October 14, 2016 - The WAN Show Document

[Slick]

 

Main News Topics

World’s Largest Solar Project Would Generate Electricity 24 Hours a Day, Power 1 Million U.S. Homes

Source 1: http://www.ecowatch.com/worlds-largest-solar-project-nevada-2041546638.html

Source 2:

• California-based energy company SolarReserve announced plans for a massive concentrated solar power (CSP) plant in Nevada that claims to be the largest of its kind once built.

• The $5 billion endeavor would generate between 1,500 and 2,000 megawatts of power, enough to power about 1 million homes

  • About as much as a nuclear power plant or the 2,000 megawatt Hoover Dam

• involves at least 100,000 mirrored heliostats that capture the sun's rays and concentrates it onto 10 towers equipped with a molten salt energy storage system.

• The molten salt, heated to more than 1,000 degrees, then boils water and creates a steam turbine that can drive generators 24/7.

• appeal of CSP systems is that solar power can be used after sunset.

• construction probably won't begin for another two or three years.

  • Once construction begins, Smith estimated the project should create about 3,000 jobs for about seven years.

• the company will also have to build a new transmission infrastructure to carry the energy to market, and the generated power will likely will be "exported to the California market."

• two potential sites on federal land in Nye County have been shortlisted.

  • Some environmentalists are concerned about the environmental impact of such a project.

•  

• https://www.reddit.com/r/oculus/comments/56eutc/and_so_the_antiasw_bullshit_begins/d8paj6w

•  

Samsung to Note 7 Owners: Here’s $100 for your Phone

Source 1: https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/675354-samsung-to-note OP: hey_yo_

Source 2: https://www.cnet.com/news/samsung-recall-galaxy-note-7-again-consumer-p

• Samsung said it will give $100 in credit at "carrier or retail outlets" to customers who turn in their Note 7 for another Samsung phone, starting Thursday afternoon

  • The offer comes after Samsung and the US Consumer Product Safety Commission once again issued a recall for the Galaxy Note 7

• The main goal here seems to be keeping people within the Samsung ecosystem (in addition to the obvious token gesture of money for their trouble)

• "We appreciate the patience of our consumers, carrier and retail partners for carrying the burden during these challenging times," said Tim Baxter, chief operating officer of Samsung Electronics America. "We are committed to doing everything we can to make this right."

• Some carriers have already given out a $25 bill credit for switching out their phone for another Samsung device, and customers who took advantage of that offer can get another $75.

• Customers who opt for a full refund will get $25.

  • Likewise, customers who switch to another brand will only get $25

• All US carriers are offering customers the choice to swap out the device for an entirely different phone.

 

Rapid Fire

Hyperloop One and Dubai Future Accelerators will Build the First ‘Hyperloop for Cargo’

Source 1: https://techcrunch.com/2016/10/12/hyperloop-one-and-dubai-future-acceler

Source 2: https://dubaifutureaccelerators.com/en

• Dubai Future Accelerators has been created by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), alongside seven government entities committed to piloting cutting edge technologies for the country

• DFA is an initiative of the Dubai Future Foundation and part of the Federal Endowment Fund, worth $275 million

  • Designed to invest in innovation which will shape the future of UAE’s industrial sectors, including transportation

• There will be a 12-week program which has taken over 2,000 applications from 73 countries

  • Less than 1% of applications were selected

  • Over 30 companies have been selected to take part in the program

• This includes the Hyperloop One

Video: Hyperloop One Dubai Teaser (1:01 Long)

LCD Transparent Side Panel Now Available for Pre-Order

Source 1: https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/675232-lcd-sidepanel-cas OP: Ayporos

Source 2: http://www.arcticsecrets.nl/frost-wolf/

• Being sold by Dutch company Arctic Secrets

  • Put out an NZXT H440 case with a transparent LCD panel

• Expected delivery date of around December 1, 2016

• LCD panel will have a 1600x900 resolution

• Connects via 1x USB 3.0 and 1x USB 2.0 internal headers

• Will cost €499

• Free shipping to The Netherlands, Belgium and Germany

No More Humans: Foxconn Deploys 40,000 Robots in China

Source 1: https://www.chinatechnews.com/2016/10/13/24329-no-more-humans-foxco

Source 2:

• Foxconn continues aiming to reduce the number of workers at its plants creating digital devices.

• Dai Chia-peng, general manager of the automation technology development committee of Foxconn, said during an interview with local Chinese media that those robots are basically made by Foxconn itself,

  • some parts like servo motors and reducers that come from other parties.

• deployed to Foxconn's manufacturing base in Zhengzhou, a panel factory in Chengdu, and computer and peripherals factories in Kunshan and Jiashan.

• Foxconn can produce 10,000 robots annually

• those robots are all potential replacements for human labor.

  • For the Kunshan factory alone, Foxconn has cut 60,000 employees.

• Prior to this, labor costs in mainland China were lower than robots; therefore, Foxconn maintained nearly one million workers.

• with the increase of labor costs and the younger generation's lack of interest in production line work, many companies have launched huge investments in automation.

• Foxconn has expressed interest in acquiring other robot manufacturers (though they haven’t specified any specific brands)

• They also plan to build robots for medical and health applications

Valve Shows off new VR Controller Prototypes

Source 1: http://www.theverge.com/2016/10/12/13264950/valve-vive-vr-controllers-new-p

Picture of Prototype

• Biggest difference is that the new controllers can detect when you open and close your hand

  • Allowing you to grip and drop objects in game

• Looks like controllers are designed to be used while strapped to the palm of the hand

  • Better than having to grip the Vive’s current controllers all of the time

• No ETA on a release

BMW Puts Self-Driving in the spotlight with New 5 Series

Source 1: http://newatlas.com/bmw-5-series-seventh-generation/45896/

Source 2:

• more to the 5 Series than just a set of radar-driven cruise control systems

• Features typical lane-keeping assist and cross traffic alerts

• Also takes care of acceleration, steering and braking up to 210 km/h (130 mph)

• Using a camera mounted on the front, the system will also automatically adapt to changing speed limits, although drivers can force the car to push 15 km/h (9 mph) above it if they want

  • Important to note that BMW takes no responsibility for the speeding tickets you may incur if you use that feature

  • Controlled by the driver, so the autonomous drive isn’t technically at fault there

• Not much further information

• New 5 series releases on Feb 11, 2017

Star Citizen Single Player Delayed Indefinitely

Source 1: https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/674373-star-citizen OP: patrickjp93

Source 2: http://www.extremetech.com/gaming/237434-star-citizen-single-player-delayed-in

• Cloud Imperium Games has announced that Star Citizen’s single-player campaign will be delayed indefinitely

  • Reason being is that there are huge chunks of it still unfinished

• CIG had originally promised that this mode would ship in 2016, but now that won’t be happening

• Slide courtesy of Kotaku, showing the “Primary Tech Hurdles” for the game

• Part of the problem comes from them overhauling their engine, which some CIG developers say it’s been more work than creating a new one from scratch

• Full game’s release date = ??????

Chinese Company Buys Majority Stake in Newegg

Source 1: https://www.techpowerup.com/226777/newegg-now-owned-by-chinese-company

Source 2: http://www.wsj.com/articles/china-investment-in-u-s-economy-set-for-record-but-p

• Reports in September of significant investment from ‘Hangzhao Liaison Interactive Information Technology Co., Ltd, which would allow Newegg to “accelerate the pursuit of the company’s strategic initiative”, have resulted in a bid towards controlling a majority in the company’s shares

• Deal is estimated to be around $2.63 Billion dollars (USD)

• Will aid Liaison Interactive in bolstering its global competitiveness, allowing for a large expansion into the American market

Google’s Memory-Boosted AI Could help you Navigate the Subway

Source 1: https://www.engadget.com/2016/10/13/google-neural-network-with-memory/

• Comes from Google’s DeepMind AI team

• They’ve developed a memory-boosted neural network that can create and work with sophisticated data structures

  • EXAMPLE: If it has a map of the London Underground, it could figure out the quickest path from stop to stop or tell you where you’d end up after following a route sequence

  • EXAMPLE: Could ask the computer to identify relatives in a family tree using only basic knowledge about the relationships

• Key is how the AI uses its memory

  • Computer’s controller is figuring out how to use memory as it goes along - learning how to get even closer to the correct answer without being explicitly told how to get there

• A typical neural network wouldn’t even have that memory to work with

• Potential of neural networks will expand, where the AI could be used in situations where it was previously impossible

HP Inc. to Axe up to 4,000 Jobs Over the Next Three Years

Source 1: http://arstechnica.com/business/2016/10/hp-inc-4000-job-cuts-planned/

• CEO Dion Weisler says markets are challenging but the vendor is confident with their strategy

• Planning to trim workforce by up to 18% with the loss of between 3000 and 4000 jobs by 2019

  • Goal of shaving millions off company costs

  • Once done they predict they will generate savings of approximately $200 - $300 million

• Changes to the workforce will vary by country, based on local legal requirements and consultations with employee work councils and other representatives

Nikon DSLR with Sub-zero Peltier Cooling: The Astronomers Camera of Choice

Source 1: http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2016/10/nikon-d5500-peltier-cooler-astronomy-less-noise/

• For approximately $2400 USD, an Italian company called PrimaLuce will sell you a Nikon D5500 DSLR camera with a dual-Peltier cooler strapped to the back

  • Called the Nikon D5500a Cooled

  • Normal Nikon D5500 retails for around $650 USD

• In addition to the cooler, the camera also switches out the standard low-pass filter in front of the sense for something tuned to astronomical wavelengths of light

• Cooler is capable of refrigerating the sensor down to -27 degrees Celsius

  • Reason for the cooler is for less noise during long exposures

  • Comparison of Cooler ON (LEFT) vs. Cooler OFF (RIGHT)

  • At first glance it looks like there is more stars on the right, but that is just noise

• It’s been designed for astronomy

• With this camera and a refractor telescope attached to the front, you can take pictures like this from almost anywhere

  • PICTURE

Soylent Halts Sales of Bars; Investigation into Illnesses Continues

Source 1: http://arstechnica.com/science/2016/10/soylent-halts-sale-of-bars-inves

Source 2: http://blog.soylent.com/post/151720602057/update-on-soylent-bar

• Following online reports of customers becoming ill after eating Soylent snack bars, company announced to halt all sales and shipments

  • Being done as a precautionary measure

• Advising all customers to toss out their remaining bars

• Will be reaching out via e-mail to all bar customers to offer a full refund

 

(RUMOR) More Nintendo NX Leaks Including Price

Source 1: https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/674589-more-nintend OP: Master Disaster

• $299 USD for system, $399 USD for ‘a bundle’

• Comes from a source over at reddit

• Will launch with Zelda BOTW and an unspecified Mario title

 

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Freshbooks

FreshBooks is the easy-to-use invoicing software that helps small businesses look professional and get paid faster. You can try FreshBooks completely free for 30 days at FreshBooks.com SLASH wan, and make sure you type WAN in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section.

 

• FreshBooks is the super simple-to-use invoicing tool that actually does a lot more than help you create and send slick looking invoices.

• helps you track your time with their timesheet function, manage your expenses and keeps track of who owes you what

• also has a feature that tells you when your clients look at your invoice for the first time

• mobile app has all the functionality of their desktop version, so you can take Freshbooks wherever you go

• if you have any questions, feel free to reach out to their support staff, where you’ll speak to a real human - no phone tree, no escalations, no return calls, just answers.

• visit freshbooks.com/WAN and enter WAN in the “how did you hear about us” section when you sign up for your free trial

• just got a mobile card reader!

 

Rejected

Universities Have Turned Over Hundred of patents to patent Trolls

Source 1: https://medium.com/@yardenkatz/universities-have-turned-over-hundreds-of-pate

 

Potential Topic Links

1.  

[Daniel644]

Still processing LOL.

[pagani123]

damn didn't get into the doc this week 

[zMeul]

this is the 2nd time (in last few weeks) that WAN Show host(s) say there aren't enough topics to discuss - what the fuck?!

there are enough topics, tech leraled, in the forums that could've been approached - not shit like Soylent, storms and whatnot

 

not only did the quality of the LTT videos took a nose dive, but the content of the WAN Show is getting daft 

[Memories4K]

1:01:50

Ilu Luke <3 We forgive you, it's all good in the hood 

[Isvan]

4 hours ago, zMeul said:

this is the 2nd time (in last few weeks) that WAN Show host(s) say there aren't enough topics to discuss - what the fuck?!

there are enough topics, tech leraled, in the forums that could've been approached - not shit like Soylent, storms and whatnot

 

not only did the quality of the LTT videos took a nose dive, but the content of the WAN Show is getting daft 

Did you  watch the video?

The power went out in the middle of when they were searching for content.

[XanderV]

Long time viewer, 1st time poster, just wanted to say I'd really appreciate the DYI transparent side panel video

[zMeul]

1 hour ago, Isvan said:

Did you  watch the video?

The power went out in the middle of when they were searching for content.

I watched only the bits/topics interesting to me

 

and I was under the impression the topics are prepared in advance

[Master Disaster]

14 minutes ago, zMeul said:

I watched only the bits/topics interesting to me

 

and I was under the impression the topics are prepared in advance

Well that leads onto another complaint, they've been ignoring many relevant topics and discussing topics that were not even posted here at all.

 

Just to be clear, I'm not pissed about the second one, I mean if its a good topic and it wasn't posted then it deserves a mention but to ignore 75% of the topics posted here then complain there is no topics to discuss isn't a good thing.

 

I understand there will always be some topics which they can't/wont discuss for obvious reasons but recently there's been some big news topics that they've just totally ignored. AMD Zen hardware level encryption is a perfect example from this week, that's important stuff and very relevant to consumers looking to upgrade over the next few months yet they didn't even mention it in rapid fire?

[Saturne]

About the "new" nîkon camera for astronomy: it's nothing new, a lot of companies (even primaluce) have been doing that for years, i don't know why it's newsworthy.

 

Now if you want to go on the technical side: Astrophotography requires long exposure of very faint objects, so faint that noise from you camera can often drown out the signal. Astronomers can use software techniques to remove some of the noise, such as stacking several pictures together, taking several pictures of the noise, stacking them and subtracting from the original image (explanation/free software to do that here, ).

If you want to be proactive, you can try to reduce the noise before it's produced, for example thermal noise can be reduced by decreasing the temperature of the camera (this is what this peltier module is all about).

 

The two image comparison are two long exposure photographs with the lens cap on. this means that anything you see on the image is pure noise. In an ideal world, you would only see black pixel.

 

What i didn't see mentioned in the doc is the most important part: standard camera have an infrared filter on them, it's very important if you want to take daylight pictures but it also cut a lot of the red components that are very common in nebula, such as the picture in the doc. It would be impossible to take a picture like that without replacing this IR filter. The downside is that you cannot use this camera for daylight pictures anymore.

 

Finally, a dslr is a great solution for someone that doesn't want to put too much effort into taking astrophotos, but if you want a higher quality picture you should look at cooled, monochrome CCDs with narrowband filters.

 

If you want more info about that, I can answer your questions, you can look at stargazerslounge or cloudynights forums or ask your local astronomy club.

[Bsmith]

Is it me or is this WAN show with less hiccups then ussual?

[Leonardo_Du5chl4mp3]

Since when is the WAN Show - the end all be all news show? IMO it never was and i don't understand the whining ...

[kayumust]

about the star citizen news as a long time backer.. and tbh i guess you luke and linus are fans aswell !? anyway it suprises me you guys are almost none involved in the game progress ? try to play it more , join the discord channel and if you like testing get into the ptu or even evocati ! because going on an idiot thread that is that much click bait and idiotic dissapoints me in you guys bringing me correct news ! and if you really did saw the presentation i expected way more info out of you then a "i think" kinda vieuw . my suggestion .. do something fun and make a video about the game making correct statements and praise the game get more people into it and maybe even do a presentation with chris roberts how awesome would that be ? anyway i hope you put the facts straight cause that article was messy and crappy AF !

[SanityAgathion]

I would just like to say to Luke that MS Paint actually has a text tool if you find typing text with mouse hard  It's the black A button to the left of Paintbrush selection.

[Razor512]

I have seen one person with an all in one HP touchsmart PC. I was repairing it for them because after a year, it was overheating, and the HDD was just throwing tons of SMART errors., Beyond that, the digitize was in the process of failing.

 

At the time, the system had a massive price premium, was poorly made, horrible cooling design, that caused the HDD to run very hot (above the listed operating temperature for most drives). To make matters worst, it did not sue standard parts, thus replacement parts are basically pulled from other used systems. It is the worst possible system. If you thought imacs were bad, try the HP touchsmart.

 

 

[Sacredsock]

Luke, get well soon.

 

Linus, Yvonne, enjoy these moments. Remember, it's OK to just stand and stare at the awesomeness that is bringing a small human into the world.

Also, congrats

[minibois]

WAN Show: Now with more swearing