Fleeing a horde of flesh-eating zombies? There’s an app for that. Seriously though, it seems that some cheeky IT developer recently created a fitness app for Google Glass that motivated runners by letting them know if they pace they are setting would be enough to flee from a pursuing zombie. But of course, that’s just one option that comes with this Glass application – known as Race Yourself – which first previewed this past January.
Mainly, the app seeks to take advantage of Google Glass display technology, which allows runners to see their progress in real-time without having to check their watch, device, or a series of chimes. Using the Glass’ heads-up display, it allows users to keep track of time, distance, and calories by simply taking a quick glance at the screen. And it comes complete with some games, including running from zombies or fleeing a giant boulder (a la Raiders of the Lost Ark).
While it is still in development, early reviews state that the app would be of use to both casual runners and those training for a big race. In addition to keeping track of your time and distance, runners are able to see how many calories they’ve burned and the pace they are setting. In the end, these useful stats, which can be consulted at a glance, are the real point of the app. The games (which require far more concentration) are just a fun bonus.
In addition to the zombie chase and the fleeing of the boulder, they include running against an Olympic athlete (100 metes in 9 seconds), racing against a train to save a woman lying on the tracks, or against your own speed during the last 50 meters of your run, where the name Race Yourself comes from. Runners using the app can expect two hours of battery life, which is more than enough for a good workout.
Richard Goodrum, COO of Race Yourself, says that the app will be launching later this year, at about the same time that Glass opens up to the general public. It will be joined by apps like Strava Cycling app, which offers similar stats to cyclists. And while you’re waiting, be sure to check out this video of the app in action:
Source: fastcoexist.com
Chu conceived of the idea while working as a professor of physics and molecular and cellular biology at the University of California, Berkeley. In short, the plan calls for fast-growing crops to be planted in the tropics – where sunlight is abundant – converted into glucose (of which cellulose, which makes up much of the dry weight of a plant, is a polymer). The resulting glucose and cellulose would then be shipped around much as oil is today, for eventual conversion into biofuels and bioplastics.
Another benefit of the this new model is the economic development it will bring to the tropical regions of the world. As far as production is concerned, those regions that stand to benefit the most are Sub-Saharan Africa, Central and South America, and South-East Asia. These regions are already seeing significant economic growth, and a shift like this would ensure their continued growth and development (not to mention improved quality of life) for many generations to come.
Not only would this shave decades off the development process, but also hundreds of millions of dollars. What’s more, Benjamin claims it could take only 8 to 10 years to see this type of biotechnology enter commercial production. Naturally, there are those who oppose the development of a “glucose economy” as advocated by Chu. Beyond the proponents of fossil fuel energy, there are also those advocate nationally self-sufficient resources bases, rather than foreign dependence.
Hence why Brown is asking for the public to help look for the meteorite, which has been described as a rock that looks like it was painted black, and contact the researchers if they find it. The researchers are also interested in hearing accounts from anyone who may have heard a whistling sound “like artillery coming in” or a thud after witnessing the fireball, indicating that it may have landed within a few hundred metres. That may help narrow down the area for the search.
However, TechCrunch reports that Facebook would launch 11,000 Solara 60 drones. Their coverage would begin with Africa, and then spread out from there. There’s no word on how fast these connections might be, nor how much such a connection would cost per user. Perhaps more importantly, there’s also no word on how Facebook intends to connect these 11,000 satellites to the internet, though it is obvious that Facebook would need to build a series of ground stations.
This not only ensures a much larger yield, but also makes the energy it harvests cheap. Bruno Michel, the manager for advanced thermal packaging at IBM Research, believes the design could be three-times cheaper than “comparable” systems. Officially, the estimate he provides claim that the cost per kilowatt hour will work out to less than 10 cents, which works out to 0.01 cents per watt (significantly cheaper than the $0.74 per watt of standard solar).
A combined system of this kind could be an incredible boon to economies in parts of the world that are surrounded by deserts, such as North Africa or Mongolia. But given the increasing risk of worldwide droughts caused by Climate Change, it may also become a necessity in the developed world. Here, such dishes could not only provide clean energy that would reduce our carbon footprint, but also process water for agricultural use, thus combating the problem on two fronts.
Stories by Williams 