Monthly Archives: February 2020

Re-leaf. Ukrainian start-up of recycling fallen leaves.

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Are you interested in being eco-friendly and helping our planet to recover? If your answer is «yes», than that’s exactly a crucial post for you.

Not so much time ago, Ukrainian student, Valentyn Frechka found out how to recycle fallen leaves into paper. Since than he launched his own start-up «Re-leaf» and made Ukrainian government to think about it and realise an extensive production of eco-friendly paper.

The student tells: «One day you just walk and see leaves, see trees, from which paper is made of. Why couldn’t we do it from leaves? The do it just laying on the grass? There are a lot of leaves in towns, villages and they’re just burned.. I suggested to make paper from fallen leaves. That time I didn’t even realise how should I do this and will my idea be successful.»

His technology was checked through special equipment successfully and is ready to be implemented. 

Furthermore, his invention was evaluated with the highest grades during he olympiad in Tunis, where were representatives of more than 86 countries.

Scientists  say : «We proved the effectiveness of using leaves as a substitute to wood. We produced paper on special equipment, which showed that the paper is really qualitative»

On the received paper you can draw, write, print something on printer. Moreover, you can even make eco packages and bags from it. The only drawback is that this paper is easier to break.

Certain details are not discussed yet, but we will talk about the first worldwide line of recycling fallen leaves to paper very soon.

References:

https://hromadske.radio/news/2018/04/17/yunak-iz-zakarpattya-otrymav-dvi-zoloti-medali-za-vynaydenyy-papir-z-lystya

https://shotam.info/v-ukraini-pochnut-vyhotovliaty-eco-friendly-papir-z-opaloho-lystia/

https://shotam.info/ukrains-kyy-student-zdiysnyv-proryv-rozrobyvshy-tekhnolohiiu-ekopaperu-z-opaloho-lystia/

 

Nvidia introduced the “GeForce RTX 2077”

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So, Nvidia introduced the GeForce RTX 2080 Ti Cyberpunk 2077 Edition graphics card, created in conjunction with the CD Projekt RED. And she was immediately nicknamed the GeForce RTX 2077.

The adapter differs from the usual flagship Nvidia graphics card design. As well as the fact that only 200 units of such 3D cards will be issued, and they will not be sold.

Such a graphics card can only be won. Nvidia itself has already launched 77 adapters. When and how others will be played, is not yet specified.

Nvidia also notes that such video cards will be delivered in specially designed packages, which is quite expected. Whether the game itself will be included is also unclear.

REFERENCES

www.nvidia.com

 

China has created the most capacious electric bus in the world

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base article image

BYD, China’s largest electric vehicle manufacturer, has created the world’s largest passenger electric passenger bus.

This is reported by Business insider

Reliable iron-phosphate batteries provide 370 km of range and safety in the most extreme conditions.

The C10MS electric bus is unveiled at United Motorcoach Assocation in Nashville, Tennessee’s capital. The developer – a large Chinese company BYD – is ready to begin supplying the machine to the US market,

As for the C10MS, this is the most capacious passenger electric bus, which can be used both as urban public transport and for intercity travel. It is designed for 77 seats. There are two places for wheelchairs.

The bus is almost 14 meters long, 2.6 meters wide and 4 meters high. It has a speed of up to 100 km / h, and the charge is enough for 370 km. Turning radius less than 15 meters. As an energy source, iron-phosphate batteries are used, “safe in the most extreme conditions”, promise in BYD.

Earlier in the United States, for the first time in history, an autonomous unmanned truck transported goods by delivering goods from the Atlantic to the Pacific coast.

 

REFERENCES

https://www.businessinsider.com/

How to choose a reliable and functional Power Bank?

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Power Bank

Today, the popularity of external batteries is only increasing. Manufacturers of modern gadgets equip their products with high-power cameras and install a lot of useful applications in them.

As a result, battery depletion occurs at an accelerated rate. If it is not possible to use a power source, then the use of an external battery will be the only way out of the situation.

Criteria for choosing a portable charger

Reflecting which Power Bank to buy, one should compare the most important parameters of the models available in the assortment. As a rule, we are talking about the actual:

Capacities;

Size;

Current strength;

Case material;

Functionality.

Having studied the information provided by the manufacturer, it is very likely to get a decent model.

Capacity

The importance of this parameter is difficult to overestimate. However, its great importance does not yet indicate the quality of the battery. It is best to be guided by the following rule – the capacity of portable charging should be 2-3 times the capacity of the battery of the gadget. Buying a powerful device with increased dimensions is unlikely to be appropriate. Many unknown manufacturers indicate the values ​​of 20,000, 30,000 and even 50,000 mAh on the models they produce. The reliability of such information should be called into question.

The size

Considering the possibility of Power Bank to buy, you should think about the convenience of its further use and storage. The mass of a product with increased power can reach half a kilogram. Wearing it for a long time in the pocket of a jacket or trousers will not work, which means that you can not do without a backpack. The best option would be a device whose weight does not exceed 250 grams.

Charging current

It is this parameter that will determine the charging speed of the electronic device. Owners of smartphones should opt for a battery with a current value of 1 A. For tablet users, this value should be doubled (up to 1.5–2 A). When buying a charge, you need to study the contents of the specification. The current values ​​indicated on the Power Bank and the gadget should be identical. Manufacturers, as a rule, indicate this figure near the USB port.

Housing

Having decided to buy Power Bank, you need to make sure that it has sufficient mechanical strength. An excellent alternative to the product in a plastic case is the model in an aluminum shell. Combined models also exist on sale – in a metal case equipped with protective rubber pads.

Functionality

Additional characteristics include the number of ports, for example, 2 or even 3. The presence of several outputs will make using the device more comfortable. Surely the owner of the gadget will come in handy and an LED flashlight that allows you to instantly detect the location of the connector. A rather useful function is the digital indicator, which with high accuracy will inform about the residual charge.

After weighing all these factors, you can buy a high-quality Power Bank at a very reasonable cost.

 

REFERENCES

https://www.wikihow.com/Main-Page

Some patents to love Apple again

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Patenting is one of Apple’s proprietary chips. I would like to believe that in the near future, we will still see the technological solutions proposed below. In the meantime, it remains only to watch the alluring illustrations, which continue to remain only Apple’s patent baggage.

1. Magnetic cable for the headset

The idea of such a solution is simple and ingenious. The cord from the usual headset is equipped with a magnetic port (something like MagSafe). Click and you can listen to music. Need to urgently unplug your headphones? They pulled the cord and disconnected the magnetic port in a split second.

The company sees “hybrid headphones” as such: they can work for several hours in wireless mode, and after connecting to a magnetic port, they immediately turn into ordinary wired ones.

 

2. Smartphone with a rounded screen

This is the version of the iPhone that many users dream of. The highlight of the smartphone is a screen that is able to display much more useful information. Such a device will have no edges, and the display itself can occupy both the front and back of the case.

 

3. Headset noise cancellation system

To improve the noise reduction system, Apple offers a very interesting solution: headphones that determine the intensity with which you swing your head (for example, while running). Reading the sensor information, the built-in processor will adjust the quality and strength of the sound.

REFERENCES:
https://www.patentlyapple.com/
https://www.mobihealthnews.com/news/apples-2019-review-research-programs-health-records-patents-and-features

FBI VS APPLE: Data Encryption & Terrorism

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The conflict between US department of Justice and Apple has started in 2015, when Obama’s government asked the company for information belonging to terrorist from San Bernardino. Since then, FBI hasn’t made the same request for the world biggest company. Back then, it has ended in the court with an order obtaining Apple to break into the phone. Tim Cook defended the encryption of iPhones, by informing the world that actions like this would make a lack of security for IOS users. After this statement, FBI found an contractor which has broken the Apple’s encryption. The next software update was meant to prevent situations like this.

Everybody thought that the conflict is going to ease, but few days ago FBI made another request for information from two locked iPhones. They had belonged to Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani. He is accused of killing three people at a naval base in Florida. After the attack, Saudi Air Force student killed himself. There is only one statement from Apple which tells us that they will give “all the data in their possession”. Also they “will support them with available data”. FBI request is at early stage and there are no signs of intervention in the court, but it is told that the old conflict can escalate.

REFERENCES:

https://www.ft.com/content/e4d3637e-31a2-11ea-9703-eea0cae3f0de

Asseco losing contract worth 15mln Euro

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Polish IT company Asseco won competition to prepare electronic vignettes system for Czech Republic. Contract was worth 15mln euro. Unfortunately, Czech programmers didn’t accept decision of their government – they decided to spend the whole weekend coding. As a result, in two days over 60 developers created system that can be part of new e-vignettes system. They gave it to the government for free to show that politics are not allowed to waste public money and organize competition where only big companies can fullfill the conditions.

Due to these confusion, Minister of Transport Vladimir Kremlik lost his job. “Taxpayers’ funds cannot be disposed in this way” said Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babisz. New Minister of Transport said that he got familiar with system developed by programmers and it will be implemented to the whole system. Polish company ensures that all of their operations were legal. Five companies started in competition and they won. Asseco is not going to apply for punishment for Czech Republic, because they always care about good of their customers. Software created by Czech developers is not enough to run the whole system, so Asseco still can have hope for future projects with Czech government.

Znalezione obrazy dla zapytania: asseco

Resources: https://www.wirtualnemedia.pl/artykul/asseco-straci-kontrakt-za-15-mln-euro-czescy-programisci-za-darmo-przygotowali-platforme-do-e-winiet3

Carbon ceramic brake rotors

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In the car industry, there are two types of brake rotors – steel discs and ceramic ones. I’m going to guide you through the differences between those two types of the braking system.

Steel discs are used mostly in regular cars made for masses. Heavy, weak heat dissipation and they wear quickly. But they’re cheap, and that is what car manufacturers care about the most.

Image result for porsche brake caliper
Carbon-ceramic discs are used mostly in sports performance or racing cars. They give away the heat very quickly and heat up slowly. Brakes temperature is very important, because when brakes overheat then they lose their efficiency very drastically. Also, carbon brakes are very light, which transfers directly on the unsprung weight. In performance cars, it is very important for the tire to have constant contact with the road to increase the handling. Simple – more road contact equals better handling.

Image result for carbon ceramic brakes
But ceramic brakes have issues as well. They need a very high temperature to operate and they are extremely expensive. The first problem has been easily solved by programming cars computer to constantly clench the brakes in order to warm them up. Unfortunately, the second problem is inevitable due to the high price of resources which are needed to produce ceramic brakes.

Maybe someone is going to invent a cheaper alternative for ceramic brakes, but yet nothing seems like something is happening about that.

Is keeping files in cloud safe?

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Nowadays many people prefer to storage their private files in cloud, not locally.  It doesn’t require your device’s memory and it is considered to be very safe. But it turned out that Google Drive is not the best place to storage your files. Google has just admitted that random users were able to download some of others’ videos.  Their app was incorrectly exporting files to others users’ archives.

The case concerns the period between 21 and 25 November 2019. We don’t know why Google delayed information about data leakage for such a long time.

The problem was that users who were exporting their files with Google Takeout could find others’ videos in imported data. Company says that problem affects less than 0.01% of users, but Google’s services are so popular that 0.01% can be a large group.

This fail violates trust for cloud services, which were expected to succesfully replace keeping files in local memory. It shows that we can never be sure about our privacy and safety when we choose external services and trust big corporations. Unfortunately, Google did not say exactly which users had troubles with their privacy, instead of that they sent short information to every user, so we cannot be sure if anyone had seen our videos. This case doesn’t mean that we should avoid using clouds, but we must take to consideration that mistakes happen and most important data should be stored locally.

Resources:

https://www.spidersweb.pl/2020/02/google-photos-wideo-wpadka.htm**

LPG (liquified petroleum gas) in cars

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Converting fuel system in cars to LPG is very popular, especially in eastern Europe (Poland, Russia, Ukraine, Turkey etc.) This happens due to obvious reasons – money. Depending on the country and its taxes on petrol, LPG is in most cases even two times cheaper than conventional gas – petrol or diesel.

Image result for lpg w aucie
There are a lot of myths about LPG used in cars, and most of them claim that generally, this system is very unhealthy for a car’s engine. In fact, all those myths are false and all of them were born only because of the wrong installation of the LPG system in the car or of lack of knowledge about keeping the maintenance of this system. Also, the technology of LPG installation has changed drastically and nowadays, the 6th generation of this system is very advanced and has eliminated any issues of its predecessors.

It is known, that LPG as a substance is dryer and has a higher temperature during explosion than petrol and what most people think is that it leads to worse lubrication of the engine’s internals or to overheating of the powering unit. In fact, the lubrication problem has been solved by developing a new type of engine oil which has increased its lubricating functions and the temperature issue is easily solved by regulating the AFR (air-fuel ratio sucked in by the engine. Leaner fuel ratio means lower temperature and richer air ratio means higher temperature). The solution is easy, just increase the fuel ratio to decrease the AFR. There is one more myth, which claims that LPG is taking away power from engines, but this theory is just a leftover after ancient LPG installations which were functioning totally different than present units

So, summarizing. LPG has nearly no bad properties, it’s bad reputation generally comes from lack of knowledge or incorrect maintenance of the gas installation