Google Maps Displays Crimean Border Differently In Russia, U.S.

As reported by NPR: The U.S. sees Crimea as "occupied territory," as the government said in a recent statement. But in Russia, Google Maps now shows the peninsula as part of Russian territory. America and its allies have refused to accept the region's separatist move to join Russia.

A look at the maps available on two Google Maps Web addresses — one ending in .com and another in .ru — shows the disparity. In Russia, Web visitors see a solid line dividing Crimea from neighboring Ukraine. In the U.S., a dotted line separates the two, implying a disputed status within the country.

NPR's Corey Flintoff reports for our Newscast unit:

"If you check Google Maps from the United States, you'll see Crimea portrayed as part of Ukraine. If you check from Russia, you'll see an international boundary drawn between Ukraine and the Black Sea peninsula, indicating that Crimea is part of Russia."  A spokeswoman for Google Russia told the Itar-Tass news agency that Google follows local laws on representing borders — and since Russia claims Crimea, that's represented on the Russia version of the map.  Google says it tries to be objective in marking disputed regions in various parts of the world."

The tech company's approach also reflects its need to follow the laws wherever its servers are located. Many countries keep a close eye on maps that cover disputed areas.

"Google maintains different versions of their mapping platform in different countries," John Gravois of magazine tells NPR guest host Tess Vigeland on . "Last time I counted, there were over 30."

Other companies that create widely referenced maps have taken slightly different tacks on the Crimea issue.

"National Geographic has done sort of a version of what Google has done," says Gravois. "They note the border, but they shade Crimea differently from the rest of Russia, or Ukraine."

Rand-McNally has a different approach, he says. Following the lead of the U.S. State Department, the mapmaker continues to show Crimea as part of Ukraine.

Gravois says the sensitivity over how countries and territories are depicted on maps is both old and real.
"Historically, the most powerful mapmaker in the world was often the most powerful country in the world," he says. He adds that for many years, that distinction was held by the British Empire.

Instead of making one binding decision, Google can represent the viewpoints of different states in its maps, Gravois says.

But that doesn't mean everyone is happy with its approach. Take, for instance, the tech company's portrayal of the same body of water as the Persian Gulf for users in Iran and as the Arabian Gulf for those in neighboring states.

"And in the process," he says, Google "infuriates Iranians."

US Navy's Future: Electric Guns, Lasers, Water As Fuel

As reported by CNN Tech: Imagine ships that fire missiles at seven times the speed of sound without using explosives, or that use lasers to destroy threats at the cost of about a dollar a shot, and vessels making fuel from the very seawater in which they're floating.

That's the glimpse of the high-tech future the U.S. Navy gave this week. And these aren't just ideas. They've all been shown to work to some degree.

Saturday, the Navy will christen its most advanced warship ever, the destroyer USS Zumwalt, which may one day be using these new technologies.

The Zumwalt, which was launched last year and is to be christened at Bath Iron Works in Maine, is the Navy's first stealth destroyer. At 610 feet long and 80 feet wide, it's about 100 feet longer and 20 feet wider than ships in the Navy's current fleet of Arleigh Burke class destroyers, but the canopy and the rest of the Zumwalt is built on angles that help make it 50 times harder to spot on radar than an ordinary destroyer.

"It has the radar cross-section of a fishing boat," Chris Johnson, a spokesman for Naval Sea Systems Command, told CNN when the ship was launched last year.

In its current configuration, the Zumwalt will carry a considerable arsenal of weapons, including two Advanced Gun Systems (AGS), which can fire rocket-powered, computer-guided shells that can destroy targets 63 miles away. That's three times farther than ordinary destroyer guns can fire.

But in the future, it could be fitted with the even more advanced systems the Navy talked about this week.

One, a laser weapon prototype, will be tested aboard the amphibious transport dock USS Ponce in the Persian Gulf this summer, the Navy said.

"This is a revolutionary capability," Rear Adm. Matthew Klunder, chief of Naval Research, said in a statement. "This very affordable technology is going to change the way we fight and save lives."

The laser weapon is design to take on aircraft or small surface vessels that may pose threats to Navy ships. Tests in 2011 and 2012 showed it can accomplish that mission.

The laser can be fired by one sailor using a video game-like console and do it at little cost, the Navy said.

"Spending about $1 per shot of a directed-energy source that never runs out gives us an alternative to firing costly munitions at inexpensive threats," Klunder said.

The Navy thinks the other weapon prototype it discussed this week, the electromagnetic railgun, will save money while providing a more potent force.

The gun uses electromagnetic force to send a missile to a range of 125 miles at 7.5 times the speed of sound, according to the Navy. When it hits its target, the projectile does its damage with sheer speed. It does not have an explosive warhead.

"The electromagnetic railgun represents an incredible new offensive capability for the U.S. Navy," Rear Adm. Bryant Fuller, the Navy's chief engineer, said in a statement. "This capability will allow us to effectively counter a wide range of threats at a relatively low cost, while keeping our ships and sailors safer by removing the need to carry as many high-explosive weapons."

The railgun projectiles could cost about 1/100th the price of current missiles, according to Klunder.

The Navy said the railgun will be tested at sea aboard the USS Millinocket, a non-combat ship known as a joint high-speed vessel, in 2016. No decision has been made on which combat ships might eventually be deployed with a railgun.

No matter what ships are chosen, other Navy scientists said this week those vessels may someday draw their fuel from the oceans they're crossing.

Researchers at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Materials Science and Technology Division, said this week they have demonstrated proof-of-concept on the ability to draw carbon dioxide and hydrogen from seawater and turn it into forms of gasoline.

Heather Willauer, a Naval Research Laboratory chemist, called the technology "game changing."

"This is the first time technology of this nature has been demonstrated with the potential for transition, from the laboratory, to full-scale commercial implementation," she said in a statement.

The lab's researchers used "an innovative and proprietary NRL electrolytic action exchange module" to remove the carbon dioxide from the water and produce hydrogen gas in the process.

"The gases are then converted to liquid hydrocarbons by a metal catalyst in a reactor system," the research lab's statement said.

The fuel produced was used to power the engine of a small model aircraft, the researchers said.

The process could be ramped up to produce a replacement for jet fuel at a cost of $3 to $6 per gallon within a decade, the researchers said. That step would come on land, with versions to be used on ships coming later, they said.

Writing on the Navy's official blog this week, Vice Adm. Phil Cullom, deputy chief of Naval Operations for Fleet Readiness and Logistics, also called the new technology "game changing" and potentially life saving.

"After more than a decade of war, our adversaries have found certain soft underbellies to our operations.

They know that when you go after the logistics and resupply of fuel, that's an easier target than confronting our frontline forces. What if we removed that from the equation? Can you imagine a time when an aircraft carrier doesn't have to wait for the oiler to come steaming alongside it to deliver jet fuel? It truly does change things. It prevents what could one day be our 'maritime IED moment,'" Cullom wrote.

Spy Satellite Soars To Space

Thursday's on-time launch of a U.S. intelligence satellite gave the Air Force a few days to prepare the Eastern Range for its next mission: SpaceX's planned 4:58 p.m. Monday liftoff of cargo to the International Space Station.

United Launch Alliance kicked off the nearly back-to-back countdowns at 1:45 p.m. Thursday, when an Atlas V rocket bolted from its Cape Canaveral Air Force Station with nearly two million pounds of thrust.

Trailing a white column of exhaust as it shot east over the Atlantic Ocean through a clear sky, the 196-foot rocket carrying a classified National Reconnaissance Office satellite was performing well several minutes into flight, before ULA ended its launch broadcast to preserve the mission's secrecy.

About four hours later, ULA confirmed the launch was a success.

"We are honored to deliver this national security asset to orbit," said Jim Sponnick, ULA vice president for Atlas and Delta programs, in a statement.

Amateur astronomers experienced in tracking satellites, including secret NRO payloads, believe the satellite may be first of a new type of signals intelligence spacecraft, bound for a geosynchronous orbit more than 22,000 miles above the equator.

The speculation takes into account the flight's trajectory and a powerful Atlas V rocket capable of delivering the satellite directly to a high-altitude orbit. The booster was aided by four strap-on solid rocket boosters, and the Centaur upper stage was thought to be equipped for a longer-than-usual flight requiring several engine burns.

The mission's logo featured a blue Pegasus and the Latin motto "In Scientia Opportunitas," or "In knowledge, there is opportunity."

The launch was delayed more than two weeks when an electrical short disabled an essential Air Force tracking radar.

The 45th Space Wing activated a backup radar so launches could proceed while the damaged one is repaired, and reported no problems Thursday.

"I am proud of the persistence and focus of the launch team, the wing, NRO, ULA and other mission partners, to make this launch happen," Brig. Gen. Nina Armango, 45th Space Wing commander, said in a statement.

It was the 45th Atlas V launch since it began flying in 2002, but only the second in this configuration.

And it was ULA's second Atlas V mission in a week, following the Boeing-Lockheed Martin joint venture's successful April 3 launch of a military weather satellite from California.

Denver, Colo.-based ULA could try two Cape launches next month. A Delta IV rocket is targeting a May 15 liftoff with a Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite, before an Atlas V flies with another NRO mission.

But first, SpaceX on Monday will attempt to loft its third ISS resupply mission under a $1.6 billion NASA contract, and possibly follow that with a commercial satellite launch before the end of the month.

Google Glass Available to Anyone For One Day Only - April 15th

As reported by CNN: Have you been pining for your very own wearable $1,500 Google Glass but weren't sure how you, a regular nondeveloper residing in the United States, could procure one?

Tuesday will be your lucky day. Google is opening sales of Glass for one day only to any adult in the United States who wants one of the devices. In true sale fashion, Google is throwing in free frames or sunglasses for those first-time customers and the supply is limited. Sales start at 9 a.m. ET on April 15, but people can sign up now with Google to receive a reminder.

This is the first time the device has been available to the general public. So far, the face-mounted computers have been sold only to Google "Explorers," the company's name for early adopters. At first only developers could buy Glass, but Google slowly expanded the program to include regular people. Some were hand-picked, others applied to be Explorers through Google contests by sharing what cool projects they would do if they had Glass.

In the year since Google Glass was first shipped, it has been lauded as the future of computing, criticized for hastening the death of privacy, and mocked for looking silly. People wearing Glass have been banned from bars and restaurants, given tickets for distracted driving, and dubbed "Glassholes." It's been a busy year.

Glass mounts on a pair of compatible glasses and positions a small display above the wearer's right eye. The wearer uses Glass to access the Internet and can simply look up to see things like directions, notifications and content from custom Glass apps on the screen. It is controlled by voice or using the tiny touch pad on the side.

The device's most controversial feature is a small camera that can record 720p video or snap still photos. There's no indicator light showing when the camera is on, though Glass wearers say the display lights up, so it's not a secret.

Google and Explorers say that more education and exposure is needed to dispel privacy fears and for the technology to be embraced by the general public. This one-day sale could lead to a lot more people donning the devices. We'll have to see if that helps or hurts the Google Glass cause.

Apple iWatch Could Monitor Your Exposure to Harmful UV Rays

As reported by  Yahoo Tech: If all the reports turn out to be true, Apple’s first wearable technology device could well be a wrist-worn virtual doctor rather than just a second screen for the iPhone.

In a note to investors seen by Apple Insider, Barclays analyst Blayne Curtis says the iWatch will be able to monitor the wearer’s exposure to potentially harmful UV light and therefore know when it’s time to reapply sunscreen or cover up completely. In February, Silicon Labs, a Texas-based tech company, became the first to successfully build a single-chip digital UV index sensor, and Curtis believes that they could well be integrated into the Apple iWatch.

“These chips measure UV exposure to aid those with elevated risk of sunburn or just a general concern about excessive sun exposure, and we believe they may be … appealing to OEMs looking to differentiate in a crowded market,” Curtis wrote.

Adding weight to these claims is the fact that the sensors are multipurpose. They can also track other health and vital signs and, since the beginning of 2014, the reports, leaks, and whispers surrounding the iWatch have been focused on health and well being rather than push notifications and being able to dictate emails.

It started in earnest in January with a report in The New York Times that senior Apple executives had met with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to discuss regulatory hurdles to launching a health-focused device.

Since then, sources in China have claimed that the iWatch will be able to monitor both heartrate and blood-oxygen levels and that Apple was even toying with the idea of applying optoelectronics in order to read the wearer’s blood glucose levels.

Meanwhile, in February, a story in the San Francisco Chronicle claimed that Apple was looking to create a device that can predict a medical emergency and that a team, headed by Tomlinson Holman, was “exploring ways to predict heart attacks by studying the sound blood makes at it flows through arteries.”

The iWatch is tipped to launch in September 2014, by which time the Moto 360 and LG G Watch, the first smartwatches running Google’s new wearable device-focused version of Android, will already be on sale.

Google/Motorola Moves One Step Closer to Modular Smartphones

As reported by Mashable: Google released its first set of guidelines for developers hoping to participate in Project Ara, the company's platform for building modular smartphones. The first version of Project Ara's Module Development Kit was released Wednesday.

The idea behind Project Ara, first unveiled in October by the company's Advanced Technology and Projects (ATAP) Group, which is technically still part of Motorola, is to create a platform where any given part of a smartphone is its own module that can be replaced independently so users can completely customize the look of their device.

Google has already revealed the modular phones will come in small, medium and large sizes. The development kit includes guidelines detailing the requirements for individual components of the phones like processors and batteries.

"This is a very early version, but our goals are to give the developer community an opportunity to provide feedback and input, and to help us ensure that the final MDK — anticipated at the end of 2014 — is elegant, flexible and complete," Paul Eremenko, Google's head of Project Ara, said in a blog post.

The release comes just ahead of the first Project Ara Developer's Conference, which will be held next week in Mountain View, Calif. At the conference, developers will have a chance to provide feedback on the development kit and learn more about what features Google has planned for the platform.

The entire conference will also be live streamed for developers who wish to participate remotely.

Solar Impulse Unveils New Plane Designed To Fly Around The World Using Only Sunlight

As reported by The Verge: Solar Impulse has unveiled the plane that it hopes will be able to take its pilots all the way around the world using only solar energy. 

The Solar Impulse 2 weighs just 5,000 pounds and has a 236-foot wingspan covered entirely in solar cells, more than 17,000 of which are on the plane in total. 

Its creators say that the single-seat aircraft is also more efficient and generally better built than its predecessor — a necessity for making the approximately five-day-long flights across the Pacific and Atlantic oceans without running into problems.

The previous Solar Impulse completed a solar-powered flight across the US last year by hopping city to city, and the organization behind it hopes to begin its journey across the world in the new plane next year. The plan is to start in the Middle East in March of 2015, with landings made every few days to change pilots and hold local events. Solar Impulse will begin test flights and training this May.