All posts tagged: transform

new wiring material could transform chip technology

new wiring material could transform chip technology

Published by skeptic

The rapid technological advancements of our world have been enabled by our capacity to design and fabricate ever smaller electronic chips. These underpin computers, mobile phones and every smart device deployed to date. One of the many challenges is that electronic components generate increasingly more heat as they are miniaturised. A significant issue lies in making the wires which connect the transistors on the chip thinner while ensuring that the minimum amount of heat is released. Nanowiring has a heat loss problem. Manoranjan Mishra/Alamy These interconnects are typically made from copper, and as we start to scale them down to nano-scale thicknesses, their electrical resistance increases rapidly because the electrons moving along the wires have a higher probability of colliding into the surface of the wire. Known as scattering, this leads to energy being released in the form of waste heat, meaning you need more power to maintain the same level of performance. A group at Stanford University has published a new paper showing that thin films of a material known as niobium phosphide (NbP) …

The UK plans to rebuild its crumbling classrooms – but it should take this chance to transform the school environment

The UK plans to rebuild its crumbling classrooms – but it should take this chance to transform the school environment

Published by skeptic

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has pledged £1.4 billion to meet a target of rebuilding 50 schools in England a year. The funding boost follows the news of slow progress on the government’s school rebuilding programme. This effort began in 2020 but has been under particular scrutiny since the closure of school buildings made with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) in 2023. A 2023 report from the National Audit Office estimated that 700,000 students in England are learning in schools that the Department for Education believes require major rebuilding or refurbishment. These rebuilding programmes have promised to produce state-of-the-art schools. But I believe that the focus in the UK is still too much on the condition of the building, rather than the approach in countries like Finland where the focus is on the relationship between school design and teaching and learning practice. In Scotland, recent figures highlight that 91.7% of school buildings are in a “good/satisfactory” condition, and 92.0% of pupils are now educated in school environments rated as “good/satisfactory” condition. Here, condition refers to the state …

A Touch Revolution Could Transform Pitching

A Touch Revolution Could Transform Pitching

Published by Sam

Mariano Rivera was never secretive about the grip on his signature pitch. He’d show it to teammates, coaches, even reporters. He placed his index and middle fingers together along the seams. He pulled down with his middle finger upon release. The ball would whiz arrow-straight before veering sharply a few inches from where the hitter expected it. When teaching pitchers how it should feel coming out of their hand, however, Rivera could be frustratingly vague. Put pressure on the middle finger, he would say. This can be a moneymaker for you. Even now, nobody can make a fastball move quite like Mo’s. “It is as if it dropped straight from the heavens,” he wrote in his 2014 memoir. “How can I explain it any other way?” Eleven years after Rivera’s retirement, a wrist brace with claws could strip any last intimation of divinity out of pitching. A pitcher’s fingers slide into its four rubber rings, attached to metal straws that are fastened by a Velcro strap around the wrist. This device, the FlexPro Grip, measures …

AI could transform film visual effects. But first, the technology needs to address copyright debate

AI could transform film visual effects. But first, the technology needs to address copyright debate

Published by skeptic

While many people in the creative industries are worrying that AI is about to steal their jobs, Oscar-winning film director James Cameron is embracing the technology. Cameron is famous for making the Avatar and Terminator movies, as well as Titanic. Now he has joined the board of Stability.AI, a leading player in the world of Generative AI. In Cameron’s Terminator films, Skynet is an artificial general intelligence that has become self-aware and is determined to destroy the humans who are trying to deactivate it. Forty years after the first of those movies, its director appears to be changing sides and allying himself with AI. So what’s behind this? Valued at around a billion dollars, Stability.AI was, until recently at least, headquartered above a chicken shop in Notting Hill. It is famous for Stable Diffusion, a text-to-image tool that creates hyperreal pictures from text requests (or prompts) by its users. Now it is moving into AI-created video. Cameron appears to see their work as a potential game changer in film visual effects: “I was at the …

Strategic spatial plan to transform UK energy infrastructure

Strategic spatial plan to transform UK energy infrastructure

Published by skeptic

The UK Government is accelerating its mission to become a global clean energy superpower by developing a comprehensive plan to reshape the nation’s energy infrastructure. This strategic move to optimise UK energy infrastructure is designed to fast-track the transition from fossil fuels and create a robust, sustainable energy system that benefits both the economy and the environment. Minister for Energy Michael Shanks explained: “To help drive growth and investment in our clean energy future, we need to provide investors with the long-term certainty and stability that they have been crying out for. “That’s why we need a more strategic approach to our energy system, ensuring we can quickly scale up investment in the right infrastructure where we need it to keep costs down and speed up our transition to clean power. “Delivering the country’s first-ever spatial plan will be a major milestone for our new public energy body.” Long-term stability for investors and communities To ensure the UK’s energy transition is smooth and sustainable, the newly formed National Energy System Operator (NESO) has been tasked …

Smartwatches could transform lives of people with diabetes | Politics | News

Smartwatches could transform lives of people with diabetes | Politics | News

Published by Sam

A high-tech transformation of the NHS means people with diabetes or high blood pressure may be able to monitor their health at home using smart watches or wearable technology instead of making regular trips to a clinic. Radical changes in the way healthcare is delivered in England will be explored as part of a 10-year plan to reboot the NHS. Health Secretary Wes Streeting has pledged to “rebuild the health service around what patients tell us they need”. It wants to turn it “on its head” so it becomes a “neighbourhood health service”. At the heart of the plan are new neighbourhood health centres where people will be able to see family doctors, district nurses, care workers, physiotherapists, health visitors, or mental health specialists “all under the same roof”. It is hoped this will mean people with multiple condition will no longer have to go “from pillar to post”. Also, people will be able to get a scan or treatment for minor injuries such as cuts without having to wait hours in an overstretched hospital. …

Skanska is about to transform a Brooklyn marine terminal into a major offshore wind hub

Skanska is about to transform a Brooklyn marine terminal into a major offshore wind hub

Published by skeptic

Image courtesy of Equinor Construction giant Skanska has been awarded a contract to turn the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal into one of the US’s largest offshore wind ports. Skanska’s $861 million critical infrastructure offshore wind hub project in Brooklyn will support the 2.1 gigawatt (GW) Empire Wind project, which Equinor is currently developing 15 to 30 miles off New York. It will feature 147 turbines and be capable of powering over 1 million households. The project scope at the 73-acre South Brooklyn Marine Terminal includes existing building demolition, ground improvements to support the staging of wind turbine components, underground utility installation, and the installation of two new heavy-lift crane pads. There will also be significant waterfront and marine upgrades. Skanska will build a new 85,000-square-foot operations and maintenance building with warehouse, office, and parking to support the construction and ongoing operations and maintenance of Empire Wind 1. Construction activities covered by this award will run into 2026. When the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal transformation is complete, it will receive and store offshore wind turbine components, …

Transform your 8mm and Super 8 films into timeless digital keepsakes with this Kodak digitizer and save

Transform your 8mm and Super 8 films into timeless digital keepsakes with this Kodak digitizer and save $50

Published by skeptic

We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. Learn more › If you grew up before social media, chances are you or a family member still have piles of old film eager to be preserved and revitalized. The KODAK REELS 8mm & Super 8 Film Digitizer, complete with a 5″ screen, helps keep your reels secure for years. On sale at $50 off and crafted by the renowned Kodak brand, a leading figure in photography, this more-than-just-a-scanner helps bring back blasts from the past. Its ability to handle 8mm and Super 8 film formats makes it versatile for different film collections—from home videos to professional footage. The essential KODAK REELS is meticulously designed to bring all your footage back to life for good by digitizing and preserving memories for generations to come. The digitization process converts the film into 1080p digital video at two frames per second and seamlessly preserves the film’s unique look while enhancing the viewing experience on modern displays. Additionally, the device features adjustable …

‘We end up with nothing’: east Midlands mayoral candidates say role could transform region | Mayoral elections

‘We end up with nothing’: east Midlands mayoral candidates say role could transform region | Mayoral elections

Published by skeptic

The Conservatives are “not taking accountability” for their part in leaving regions such as the east Midlands to suffer with poor infrastructure, growing inequalities and a skills gap, Labour’s candidate for the region’s first mayor said. Claire Ward, the former MP for Watford, said there was not enough to keep young people in the east Midlands and that people had “lost hope”. “I’m hugely frustrated at the state of our region,” she said. “I look at the opportunities for my kids, for other kids, and there’s not enough here to retain them. I fear that we just constantly lose them to London. It’s got to change. We haven’t got what we deserve for decades.” The east Midlands has long been at the bottom of the pecking order when it comes to investment. It consistently receives the lowest public spending per person – 11% below the UK average – and ranked either bottom or near the bottom for spending on transport, health, education and economic affairs between 2016 and 2021. “We’re not the north, we’re not …

AI-powered ‘deep medicine’ could transform healthcare in the NHS and reconnect staff with their patients

AI-powered ‘deep medicine’ could transform healthcare in the NHS and reconnect staff with their patients

Published by skeptic

Today’s NHS faces severe time constraints, with the risk of short consultations and concerns about the risk of misdiagnosis or delayed care. These challenges are compounded by limited resources and overstretched staff that results in protracted patient wait times and generic treatment strategies. Staff can operate with a surface level view of patient data, relying on basic medical histories and recent test results. This lack of comprehensive data interferes with their ability to fully understand patient needs and compromises the accuracy and individualisation of diagnoses and treatments. Such a healthcare approach, characterised by these limitations and engagements, could aptly be termed “shallow medicine”. The American cardiologist and scientist Eric Topol introduced the concept of “deep medicine” in his 2019 book Deep Medicine: How Artificial Intelligence Can Make Healthcare Human Again. He critiques the US’s shallow medicine model, offering insights from his clinical and personal experiences. Deep medicine holds the potential to revolutionise medical diagnostics, the effectiveness of treatments, and operational considerations. Topol presents artificial intelligence (AI) as the transformative solution to these systemic shallow issues. …