Apple has recently released iOS 18 Beta 5 for developers, with a public beta expected to follow shortly. This update introduces a range of new features, interface enhancements, and bug fixes across various Apple devices and operating systems, including iPadOS, watchOS, visionOS, macOS, and tvOS. iOS 18 Beta 5 brings several notable changes and improvements […]
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Apple fans and laptop users alike are eagerly anticipating the release of the M4 MacBook Air, which promises to be a substantial upgrade from its predecessors. With enhanced performance, improved external display support, increased RAM, competitive pricing, and superior battery life, the M4 MacBook Air is poised to be the most significant update since the […]
The post More M4 MacBook Air Details Revealed appeared first on Geeky Gadgets.
Ever seen those behind-the-scenes videos of car design where they show the vehicle prototype in a wind tunnel test? These tunnels blast streams of smoke towards a car, and engineers analyze how the smoke lines contour and travel down the car’s body – it’s a phenomenal way of accurately analyzing literal air movement or aerodynamism… and there’s a company that’s now selling a scaled-down version of the wind tunnel that is small enough to place on your desk. Starting at just $159, the Windsible is a desk toy that lets you scale down and mimic automotive wind tunnel tests that usually require infrastructure worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. Designed to be used with your die-cast car collection (Hot Wheels, Maisto, Fastlane, Matchbox, etc.) or even your small-scale LEGO Technic builds, the Windsible turns your static car into a kinetic art installation, allowing you to actually capture the beauty of wind tunnel tests on a scale compact enough to sit on your workspace tabletop!
Designers: Jayden Han and Jarvis Jiang
Click Here to Buy Now: $159 $239 (33% off). Hurry, only a few left! Raised over $260,000.
Perhaps the most exciting way to display your car collection, the Windsible also lets you perform the same tests that engineers did on real cars before they were released. The tabletop gizmo comes in 3 sizes, depending on the scale of your toy cars. The smallest 1:64 scale is perfect for tiny Hot Wheels and matchbox cars, while the mid-size 1:24 scale and large 1:18 scale are for bigger car models.
A fogger on the front generates smoke, allowing you to visualize aerodynamic drag in real-time, while lights on the back of the Windsible turn bright red, paying a hat-tip to car taillights. A knob lets you turn the Windsible on and adjust the wind intensity (while a display tells you the wind speed), and the transparent casing gives you a glorious view of the wind tunnel test in action from both the side as well as the top.
The Windsible generates airflow using a series of fans that are precisely calibrated to simulate the real-world conditions of a life-size wind tunnel. Modular smoke cartridges produce a fine mist, which can be adjusted and calibrated to get different shapes and patterns. A knob on the outside lets you adjust wind speed, while LEDs inside the tunnel’s main chamber illuminate both your car as well as the smoke lines, allowing you to observe fluid dynamics in action.
The fogger and fog fluid are designed to be easy to use and maintain, ensuring that the device remains operational with minimal effort. A mild, non-toxic oil-based fog fluid also prevents your expensive car collection from being damaged by mist or water vapor contact.
Depending on its size, the Windsible accepts die-cast cars or even 3D-printed models. A linear chamber allows you to place any design of your choice in, and test aerodynamics. Designed to be silent, odorless, and incredibly precise, the Windsible is perfect for analyzing the drag coefficient of your favorite cars or even your design prototypes. The smoke glides seamlessly down smooth surfaces, pooling around at corners and edges to help you visualize how your car would cut through air as it moved down the road. Adjust the wind speed and you can see the tunnel’s results exaggerate further, depicting accurately what it would be like, driving at high speeds – and whether the car’s aerodynamic design actually translates to fuel efficiency. Different car designs exhibit vastly different results, allowing you to understand exactly how automotive surface design works.
The Windsible was conceptualized at Cranfield University by Steven, an engineer with a passion for aviation and vehicles. Steven’s expertise in aviation and vehicle design laid the groundwork for the product. Joining forces with Axia, a vehicle engineering expert from Politecnico di Torino, and Jayden, a skilled vehicle designer, the team combined their talents to create a Windsible that was not only technically sound but also visually striking and extremely user-friendly.
The entire miniature wind tunnel runs on a DC power supply, which provides juice to the fogger system, the aerial LEDs, the display on the front, and the edge-lit futuristic taillights at the back. The Windsible’s build is fairly robust, which means you can even use it to display your rare and expensive car miniature models. Whether you’re a designer, a collector, an enthusiast with a penchant for cool objects, or even a technical professional who would like to perform small-scale tests on their models, the Windsible makes for an incredibly eye-catching and breathtaking tabletop gizmo. The smallest model starts at $159, while the medium and large variants are priced at $199 and $289 respectively, which includes a 1-year warranty along with global shipping. No matter which size you go for, each Windsible comes with a DC power adapter, 2 modular smoke cartridges, a fogger, a bottle of fog fluid, a cleaning cloth for keeping your Windsible spotless, and a user manual.
Click Here to Buy Now: $159 $239 (33% off). Hurry, only a few left! Raised over $260,000.
The post Tabletop Wind Tunnel lets you Run Aerodynamic Tests on your entire Die-Cast Toy Car Collection first appeared on Yanko Design.
The Titan submersible implosion was a grim reminder of the serious dangers involved in deep-sea expeditions and explorations for eco-tourism. While some might argue that it is way better than exploration on the sea surface, there’s got to be a better and safer way to experience the wonders of the underwater world in person.
François-Alexandre Bertrand has a solution in the form of Platypus Craft prototype, a semi-submersible vessel for safe and feasible underwater exploration. This is in line with breaking the notion that water adventure activities and environmental responsibility are hard to coexist. Clear from the naming convention, the zero-emission craft is inspired by the amphibious Playptus mammal.
Designer: Playptus Craft and Evoy
The five-seater watercraft is developed in partnership with Evoy who have developed the high-output electric motors for the vessel. Platypus Craft has some cool trickery up its sleeve for underwater exploration. The seating platform can be lowered down completely to submerge the riders safely for a whole new experience. It comes with an array of safety equipment like retractable air hoses connected to an onboard compressor.
This dual configuration has many benefits, including multi-functionality and fewer chances of harming the marine ecosystem. One can use it for riding the waters for scenic trips or more intense underwater explorations within the safety norms.
The watercraft gets twin Evoy Outboard Breeze 120+ electric motors mated to a 63KW twin battery pack. This makes the vessel having a catamaran hull design, reach a top speed of 25 knots and have a cruising speed of 15 knots when riding the surface. When submerged underwater, Platypus Craft prototype’s speed is reduced to a comfortable 3 to 5 knots for unobstructed views of the marine life. In the submerged mode, the craft can cover an impressive distance of 30 to 80 nautical miles.
Initially, the maker is going to release the Platypus Yacht Edition in 2025, fueling a new era of submersible explorations sans the inherent dangers of deep-sea explorations. The watercraft will be the first ever commercially available submersible to feature Evoy’s electric motor system that comes with zero-emission promise and also eliminates the typical fuel slicks and bilge water problems with non-electric versions.
The post This watercraft turns into a submersible as the seating compartment lowers down underwater first appeared on Yanko Design.
League of Legends is a ton of fun to play, and when you hit level 30, it becomes even more thrilling as you gain access to ranked play.
The post How to Level Up in League of Legends to 30 Fast first appeared on Trendy Gadget.
This Mobile Monday, we’re taking a look at how the Volkswagen GTI is moving into the electric era with the new ID. GTI. This marks a big change for Volkswagen, as it combines the GTI’s beloved legacy with electric power. The ID. GTI brings a fresh take on a classic favorite, capturing the spirit of the original GTI while incorporating the latest electric technology.
Designer: Volkswagen
When comparing the sketches of the new and old Volkswagen ID GTI EV, several key design elements stand out. These elements showcase the model’s transformation into a modern electric vehicle while still retaining iconic features that pay homage to its heritage. The new design adopts current trends like minimalist aesthetics and integrated technology features yet retains enough classic elements to be recognizable as a GTI. This approach caters to long-time fans while appealing to new customers looking for a modern, eco-friendly vehicle.
Front Fascia: The traditional GTI is known for its straightforward, functional design with a simple grille and prominent GTI badge. Classic round headlights reinforce its sporty yet retro appeal. In contrast, the electric ID GTI showcases a much sleeker front end. The grille is minimized to reflect the reduced cooling requirements of electric vehicles and integrates seamlessly into the headlights, creating a futuristic look. The GTI badge remains prominent, placed on a narrow light strip that connects the headlights, enhancing its modern appeal.
Headlights: The old model features the classic round headlights that have been symbolic of the GTI models, emphasizing an iconic and functional design. The new model adopts angular LED headlights that stretch across the width of the car, complementing the electric aesthetic. This updates its appearance and likely improves illumination efficiency, a nod to both form and function in modern vehicle design.
Body Lines: Older GTI models sport more pronounced, sharper body lines, giving the car a more aggressive stance typical of hot hatches. In contrast, smooth, flowing body lines dominate the new model, suggesting a design optimized for aerodynamics, which is crucial for improving the efficiency of electric vehicles. The smoother silhouette helps reduce drag and increase range, aligning with the needs of an EV.
Rear Design: Traditional tail lights and a clear, simple rear bumper design echo the utilitarian, performance-focused ethos of past GTIs. The new model features a futuristic approach with a full-width light bar at the rear, a popular trend in modern vehicle design. This distinguishes it as a contemporary model and enhances visibility for following vehicles.
The overall design philosophy of the ID. GTI reflects Volkswagen’s focus on merging the GTI’s rich heritage with the future of electric mobility. The vehicle respects its roots yet is boldly forward-looking, encapsulating the essence of what a modern hot hatch should be in the era of electric vehicles.
Performance is a key area where the ID. GTI aims to shine. Volkswagen enhances the driving experience with an upgraded suspension and chassis, promising to surpass the capabilities of its gasoline predecessors. According to Thomas Schäfer, a top executive at Volkswagen, the ID. GTI will offer an even more exciting driving experience than current models, aiming to provide not just speed but a truly engaging ride. A unique feature of the ID. GTI is the “GTI e-sound,” which simulates the traditional engine roar through speakers, preserving the emotional appeal of the GTI’s driving experience despite the absence of a conventional engine. This feature is designed to maintain the visceral thrill associated with GTI driving, even as the car transitions to electric power.
Andreas Mindt Head of Volkswagen Design
Volkswagen aims to deliver an exciting and dynamic driving experience with the new ID. GTI. This version merges the speed and handling that GTI enthusiasts love with innovative electric features. By combining tradition with cutting-edge technology, Volkswagen ensures that the excitement and quality associated with the GTI name continue to thrive in today’s rapidly changing automotive world.
The post Will Volkswagen’s ID. GTI Electrify the Passion of GTI Enthusiasts? first appeared on Yanko Design.
When trying to figure out whether Pokemon Go is dead or not, we must look into the statistics. In the first year, it made a whooping 1.03 billion.
The post Is Pokemon GO Dead? – A Look at the Pokemon GO Player Count first appeared on Trendy Gadget.
In the latest example of a troubling industry pattern, NVIDIA appears to have scraped troves of copyrighted content for AI training. On Monday, 404 Media’s Samantha Cole reported that the $2.4 trillion company asked workers to download videos from YouTube, Netflix and other datasets to develop commercial AI projects. The graphics card maker is among the tech companies appearing to have adopted a “move fast and break things” ethos as they race to establish dominance in this feverish, too-often-shameful AI gold rush.
The training was reportedly to develop models for products like its Omniverse 3D world generator, self-driving car systems and “digital human” efforts.
NVIDIA defended its practice in an email to Engadget. A company spokesperson said its research is “in full compliance with the letter and the spirit of copyright law” while claiming IP laws protect specific expressions “but not facts, ideas, data, or information.” The company equated the practice to a person’s right to “learn facts, ideas, data, or information from another source and use it to make their own expression.” Human, computer… what’s the difference?
YouTube doesn’t appear to agree. Spokesperson Jack Malon pointed us to a Bloomberg story from April, quoting CEO Neal Mohan saying using YouTube to train AI models would be a “clear violation” of its terms. “Our previous comment still stands,” the YouTube policy communications manager wrote to Engadget.
That quote from Mohan in April was in response to reports that OpenAI trained its Sora text-to-video generator on YouTube videos without permission. Last month, a report showed that the startup Runway AI followed suit.
NVIDIA employees who raised ethical and legal concerns about the practice were reportedly told by their managers that it had already been green-lit by the company's highest levels. “This is an executive decision,” Ming-Yu Liu, vice president of research at NVIDIA, replied. “We have an umbrella approval for all of the data.” Others at the company allegedly described its scraping as an “open legal issue” they’d tackle down the road.
It all sounds similar to Facebook’s (Meta’s) old “move fast and break things” motto, which has succeeded admirably at breaking quite a few things. That included the privacy of millions of people.
In addition to the YouTube and Netflix videos, NVIDIA reportedly instructed workers to train on movie trailer database MovieNet, internal libraries of video game footage and Github video datasets WebVid (now taken down after a cease-and-desist) and InternVid-10M. The latter is a dataset containing 10 million YouTube video IDs.
Some of the data NVIDIA allegedly trained on was only marked as eligible for academic (or otherwise non-commercial) use. HD-VG-130M, a library of 130 million YouTube videos, includes a usage license specifying that it’s only meant for academic research. NVIDIA reportedly brushed aside concerns about academic-only terms, insisting their batches were fair game for its commercial AI products.
To evade detection from YouTube, NVIDIA reportedly downloaded content using virtual machines (VMs) with rotating IP addresses to avoid bans. In response to a worker’s suggestion to use a third-party IP address-rotating tool, another NVIDIA employee reportedly wrote, “We are on [Amazon Web Services](#) and restarting a [virtual machine](#) instance gives a new public IP[.](#) So, that’s not a problem so far.”
404 Media’s full report on NVIDIA’s practices is worth a read.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/nvidias-ai-team-reportedly-scraped-youtube-netflix-videos-without-permission-204942022.html?src=rssThe year was 1940. Thousands of Allied soldiers were trapped on the beaches of Dunkirk, France. The enemy was closing in fast. Panic spread as the soldiers looked out to sea, hoping for rescue ships. With every tick of the clock, their chances of escape grew slimmer. The Germans were quickly advancing to the shores, effectively surrounding thousands of soldiers and trapping them in what could only be viewed as certain death. That was until nearly 700 boats started appearing on the horizon. Sailing over from the UK, these boats gave the Allied soldiers the escape route they needed. Among them, a British fireboat called the Massey Shaw was responsible for saving as many as 600 soldiers.
It’s estimated that over 300,000 British and French soldiers were rescued that day from an impending German massacre. To pay tribute to the boats that ventured out to rescue the soldiers, and the Massey Shaw fireboat in particular, William Wood designed the Dunkirk Watch. Inspired by the boat’s engine order telegraph, the Dunkirk Watch has a face featuring various commands that the captain would trigger while commandeering the boat’s engine.
Designer: William Wood
The Dunkirk Watch is perfect for history buffs and steamboat nerds who like wearing a relic of marine exploration on their wrists. The watch’s face gorgeously captures the details of the engine order telegraph seen on almost all boats from that time. The telegraph would have a handle that you could rotate to select one of multiple commands, allowing your boat to stay still or move ahead. The handle would have a hollow window, allowing you to ‘highlight’ an option on the telegraph – so to celebrate that, the watch boasts hollow outline-shaped hour and minute hands.
On the side of the watch, two red pipes reference the Massey Shaw’s firefighting system, comprised of multiple red pipes that pumped water to help douse fires. Inside, a Sellita SW200 movement powers the timepiece. The watch also comes with luminous markings on the dial and straps made from military leather as well as fabric from firefighter suits. Flip the watch over and you’re greeted with artwork on the back, capturing the tense scene of Operation Dynamo which rescued roughly 338,000 soldiers from the shores of Dunkirk. In the center of the artpiece is a small metal fragment pulled from the engine of the Massey Shaw, putting literal history on your wrist. The watch also has the message “We Will Remember Them” inscribed on the back, along with a serial number unique to each timepiece.
The Massey Shaw played a pivotal role in Britain’s history through the years. While it was best remembered for its role in Operation Dynamo, the London Fire Brigade Fireboat also helped save St. Paul’s Cathedral in London during the German Blitz. It’s said that planes dropped as many as 28 bombs on the cathedral in December of 1940, but the Massey Shaw continuously pumped water from the Thames, keeping the cathedral standing even after an intense bombing campaign. In 1947, the fireboat was one of many secret meeting locations that helped form what we know today as Britain’s NHS or National Health Service.
The Massey Shaw was retired from service in 1971, and now sits on London’s harbor, with a scheduled visit to Dunkirk in 2025 to mark the event’s 80-year anniversary. Aside from making the watch, William Wood also donated £10,000 to help repair and restore the Massey Shaw. The first 600 people to purchase the Dunkirk Watch will also receive a commemorative limited-edition Operation Dynamo coin, and will even have their names engraved on a plaque installed within the Massey Shaw.
The Dunkirk Watch starts at £3,995.00 GBP ($5100 USD approx), and delivers in November 2024. You can order yours on William Wood’s website.
The post The Gorgeous Dunkirk Watch pays tribute to the Boats that rescued British Soldiers during WW2 first appeared on Yanko Design.
X will soon close its longtime San Francisco office and move employees to offices elsewhere in the Bay Area, according to an email from CEO Linda Yaccarino reported by The New York Times. Yaccarino’s note to employees comes several weeks after Elon Musk threatened to move X’s headquarters out of California and into Austin, Texas.
Yaccarino’s note, however, doesn’t seem to mention Texas. According to The New York Times, she told employees the closure will happen over the “next few weeks” and that employees will work out of “a shared engineering space in Palo Alto” that’s also used by xAI, as well as other “locations in San Jose.”
Twitter, and now X, has had a rocky relationship with its home base since Musk’s takeover of the company. Musk banned employees from working remotely shortly after taking over the company in 2022, and ordered many Twitter workers back to the office in the mid-Market neighborhood of San Francisco.
He later ran afoul of the city’s Department of Building Inspection for installing a giant flashing X on top of the building, and for reportedly converting office space into hotel rooms for employees to sleep in. The company’s landlord had also sued X over unpaid rent, The San Francisco Chronicle reported earlier this year. The lawsuit was later dismissed.
Despite Musk’s frequent complaints about San Francisco and its elected leaders, he had previously vowed to keep the company’s headquarters in the city. “Many have offered rich incentives for X (fka Twitter) to move its HQ out of San Francisco,” Musk tweeted last year.
“Moreover, the city is in a doom spiral with one company after another left or leaving. Therefore, they expect X will move too. We will not. You only know who your real friends are when the chips are down. San Francisco, beautiful San Francisco, though others forsake you, we will always be your friend.”
But, even before Musk’s recent posts about moving to Austin, there were other signs X may be getting ready to leave after all. The San Francisco Chronicle reported in July that X’s landlord was looking to sublease much of the company’s 800,000 square-foot headquarters.
X didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/x-is-reportedly-closing-its-san-francisco-office-203650428.html?src=rss