PC shipments in Australia totalled 1.12 million units in the fourth quarter of 2016, beating market expectations, according to research firm IDC. The total for the quarter, which included both desktops and tablets, was down year on year by 3.2 percent. However, the decline was an improvement on the forecast 10.2 percent drop. While the first half of last year was affected by Dick Smith’s shutdown, high […]
The loss of sea ice in the Arctic is popularly attributed to man-made climate change, but findings of a new study have revealed that natural changes in the environment are still a significant factor that contribute to this phenomenon. Natural Factors Researchers of the new study found that a considerable chunk of summer ice loss in recent decades can be blamed on natural variability in the atmosphere […]
Researchers have developed a range of composite metal foams (CMFs) that can be used in applications from armor to hazardous material transport — and they’re now looking for collaborators to help identify and develop new applications. To that end, the researchers are issuing a comprehensive overview and new data on their CMFs. (via WSJ)
By David Lawder | WASHINGTON WASHINGTON Fourteen million Americans would lose medical insurance by next year under a Republican plan to dismantle Obamacare that would also reduce the budget deficit, a nonpartisan congressional research office said on Monday, throwing President Donald Trump and Republicans on the defensive as they press forward with replacement legislation. The U.S. Congressional Budget Office forecast that 24 million more people would be […]
Researchers have shown how supermassive black holes may have formed in the early universe. They suggest that radiation from a neighboring galaxy could have shut down star-formation in a black-hole hosting galaxy, allowing the nascent black hole to rapidly put on weight. (via WSJ)
The San Francisco Department of Public Health has revealed that two people are critically ill and are now in the hospital after drinking toxic herbal tea that they bought at a Chinatown shop. The patients, a woman and a man, became ill within an hour of drinking tea made from leaves they bought from Sun Wing Wo Trading Co. The two individuals quickly experienced weakness, which was followed […]
ABU DHABI // Driving instructors say they feel powerless to curb reckless attitudes among young learners who are focused only on passing and then hitting the streets at high speed. Tutors said a desire to show off among peers had become a widespread and worrying trend among some young people keen to pass their test with the minimum number of lessons. Instructors and road safety experts revealed […]
What caused the largest glaciation event in Earth’s history, known as ‘snowball Earth’? Geologists and climate scientists have been searching for the answer for years but the root cause of the phenomenon remains elusive. Now, researchers have a new hypothesis about what caused the runaway glaciation that covered the Earth pole-to-pole in ice. (via WSJ)
Monday, March 13, 2017 Alwaleed Philanthropies (AP), chaired by HRH Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz AlSaud, announced an innovative new partnership with Thomson Reuters Foundation focused on empowering Saudi female journalists, during the first of its kind conference titled “The evolving role of women in Saudi Arabia” held in Riyadh on Saturday March 11, 2017. In partnership with Luxury KSA, and Smaat Company, the conference took […]
This Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2015, file photo, shows a Mobileye camera system that can be installed in your car to monitor speed limits and warn drivers of potential collisions, mounted behind the rearview mirror during a demonstration of the system, in Ann Arbor, Mich. Intel is buying Mobileye in a deal announced Monday, March 13, 2017, and valued at about $14.09 billion, the latest push by a […]
Nicola Sturgeon has called for a second Scottish independence referendum to be held by spring 2019, throwing the constitutional future of the UK into question just as it begins the process of leaving the EU. In a speech at her official residence in Edinburgh, the first minister accused Theresa May of having “not moved an inch” in response to calls for a special deal on Brexit for […]
In the tech industry, it’s easy to get caught up in the minutiae. But we should all step back and witness an industry in transition. Here are a few things I believe will shape the next few years. Smartphone Hardware Runs its Course As my colleague Carolina Milanesi recently wrote, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to innovate in the smartphone space. After a decade […]
Venus, known as Earth’s sister planet, is getting more attention for deeper exploration with many short- and medium-term plans on the anvil. Venus is special because it is on the cusp of a habitable zone with an atmosphere. Despite the hotter climate, weird atmospheric pressure, and acid rains, there is an expectation that Venus might be harboring many secrets. Challenges For Exploration Exploration of Venus had been fraught […]
● First Global Manufacturing and Industrialisation Summit to open doorways to encourage public-private sector dialogue ● Inter-sector cooperation to be a key topic of discussion between representatives of government, companies, and NGOs at Global Manufacturing and Industrialisation Summit 13 March 2017 Abu Dhabi, UAE – The Global Manufacturing and Industrialisation Summit (GMIS) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises […]
Volkswagen Volkswagen has already taken a battering to its reputation due to the emissions scandal and is now tarnished further as the automaker has pleaded guilty to criminal charges as part of a settlement with the US Department of Justice (DoJ). On Friday, the automaker pleaded guilty in a Detroit federal court to felonies in connection with the 2015 emissions scandal. For years, the company sold a’clean […]
New research takes a step forward in the understanding of nanoparticles and how they can best be used to deliver drugs. (via WSJ)
Fast radio bursts (FRBs) have mystified scientists since their discovery in 2007. Astronomers know they come from distant galaxies, but their potential origins remain a mystery. Fast Radio Bursts And Sailing Aliens Now, a new study published by Harvard researchers in the Astrophysical Journal Letters suggests the phenomenon may have something to with sailing aliens. The researchers suggest the bursts may be leakage that come from planet-sized transmitters whose […]
High levels of methane in well water from two counties near Fort Worth are probably from shallow natural gas deposits, not natural gas leaks caused by hydraulic fracturing operations in the underlying Barnett Shale. (via WSJ)
New research shows the potential effects of receiving positive feedback from playing video games after receiving a negative test score on an exam. (via WSJ)
By carefully combining multiple structures, metamaterials can exhibit properties that don’t naturally exist. A research team has a new, simpler way of making them, using a concept dubbed ‘photonic doping.’ (via WSJ)
March 13, 2017 by: Lucy Hornby and Archie Zhang in Beijing and Jane Pong in Hong Kong Sceptics about China’s economic statistics have taken a special pleasure in revelations of faked data in the north-eastern province of Liaoning dating at least to 2011. Along with an officially reported contraction in its economy last year, they have given the impression that Liaoning’s economy is unusually troubled. That impression may be […]
In the forthcoming decades, risks of summer fire may increase in Mediterranean Europe. A recent study, researchers show that the direct effect of climate change in regulating fuel moisture (droughts leading to larger fires) is expected to be dominant, regarding the indirect effect of antecedent climate on fuel load and structure -that is, warmer/drier conditions that determine fuel availability. The researchers drew this conclusion after analyzing a […]
The internet, while an amazing avenue for like-minded individuals communicating about a diverse range of topics, is fostered primarily on anonymity, which is rather unfortunate in the murky concept of virtual space. There are dangers that be as one descends the rabbit hole that is the online web, and people often find it best to remain nameless, and even faceless when going online. Twitter Bots As it […]
By any measure, adapting Homer’s The Iliad for the stage is a brave, bold – and as some might say – foolhardy undertaking. It took director Lisa Peterson and actor Denis O’Hare more than five years to distil the ancient Greek epic poem into the 100-minute solo show An Iliad, which will be presented at New York University Abu Dhabi at three shows this week, starring O’Hare […]
