c4countdown

As an antithesis of joke items i thought i would be positive and ' big up' new things that are good.
I will start with drone ' fireworks displays' all the beauty without the noise.
I hope this will be the norm when things get back to normal

Me

parkrun

Gavin Chipper wrote: ↑Fri Jan 01, 2021 11:00 amparkrun

Is that better than Parkour?

Marc Meakin wrote: ↑Fri Jan 01, 2021 1:34 pm

Gavin Chipper wrote: ↑Fri Jan 01, 2021 11:00 amparkrun

Is that better than Parkour?

Probably.

How new are we talking?

mRNA vaccines
Ring doorbell
LED lamp

Jon O'Neill wrote: ↑Fri Jan 01, 2021 6:00 pm How new are we talking?

mRNA vaccines
Ring doorbell
LED lamp

I do like the concept of ring doorbells but we had a case of kids playing knock down ginger on a neighbors house and it nearly came to getting the police involved over posting pictures of the perpetrators on social media breaking privacy laws.

Cheap go pro style cameras you can attach to your pets for hours of fun..... as long as your pet gives you permission obvs.

Also those usb portable juicers/smoothie makers as long as you drain the power befor cleaning it..... How we laughed on the way to A and E

Jon O'Neill wrote: ↑Fri Jan 01, 2021 6:00 pm How new are we talking?

mRNA vaccines
Ring doorbell
LED lamp

Genuine question - what's so good about LED lamps?

LED lamps are energy efficient i think they last more than 5 years

Marc Meakin wrote: ↑Sat Jan 02, 2021 11:33 am LED lamps are energy efficient i think they last more than 5 years

Why just lamps?

Gavin Chipper wrote: ↑Sat Jan 02, 2021 1:23 pm

Marc Meakin wrote: ↑Sat Jan 02, 2021 11:33 am LED lamps are energy efficient i think they last more than 5 years

Why just lamps?

Maybe Jono will enlighten us

I meant lamp in a more generic sense. Not sure why I chose that word.

Jon O'Neill wrote: ↑Sat Jan 02, 2021 3:59 pm I meant lamp in a more generic sense. Not sure why I chose that word.

Lamp as in light bulb.
I think lamp is more commonly used these days than bulb.
When I worked in maintenance, back in the day before the wheels came off, only electricians called bulbs lamps.

What3words

Jon O'Neill wrote: ↑Fri Jan 01, 2021 6:00 pm How new are we talking?

mRNA vaccines
Ring doorbell
LED lamp

Automatic/video doorbells sound like hell to me. Great, you can answer the door remotely and see who's there, but there's bugger all you can see if they start doing something contrary to what you'd like. I'd rather not know. Also, I'm aware of landlords (in the USA I believe) who are able to lock people out of their properties remotely if they reckon they're behind on payments or whatever. Furthermore, some of these companies have been known to sell the data they collect on people's entries and exits. So, that's a no to IoT door entry tech from me.

LEDs are a huge leap forward this century though.

Ian Volante wrote: ↑Sat Jan 02, 2021 7:32 pm Automatic/video doorbells sound like hell to me. Great, you can answer the door remotely and see who's there, but there's bugger all you can see if they start doing something contrary to what you'd like. I'd rather not know. Also, I'm aware of landlords (in the USA I believe) who are able to lock people out of their properties remotely if they reckon they're behind on payments or whatever. Furthermore, some of these companies have been known to sell the data they collect on people's entries and exits. So, that's a no to IoT door entry tech from me.

As for the landlords - well, yes, that's regrettable, but if you make something much more convenient you are making it more convenient for bad guys. A criminal might use an LED torch to rob you but it's not the LED's fault.

As for the privacy - unless you think they're selling that data to burglars then it's no different to something like using Facebook. Unless I'm missing something...

I just thought Jono meant doorbells generally. Either way it's weak in the context of this topic. And are LED bulbs really such a game-changer?

And while I'm here - the vaccines one. Obviously they're really good and life-saving etc. but I see it as too boring and serious for this type of thread. You thought you were above criticism for that one, but no - you've been rumbled.

Those guys from kent who have invented/adapted wind powered electricity for motorway lighting signs etc.
The genius behind it is that the slipstream of a vehicles trajectory will always generate the neccessary wind to power the electricity

Gavin Chipper wrote: ↑Sat Jan 02, 2021 7:55 pm I just thought Jono meant doorbells generally. Either way it's weak in the context of this topic. And are LED bulbs really such a game-changer?

Significant reduction in global carbon emissions and cheaper and longer-lasting than what they replace. Something actually useful that won a Nobel prize. And, even more important, last year's Christmas tree lights work first time.

David Williams wrote: ↑Sat Jan 02, 2021 8:37 pm

Gavin Chipper wrote: ↑Sat Jan 02, 2021 7:55 pm I just thought Jono meant doorbells generally. Either way it's weak in the context of this topic. And are LED bulbs really such a game-changer?

Significant reduction in global carbon emissions and cheaper and longer-lasting than what they replace. Something actually useful that won a Nobel prize. And, even more important, last year's Christmas tree lights work first time.

Are they much more efficient than your regular energy-saving light bulbs?

Marc Meakin wrote: ↑Sat Jan 02, 2021 4:27 pm I think lamp is more commonly used these days than bulb.

I and everyone I know locally would call it a lightbulb or a bulb - not a lamp. I wonder whether it's dialectal (West Mids/Worcestershire here). A lamp in my mind would conjure up a heat lamp rather than a lightbulb. The little flat ones are called spotlights - are we at least agreed on that?

I think of a desk lamp. I had to look up heat lamp.

Adam Dexter wrote: ↑Sat Jan 02, 2021 10:11 pm

Marc Meakin wrote: ↑Sat Jan 02, 2021 4:27 pm I think lamp is more commonly used these days than bulb.

I and everyone I know locally would call it a lightbulb or a bulb - not a lamp. I wonder whether it's dialectal (West Mids/Worcestershire here). A lamp in my mind would conjure up a heat lamp rather than a lightbulb. The little flat ones are called spotlights - are we at least agreed on that?

All i can say on the matter is if i go into an electrical wholesalers and ask for a replacenent lamp for my spotlight they will immediately know what i mean
however I'm sure if you asked for a bulb they wouldn't neccesarily say ' what to plant in a garden' like the electrician i worked with in the early nineties

Sliced bread

Screenshots.
With my abilities with tech being poor at best, the screenshot has been a godsend especially with two concurrent incidents of self isolation

Parking sensors

Jon O'Neill wrote: ↑Sat Jan 02, 2021 7:41 pm

Ian Volante wrote: ↑Sat Jan 02, 2021 7:32 pm Automatic/video doorbells sound like hell to me. Great, you can answer the door remotely and see who's there, but there's bugger all you can do if they start doing something contrary to what you'd like. I'd rather not know. Also, I'm aware of landlords (in the USA I believe) who are able to lock people out of their properties remotely if they reckon they're behind on payments or whatever. Furthermore, some of these companies have been known to sell the data they collect on people's entries and exits. So, that's a no to IoT door entry tech from me.

As for the landlords - well, yes, that's regrettable, but if you make something much more convenient you are making it more convenient for bad guys. A criminal might use an LED torch to rob you but it's not the LED's fault.

As for the privacy - unless you think they're selling that data to burglars then it's no different to something like using Facebook. Unless I'm missing something...

I'm certainly not arguing against progress as a way of avoiding nefarious use; that would be silly.

I think it's more that they're selling the data at all that I find problematic. As for Facebook, if people want to announce to the world what they're doing every five minutes, more fool them, but at least that's their choice.

Ian Volante wrote: ↑Mon Jan 04, 2021 12:37 pm

Jon O'Neill wrote: ↑Sat Jan 02, 2021 7:41 pm

Ian Volante wrote: ↑Sat Jan 02, 2021 7:32 pm Automatic/video doorbells sound like hell to me. Great, you can answer the door remotely and see who's there, but there's bugger all you can do if they start doing something contrary to what you'd like. I'd rather not know. Also, I'm aware of landlords (in the USA I believe) who are able to lock people out of their properties remotely if they reckon they're behind on payments or whatever. Furthermore, some of these companies have been known to sell the data they collect on people's entries and exits. So, that's a no to IoT door entry tech from me.

As for the landlords - well, yes, that's regrettable, but if you make something much more convenient you are making it more convenient for bad guys. A criminal might use an LED torch to rob you but it's not the LED's fault.

As for the privacy - unless you think they're selling that data to burglars then it's no different to something like using Facebook. Unless I'm missing something...

I'm certainly not arguing against progress as a way of avoiding nefarious use; that would be silly.

I think it's more that they're selling the data at all that I find problematic. As for Facebook, if people want to announce to the world what they're doing every five minutes, more fool them, but at least that's their choice.

I did a bit more reading and what they are/were doing (article from early 2020) does sound pretty scandalous. However, my outrage with companies doing stuff like this is academic, in the sense that I don't care that they're selling my data personally. Maybe I should vote with my feet and boycott it, but to be honest my ire is outweighed significantly by even one of the instances I have enjoyed of not having to get out of bed bollock naked on a Saturday morning to go and answer the door.

OK, what are these doorbells and what to they do?

Gavin Chipper wrote: ↑Mon Jan 04, 2021 3:53 pm OK, what are these doorbells and what to they do?

They ping your phone when someone's at your door.
The doorbell has a camera, speaker and microphone built in, so you can see/speak to the person at your door from your phone.

Adding to the list...

Google Maps/StreetView.

Actually Google Maps was one of the reasons that made me get a smartphone.

Gavin Chipper wrote: ↑Mon Jan 04, 2021 6:31 pm Actually Google Maps was one of the reasons that made me get a smartphone.

I was going to ask if regular fold-out maps were too big and unwieldy for you, but then I remembered how big your phone was.

Jon O'Neill wrote: ↑Mon Jan 04, 2021 5:52 pm

Gavin Chipper wrote: ↑Mon Jan 04, 2021 3:53 pm OK, what are these doorbells and what to they do?

They ping your phone when someone's at your door.
The doorbell has a camera, speaker and microphone built in, so you can see/speak to the person at your door from your phone.

So you can tell people you're not in rather than letting them infer it from the non-response. Game changer.

This banter.

Ben Wilson wrote: ↑Mon Jan 04, 2021 6:51 pm

Gavin Chipper wrote: ↑Mon Jan 04, 2021 6:31 pm Actually Google Maps was one of the reasons that made me get a smartphone.

I was going to ask if regular fold-out maps were too big and unwieldy for you, but then I remembered how big your phone was.

Ben Wilson wrote: ↑Mon Jan 04, 2021 6:51 pm

Gavin Chipper wrote: ↑Mon Jan 04, 2021 6:31 pm Actually Google Maps was one of the reasons that made me get a smartphone.

I was going to ask if regular fold-out maps were too big and unwieldy for you, but then I remembered how big your phone was.

Yeah, it's more that the "You are here" marker doesn't seem to move in real time on those big physical maps.

Exciting news about fusion power.

Callum Todd wrote: ↑Wed Feb 09, 2022 12:41 pm Exciting news about fusion power.

I wonder if the government can tax this?

Marc Meakin wrote: ↑Wed Feb 09, 2022 12:53 pm

Callum Todd wrote: ↑Wed Feb 09, 2022 12:41 pm Exciting news about fusion power.

I wonder if the government can tax this?

They already do tax energy supply.

This sounds promising

The electric motor, when first invented in the 19th(?) century. Not obvious to orient a coil and a magnet that way.

Jon O'Neill wrote: ↑Fri Jan 01, 2021 6:00 pm How new are we talking?

mRNA vaccines
Ring doorbell
LED lamp

I just watched this video about the invention of the blue LED.

Photoshop (hopefully use it Wednesday)