Month: April 2022

Who cares about climate change? Biden brings back E15 gas

E15 is no better than gasoline for climate change, and it lowers fuel efficiency.

Who cares about climate change? Biden brings back E15 gas

Enlarge (credit: Aurich Lawson | Getty Images)

The US looks set to use so-called "E15" gasoline throughout the summer. On Tuesday, President Joe Biden will announce that the US Environmental Protection Agency will issue a national emergency waiver allowing the use of the ethanol-gasoline blend between June 1 and September 15 as Americans complain about high fuel prices. Currently, the use of that fuel is illegal because of smog regulations.

Ethanol-gasoline blends became popular during the 2000s as a potential panacea for solving US energy dependence on the Middle East as well as a way to clean up the climate. It also always played well in the Iowa caucuses, as it gives us something to do with our immense corn surplus.

E85 fuel—a mix of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline—rapidly fell out of favor. But 98 percent of US gas stations offer E10, a blend of 10 percent ethanol and 90 percent gasoline, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. At this concentration, the ethanol oxygenates the fuel and increases its octane rating; it also stretches the country's supply of gasoline by diluting it.

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DuckDuckGo announces a new privacy-focused Mac web browser

WebKit browser includes ad blocking, password manager but no extension support.

DuckDuckGo's browser for macOS.

Enlarge / DuckDuckGo's browser for macOS. (credit: DuckDuckGo)

DuckDuckGo, the privacy-focused search engine with the weird name, already offers web browsers for iOS and Android and browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, and Safari. But on Tuesday, the company announced that it is getting into desktop browsers, too. DuckDuckGo for Mac is available starting today as an invite-only beta that "is designed to be used as an everyday browser that truly protects your privacy."

Among other features, DuckDuckGo says that its browser will automatically manage cookie consent pop-ups "on many sites," that it will use encrypted HTTPS connections whenever they're available, and that the browser will block trackers and allow you to clear stored website data on a site-by-site basis. The browser also includes its own password manager that can import data "from other browsers and browser extensions like 1Password or LastPass." Private syncing of passwords and bookmarks between browsers is a planned feature but isn't available in this initial version.

Most alternative browsers are based on Google's Chromium browser and Blink browsing engine so they can benefit from Chrome's majority position in the browser market. Most webpages are tested with Chrome in mind, and Chrome has a large and well-supported library of browser extensions that third-party browsers can usually tap into without making any changes. The DuckDuckGo browser instead uses Apple's WebKit rendering engine via the WKWebView API.

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Compal’s StudyBook concept is a multi-function laptop for kids with a writing slate and detachable keyboard

Taiwanese device manufacturer Compal has designed an unusual laptop aimed at young children. At first glance the Compal StudyBook looks like a standard notebook, but it has a few features that make it stand out. First, the keyboard can be lifted up and removed from the bottom of the notebook to reveal a writing slate that […]

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Taiwanese device manufacturer Compal has designed an unusual laptop aimed at young children. At first glance the Compal StudyBook looks like a standard notebook, but it has a few features that make it stand out.

First, the keyboard can be lifted up and removed from the bottom of the notebook to reveal a writing slate that kids can use to write or draw. And second, there’s an adjustable mirror built into to the camera section, allowing children to capture and share imagery of whatever they’re drawing on that bottom screen.

The StudyBook isn’t an actual thing that you can go out and buy at this point. Instead it appears to be a concept device that Compal could shop around to potential companies if anyone is interested in having Compal manufacturer it on their behalf. But you can find some pictures and details have been posted to the IF Design Award website.

Since the laptop is designed for kids, it has a colorful rubber bumper to help protect it from scrapes, scuffs, and minor falls.

The writing surface appears to use the same kind of cheap CLCD (Cholesteric Liquid Crystal Display) technology as cheap writing slates like the Boogie Board line of products (which sell for as little as $15), so I wouldn’t expect the StudyBook to be particularly expensive to manufacture… or particularly impressive as a writing tablet. It’s limited to two colors: black and green. And there’s no support for things like pressure sensitivity or tilt detection.

Still, the inclusion of both a QWERTY keyboard and a writing surface with support for battery-free pen input means that young students could practice typing and writing using the same device.

The flip-up mirror over the camera can be angled to capture the contents of the writing slate and software on the computer will automatically reverse the imagery so that writing and drawing won’t look backwards. You could also use the mirror + camera to capture other imagery placed atop the keyboard/writing area like a book, Play-Doh sculpture, or origami objects.

You can also flip the mirror down so that it covers the camera when you’re not using it or flip the mirror all the way up so that it doesn’t obstruct the camera, allowing you to use the webcam for video calls.

Images also show HDMI, USB Type-A and Type-C and 3.5mm audio ports, plus a microSD card reader and a power button on the side of the laptop where it will be easy to press whether the keyboard or the writing surface are in use.

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Stranger Things goes full-on Lovecraft in S4 trailer, and we’re here for it

Looks like we’ll finally get the full scoop on the show’s underlying mythology.

Netflix has released the official trailer for the fourth season of Stranger Things.

It's been a long wait, but the official full trailer for the fourth season of Stranger Things is finally here. The trailer is set to Journey's "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)," and it brings full-blown Lovecraftian horror vibes. We get a spooky house with a mysterious grandfather clock, spontaneous levitation, an eyeless old man, and a brief glimpse of a grotesque humanoid figure sprouting the oozing tentacles that serve as the calling card of the Upside Down. Yep, we're here for it.

(Spoilers for the first three seasons below.)

Netflix has been releasing various teasers for the last two years, each markedly different in tone—classic Goonies, Scooby-Doo, all those '80s John Hughes movies—so it has been difficult to get any real sense of what S4 will be like, both tonally and in terms of plot. We've previously reported that David Harbour is returning as Hopper, along with the rest of the main cast. Winona Ryder (Joyce Byers), Finn Wolfhard (Mike Wheeler), Natalia Dyer (Nancy Wheeler), Noah Schnapp (Will Byers), Charlie Heaton (Jonathan Byers), Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin Henderson), Joe Keery (Steve Harrington), Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas Sinclair), and Sadie Sink (Max Mayfield) all return.

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ECS Liva One A300 is a compact PC with AMD A4 socket for Ryzen or Athlon chips up to 65 watts

ECS has been selling tiny desktop computers under its Liva line of devices for years, but the new ECS Liva One A300 is one of the most versatile to date. While many other models are powered by laptop-class processors that are soldered to the motherboard, the Liva One A300 has an AMD A4 socket and support […]

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ECS has been selling tiny desktop computers under its Liva line of devices for years, but the new ECS Liva One A300 is one of the most versatile to date. While many other models are powered by laptop-class processors that are soldered to the motherboard, the Liva One A300 has an AMD A4 socket and support for AMD Athlon and Ryzen desktop processors with TDP ratings up to 65 watts.

Unsurprisingly, in order to make room for a motherboard with an AM4 socket, the computer is a little larger than a typical ECS Liva device. But at 205 x 176 x 33mm (8.1″ x 6.9″ x 1.3″), it’s still petty compact by desktop PC standards.

The computer supports up to 64GB of DDR4-3200 dual-channel memory thanks to two SODIMM slots and there’s support for dual storage devices thanks to an M.2 2280 slot with support for PCIe Gen 3 x4 storage and a 2.5 inch bay for a hard drive or SSD.

There’s also an M.2 2230 slot for an optional wireless card, and plenty of ports, including:

  • 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C
  • 4 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A
  • 2 x USB 2.0
  • 1 x 3.5mm mic input
  • 1 x 3.5mm combo audio jack
  • 1 x 2.5 Gbps Ethernet jack

There’s also support for three displays, although how you get there depends on the configuration you purchase. All models have an HDMI port with support for 4K @ 60 Hz output, but some have a single 4K @ 60 Hz DisplayPort connector and a VGA port, while other models double up on the DisplayPort but lack VGA. There’s also optional support for an RS-232 COM port.

ECS also offers two different top panel options. There’s a cover with ventilation that the company suggests is appropriate for systems configured with 65 watt processors, while an ECS Liva One A300 with a 35-watt processor can use a solid top panel with no vents.

press release

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Bemannte Raumfahrt: Der Tag, an dem Menschen ins All flogen

Am 12. April 1961, vor 61 Jahren, flog erstmals ein Mensch ins All. Exakt 20 Jahre später schickte die Nasa das erste Spaceshuttle auf die Reise. Von Werner Pluta (Raumfahrt, Technologie)

Am 12. April 1961, vor 61 Jahren, flog erstmals ein Mensch ins All. Exakt 20 Jahre später schickte die Nasa das erste Spaceshuttle auf die Reise. Von Werner Pluta (Raumfahrt, Technologie)

NASA to restart fueling test of SLS rocket, with key modifications

“We’re very comfortable with the path forward.”

Will the third time be the charm for a Space Launch System rocket fueling test? NASA will find out this week.

Enlarge / Will the third time be the charm for a Space Launch System rocket fueling test? NASA will find out this week. (credit: Trevor Mahlmann)

NASA will resume its efforts to complete a key fueling test of the Space Launch System rocket on Tuesday.

The space agency has decided to modify this test, however, due to a problem with a check valve on the rocket's upper stage that leads to a pressurized helium bottle. The valve was found to be stuck last week and will need to be replaced.

With the valve in this position, NASA does not feel it would be safe to load the upper stage with cryogenic oxygen and hydrogen during the "wet dress" test as originally planned. Therefore, Thursday's test will fuel only the core stage—the largest and least-proven part of the rocket—during tanking operations. As part of this test, the launch system will be brought into a terminal countdown before cutting off at T-10 seconds.

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