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Saturday, July 5, 2014

Artistic Topographical Patterns Found on Earth’s Surface, Using Google Earth

As reported by WiredIn the early days of photography, getting an aerial shot of a landscape meant attaching a camera, with a timer, to a balloon. That’s no longer necessary. These days, a bird’s eye view of the entire world is available, free of charge, through Google Earth’s satellite images. It’s a seemingly bottomless well of content that’s practically spawned a new art movement: Google Earth images have already exhibited at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and inspired a designer to launch a line of bespoke, topographical carpets.



Sequin farms - Saudi Arabia


Kau Nature Reserve, Australia


Castro Marim, Portugal


Huelva, Spain


Huelva, Spain


Quinta da Ria Golf Course, Portugal


Santa Cruz, Argentina


Loncopué, Neuquén, Argentina

Portimão, Portugal


Guayaquil, Ecuador


Solar farms


Escher farms - Ankara Turkey


Iran

Austbo, Norway


Iran


Iran


Ashoro-Gun Hokkaido, Japan


Villarino - Buenos Aires



One such body of work is Lauren Manning’s Tumblr, Earth Patterns, where she documents some of the most breathtaking swatches of the earth’s surface. “Anytime I’d use Google Maps functionally—looking up where something was or how to get somewhere—I’d end up spending much longer than I’d intended just looking around at how amazing everything looks from above,” Manning says of her passion project. (She works for digital agency Code and Theory by day.)
Texas Gulf Potash Pond in Monticello, Utah. Google Earth 
Manning says she’s taken a couple hundred screen grabs—all on her iPad, where the retina display allows for big, clear images—and posted about 100 of those to Earth Patterns. The diversity in texture is stunning: some shots look like needlepoint, others look like Rothkos. In the deserts, the foliage and the housing are in plain sight, like dollhouse replicas of day-to-day life. And other shots—like the electric blue Texas Gulf Potash Pond in Monticello, Utah—look almost supernatural.

Manning says she would like to someday offer the screenshots as prints or postcards, but for the time being, she’ll continue to collate images on Earth Patterns.

Thursday, July 3, 2014

U.S. World Cup Team Used GPS Devices To Track Player Health

As reported by iHealthBeatWhen the U.S. Men's National Team played Belgium, physicians tracked their every movement using small GPS devices that measured players' physical workload and the distances they covered over time, Bloomberg reports.
Background
According to a study published after the 2010 tournament by Jiri Dvorak -- chief medical officer of Fédération Internationale de Football Association, or FIFA -- improved injury prevention among all World Cup teams has contributed to a lower number of match injury cases.
Dvorak applauded FIFA's acceptance of the new injury prevention methods, adding that during this year's tournament FIFA expects there to be fewer than two injuries per game, down from 2.7 injuries per game in 1998.
GPS-Tracking Device Details
The matchbox-sized GPS systems are commonly used by coaches to track players':
  • Exertion and energy expenditure; and
  • Positioning.
U.S. Men's National Team physician George Chiampas said that the information collected by such devices is "just one example of the data" he and his staff use.
The U.S. Men's National Team has at least 10 physicians and coaches who are responsible for players' health.
Data from the GPS-tracking devices are combined with information collected from other monitoring devices that can track players':
  • Cardiovascular efficiency;
  • Fatigue;
  • Hydration; and
  • Movements during running, jumping and playing

Ford and Intel Use Facial Recognition for In-Car Tech

As reported by Motor AuthorityIn order to expand the capabilities of in-car tech, Ford is working with Intel to bring facial recognition to the dashboard. The joint research project, called Project Mobil, will allow engineers to see how inward-facing cameras can be integrated into a car's existing systems to provide useful features. Ford Motor Company [NYSE:F] already believes the technology can help improve privacy and give parents a way to monitor their kids as they drive.  

When someone enters a Project Mobil-equipped car uses a front-facing camera to authenticate each driver. If the system doesn't recognize the driver, it would be able to send a photo to the vehicle's owner, who could then give permission for someone else to use it.
Once a driver is identified, the car can automatically adjust various settings to suit them. Drivers can also set different parameters for other people who use their cars, like requiring seat belt use or limiting audio volume or vehicle speed. This would theoretically allow parents to keep a leash on young drivers.

They may also be able to watch their children driver. Ford says Project Mobil can let owners remotely peek into their cars through a smartphone app, although this NSA-style monitoring could make other drivers--teenage or not--hesitant about borrowing the car. Maybe that's the whole idea.

A less creepy feature is gesture-recognition technology. Ford believes this can be combined with existing voice controls to make things like adjusting the climate control or opening and closing a sunroof easier while driving.

Project Mobil is still just an experiment, so Ford has no immediate plans to put any of this technology into production. Don't be surprised if your dashboard stares back at you eventually, though.

Mayors of Atlanta and New Orleans: Uber Will Beat the Taxi Industry

As reported by The AtlanticThe car service Uber is fighting in cities all over America to end the regulatory capture enjoyed by the taxicab industry. According to the mayors of Atlanta and New Orleans, they're going to win–but not before there's a long, intense fight about regulations.


Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed put it this way:
I think they're going to fight a 15 round fight, and I think that Uber's going to win. And the taxicab industry is going to have to change and get more flexible.
But in the interim, they're going to flat out fight it out, and mayors are going to be in the middle of it, because the taxicab industry is so old and staid and never had real competition, and now it's being forced to innovate.
Uber has a real challenge. Uber has to maintain the level of quality that made Uber the brand it is today. And I think that at this point in the life cycle of that business, and that space, they haven't had time to go out there and do 5 years and 7 years and 8 years to see, is your Uber experience the same. Because I had one the other day that was pretty close to a cab. So they're going to have to fight that out. I know that I'm going to get a mean letter, Uber.
I love you.
The fact that he described his worst Uber experience as "pretty close" to as bad as a cab, but not quite, struck me as telling.
Said New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu:
We're having the battle with Uber right now in the city of New Orleans. As we speak, our city council is being the host of the battle with the taxi cab industry. I think at the end of the day Uber is going to win. I think that their technology model is superior. I think their political skills need some work, if I might.
I think at the end of the day, there will be some resolution that's going to be more in favor of Uber than not. Although it does take a little bit of time -- you saw this in New York -- transforming a regulatory scheme that has been in place for however many years... is not as easy as just coming in and ask the mayor to change it. 
It actually is going to be a 15 round fight. And it's going to take time to work out, hopefully sooner rather than later. But that debate will be held. One of the issues... we want to make sure that people are riding in safe spaces. We told the cab industry you've got to have cars that are not older than, the national average is 3 years, we kind up kicked it up a little bit in New Orleans and allowed it to be seven. But we told them, you cabs have to be clean, and you've got to work it. But it is a forceful fight, and our city council is full of people on Uber's side, people on the cabs' side, and it's a battle. 
Mayor Reed of Atlanta then expressed how politically powerful the taxi cartels can be:
I tell you, Uber's worth more than Sony, but cab drivers can take you out. So you've got to [weigh that]. Get in a cab and they say, 'Well that mayor, he is sorry.' You come to visit Atlanta, they say, 'Well that Mayor Reed is as sorry as the day is long. Let me tell you how sorry he is while I drive you to your hotel. And I want you to know that crime is up.' This guy might knock you out.
I want you to know it can get really real. It's not as easy as it looks. 
Janette Sadik-Khan, former Commissioner of the New York City Department of Transportation, agreed:
The taxi cab industry is powerful in lots of ways. Lots of ways. Anybody who tries to make changes in a city runs up against them. I think they don't like bike lanes, they don't like bus lanes, they don't like plazas, they don't like Uber, you name it, they don't like it. In fact, I think if anybody knew who I was, like a cabbie, I'd be [gestures as if hit by a car] dead. But I do think that shared economy is here to stay. That train has left the station. It is happening.

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

NASA's Carbon Observatory Satellite Launched Into Orbit Today

As reported by The RegisterThe satellite – which will study the absorption of sunlight by carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere – is the third attempt to get a CO2-measuring craft into space by the American space agency. The OCO-1 in 2009 and follow-up Glory in 2011 both failed when they weren’t able to complete their first stage separation.  

NASA had to abandon the scheduled launch of the OCO-2 (Orbiting Carbon Observatory) yesterday, when there were problems with the launchpad water flow.

The blast-off was particularly difficult to get right because US rocket systems engineers only had a 30-second window to get the sat into orbit to join the A-Train, a constellation of five international Earth-observing crafts that fly in close formation, constantly monitoring the planet.

OCO-2 is now the best carbon dioxide monitoring satellite in orbit by a long way, capable of taking up to 100,000 useful readings per day. The next best only returns around 500 measurements a day that are totally unimpeded by cloud cover.


Scientists hope that OCO-2’s data can offer clarity on just how much impact human activity has on carbon dioxide production and the processes the gas undergoes in the atmosphere, which will hopefully help lead to some answers on if and how we can do something about climate change.

Google, Detroit Diverge on Road Map for Autonomous Cars

As reported by ReutersIn 2012, a small team of Google Inc engineers and business staffers met with several of the world’s largest car makers, to discuss partnerships to build self-driving cars.

In one meeting, both sides were enthusiastic about the futuristic technology, yet it soon became clear that they would not be working together. The Internet search company and the automaker disagreed on almost every point, from car capabilities and time needed to get it to market to extent of collaboration.

It was as if the two were "talking a different language," recalls one person who was present.

As Google expands beyond Web search and seeks a foothold in the automotive market, the company's eagerness has begun to reek of arrogance to some in Detroit, who see danger as well as promise in Silicon Valley.
For now Google is moving forward on its own, building prototypes of fully autonomous vehicles that reject car makers' plans to gradually enhance existing cars with self-driving features. But Google's hopes of making autonomous cars a reality may eventually require working with Detroit, even the California company acknowledges. The alternative is to spend potentially billions of dollars to try to break into a century-old industry in which it has no experience.
"The auto companies are watching Google closely and trying to understand what its intentions and ambitions are," said one person familiar with the auto industry, who asked to remain anonymous because of sensitive business relationships.

"Automakers are not sure if Google is their friend or their enemy, but they have a sneaking suspicion that whatever Google’s going to do is going to cause upheaval in the industry."
NO STEERING WHEEL
Analysts estimate Google has invested tens of millions of dollars in an effort that's ultimately a side project. But car companies, all too familiar with the devastating financial and brand damage of recalls, would see any hiccups with the self-driving car as a threat to their main business.

Nowhere is the disconnect more evident than in Google's latest prototype. Two people sit abreast in the tiny pod-shaped car, which has a flexible windshield for safety and is topped by a spinning cone that helps navigation. here The electric vehicles, unveiled in May, are limited to a maximum speed of 25 miles per hour and do away with several decades-long constants in motoring: the steering wheel, brake pedal and accelerator pedal.
Google co-founder Sergey Brin has described self-driving cars as an on-demand service that consumers summon when needed. That would represent a seismic shift from a longstanding model based on individual ownership, an annual $375 billion U.S. market according to J.D. Power.

Moreover, a study by consulting firm KPMG last year found that American consumers would trust brands like Google and Apple more for self-driving cars than they would automakers.
General Motors’ global product development chief Mark Reuss recently said Google could become a “very serious competitive threat.”

EVOLUTION VERSUS REVOLUTION
Chris Urmson, director of Google's self-driving car group, would not discuss any negotiations with automakers but argues that self-driving cars will benefit car companies and consumers by expanding the number of car users.
"I'm confident that when there is technology that makes sense, and when there is a business model that makes sense, that there will be interest and partnerships" with car makers, Urmson told Reuters in an interview.

Self-driving cars can free people to do more of the things that earn Google money, such as Web search. But Urmson said Google is still figuring out how to make a profit from the technology.
"I would imagine that this is probably different than just making more time for people to click on web sites," he said.

Car makers such as GM, Mercedes and Volvo have been developing their own autonomous vehicle technology for years.
But most favor an incremental approach to self-driving cars, in which features such as lane centering and parking assistance are gradually integrated into vehicles. Car makers are also hesitant to invest in new features until they are certain there is enough demand to pay for them.

That approach and car makers' long development process are at odds with Google’s ambition to create a fully autonomous car in one swoop. The Internet company seemed to have little patience for Detroit, according to people involved in the 2012 talks with automakers.
“There was a certain amount of arrogance on the Google side, in the sense of ‘We know what we’re doing, you just help us,’” said a second person, representing a major car maker, who was involved in discussions with Google.

“We’d say, ‘Well you don’t really know that much. And we’re not going to put our name on a project like that because if something goes wrong, we have a lot more to lose.’”
Another potential sticking point is maps developed by Google and essential for its robo-cars to operate, says Sven Strohband, a robotics expert who worked at Volkswagen until 2006 and was not involved in the discussions. That data, compiled by Google, can be extraordinarily detailed, down to the height of curbs or location of signs.

“The question is who owns the data,” he said. "You need to have frequent map updates and your car can only go where you have really accurate map data."
Without a driver to blame when accidents happen, the vehicles could bring greater liability for car makers.

Google's assurances to one car maker that it would take responsibility for accidents due to its technology, and that the data collected by the cars makes it easy to pinpoint fault, was dismissed, according to the first person involved in the 2012 discussions.
“I just couldn't believe my ears and was like ‘Wow you live in a bubble,’” the person said. “Car makers never get to decide who is at fault. It’s the lawyers, the judge and the jury.”

STARTING SMALL
Whether Google opts to license its technology or seeks to build cars to its specifications, Google will need Detroit for the last mile, say industry experts and insiders.
Google has made headway in less sensitive areas such as entertainment and navigation. In January, Google teamed up with GM, Audi, Honda and Hyundai to form the Open Automotive Alliance to incorporate its Android operating system, the software for mobile phones and tablets, into cars.

And it has taken steps to understand regulations better, hiring Ron Medford, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s former Deputy Director, in November 2012.
“My view on this is both parties probably need each other,” said Strohband, now Chief Technology Officer at venture capital firm Khosla Ventures.

A source at one automaker said the company talks to Google on a weekly basis about auto matters, though they have not partnered on self-driving cars.
Some in the industry predict fully automated cars will be available as soon as 2020, though research firm IHS Automotive does not expect the cars to be widely available until 2035. For now, Google is starting small with 100 to 200 prototype cars. It wouldn't identify manufacturing partners, though industry reports pinpoint Michigan-based Roush Enterprises, which assembles small volumes of custom vehicles such as race cars. Roush declined comment.

To build anything more than a couple thousand cars would likely require an automaker partner. Industry insiders point to critical systems such as steering and suspension, the intricacies of working with hundreds of suppliers and high-volume production at consistent levels of reliability as skills that cannot be learned overnight.
While Tesla Motors offers an example of an outsider breaking into the business, the electric car maker has benefited from a hefty government loan and from having access to the shuttered GM-Toyota NUMMI car manufacturing plant in Fremont, California.

The cost to launch a new car model, including costs of developing and tooling, is generally $1 billion to $1.5 billion. For a company starting from scratch, such as Google, that cost would likely be higher, say auto industry experts.
Some industry observers have suggested that Google should pair up with Tesla, which is also developing self-driving technology and which shares Google's Silicon Valley mindset. With roughly $60 billion in cash, Google could also acquire a smaller auto company, some speculate, though they note that such a move would involve more ongoing costs, liabilities and cultural challenges then Google may be willing to accept.

"Google is the 800-pound gorilla in the room and nobody wants to miss the boat," said Edwin Olson, assistant professor of computer science at the University of Michigan, who works with Ford on an automated vehicle project. "But at the same time I don’t think automakers want Google to be dictating terms if the time comes and Google is the only game in town."

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Automotive Grade Linux Released for Open Source Cars

From the Linux Foundation: Automotive Grade Linux (AGL), a collaborative open source project developing a common, Linux-based software stack for the connected car, today announced that its first open source software release is available for download, bringing the industry one step closer to achieving a standard Linux-based software platform for the connected car.

AGL is building the industry’s only fully open automotive platform, allowing automakers to leverage a growing software stack based on Linux while retaining the ability to create their own branded user experience. Standardizing on a single platform means the industry can rapidly innovate where it counts to create a safe and reliable connected car experience. Open collaboration within the AGL community means support for multi-architectures and features to bolster the in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) experience.

“Openness and collaboration are key to accelerating the development of a common, standard automotive platform so the industry can more quickly achieve its vision of delivering the connected car,” said Dan Cauchy, general manager of automotive, The Linux Foundation. “This AGL release is a great step forward and the community is already looking to build on its work to address a number of additional capabilities and features in subsequent releases. With AGL at the core, the industry will be able to more rapidly innovate and evolve to meet customer needs.”

AGL builds on top of Tizen IVI and adds key applications developed in HTML5 and JavaScript into a single open source reference platform. 

See slideshow of AGL key features including:
  • Home Screen
  • Dashboard
  • Google Maps
  • HVAC
  • Media Playback
  • News Reader (AppCarousel)
  • Audio Controls
  • Bluetooth Phone
  • Smart Device Link Integration
Each component includes a detailed Design Requirements Document (DRD) with descriptions, use cases, HMI flows, graphical assets, architecture diagrams and more. AGL code, DRDs and more are all available on the AGL wiki to give anyone the background and tools needed to use the software and start contributing to the project.

“Using AGL means the industry benefits from the stability and strength of a common Linux distribution, Tizen IVI, at the core while bringing their own unique applications and functionality to market faster,” said Rudolf Strief, director of embedded solutions, The Linux Foundation. “Collaborating within the AGL community helps the industry avoid fragmentation that can waste time and R&D resources that could be put to better use innovating on safety and reliability for drivers.”

AGL is free to download and anyone can participate in the open source community. Learn more: http://automotive.linuxfoundation.org.


About Automotive Grade Linux (AGL)
Automotive Grade Linux is a collaborative open source project that aims to accelerate the development and adoption of a fully open software stack for the connected car. Leveraging the power and strength of Linux at its core, AGL is uniting automakers and technology companies to develop a common platform that offers OEMs complete control of the user experience so the industry can rapidly innovate where it counts. The AGL platform is available to all, and anyone can participate in its development. Learn more: http://automotive.linuxfoundation.org/

Automotive Grade Linux is a Collaborative Project at The Linux Foundation. Linux Foundation Collaborative Projects are independently funded software projects that harness the power of collaborative development to fuel innovation across industries and ecosystems.