Archives 2018

Scotland Creates Energy Turbine, Smashes Renewable Energy Records

Scotland’s new tidal stream turbine has officially generated more sustainable, renewable energy than the 12-year history of Scotland’s use of wave technology.

In only one year, the floating tidal stream turbine, named the SR2000 turbine, has accumulated more green energy than the past 12 years that Scotland’s wave and tidal sector has been in operation. This means that the turbine was able to produce 3GWh of energy, enough to power around 830 households.

Before the advent of this turbine, the tidal sector had only managed to produce 2.983 in the entire existence of the program.

On top of the astounding performance the machine has managed to display in regard to renewable energy, the machine is easy to clean and easily accessible for routine maintenance checks.

Scotland’s chief executive officer of Scotrenewables Tidal Power highlights the benefits of the machine.

“The ability to easily access the SR2000 for routine maintenance has been a significant factor in our ability to generate electricity at such levels over the past 12 months, including over winter,” Scott notes.

Many renewable officers in Scotland are optimistic regarding the future of this technology.

“This milestone for the tidal energy industry truly demonstrates the untapped potential of this emerging sector. Scotland’s remarkable marine energy resource has placed us front and centre in developing this industry with global potential,” notes senior policy manager, Hannah Smith.

Renewable energy has been on the rise for years, but with innovations like this, clean energy may be poised to beat out natural gas as the leading source of green energy.

According to the Charleston Gazette, the ever-lowering price of green fuels may lead to more renewable power plants. By 2035, it’s estimated that renewable power plants might be cheaper to build than maintaining current natural gas plants already in operation.

According to writer David Roberts, wind has become one of the cheapest renewable energy resources, especially in the midwest. For the southwest, however, solar energy is the leading renewable energy source.

For large companies, making this switch is becoming a fast reality. But for the average homeowner, making changes to large-scale renewable energy can be difficult.

If you’re feeling like you want to help the environment, you can contribute by making small changes in your home.

One of the first things you can do is limit your car use. The carbon emissions from cars and some of the 184,549 motorcycles that are registered in Colorado alone are key promoters of climate change. Try to carpool or work from home whenever possible to reduce your carbon footprint.

Farming is an important staple to our livelihood, but heavy industrial farming is bad for the environment. This is because of the massive amount of carbon used by machinery to grow, process, and transport goods. By eating locally and opting for a vegan diet, you can reduce your carbon footprint by practically 75%. In the UK alone, there are 3.5 million people who have opted for a vegan diet.

If you can’t commit to engaging in a vegan diet, there are other ways to reduce your energy consumption. In the winter, the average home loses up to 38% of its heat through drafty doors and windows. If your windows are single-pane, then you could be losing up to 50% of your heating. This raises your energy bill as your HVAC unit has to work harder to heat your home. Choose modern double-pane windows or consider putting plastic around your windows to prevent heat loss when you need it most.

You can also help by donating to sustainability initiatives. This can help promote the innovations, like Scotland’s beneficial SR2000.

‘Candy Crush’ Creator King Games Moving To Google Cloud Services

Remember Candy Crush? Still play it, even? Well, its parent company just made a huge announcement: they are moving a large portion of its data processing onto the public Google Cloud Platform by 2019. This isn’t an unusual move today for companies that deal with a lot of data. In fact, around 82% of companies have reported saving money by moving some or all data processing to the cloud. So what does this mean for Candy Crush?

When the mobile game ‘Candy Crush’ first dropped on Facebook in April 2012, casual and experienced gamers alike went nuts for its simple, colorful, addictive gameplay. The result? Less than two years later, its daily users rivaled that of Twitter. As by far the most-used product to come out of game-developing company King, Candy Crush became the shining jewel in King’s crown.

Even in 2018, the statistics coming out of Candy Crush are still impressive. The game has been downloaded in all seven continents — yes, that’s right, all seven. Some bored Antarctic scientist did indeed download Candy Crush in their off time.

Back to our opening question, what does this move to the cloud mean for Candy Crush and King? Many companies these days are moving to cloud-based computing. It’s often an energy-efficient and cost-efficient choice for those who process a lot of data, like King. Some fans have speculated that the move is to save money in anticipation of Candy Crush mania fading, but King seems confident that the move is simply for the good of the company’s growth, not its decline.

First vice-president of technology at King, Åsa Bredin, had this to say about using cloud computing to better handle and analyze their massive amounts of data:

It is very hard to know exactly what lies ahead, so by being able to act quickly on insights, we can also handle challenges better… One area where we expect to see a lot of innovation in mobile gaming is around our relevance. With machine learning, we predict offers and suggestions for what to tackle next and what will become increasingly relevant.

Another interesting tidbit for techies and business watchers? Bringing such a big client on Google Cloud services is another drop in the bucket of stressors Amazon Web Services has accumulated this year. King has specifically stated that they chose Google services because of their innovative technology that seemed suitable for gaming needs. It will be interesting to see how that affects future gaming partnerships with the two cloud competitors.

Bringing Murals Back: Local Charleston Artist Starts Sign Restoration Of A Former Corner Store

Artist David Boatwright is restoring hand-painted advertisements on the storefronts of Charleston, South Carolina. When new owners bought the building on the corners of Spring and Coming streets in 2005, they removed the existing vinyl siding and revealed two original hand-painted signs, surprisingly well-preserved underneath the vinyl.

The city of Charleston had forbidden painting over the areas of the former signs like the rest of the building’s exterior had been painted over. Instead, two large empty square spaces sat where the advertisements had been. Boatwright had taken photos of the advertisements 13 years ago, before the paint had been burned off by the sun and washed away by the rain.

Taken in the era before smartphones, Boatwright’s photos are in color, but small. The two original signs advertised “Kreuger’s beer and ales” and “Ashley ice cream”, two offerings of the corner store that stood there over 50 years ago. Small corner stores like these were the neighborhood beacon, serving the diverse population of Greeks, Jewish, and African-Americans who live in the area.

“I just like it. We have so few of these graphic artifacts in Charleston,” says Boatwright of the old advertisements.

As the use of illustration software, giant printers, and vinyl cutting became widespread, sign painting as an occupation and an industry took a big hit. Thankfully, there is a growing cultural reinvestment in the value of manual work that is giving sign painting its comeback.

According to the Smithsonian Magazine, while some contemporary sign painters consider themselves artists, some prefer the title “mechanic” as its the term used by original sign painters and frames the job more as a service. Others recognize that sign painting is heavily tied into marketing and realize that they’re essentially creating a brand identity.

In Charleston, the owner of the building that Boatwright is restoring realized this marketing potential. While the advertisements are not for his specific business, they draw attention and stand out among contemporary signs. Grabbing the attention of passersby is important, as about half of all customers enter a business due to its signage.

Although the city of Charleston turned down Boatwright’s proposal to create new hand-painted signs that actually advertise for the business now on the street corner, they were very enthusiastic about his restoration project that will showcase the authentic history of Charleston.

Aside From the King, NBA Players Are Not Too Happy With Their 2k Ratings

Approximately 155 million Americans play video games on a regular basis. There are all kinds of games out there, but one of the most popular genres for years as been sporting video games. For years, FIFA, Madden, and similar sports titles have been extremely popular. Perhaps the most popular sports gaming franchise over the last few years has been NBA 2k — and this year’s version is garnering a lot of media attention.

NBA 2k19 is set to be released on September 11, and over the last few weeks there have been numerous player rating announcements. Aside from LeBron James’ 98 overall rating, many other NBA superstars are not happy with their personal ratings. Not happy at all.

According to Forbes, Detroit Pistons all-star Blake Griffin had his 2k rating released a few days ago: an 86 overall. That puts Griffin behind last season’s standout rookies; 20-year-old Jason Tatum of Boston, Utah’s Donovan Mitchell, and Philadelphia 76ers’ Ben Simmons — all three young players were given a rating of 87.

Griffin voiced his displeasure on Twitter, posting a screenshot of his rating, tagging NBA 2k19 and the game developers, and simply writing “…”

Here are a few other NBA player ratings that have been released thus far:

  • Giannis Antetokounmpo — Milwaukee Bucks: 94 overall
  • Anthony Davis — New Orleans Pelicans: 90 overall
  • Kawhi Leonard — Toronto Raptors: 94 overall
  • Karl-Anthony Towns — Minnesota Timberwolves: 91 overall
  • Demarcus Cousins — Golden State Warriors: 90 overall
  • Damian Lillard — Portland Trail Blazers: 90 overall
  • James Harden — Houston Rockets: 96 overall
  • Kevin Durant — Golden State Warriors: 96 overall
  • Russell Westbrook — Oklahoma City Thunder: 93 overall
  • Kyrie Irving — Boston Celtics: 93 overall
  • Chris Paul — Houston Rockets: 90 overall
  • Steph Curry — Golden State Warriors: 96 overall
  • Joel Embiid — Philadelphia 76ers: 90 overall
  • Victor Oladipo — Indianapolis Pacers: 88 overall
  • John Wall — Washington Wizards: 89 overall
  • Paul George: — 89 overall

Understanding Alzheimer’s and Debunking Some Common Myths

More than 5 million Americans are currently living with Alzheimer’s, and that number could rise to 16 million by the year 2050.

As the scientific community continues to try and understand Alzheimer’s and similar diseases, new research is leading to some revolutionary discoveries. According to Science Alert, scientists have just discovered a crucial link between eye disease and Alzheimer’s.

A study that took place across five years, covering 3,877 patients above the age of 65, found that those with specific degenerative eye diseases were actually between 40% and 50% more likely to develop Alzheimer’s, as well.

“We don’t mean people with these eye conditions will get Alzheimer’s disease,” said lead researcher Cecilia Lee, of the University of Washington School of Medicine. “The main message from this study is that ophthalmologists should be more aware of the risks of developing dementia for people with these eye conditions, and primary care doctors seeing patients with these eye conditions might be more careful on checking on possible dementia or memory loss.”

The research has been published in the journal Alzheimer’s and Dementia.

“What we found was not subtle,” added researcher Paul Crane. “This study solidifies that there are mechanistic things we can learn from the brain by looking at the eye.”

Over the years, there have been plenty of misconceptions when it comes to understanding Alzheimer’s. Clearly, there is much more to be done in terms of research and development before we fully understand this debilitating disease, but we can at least put an end to the rumors. Here are some of the most common myths regarding Alzheimer’s disease:

  • Alzheimer and dementia are two separate things
  • Alzheimer’s is not an inherited disease
  • Alzheimer’s disease is a normal part of aging
  • Alzheimer’s disease medications will stop the progression of my disease progress
  • Visiting someone with Alzheimer’s is pointless
  • Alzheimer’s is an almost inevitable consequence of aging
  • Alzheimer’s only affects the elderly
  • Alzheimer’s isn’t treatable

How Chickens Are Helping UK Nursing Homes Battle Loneliness

There are millions of different types of therapy. Some are tried and true, others the jury is still out on. Like, 22% of people who have hot tubs use them for injury recovery. It’s fabulous. Also, tried and true. What about an emotional support duck? Or any range of support animals? One thing we do know is that animals being used therapeutically is popularly en-vogue and it works.

In the UK, nursing homes have been battling a very common late-life plague: loneliness. They’ve been successfully battling it with chickens. The charity Equal Arts strives to improve the lives of elderly people by engaging them with creativity. In 2011, they started the HenPower movement aiming to reduce isolation, loneliness, depression, and dependency upon antipsychotic medication. And they would do so with chickens.

What started as a way for elderly residents to enjoy and be responsible for the curious creatures has blossomed into a widely funded movement with 40 sites and counting.

“HenPower is innovative because it is not just brief ‘petting’ of the hens, but also taking responsibility for them. There’s a huge range of roles with shared responsibilities, with diverse ways to interact with the project,” said nursing professor Glenda Cook, who led the research evaluation of the project.

Needing consistent care, the chickens from HenPower helped residents get active in the process of caring for — and hanging out with — their chickens. It has been successful and the movement shows no sign of stopping. Seeing the day-to-day difference in the quality of the lives of people affected by the simple creatures is proof in itself.

Test cases have seen drops in medication needs, depression, and loneliness. Ossie Cresswell, 87 years old, noted the difference a few feathered friends can make:

“Next to blindness loneliness is the worst thing you can have, it is a big affliction. It can destroy a lot of people. I know because I have been through it. At 87, hens are the biggest thing in our lives.”

One person who helps HenPower notes that chickens are just funny animals and that merely watching them bop around is enough to bring a smile to anyone’s face. We tend to agree. Whatever is going on, HenPowerment is remarkably successful and certainly nothing to ba-gok at.

Skilled Welders Are Needed From Franklin County to Uganda

The construction industry is growing every year. Over a 10-year period, from 2016 to 2026, the construction equipment industry is expected to grow a total of 12%. As the industry rises, there will be a growing need for skilled workers as well. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment for welders, cutters, brazers, and solderers is on the rise, projected to reach 412,300 by the year 2024.


According to East African Business Week, there is a need for skilled international welders, as well.


A total of 220 students have attained internationally recognized certificates in vocational studies through the Youth Employment Enhancement Project (YEEP). Of the 220 students, 120 studied scaffolding erection and inspection, 50 were trained in welding, fabrication, and pipework, and 20 are artisans trained in 3G coded welding.


The training was held at the Vocational Training Center in Uganda and was supported by Skills for Eastern Africa Program in partnership with Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development.


“Equipping younger people with vocational skills can prepare them to become job creators, without vocational skills, majority of Ugandan youth may fail to penetrate into the job market the country’s oil and gas sector can offer in the Albertine region,” said Adrian Green, head of Growth and Economy at the British High Commission in Uganda.


The graduates are being encouraged to utilize they skills they have acquired to create careers for themselves throughout the private sector — all across the globe.


“The skills you have achieved through these trainings can support you to start up your own businesses,” added Reverand Fr. Joseph Bigirwa, director of the training center. “Currently there’s high demand for fabricated metallic doors and windows, venture into such businesses, this will help some of you to progress in future.”


Back in the states, students across the country have recently graduates from accelerated welding programs, setting them up for successful futures. But certain areas of the country still have a dire need for skilled welders.


According to Public Opinion, there are hundreds of good-paying jobs going unfilled across Franklin County because there aren’t enough trained workers to fill them, which is especially true for welders.


Thankfully, a new facility opened up with the goal of promoting welding as a profession, offering global opportunities to students hoping to pursue a career in welding and related work.


Phenomenal Industries offers a variety of training programs, allowing students to work throughout the U.S., as well as receive international certifications to work in Europe, Africa, or the Middle East. Additionally, the program helps students network and find work with local employers.


“Our goal is to get them trained and employed, because that’s what they need in the area,” said James Muto, of Phenomenal Industries.


The current starting rate for beginner welders is between $18 and $22 an hour, or more than $40,000 a year. From there, workers can increase their pay depending on their skill set and work ethic. Approximately 90% of the students who finish the training program at Phenomenal go into welding or additional training.

Tesla Announces Plans to Open a Factory in Shanghai

Vehicle manufacturers are continuously trying to make improvements to their vehicles. Innovations are often made to improve things like design and speed to keep up with consumer demands. And with about 5.4 million non-fatal car accidents occurring in the U.S. each year, manufacturers often put a heavy focus on better safety features too. One vehicle manufacturer, in particular, taking on a new challenge is Tesla.

The automaker recently announced its plans to open a new plant and development center in China. After reaching an agreement with Chinese authorities, Tesla has begun making plans to build its first overseas batter and automobile factory.

The factory is set to open in Shanghai and Tesla plans on eventually producing 500,000 electric vehicles each year at the new plant. This is quite a high number, especially with PwC predicting that there will be about 107 million vehicles manufactured around the world in 2020.

While Tesla hasn’t said how much it plans to put into this new challenge, the automaker will be the only owner of the new factory. In the past, other automakers like General Motors and Volkswagen have had to work with local companies when producing vehicles in China. But under new regulations, China is making that requirement less strict. Already, China is one of the most popular markets for global automakers, with Shanghai being one of the top places in China for the automotive industry.

China is a very competitive market for automakers. While manufacturers contribute about $2.17 trillion to the economy in the U.S. each year, annual auto sales in China are forecasted to pass 35 million by 2025. And with China’s new goal of having 100% electric vehicles by 2030, Tesla is outreaching to the country for electric vehicle production at just the right time.

Two years ago, Elon Musk, Tesla’s chief executive, made the prediction that their Fremont, Calif. plant would produce about 500,000 cars by the end of 2018 — but at the end of June, only 40,000 were in transit or had been delivered. The automaker ran into issues to do a heavy reliance on automated machinery and production bottlenecks. Because of these setbacks, the company needs to be productive at their new plant.

Back in 2013, Tesla began selling cars in China, with about 35 sales centers and 1,200 charging stations throughout the country. And according to LMC Automotive, the automaker sold about 15,000 cars in China last year alone. So along with the new factory serving as a manufacturing plant, it will also include a research and development center and a retail operation. The local Chinese government said that the new factory will be the largest manufacturing project supported by overseas investment Shanghai has ever seen.

The automaker claims that new Shanghai productions won’t affect American operations. So while the factory is still a few years from being up and running, both American and Chinese populations can expect big things from Tesla in the upcoming years.

Disney Announces Dates for Haunted Halloween Cruise

Americans have been enjoying Halloween festivities since the 1800s, thanks to Irish and Scottish immigrants. From braving haunted houses to going trick-or-treating, there are tons of ways to celebrate this holiday. But if you’re looking for an even more spooktacular way to celebrate Halloween this year, the Disney Cruise Line has officially announced its Halloween-themed events for this fall.

From September through October this year, cruise attendees can experience all the wonders of Halloween on the High Seas. Disney’s cruise ships will feature Halloween-themed events, decorations, parties, and even special menu items.

The spooky, but still sweet, Disney cruise will also feature interactive special appearances like:

  • “Mickey’s Mouse-querade Party”, featuring candy, games, and, of course, dancing
  • “Haunted Stories of the Sea”, where attendees can hear tales of the sea
  • “Halloween Isn’t Just for Kids”, which allows adults to get in on the spooky fun (with a costume contest)
  • “Creepy Cabaret”, which will consist of live Halloween-themed music

People who are interested in this spooky edition of Disney’s cruises can choose from a variety of departure points and cruise lengths.

The Disney Dream will take cruisers to the Bahamas from September 3 to October 29.

The Disney Wonders will offer four- and five-night Baja cruises, a 14-night Panama Canal cruise, and a seven-night Mexican Riviera cruise.

The Disney Fantasy is going to offer Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises, both for seven nights.

And the Disney Magic is going to take cruisers on five- and six-night Bermuda cruises as well as four- and seven-night Canada cruises.

Departure locations will include New York City, San Diego, And Port Canaveral, offering passengers a variety of options.

Disney is already well-known for its Halloween festivities, with its annual Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party featured at its park locations. But for those Disney and Halloween-lovers who are looking for an even more magical Halloween this year, Halloween on the High Seas is sure to be a scary good time. So buy your tickets, pack your bags, and don’t forget your costumes!

FDA Develops First Smallpox Drug to Combat Bioterrorism

It takes anywhere from 10 to 15 years to develop a successful medicine or vaccine. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved the first-ever drug in order to treat the smallpox disease, specifically for combating bioterrorist attacks.


According to CBS News, U.S. regulators approved the first treatment for smallpox, a deadly viral disease that was wiped out nearly four decades ago. Though the average individual should not have to worry about contracting smallpox and similar diseases, terrorists have the capability to administer large-scale attacks involving smallpox, causing catastrophic damages.


The World Health Organization estimated that the variola virus — which causes smallpox — killed about 30% of the people who were infected throughout the years. Complications of smallpox could include encephalitis (inflammation of the brain), corneal ulcerations, and blindness. If you believe you have been unintentionally infected by any kind of virus, it’s recommended to immediately seek medical attention. Approximately 85% of urgent care centers are open seven days a week, the majority of those facilities can assist with certain viruses and similar conditions.

The drug is called TPOXX and 2 million treatments are currently being manufactured and stockpiled by the U.S. government.


“This new treatment affords us an additional option should smallpox ever be used as a bioweapon,” said Dr. Scott Gottlieb, head of the FDA. “Today’s action reflects the FDA’s commitment to ensuring that the U.S. is prepared for any public health emergency with timely, safe and effective medical products.”


As reported in the New England Journal of Medicine and the journal Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, in order to test the drug’s effectiveness, rabbits and monkeys were infected with a similar virus and then given TPOXX. More than 90% of the animals survived. The drug was also administered to a few hundred humans who volunteered to test symptoms without being infected with smallpox. Researchers noted that side effects included headaches, abdominal pain, and nausea, though all were relatively mild.


TPOXX comes in the form of a capsule, and should be administered twice a day for 14 days once infected with the smallpox virus.


Forbes adds that the efforts and funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) helped make TPOXX a reality.


“To address the risk of bio-terrorism, Congress has taken steps to enable the development and approval of countermeasures to thwart pathogens that could be employed as weapons,” added Dr. Gottlieb.


Research on treatment for smallpox-related bioterrorism began at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases after the September 11 terrorist attacks. Scientists worked to safely dilute the U.S. national stockpile of smallpox vaccines. SIGA currently has a $472 million procurement and development contract with the agency.