With public support for active travel growing, we’ve seen a resurgence in interest in urban mobility and the redesigning of our cities for the future, where active travel is deemed as an equal form of transport. Governments around the world are fast coming under pressure to reassess their current infrastructure plans and create sustainable and healthier cities. … [Read more...] about The pandemic created a biking explosion. How can cities make it permanent?
How to make a dreamcatcher bracelet rainbow loom
CES 2021: The smartest ideas from the scaled-down virtual show
MagSafe moves beyond the charger When Apple added magnetic charging to the iPhone 12 under the MagSafe brand, it seemed obvious that an ecosystem of interesting MagSafe accessories would follow. CES brought several new examples, including a snap-on battery pack from Anker, a wallet that doubles as a kickstand from Moft, and a car cupholder mount from Scosche with a slot for Apple’s official MagSafe charger. PopSockets, meanwhile, has released a sliding mechanism for its phone grips so they can move out of the way for wireless charging. … [Read more...] about CES 2021: The smartest ideas from the scaled-down virtual show
These virtual stores are a joyful twist on e-commerce
For now, I’m enthusiastic about walk-through virtual store shopping. Even with its limited floor plan and inventory (World of Joy), or ads taunting me about a world of human behavior that’s currently on hold (Ralph Lauren), wandering anywhere outside of the house during this final lockdown push offers a bit of a desperately needed change of scenery. For the dark winter of 2020, being able to wander and connect with the marketplace outside the home in a somewhat familiar way is a holiday shopping winner. … [Read more...] about These virtual stores are a joyful twist on e-commerce
The tech that keeps World Central Kitchen cooking in times of disaster
Instead, the team relies on Facebook-owned WhatsApp. “It works really well in low-bandwidth environments,” says CEO Nate Mook, who notes that WhatsApp will heavily compress an image before sending, while Apple’s iMessage strives to preserve the full-quality version.Mook’s chief complaint with WhatsApp may sound familiar: its requirement that you add somebody to your WhatsApp contacts list before texting or calling: “You end up with these massive address books,” he says. … [Read more...] about The tech that keeps World Central Kitchen cooking in times of disaster
Puerto Rico cell phone service is still out. Can Alphabet’s Project Loon fix it?
Alphabet, Google’s parent company, is hoping to help restore cell service and internet connectivity to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands through its high-flying Project Loon balloons. In the wake of hurricanes Irma and Maria, residents of the islands lack access to basic supplies like food and running water, and 83% of people still lack cell reception. Alphabet aims to fix that with its so-crazy-it-just-might-work plan to use balloons that fly in the stratosphere thousands of feet in the air to relay high-speed internet from a telecommunications center through the balloon network, to users’ LTE-equipped phones on the ground. The plan worked in a flood-ravaged Peru earlier this year, and they hope to replicate that success in the Caribbean. Alphabet already has experience working in Puerto Rico, having sent one of their balloon autolaunchers to the island in 2016. … [Read more...] about Puerto Rico cell phone service is still out. Can Alphabet’s Project Loon fix it?
