Category Archives: Technology

Games: The Scandinavian Zen Of The “Townscaper” Video “Toy” App (CityLab)

BLOOMBERG CITYLAB (JULY 23, 2020) – Users say they enjoy Townscaper’s calm ambiance, with no background music apart from the occasional plips and plops of material falling into the digital ocean, and they derive particular pleasure from the simple mechanics of the game — left click: you build something, right click: you destroy it.

Townscaper gameplay

When Oskar Stalberg announced the release of Townscaper a few weeks ago, he made a point of calling it a “toy” rather than a video game — because it has no goal apart from the sheer enjoyment and satisfaction you get from seeing a pretty town rising from the sea as you click.

Townscaper Website

Even though Stalberg had figured people would enjoy his creation, he hadn’t predicted the following it would gain among both designers and game developers — and what they would create with it. So far, the $5.99 game has been met with overwhelmingly positive reviews (more than 2,600 versus 35 negative ones).

Read more

Recreation Tech: “Canyon Grail:On” E-Bikes (Video)

E-gravel is about escaping your routine. Getting off-grid and back again. Fast. With its powerful Bosch Performance Line CX Gen4 motor, the Grail:ON surges over any terrain, turning day-long outings into hour-long blasts. Take the fastest line to the highest point. Experience Electrified Escape. Experience the Grail:ON.

Website

Telehealth Technology: Philips “Virtual Care Station” – “High Quality, Secure, Clinical-Grade”

Philips Virtual Care Station, inspired by the VA’s ATLAS program, is a community-based telehealth solution designed to expand access to high-quality care by connecting patients and providers remotely through a secure, clinical-grade environment.

Philips Virtual Care Station - Telemedicine Video July 21 2020

Website

Online Streaming: “How Spotify Came To Dominate Digital Music” (CNBC)

Streaming has become this decade’s preferred way of listening to music. It’s an $11 billion dollar industry, making up 47% of global music industry revenues, and Spotify has become the clear winner globally in terms of paid subscribers. Taking on behemoths like Apple, Amazon and Google, Spotify has dominated the global streaming music industry with about 130 million premium subscribers world-wide. Recently, Spotify secured distribution deals with Joe Rogan and Kim Kardashian West to produce podcasts for the platform. Watch CNBC’s deep-dive into how Spotify started, how it became the audio leader, and where what’s to come next.

Future Of Ocean Travel: “Energy Observer” – The First Seawater Hydrogen-Powered Ship (Video)

 

To begin with, Energy Observer is the name of the first hydrogen-powered, zero-emission vessel to be self-sufficient in energy, advocating and serving as a laboratory for ecological transition. Now an organisation that combines expeditions and innovations, Energy Observer is exploring and developing solutions that prove that another future for energy is possible, an optimistic future, which is more respectful of the planet and those who live here.

 

Website

Health Technology Video: “Smart Insulin Pumps” For Diabetes Management

Technology is finally innovating diabetes management. With the advancement in technologies like continuous glucose monitors, traditional insulin pumps are evolving into smarter devices that can automate insulin delivery.

Medtronic and Tandem Diabetes are the only two companies to offer hybrid closed loop systems. A community of diabetics are also hacking pumps to do the same thing. CNBC’s Erin Black just switched from the hacked system to Tandem’s Control-IQ and takes a look at how insulin pumps are getting smarter.

The Future Of Cycling: “Bosch eBike” (2020)

The Concept Bike is designed as an Urban Sports Cruiser – its carbon frame with fully integrated front and rear suspension offers maximum comfort for city adventures, commuter trips and off-road trails.

Bosch eBike Drive

The Bosch drive system merges with the frame and handlebar to form one unit in this design concept.

Bosch eBike Cockpit

The perfect integration of the Performance Line CX, the PowerTube 625, the new Nyon on-board computer and the Bosch eBike ABS make the eBike Design Vision a visual experience.

Bosch eBike Battery

Website

Health & Consumers: “How Coronavirus Is Changing Grocery Shopping” (WSJ)

 

Will the coronavirus pandemic lead to long-term changes in how we shop for food? To better understand the challenges facing grocery stores, WSJ’s Alexander Hotz spoke with an industry insider, a store owner and a Walmart executive.

Wednesday Podcast: Virus Misinformation, 2020 Election & Surveillance

Axios TodayThe spread of misinformation is crippling our fight against the coronavirus. Social media and a deeply partisan divide are fueling what the World Health Organization calls an “infodemic,” which is just as urgent as the virus itself.

  • Plus, the 2020 election could determine the future of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines.
  • And, going back to work might require getting used to surveillance and data collection in the workplace.
  • Guests: Axios’ Bryan Walsh, Ben Geman, and Erica Pandey

New Astronomy Books: “Expanding Universe – The Hubble Space Telescope”

With investigations into everything from black holes to exoplanets, the Hubble Telescope has changed not only the face of astronomy but also our very sense of being in the universe. On the 30th anniversary of its launch into low-earth orbit, this updated edition of Expanding Universe presents 30 brand new images, unveiling more hidden gems from the Hubble’s archives.

Expanding Universe - The Hubble Space Telescope - Taschen June 2020

Ultra-high resolution and taken with almost no background light, these pictures have answered some of the most compelling questions of time and space while also revealing new mysteries, like the strange “dark energy” that sees the universe expanding at an ever-accelerating rate.

The collection is accompanied by an essay from photography critic Owen Edwards and an interview with Zoltan Levay, who explains how the pictures are composed. Veteran Hubble astronauts Charles F. Bolden, Jr. and John Mace Grunsfeld also offer their insights on Hubble’s legacy and future space exploration.

The contributors

Charles F. Bolden, Jr., Major General, USMC (Ret.), is a former Administrator of NASA, where he oversaw the completion of the International Space Station. He spent 14 years as a member of NASA’s Astronaut Corps, and commanded and piloted the Space Shuttle Discovery on STS-31, which launched the Hubble Space Telescope into orbit.

Owen Edwards has written about photography for more than 30 years for numerous publications including American PhotographerNew York Times Magazine, and Smithsonian.

John Mace Grunsfeld, PhD, is an astrophysicist and a NASA astronaut. He has flown five times on the Space Shuttle, including three Hubble servicing missions. He has served as the Associate Administrator for the Science Mission Directorate, the NASA Chief Scientist, and as the Deputy Director of the Space Telescope Science Institute.

Zoltan Levay is a retired principle science visuals developer at the Space Telescope Science Institute, where he worked with astronomers and communicators worldwide to publicize science results from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope.

Read more or purchase