Free stuff & Freebies

Amna

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June 14, 2015

Do you like free stuff? Who doesn’t? We digg Free Stuff!

freebies

Today, we’ll give you some awesome free stuff. Worth more than 100$ in total! So here are our top 10 freebies of the month! All links open in a new tab/window. So check them all out 🙂

1. Get a free Fiverr Gig! (Worth 5$). (If first link doesnt work, try this) You can many kinds of gigs for free! Get a brand new logo, SEO for your website, an article for your blog, an introduction video for your company, a voice over or audio for your book and many others! CLICK HERE. While you are at it, please do check out our friends BabaJee and Sundus. They also have some awesome fiverr gigs! (You will need a new account)

2. Get 10 free domain names! You can order almost any available .work domain, for example IamGoodAt.Work or amazing.work etc. We have 2 partners, check them out at https://depressing.work and https://purplesim.com

3. Now that you have your own domain name, you need hosting. Get free hosting! Register at the site, then order any 1 of the 4 packages. It’ll take about a day for the package to start. All packages cost zilch! nothing, nada!! Ample space, bandwith, cpanel and a load of other stuff! We are also using this and it’s one of the best hosting service. If you are looking for a paid option, then Hosting24 is THE BEST! Use our link and get 24$ discount!

4. Once you have a website, you’ll need some form of income. The best option we found is Paid4Click. They’ll pay you $2 for signing up, $1 for every referral and 0.1$ for every visit to their website from your link! This is the highest we have found. Even google ads don’t come close! So join now and get some $$$ without any investment!

5. Some time to pass? Remember the old MS-DOS Games? Well, now you can play more than 2000 old MS-DOS games (including dangerous dave, prince of persia etc) for free from here!

6. Need a good CV/Resume for a job? Professionals usually ask a lot of money, but now you can get your resume done for free at ResumeRobin.com

7. Want a free cell number, which can recieve and even send free sms? Signup at www.textnow.com (buggy) or better yet, download an android app NextPlus. They’ll give you a free US number along with the ability to send and recieve SMS. You can even use it to register a facebook profile!

8. This one is a physical freebie (unfortunately, only for US residents!). Get a free sample pack of Everly drinks! Stay Hyderated 🙂

9. Get Dozens of digital magazines free (only for a month!) Includes all the famous magazines you can think of!

10. Last but not least, get a free audiobooks or ebook! Goto our store at https://gadgtec/cube [(hasn’t opened officially hence we’re giving away some free stuff 😉 ]We haven’t mentioned it but if you like any audiobook or book, simply email at the given address and mention “freebie” in the subject line and we’ll give you 1 free audiobook/ebook you want.

If you like this (and we are sure you do 🙂 ) please share this page with your friends. You can use the buttons at the bottom to share this page on facebook, twitter etc etc. Happy FreeLoading!

P.S: If any freebie is not working, or if you have any more suggestions to add, feel free to comment using the below form. We read each and every comment!

Don’t use that Hand Sanitizer!

Amna

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June 13, 2015

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Antibacterial soaps like Dettol, Safeguard and LifeBuoy provide an enticing solution to destroy bacteria that can make us sick. But triclosan, a typical ingredient in many anti-bacterial products, has come under fire for potential health and environmental hazards.

Now, the Food and Drug Administration, USA, is reviewing the research on triclosan and contemplating a ban on the chemical. That raises questions on how effectively antibacterial soaps work in the first place and what we would lose in the event that they’re taken off the market.

Does scrubbing with bacteria-destroying products really stop diseases? Or is it making issues worse?

Hand washing stays an essential strategy to keep healthy, experts stated, particularly through the winter months. But common soap and water or alcohol-based hand-sanitizers work just as well as triclosan-containing products do, with none of the potential issues.

“It’s clear that triclosan targets some bacteria however not all, but it’s not effective against viruses, and viruses cause the majority of diseases in a community setting” stated Allison Aiello, an epidemiologist at the University of Michigan School of Public Health in Ann Arbor.

“It seems strange to support or promote a product that targets specific micro organism but doesn’t actually target the viruses that trigger most of the illnesses in a family. To me, that does not make a lot of sense.”

Triclosan was first registered as a pesticide in 1969, according to a fact page maintained by the US EPA. Since then, the chemical has been added to toothpastes, hand soaps, body washes, chopping boards, toys, carpets, mattresses, garments, furnishings and all kinds of other products with the goal of combating bacteria, fungi and mildew.

At first, triclosan was thought to behave as a universal bacteria-killer however beginning in 1998, Stuart Levy and colleagues at Tufts University discovered that the chemical targets specific bacteria and that bacteria can become resistant to triclosan with a mutation in genes required to build cell walls.

A new class of antibiotics was structured like triclosan, Levy added, elevating concerns that the chemical might be contributing to the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria by favoring the survival and growth of microbes that were immune to the chemical.

Bad hits keep coming for hand sanitizer & its key element triclosan. New research says hand sanitizers can even enhance the skin’s absorption of BPA (Bisephenol A), which is used in nearly all hard plastics.

Other research has proven that triclosan acts like a hormone disruptor in animals. Once triclosan moves from toilet drains to lakes and rivers, it also breaks down into dioxins, which might cause all types of health problems, including birth defects and cancer.

A 2006 research in Sweden found triclosan in breast milk at increased concentrations in women who used soap, deodorant or toothpaste that contained the chemical.

In a review article in 2007 in the journal “Clinical Infectious Disease”, Aiello and her colleagues looked at 27 studies that compared triclosan-containing products to common soap and found that individuals were no less likely to come down with diarrhea, coughs, fevers or skin infections if they used the chemical-laden soap in their homes.

Some studies looked particularly at the bacterial load on hands before and after washing, and likewise, most of these found no difference between the 2 kinds of soap & their capability to rid bacteria from our hands. There may be some kinds of micro organism that are more effectively killed by triclosan, Aiello added, however not many, and those bacteria are usually not the ones that trigger common diseases.

Instead of killing bacteria, regular soap simply removes bacteria from the crevices in our hands, leading them to be washed down the drain, stated Levy, director of the Center for Adaptation Genetics and Drug Resistance at Tufts. After washing with soap and water (which works considerably better than just water), he advocates drying with paper towels because bacteria can linger on moist hand towels in the lavatory.

Another good choice is to use alcohol-based hand sanitizers, which kill bacteria through dehydration. Bacteria can not easily acquire resistance to alcohol.

“Start with soap and water” Levy mentioned. “You do not have to use soaps impregnated with chemicals. Anything that is antibacterial or antimicrobial in my prevue, ought to be used prudently.”

Massive Hack Hits US Government!

Amna

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June 11, 2015

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Hackers have personnel data on every federal employee

WASHINGTON (AP) — Hackers stole personnel data and Social Security numbers for each and every federal employee, a government worker union stated Thursday, saying that the cyber theft of U.S. employee data was more damaging than the Obama administration has acknowledged.

Sen. Harry Reid, the Democratic leader, said on the Senate floor that the December hack into Office of Personnel Management data was carried out by “the Chinese” without specifying whether he meant the Chinese government or individuals. Reid is one of eight lawmakers briefed on the most secret intelligence information. U.S. officials have declined to publicly blame China, which has denied involvement.

J. David Cox, president of the American Federal of Government Employees, mentioned in a letter to OPM director Katherine Archuleta that based on OPM’s internal briefings, “We believe that the Central Personnel Data File was the targeted database, and that the hackers are actually in possession of all personnel data for each federal worker, every federal retiree, and as much as a million former federal employees.”

U.S. Office of Personnel Management building in Wa … — U.S. Office of Personnel Management building

The OPM data file contains the records of non-military, non-intelligence executive branch employees, which covers most federal civilian employees but not, for example, members of Congress and their staffs.

The union believes the hackers stole military records and veterans’ status information, address, birth date, job and pay history, health insurance, life insurance, and pension information; and age, gender and race data, he said. The letter was obtained by The Associated Press.

The union said it is basing its assessment on internal OPM briefings. The agency has sought to downplay the damage, saying what was taken “could include” personnel file information such as Social Security numbers and birth dates.

“We believe that Social Security numbers were not encrypted, a cybersecurity failure that is absolutely indefensible and outrageous,” Cox said in the letter. The union called the breach “an abysmal failure on the part of the agency to guard data that has been entrusted to it by the federal workforce.”

Samuel Schumach, an OPM spokesman, said that “for security reasons, we will not discuss specifics of the information that might have been compromised.”

The central personnel data file contains up to 780 separate pieces of information about an employee.

Cox complained within the letter that “very little substantive information has been shared with us, despite the fact that we represent greater than 670,000 federal staff in departments and agencies throughout the executive branch.”

The union’s release and Reid’s comment in the Senate put into sharper focus what is looking like a massive cyber espionage success by China. Sen. Susan Collins, an intelligence committee member, has also said the hack came from China.

Senate Minority Leader Sen. Harry Reid of Nev. speaks at a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, June 9, 2015, following a Senate policy luncheon. (AP Photo/Molly Riley)

U.S. intelligence officials say China, like the U.S., spies for national security advantage. Unlike the U.S., they say, China also engages in large-scale theft of corporate secrets for the benefit of state-sponsored enterprises that compete with Western companies. Nearly every major U.S. company has been hacked from China, they say.

The Office of Personnel Management is also a repository for extremely sensitive data assembled by means of background investigations of staff and contractors who hold security clearances. OPM’s Schumach has stated that there’s “no proof” that information was taken. But there’s rising skepticism amongst intelligence agency staff and contractors about that claim.

In the Senate on Thursday, Democrats blocked a Republican effort to add the cybersecurity bill to a sweeping defense measure. The vote was 56-40, four votes short of the number necessary.

Democrats had warned of the dangers of cyber spying after the theft of government personnel files, but Democrats voted against moving ahead on the legislation, frustrated with the GOP-led effort to tie the two bills together. President Barack Obama has threatened to veto the defense legislation over budget changes by the GOP.

“The issue of cyber security is simply too important to be used as a political chit and tucked away in separate legislation.” Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del. mentioned.

___

Associated Press writers Donna Cassata and Eric Tucker contributed to this report.

Are You in Depression? Get Rid of it Now!

Health

Amna

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June 10, 2015

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Are You in Depression? Get Rid of it Now!

What Is Depression?

Everyone occasionally feels blue or sad. These feelings are usually short-lived & pass within a couple of days. But when you have depression, it interferes with daily life and causes pain for both you and those who care about you. Depression or depressive disorder is a common but serious illness.

There are several forms of depressive disorders.

Major depression,—severe symptoms that interfere with your ability to work, sleep, study, eat, and enjoy life. An episode can occur only once in a person’s lifetime, but more often, a person has several episodes.

Persistent depressive disorder—depressed mood that lasts for at least 2 years. A person diagnosed with persistent depressive disorder may have episodes of major depression along with periods of less severe symptoms, but symptoms must last for 2 years.

Some forms of depression are slightly different, or they may develop under unique circumstances. They include:

Psychotic depression, which occurs when a person has severe depression plus some form of psychosis, such as having disturbing false beliefs or a break with reality (delusions), or hearing or seeing upsetting things that others cannot hear or see (hallucinations).
Postpartum depression, which is much more serious than the “baby blues” that many women experience after giving birth, when hormonal and physical changes and the new responsibility of caring for a newborn can be overwhelming. It is estimated that 10 to 15 percent of women experience postpartum depression after giving birth.
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD), which is characterized by the onset of depression during the winter months, when there is less natural sunlight. The depression generally lifts during spring and summer. SAD may be effectively treated with light therapy, but nearly half of those with SAD do not get better with light therapy alone. Antidepressant medication and psychotherapy can reduce SAD symptoms, either alone or in combination with light therapy.

Bipolar disorder, also called manic-depressive illness, is not as common as major depression or persistent depressive disorder. Bipolar disorder is characterized by cycling mood changes—from extreme highs (e.g., mania) to extreme lows (e.g., depression).

Treatment

Once diagnosed, a person with depression can be treated in several ways. The most common treatments are medication (which can be costly and have a lot of side effects) and psychotherapy (can be very costly and time consuming!). Fortunately, there is another way to cure depression! It is called the Destroy Depression™ System, it costs a fraction of any others, has NO side effects and comes with a 60 day money back guarantee! Several people have already tried and benefited from it. You can try it risk free NOW. There is nothing to lose. You’ll thank us! The return rate for this system is less than 1.8% (meaning out of 100 people who buy it, less than 2 choose to return it for a full no questions asked refund!). USE THIS LINK and get a MASSIVE DISCOUNT + 3 FREE GIFTS. Do tell us your results (good or bad) and we’ll publish them (if you allow it).

Directory World
Technology Directory
ASR Search Engine

All you need to know about iOS 9: ProActive – Bye Bye Home Screen?

Amna

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June 9, 2015

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All you need to know about iOS 9: ProActive – Bye Bye Home Screen?

iOS has never mattered more. THE HOME SCREEN has always been at the heart of the iPhone experience. At Apple’s World Wide Developer Conference (WWDC), Apple signaled that they’re moving on. What we noticed on stage at was more than just an annual update to Apple’s OS. It’s a glimpse at how Apple’s operating systems are being unified as it builds out new devices and platforms. Critics say it’s simply copying Google’s Android.

It’s Proactive

The main feature of iOS9 is Proactive Assistant. Following Google Now’s lead, iOS 9 will attempt to anticipate what you need when you want it. If you fire up Weather every morning right when you get up, iOS 9 will endeavor to note the habit & make the app available in the morning as a shortcut on the lock screen. When you plug in the headphones, the OS will serve up music based on your location, eliminating the need to find the music app. These new features join the lock screen’s present choices for circumventing the home screen grid: the swipe-up control center and swipe-down “today” window.

Aside from these shortcuts, iOS 9 will provide a new interactive hub in the form of a personalized search panel. Here, towards the left of the home screen, you’ll notice shortcuts for contacts and apps, both filtered by context. It’s like the Home Screen 2.0—instead of a dumb grid, it guesses who you might wish to speak to or what you might want to do, based on where you’re at, what time it is, and what you are doing. It’s worth noting that the Apple Watch already works like this. On the wrist, notifications and messaging shortcuts take precedent over the home screen of apps.

Proactive can also do things like suggest who unknown callers could be when a number pops up on your display. It might recommend apps that you have a tendency to use throughout certain times of the day—or even suggest locations close by. There’s also an API for search, an update that was met with wild applause and cheers from the crowd at WWDC. This kind of functionality will really feel familiar to Google Now (Android) users, however for iOS fans, it’s a significant update.

Security & Privacy

Security was another major talking point , Apple is enabling two-factor authentication for your ID. (Again, we note similarities to Google here)

After all, now that this more intelligent and observant iOS will have more details about how, when, and where you use your smartphone, privacy will become an even bigger issue. While Apple’s senior vice president didn’t spend a lot of time on iOS, he did spent a big proportion of the presentation promising that Apple won’t be collecting that data on your usage—saying it’s going to be anonymous, and primarily based on a randomized identifying number.

Notes, Transit and News

iOS 9 includes one entirely new app, in addition to big improvements to Maps and Notes.

First up, a long-awaited and desperately-needed addition to Maps that includes public transportation routes and other contextual tweaks. It remains to be seen if it will work as well as Apple says it’s going to, but it surely seems more useful, with routing for subways, buses, and other types of public transit. It’ll even let you know details like where to enter the subway for the fastest access to the right train. There’s better search functionality, too, in addition to a predictable Apple Pay tie-in. Apple wants you to know that McDonald’s takes Apple Pay before you trek up there!

Then there is ‘News’, a brand-new app that’ll replace Newstand and look a bit like Flipboard. ‘News’ appears to be simple, clean method to read on your iPad/iPhone that pulls material from Washington Post, The New York Times, the BBC, and many more.

iPad Multi-tasking

An app called SplitView allows you to pull two apps up in a split screen, either in a 50/50 or 70/30 split. You will have the ability to scroll both apps simultaneously.

There’s a feature known as SlideOver that lets you swipe another app in from the side, and Picture-in-Picture is exactly what it sounds like: You can keep a little viewer in the nook while you go about your Facebook stalking. There’s also a cursor now: If you place two fingers on the keyboard, it’ll work like a mouse trackpad.

SlideOver and Picture-in-Picture will be available on the iPad Air and up, Mini 2 and up. Split View is only for the iPad Air 2. These features could be a warm-up for Apple’s upcoming iPad, because the next model is anticipated to be super-sized and perfect for keeping more than one app pulled up at once.

Battery

Battery life is improved, updates are actually faster to install, and Apple says that the overall security has been tightened. For instance, your iPhone now knows if it is face down on the desk and prevents the display screen from turning on even if you get a message.

A brand new Low Power mode allows you to prolong your battery life by shutting down energy-hungry features briefly.

Fonts

After two rocky years as Apple’s typographical identity, the font ‘Helvetica Neue’ is being replaced by an in-house developed font, San Francisco, as the default font on both OS X El Capitan and iOS 9.

The Size

iOS 8 was about 4.6 gigabytes! Users were outraged and exasperated while trying to update their devices! A debacle that Apple took note of, as the size of iOS 9 is 1.3 gigs, about 3.5 times smaller than its predecessor.

You want it?

iOS 9 shall soon be out as a free update later this fall and it’ll probably be available for all models of iPads and iPhones (good news for the older iPhone users) . However, there may be a public beta coming in July—which you can sign up for right here.

Check out this iPhone manager for iOS transfer

Power Over WiFi: Charge your devices from 28 feet away!

Amna

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June 8, 2015

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Power Over WiFi: Charge your devices from 28 feet away!

Energy beamed to camera via modified Wi-Fi signals

Everyone hates wires, especially when you have a LOT of them. A cable to charge your android phone, another one to charge your iPad and not to mention the dozen or so for Laptops, Desktop Computers and even Printers. Soon, you might not need any power cables! That’s the promise of new research from a team, which has developed what it’s calling a “power over Wi-Fi” system that can recharge batteries through the air, from up to 28 feet away. The system has been developed by PhD student Vamsi Talla and colleagues at the Sensor Systems Lab at the University of Washington in Seattle.

The system contains just two components; an access point (a router), and custom-built sensors. “The goal of the sensors is to harvest RF (radio frequency) energy and convert it into DC power,” explains Vamsi Talla, a researcher on the project. “The second piece, the access point, there we actually developed a customized solution on it, just a software modification that will enable the access point to act both as a good power delivery source and, simultaneously, also as a Wi-Fi router.” In other words, it achieves power over Wi-Fi in a manner that both works with pre-existing hardware, and doesn’t interfere with your Internet connection in any way.

Those are two vital distinctions. Although Energous already sells a device that transmits power through the air via RF signals. It requires completely new, dedicated hardware, though, and loses the WiFi aspect. The UW research, meanwhile, can coexist with conventional WiFi routers, pushing both data and power simultaneously. Or, more accurately, efficiently harnessing the power that your router already puts out.

As for WiFi interference, there’s a hard cap on how much output of any form your router can handle at once, sort of like how putting extra ketchup on a hot-dog leaves lesser room for mayo. But the UW team came up with a intelligent workaround to ensure neither charging nor connectivity goes sideways.

“If we wanted to just blast as much power as we possibly can, that would kill your WiFi, because you’d have power on the channel all the time,” explains Bryce Kellogg, another researcher on the project. “We optimized the router so that we can deliver what seems like, to the sensor, constant power without impacting your WiFi too much. Instead of having continuous power on one of your Wi-Fi channels, we split it among your three non-overlapping WiFi channels. That allows us to deliver about the same amount of power without impacting any one channel very much.”

“The work we’ve published, you could think of it as the first proof of concept,” said Talla, the inventor “But it’s by no means the optimal solution. We’re actively working to make it better.”

The team has already tested this out with temperature sensors, a camera, and rechargeable batteries, powering all from ranges of 20 feet, 17 feet, and 28 feet, respectively. If those applications seem a little small-fry, don’t blame them. Blame the FCC, which has imposed a one-watt limit on router power output, for reasons that are mysterious to Talla and company. Should those restrictions loosen, you could start to see far more robust applications.

The good thing is, you won’t just see them in a lab. The UW team has already installed functional systems in six Seattle-area homes, using Asus RT-AC68U routers outfitted with customized code. It’s worth noting both that the router model they used is several years old, and in the end inconsequential. It could just as easily be the router in your home right now. “In theory, it’s only a firmware upgrade,” says Talla, with the caveat that hardware manufacturers would need to be on board. While they don’t have any deals in place presently, the crew is actively exploring the likelihood.

The power beam system uses modified wi-fi routers and hubs

In a paper detailing their work, Mr Talla and colleagues stated, had the potential to help power the small, low-power sensors and actuators that are expected to become common in homes and workplaces as part of the internet of things.

“The ability to deliver power wirelessly to a wide range of autonomous devices and sensors is hugely significant,” said a story about the research in MIT‘s Technology Review. ” Powi-fi could possibly be the enabling technology that brings the internet of things to life.”

Facial Recognition for Birds is Here!

Amna

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June 7, 2015

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Ever saw some birds and wondered what species the bird are? Well, now there’s an app for that! Almost! The Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Visipedia are collaborating to develop computer vision technology to identify birds in photos. They have released a beta product called Merlin, where right now, they can identify through a photo (and some hints for better results, like where was this picture taken, if you know) about 400 North American birds! We agree, that’s not a lot, but wow, that is something! Hopefully soon, they will be able to identify a lot more than 400 birds!

Merlin can recognize 400 bird species, including the Blackburnian warbler shown above.

To begin, you simply add a picture of the unknown bird in question to the web site, enter the location and date that the image was taken (you can leave the fields blank if you are not sure). You’ll be prompted to draw a box around the bird, click on its beak tip, eye, and tail tip. Merlin does the rest, querying the eBird.org citizen science database’s 70 million entries to present you with the most probable species matches, together with pictures and sounds.

The site is still in beta, and the developers are the process of making a smartphone app. But that’s no reason you shouldn’t give it a go now: Because the picture identifier uses machine learning techniques, it has the potential to improve the more we use it. Imagine seeing any bird anywhere, just take out your smart phone and zap, you’ll know the name of the bird, species, life, age, favorite foods etc etc.. well, that reality is now very close! A true gift for the bird-watchers I say! Just imagine a world where you could go on a hike and, utilizing your cell, quickly determine whether or not that plant, mushroom, spider or snake you came across was harmful or could be eating as food!

Air Force intel uses ISIS ‘moron’s’ selfie pics to target airstrikes

Amna

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June 6, 2015

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Air Force intel uses ISIS ‘moron’s’ selfie pics to target airstrikes

Who knew selfies could be so dangerous? According to the Air Force Times, Islamic State militants, who have allowed selfies, took some in front of a secret headquarters in Syria or Iraq, which surfaced on their social media. The pictures caught the attention of USAF Intel, who, 22 hours later, took the entire building out with three JDAM-equipped bombs.

General Hawk Carlisle, commander of Air Combat Command, described the Air Force’s successful use of social media intel to take out an ISIS target at a speech Monday in Arlington:

The [airmen are] combing through social media and they see some moron standing at this command. And in some social media, open forum, bragging about command and control capabilities for Da’esh, ISIL, And these guys go ‘ah, we got an in.’

So they do some work, long story short, about 22 hours later through that very building, three JDAMS take that entire building out. Through social media. It was a post on social media. Bombs on target in 22 hours.

It was incredible work, and incredible airmen doing this sort of thing.

Gen. Hawk Carlisle

ISIS is infamous for exploiting social media for recruitment purposes. Carlisle’s comments came two days before a House Homeland Security Committee hearing on the Islamic State group’s use of social media. The group, experts told Congress, has published 1,700 pictures, videos and other publications, reaching up to 200,000 readers on Twitter and other sites. The media are used by “core propagandists” to recruit and, in the case of the airstrike, attempt to show off their ability. “Their best way to make money was oil collection and refining capacity, and we’ve taken out about 90 percent of that,” Carlisle added.

So, ISIS should take note, its’ own propaganda tools can be used against them, and that too in a deadly manner! Previously, analysts have also used the militants social media pictures in identifying their locations as well and once as ISIS Jihadi from New Zealand accidentally shared his location on Twitter! I wouldn’t be surprised if ISIS bans social media now or severely restricts its use, by doing some beheadings and showing them off on…..?

The US Air Force wants Suicide Drones!

Military

Amna

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June 6, 2015

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The United States Army is looking for Suicide Drones! Or to put it mildly, they want cheap attack UAVs that they can afford to lose in battle!

MQ-9 reaper — A fully armed MQ-9 Reaper taxis down an Afghanistan runway. Source: WikiMedia

Compared to manned flights, military unmanned aerial vehicles are safer and cheaper. Well, compared to $148 million+ for the Air Force’s F35A, a Reaper sets the US tax payers back by about $13 million. That’s 11 times less, but still a big figure! So the military wants something that still hits the targets, but also is okay if lost in battle. At least that’s the rationale behind the “Low Cost Attritable Strike UAS Demonstration,” posted online on the 4th of June 2015. To encourage the design of an inexpensive and deadly drone, the federal government is willing to reimburse up to $7,450,000 for developing the concept in a month.

The solicitation notes that aircraft are increasingly costly, so the USAF needs drones that “provide dramatic reductions in cost with a purpose to bring ‘mass’ to the engagement, and obtain a cost imposing impact on future adversaries.” Which is to say: a good quantity of drones which can be low-cost enough so that it really becomes costly to shoot all of them down. The solicitation goes on to say that these drones will not be designed for the lengthy haul. Traditionally, drones are designed like other Air Force aircraft, dependable and with a protracted life expectancy, however the Air Force desires to chill out these requirements for a low-cost drone, to give them something useful at a much lower cost.

How much lower? While it is difficult to say what’s low cost in a service that views $148 million fighter jets as essential, experts anticipate that the value of the drone would be between Half a Million Dollars to a Million Dollars, the cost of a cruise missile.

We’ve seen indicators of this coming. DARPA is exploring airborne aircraft carriers, where cheaper cargo planes launch wings of drones. In addition, DARPA is engaged on a system for drones hunting in packs, as lethal robotic groups in hostile skies. Honestly, the strategy wouldn’t be a lot different than what the militants have ladopted lately, Suicide Bombing. It’s almost impossible to stop a person who has decided to sacrifice himself for the “sake of greater good” (or Kamikaze, as they were known in World War II). With the advent of these drones, the cost of suicide bombings will be greatly reduced! The robot’s won’t mind giving up their lives for the State (as long as they don’t develop AI… or will they?)

Bake Your Bread While Cutting It

Amna

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June 5, 2015

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Ever wanted to toast bread while cutting it?

It’s from the future! There’s a scene in the 2005 The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy movie where a lightsaberish bread knife is not only able to slice a loaf, it toasts it at the same time. That was carried out with special effects, but a crazy British inventor Colin Furze has gone and built a similar contraption in real-life, and his creation works. Called the FurzoToasto, it is an electric knife that toasts bread while it slices.

Using a modified microwave transformer (Obvious Caution: Do NOT try this at home… unless of course you are a loopy inventor yourself), some copper pipes, and some heavy-duty wiring, the FurzoToasto simply runs a current through a saw blade until it turns red hot—visible when Furze turns all the lights off in his garage workshop. He demonstrates how to make this device in a brilliant Youtube video.

The cherry on top? Applying butter!! Oh, we are thinking, maybe it can cook meat too while cutting? That would be awesome²!