Google could face "enforcement action" if it does not improve its privacy policies, the UK's data watchdog says.
The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) believes there are "serious questions" concerning the US search company's compliance with the UK Data Protection Act.
The ICO thinks Google does not make it sufficiently clear how user data will be used across all its products.
Other European data authorities have made similar complaints.
Wednesday, 31 July 2013
BMW Takes Stake In British Electric Car Firm
The German car manufacturer BMW is to buy a stake in the British company which produces and installs half of the UK's charging points for electric cars.
Sky News can reveal that BMW, which manufactures some of the world's most popular luxury cars, is to buy a small shareholding in Chargemaster.
The deal, which is expected to be announced on Thursday, will underline the potential importance of electric cars to the future of BMW, which plans to launch its first model - the i3 - next week.
Sky News can reveal that BMW, which manufactures some of the world's most popular luxury cars, is to buy a small shareholding in Chargemaster.
The deal, which is expected to be announced on Thursday, will underline the potential importance of electric cars to the future of BMW, which plans to launch its first model - the i3 - next week.
Tuesday, 30 July 2013
Duane Pearsall is a hero
why, you may ask?
Because Duane Pearsall saves lives every day, because he invented the humble Smoke detector
Invented in the 1960s, the smoke detector has proven over and over again to be a life-saving gadget, and some people would literally not be alive without it.
According to an article in the magazine Popular Mechanics, Pearsall said the invention happened by accident while trying to develop a static control device intended for photo dark room purposes.
gotta love an invention accident!!!!
need smoke detectors?
Because Duane Pearsall saves lives every day, because he invented the humble Smoke detector
Invented in the 1960s, the smoke detector has proven over and over again to be a life-saving gadget, and some people would literally not be alive without it.
According to an article in the magazine Popular Mechanics, Pearsall said the invention happened by accident while trying to develop a static control device intended for photo dark room purposes.
gotta love an invention accident!!!!
need smoke detectors?
Microsoft develops 3D touchscreen with tactile feedback
Details of a touchscreen showing 3D images that can be felt and manipulated have been published by Microsoft's research unit.
The project combines an LCD flat panel screen with force sensors and a robotic arm that moves it back and forwards.
By controlling how much resistance there is to a user's fingertip the firm says it can simulate the shape and weight of objects shown on screen.
Microsoft says the device could have medical uses as well as for gaming.
Work on the project is being carried out at the firm's Redmond campus near Seattle.
looking forward to playing with that.. :)
The project combines an LCD flat panel screen with force sensors and a robotic arm that moves it back and forwards.
By controlling how much resistance there is to a user's fingertip the firm says it can simulate the shape and weight of objects shown on screen.
Microsoft says the device could have medical uses as well as for gaming.
Work on the project is being carried out at the firm's Redmond campus near Seattle.
looking forward to playing with that.. :)
Monday, 29 July 2013
Mercedes-Benz SLS Electric Drive
found on Top Gear
Guess what's the most powerful AMG on sale? We bet you'll plump for the SLS Black, but you'd be wrong. It's this SLS Electric Drive, with 740bhp and 738lb ft. That's an enormous 118bhp and 270lb ft more than the Black - hardly a slouch when it comes to bare stats. And yet it produces precisely no local CO2 emissions.
So what is it? Bluntly, the SLS ED is possibly the most brilliantly revolutionary thing that the already-bonkers lot at AMG have ever created: a fully electric AWD supercar. It's a serious bit of engineering, too. The ED uses four motors (one for each wheel) connected to two gearboxes, and there are 12 battery modules, most of which are mounted nice and low in the unused space where the transmission tunnel would normally be. The location is key: the batteries weigh a whopping 548kg, so they need to be low down. Mounted as they are and with the car driven carefully, the cells give a theoretical range of 155 miles.
It's a shame to focus on the green and serene engineering of the Electric Drive, though, because its pure, visceral pace is simply extraordinary. I can't think of anything other than perhaps the Veyron that has this tsunami-surge of torque.
Guess what's the most powerful AMG on sale? We bet you'll plump for the SLS Black, but you'd be wrong. It's this SLS Electric Drive, with 740bhp and 738lb ft. That's an enormous 118bhp and 270lb ft more than the Black - hardly a slouch when it comes to bare stats. And yet it produces precisely no local CO2 emissions.
So what is it? Bluntly, the SLS ED is possibly the most brilliantly revolutionary thing that the already-bonkers lot at AMG have ever created: a fully electric AWD supercar. It's a serious bit of engineering, too. The ED uses four motors (one for each wheel) connected to two gearboxes, and there are 12 battery modules, most of which are mounted nice and low in the unused space where the transmission tunnel would normally be. The location is key: the batteries weigh a whopping 548kg, so they need to be low down. Mounted as they are and with the car driven carefully, the cells give a theoretical range of 155 miles.
It's a shame to focus on the green and serene engineering of the Electric Drive, though, because its pure, visceral pace is simply extraordinary. I can't think of anything other than perhaps the Veyron that has this tsunami-surge of torque.
Energy watchdog Ofgem failing consumers
The energy regulator Ofgem is not doing enough to ensure that energy company profits are transparent, MPs say.
The Energy and Climate Change Committee (ECCC) report said the watchdog was "failing consumers by not taking all possible steps to improve openness".
The committee said that "working out exactly how their profits are made requires forensic accountants".
Ofgem said it had made energy companies produce yearly financial statements and they had been reviewed by accountants.
Sir Robert Smith, on behalf of the committee, said: "At a time when many people are struggling with the rising costs of energy, consumers need reassurance that the profits being made by the 'big six' are not excessive."
The big six are E.ON, SSE, British Gas, npower, EDF and Scottish Power.
They have different divisions to deal with the different functions of their businesses: generation, trading and supply.
The committee said that the divisions sometimes bought and sold services and energy from each other, making it difficult to work out how much money was being made overall.
The Energy and Climate Change Committee (ECCC) report said the watchdog was "failing consumers by not taking all possible steps to improve openness".
The committee said that "working out exactly how their profits are made requires forensic accountants".
Ofgem said it had made energy companies produce yearly financial statements and they had been reviewed by accountants.
Sir Robert Smith, on behalf of the committee, said: "At a time when many people are struggling with the rising costs of energy, consumers need reassurance that the profits being made by the 'big six' are not excessive."
The big six are E.ON, SSE, British Gas, npower, EDF and Scottish Power.
They have different divisions to deal with the different functions of their businesses: generation, trading and supply.
The committee said that the divisions sometimes bought and sold services and energy from each other, making it difficult to work out how much money was being made overall.
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