Solar Eclipse – August 21st, 2017. Images courtesy of NASA
Hello All
This Monday, August 21st, 2017, a total solar eclipse will cover a large part of the United States. The last solar eclipse to cover the United States was ninety-nine years ago. To say that witnessing this Solar Eclipse is a once in a lifetime event may be an understatement. There important precautions to take, including using protective eyewear should you be able to witness the eclipse. So it is only fitting that we start off this week with several guides that give you a complete rundown on how to enjoy the solar eclipse safely. I was happily astonished to read that Bill Gates has yet again made a major pledge to the tune of $4.6 Billion Dollars for a total of $25.7 billion dollars.
We switch over to some insightful analysis on the state of the on-demand tv marketplace. The problem aside from the costs of each service, is the act of discovery. Curated lists and services can help significantly, but with so many options, the experience for users to locate and consume these television shows and movies becomes utterly overwhelming. Helping users find content quickly, no matter what medium, is becoming increasingly important. The Miami Heat announced that they will fans will only be able to enter the arena with a ticket on their mobile phone. Aside from what this assumes about the people able coming to see a game, they will hardly be the only team, venue, or sport to switch to mobile tickets only. We are living in amazing times to say the least.
Google announced Flutter and Firebase as several new mobile tools and cloud services to help developers release modern Android and iOS apps faster. Chinese computer scientists announced an unhackable quantum singal and The U.S. Army banned using drones from a Chinese manufacturers because of a security risk. If your head is spinning after all of the news this week, then perhaps our last two links may be of some relief. Theo Cook demonstrates his technique to create complex dovetail joints with impressive accuracy.
And for those of you watching the Solar Eclipse on Monday, perhaps Pink Floyd’s “Eclipse” from Dark Side Of The Moon may serve as a great soundtrack. Have a great weekend.
Mohit
1. Eclipse: Who? What? Where? When? and How?
“On Monday, August 21, 2017, all of North America will be treated to an eclipse of the sun. Anyone within the path of totality can see one of nature’s most awe-inspiring sights – a total solar eclipse. This path, where the moon will completely cover the sun and the sun’s tenuous atmosphere – the corona – can be seen, will stretch from Lincoln Beach, Oregon to Charleston, South Carolina. Observers outside this path will still see a partial solar eclipse where the moon covers part of the sun’s disk.”
https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/eclipse-who-what-where-when-and-how
2. Solar Eclipse 2017: What You Need To Know
“On 21 August, more than seven million people across the US are expected to witness the first total solar eclipse to cross the North American continent from ocean to ocean since 1918. Due in part to some cosmic geometry, the Moon will momentarily obscure the Sun and cast a lunar shadow across the Earth’s surface, blanketing parts of the US in darkness, causing temperatures to drop and illuminating stars and planets in the middle of the day.”
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-40941341
3. This Is How Designers Are Celebrating The Solar Eclipse—With Thermochromic Ink Stamps + Stunning Space Illustrations
“You don’t need 100% totality to geek out over gorgeous science graphics.”
https://eyeondesign.aiga.org/celebrate-the-solar-eclipse-with-thermochromic-ink-stamps-a-stunning-folio-by-design-minded-illustration-studio-script-seal/
4. Gates Makes Largest Donation Since 2000 With $4.6 Billion Pledge
“Bill Gates made his largest gift since the turn of the century, giving away Microsoft Corp. shares that accounted for 5 percent of his fortune, the world’s biggest. It’s the largest gift of Microsoft shares that Gates has made since 2000. The 61-year-old gave away $16 billion worth of Microsoft shares in 1999 and $5.1 billion a year later, according to calculations by Bloomberg.”
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-08-14/gates-makes-largest-donation-since-2000-with-4-6-billion-pledge
5. The Messy, Confusing Future Of TV? It’s Here
“What happened to the glorious, consumer-friendly future of TV? We were told that the internet would usher in a golden era of streaming video, and that incredible shows and movies would be a click away through low-cost, easy-to-use services. Instead, we’ve rushed headlong into a hyper-fragmented mess, with a jumble of on-demand services that, added up, cost more and often offer less than the old cable bundle. There are lots of great shows and movies being made, but finding them has become harder than ever.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/13/technology/the-messy-confusing-future-of-tv-its-here.html
6. Heat Become First NBA Team With Mobile-Only Entry
“The Miami Heat announced Thursday that fans who attend home games this upcoming season will only be able to get through the gate with tickets on their phones. In doing so, the team becomes the first in the NBA with mobile-only entry.”
http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/20306283/miami-heat-become-first-nba-team-mobile-only-entry
7. Flutter Makes It Easy And Fast To Build Beautiful Mobile Apps
“Flutter is a new mobile app SDK to help developers and designers build modern mobile apps for iOS and Android.”
https://flutter.io/
8. Firebase Helps You Build Better Mobile Apps And Grow Your Business
“Firebase products like Analytics, Realtime Database, Messaging, and Crash Reporting let you move quickly and focus on your users.”
https://firebase.google.com/
9. Google Developer Agency Program
“As part of the Google Developer Agency program, your agency will receive dedicated training and access to our latest products and APIs.”
https://developers.google.com/agency/
10. A Chinese Satellite Just Sent An “Unhackable” Quantum Signal
“On Thursday, the researchers announced in Nature they had managed to send a “quantum key” from a satellite orbiting the earth to ground stations in Xinglong and Nanshan, China. Quantum keys are incredibly complicated cryptographic keys that can encode information in a nearly-unhackable format, but they rely on a still-revolutionary process of quantum entanglement to work.”
https://www.inverse.com/article/35442-quantum-key-encryption-chinese-satellite
11. China Drone Maker Steps Up Security After U.S. Army Ban
“Chinese drone maker SZ DJI Technology Co Ltd is tightening data security on its drones after the U.S. Army ordered its members to stop using DJI drones because of “cyber vulnerabilities,” a company official told Reuters on Monday.”
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-drones-dji-idUSKCN1AU294
12a. Woodworking Teacher Shows Off His Beautiful Japanese Sunrise Dovetail Joint
“The easiest way to identify if a piece of wooden furniture is high quality or mass produced junk is by checking the joints- dovetail, mortise and tenon and dowel joints are all typically considered a sign of quality construction.”
http://www.neatorama.com/2017/03/31/Woodworking-Teacher-Shows-Off-His-Beautiful-Japanese-Sunrise-Dovetail-Joint/
12b. How To Make A Japanese Sunrise Dovetail Joint.
By Theo Cook. Tutor at Robinson House Studio School.
13. Pink Floyd – Eclipse
From Dark Side Of The Moon.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wjZrswriz0
