Entry #15 - January 16th 2013

Fly like a bird: The V formation finally explained

BBC

The mystery of the v formation may have been solved by a scientist from the royal veterinary college.  Northern Bald Ibises are a bird that was wiped out from hunting in Europe.  A team of researchers from Austria has worked on retraining the birds on a migration route into Europe that has been lost. They have trained the birds to migrate behind a microlight aircraft.  Fitting tiny data loggers researchers were able to tell that the birds changed their position to get in the up wash of air from the wing tip of the bird in front and when they flapped their wings.  This saves the birds following energy by giving them a bit of a lift, and a free ride.

I think this is really cool how the birds know where to be to be efficient.  I also think that it is cool how the researchers are training the birds to migrate behind microlight aircraft.  I think that this is another important step into the future for robotics and aircraft with more of a natural flight. How the data loggers know when the Ibises flap their wings and their position in the flock is incredible, it shows us that technology is helping us understand problems otherwise would have taken us a long time to figure out.

Entry #14 - January 8th 2014

Hive minds: How 'swarm robots' are learning from insects

CNN

While Terminator 2's "judgement day" is not likely, their pack mentality is.  Swarm robotics is when a team of robots work together towards a single goal, from mending a leak to clearing a mine. Scientists from Massachusetts institute of technology have unveiled the 'M-blocks', a group of blocks that stick together to form different shapes autonomously.  Swarm robotics seems as though they will be used for military purposes, although they are not being developed for this purpose, it is bound to happen sooner or later.

I think that swarm robotics is an important part of evolution and that it will be a main-stream 'thing' in the future.  I agree that swarm robotics should not be used for military purposes because it can also be very harmful if used for the wrong reasons.  I think this article is very interesting although needs a different title because they only mention insects twice in the entire article.

Entry #10 - October 17th 2013

Police say disgruntled employee behind LA airport dry ice explosions

FOX

Police are suspecting a "disgruntled employee" is behind the explosions of two dry ice bombs at Los Angeles Airport. Deputy Chief Michael Downing says the explosions were not linked to terrorism but to labour disputes. These bombs could have caused serious injury, luckily though no one was hurt. The police are handling this as though they were pipe bombs. The police think that this was carried out by a "disgruntled" employee. The dry ice bombs luckily went off without anyone being in harms way and without anyone near them at the time.

I agree with the police when they say they are treating them as "though they were pipe bombs" because this is in no case acceptable, even if it was over a labour dispute.  I think that the culprit should be convicted for a serious offense because of the severity it could have caused, especially at an airport.  It was lucky that no one was injured and that there were no serious damages to property.  I think that the guilty party should be seriously punished because he could have killed someone.

Entry #9 - October 15th 2013

Amaze project aims to take 3D printing 'into metal age'

BBC

28 institutions have come together to create new metal components which are lighter stronger and cheaper than the conventional parts.  This project is called the AMAZE project, a "loose" acronym for Additive Manufacturing Aiming Towards Zero Waste and Efficient Production of High-Tech products.  3D printers have taken the design of plastic products to the next level.  Printing metal parts would save an enormous amount of waste product and money.  At the AMAZE team's launch on tuesday they unveiled Tungsten alloy components that can under go temperatures of up to 3,000C.  When printing 3D metal parts the company will save so much money and waste they will have enough to get more of a quantity and more quality care in their product.

I think that this is a great idea because it will save money and be more environmentally friendly.  I think that this Product will revolutionize the industry because the parts that are made from this are extremely robust, lightweight, and can withstand extreme temperatures.  If this becomes a success it will help the environment because "to produce one kilo of metal, you use one kilo - not 20 kilos," says Esa's Franco Ongaro.  I agree that this is an important product because it will not only save money by reducing waste but it will reduce fuel costs by being lighter.

Entry #11 - October 21st 2013

Microsoft unfazed by 'lightweight' Apple's iWork software

CTV

Apple has recently released its new productivity suite, iWork. This is supposed to be the main competitor with Microsoft's Office suites. Microsoft simply shrugged this off by saying it was "lightweight" and "has never gotten traction". Microsoft's corporate vice president Frank Shaw defended Microsoft's tablet, the surface, by saying "Surface and Surface 2 both include Office, the world's most popular, most powerful productivity software for free and are priced below both the iPad 2 and iPad Air respectively,".  Microsoft sets themselves apart by offering the highest rated, and highest quality, productivity software for free with their tablets.

I think that Microsoft has the far better product because you are able to have multiple screens running at once and it is free.  Apple's productivity app, iWork, is offered, but at a price.  Although Apple has released that they will now release their new upgrades with iWork for free it is still not the best because it is not as developed and does not offer a multiple screen ability.

Entry #13 - November 12th 2013

Study warns that unmanned drones over Canada could be 'intrusive'

CTV News

The RCMP is thinking of creating some UAV drones, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles.  These drones can be used for search and rescue missions, investigating offences and to reconstruct traffic accidents.  The UAV's can be outfitted with cameras but also with a multitude of surveillance equipment, such as thermal cameras to license plate readers.  The RCMP is planning to launch their own fleet of quad copter UAVs.  People are worried however, that the drones will be used for spying on civilians.  The RCMP say that these would be great for search and rescue and for investigating criminals.

I think that the police should get these because it would help keep the people of Canada safe.  If we got these drones it would also make it less dangerous for recon missions, sending in a drone instead of a human.  I know that these could be used for spying on people but what I say is that if you don't want them spying on you then you have something to hide, so unless you have something to hide you shouldn't be afraid.  I also think that the drones would be good for the RCMP's investigations.

Entry #12 - November 4th 2013

Giant mirrors bring winter sunlight to Norwegian village nestled in the mountains

CTV News

The innaguration for the brand new giant mirrors installed in Rjukan is set to be sometime next week, depending on the weather. This small town, in a deep valley, is deprived of sunlight for 6 months every year.  In an effort to bring sunlight into the valley in the winter, the 180 square foot mirrors reflect sunlight down in front of the town hall.  This is remarkable, as the mirrors are able to change angles based on where the sunlight is coming from.

I think that this is a big step for this community.  It will be very good for them to 'get their fill' of sunlight during the winter and they will get their needed vitamin D.  I think that the valley is making us think of more convenient ways to get sunlight into locations, that otherwise, have no sunlight during some seasons.  This is a very big job because not only do the mirrors need to reflect the sunlight but they need to adjust as the earth rotates.  This means a lot of algorithms need to be in place so the sun is not missed as we rotate around it.