drag2share: FAA seeks to unleash small 'low-risk' drones for films and farms by November

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/05/18/faa-drone-farming-filmmaking-permit/

Since the FAA has only just begun flying drones at test sites, it'll take quite some time before it can draw up rules and regulations for commercial use of UAVs. But if you start seeing small flying contraptions frequently, it's because the agency is considering approving drone use for farming, filmmaking and other industries it deems "low risk" a lot earlier than planned. The overlord of all things that fly even wants to dole out permits quickly and aims to greenlight commercial flights (of machines that pose no security risk and weigh less than 55 pounds) as soon as November. According to Bloomberg, the agency has already started taking requests from various companies, though the FAA's unmanned aerial vehicle crew are still discussing how they can expedite approval requests. Oh yeah, the FAA might have yet to officially authorize commercial drone flights, but some companies have been flying UAVs illegally for films and other industries for a while. Clearly, there's a demand for these flying machines, so it's no surprise that the agency wants to speed things up.

Filed under: Misc

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Via: Ars Technica

Source: Bloomberg

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drag2share: Glasses-free 3D projector offers a cheap alternative to holograms

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/05/19/mit-glasses-free-3d-projector/

Holograms are undoubtedly spiffy-looking, but they're not exactly cheap; even a basic holographic projector made from off-the-shelf parts can cost thousands of dollars. MIT researchers may have a budget-friendly alternative in the future, though. They've built a glasses-free 3D projector that uses two liquid crystal modulators to angle outgoing light and present different images (eight in the prototype) depending on your point of view. And unlike some 3D systems, the picture should remain relatively vivid -- the technology uses a graphics card's computational power to preserve as much of an image's original information (and therefore its brightness) as possible.

It's not a flawless system, at least not right now. While the modulators work at a speedy 240Hz, the resulting output is just 40Hz. That's fast enough for movies and TV shows, but a far cry from the 60Hz-plus that many regular TV sets can manage. To get wider viewing angles, MIT has also built a special screen using lenticular lenses like those you find in toys and children's books. However, perfection isn't really the point here. So long as the technology keeps advancing, it could lead to projectors with a "good enough" holographic effect that tides people over until real holography is within reach.

Filed under: Displays

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Via: Phys.org

Source: MIT News, MIT Media Lab

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drag2share: 'The Internet Of Things' Will Change Everything About The Global Consumer Economy

source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/businessinsider/~3/2Do7o4dG4VY/the-consumer-internet-of-things-2013-11

The arrival of the Internet of Things marks a major watershed in the global consumer economy. Internet connections will be built in to a massive quantity of new products, from air conditioners to light bulbs and security alarms. These will all be controlled through apps and websites, and feed data into the cloud. 

Startups specialized in home automation, established consumer electronics giants, and large Silicon Valley-based tech companies are all poised for a huge battle over this new consumer space, sometimes also referred to as the "Connected Life" market.

In a new report from BI Intelligence, we examine the forces and numbers driving growth in the consumer Internet of Things or IoT, including the mind-boggling numbers for total market size. It's difficult to overestimate the importance of the Internet of Things because it will come to encompass all manner of products we don't normally think of as high-tech, such as UV-filtering window shades and door locks. We also look at the enterprise market for the Internet of Things. 

Here are some of our top findings: 

• Defining the Internet of Things: It's helpful to think about IoT devices as a new device category layer that exists as the connective tissue between the formerly static non-connected world, and the world of PCs, tablets, and smartphones. For example, a connected washer and dryer unit can report energy usage and cycle settings to a smartphone app. 
• It's a huge opportunity: Machina defines "Connected Life Market Revenue" as the sum of all of the revenue accruing from the sale of connected devices and all related services. They see revenue ballooning to $2.5 trillion by 2020.
• How can it be so large? Many consumer categories are crossing into the IoT: These include kitchen and home appliances, lighting and heating products, and insurance company-issued car monitoring devices that allow motorists to pay insurance only for the amount of driving they do.  
• Large manufacturers are already making big plays: These include LG, the Korean manufacturer of home entertainment systems and appliances and Friedrich, maker of AC units. 
• But startups are making a grab for this market too: SmartThings has built its entire business model around easily deployable sensors, monitors, and apps that allow consumers to run everything in their home through their smartphone. It raised a $3 million seed round late last year. We also expect companies such as Apple, Google, and others to get more involved. 
• The Internet of Things seems esoteric, but it's relatively simple: IoT devices will contain three ingredients: An Internet connection, either in the device itself or a base station; a sensor, to collect incoming data; and a processor, because just like any computing device, an IoT gadget will have a chip that parses information. 
• These are the qualities that all IoT devices need to have: They need to be energy efficient, reliable over long time periods, work well in varied environments even outdoors, and be secure to avoid data breaches and hacking. 

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drag2share: 3 Reasons Trader Joe's Is Destroying Whole Foods

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/trader-joes-is-overtaking-whole-foods-2014-5

Trader Joe's is on fire. 

The company famously sells more than two times per square foot than the average grocery chain. 

For years, Whole Foods Market was the dominant name in organic groceries. 

But the company has recently faced declining sales as more companies offer organic food. 

Consumer perception of Trader Joe's is significantly higher than Whole Foods Market, according to a recent YouGov BrandIndex study. 

Here are a few reasons Trader Joe's is thriving, while Whole Foods is struggling. 

Trader Joe's is cheap. A bag of quinoa is $9.99 at Whole Foods, but $4.99 at Trader Joe's. Meanwhile, gluten-free cheese pizza is $7.49 at Whole Foods vs. $4.99 at Trader Joe's, according to dcist.com. Consumers view Trader Joe's as high-quality, but inexpensive. 

Meanwhile, Whole Foods is seen as being too expensive. The grocer even earned the nickname "Whole Paycheck." Whole Foods responded by lowering some prices; however, a recent JPMorgan analyst note says that the company isn't doing enough to market bargains. This means that customers likely don't realize that Whole Foods is getting cheaper. 

Private-label products. Eighty percent of Trader Joe's products are in-house, meaning that customers can't get them anywhere else and the grocer can sell them at lower prices. The creativity of the in-house products is also important. Some of the most p! opular p roducts include Chili-Lime Chicken Burgers, Cookie Butter (a cookie-flavored nut butter), and corn and chili salsa. 

While Whole Foods has private-label products, they tend to veer more toward basic. The company also sells a wider variety of organic and healthy brands. As Wal-Mart and other grocers begin to stock these products, consumers have less of an incentive to go to Whole Foods. 

Trader Joe's knows its audience. Trader Joe's is focused on product innovation and selling groceries and wine at a cheap price. Because customers know they can get high-quality stuff at a low price, they pack Trader Joe's stores. 

Whole Foods has had a harder time differentiating. The company's response to all the competition isn't encouraging, according to a recent Bloomberg Industries report. 

"New initiatives at the retailer, including online ordering and broadening the produce assortment to include more non-organic items, may push Whole Foods from unique to mainstream as it seeks a broader customer base to defend against direct competitors such as Sprouts grocers such as Kroger," according to Bloomberg. 

In order to stand out, Whole Foods needs to differentiate its products. 

SEE ALSO: The Most Popular Items At Trader Joe's

Follow Ashley Lutz: On Twitter.

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drag2share: China Built A Prototype For A Train Capable Of Reaching 1,800 MPH

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/train-capable-of-reaching-1800-mph-2014-5

Scientists at Southwest Jiaotong University in China have built a prototype testing platform for a near-vacuum high-speed maglev train that is theoretically capable of reaching speeds up to 2900 km/h or about 1,800 mph.

Currently, the fastest commercially operated maglev reaches just 431 km/h and even the world record is just 581 km/hr.

According to project lead Dr. Deng Zigang, this huge increase in speed is achieved through the lack of air resistance in the near-vacuum tunnel.

“If the running speed exceeds 400 kilometers (250 miles) per hour, more than 83 percent of traction energy will wastefully dissipate in air resistance,” he says. Additionally, overcoming that air resistance is loud, making it uncomfortable for passengers.

In his team’s tunnel, they’ve brought the air pressure to 10 times lower than atmospheric pressure at sea level, drastically reducing the amount of energy needed to overcome air resistance.

Currently, the high speed is limited by the size of the testing platform, but with longer straightaways, Deng thinks 2,900 km/h, or nearly three times the speed of a commercial aircraft, could be achieved.

To give you an idea, a train like that could take you from Paris to Moscow in about an hour, meaning you could breakfast on the Champs-Élysées and be in Red Square in time for lunch.

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