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California deploys AI to detect wildfires before they start spreading
AI and climate change represent two ways humans may ravage life as we know it on Earth, but the former can also help with the consequences of the latter. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) revealed a new program today that uses AI to detect wildfires. Created in partnership with the University of California San Diego, the Alert California AI program takes feeds from 1,032 360-degree rotating cameras and uses AI to “identify abnormalities within the camera feeds.” It then notifies emergency services and other authorities to check if a potential blaze warrants a response.
How to build a box fan air filter to escape the wildfire smoke blanketing NYC
As much of the northern and eastern US finds itself enveloped in haze stemming from Canadian wildfires, Engadget has a timely how-to for building your own box air fan.
Google expands AI-powered flood detection and wildfire systems
The company hopes to help those who are direct risk of flooding, and to assist organizations and governments in mobilizing their responses.
Facebook takes down false claims of extremists starting Oregon wildfires
Facebook has cracked down against false claims extremists started the Oregon wildfires, including removals and warning labels.
Google Maps is tracking the spread of America's wildfires hour by hour
As wildfires continue to tear through parts of California and Colorado, Google has launched new tools to help people stay informed about their progress. Starting today, Google search queries for information about the fires will turn up more than just news stories and alerts -- they'll also display maps of the fires' boundaries. The Google Maps app will display the same wildfire boundaries to people attempting to enjoy the height of summer nearby, and will also provide warnings and "ambient alerts" to those who begin to approach affected areas.
Lyft offers free rides to relief centers during PG&E blackouts
With the planned power blackouts in California expected to continue for the next several days, Lyft is offering free rides until the end of October 15th to respite centers across parts of northern California. Each center includes restrooms, bottled water, a place to sit and charge your mobile devices, as well as air conditioning. Just note that they'll only be open during the day. Visit Lyft's website to view the full list of relief centers to see if there's one near you.
800,000 Californians could be without power by the end of the day
By the end of the day, more than half of all California counties could be without power. In an attempt to prevent wildfires, the state's largest utility Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) is rolling out a planned power outage. Once fully implemented, it will leave an estimated 800,000 customers in the dark and span from Silicon Valley to the Sierra.
Tesla warns California customers to charge their EVs ahead of outages
With dry weather and windy conditions on the horizon, California's Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) utility is planning a mass power outage to prevent electricity lines from sparking wildfires. That could be bad news for electric vehicle owners, so Tesla is taking a proactive approach. The company issued an in-car alert warning owners to charge their vehicles fully ahead of the outage. Tesla is also activating the 'Storm Watch' feature on its PowerWall to store excess electricity before the lights go out.
Air pollution app now doubles as a wildfire warning system
Wildfires are becoming larger and more frequent than ever, and can have lingering effects on the air quality. Breezometer, a free app that offers real-time air quality data, announced that it will be offering fire alerts to help users determine if they're in harm's way. The fire alerts are based on information from NASA and local sources and -- combined with the app's own algorithms -- can determine which direction the smoke is traveling and its impact on air quality.
Verizon lifts data speed caps for wildfire responders amid backlash
Earlier this week, Verizon came under fire for throttling a fire department's unlimited data while it was responding to the massive Mendocino Complex Fire that's ravaging California. The department was ultimately pushed into a more expensive plan in order to avoid speed caps. After the incident came to light and stoked widespread criticism of the company, Verizon said in a statement that its response was a "customer support mistake" and that it often lifts speed restrictions for emergency responders. Today in a new statement, Verizon added that it has now lifted speed cap restrictions for first responders on the West Coast and in Hawaii and is set to introduce a new plan for these types of responders soon.
Verizon data throttling hampered response to Mendocino wildfire
Santa Clara County Fire Chief Anthony Bowden has filed an addendum (PDF) as part of a lawsuit headed by 22 state attorneys general that's seeking to reinstate net neutrality regulations repealed by the FCC in December. In the addendum, Ars Technica reports, the fire chief claims that Verizon throttled an unlimited data plan to the extent that it made the service useless during efforts to fight wildfires. The move specifically affected a department vehicle used to "track, organize and prioritize routing of resources from around the state and country to sites where they are needed most."
HP lost key historical archives in California's wildfires
There's no question that California's recent wildfires are ultimately a human tragedy, destroying homes and upturning lives. Please donate if you can. However, they've also represented a loss for technology history. The Press Democrat has learned that fire in Santa Rosa's Fountaingrove region destroyed key archives of HP's namesake founders, William Hewlett and David Packard, earlier in October. The blaze destroyed correspondence, writing and other artifacts held at the headquarters of Keysight Technologies, a company with HP origins that took ownership of the archives in 2014. While a large chunk of HP's archives are stored elsewhere (such as with HP spinoff Agilent), this wiped out a significant amount of irreplaceable personal material.
DJI drones will now get real-time wildfire alerts
DJI has added real-time wildfire alerts to its geofencing system to prevent drones from wandering into affected areas and hampering firefighting efforts. The company already upgraded its Geospatial Environment Online software earlier this month with the ability to auto-download temporary restrictions. This particular update, however, grabs wildfire info from AirMap, which gets its data straight from the Department of the Interior's incident command system
Professor saves home with smart sprinklers from 3,000km away
Deadly bushfires have swept across South Australia this week, destroying countless properties and natural spaces. One ingenious professor was able to save his rural home, however, by remotely activating sprinklers using a smartphone. Simon Maddocks, the President and Vice-Chancellor of Charles Darwin University, had been notified of the fires by friends and messages sent by the Country Fire Service (CFS). He was sitting comfortably in his Darwin office, far from danger, but knew his wheat farm on the other side of the country was at risk. Maddocks started tracking the flames from over 3,000 kilometers away using CFS maps on his phone before connecting to CCTV cameras at his house.
Apple hits HTC with third ITC dispute, One series goes under the gun
Apple chief Tim Cook might have said that he doesn't like lawsuits, but he must have left a loophole open for International Trade Commission disputes. His company quietly filed a third challenge against HTC on June 4th (just now coming to light) that -- surprise -- claims HTC is still violating patents that it supposedly worked hard to avoid. If successful, Apple would slap down 29 devices that include a much more modern set of hardware than the first two disputes, including the One X (and EVO 4G LTE), One S and One V. Apple had success in December with the final results of its first ITC complaint and may simply be rolling the dice to try for more. Whatever throw Apple lands, there's no doubt that HTC and its fans are exasperated at the thought of more launch delays, or worse.
Human Birdwings project takes flight (update: hoax)
Just now catching up with the Human Birdwings project? Nice timing. The human flight machine -- built by Jarnos Smeets to rely on a Wiimote and Wildfire S, among other niceties -- has just enjoyed its first moments of liftoff. In essence, the wings were strapped onto a willing Earthling, and as he began to flap his arms... well, it's a sight you need to see to fully appreciate. We'll confess that the "flight" didn't last long, but Jarno himself told us that it was but a first "test run." Promising? Oh, yes. Head on past the break for the vid.Update: The project here has been underway since at least August of last year, but we've requested raw footage of the test flight here to further justify concerns. We'll report back shortly!Update: Shocker, it's fake. And that's that.
Human Birdwings combines Wiimote, smartphone in DIY flying initiative (video)
Somewhere, somehow, the Wright Brothers are smiling. Jarnos Smeets, a mechanical engineer from the Netherlands, has been plugging away on his Human Birdwings project for many, many months now, and his latest breakthroughs are absolutely worthy of a peek. Put simply, the bloke has married an HTC Wildfire S, a Wii remote and bookoodles of software genius in order to create a set of wings that are controlled by a human waving his arms as if to fly. As these things tend to go, it's all better explained in video, two of which are hosted up after the break. There's no capture just yet of Jarnos taking off himself, but at this rate, he'll probably be giving Santa a run for his money around this time next year.
HTC Wildfire S now available on T-Mobile, can be yours for $80
It's August 3rd -- do you know where your HTC Wildfire S is? That's right, it's taking up its own share of real estate on T-Mobile's website, ready for you to hit that fancy "add to cart" button. The eency-weency Android handset, true 'nuff to its word, came out right on schedule for $80 on a two-year commitment. And here's what you'll get for those hard-earned green rectangles stuffed in your wallet: Android 2.3, a 3.2-inch HVGA display, 512MB RAM, a Qualcomm MSM7227 600MHz CPU, and a 5 megapixel camera. If the package -- and price -- are right, make your way to the source link and push through some of that fun paperwork.
HTC Wildfire S swaggers CDMA bands at FCC
True to its namesake, the Wildfire S is preparing to blaze across our native prairies without abandon. After gaining the FCC's nod of acceptance for use on our 1900 / 850MHz HSPA bands -- followed by T-Mobile's official announcement -- the fun-sized candybar has received FCC approval for igniting our CDMA networks. A leaked roadmap suggests the Gingerbread treat is destined for US Cellular in October, but don't be surprised if the little guy appears at Cricket, MetroPCS, Virgin Mobile, and the like. Even Verizon could benefit from the Wildfire S, seeing that the Motorola Citrus is downright sour. Just promise not to name it the Droid Burn, okay?
T-Mobile makes HTC Wildfire S official, available August 3rd for $80
True to earlier reports, the HTC Wildfire S finally has a home at T-Mobile. The carrier-phone relationship was formalized today as the magenta-colored mobile provider announced its availability on August 3rd. The device -- code-named Marvel -- will be $80 with two-year commitment and after $50 mail-in rebate. It has all the amenities we expected, including Android 2.3 (Gingerbread), a 3.2-inch HVGA display, 512MB RAM, a Qualcomm MSM7227 600MHz CPU, and a 5 megapixel shooter. You'll be able to get the phone in white or black; the only other differences in the new version appear to be the Swype keyboard and the inclusion of AWS bands. If you desire a handset that'll ease the pain on the thin wallet in your pocket, you have only a week to wait.
