Bonnie Gleason • Author at Trinity News Daily

University of Michigan Will Have Two Driverless Buses to Pick up Students This Fall

June 24, 2017 By Bonnie Gleason Leave a Comment

The University of Michigan will be the first campus to enjoy the seamless experience of two driverless buses.

The University of Michigan is going to enter the frenzy for autonomous vehicle technology this fall to the benefit of its students. The institution decided to invest in two driverless buses to pick up staff members and students at least within the grounds of the campus. The new equipment will be under the brand of Navya Arma which was first launched back in 2015.

The Driverless Buses Are Geared with Level 5 Autonomous Technology

This means of innovative transportation is anything a community needs to travel without the need of a driver. Navya is a French tech company that managed to create a vehicle that is both autonomous and eco-friendly. The new concept is among the few products on the market that refer to the wholesome meaning of a self-driving vehicle.

The shuttles need no assistance from humans for the entire trip. They actually sport a Level 5 autonomous technology. This means that the vehicle can react to traffic as well as a human can in any scenario. This includes even harsh conditions such as a dirt road which offers a surface on which it is difficult to control a vehicle.

The two driverless buses will have a capacity of 15 passengers and work on electricity which renders zero greenhouse gas emissions. However, there is one drawback which isn’t so distracting with so many benefits of this technology. The shuttles cannot surpass a speed of 28 mph.

Researchers Behind This Project Will also Supervise and Evaluate the Naya Arma Performance

Beginning fall 2017, students and university staff will be able to enjoy this cute transportation means for a distance of one mile initially. The two Navya Armas will operate between the Robert J. Lurie Engineering Center and the North Campus Research Center. There will be no fare tax, and they will spawn every 10 minutes in the designated stations.

This project will also benefit the entity that created these vehicles, namely Mcity. This is a public-private partnership research center that focuses on vehicle automation. The teams will want to evaluate the performance of the two Navya Armas and boost its features if possible.

Image source: Navya

Collecting Gear Discovered 300 New Species in the Australian Coast

June 19, 2017 By Bonnie Gleason Leave a Comment

The ocean will never cease to amaze the world with all its well-hidden secrets. There are still virgin underwater realms that have never seen the presence of a human being. However, today’s technology made one more step further in revealing the mysteries of the blue abyss. Thanks to a collecting gear, the team of researchers aboard the RV Investigator ship discovered 300 new species of sea creatures in just one month.

The Collecting Gear Was Crucial in This Type of Endeavour

If we take a look at a map of our Earth, it is surprisingly easy to see the extensive territory that belongs to the ocean. The abyss of the waters off the Australian coast represents the largest habitat on the planet. Therefore, scientists couldn’t deploy an extensive enough mission to scan the entire surface of this large aquatic land until now.

The team aboard the RV Investigator vessel turned to technology to help them in their efforts of exploring the abyss. They set the target in a zone that is around 13,123 feet deep. At this depth, a human being couldn’t survive as the pressure would get him or her crushed.

First things first, the team of daring scientists had to map the floor of the abyss with a multibeam sonar. Once they gathered enough data to recreate the bottom of the ocean, they were safe to deploy their gear without damaging it because of the landforms.

Scientists Made 1,000 Entries in One Month, Out of Which 300 Were New Species

The next step was to launch special equipment in the waters of the Australian Coast. This gear was specially designed to collect samples. In the end, this collecting gear returned with 1,000 various species. Out of this compendium, there were 300 who managed to remain unknown to us until the very last moment.

Most of them are unusual for the human eye. Their shape was adapted to the difficulties of the conditions that the abyss presented them with such as coldness and darkness. However, the most astounding finding was the bottom of the ocean is far from being clean. On the contrary, human activity turned it into the trash of beer cans, bottles, PVC pipes, and another residue.

Image source: 1

Facebook Tweaked Its Safety Check Feature to Host Fundraising Opportunities

June 16, 2017 By Bonnie Gleason Leave a Comment

Facebook announced more improvement to its Safety Check feature.

Facebook Safety Check feature took the utility of social media to a whole new level. The company activates this service whenever a catastrophic event affects a large community of people across the world. What it does is informing friends and families that they beloved are safe or not from danger. This way, people employ the online world to deal with casualties in real life. Therefore, the company wanted this tool to help people do a lot more meaningful actions. As a consequence, the service is going to allow users opening a fundraising activity.

Facebook Made Several Tweaks to Its Safety Check Feature

Facebook extends its ambition to help communities in moments of crisis even further. The company embedded a new feature to its Safety Check service that enables people to organize fundraising mobilizations instantly. The acquired funds will help the victims and area that were impacted by the human-made or natural disaster to recover from their suffering more quickly.

While the fundraising feature will roll out sometime in the upcoming weeks, there are other upgrades this service received. People will also be able to stay informed in real time when a crisis happens through a more responsive platform. On top of that, people can leave notes in their Safety Check Feed related to the experience they just had. The original version allowed people in the affected area to choose only between ““I’m safe” or “I’m not in the area.” Their messages can prove useful to their friends as they can explain to what extent they were affected.

Facebook Users Were Already Organizing Fundraisings before This Update

The tech giant doesn’t stop improving the humanitarian side of its platform. Earlier this year, there appeared a Community Help service through which people can aid the affected parts of the world through ailments, accommodation, and transportation. Released as a mobile-only concept, it has now received a desktop version as well with this new update.

This new feature is just a quicker way to organize something that Facebook users were already doing. In the wake of the Manchester attack in May, many people employed this social media network to donate around $450,000 to help those in need.

Image source: 1

New Indie Game Cuphead Announced Release Date for Xbox and PC

June 12, 2017 By Bonnie Gleason Leave a Comment

Cuphead is the very first indie game of StudioMDHR Entertainment.

Those game enthusiasts who are missing the melancholy of the past times with a drop of action are going to love Cuphead. It’s a hand-drawn production created by two Canadian brothers, Jared and Chad Moldenhauer. The brand is known as StudioMDHR Entertainment. This indie game rekindles the lost art of 1930s cartoonists such as Max Fleischer and involves players in a world where they owe a big fat debt to devil itself.

The Cuphead Indie Game Delivers only 190s Sensations

Cuphead will officially appear on Steam on September 29 for both PC and Xbox One. It belongs to the run and gun category, and the studio wanted the modern world to have one more taste of the 1930s artworks. The release was initially scheduled for the year of 2016. However, the producers wanted to work on their project until it was able to deliver the exact original concept they had in mind.

The studio consists of only two brothers. They were the only ones in charge with all the aspects that concern an indie game release, meaning hand-drawn animation or character concepts. The brothers wanted to recreate the exact airy atmosphere of the 1930s cartoons. Therefore, they employed only original design techniques that are representatives of those times, original jazz playlists, and watercolor visuals.

The Studio Worked on a Vinyl Soundtrack as Well

This is the very first official production of StudioMDHR Entertainment. To extend the delight of an epoch long past, the producers partnered up with Iam8bit firm to create a four-LP vinyl with the game soundtrack. To get a piece of this musical vestige, enthusiasts have to pay as much as $100. The vinyl will appear later than the game itself, sometime in the third quarter of 2017.

The difficulty level is low enough to encourage any entry-level player to enjoy pure entertainment. The main character has infinite lives, and no weapons are lost upon death. On top of that, people will be able to enjoy their time on this production with a friend also thanks to its co-op mode.

Image source: StudioMDHR

Frozen Sperm Kept In Space Resulted In Healthy Mice Babies

May 26, 2017 By Bonnie Gleason Leave a Comment

A new study showed that frozen, space-kept sperm could result in healthy mice babies.

A team of Japanese scientists raised an important question as it looked to determine if humans and animals could one day reproduce in space. To test and better study this fact, the researchers deployed frozen sperm and stored it aboard the ISS. As it returned to Earth, these same samples helped give birth to healthy baby mice.

Frozen Sperm can Help Give Birth to Healthy Mice Babies, but Here on Earth

The researchers pointed out that the ISS (International Space Station) has to deal with an average daily dose of radiation 100 times higher than that here on the planet. In turn, this could lead to damages to the reproductive system of most animals.

So to better establish the effects of living in space on animal offspring, the team freeze-dried mouse sperm. These samples were then launched in space and stored aboard the ISS. They were kept there in between August 2013 to May 2014 or 288 days at -139 degrees Fahrenheit.

At the same time, the researchers preserved an identical set of samples here on Earth, but under the same conditions. As the space-bound frozen sperm returned from its trip, it was analyzed and compared to the terrestrially kept one.

The research team found that the ISS samples showed signs if DNA damage, slightly more than the control ones. This came as quite a surprise, according to Teruhiko Wakayama, the study’s senior author.

Still, the space-bound frozen sperm was also used for the in vitro fertilization of female mice. The team compared the average birth rates resulting from the two samples groups and noted that they were comparable. They also found that the male-to-female ratio was in the normal range.

An analysis of the healthy mice babies and their genomes also revealed only minor differences to the other offspring. As the space fertilized babies grew, they developed into normal, fertile adults, which then had healthy offspring of their own.

The study team published its research results in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Their research findings generated mixed opinions, as some underline its being a first step in the area. At the same time, others pointed out the results’ dependency on several factors, such as their Earth return.

But as the study author Wakayama pointed out ” it is too preliminary to say it is a good idea or if it is possible.”

Image Source: Pixabay

Study Returns Surprising Results For Its Analysis Of Drunk Personalities

May 16, 2017 By Bonnie Gleason Leave a Comment

The differences between a person’s sober and drunk personalities are much lower than believed.

A new study is seemingly debunking the myth that a person’s character change after having one or more drinks. According to research results, the differences between drunk personalities and sober ones are much lower than predicted by the people themselves. In other words, describing one as a “happy drunk” may not be necessarily true.

This new study comes from a team of University of Missouri scientists. They published a paper with their results in the Clinical Psychological Science. These are based both on self-reported observations as well as opinions from uninvolved third-parties.

Research was carried out with help from 156 volunteers. These agreed to complete a survey in which they had to describe their perceptions of their “sober” and “alcohol-imbibed” personalities. They also had to fill in details about their usual alcohol consumption rates.

Following this step, the scientists raised the participants’ blood alcohol level. This reached about .09, above the 0.08 legal limit for driving a car. Then, the volunteers were asked to complete a series of tasks, activities, and games. Their target was to bring out the participants’ drunk personalities.

Drunk Personalities, a Debunked Myth?

The team did note a significant difference following this step of the test. But not in its volunteers’ behavior. Rather, the researchers were surprised to discover vast differences in their perception of their alcohol-influenced behavior.

“We were surprised to find such a discrepancy between drinkers’ perceptions of their own alcohol-induced personalities and how observers perceived them,” said Rachel Winograd, a study researcher, in a statement.

Winograd explained that the participants reported feeling changes in all the factors counted by the Five Factor Model of personality. But in fact, their extraversion was the only one to suffer a significant change. This factor was the only one to change across all participants when comparing their sober to drunk personalities. The observers also noted this increased extraversion.

Used as a sort of control group, these were asked to observe and rate the participants’ personalities. Traits such as openness to experiences and conscientiousness were some of the most important points analyzed.

Although the volunteers reported substantial differences in these characteristics between their two selves, the onlookers noted that these changes were less drastic and fewer than perceived.

The study was carried out in the laboratory, so the results may differ when compared the same test done in a pub. However, Winograd states that this data could be of significant importance in alcohol intervention treatments, for example.

Image Source: Pexels

StarCraft Source Code Recovered, Finder Gets Rewarded By Blizzard

May 7, 2017 By Bonnie Gleason Leave a Comment

Blizzard rewarded a Reddit user that found their StarCraft source code and decided to return it.

A Reddit user got quite a surprise after carrying out what he considers as the right action. About a month ago, a man now best known for his action and username, Khemist49, made quite a discovery.

He recounts that he was browsing through a box full of “a lot of Blizzard stuff” which he had bought on eBay, the auction site. As he was doing so, he found among them the disc of the StarCraft source code. This was lost quite some time ago, and according to declarations, was believed to have been stolen.

As Khemist49 made this discovery, he then posted this story on his account. Which in turn caused quite a stir. Many users were asking him to upload the disc files online. Other were “bashing him for owning it [the StarCraft source code disc]”.

Some were even offering money for the disc or, on the contrary, warning him that they will tell Blizzard about it. So the user was going “crazy” as he was unsure what to do.

StarCraft Source Code Back With Its Team

In the midst of this confusion, Blizzard’s legal team contacted Khemist49 directly. They asked him to return the disc as it contained “intellectual property and trade secrets”. This helped the Reddit user make a decision as he chose to return the disk and end this story.

He said “I have spoken to Blizzard, […]. In all honesty, this was the right thing to do. If the disc fell into the wrong hands, it would not have been good for anybody.”

Blizzard did not fall short and thanked him in its own way. The game developer gave Khemist49 a copy of its Overwatch and also offered $250 credit in the Blizzard store. Still, the biggest surprise was yet to come. As the user enthusiastically recounts, Blizzard invited him to BlizzCon.

Khemist49 not only got the chance to participate, with all the expenses covered, but Blizzard also proposed to “take him out for a drink”. Some other company goodies were also thrown into the mix.

As the user released his story, Blizzard then confirmed it and also said that they “wanted to show an appropriate level of appreciation”, from both the company and the community of active players that still enjoys StarCraft.

Image Source: Flickr

Driving Under the Influence of Drugs More Dangerous than Drunk Driving

April 28, 2017 By Bonnie Gleason Leave a Comment

Driving after consuming drugs makes more victims than drunk driving

A new report discovered that drug use made more victims than alcohol among drivers. This is the first time when driving under the influence of drugs resulted in more fatal accidents than drunk driving. Among the most common drugs whose use led to accidents were marijuana and amphetamines.

A 2015 report developed by the Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility looked at drivers who were involved in fatal accidents. Around 37 percent of them had surpassed the legal limit of alcohol consumption, while an overwhelming 43 percent had used either legal or illegal drugs.

Driving under the influence of drugs causes more victims than alcohol

Then, they tested those people who appeared to have consumed drugs to see which are the most common among drivers. The top drug was marijuana, with more than a third of consumers among drivers, while the second place was occupied by amphetamines.

However, the report did not look at opioid use. Given the fact that there is an epidemic of opioids, such as common prescription drugs, fentanyl, or even heroin, they must have played an important role in producing deadly crashes, too.

In fact, there are official reports which link certain collisions with opioid use. In February, there was a crash around Old U.S. 35 in Xenia Twp., where two cars crashed head-on, causing the death of both drivers. Police found heroin in one of the cars, and they believed that the driver had also consumed alcohol.

Another popular case was that of Marshall Dutton, aged 21, who, in August 2016, caused an accident on Interstate 75 around Middletown. He killed the other driver, so he was sentenced to five years in prison. After the investigation, police decided that Dutton had consumed several types of drugs, such as Xanax, morphine, marijuana, and cocaine.

The number of drugged drivers increased

The Ohio Department of Transportation reported that, since 2012, the number of crashes under the influence of drugs increased by 25 percent. In 2016, the number reached 3,574, representing around 33 percent of all crashes which occurred after the driver had consumed certain substances.

The huge number of fatal crashes is provided by a deadly combination. On one side of the road, you have the drugged drivers and, on the other side, there are those who did not consume any substances, but they just do not pay attention to the road.

Thus, the police and AAA volunteers advise people not to drive if they had consumed alcohol or any other substances. Also, they should not hesitate to take the keys away from those friends or family members who are in no condition to drive.
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

Aurora Photographers Spot Steve, a Unique Astronomical Event

April 25, 2017 By Bonnie Gleason Leave a Comment

A group of aurora photographers spotted a different astronomical event and called it Steve

A group of Canadian photographers passionate about capturing aurora images discovered a new and astounding astronomical phenomenon. After much research and a lot of excitement spiced around the cosmic event, they also decided to name it. Of course, they chose an amusing name, so they called the beautiful gleam of light Steve.

Aurora photographers spotted a unique phenomenon

While they were out to photograph auroras, a group of amateur sky enthusiasts from Alberta, Canada, spotted a colorful gleam in the sky which resembled an aurora, but was somehow different. These people, together with some other photographers, usually shared their pictures on the Facebook page called “Alberta Aurora Chasers”.

They all thought that this phenomenon was distinct than what they had been witnessing so far, so they decided to investigate further. After twelve months and more than 50 such instances captured in Alaska, Canada, United Kingdom, and New Zealand, they decided that the peculiar phenomenon was probably a proton arc. This is when they decided to call it Steve.

Some thought that the name was given in honor of Steven Hawking. However, they said that this actually represented a tribute to the movie ‘Over the Hedge’ from 2006. There, the main characters also witness an event which was previously unknown to them, and give it the same name.

Scientists helped classify Steve

After some time, Eric Donovan, professor at the University of Calgary, stumbled upon photographs of Steve on social media. Then, he knew that what the photographers had been witnessing was not a proton arc, but an entirely new phenomenon. He said that it could not have been a proton arc, as they are invisible.

He, together with the European Space Agency, studied Steve more carefully and determined what phenomenon it represented. The beautiful beams of light were produced by hot gas flowing fast in the higher layers of our atmosphere.

It is situated 190 miles above Earth’s surface and is much hotter than the air surrounding it. More precisely, its temperature is 3000 degrees higher. Also, it flows 600 times faster than the air which encompasses it on both sides.

Roger Haagmans, one of the scientists at the European Space Agency, says that, despite us never noticing it, such an event is quite common. However, Steve is not an aurora. Auroras are produced by particles charged with electricity which are dragged down by the magnetic field from Earth’s poles.
Image Source: Flickr

Mercedes Cars Receive Google Home and Amazon Alexa Assistants

April 22, 2017 By Bonnie Gleason Leave a Comment

Mercedes add Google Home and Amazon Alexa voice assistants to their cars

Mercedes owners will soon be able to start their car just by using their voice. What they all need is also own an Amazon Alexa or Google Home device, and they will only be able to control everything the car does just by vocal commands.

Mercedes-Benz wanted to make everything easier for their drivers, so they decided to synchronize their car with voice assisting devices. Thus, all models available for USA produced in 2016 and 2017 will be compatible with Google Home or Amazon Alexa speakers.

What you can do with the voice assistants

There are quite a lot of things that you are able to do with these assisting devices. First of all, you can start your car just using a vocal command. Then, you can send to your vehicle a certain address that you want to reach. Thus, you won’t have to operate the navigation system manually while you are driving. Also, you can remotely lock the vehicle. This feature might appear like the most useful for many drivers.

Nils Schanz, the CEO of the research and development department of Mercedes-Benz North America, said that, through this integration of technology, they wanted to ease the life of their customers. By using the vocal assistants, they will be able to benefit from a broad range of services.

What is best is the fact that these services are available all the time, not just when the driver is in the car. Thus, the intelligent technology will work both in the car and around the car, and will provide the solving of a wide variety of tasks just one vocal command away. The officials at Mercedes are sure this will make life much easier for their customers, so they expect the technology to face tremendous success.

How to benefit from these features

If you own one of the latest Mercedes vehicles, here’s what you have to do to have your car vocally assisted. Besides the speaker, you need to have an active Mercedes Me account and to subscribe to mbrace. Then, you can download one of the assisting apps (Google or Amazon) and connect it with your account.

This feature is already available in the United States, so you can give it a try. Mercedes announced that they were planning to release it in Europe, too, but it won’t be available there until later this year. Thus, the life of Mercedes drivers turned now a lot easier. Besides a luxurious car, they can now benefit from a luxurious feature.
Image Source: Pexels

Telltale Games Released Guardians of the Galaxy Videogame – Here’s What to Expect

April 19, 2017 By Bonnie Gleason Leave a Comment

From the company that brought us Fables, Batman, and The Walking Dead comes yet another point-and-click adventure game that is sure to keep Marvel fans on their toes. As the first episode of the Guardians of the Galaxy videogame has already been released, let us see what comic-book aficionados should expect from the adaptation.

Players Are Introduced to Thanos from the First Episode

While some critics believe that Telltale’s usual slow-moving pace doesn’t go hand in hand with what fans love about the Marvel Universe, the first episode of the Guardians of the Galaxy game can be considered a success.

At the beginning, Star-Lord responds to a Nova Corps distress call. The attack is lead by none other than Thanos, the Guardians’ arch nemesis. After a few acts of pure heroism – the trademark of all Marvel heroes – or groveling – depends on what the player chooses – the team ends up on a remote planet where Thanos is desperately searching for something.

Upon reaching the planet’s surface, the team sets out to find – and hopefully defeat – their nemesis. However, Telltale kept true to its nature and filled the game with a plethora of details, players knowing better than to dismiss any insignificant-looking object, message, or body part.

In order to make matters even more complicated, a temple blocks the Guardians’ way, Star-Lord having no choice but to separate from the gang and try to find a way to open the doors from within. As he searches the ruins, Peter Quill comes face to face with the aftermath of Thanos’ wrath, the complex being filled with the bodies of Nova Corps members and crashed ships.

Until now, it all sounds very Marvel-like. However, when foul-mouthed smartass guns a-blazing Star-Lord has to turn into Sherlock Holmes and gather small individual pieces of evidence, fans started to have second thoughts about Telltale’s latest installment.

Luckily, it doesn’t take long before the Guardians must face a powered-up Thanos. Players swap between Gamora and Star-Lord, attacking the villain with both swords and pistols. The comic relief comes with Rocket attempting to piece together his oversized weapon.

Even though the new Guardians of the Galaxy videogame is not exactly what fans were expecting, the majority of players will certainly come back for the second episode, especially after they get a glimpse of the relic Thanos was desperately searching.

Image Source: Flickr

Microsoft Launch a New Marketplace for Minecraft

April 12, 2017 By Bonnie Gleason Leave a Comment

Microsoft launches a new Marketplace and new currency for Minecraft

Many users think that the popular game Minecraft needed a place where players were able to share their content or look at other people’s creations. Now, Microsoft announced that, this spring, they are going to release a new Marketplace for the game, as well as its own currency.

This new Marketplace will come with some premieres. For instance, this is the first time when businesses will be able to make their content public and sell it to the players. Besides, it will contain several other mini games, new maps, and special packs which will guarantee a better gaming experience and a lot of adventure.

The new Marketplace brings original content and items

All these new items, together with the content, will be available on Xbox Live, where players can buy them from. This Marketplace will not let you get bored. You can find new items to change your character’s appearance completely, find a new map to explore, and enjoy the creations of the highly imaginative Minecraft community.

As for the content which will reach the Marketplace, Microsoft announced that they are already in discussion with several businesses that are interested in making their original content available for Minecraft users. However, anyone Microsoft assures people that anyone who has a registered business can bring their content on the Marketplace.

Microsoft explained why they took this decision. They think that Minecraft creators deserve to have their content seen and enjoyed by everyone. Moreover, they also deserve some monetary reward which would prompt them to create more. This will keep both the creators and the players engaged.

Offering the creators the chance to make new content

If players see new and exciting maps coming constantly on the Marketplace, they will keep playing the game and want to explore more of its adventures. If they purchase the content, then the creators can keep making new one.

If you do not have all the necessary resources, there are a lot of free creations which you can download. Thus, the Marketplace has all the good stuff for everyone, and everything is closely monitored and managed by Microsoft.

As mentioned before, Microsoft introduces a special currency for the game. You can purchase these coin with real money, which then allow you to purchase content or items from the Marketplace. At the moment, they will launch a beta version where they will test the coins. Then, at the time of the official release, the Marketplace will also contain the original content.
Image Source: Flickr