Exploride aims to turn any car into a smart car with its transparent hands-free display!

A hands-free display device for cars to combine music and GPS system, developed by a startup firm incubated at Kochi Startup Village, has raised half a million US dollars from pre-orders within 40 days of its launch.

The startup firm Exploride Inc has received more than 1,800 pre-orders from 50 countries for the futuristic product that combines display and gesture-recognition technology to provide hands-free access to maps, calls, texts, notifications, music and the onboard diagnostics of a car.

“Raising a whopping $512,718 in 40 days for a startup is a feat achieved by no other company in India. We are so excited about the global response which validates our product,” said Sunil Vallath, Founder and CEO, Exploride

Vallath said got the idea of developing such a product, named Exploride Heads-up Display, because of an accident in which his wife was involved, partly due to the use of smart phone. “It prompted me to create a product that would reduce these distractions and keep the occupants of a car safe. Thus, came Exploride, which aims at reducing distractions while driving—without looking away or losing focus on road,” he said. The Exploride Heads-up Display has received orders from most parts of the globe, but the biggest pre-orders, priced at 299 dollars apiece, are from the US. The cutting edge small and portable product sits on the dashboard of cars and provides a safer and smarter navigation advice.

“Your car’s infotainment system, instrument cluster, navigation system, and your smart phone—all these compete for your attention while you drive. Exploride puts all of them in one place, on a transparent display, so that you won’t have to take your eyes off the road,” he said. The utility-packed device has GPS, LTE (a 4G mobile communications standard ten times faster than 3G) and Google maps that direct the driver through the best route, removing the need for a smart phone. It also has voice activated navigation that reminds the driver to take direction every time. Further, one can take phone calls or decline them, raise or lower the volume and cancel the noise with simple hand gestures. Not only that, the device shows speed, tyre pressure, fuel and other engine stats. Further, apps like Apple Music, Twitter and Facebook are inbuilt in the device that also provides news and information about the weather. To top it all, its dash-cam records your driving street video which can be helpful in claiming insurance. 

Happiness- A Search

I often ask myself the question of the mystery of bliss. Where to find it? It is a matter of debate and key to the growth, for many.

To tell you the truth, I am also not very sure. And doesn't the acceptance of the truth & reality brings in composure or calm, inside heart?

And I believe this peace is what we' re looking for.

There's another thing that, I feel, restricts the entry of happiness in our life and, that is, our fears for the uncertain.

I have, often, observe people talking about live carefree, without thinking of the future. Let the things come what may be & we' ll face it as it is.

But is it so easy as been said? I, firmly, doubt upon it. But if we come to realisation that everybody is uncertain about it or nobody knows what is certain, then I think we will let the happiness enter freely.

& now, the fear of uncertainty will act as our security guard. Because being carefree, fully, disrupts the flow of planning that we must do.

And we would be amazed to see the results.

Have you ever seen the bucket, overflowing with water because it has used up all the capacity to fill itself. The same happens with us. If we keep our thoughts, within our mind or heart. There is no space for filling it with new blissful experience as we are actually stuck with the old. Empty the old and fill it with new, holds the key.So, Open up and share.

We, all, are the creations of almighty. We are born with abundance of kindness and love. We find happiness in giving, not in taking. But what to give?

Share the abundance, that is, kindness and love. And you will feel the abundance within you is increasing and search for happiness is over.

This is why it is said HAPPINESS IS WITHIN YOU, but you will be happy when share and show the abundance of bliss with other.

-Ankita upadhyay

Diamond Is Not 'The Hardest' Anymore!

Researchers have discovered a new form of carbon structure, called Q-carbon, that's harder than diamond and allows artificial versions of the precious stone to be made at room temperature and pressure.

A team of material scientists from North Carolina State University has developed a new form of solid carbon that's different to the familiar graphite and diamond structures. The researchers suggest that it's unlikely to occur in the natural world-"the only place it may be found in the natural world would be possibly in the core of some planets," they explain in a press release.

Instead, it's made in the lab. To do so, the researchers take a surface like glass and coat it in what's referred to as amorphous carbon-essentially a scattering of carbon atoms that aren't yet neatly bonded together into a crystal structure like diamond. Then, they take a laser and fire 200 nanosecond pulses at the carbon, which causes rapid heating-to temperatures as high as 3,727 degrees Celsius-and cooling.

The result is what the team have dubbed Q-carbon. In a series of papers, including one published in the Journal of Applied Physics, the team explains that the new material is harder than diamond, can glow when exposed to energy, and is ferromagnetic, too.

By tweaking the production technique and changing how quickly the laser pulse heats and cools the carbon, the team can also create diamond structures at room temperature and pressure. Usually, synthetic diamond requires huge pressures during its formation.

There are, however, some compelling reasons why Q-carbon won't be on rings and drill tips just yet. Not least is the fact that the team can so far only produce sheets of the material which measure 20 nanometers to 500 nanometers in thickness-about 100 times thinner than the width of a typical human hair.

"We can make Q-carbon films, and we're learning its properties, but we are still in the early stages of understanding how to manipulate it," admits Jay Narayan, who led the research.

[Journal of Applied Physics, APL Materials via NC State]

Wikipedia is using artificial intelligence to get more actual humans writing articles!

Better artificial intelligence is often associated with the detriment of a human workforce, but judging by some new practices by the team at Wikipedia HQ, it doesn’t have to be that way.

In a report over at Wired, computer scientist Aaron Halfaker describes how Wikipedia recently began implementing an AI system he designed to detects vandalism and bogus edits on articles using machine learning – it can identify common patterns in vandalous edits, like a tendency for impropercharacterspacing.

While on one hand that means less work for volunteers who look out for nefarious changes, Wikipedia belies the change will help reel in a swarm of new editors.

It’s all about removing the barrier for entry. Because Wikipedia crowdsources its articles, it has to implement strict rules on who can make changes to major documents in order to prevent articles from being vandalized. The other side of the coin is that it discourages many folk with good intentions and solid information.

The hope is that by having smarter AI detection of bogus articles and edits, more manpower will be devoted to legitimate content. When the policing machines are smart enough, Wikipedia could then relax its rules for newcomers a bit.

Still, some will worry whether the machines will ever get smart enough to replace a significant portion of human editors.

➤ http://www.wired.com/2015/12/wikipedia-is-using-ai-to-expand-the-ranks-of-human-editors/

The Maguss Wand: Making Magic Real!!

It is likely that you, and hordes of others, waited patiently on your 12th birthday for an owl to swoop down and gently drop a letter of admissions to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Think of the disappointment you, and all the throngs of other hopeful young people felt the next day when no such letter arrived.

Ondrej Tokar, Founder of Maguss Wand, is about to shave off a bit of that disappointment, fueling the dreams from our childhood favorite series. The Maguss Wand allows users to duel with other wielders in their vicinity or anywhere in the world. There have been magic wands made before; replicas of the casts’ wands and ones that work as a remote control, but none mimic the sensation of a wizard duel. The Maguss Wand Kickstarter hopes to make that dream a reality.

“I was always a fan of fantasy and of role playing games and wizardry. I was wondering if I could make some of the magic ‘real,’” Tokar says of his idea to create the Maguss Wand.

If the Kickstarter campaign is successful, the wand, app and badge (the receiver) combo can be under Christmas trees in December. That all depends if the young company can raise the $67,000 they need by September 11. In the chance that it doesn’t raise the funds, Tokar still sees the project moving forward. If not, there is still a plan.

“First of all we would learn from our mistakes, we would search for investors or try to reach more people and build a bigger community. We will organize events and when we are more confident, we might re-launch the campaign. We would do the same thing even if we reach the goal, we would just be much faster and the results could be much better,” Tokar explained.

Maguss Wands hopes to bring several variations of the product to market, from the basic package starting at around $60 to more luxury packages. The basic package includes the free smartphone app download, a wand, and a badge; all that you need to begin dueling. Backers and potential buyers can also buy the premium package, which includes a handmade wooden wand and customizable preferences. Personalized and bulk packages are also options for the prospective buyer.

To begin, duelers will have about 20 spells to start out with, ranging from attacking, disabling, and defensive spells. The names of these spells won’t sound familiar to the Potter fanatic. There is no Crucio or Expelliarmus as the usage of these spells would cause licensing issues. Ranking up or joining a specific quest in the game can unlock more spells. While the mechanics of this wizardry is not actual magic, it is science. As explained on the Kickstarter page, when casting a spell the wand emits an infrared signal that is read by the receiver. The app on your smartphone will help determine what spell was cast and what damage, if any, was caused.

Some spells you can cast on the Maguss Wand.

“The functionality of the spells are completely different. Besides that, there is a gaming story, which is not related to the Harry Potter universe at all,” Tokar said.

Duelers cast these spells by holding down a button and moving their wand in the specific motion the spell calls for. If dueling against another person in the flesh, this movement is read by the opponent’s badge. There are several outcomes that can come from a successful spell, the opponent can receive damage or suffer another effect such as immobility. To counter, there are defensive spells, which reflect and deflect. Duelers can also summon their imaginary pet to increase damage or help defend.

As mentioned, there is more to Maguss Wand then just finding a friend to shoot spells at, the gaming story is another portion a user can play. There are levels to be completed and ranks to move up in.

Tokar added that pledging on Kickstarter is a simple process and to just keep in mind his company is located in Denmark.

“The prices are in Danish krones. Kickstarter doesn’t allow use of other currency than the one that is used in the country of origin. However, pledgers should not be afraid… it’s easy to calculate the conversion.”

More details about the Maguss Wand can be found on the Kickstarter page or the website and social media pages.

So, what are you waiting for? Let’s make this a thing!

Apple's Pencil Is In Town,Make On-The-Spot Notes Now!!

Apple's new Pencil marks a significant departure from the company's previous strategy in which it avoided manufacturing or marketing styluses. Priced at $99, the Lightning connector-equipped instrument provides 12 hours of battery life and receives another 30-minute charge simply by connecting it to an iPad Pro for just 15 seconds. Compatible with numerous iPad applications, including Notes, Mail, and Pixelmator, the stylus provides the ability to write, draw, and diagram using the iPad Pro.

Certainly, most business professionals are familiar with styluses, having used them with other devices. That said, Apple's Pencil is somewhat unique. Here are three things to know about Apple's newest innovation.

It's intuitive

Like most Apple products, the Pencil is incredibly intuitive. As the company says, you already know how to use it. This hasn't necessarily been the case with other manufacturers' attempts at creating similar instruments.

Pressing the Pencil harder results in a thicker, darker line, while gentle touches result in hairline notations. And, thanks to Apple's Multi-Touch technology, tilting the Apple Pencil's tip results in shading effects.

It's surprisingly sensitive

Award-winning designer Jonathan Ive narrates a short product video that showcases the Pencil's actual operation and responsiveness.

Possessing the ability to select a single pixel, the Pencil also delivers realistic performance. Because the Pencil's sensor data and movement is scanned 240 times per second, the tablet actually collects twice the data as when a user attempts to select, edit, or input data using a finger, resulting in more precise data manipulation and input. As a result, business professionals can write and draw using a stylus like never before.

For many, it's an unnecessary peripheral

The new Pencil presents compelling capabilities. The device can be used to draw diagrams, create flowcharts, draft blueprints, write text, edit email messages, and more. While those features all previously existed, these new capabilities are particularly pronounced with the new Pencil. And, thanks to Apple's palm-rejection support, users can rest their hand on the tablet as they write, and the palm contact won't confuse the iPad, resulting in unwanted blemishes and stray marks.

However, it's likely the new features will prove attractive to only a specific user group: those who don't mind carrying an additional peripheral and who require it for completing graphics tasks.

While the new stylus boasts impressive battery life and intuitive performance, legions of Apple professionals have become accustomed to performing most tasks without a stylus. Unless a business user works as a draftsperson, an architect, a graphic artist, or other creative professional, carrying another device (in addition to a keyboard, smartphone, wallet, charging cables, and even a laptop so many professionals juggle) is a possible deal breaker, especially considering the corresponding tablet's mobile nature.

The new Pencil is an unusual tool for Apple users. While the company avoided styluses for years, it may have a new hit, at least among some users.

VIber Now Lets You Save Your Ass By Remotely Delete The Messages You've Sent By Mistake!!

How many times have you sent a message to someone and immediately regretted it? Whether it’s in the heat of an argument or just an embarrassing typo, Viber‘s latest update will make it all okay.

The messaging service is now letting you delete messages on the recipient’s phone after you’ve sent them, whether the person has seen it or not.

I’m surprised more messaging services haven’t made this possible by now. It seems like a logical thing to be able to do in an age where we’ve become accustomed to sharing sensitive information using our phones, often without considering the consequences.

It could certainly be one way of combating revenge porn.

And in a less sexy, more practical, setting, it means that if you need to send someone your bank details or credit card number, you can remotely delete the message after they’re done with it.