology is able do when humans get out of the way. Furthermore, it has to be emphasized that developing autonomous racing vehicles (still “single-seaters”?) that race each another around difficult, sophisticated circuits at nearly 200 mph could provide essential information concerning how such technology could be deployed, implemented in our everyday lifes. What is more, it is necessary to stress that Roborace Series are to form part of the support package of the FIA Formula E Championship, with the first race expected to take place during the 2016-2017 season. Moreover, what has to be emphasized is the fact that Roborace is planned to race prior to each Formula E race, using the same circuits in major cities across the world. Ten teams – including a “crowd-sourced community team,” open for passionate software and technology specialists throughout the world –, and moreover, each with two driverless cars, will face one-hour races over the full championship season. It also crucial to stress that nevertheless the fact that all the teams will have the same cars, they are to contend using real-time computing algorithms and AI technologies. The cars will be electric, however, it has to be emphasized that the event organizers admit they will be nearly as fast as the single-seaters competing in Formula One. Moreover, nevertheless the fact that Denis Sverdlov, CEO of Kinetik Company, promises “really crazy speeds” up to 186 mph, specific limits almost certainly will be imposed for racing. What has to be also stressed is the information that the cars may look completely different from the current, traditional race cars, as there is no need for a human inside. It is possible to conclude that the mission of Roborace is to determine that the future of automotive and information technology is already available and can even work in the most extreme conditions. Denis Sverdlov is of the following opinion: “We passionately believe that, in the future, all of the world’s vehicles will be assisted by AI and powered by electricity, thus improving the environment and road safety.” “It’s a global platform to show that robotic technologies and AI can co-exist with us in real life. Thus, anyone who is at the edge of this transformation now has a platform to show the advantages of their driverless solutions and this shall push the development of the technology.” Furthermore, “Roborace is an open challenge to the most innovative scientific and technology-focused companies in the world. It is very exciting to create a platform for them to showcase what they are capable of and I believe there is great potential for us to unearth the next big idea through the unique crowd-sourced contest,” emphasizes Alejandro Agag – CEO of Formula E.

However, what is even more exciting than the concept of robots racing is the issue of how training, teaching those vehicles to race may develop the systems destined for consumer vehicles. “There are certain problems you have to solve at these high speeds that could improve performance at low speeds,” says John Dolan, who studies autonomous technology at Carnegie Mellon’s Robotics Institute. What is crucial to emphasize here is the problem to reduce latency – the time it takes the computer to process the data coming from a sensor and transmit instructions to various systems. “At 180 mph, you’re gonna have to do that faster,” Dolan stresses. It is possible to conclude that reducing that time, which is mostly a software issue, in racing develops a more efficient as well as effective system in the automobiles we will have the opportunity to use. On the other hand, it is also necessary to stress that creating an “everyday” car that can handle racing dynamics may also have a significant impact on the broadly defined behavior of autonomous cars. It has to be emphasized that – two years ago – Audi’s self-driving RS7 lapped Germany’s Hockenheimring F1 track, hitting all 17 turns with precision and reaching maximum speed of 149 mph. What is more, Audi also decided to send an autonomous TTS racing up the 156-turn Pikes Peak mountain circuit in 2010, then around California’s Thunderhill Race Track in 2012. Furthermore, it is also crucial to present here the information that Stanford University researchers demonstrated an autonomous DeLorean they instructed to drift and do donuts. It is possible to conclude that both of the projects were focused on comprehending how driverless cars behave at the limit of traction and grip, and implementing that learnings to technology destined for consumers. Moreover, Alex Davies is of the opinion that by developing cars that can reach triple-digit speeds while racing on the very difficult street circuits of the Formula E calendar, the Roborace teams will inevitably be developing systems that can be deployed to consumer cars. However, it is crucial to stress that the Roborace vehicles will have to confront a challenge the Audi and Stanford cars did not have to deal with: competition. The Roborace cars will be racing, and the only way to come in first – if you do not start from the pole position and hold the lead – is to pass the car – the robot – ahead of you. It is important to emphasize that for a human, whether on the racetrack or a two-lane country road, passing is considered to be a problematic maneuver – it is necessary to pick the perfect moment, the right direction, the proper steering angle and degree of acceleration; all while balancing the risk of crashing with the reward of moving ahead. Finally, it is possible to conclude that the capability to make that kind of complex decision in near real time is key to safely handling all sorts of everyday driving situations.

I would like to emphasize that even though some of the most crucial details concerning the Roborace Project have already been presented, there is still no information regarding the potential participants. Nevertheless the fact that it is impossible to confirm that the most deeply involved in automotive autonomy concept companies (Ford, Google) will also concentrate on creating self-driving racing cars – developing “racing” algorithms and AI “racing” technologies –, I believe that the implementation of this great, unique racing series will have a significant impact on the autonomous driving solutions, technologies that are now being developed by many large industrial automotive and technology players – on the systems destined for consumer vehicles. I am convinced that developing autonomous racing vehicles that can race each another around difficult Formula E street circuits – at nearly 200 mph – will provide essential information concerning how such technology could be implemented in our daily lifes. What is crucial to emphasize here is the issue of reducing latency – the time it takes the computer to process the data coming from a sensor and transmit instructions to various systems. It is possible to conclude that reducing that time, which is mostly a software issue, in racing develops a more efficient as well as effective system in the automobiles we will have the opportunity to use. However, it is also crucial to stress that the Roborace vehicles will have to confront a challenge concerning overtaking other vehicles. In my opinion, the capability to perform that kind of difficult maneuver in near real time is key to safely handling all sorts of everyday driving situations. It is also important to remember about the idea of creating crowd-sourced community racing team. I would like to stress that this is a great idea since there are many independent talents in the world that might contribute to this initiative. All things considered, the Roborace teams will inevitably be developing systems that can be deployed to consumer cars.

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Picture:URL:http://www.wired.com/wpcontent/uploads/2015/12/JAGUAR_FORMULA_E_02-932×524.jpg or URL:http://www.wired.com/2015/12/jaguars-joining-formula-e-electric-racing-but-its-not-just-about-the-races/#slide-3

MZ

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