In Brief – July 2016
Rolls Royce has unveiled its driverless concept car, Vision Next 100, in London. Designed by Giles Taylor, Rolls-Royce’s Director of Design, the car is set to hit the streets in the 2040s. The car is controlled by an interactive programme called Eleanor that works as a chauffeur and assistant and even reminds occupants about appointments and tasks. It is a two-seater with plush interiors, no steering wheel, accelerator or brakes, but just two physical controls: “stop” and “go.” The passenger can alight in style at the destination as the glass roof lifts automatically allowing the occupant to stand up, while the door opens and a step glides out from below. A red light also shines from underneath the car providing a red-carpet feel. Audi, Google, Toyota and Nissan are few other companies working on driverless technology.
Microsoft’s Founder Bill Gates donated 100,000 chicken through his Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to Heifer International, a global development group, for helping impoverished families in sub-Saharan Africa. He had written on his website, GatesNotes.com, that the best way to improve the lives of the world’s poorest is not through computers, but by raising few roosters and hens. The maintenance cost of chicken is lower, they multiply fast and the eggs and meat can boost the family’s nutrition. The aim is to boost chicken breeding in West Africa by 30 per cent from the current five per cent. However, the Bolivian government has rejected his donation, describing it “offensive.”
Ever since Michael Jackson performed the infamous gravity-defying lean in his Smooth Criminal, several fans had tried and failed to copy the move. But the mystery is out now! He, along with two others, had invented and patented a special shoe that had a slotted heel which slid onto bolts that protruded from the floor, thus creating a dovetail joint between the dancer and the stage. While strings were used in the music video, MJ had to get creative on the road, and these shoes helped him and his team to lean over at a 45 deg angle to the floor.
At some time or the other, many of us would have wished if we could just take off and fly to our destination to escape the horrendous traffic on the roads. Taxi service provider Uber makes this daydream a reality. They are offering chopper service between airports, hotels and convention centres. The UberCopter service has been piloted in Brazil’s São Paulo with a starting ride-rate of $20 for a 6 km distance.
The height of the Eiffel Tower on Champ de Mars in Paris goes up by about 17 cm from its original 324 m during summer. When the Sun’s sharp rays shine on the Tower, thermal expansion causes the metal to expand, and this expansion stops at sundown. The structure shrinks during winter.
