Month: September 2021

Enlarge / A laboratory reproduction of the Zen stone phenomenon in a lyophilizer. (credit: Nicolas Taberlet / Nicolas Plihon)

Visit the Small Sea of Lake Baikal in Russia during the winter and you'll likely see an unusual phenomenon: a flat rock balanced on a thin pedestal of ice, akin to stacking Zen stones common to Japanese gardens. The phenomenon is sometimes called a Baikal Zen formation. The typical explanation for how these formations occur is that the rock catches light (and heat) from the Sun and this melts the ice underneath until just a thin pedestal remains to support it. The water under the rock refreezes at night, and it's been suggested that wind may also be a factor.

Now, two French physicists believe they have solved the mystery of how these structures form, according to a new paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences—and their solution has nothing to do with the thermal conduction of the stone. Rather, they attribute the formation to a phenomenon known as sublimation, whereby snow or ice evaporates directly into vapor without passing through a water phase. Specifically, the shade provided by the stone hinders the sublimation rates of the surrounding ice in its vicinity, while the ice further away sublimates at a faster rate.

Many similar formations occur naturally in nature, such as hoodoos (tall, spindly structures that form over millions of years within sedimentary rock), mushroom rocks or rock pedestals (the base has been eroded by strong dusty winds), and glacier tables (a large stone sitting precariously on top of a narrow pedestal of ice). But the underlying mechanisms by which they form can be very different. 

Amazon unloaded an entire delivery truck's worth of products at a private event today. Here are some of the many, many smart home products that were announced.

The Amazon Smart Thermostat: Way cheaper than the competition

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  Amazon's thermostat. [credit: Amazon ]

Lookout Nest! Amazon is stepping on Google's turf (and its old thermostat partner, Ecobee) with the Amazon Smart Thermostat. Nest thermostats are a circle, so this thing is a square, with the usual touch controls on the front and an app (the Alexa app) for remote control and usage tracking. "Thermostat Hunches" will let Alexa control the thermostat based on your location, and of course there are Alexa voice commands. This is "made with Honeywell Home Thermostat Technology" so between Amazon's Echo smarts and Honeywell's thermostat experience, there is plenty of expertise here.

The device is $59.99, and for $16 more you can get a bundle with a C-Wire Power Adapter, which you might need if your existing thermostat wiring isn't putting out enough power. That is dramatically cheaper than Nest, whose cheapest thermostat is $129.99. Amazon is also undercutting its biggest thermostat partner, Ecobee, which ships a thermostat with an entire Alexa speaker and microphone integrated into it, the $229.99 Ecobee 4. This is just a thermostat—but wow is it cheap.

Enlarge / Activision Blizzard's settlement over harassment and discrimination allegations is a drop in the bucket compared to what it made in revenue last year. (credit: Aurich Lawson | Getty Images)

Less than a day after a lawsuit alleging discrimination and sexual harassment was brought against it by a federal agency, Activision Blizzard has agreed to settle the case for $18 million. That's less than a half-percent of Activision Blizzard's total 2020 revenue.

The Diablo and Call of Duty maker, which denied any wrongdoing, will create an $18 million restitution fund for affected employees as part of the agreement. It will also comply with antidiscriminatory laws and ensure its workplace is free from harassment, discrimination, and retaliation practices. Any money that isn't claimed from the $18 million fund will be donated to charities dedicated to the advancement of women in gaming and tech sectors and otherwise used to improve upon Activision Blizzard's internal programs to promote inclusion, gender equality, and diversity.

Last year, Activision Blizzard earned $8.1 billion in revenue, putting the total settlement number at 0.22 percent of its total 2020 earnings.

Enlarge / The $83,500 BMW iX is the brand's new technology flagship. It's a battery electric SUV with a range of more than 300 miles. (credit: Jonathan Gitlin)

MUNICH—Regular readers of Ars will know that we make no bones about our love for the BMW i3. BMW's third-generation electric car taught the automaker plenty about EV powertrains as well as more sustainable manufacturing. But the i3 has taught BMW all it could, and now the time has come to apply those lessons to more mainstream EVs. And nothing is more mainstream these days than an SUV, so BMW has developed an all-new one to showcase the company's fifth-generation electric powertrain.

Enter the 2022 BMW iX.

Trickle-down might be a myth in economics, but the principle does work in the auto industry. Car makers develop new technology and launch it in their high-end vehicles first before economies of scale see such features show up in cheaper models. This is particularly true of the German luxury brands like BMW, which in the past used its 7 Series flagship sedan as its standard-bearer, introducing things like the first true infotainment system. But big sedan have fallen out of favor with the people who buy big luxury cars, and so the time has come for the flagship SUV instead.

Enlarge (credit: Getty Images | eccolo74)

Tesla has been sued by five Texas police officers who were injured when a Tesla Model X in Autopilot mode crashed into police vehicles that were stopped and had their flashing lights turned on. The officers also sued the owner of a restaurant accused of overserving alcohol to the X's driver.

"On February 27, 2021, a Tesla Model X engaged in Autopilot and equipped with Tesla's proprietary system of safety features, crashed into several police officers who were engaged in a traffic stop in a blocked-off lane of traffic on the Eastex Freeway in Texas. All were badly injured," the lawsuit said. The officers include four Montgomery County constables and a Splendora police officer, according to a Houston Public Media article.

The lawsuit accuses Tesla of gross negligence for "failing to safely and properly design, market, and manufacture the Autopilot system" and, among other things, "failing to warn the public of the Autopilot system's inability to detect emergency cars with flashing lights." The plaintiffs are seeking "damages for the severe injuries and permanent disabilities they suffered as a result of the crash," and they want to "force Tesla to publicly acknowledge and immediately correct the known defects inherent in its Autopilot and collision avoidance systems, particularly as those impact the ongoing safety of our nation's first responders," the lawsuit said.