Author Archives: Iga Zielińska

Is seaweed the new plastic?

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According to the UN each year the human race produces over 300 million tons of plastic and each day millions of pieces of plastic land in the ocean killing hundreds of millions of marine animals annually. As the problem keeps on growing many across the world try to find solutions. The big issue? How can we substitute plastic, especially single-use plastic bags, packages, and wrappings.


Many countries across the world have banned certain plastic items like straws or shopping bags and many companies start going more green in fear of public opinion. But there is still a long way to go. There are just too many products that need the plastic package. Or do they? A British company called Notpla is designing seaweed-based packaging, film wrap, and paper wrappers in hopes of fighting not only water pollution but also global warming. According to founders Rodrigo García González and Pierre Paslie seaweed is a perfect material. It grows quickly, doesn’t use land, doesn’t need pesticides, and has a positive effect on the ocean’s ecosystem. In addition to that, it sequesters carbon from the air and lowers the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The Notpla packaging is 100% edible and the company is even experimenting with adding flavoring to the seaweed. But even if you throw it away it will decompose within a few weeks and cause no harm to the marine animals.

So how does it work? The process is simple: powdered, dried seaweed is mixed with other, secret plant-based ingredients to form a thick, gel-like fluid that is later formed in a special machine and dries to become a plastic-like packaging.

With several initiatives like Notpla the world is starting to head in the right direction but we still have a lot of work to do. We all need to be more responsible and thoughtful when it comes to our planet, and take action.

Sources: businessinsider.com, generationsnouvelles.net, notpla.com

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WILL MUSK REVOLUTIONIZE THE SMARTPHONE INDUSTRY?

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For a few weeks now rumors and speculations keep emerging about a new Tesla phone called the Tesla Pi Phone or Tesla model Pi. Of course we won’t know anything until the official release but it looks like the Pi Phone could be a serious competition to Apple and Samsung. 

The device will be compatible with Starlink satellite internet therefore being able to connect to the web all over Earth and even on Mars. The data download speed is said to be as quick as 210 megabits per second. It will have one camera on the front hidden under the display and four lenses on the back capable of taking  great quality photos even in the dark and equipped with technology that enables the user to capture beautiful pictures of astronomical objects. Other features include a fingerprint scanner, a built in solar panel for wireless, eco friendly charging and a photochromic case that will change color in different lighting. Less probable rumors say the Pi Phone will mine the Marscoin cryptocurrency, be able to „drive” the Tesla vehicles and even be equipped with the Neuralink support technology. The phone will be designed by a former Apple designer Antonio De Rosa and made of highest quality materials therefore not breaking as easily as iPhones and Samsungs.

As I’ve said at the beginning, we don’t yet know how the Pi Phone will turn out looking and what features it will actually have. There are still many unknowns but one thing is clear – when Musk enters an industry the competition has to step up their game

Sources: geektech.me

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Spotify Wrapped – a fun excuse to look at how different apps collect and use our data

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As it has been in previous years, the beginning of December means millions of people tweeting and Instagramming their Spotify Wrapped. The #SpotifyWrapped is as usual going viral. Everyone wants to show their friends what they’ve been listening to and Spotify makes it fun and easy to do that. So everyone does. These are last week’s Google Trends (Spotify is in blue, red is covid 19 and yellow – Twitter)

Clearly, the Spotify Wrapped feature is bringing the world’s attention to the service and does for great fun and a cheap marketing campaign. But what no one seems to think about is “how do they get those information” or “what do they do with them”. Well, Spotify, like many other streaming services, uses a special AI-based algorithm called BaRT (Bandits for Recommendations as Treatments) to analyze its users’ music taste and suggest songs and playlists they will enjoy. BaRT constantly analyses user preferences; which songs and artists they listen to, which ones they add to their ‘favorite’ playlist as well as the songs they skip. Each activity is being tracked and analyzed and then used by the algorithm to suggest songs you may like and create personal playlists. Also, using data from different surveys, BaRT can connect songs you like with your gender or age. Another thing the app does is track users’ location to suggest music popular in their region. 

Collecting data on musical taste does not seem like a huge threat to our privacy but any information is valuable. If you listen to workout playlists then you are probably gonna be interested in sports apparel, if you listen to Disney playlists and lullabies you are probably a parent and maybe you’ve been wanting to take your kid to Disneyland. The app knows when you’re in a bad mood, when you’re happy and maybe even when you’re going through a breakup. Now that sounds a bit worse, doesn’t it? Obviously, Spotify is not the only company that does this. All of them do, there is no running away from it but it sure is worth being a bit more aware of what exactly our data is used for.

sources: 

cnn.com

onezero.medium.com

spotify.com

trends.google.pl

Do we really need smart glasses?

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Not too long ago Facebook has presented a new model of smart glasses called Stories. The design was prepared in collaboration with Ray-Ban, a company known for selling sunglasses. Partnering with a designer that’s in a fashion industry rather than going pure-tech proved to be very beneficial for Facebook as the new Ray-Ban Stories actually look like a stylish accessory rather than an electronic gadget.
Unfortunately, that is it when it comes to the big news. Other than looking good the $299 glasses take pictures and videos, play music, and answer phone calls – nothing special. So why do different tech companies keep on producing smart glasses that can barely do more than wireless earphones? Personally, I think it makes no sense, at least not right now. Smart glasses have the potential to become a big hit but they must do more. Nobody’s going to wear glasses they don’t actually need to see well, all day long unless they reach the point of being comparable with a smartphone. That means things like access to the internet and apps like google maps or showing text messages and notifications. Facebook did a good job managing to put all the necessary technology in a frame just millimeters thicker and 5 grams heavier than a regular pair of Ray-Bans
In general, I do believe that smart glasses as a concept seem promising. But smart glasses today, with their current features just don’t make sense. You still have to carry around your phone for the glasses to work so why bother.

Sources:
The Guardian
vrsource.com

MEET “MANTA” A GIANT CATAMARAN ON A MISSION TO CLEAN THE OCEANS.

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Manta was designed by Yvan Bourgnon and the researchers and engineers from the SeaCleaners organization. Yvan is a professional sailor and experienced first-hand the state world’s oceans are in.  “During my racing career, I’ve missed out on records and broken my boat 12 times from hitting ocean debris. I’ve circumnavigated the world twice in my life, once at the age of 12 with my parents, and another 30 years later. The difference in the amount of plastic pollution was alarming. I knew something had to be done.” he said in one of his interviews.

The area in most desperate need of help is Southeast Asia. Citarum, Ganges, Buringanga, Yamuna, and the Yellow River are all in the top 10 most polluted rivers in the world with Yangtze and Indus not far behind. The Manta and its crew’s main focus will be collecting, segregating, and properly utilizing up to 3 tons of trash present around the mouths of those rivers each hour, and all the plastic will be turned into energy by the WECU [waste-to-electricity conversion unit] and used to power the boat. Aside from WECU, the boat is equipped with solar panels, hydro generators, and wind turbines making it run almost entirely on green energy.

According to plans, the Manta should be ready to start its mission in 2024.

The goal of the SeaCleaners organization is to be collecting 10,000 tons of trash each year, fight ocean pollution and protect marine life and biodiversity.

sources

https://www.theseacleaners.org/the-manta-innovation/

https://robbreport.com/motors/marine/manta-super-sailing-vessel-eats-ocean-garbage-1234609050/

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