Category: Science &Technology

{The demo of a smart home from Alex Hawkinson was about the biggest I’ve ever seen. It took up a whole house. Alex, CEO of SmartThings, walked me from room to room in a large Las Vegas home as the house reacted to his presence. In the kitchen, it turned on the coffee maker and announced the weather forecast through a Sonos speaker. It even set the Philips LED lightbulbs to various colors based on how well his stock holdings were doing. }

With the SmartThings system, everything, including devices not made by SmartThings (like the Sonos, the Philips lightbulbs, and other devices) is visible and controllable from your phone — even when you’re not inside.

As we simulated walking outdoors, a vibration sensor triggered, setting the Sonos to play a recording of a large, angry dog barking to scare away a possible thief. In the garage, opening the overhead door gave us an alert on our smartphone. Also in the garage, dribbling water on a sensor, simulating a leaking pipe, caused a valve to cut off the water supply in to the house.

And then the moving of an artifact (a ceremonial sword) in the office sent an urgent theft alert to his phone.

Finally, Alex set the home to “night mode” by pressing the sleep button on his fitness bracelet. The lights all went off, as did the entertainment system, and the Nest thermostat dropped to nighttime levels.

It was cool, Jetsons-style magic. I wanted this gear badly. But really, who needs all this stuff? Who’s going to construct this kind of a system?

More importantly: Is it worth it? Hawkinson said we were walking through a few thousand dollars worth of equipment. That is less money than anything like this would have cost a few years ago, and it did more cool stuff. With SmartThings software it looked easy to set up.

But still: A lot of it felt like a science experiment.

Hawkinson did agree to a point, but he said that some of the monitoring technology (like the leak detection and alerting) was actually really cheap insurance, and people who owned cabins or the like would see the value. Also, he said, this system could be used to tell parents when a kid comes home safely. You don’t need to go all Internet coffee machine to get value from a smart home .

He also thinks that smart and cheap(ish) sensors, plus technology like his to make sense of their signals, could make home security smarter and more affordable. Equipped homes could know much more about who’s in them and what they’re doing there, leading to fewer false alarms and thus more rapid and automated police dispatch when there are break-ins.

The challenge when evaluating this smart home stuff is sorting out the useful (alarms that can help you keep your family or your things safe) from the silly (like lighting that adjusts to your mood based on what your fitness bracelet senses). A lot of the demos smashed the sane and the silly together. You’ll want it all. But you only need very little of it.

Agencies

{Ford announced plans Thursday for a prototype hybrid car that uses solar energy from a rooftop charger, reducing gas use and avoiding the need for plugging into the electric grid.
}

The US auto giant said its C-MAX Solar Energi concept car with a solar panel roof draws power from a special solar concentrator lens similar to a magnifying glass.

The vehicle, which will be on display at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas next week, is estimated to reduce the annual greenhouse gas emissions a typical car owner would produce by four metric tons.

The new system aims to rev up sales of electic and hybrid vehicles without the plug-in requirement of some current models.

{{SYSTEM TRACKS SUN}}

Ford said the system tracks the sun as it moves from east to west, drawing enough power from the solar rays each day to equal a four-hour battery charge.

Ford said this car would deliver an estimated 100 miles (160 kilometers) per gallon (3.8 liters) of gasoline.

“Ford C-MAX Solar Energi Concept shines a new light on electric transportation and renewable energy,” said Mike Tinskey, Ford global director of vehicle electrification and infrastructure.

“As an innovation leader, we want to further the public dialogue about the art of the possible in moving the world toward a cleaner future.”

The car is a collaborative project of Ford, California-based SunPower Corp. and the Georgia Institute of Technology.

AFP

{After launching different online TV programs, IGIHE TV has started the new online TV program entitled “Stream 250” to show the new image of Rwanda in different sectors namely, Business, art and culture, entertainment, etc.}

Speaking to this site, Manishimwe Jean Marie Vianney, video editor at IGIHE TV said “The program was named “Stream 250” because of Rwanda’s Country Code +250 which is unique dialing number for Rwanda, thus this program is also unique to show the image of Rwanda”

Its first show was aired in December 2013 with the talk show about Rwanda Job Day which brought together job seekers, employers, both private and public sector and the event was held at Kigali Serena Hotel

Manishimwe said that Stream 250 will allow Rwandans all over the world to know exactly what is happening in their native country adding that even foreigners will be able to know more about Rwanda.

Besides to this TV program, there are many other programs that IGIHE TV broadcasts like Behind The Scene, LE Mag, Dispora TV Show and many other programs that show daily life of Rwandans who have made significant steps.

{Rwanda’s mobile subscriber numbers now stand at 6,59 million – a slight drop on previous figures following the disconnection of unregistered SIM cards.}

According to the Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority (RURA), the number of active mobile subscribers in Rwanda is 6,593,033 – a penetration of 62.6%.

MTN Rwandacell had the biggest share of the market by end November, with over 3,516 million, followed by Tigo Rwanda, with over 2,141 million and Airtel Rwanda, with 935,000.

The number of active mobile subscribers in Rwanda climbed from 5.902 million at the end of January this year. Penetration was reported to have topped 63.7% in September. However, RURA noted that due to SIM card registration process that took place from February to July 2013, SIM cards that were not registered until the deadline were disconnected, hence the decrease in active mobile subscriptions and the penetration rate as of October 2013.

{Astronauts aboard the International Space Station prepared for an unexpected series of spacewalks by fabricating spacesuit snorkels they can use for breathing in case of another helmet water leak, NASA officials said on Wednesday.}

The spacewalks, the first of which is slated to begin at 7:10 a.m. EST (1210 GMT) on Saturday, are needed to replace one of two cooling pumps outside the $100 billion complex, which flies about 250 miles above Earth.

U.S. spacewalks have been suspended since July after a spacesuit helmet worn by Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano filled with water, causing him to nearly drown.

The underlying cause of the leak remains under investigation but engineers have learned enough to make modifications so the problem will not happen again, NASA managers told reporters during a conference call.

“I would be surprised if we have a problem with the suits,” said space station program manager Mike Suffredini.

As a contingency, the spacewalkers’ helmets will be outfitted with absorbent pads and home-made snorkels to funnel air from the body of the water-cooled suits into an astronaut’s mouth, if needed.

The snorkels, which were fabricated by the crew on Sunday, are made from plastic water line vent tubes used in the spacesuits.

“This is your last resort,” said Allison Bolinger, lead spacewalk officer. “If water is encroaching your face, similar to what happened to Luca, the crewmember can lean down and use this (the snorkel) to breathe.”

First-time spacewalker Michael Hopkins will wear Parmitano’s spacesuit, but it has been outfitted with a new fan pump separator, a device that circulates water and air and removes moisture from air.

The fan pump separator from Parmitano’s suit was flown back to Earth for analysis and engineers found tiny holes in the water-separator portion of the device were clogged.

That allowed water to back up into the fan portion, get into a vent loop and enter the helmet, said space station flight director Dina Contella.

Still unknown is how the water was contaminated.

“Unfortunately, it’s a pretty complicated water chemistry problem,” Contella said.

Suffredini said: “We believe the lines we’re using today are clean. We’ve put in new filters and we think the filter system works.”

A new fan pump separator is among the cargo aboard Orbital Sciences Corp’s first supply ship to the station which had been slated to launch this week. But it is being delayed until mid-January so NASA can tackle the higher-priority work of getting the station’s cooling system back in operation.

One of two ammonia cooling systems shut down on December 11, forcing astronauts to turn off unnecessary equipment and suspend some science experiments.

The U.S. side of the station has a second cooling system, but it cannot accommodate all the gear.

Hopkins will be joined by six-time spacewalker Rick Mastracchio for three spacewalks to replace the faulty cooling system with a spare that is in storage outside the station.

In addition to Saturday’s 6.5-hour outing, spacewalks are planned for Monday and Wednesday.

Reuters

Information Communication and Technology (ICT) ministers from Kenya, Uganda, {Rwanda and South Sudan have met in Nairobi to discuss the integration of ICT infrastructure in the East African region, resolving to jointly find ways of reducing the cost of roaming voice and data charges.}

The ministers, who are expected to discuss other issues such as the harmonisation of policy regimes among the four countries, cybersecurity, digital migration and SIM registration, said the high cost of roaming is a great barrier to investments across the region.

Fred Matiangi, Kenya’s ICT cabinet secretary, said there was a need to define wholesale and retail price caps for roaming charges based on best practices.

“It doesn’t make sense if we want to support regional trade to have a situation where it costs you KSh3 to call to the USA, but you pay KSh30 to make a call to Rwanda and we are all determined to bring down the cost of calls in the region,” he said, reports Capital FM.

Matiangi said the respective ministers will come up with options that are reasonable for regulation through engaging their respective regulators on the matter.

“We are in an era where we are talking about removing all barriers to regional trade and regional engagements and the cost of roaming calls in East Africa is a serious barrier to regional trade,” he said.

Leading Kenyan operator Safaricom in October increased its international calling rates to East African Community (EAC) countries following new taxes on international calls from the Kenyan government, but recently the operator introduced new roaming bundles for its subscribers travelling across the region.

HumanIPO reported in September the Kenyan government had called on African mobile networks to lower their roaming charges for international calls, but Safaricom chief executive officer (CEO) Bob Collymore had urged governments to consider easing taxes levied on mobile operators within the region in order to put an end to high roaming charges.

{ICT ministers from Uganda, Rwanda and South Sudan are meeting in Nairobi to discuss the integration of ICT infrastructure in the East African region.}

The meeting is expected to discuss among other issues the harmonization of policy regimes among the four countries that utilize especially fiber from Kenya among other crucial infrastructure. Other issues on the table include migration from analogue to digital migration with none of the countries having started the migration amid a global deadline that is growing nearer by the day.

The ministers will also talk about the growing threat of cybersecurity with some of the states yet to create a cybersecurity master plan as well broadband connectivity. SIM registration will also be discussed as the states seek greater control of ICT infrastructure and its usage with the growing threat of terrorism in the region especially from the Al Shabaab likely to feature after attacks in Kenya and Uganda in the past while Rwanda has also been hit by a spate of grenade attacks.

The ministers will also discuss the roaming charges issue with calls from Kenya having been subjected to new levies and taxes mid this year despite an earlier request by the East African Communications Organisation (EACO), who at a meeting in Nairobi earlier in the year discussed adopting a uniform policy regarding roaming and international call rates in the region.

CIO East Africa

Rwanda: IGIHE launches new Android Application

IGIHE the best online newspaper in the country has emerged to be the first news paper in the country to launch a new application of using Android.

This application will facilitate every reader owning a smart phone or tablet to easily follow news in four languages published as news on IGIHE news website e.g. Kinyarwanda, English, French and Kirundi.

Currently, the application is available on Google play, an international market of applications operating in the United States of America called Google Inc.

Before the launch of this new application of android, IGIHE has been testing another application which has been visited and used by over 3002 people since 30th April 2012 when it was launched for the first time.

{{All you need to know about the new IGIHE Android Application}}

Apart from the beautiful design of IGIHE application on android, it’s composed of a technical set-up which can support the reader to store letters and documents to facilitate the reading later, without meeting network breakdowns.

This application also supports the reader to easily choose the news category to read e.g. sports category, religion, Entertainment and other categories.

The android application has also made it possible and easier for the users of face book to share news from IGIHE website through the support from the 3.0 version.

This application also makes it easier for the reader to choose and also setup a language of his desire which comes first in the four that comprise IGIHE newspaper.

The application also facilitates the user in making text size changes depending on the personal wish.

{ {{ How news stories and categories are followed on IGIHE android application
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{How the application can be available}

The new IGIHE android application can only be available to people with smart phones with an android application.

Some of these phone gadgets include, Samsung, HTC, LG, Techno, Konka, Huawei, Sony Xperia, Kyocera and others.

Others include; Nokia, Blackberry, iPhones and other IGIHE applications to work with these telephone programmes are to be introduced very soon.

{If you have ambitions of being one of the first people on Mars, listen up: A Dutch company says it is moving along with its plan to send four lucky Earthlings to colonize the Red Planet. The catch: They won’t ever come back.}

The Mars One foundation announced Tuesday that it has secured lead suppliers for an unmanned mission launching in 2018, which involves a robotic lander and a communications satellite. Lockheed Martin has been contracted to study building the lander, and Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. will develop a concept study for the satellite, Mars One said.

This first mission will demonstrate technology that would be involved in a permanent human settlement on Mars. If all goes well — and that’s still very much an “if” — the first pioneers could land on Mars in 2025.

Enthusiasm has been growing since the project’s first big announcement in April. More than 200,000 people have signed up to be prospective astronauts, Mars One CEO Bas Lansdorp said in Washington on Tuesday.

Apparently, they’re OK with living out the rest of their lives on Mars. The technology for a return flight doesn’t exist — there’s no Kennedy Space Center launch pad over there! — and having a one-way trip greatly reduces costs, the company has said.

The application period is now closed, and by the end of this year, the company plans to notify those special folk who made it to Round 2.

The unmanned mission is the “most important and most difficult step of actually getting humans to Mars,” Lansdorp said.

It would also be the first privately funded planetary exploration mission.

“The opportunity to participate in that is just really exciting,” said Ed Sedivy, a chief engineer at Lockheed Martin Space Systems.

Lansdorp expects that the majority of funding for the unmanned missions will come from sponsors and partners, not public contributions.

What they want to send in 2018

The lander will be based on the successful NASA Phoenix mission, Lansdorp said. The Mars One probe will feature a robotic arm carrying a camera that will shoot continuous video, as well as a water experiment that will demonstrate the production of liquid water on the surface of Mars.

“The highest priority is to actually have liquid water on Mars,” he said.

This unmanned mission will also carry the winning projects from an experiment contest. There will be a worldwide university challenge giving teams the chance to propose tests to carry out on Mars.

These could be science experiments, of course, but Mars One is also interested in “fun” experiments. One of Lansdorp’s visions, for instance, is a balloon with a camera attached to it that would film Mars from an altitude of 200 to 500 meters, which has never been done.

The communications satellite will provide live video feed from surface of Mars to Earth, representing the first Mars synchronous communications satellite, Lansdorp said
CNN