We live in a world where formerly unattainable futuristic touchstones like “flying cars” and autonomous vehicles are being treated with straight-faced sincerity by some of the biggest companies in world. So I guess it was only a matter of time before we had to start taking jetpacks seriously, too. A new two-year, $2 million global competition called the Go Fly Prize was introduced today at an aerospace industry conference in Texas with the goal of producing “an easy-to-use, personal flying device.” The organizers of the contest, which is being sponsored by aerospace giant Boeing, say they want to incentivize teams of students, engineers, and inventors to develop a vertical take-off and landing device (or one that is nearly VTOL) that is safe, quiet, ultra-compact, and capable of carrying a single person 20 miles or more without refueling or recharging. In other words, a jetpack that can be “used by anyone, anywhere,” Go Fly’s organizers say. … [Read more...] about Boeing will give $2 million to anyone who can build a functional jetpack
Building
How to build a gaming PC: a step-by-step guide to building the best PC
For PC Gaming Week 2018, we here at TechRadar are celebrating everything PC gaming has to offer. And, today, we’re going to show you how to build a gaming PC.If you’re looking to equip yourself with a killer gaming PC, there are two distinct schools of thought on how to do it.Generally speaking, the first school is the safer option – just have someone else build your PC for you. The obvious benefit here is that your PC is guaranteed to work straight out of the box. If you don’t feel comfortable messing around with all the components, the option is always there.However, the first school is considered heresy among the second – they believe you should build your own computer, no matter what. The obvious benefit here is that you can decide what goes into your PC on your own, and you can also gain a deeper understanding about how your PC works that you wouldn’t necessarily have otherwise. That’s not to mention the money you save when you don’t … [Read more...] about How to build a gaming PC: a step-by-step guide to building the best PC
The tech we need to build a colony on Titan
You could fly on Titan, just by flapping your arms. So what are we waiting for? Let's move to Saturn's largest moon! The solar system’s second-largest moon has an atmosphere, it has weather, seasons, it has water and lakes, there are plentiful energy resources and, well, there's that flying thing. Living in 14% gravity would be fun. What's not to like? "It's the most Earth-like place in the solar system," says Amanda Hendrix, a planetary scientist who worked for 12 years at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and co-wrote the recent book Beyond Earth: Our Path To A New Home In The Planets."The number one reason why Titan is exciting is that it has an atmosphere that provides one and a half times the surface pressure that we feel on Earth – there's no other moon or planet in the solar system that gives us such a nice atmosphere," says Hendrix. What that means is that humans wouldn't have to wear pressure suits like on our Moon, or on Mars. Scientists also … [Read more...] about The tech we need to build a colony on Titan
Tesla and South Australia at it again, this time building a virtual power plant
Just a few months after Tesla completed the world's biggest lithium-ion battery installation outside of the Hornsdale wind farm in South Australia, the Australian state and the electric vehicle-slash-energy company look like they're ready to partner again. This time, South Australia wants to build a 250MW virtual power plant. The plant will consist of thousands of solar panels and batteries running software that decides when the batteries charge and discharge to maximize efficiency and value to the grid. The installation of these systems has already started, and the government of South Australia said installation would continue through 2018 to 2019. If the trial goes well, another 24,000 Housing Trust homes will be included in the virtual power plant (residents may opt out, however). If all goes well after the second phase of the rollout, another 25,000 private South Australian households will have the option to buy into the system. Installations at public housing will be provided at … [Read more...] about Tesla and South Australia at it again, this time building a virtual power plant
No budget to build an IT staff? No problem
With technology increasingly intertwined with all aspects of business, [email protected] can help you -- from prosumers to small businesses with fewer than five employees -- get started.For malicious hackers, startups and small businesses equal big targets of opportunity.Half of the 28 million small businesses in the US suffered data breaches in the last year. But many still remain unprepared. About one in three small businesses still don't have basic cybersecurity protections in place, such as firewalls, antivirus software, spam filters and data-encryption tools to defend against attacks that can derail their operations.While it's hard to measure the return on investment for cybersecurity compared with spending money on sales or manufacturing, be aware that the potential losses resulting from a cybersecurity breach can sink a company by exposing trade secrets, valuable IP and information. At the same time, you risk losing your customers' trust as well as souring chances to win … [Read more...] about No budget to build an IT staff? No problem