Tesla has just introduced a new entry level car, but before you fire up your laptop to order one, you should know it's even more expensive than Tesla's current starter vehicle.

05:45 mike 0 Comments

Tesla has just introduced a new entry level car, but before you fire up your laptop to order one, you should know it's even more expensive than Tesla's current starter vehicle.

The car it announced on Wednesday is called the Tesla Model S 70D and it'll start at $75,000, although buyers are eligible for a federal tax credit that brings the price down to $67,500. The Model S starts at $70,000.
The "D" stands for dual motor, which will come standard. The car has all-wheel-drive, 514 horsepower and a 0-60 acceleration time of 5.2 seconds. It will also have a 70 KW-Hour battery and a 240 mile driving range.
And here's another wrinkle, as of today the $70,000 version of theModel S will no longer be available new. Tesla (TSLA) is taking it out of its lineup.
Tesla is still working on a cheaper entry-level vehicle, the hotly awaited Model 3 which is expected to start at $34,000. This isn't it. The Model 3 won't be available for a couple more years.
tesla model s 70d
Tesla's new Model S 70D will start at $75,000 but cost a lot less after a federal tax break.

0 comments:

Battle to stem closures of African-American banks in US

13:24 mike 0 Comments

Battle to stem closures of African-American banks in US

7 April 2015 Last updated at 10:54 BST
Banks owned by African-Americans which serve the black community in the US have been closing down at a rapid pace.
There are now only 24 such banks left across the country, but nearly a fifth of all African-American households in the US still do not have bank accounts, so many argue that minority banks are still needed.
Yogita Limaye reports from New York.

0 comments:

Farmers test out 'flying sheepdog'

13:16 mike 0 Comments

Farmers test out 'flying sheepdog'

30 March 2015 Last updated at 15:33 BST
It doesn't bark, and it doesn't bite, it doesn't need feeding - three of the benefits, says Paul Brennan, of using a drone as a sheepdog.
His video showing the shepherding of a flock of his brother's sheep has gone viral.
He told the BBC it worked "perfectly" in rounding up the animals on the farm near Dublin, Ireland.
The National Farmers' Union said it didn't think the idea would "take off".
"There may be a use to check-in on animals grazing on common land or in the hills but that's about the limit.
"The primary use will be in the arable sector rather than livestock at the moment.
"The reality is that a good sheepdog is a far better way to go about the job."

0 comments:

Bionic drone bird aims to take flight

13:13 mike 0 Comments

Bionic drone bird aims to take flight

26 January 2015 Last updated at 08:25 GMT
Inventor and engineer Edwin Van Ruymbeke has developed a prototype of a small aerial vehicle in the shape of a bird.
The vehicle weighs just over 9g and can be piloted using your smart phone.

0 comments:

Drone waiters unveiled at a restaurant in Singapore

13:12 mike 0 Comments

Drone waiters unveiled at a restaurant in Singapore

9 February 2015 Last updated at 11:39 GMT
Food is a national obsession in Singapore, but the country doesn't have enough people working in restaurants to get the food from the kitchen to the customer.
One company thinks it has found the answer - a group of flying drones which can automatically deliver your dinner.
Infinium's robots whizz above the heads of diners on paths mapped out by a computer program, and find their way using infra-red sensors placed around the restaurant.
Check out the drone waiters in action!

0 comments:

V-Nova streaming tech produces 4K compression 'worth watching'

13:09 mike 0 Comments

V-Nova streaming tech produces 4K compression 'worth watching'

1 April 2015 Last updated at 00:22 BST
A new method of data compression could see ultra-high definition video - also known as 4K - being streamed to TVs and other devices using around 50% of the bandwidth currently needed.
V-Nova has gathered 20 large telecoms, broadcast and IT companies including Sky, Intel, and the European Broadcasting Union to back its new Perseus technology.
It could see the average home broadband speed in the UK - around 22 megabits per second (Mbps) - support three 4K streams simultaneously instead of just one.
The technique makes use of the multiple cores within processors found in today's mobile devices and smart TVs to process the picture more efficiently.
Movie streaming firm Netflix currently requests users of its 4K Ultra High Def service to have a steady 25Mbps broadband connection, with analysis of their video stream showing between 12 and 16Mbps is actually required.
V-Nova says it can deliver the same quality picture using just 7-8Mbps.

Developing world

Media expert Ian Maude, from Enders Analysis, said: "This is cutting-edge technology that will be welcomed by pay TV companies, and TV manufacturers because it will help drive 4k sales.
"But there are still limiting factors to the take-up of 4K including whether networks are capable of meeting demand, having a device able to display an ultra-high definition picture, and the amount of content currently being shot in 4K.
"Ultra HD will still remain niche for some time but this technology will help."
The technology also allows HD video to be streamed to mobile phones by using a similar amount of bandwidth to that currently needed to play music.
It is hoped the new encoding technique will help social network users share video as easily as sending messages, and bring standard definition video to millions of devices in developing countries where cellular data rates make it too expensive to stream any quality of video.
The system will first be deployed in the US and several European countries this summer with UK content distributors and broadcasters introducing it before the end of this year.
The video above was produced by Dan Simmons.

0 comments:

Protests are being held in South Carolina over the fatal shooting of an unarmed man as he ran away from police.

12:42 mike 0 Comments

Protests are being held in South Carolina over the fatal shooting of an unarmed man as he ran away from police.
Officer Michael Slager was charged with murder and sacked after video emerged of him shooting Walter Scott multiple times in the back following a scuffle.
He was arrested when authorities reviewed mobile phone video of the shooting, which took place on Saturday.
The incident has been widely condemned, and the US Department of Justice and the FBI are investigating.
Cries of "Black lives matter!" rang out as about 50 protesters joined local politicians outside City Hall in North Charleston on Tuesday morning.
"We cannot sit still and be quiet anymore. This is our season to speak!" said one woman who commanded the crowd's attention.
line

At the protests - Aleem Maqbool, BBC News

Protesters outside holding signs and voice amplication system
The protests here have been small, unlike those that followed the killing of Michael Brown, the unarmed teenager in Ferguson last year.
But just like in Ferguson, African Americans here talk about feeling discriminated against by the police for years.
This time there has been unusually swift action against the police officer involved, but the protesters are not convinced charges would have happened without the video evidence.
It seems the killing of Walter Scott has once again exposed the huge issues of race and policing in this country.
line
Appearing on ABC's Good Morning America breakfast programme, Mr Scott's mother, Judy Scott, described the video as "the most horrible thing I've ever seen".
"I almost couldn't look at it to see my son running defencelessly, being shot. It tore my heart to pieces," she said.
Other members of the family said they were grateful the video came to light and the authorities had acted quickly in response.
Media captionKeith Summey, mayor of North Charleston announces that "body cameras are on order"
Mr Slager was fired from the force on Wednesday, as North Charleston Police Chief Eddie Driggers said he was "sickened" by the video.
The incident on Saturday began after Scott's car was stopped for having a broken rear light, local media reported.
A video of the incident published by the New York Times shows a brief scuffle before Scott begins running away.
The video then shows the officer firing several shots at Scott, who falls to the ground.
Michael Slager
North Charleston police officer Michael Slager was arrested on Tuesday
Man holding a sign that asks "How many more?"
Protesters said the Scott case is only one of many
Mr Slager said at the weekend, through his lawyer, that he feared for his safety as Mr Scott had tried to grab his stun gun.
The same lawyer, David Aylor, told the Daily Beast he dropped Mr Slager as a client after the video become public.
The police officer appeared without a lawyer at his first court hearing on Tuesday. He could face up to life in prison if convicted of murder.
Scott had four children, was engaged and had been honourably discharged from the US Coast Guard.
The Post and Courier newspaper of Charleston reported that Mr Scott had been arrested about 10 times, mostly for failing to pay child support or not showing up for court hearings.
Media captionVictim's brother Anthony Scott: "If there wasn't a video would we know the truth? We do know the truth now."
The shooting occurred as heightened scrutiny is being placed on police officer shootings, particularly those that involve white officers and unarmed black suspects.
A grand jury declined to indict Ferguson, Missouri officer Darren Wilson over the fatal shooting of Michael Brown last August, leading to nationwide protests.
A national debate followed into the police use of lethal force and a White House task force has recommended a host of changes to police practices.
Meanwhile another video emerged on Wednesday, this time of the deadly shooting of a black man in Miami.
Lawyers for the family of Lavall Hall, 25, say he was shot on 15 February after his mother called police for help after a psychotic episode.
line

US police: Controversial recent killings

April 2015: Walter Lamer Scott, 50, is shot eight times in South Carolina as he runs away from Officer Michael Slager. Mr Scott dies at the scene. The shooting is captured on video and Mr Slager is charged with murder.
December 2014: Jerame Reid, 36, is shot dead during a routine traffic stop in New Jersey. An officer claims Mr Reid was reaching for a gun, but video footage seems to suggest he was attempting to step out of the car, hands raised.
November 2014: Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old boy, is shot dead in a playground by Cleveland police after a local resident reports he is pointing a gun at passers by. The gun turns out to be a toy. A grand jury will decide whether police will face charges.
August 2014: Michael Brown, an unarmed 18-year-old, is shot dead by Officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri. The shooting leads to protests, first in Ferguson and later nationwide. A grand jury decides not to charge Mr Wilson.
July 2014: Eric Garner, an asthma sufferer, is stopped by police in New York and placed in a chokehold after refusing to be handcuffed. He dies despite repeatedly telling officers he cannot breathe. No police are charged.
March 2014: James Boyd, an unarmed homeless man camping in Alberquerque, is shot dead by two officers. Video of the incident leads prosecutors to say the officers acted with "deliberate intention" and they are charged.

0 comments:

The longest detour

12:38 mike 0 Comments

The longest detour

By Daniel Adamson and Mamdouh AkbiekBBC World Service
  • 3 April 2015
    •  
  • From the sectionMagazine
Badi had a good life in Damascus. But as the war in Syria closed in on his family, he took them to safety in Egypt and then set out for the UK. Two months later he was in a prison cell in Togo. His story illuminates a shadowy, corrupt network of migrant smugglers.
Badi woke up in a cheap hotel in Accra. He'd been in Ghana almost a month and his money was running out. For the tenth time that day he took out his mobile phone and called the smuggler. There was no answer.
A few days later he got a call. The smuggler said the plan had changed, that he should get in a taxi and go to Togo.
"We thought Togo was a neighbourhood of Accra, or maybe another town just down the road," says Badi. "So we got in the taxi. Turns out, Togo is a whole other country."
Life had been good in Syria before the war. He was a skilled tradesman who worked on construction sites all over Damascus. There was plenty of work - the family was not rich, but Badi had a house and a car, and his two little girls were thriving.
Badi
By the end of 2012, though, as the war intensified, work began to dry up and the fighting inched closer to Badi's home. "Every morning we looked out from the balcony and saw the skyline full of smoke. At night there was a lot of noise from the shells. I got used to it in the end, but my girls didn't. Every night they woke up terrified."
Together with his wife and the two girls, Badi took a taxi to Beirut and flew from there to Egypt. His brother was already settled in Cairo, but it soon became clear that this was not an easy place to raise children. There was no work and no prospect of finding any. Badi had brought his family to safety, but now he saw them sinking into poverty.
It was around this time that another of Badi's friends, a Syrian who had ended up in the UK, told him about a man who could get him into Europe.
Trusting his friend's advice, Badi wired $5,000 (£3,360) to a migrant smuggler called Abu Sami (not his real name), a Syrian who lived in Istanbul. It was money that Badi had borrowed from his family. From the moment he handed over the cash at a Western Union in Cairo, Badi was at the mercy of a man he'd never even met.
A few weeks later a different man, Abu Eyad, arrived in Cairo with another Syrian refugee, Huthaifah, and a couple of EU passports.
"They were German passports, totally fake, but at a glance they looked OK. They had our photos and new names, they even had stamps in them from Turkey and Egypt."
The passports, though, would not pass closer inspection. Abu Eyad told Badi and Huthaifah they would have to travel from a country where he had contacts, where the airport officials could be bribed into letting them go without asking too many questions.
A fake German passport
The fake German passport given to Badi
At first he tried Sudan, but when that didn't work he settled on Ghana.
"It took seven-and-a-half hours to fly to Ghana," says Badi, "and that plane driver was putting his foot down."
Fake passport
In Accra, they were met at the airport by a uniformed Ghanaian official who led them straight into arrivals without going through passport control or getting an entry stamp. The official put them in a taxi and sent them to a hotel where they found Abu Eyad, the smuggler who they had first met in Cairo, fast asleep.
If Badi and Huthaifah hoped Abu Eyad might spring into action the next morning, they were wrong. While the two refugees waited and worried in the hotel, or tried to talk with their children on Skype, Abu Eyad slept all day and spent his nights drinking in the casinos and brothels of Accra.
"The problem," says Badi, "is that by that point you're already trapped. You've paid thousands of dollars to these guys, and you don't want to lose it. What could we do?"
What Badi and Huthaifah had to do, according to Abu Eyad, was go to Togo.
Having bribed their way across the border, the two men found themselves in the hands of a third smuggler - a Syrian who made Abu Eyad look like a model of hard work and integrity. "That guy couldn't say an honest word," says Badi. "He couldn't even tell you his name without lying, and he'd cheat you out of your last dollar. I swear, he was a dog."
Badi (r) with Huthaifah in Togo
Badi (right) with Huthaifah in Togo
After another month in Togo, Badi and Huthaifah realised they were on their own. They bought tickets to Egypt and tried their luck at the airport. They handed over their Syrian passports, told the truth about what had happened, and were promptly arrested and imprisoned.
"The mosquitoes in that jail were the worst I've ever seen," says Badi. Worse still was the fear that they'd never get out. After a week in prison in Lome, Badi and Huthaifah were finally allowed to board a flight back to Egypt.
Between them, they'd given more than $20,000 (£13,460) to Abu Sami's gang of smugglers.
They were back at square one.

0 comments:

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)