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Glasgow subway trains will be the UK’s first with no staff
Glasgow's subway system will be the first in the UK to operate trains with zero staff on board. As The Scotsman notes, Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) had already announced that a new batch of Swiss-built trains will be driverless. Now, however, the subway operator has confirmed that they won't have any guards or conductors either. "We will always have staff in the system, but it is not our plan to have a member of staff on every train," Charles Hoskins, a senior director at SPT told the newspaper.
UberEats food deliveries come to Edinburgh
After launching in London last summer, Uber's food delivery service UberEats has expanded to Manchester, Birmingham, and recently, it added the useful option of scheduling post-pub burger drop-offs ahead of time. Tomorrow, UberEats is heading further north to its first Scottish city of Edinburgh, where deliveries from over 70 partner restaurants will be available from 11AM (no breakfast option yet, we're afraid). Deliveroo has been operating in Edinburgh for the best part of two years now, so expensive on-demand grub isn't entirely new to its residents, but more choice is never a bad thing.
Uber heads to Scotland, starting in Glasgow
After months of quiet hiring in Edinburgh and Glasgow, Uber is finally ready to take on Scotland. The company is launching first in Glasgow, although we suspect it won't be long before it enters the Scottish capital too. That means if you're based in Glasgow's bustling port city, you'll be able to download the app and request uberX rides from 4pm today. Uber has already launched in most of England's major hubs, including Newcastle, Birmingham and Leeds, so Scotland is an obvious target for further UK expansion. The company is still, however, in the middle of a legal dispute with the UK's Licensed Taxi Drivers Association, so we're curious to see how Glasgow's cabbies react to their new competition.
Channel 4 creates its own video game publishing arm
Channel 4 is gearing up to launch its own video game publisher. The UK broadcaster has commissioned mobile games before, but they've often been specific projects that relate to its most popular programming. Now, it wants to offer additional support to the indie developer community. Channel 4 will continue to fund a smattering of games, but its new "All 4 Games" brand will offer broader games development, marketing and promotional support. So even if Channel 4 isn't funding the title, the idea is that its guidance and experience will justify a small cut of developers' revenues. That includes publishing games on all of the major app stores, as well as promoting them through its new All 4 video streaming service. What's not clear, however, is the exact cut Channel 4 will be taking from the games. The mobile space is brutal, especially now that the free-to-play model is so prevalent, so the broadcaster will need to prove its services represent good value.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: NY Design Week, a hybrid Porsche and recycled sportswear
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green. Want a sneak peek into the future of design? This week Inhabitat hit NY Design Week to uncover the best and the brightest in green interior and furniture design. At ICFF we spotted an ethereal series of 3D printed Hyphae lamps and we were wowed by the iTree -- a massive iPod sound system made out of an entire tree trunk! We also saw LED technology take on surprising new forms - like Light and Contrast's tiny flower-shaped lamps and Peteris Zilbers' quirky mood broom lamp (yes, it's shaped like a broom). We'll continue with the New York Design Week coverage throughout next week, so come back to Inhabitat in the coming days for more fresh new design finds, and read on beyond the break for more in the here and now.
Nanotech-enhanced 'smart paint' promises to detect structural damage
We've seen scientists explore a number of ways to make paint "smarter" over the years, and now a team of researchers at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow have devised a method that they say could do nothing short of "revolutionize structural safety." The key to that is some novel nanotechnology that effectively turns the paint into a sensor network that's able to detect minor structural faults before they become a severe problem. More specifically, the paint consists of a mix of highly aligned carbon nanotubes and a recycled waste material known as fly ash -- when the nanotubes bend, the conductivity changes, indicating that there could be a structural problem developing. What's more, the fly ash is also said to give the paint a cement-like structure, which the researchers say could let it be used in harsh conditions where traditional structural monitoring can prove difficult (and expensive).
Nokia's Foursquare-enabled vending machine offers free smartphones, Butterfingers (video)
Sure, it's one thing to hit up the vending machine at work to get your Doritos fix, but free gifts? That's exactly what Nokia's doing at the Skypark in Glasgow for the city's Social Media Week with the help of 1000heads. Dubbed the "Nokia Gift Machine," it allows event attendees to obtain one free gift per day including candy from the US of A, Nokia accessories and even smartphones for a lucky few. All it takes is a quick Foursquare check-in with #NokiaConnects followed by a share over Twitter, and a goodie-filled tube will be yours for the taking. It'll only be in place until the 23rd, so if you're there and haven't given it whirl, consider this a quick heads-up from your friends at Engadget. Plus, who doesn't love getting awesome stuff for free? Exactly. Full details in the PR past the break.
Scientists attempt to give spark of life to all-synthetic metal cells
Just because it hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it can't; at least that's what a Scottish research group is hoping as it attempts to create reproductive synthetic cells made completely from metal. At this stage, the idea of sentient metallic life remains a distant sci-fi dream, but researchers at the University of Glasgow have already birthed iChells -- inorganic chemical cells. These bubbles, formed from the likes of tungsten, oxygen and phosphorus, can already self-assemble, possess an internal structure, and are capable of the molecular in-and-outs expected of its biological counterparts. Researchers are still tackling how to give these little wonders the ability to self-replicate, and possibly evolve -- further cementing our doom post-Robot Apocalypse. Check out our future synthetic overlord's first steps in a video after the break.
Shapeways serves up prêt-à-imprimer 3D bones, Lagerfeld stands by for full skeletal replacement
3D printed chocolates? Sure, sounds innocuous enough. But made-to-order 3D printed bones? Now, that's just morbid. For the surgical team at Glasgow's Royal Hospital for Sick Children, however, the tech's come in handy as a budget-priced, pre-operative planning tool. Mark Frame, an orthopedic surgical trainee at RHSC, first came up with the idea to create the osteo-facsimiles after a costly university-made replica, commissioned for a procedure, failed to meet necessary proportion and size requirements. After undertaking a bit of self-assigned internet research, Frame sorted out a method to create renders of a patient's fractured forearm using CT scans processed via the open source OsiriX software. These were then passed through a separate MeshLab application to tidy up any artifacting, and finally exported in 3D-compatible .stl format. The resulting files were sent to Shapeways for printing, with the white plastic bone copies delivered just seven days later for £77. The hospital's been so pleased with the inexpensive outcome, that it's already begun prep work on a hip replacement surgery using a replicated pelvis -- and, no, they didn't specify if the patient was a fashion victim.
Allotment bar in Glasgow pays homage to Pong
You know, the United Kingdom isn't a great place to go if you enjoy drinking. The folks there, they just aren't big drinkers. It's difficult for them to find reasons to partake in the time-traveling powers of alcohol. Enter: Allotment, a new bar in the Glasgow area that offers thirsty patrons live performance art, music and a bit of the in-between.Right about now, you're probably wondering what this has to do with games. Well, this Saturday, the bar will be transformed into a living dedication to retro gaming, with a central theme of "gaming and morality." There'll be roulette and karaoke, some arcade gaming. But, more importantly, coordinators will envision a real-life Pong tribute in the space, allowing attendees to participate at any time in the recreation by simply walking up and changing it. If you're looking for more information on Allotment, or tickets to attend, then head on over to the National Theatre of Scotland. If after reading this, you're in the mood to watch that awesome video of Japanese Matrix ping-pong, well ... you aren't the only one.[Via GamePolitics]
Sony's Glasgow wants Blu-ray prices to come down
While Sony's Jay Vandenbree is over in one corner griping about HDTV price drops, the outfit's Stan Glasgow is off in another making a bit of sense. In a recent interview with Reuters, the bigwig stated that he understood that movie studios "needed to make money, and [that] packaged media (discs) is a critical way for them to [do so]," but he continued on to say that he would "love to see those prices come down, as well as the price of Blu-ray players to drive adoption." These absolutely laudable comments come on the heels of him admitting that Blu-ray sales overall would fall around 10% short this holiday season of prior expectations, despite the fact that BD deck prices are apt to hit record lows on Black Friday. It's actually pretty astounding to hear a higher-up such as Stan uttering such logical statements, and if you're looking for more of his take on the industry, you know where to head.
Lily-shaped pads could generate solar energy in Glasgow
We've seen some pretty far-fetched efforts meant to capture the sun's rays and convert 'em into energy, but this one holds a special place in our hearts. Rather than consuming acres upon acres of desert land or simply placing a plethora of panels atop some roof, ZM Architecture has an idea that would land a slew of large lily-shaped solar panels in the River Clyde. After winning the International Design Awards Land and Sea Competition, the concept has been passed on to the Glasgow city council in hopes of a trial going forward in the near future. Essentially, energy gathered by the discs would be transformed and exported to the national grid, and integrated motors could rotate the pads in order to "follow the sun for maximum output." Just gotta watch for those sunbathers sure to swim over and kick back on a panel of their own.[Via Inhabitat]Read - BBC reportRead - IDA winner report
Apple Store Glasgow: Your reports
Apple opened a new retail store in Glasgow, UK this weekend. As usual, we asked any TUAW operatives who may have attended to share their reports and/or pictures. So, did you go, and if you did, how was it? Let us know in the comments. Here's hoping you scored a T-shirt or even the Opening Day Contest's grand prize!If you haven't gone down to the store yet, show us a little love and set the in-store Macs to TUAW!
Glasgow Apple Store sneak preview
While the Glasgow Apple Store is set to open on Saturday, August 25th, a few lucky people - like TUAW reader Mo - were invited to a sneak peek opening for friends and family. Check out Mo's Flickr set for some shots of the store's interior, which features one of those beautiful spiral staircases (here's a view from the top). Thanks for sharing, Mo! Your shots look great.
Glasgow Apple Store opening confirmed
Attention, residents of Glasgow! It has been confirmed by several TUAW tipsters (as well as ifoAppleStore) that the Buchanan Street Apple Store will open on Saturday, August 25th at 9 a.m. The usual commemorative T-shirts will be available, as well as a Grand Opening contest with some very nice prizes.If you attend, please share your photos and stories! Good luck and have fun.Thanks to everyone who sent this in!
Personal trainer uses Wii for workouts
As anyone who's managed to get their hands on a Wii will no doubt have already discovered, it's relatively easy to work up a sweat and lose some pounds using Nintendo's little white box. Now, the real life activity that's required to succeed at virtual Wii Sports has been picked up on by a personal trainer from Glasgow, Scotland: Zander Urquhart found that kids and adults alike don't mind doing exercise when it's accompanied by on-screen actions by the player's Mii, and is using the Wii specifically as an exercise machine. Zander is apparently the first fitness expert to have seen the potential for the Wii in the field of personal training, but we have a strong feeling he won't be the last. Even if the idea doesn't catch on, we suspect he'll have a healthy stream of geeky customers coming into the gym as long as the Wii stock shortage continues to exist (which, judging by the sporadic shortages of the 10 month old DS Lite, could be some time yet). Be honest with us: have you lost any weight thanks to your Wii?[Via The Raw Feed. Image credit]
Location of first Apple store in Scotland
Survivingcinemas.org.uk has uncovered the future location of Apple's first store in Scotland. 147 Buchanan Street, Glasgow will house Scotland's Apple Store as well as a glass spiral staircase and a Genius/iPod bar. This former theater will have an estimated £1,1,68,000 pumped into it to covert it into an Apple store with stainless steel encased ceilings (signage will be approved separately). Interestingly, it would seem that this store will not have a theater which is becoming a trend in new Apple Stores.[via MacNN]
