Divergent Microfactories targets 3D-printed performance
Think of the racy, 700-horsepower Blade concept car as a Trojan horse, utilising eye-catching curves and gob-smacking performance to highlight the innovative thinking within.
Divergent Microfactories, a startup based in the Silicon Valley city of Palo Alto, California, plans to use 3D-printing technology to empower small companies with small budgets to build cars locally, without unduly taxing aging infrastructures or fragile ecosystems.
Chief executive Kevin Czinger points to a US National Academy of Sciences report indicating that more energy is used producing cars than driving them. With three billion vehicles expected to be cruising the planet in 2050, energy-intensive production practices are not sustainable, he argues.
“If we continue to manufacture the way we have been, we are going to destroy our health, our children’s health and the health of our planet,” he says
Touting a new, leaner manufacturing process is a good way to enthrall an engineer, if not the public at large. Divergent has consequently applied its technique to build a single-seat super sports car. As a single-seater, its spec sheet reads like those of a Formula 1 racer: 700 horsepower and 1,400lb (635kg) weight, combining for a run – purely theoretical, mind – from zero to 60mph (100km/h) in less than two seconds.
The Blade’s curvaceous carbon-fibre bodywork is as genre-correct as the car’s claimed performance is shocking. Beneath it all is a tuned version of the gasoline four-cylinder screamer found in cult rally car the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution. However, in this application the engine runs on natural gas, which not only burns cleaner than petrol, but also could tread more lightly on the planet because it typically requires less extensive refining.
Czinger may score enthusiast points with the Evo engine choice, but he emphasises that the Blade is “powertrain agnostic”. Microfactory-built cars, then, could be propelled by any current or future power technology.
The company’s aim is to spread the world about its low-cost, low-impact manufacturing technique and to license that know-how to would-be entrepreneurs. Meanwhile, Divergent expects to build small numbers of relatively expensive cars in the next 18 to 24 months to demonstrate the potential for the technology. Czinger declined to predict pricing or sales volume.
Source-BBC Auto
Samsung faces legal action over phone software
Samsung is being taken to court in China over the software it loads on to its handsets.
A Chinese consumer protection group launched the legal action over the default apps or "bloatware" found on Samsung phones.
It said many people did not want the software and added that the firm made it hard to remove the applications.
The Shanghai Consumer Council also filed a similar case against Chinese phone-maker Oppo.
The council said it was motivated to start the legal action following a growing number of complaints about pre-installed apps. It said people had complained because of the space the apps took up and because they ate into data allowances when they were updated.
Results from a study carried out by the council said a standard Galaxy Note 3 could contain 44 pre-installed programs that could not be removed or were hard to disable. One Oppo phone tested by the council was found to have 47 apps that could not be uninstalled.
"The litigation is our latest attempt to safeguard consumers' rights after other methods failed," Tao Ailian, secretary general of the council, told the Shanghai Daily.
The legal action aims to make the two phone-makers put in place systems that let people remove the apps easily and warn them about what they get when they buy a new phone.
In a statement, Samsung said: "We have not yet received the formal complaint filed by the Shanghai Consumer Council.
"We will thoroughly review the court document and determine an appropriate response," it added.
Source-BBC
Mastercard testing facial recognition security app
Mastercard is testing a smartphone app that uses facial recognition to verify online purchases.
Users in the trial can hold their phone up as though taking a selfie to approve transactions.
"The new generation, which is into selfies... I think they'll find it cool," the firm's security expert Ajay Bhalla told CNN.
One security expert told the BBC facial recognition should be complemented with "extra layers of security".
"Google tried facial recognition on Android phones and there were a lot of problems in the early days", said Ken Munro, security researcher at Pen Test Partners.
"People realised you could take a photo of somebody and present it to the camera, and the phone would unlock."
Google admits its facial recognition is "less secure than a pattern, PIN or password" on the website for one of its devices.
Mastercard's app asks users to blink to prove that they are human, but even this has been spoofed in the past.
"People took photographs and animated them, drawing eyelids on," said Mr Munro. "There have been advances in biometrics since then, but they're not quite there yet."
Mastercard is exploring facial recognition as an alternative to SecureCode, its security software that asks online shoppers for a password to make purchases.
The company said the technology was used in three billion transactions last year.
In March, Chinese shopping brand Alibaba demonstrated a facial recognition app, but hasn't brought it to market yet.
Mastercard's facial recognition trial involves 500 users in the United States.
Source-BBC
Reddit in uproar after staff sacking
Social news site Reddit is in virtual lockdown in protest over the sacking of popular employee Victoria Taylor.
Ms Taylor oversaw the "Ask Me Anything" (AMA) section of the site that interviewed celebrities, politicians and other newsworthy figures.
About 100 chat sections, or sub-reddits, that together have millions of readers are believed to have been shut.
Reddit's only comment about the issue has been to say that it did not talk about "individual employee matters".
The protests were led by the volunteer moderators of the AMA section, which said in an explanatory posting that they needed Ms Taylor to keep the sub-reddit functioning. Ms Taylor helped organise guests for AMAs and worked to verify that people due to answer questions were who they said they were.
There had been no explanation of why she was suddenly sacked, said the administrators.
"We all had the rug ripped out from under us and feel betrayed," said one of the AMA moderators in a separate message.
Later on, protesters said the chat rooms were closed "due to underlying resentment against the admins for running the site poorly".
Reddit staff were "being uncommunicative, and disregarding the thousands of moderators who keep the site running", they said.
The closures have snowballed and have made large sections of the site unreachable.
There have been suggestions that Ms Taylor was sacked following an AMA with American civil rights activist Jesse Jackson.
Ms Taylor said she was "dazed" by the swiftness of her departure in a very brief response to a message asking her about the sacking.
The protest follows another "Reddit revolt" that took place in June when the site decided to ban some sub-reddits it said were involved in harassing and abusing people in real life.
Many people have pledged to abandon the site for rivals such as Voat and Frizbee.
Reddit is one of the most widely used sites on the web with more than 7.5 billion page views a month.
Bubba Watson to paint over Dukes of Hazzard car
US golfer Bubba Watson is to paint over the Confederate flag on the car from the Dukes of Hazzard TV series, as part of a growing backlash against the rebel symbol from the US Civil War.
The top golfer, who owns the car, announced the move by tweeting that he believed "all men are created equal".
The flag divides opinion in the US, symbolising racism to its critics - and southern heritage to its defenders.
The debate was revived by a recent gun attack on a black church in Charleston.
The suspect behind the murder of nine churchgoers, Dylann Roof, appeared in many photos holding the flag.
The Confederate battle flag became a potent symbol for the southern states fighting the Civil War as they sought to break away from the union.
Many of those states now display the flag outside government buildings. It also appears on number-plates and is sold as a bumper sticker.
But it remains controversial, seen by some as an icon of slavery and oppression, while others say it symbolises their history and identity. The Charleston attack has prompted fresh calls for displays of the flag to be curtailed.
Watson, the third-ranked golfer in the world and two-time Masters champion, said on Twitter that he would cover the flag on the car with the US Stars and Stripes.
"All men ARE created equal, I believe that so I will be painting the American flag over the roof of the General Lee," he said, referring to the vehicle by its nickname on the Dukes of Hazzard.
The car was a centrepiece of the US TV show from the late 1970s, which featured a group of rural crime-fighters.
Watson acquired the car in 2012, according to the Washington Post.
Chile defeats Argentina in Copa America Final
Chile secured the first major trophy in their history on home soil courtesy of a penalty shootout win over Argentina in the Copa America final.
Arsenal's Alexis Sanchez slotted in the winning spot-kick after Argentina's Gonzalo Higuain fired over and Ever Banega was denied by Claudio Bravo.
Higuain had earlier missed from close range after 90 minutes of few chances.
Sanchez came closest in extra time for Chile, who scored all four of their penalties in the shootout.
Where Chile held their nerve, Argentina wilted in the shootout at the end of a performance that fell well short of the heights they reached in their 6-1 semi-final win over Paraguay.
Le Albiceleste are without a major trophy in the last 22 years since winning the 1993 Copa America in Ecuador.
Chile's victory brought an end to almost a century of competing in the Copa America without claiming a title.
Source-BBC
Mexico drops out of Miss Universe over Trump tirade
Mexico has dropped out of the Miss Universe pageant over co-owner and US presidential candidate Donald Trump’s “racist” remarks about Mexican migrants, as Latino anger toward the outspoken tycoon boils over.
Trump’s comments about migrants have outraged Latin Americans and the Hispanic community in the United States.
Losing a Latin American contestant is a big setback for Miss Universe as the pageant is hugely popular in the region, where victory is a source of national pride that can spark street celebrations.
The governments of Mexico and Venezuela have both lacerated Trump. While Venezuelans are weighing their participation in Miss Universe, Mexico has pulled the plug.
“It’s a shame that because of his racist comments we lose what the contest has promoted and represented during so many years, which is an atmosphere of harmony and peace among nations,” former Miss Universe and Nuestra Belleza Mexico pageant director Lupita Jones wrote on Twitter late Monday.
On Tuesday, she told Radio Imaginen: “Beyond a beauty contest, a crown, what’s important is to protest in some way to defend the pride and name of all Mexicans.”
Colombian pop star Shakira joined the chorus, writing on Twitter that Trump’s comments were a “hateful and racist” attempt to divide Americans.
US television giant NBC, which co-owns the pageant, and Mexican broadcaster Televisa both announced on Monday that they were severing ties with Trump, meaning they will not air the show.
Trump hit back at Spanish-language US channel Univision on Tuesday, filing a $500 million lawsuit over the company’s decision not to broadcast the July 12 Miss USA pageant.
In a rambling campaign announcement on June 16, Trump lashed out at Mexico and Mexican migrants, saying that they were bringing drugs, crime and “rapists” to the United States.
The Mexican government denounced Trump’s remarks as “prejudiced and absurd,” while Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro called the real estate mogul a “thief.”
Source-AFP
Cricket: The Patriots beat Tallawahs by 119 runs
The St Kitts and Nevis Patriots bounced back from yesterday’s defeat in the Hero Caribbean Premier League with a comprehensive victory over the Appleton Estate Jamaica Tallawahs. A brilliant 82 from the Patriots’ Evin Lewis set up a target of 200 and the ever impressive Sheldon Cottrell saluted his way to figures of 3-15 as the home side won easily against the 2013 CPL champions.
Opening the batting with Martin Guptill, Lewis recorded his highest T20 score and his first significant contribution for the Patriots. Having impressed last season with the Red Steel, these runs for his new side will have delighted the young batsman.
The openers had made 71 in just over seven overs when Guptill became the first wicket when he shuffled across his crease attempting to work Rusty Theron to mid-wicket. He missed and the ball struck his pad as he was dismissed LBW having made 35 off 25 balls.
Lewis kept on going, bringing up his half century with a brilliant drive for six that was clubbed back over the bowlers head. Lewis combined with his captain, Marlon Samuels, as the two men put on 72 runs at 10 an over. For once it wasn’t Samuels that looked the most fluent of the Patriots batsmen as Lewis was brutal on anything that was short. Perhaps his best shot was the six he pulled in front of square off Jerome Taylor.
Samuels never really got going and he was happy to just give the strike to his young partner. In attempting to run the ball down to third man for a single, Samuels was caught by the keeper off the bowling of Andre Russell.
Lewis looked like he was all set to make his first Twenty20 hundred when Shahid Afridi set off for an ambitious single only to see the opener run out for 82 off 45 balls. That brought Carlos Brathwaite to the crease and once again he made some quick runs. His tournament strike rate is over 200 and once again he was finding the boundary on his way to 36 in 18 deliveries, his highest T20 score.
Brathwaite should have been dismissed in the 19th over when Horace Miller dropped an easy chance in the deep, and that mistake allowed the big all-rounder to guide his side to 199-5.
The Tallawahs began their chase knowing that success or failure could well rest in the hands of Chris Gayle. Having made successive undefeated half centuries in his two previous innings, he was the man in form. It was not to be as Sheldon Cottrell dismissed him with a full delivery that Gayle swiped at and missed.
While the loss of their captain would have been hugely disappointing for the Tallawahs, there was still the batting available to chase down this total. Cottrell had other plans as he picked up the wicket of Chadwick Walton, giving him a chance to pull out his salute celebration for the second time in two overs.
Chris Lynn could well have departed next ball if not for a remarkable piece of good fortune. The Australian batsman inside edged the ball which appeared to clip the stumps on the way past. The stumps were left intact and the ball raced away for four.
The required rate for the Tallawahs was getting out of control by the end of the Powerplay with the Jamaican side just 37-2 off their first six overs. Things only got worse when Mahela Jayawardene was run out for nine.
When Lynn also fell to the excellent Cottrell for 20, the required rate was more than 13 an over with the best of the Tallawahs batting back in the dugout. From that point onwards the result was never in doubt as wickets continued to tumble.
Afridi, who has had limited success in the tournament to date, bowled a maiden on his way to figures of 2-10 as he, and fellow wrist spinner Tabraiz Shamsi (4-23), took a stranglehold of the middle overs of the Tallawahs’ innings from which they could not escape.
The Tallawahs crumbled to 80 all out as the Patriots secured victory by a massive 119 runs.
Haitians forced from Dominican Republic
Beltha Desir wanders aimlessly around the front of the school where she has taken refuge, holding tight to her 10-month-old child, the only family member with whom she was deported.
Desir, a Haitian woman, had lived for 10 years in the Dominican Republic, but immigration officers arrested her a week ago and sent her to the border, along with her Dominican-born baby.
Since June 17, when a registration programme for undocumented migrants ran out in the Dominican Republic, more than 17,000 people have poured across the border into Haiti, although the Dominicans insist those who have left did so voluntarily.
“They told me: ‘Go back to your country. Go find President Michel Martelly, we have no more need for Haitians. Whether you have papers or not, go home,'” she said.
She was detained in the city of Neyba where she worked, and didn’t have time to tell her husband, who works only 50 meters (55 yards) away.
“I have three children, but the two biggest are with their father. They are five and six. How can they understand I am no longer with them?” she asked, with tears welling up in her eyes.
Disoriented, she said she can hardly sleep.
“It’s been six days since I have seen my children and husband. He does not even know I’m here in Haiti. I couldn’t even speak with him because he doesn’t have a telephone,” she said.
Repeating just one of the racist insults she suffered during the journey to the border, she said authorities told her “that Dominicans are of a different blood, and that I should go and find my blood in Haiti.”
Beside her is Rose Hippolyte, who has suffered the same discrimination.
“When they see a Haitian, the Dominicans say ‘Look at that pig, that Haitian devil,'” said Hippolyte, whose face is worn by years of work in the sugarcane fields.
“They treat us like animals. Sometimes, when you sit next to a Dominican, the person will move away so that you understand that he doesn’t want your skin to touch his,” she said.
In halting Creole — the result of having spent only the first four years of his life in Haiti — Francky Dorseli confirmed the abuse.
“The Dominicans mistreat the Haitians. They insult us each day, even sometimes the police.”
The 43-year-old, who was deported alone, has had no news from his wife and four children.
Just like Desir, Dorseli and all the others who have taken refuge in the community school in the small town of Fond Parisien, Hippolyte wasn’t allowed to bring anything with her from home.
“I’ve worked since 1981 cutting sugarcane. I haven’t earned much but I have managed to build myself a small home,” said the 52-year-old, who arrived in the Dominican Republic at age eight.
“Everything remains there, I have nothing left. The pastor’s wife gave me this dress to change into,” she said, smoothing the fabric over her thighs.
The meager donations from the religious community and sporadic distributions from NGOs and ordinary citizens are not enough to provide the refugees with decent living conditions.
Dressed in dirty clothes that are often too large, several dozen children play jacks using pebbles. They gathered on a concrete slab under the absent-minded gaze of the tired women.
There is no water and no electricity. For two weeks, no doctor has passed through to see the families.
Nonetheless, not one of the refugees wants to return to the Dominican Republic to face a barrage of insults and attacks. Living again in their original country, they hope to be able to bring their families to Haiti and live without depending on charity.
“I was a supervisor in a textile factory and also a supermarket cashier,” Desir said.
“I do not want money or food but a job to be able to bring my children and my husband here so we can live together peacefully,” she said.
Source-AFP
Efforts being made to ease tension between Guyana and Venezuela
The United Nations is prepared to intervene in the border dispute between Guyana and Venezuela as Caribbean countries seek an amicable solution to the issue on Friday.
Guyana’s President David Granger, who has called on CARICOM leaders to “strongly” condemn the decision by Caracas to disregard a 116 year-old agreement regarding their borders, said that the offer was made during bilateral talks with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Friday.
Granger told reporters that he had also indicated to Ban that the Good Officers Process which Guyana and Venezuela had started a few years back has been exhausted.
“We have informed him that the process is more and less exhausted and he has indicated his willingness to appoint a mission to come to Guyana and we have told him that the situation now is that the dispute has gone beyond Guyana/Venezuela and it has now contaminated relations with the entire Eastern Caribbean. It is becoming regionalise” Granger said.
Granger said during the meeting he informed the UN Secretary General that rather than improving, the security situation in the Eastern Caribbean, the situation is deteriorating and that he expects the UN Secretary General to play an important role in helping to reduce the “level of tension and to support Guyana in having that obnoxious decree withdrawn”.
Ban speaking at a news conference later said that the Un was prepared to use its good office to assist in finding a solution to the matter that arose after President Nicolas Madura in May announced a decree that includes all the Atlantic waters off the Essequibo Coast.
While President Granger was holding bi lateral talks with several Caribbean leaders on the issue, at least two regional prime ministers – Roosevelt Skerrit of Dominica and his St Vincent and the Grenadines counterpart, Dr Ralph Gonsalves – were holding talks with Venezuela’s Executive Vice President, Jorge Arreaza.
Prime Minister Gonsalves, who is expected to brief his colleagues when they meet in caucus later on Friday, told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) “it is very serious” while Skerrit acknowledged an uphill task in reaching a resolution.
“We are still working on a final solution to this matter,” he said.
Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister, who met with Granger, said Port of Spain had expressed full support for its Caribbean member state, describing the decree by Maduro as “unilateral.
“Trinidad and Tobago fully supports Guyana with respect the border dispute with Venezuela,” she said, adding that her administration had offered to assist “in any way.
“We pledge our support to Guyana in this matter, we have always supported Guyana in the border dispute and we will continue to do so,” she said adding that Port of Spain had indicated also a willingness to help Georgetown in its oil exploration “because of our long history in that industry”.
She said while Port of Spain “understand in some regards the constraints of the President of Venezuela, but our understanding with our expert in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is that this decree is in violation of international law…and therefore if we are looking at the legality of it we do not support the issuing of the decree….
She said while Trinidad and Tobago is in full agreement with the call by Granger for a withdrawal of the decree “we are saying there may be room for dialogue we are prepared to assist in that regard as well.
“Trinidad and Tobago has offered and will in fact speak both with Venezuela and Guyana with a view to having dialogue, as to whether the venue will be x or y nation that is to be determined …
“But it may well have reached the stage beyond dialogue, but I always feel there is room for dialogue and that is the offer we have made for dialogue to continue. We have had good relations with Guyana as we have had good relations with Venezuela and I think we are well poised to have further discussion on this matter.
“I know the United Nations Secretary general Ban Ki-moon has indicated his view to Guyana on the matter, I know that the S G of the Commonwealth has also indicated their view,” she said, noting that the decree also had implications for Trinidad and Tobago.
“The decree does change certain boundary points to the detriment of Trinidad and Tobago,” she said.
Source-CMC