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Google used AI to accurately predict floods up to 7 days in advance
Google just announced that it successfully used AI-enhanced technology to successfully predict floods along riverlines up to seven days in advance. The average timeline was five days in advance.
Google's sustainability features now include an EV buyer's tool
The updates come as part of the company's sustainability wing.
Elon Musk isn't done with the idea of building a hyperloop
Elon Musk has tweeted that The Boring Company will attempt to build a working Hyperloop "in the coming years."
AI-analyzed tweets could help Europe track floods
The European Commission's Joint Research Center is working on a tool that could use tweets and artificial intelligence to collect real-time data on floods. In a paper released on Arvix.org, EU scientists explain how their Social Media for Flood Risk (SMFR) prototype could help emergency responders better understand what's happening on the ground in flooded areas and determine what trouble spots might need immediate attention.
UNC Health Care offers free virtual appointments to hurricane victims
UNC Health Care announced that it will give anyone in North Carolina free access to its virtual care service through September 23rd as the state works to recover from Hurricane Florence. Via phone, tablet or computer, UNC Urgent Care 24/7 gives users virtual access to physicians who can then diagnose them, recommend treatments and prescribe medications. The healthcare group initially waived its virtual visit fees over the weekend, but it's extending the free access since many North Carolina residents have been displaced or can't travel because of the storm.
Apple will repair devices damaged by flooding in Japan for free
Earlier this month heavy rain caused devastating flooding throughout western and central Japan, resulting in more than 200 deaths and causing millions to evacuate. Now, Apple has announced that it will repair devices damaged in the floods for free. Any repairable iPhones, Macs, iPads, iPods, Apple Watches and Apple displays directly damaged by flooding will be fixed by the company for no charge. Accessories are not included as part of the offer. Apple expressed its sympathy to those affected by the floods and wished for speedy reconstruction.
Elon Musk's mini-sub was 'not practical' for Thailand cave rescue
The Thai cave rescue is over, with all 12 boys and their coach safely above ground. Elon Musk's miniature submarine clearly arrived too late. However, it's now clear that it wouldn't have seen use regardless. In the last few hours of the operation, joint command center lead Narongsak Ostanakorn told Musk that his tech was "good and sophisticated," but that it was "not practical" for the rescue. While officials haven't provided detailed reasoning, a look at the logistics of the rescue might explain why.
Elon Musk's Thailand cave rescue would use a 'kid-size' submarine
Elon Musk is quickly solidifying his offer to help rescue a boys' soccer team trapped in a Thailand cave, and in just the way you would expect from a technology entrepreneur. He has revealed that the "primary path" for his attempt will involve a "kid-size submarine" that uses the liquid oxygen transfer tube of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket as its hull. He added that it be "extremely robust" and would support many as four air tanks, with four handles that could be used as hitching points for ropes and cables.
Elon Musk is sending teams to assist with the Thailand cave rescue
Elon Musk has offered assistance in the rescue of the boys' soccer team trapped in a cave in Thailand. Engineers from SpaceX and The Boring Company will travel to the country on Saturday to help with what is becoming an increasingly perilous rescue effort. As CNN reports, conditions are becoming life-threatening, with a former navy diver involved in the operation losing his life after a sudden drop in oxygen levels underground.
Climate change could prevent food getting around the world
Climate change is bad news for basically every facet of human existence and now it's set to literally hit us in the gut by threatening global food supplies. According to a new report by leading think tank Chatham House, global warming is on course to produce more violent storms and increased flooding, affecting both crop yields and global trade routes.
NASA's drought-predicting satellite is almost ready to begin work
According to environmentalist Lester Brown, droughts are going to be increasingly prevalent over the next few years. At the same time that he was making these claims, however, NASA was activating a spacecraft that it's hoped will do something about that. The Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) satellite is designed to orbit the Earth, measuring global moisture levels in soil.
Keen Home wants smart devices that help prevent basement flooding
The promise of a smart home, ultimately, is to introduce savings of some sorts be it with time, effort or money. Keen Home is targeting the latter with its Smart Vent which monitors things like outside air temperature as well as the climate in your abode to regulate heat and AC. That happens via smart device, of course and apparently the whole thing can cut your HVAC system's runtime by 32 percent according to the company. What's coming down the pike, though, is what could be the most interesting: bringing "proactive intelligence" to otherwise dumb products in the house. Specifically, sump pumps that you can monitor from a mobile gizmo and will alert you should something go awry before your basement turns into a wading pool.
Hello Games not insured for flood damage, Microsoft's Phil Spencer 'going to look into' situation
Hello Games, the studio behind surprise VGX 2013 hit No Man's Sky, continued their run of bad luck this week. The company announced via Twitter that insurance won't be covering damages the studio sustained during a Christmas Eve flood. "BAD NEWS! Had a 'hilarious' call with insurer yesterday. Small print is if you are in a flood risk zone, you are not insured for flooding :(" the tweet reads. Another tweet, timestamped 13 minutes later, tried to find the silver lining: "On a brighter note, no insurance means we can just wade in and start setting things straight! Hello Games assemble!" The studio has received many tweets of support and well-wishes, and the situation has not gone unnoticed by bigger companies. When Corporate VP of Microsoft Studios Phil Spencer was asked by a Twitter user if he could "spread some cheer" to Hello Games, Spencer responded that he was "going to look into it." Hello Games has not announced any external funding, corporate or otherwise, that would cover the flood damage.
Hello Games says goodbye to PCs, monitors and more after office flood
Massive flooding across areas of the UK has struck a productivity blow to indie developer Hello Games. Yesterday, via Twitter, the house that birthed Joe Danger announced its Guildford office had been swallowed by rushing water. "A river broke its bank nearby yesterday, and a lot of water flooded in really quickly. A biblical amount. It was coming in the windows!" "We've lost most things – PCs, monitors, furniture, a door, a wall. You'd think the massive water cooled mega PC would be ok? It was not," a follow-up Tweet revealed. Hello Games is currently working on the gorgeous No Man's Sky, a standout announcement at the VGX Awards earlier this month. Despite the loss, Hello Games is in good spirits. "We're taking stock today, but already I know we'll come back stronger," the dev's Twitter account promised. "All we'll need is a place to work and a machine to work on." Joystiq has contacted Hello Games to learn if the flooding has resulted in permanent data loss and its altered timetable for No Man's Sky, but have yet to hear back at the time of publishing.
Nikon posts Q3 2011 earnings, sees significant losses due to Thailand floods
Nikon posted its Q3 earnings report this morning, and there isn't a whole lot to smile about. The cameramaker had to swallow a one-off loss of ¥10.9 billion last quarter (approximately $143.1 million), due to widespread flooding that devastated its Thailand manufacturing plant, in October. Today's report comes just a day after Sony issued similarly dire figures, which it largely attributed to last year's flooding, as well. For the third quarter ended December 31st, Nikon posted a ¥3.7 billion loss (about $48.6 million), compared with the ¥9.7 billion ($127.3 million) it saw in net profits over the same period in 2010. Operating profits also fell to ¥8.2 billion from ¥18.6 billion in 2010, while total revenue dropped from ¥253.8 billion in Q3 2010 to ¥215.4 billion, last quarter. The company remains optimistic about the future, though, forecasting net gains of ¥55 billion this year, coupled with an expected revenue of ¥925 billion. For the full report, check out the source links below.
Seagate expects flood-related hard drive shortages to continue
Seagate took some time out from its busy earnings reporting schedule to address supply concerns stemming from the recent devastating floods in Thailand. The storage manufacturer announced that hard drives supply will likely fall 150 million units short of demand by year's end. While Seagate's own factories weren't directly hit, suppliers for the company were impacted -- as were competitors, like Western Digital. The events have also had a more positive impact on Seagate, however -- as a result of the floods, a number of large buyers have entered into long-term agreements, according to the company.
Sony starts making NEX and SLT cameras again, following Thai floods
DPReview reports that Sony has resumed production of its SLT and NEX cameras, which may include the NEX-7 and A65 cameras, after two of its three main manufacturing plants in Thailand were hit by extreme floods nearly a month ago. The impact was enough to make a sizable dent in the company's financial outlook and force it to establish a new plant further south in the country. There's apparently still no confirmation of when products will start shipping, but as long as the conveyor belts are rolling and people are back in employment, we're not complaining.
Canon posts higher profits in Q3 earnings report, lowers outlook over Thai flood concerns
Things are looking pretty rosy for Canon these days, though there may be some difficulty on the horizon. Today, the camera maker published a rather strong Q3 earnings report, just a few months after posting relatively ho-hum Q2 results. According to the company, operating profit grew by 17.4 percent to ¥122.55 billion ($1.6 billion) this quarter, compared with ¥104.42 billion ($1.37 billion) a year ago. Net profit, meanwhile, increased by 14.2 percent over the year, reaching ¥77.9 billion ($1.02 billion) during the quarter, versus ¥68.20 billion during Q3 2010. These results come at a time when the yen is strong, and therefore detrimental to Japanese exporters, though Canon attributed much of its success to strong growth in emerging markets, including China and India. For the year, however, Canon lowered its net-profit outlook to ¥230 billion ($3.02 billion) from ¥260 billion ($3.4 billion), on assumptions that the yen will maintain its strength, and on fears that recent flooding in Thailand may impact production. In fact, the manufacturer said the flooding may cut annual sales by ¥50 billion ($657 million) and operating profit by ¥20 billion. Check out the full report, at the source link below.
Thailand flooding forces Sony to postpone Alpha NEX-7 release, curb A65 production
Sony has just postponed the launch of its new NEX-7 mirrorless camera, due to widespread flooding in Thailand. According to the manufacturer, the flooding has impacted operations at two of its three factories within the country, thereby delaying production of both the NEX-7 and Alpha A65. Reuters is reporting that one camera plant has been completely flooded, while operations at a semiconductor factory have been suspended due to supply shortages. The NEX-7 was originally scheduled to hit the market next month, though Sony now says it has been delayed indefinitely. "It is difficult for us to say at this time when production will re-start in Thailand," spokesman George Boyd told the BBC. "However, we are taking measures to move production to our third factory in Thailand which is operational and also to other sites."
Runes of Magic prepping Queensland flood relief effort
Today's feel-good story (if anything associated with the dreadful Queensland flooding can be termed feel-good) comes courtesy of N3V Games and F2P giant Runes of Magic. N3V, the game's Queensland-based publisher, has announced plans to assist flooding victims by donating half of the revenues from certain cash shop items to the relief efforts. The special event begins this Saturday, January 15th, and ends on Sunday, January 23rd. Runes of Magic players can contribute to the clean-up efforts by purchasing star mounts or flame mounts (at a cost of 225 diamonds, or approximately US $12). N3V Games CEO Graham Edelsten explained his company's decision to lend a helping hand. "As a Queensland company we have many guys living in Brisbane who have been affected by the floods," he said. "This charity event is our way of showing our support for all of those affected by these unfortunate events."
