Listening to nature: The talks of TED2020 Session 1

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TED looks a little different this year, but much has stayed the same as well. 

As in years past, the TED2020 mainstage program kicked off Thursday night with a session of talks, performances and visual delights from brilliant, creative individuals who shared ideas that could change the world — and stories of people who already have. But instead of convening in Vancouver, the TED community tuned in to the live, virtual broadcast hosted by TED’s Chris Anderson and Helen Walters from around the world — and joined speakers and fellow community members on an interactive, TED-developed second-screen platform to discuss ideas, ask questions and give real-time feedback to the stage. Below, a recap of the night’s inspiring talks, performances and conversations.

Sharing incredible footage of microscopic creatures, Ariel Waldman takes us below meters-thick sea ice in Antarctica to explore a hidden ecosystem. She speaks at TED2020: Uncharted on May 21, 2020. (Photo courtesy of TED)

Ariel Waldman, Antarctic explorer, NASA advisor

Big idea: Seeing microbes in action helps us more fully understand (and appreciate) the abundance of life that surrounds us. 

How: Even in the coldest, most remote place on earth, our planet teems with life. Explorer Ariel Waldman introduces the thousands of organisms that call Antarctica home — and they’re not all penguins. Leading a five-week expedition, Waldman descended the sea ice and scaled glaciers to investigate and film myriad microscopic, alien-looking creatures. Her footage is nothing short of amazing — like wildlife documentary at the microbial level! From tiny nematodes to “cuddly” water bears, mini sea shrimp to geometric bugs made of glass, her camera lens captures these critters in color and motion, so we can learn more about their world and ours. Isn’t nature brilliant?

Did you know? Tardigrades, also known as water bears, live almost everywhere on earth and can even survive in the vacuum of space. 

Tracy Edwards, Trailblazing sailor

Big Idea: Despite societal limits, girls and women are capable of creating the future of their dreams. 

How: Though competitive sailing is traditionally dominated by men, women sailors have proven they are uniquely able to navigate the seas. In 1989, Tracy Edwards led the first all-female sailing crew in the Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race. Though hundreds of companies refused to sponsor the team and bystanders warned that an all-female team was destined to fail, Edwards knew she could trust in the ability of the women on her team. Despite the tremendous odds, they completed the trip and finished second in their class. The innovation, kindness and resourcefulness of the women on Edwards’s crew enabled them to succeed together, upending all expectations of women in sailing. Now, Edwards advocates for girls and women to dive into their dream fields and become the role models they seek to find. She believes women should understand themselves as innately capable, that the road to education has infinite routes and that we all have the ability to take control of our present and shape our futures.

Quote of the talk: “This is about teaching girls: you don’t have to look a certain way; you don’t have to feel a certain way; you don’t have to behave a certain way. You can be successful. You can follow your dreams. You can fight for them.”

From their living room, Sheku Kanneh-Mason and Isata Kanneh-Mason perform intimate renditions of “Muse” and “Spring Song” at TED2020: Uncharted on May 21, 2020. (Photo courtesy of TED)

Virtuosic cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, whose standout performance at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made waves with music fans across the world, joins his sister, pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason, for an intimate living room performance of “Muse” by Sergei Rachmaninov and “Spring Song” by Frank Bridge.

And for a visual break, podcaster and design evangelist Debbie Millman shares an animated love letter to her garden — inviting us to remain grateful that we are still able to make things with our hands.

Dallas Taylor, Host/creator of Twenty Thousand Hertz podcast

Big idea: There is no such thing as true silence.

Why? In a fascinating challenge to our perceptions of sound, Dallas Taylor tells the story of a well-known, highly-debated and perhaps largely misunderstood piece of music penned by composer John Cage. Written in 1952, 4′33″ is more experience than expression, asking the listener to focus on and accept things the way they are, through three movements of rest — or, less technically speaking, silence. In its “silence,” Cage invites us to contemplate the sounds that already exist when we’re ready to listen, effectively making each performance a uniquely meditative encounter with the world around us. “We have a once in a lifetime opportunity to reset our ears,” says Taylor, as he welcomes the audience to settle into the first movement of 4’33” together. “Listen to the texture and rhythm of the sounds around you right now. Listen for the loud and soft, the harmonic and dissonant … enjoy the magnificence of hearing and listening.”

Quote of the talk: “Quietness is not when we turn our minds off to sound, but when we really start to listen and hear the world in all of its sonic beauty.”

Dubbed “the woman who redefined man” by her biographer, Jane Goodall has changed our perceptions of primates, people and the connection between the two. She speaks with head of TED Chris Anderson at TED2020: Uncharted on May 21, 2020. (Photo courtesy of TED)

Jane Goodall, Primatologist, conservationist

Big idea: Humanity’s long-term livelihood depends on conservation.

Why? After years in the field reinventing the way the world thinks about chimpanzees, their societies and their similarities to humans, Jane Goodall began to realize that as habitats shrink, humanity loses not only resources and life-sustaining biodiversity but also our core connection to nature. Worse still, as once-sequestered animals are pulled from their environments and sold and killed in markets, the risk of novel diseases like COVID-19 jumping into the human population rises dramatically. In conversation with head of TED Chris Anderson, Goodall tells the story of a revelatory scientific conference in 1986, where she awakened to the sorry state of global conservation and transformed from a revered naturalist into a dedicated activist. By empowering communities to take action and save their neighboring natural habitats all over the world, Goodall’s institute now gives communities tools they need to protect their environment. As a result of her work, conservation has become part of the DNA of cultures from China to countries throughout Africa, and is leading to visible transformations of once-endangered forests and habitats.

Quote of the talk: “Every day you live, you make an impact on the planet. You can’t help making an impact … If we all make ethical choices, then we start moving towards a world that will be not quite so desperate to leave for our great-grandchildren.”

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The Raspberry Pi Press store is looking mighty fine

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Eagle-eyed Raspberry Pi Press fans might have noticed some changes over the past few months to the look and feel of our website. Today we’re pleased to unveil a new look for the Raspberry Pi Press website and its online store.

Did you know?

Raspberry Pi Press is the publishing imprint of Raspberry Pi (Trading) Ltd, which is part of the Raspberry Pi Foundation, a UK-based charity that does loads of cool stuff with computers and computer education.

Did you also know?

Raspberry Pi Press publishes five monthly magazines: The MagPi, HackSpace Magazine, Wireframe, Custom PC, and Digital SLR Photography. It also produces a plethora of project books and gorgeous hardback beauties, such as retro gamers’ delight Code the Classics, as well as Hello World, the computing and digital making magazine for educators! Phew!

And did you also, also know?

The Raspberry Pi Press online store ships around the globe, with copies of our publications making their way to nearly every single continent on planet earth. Antarctica, we’re looking at you, kid.

It’s upgrade time!

With all this exciting work going on, it seemed only fair that Raspberry Pi Press should get itself a brand new look. We hope you’ll enjoy skimming the sparkling shelves of our online newsagents and bookshop.

Ain’t nothin’ wrong with a little tsundoku

You can pick up all the latest issues of your favourite magazines or treat yourself to a book or three, and you can also subscribe to all our publications with ease. We’ve even added a few new payment options to boot.

New delivery options

We’ve made a few changes to our shipping options, with additional choices for some regions to make sure that you can easily track your purchases and receive timely and reliable deliveries, even if you’re a long way from the Raspberry Pi Press printshop.

Customers in the UK, the EU, North America, Australia, and New Zealand won’t see any changes to delivery options. We continue to work to make sure we’re offering the best price and service we can for everyone, no matter where you are.

Have a look and see what you think!

So hop on over to the new and improved Raspberry Pi Press website to see the changes for yourself. And if you have any feedback, feel free to drop Oli and the team an email at rpipresshelp@raspberrypi.com.

The post The Raspberry Pi Press store is looking mighty fine appeared first on Raspberry Pi.

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Repairing an HP 3438A digital multimeter

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Jeff (aka K6JCA) did a repair of an HP 3438A digital multimeter and documented the whole process on his blog:

This blog post is a record of my notes made while repairing an HP 3438A Digital Multimeter I had picked up last year at a local electronics swap meet. The 3438A is a 3.5 digit HP-IB controllable multimeter. It has five selectable functions: DC Volts, AC Volts, DC Amps, AC Amps, and Ohms. Of these five functions, three can be auto-ranged: DC Volts, AC Volts, and Ohms.

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PowerShell Get BIOS Info

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Código para obtener información de la version de la BIOS y su número de serie.

# WMI query to list all properties and values of the Win32_BIOS class
# This PowerShell script was generated using the WMI Code Generator, Version 1.30
# http://www.robvanderwoude.com/updates/wmigen.html
 
param( [string]$strComputer = "." )
 
$colItems = get-wmiobject -class "Win32_BIOS" -namespace "root\CIMV2" -computername $strComputer
 
foreach ($objItem in $colItems) {
	write-host "Name                           :" $objItem.Name
	write-host "Version                        :" $objItem.Version
	write-host "Manufacturer                   :" $objItem.Manufacturer
    write-host "SMBIOSBIOS Version             :" $objItem.SMBIOSBIOSVersion
    write-host "Serial Number                  :" $objItem.serialnumber
	write-host
}

Design your own Internet of Things with HackSpace magazine

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In issue 31 of HackSpace magazine, out today, PJ Evans looks at DIY smart homes and homemade Internet of Things devices.

In the last decade, various companies have come up with ‘smart’ versions of almost everything. Microcontrollers have been unceremoniously crowbarred into devices that had absolutely no need for microcontrollers, and often tied to phone apps or web services that are hard to use and don’t work well with other products.

Put bluntly, the commercial world has struggled to deliver an ecosystem of useful smart products. However, the basic principle behind the connected world is good – by connecting together sensors, we can understand our local environment and control it to make our lives better. That could be as simple as making sure the plants are correctly watered, or something far more complex.

The simple fact is that we each lead different lives, and we each want different things out of our smart homes. This is why companies have struggled to create a useful smart home system, but it’s also why we, as makers, are perfectly placed to build our own. Let’s dive in and take a look at one way of doing this – using the TICK Stack – but there are many more, and we’ll explore a few alternatives later on.

Many of our projects create data, sometimes a lot of it. This could be temperature, humidity, light, position, speed, or anything else that we can measure electronically. To be useful, that data needs to be turned into information. A list of numbers doesn’t tell you a lot without careful study, but a line graph based on those numbers can show important information in an instant. Often makers will happily write scripts to produce charts and other types of infographics, but now open-source software allows anyone to log data to a database, generate dashboards of graphs, and even trigger alerts and scripts based on the incoming data. There are several solutions out there, so we’re going to focus on just one: a suite of products from InfluxData collectively known as the TICK Stack.

InfluxDB

The ‘I’ in TICK is the database that stores your precious data. InfluxDB is a time series database. It differs from regular SQL databases as it always indexes based on the time stamp of the incoming data. You can use a regular SQL database if you wish (and we’ll show you how later), but what makes InfluxDB compelling for logging data is not only its simplicity, but also its data-management features and built-in web-based API interface. Getting data into InfluxDB can be as easy as a web post, which places it within the reach of most internet-capable microcontrollers.

Kapacitor

Next up is our ‘K’. Kapacitor is a complex data processing engine that acts on data coming into your InfluxDB. It has several purposes, but the common use is to generate alerts based on data readings. Kapacitor supports a wide range of alert ‘endpoints’, from sending a simple email to alerting notification services like Pushover, or posting a message to the ubiquitous Slack. Multiple alerts to multiple destinations can be configured, and what constitutes an alert status is up to you. More advanced uses of Kapacitor include machine learning and anomaly detection.

Chronograf

The problem with Kapacitor is the configuration. It’s a lot of work with config files and the command line. Thoughtfully, InfluxData has created Chronograf, a graphical user interface to both Kapacitor and InfluxDB. If you prefer to keep away from the command line, you can query and manage your databases here as well as set up alerts, metrics that trigger an alert, and the configurations for the various handlers. This is all presented through a web app that you can access from anywhere on your network. You can also build ‘Dashboards’ – collections of charts displayed on a single page based on your InfluxDB data.

Telegraf

Finally, our ’T’ in TICK. One of the most common uses for time series databases is measuring computer performance. Telegraf provides the link between the machine it is installed on and InfluxDB. After a simple install, Telegraf will start logging all kinds of data about its host machine to your InfluxDB installation. Memory usage, CPU temperatures and load, disk space, and network performance can all be logged to your database and charted using Chronograf. This is more due to the Stack’s more common use for monitoring servers, but it’s still useful for making sure the brains of our network-of-things is working properly. If you get a problem, Kapacitor can not only trigger alerts but also user-defined scripts that may be able to remedy the situation.

Get HackSpace magazine issue 31 — out today

HackSpace magazine issue 31: on sale now!

You can read the rest of HackSpace magazine’s DIY IoT feature in issue 31, out today and available online from the Raspberry Pi Press online store. You can also download issue 31 for free.

The post Design your own Internet of Things with HackSpace magazine appeared first on Raspberry Pi.

Noticia Original

Extracting ROM constants from the 8087 math coprocessor’s die

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Ken posted an article taking a closer look at Intel 8087 chip:

Intel introduced the 8087 chip in 1980 to improve floating-point performance on the 8086 and 8088 processors, and it was used with the original IBM PC. Since early microprocessors operated only on integers, arithmetic with floating-point numbers was slow and transcendental operations such as arctangent or logarithms were even worse. Adding the 8087 co-processor chip to a system made floating-point operations up to 100 times faster.
I opened up an 8087 chip and took photos with a microscope. The photo below shows the chip’s tiny silicon die. Around the edges of the chip, tiny bond wires connect the chip to the 40 external pins.

More details on Ken Shirriff’s blog.

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Arduino to Nokia 84×48 LCD Heartbeat Display

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Bob writes:

I am working on some Arduino biometric designs perhaps for a new book. So far I have created the two line 1602 LCD display and now the Nokia 84×48 display. The Nokia display is more fun to work with since I can do a oscilloscope like display across the screen. I am working on writing code that works with both an Arduino UNO and with the ESP8266 or the “D1” board.
You can connect a NOKIA display easily using a header extender. You only need to connect five pins this way. The other two are power and ground and they use jumpers to 3.3 Volts and ground.

More details on My Commentary and Technical help blog.

Check out the video after the break.

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3d printed portable arcade controller

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Facelesstech has published a new build:

So I recycled the Arduino pro micro off of one of my old controllers, In doing so I messed the pin 16 up so I had to use one of the analog pins instead. The wiring was quite simple really. I ran a ground wire round all the buttons, burning off the silicon where needed. Next I wired up the 5v and GND for the 6 button because they light up, Again I just ran a 5v loop around them and then tapped off the GND wire using some sold core wire to make it look neat.

See project details on Facelesstech blog. Project files are available on GitHub.

Check out the video after the break.

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Conversations on rebuilding a healthy economy: Week 1 at TED2020

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“What now?” As the world faces the coronavirus pandemic, it’s a question on all of our minds.

To kick off TED2020, leaders in the economy, business, health and biology joined the TED community for intimate conversations around the theme “build back better.” Below, a recap of the fascinating insights they shared.

“If you don’t like the pandemic, you are not going to like the climate crisis,” says Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund. She speaks with head of TED Chris Anderson at TED2020: Uncharted on May 18, 2020. (Photo courtesy of TED.)

Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF)

Big idea: The coronavirus pandemic shattered the global economy. To put the pieces back together, we need to make sure money is going to countries that need it the most — and that we rebuild financial systems that are resilient to shocks.

How? Kristalina Georgieva is encouraging an attitude of determined optimism to lead the world toward recovery and renewal amid the economic fallout of COVID-19. The IMF has one trillion dollars to lend — it’s now deploying these funds to areas hardest hit by the pandemic, particularly in developing countries, and it’s also put a debt moratorium into effect for the poorest countries. Georgieva admits recovery is not going to be quick, but she thinks that countries can emerge from this “great transformation” stronger than before if they build resilient, disciplined financial systems. Within the next ten years, she hopes to see positive shifts towards digital transformation, more equitable social safety nets and green recovery. And as the environment recovers while the world grinds to a halt, she urges leaders to maintain low carbon footprints — particularly since the pandemic foreshadows the devastation of global warming. “If you don’t like the pandemic, you are not going to like the climate crisis,” Georgieva says. Watch the interview on TED.com »

“I’m a big believer in capitalism. I think it’s in many ways the best economic system that I know of, but like everything, it needs an upgrade. It needs tuning,” says Dan Schulman, president and CEO of PayPal. He speaks with TED business curators Corey Hajim at TED2020: Uncharted on May 19, 2020. (Photo courtesy of TED.)

Dan Schulman, President and CEO of PayPal

Big idea: Employee satisfaction and consumer trust are key to building the economy back better.

How? A company’s biggest competitive advantage is its workforce, says Dan Schulman, explaining how Paypal instituted a massive reorientation of compensation to meet the needs of its employees during the pandemic. The ripple of benefits of this shift have included increased productivity, financial health and more trust. Building further on the concept of trust, Schulman traces how the pandemic has transformed the managing and moving of money — and how it will require consumers to renew their focus on privacy and security. And he shares thoughts on the new roles of corporations and CEOs, the cashless economy and the future of capitalism. “I’m a big believer in capitalism. I think it’s in many ways the best economic system that I know of, but like everything, it needs an upgrade. It needs tuning,” Schulman says. “For vulnerable populations, just because you pay at the market [rate] doesn’t mean that they have financial health or financial wellness. And I think everyone should know whether or not their employees have the wherewithal to be able to save, to withstand financial shocks and then really understand what you can do about it.”

Biologist Uri Alon shares a thought-provoking idea on how we could get back to work: a two-week cycle of four days at work followed by 10 days of lockdown, which would cut the virus’s reproductive rate. He speaks with head of TED Chris Anderson at TED2020: Uncharted on May 20, 2020. (Photo courtesy of TED.)

Uri Alon, Biologist

Big idea: We might be able to get back to work by exploiting one of the coronavirus’s key weaknesses. 

How? By adopting a two-week cycle of four days at work followed by 10 days of lockdown, bringing the virus’s reproductive rate (R₀ or R naught) below one. The approach is built around the virus’s latent period: the three-day delay (on average) between when a person gets infected and when they start spreading the virus to others. So even if a person got sick at work, they’d reach their peak infectious period while in lockdown, limiting the virus’s spread — and helping us avoid another surge. What would this approach mean for productivity? Alon says that by staggering shifts, with groups alternating their four-day work weeks, some industries could maintain (or even exceed) their current output. And having a predictable schedule would give people the ability to maximize the effectiveness of their in-office work days, using the days in lockdown for more focused, individual work. The approach can be adopted at the company, city or regional level, and it’s already catching on, notably in schools in Austria.

“The secret sauce here is good, solid public health practice … this one was a bad one, but it’s not the last one,” says Georges C. Benjamin, Executive Director of the American Public Health Association. He speaks with TED science curator David Biello at TED2020: Uncharted on May 20, 2020. (Photo courtesy of TED.)

Georges C. Benjamin, Executive Director of the American Public Health Association

Big Idea: We need to invest in a robust public health care system to lead us out of the coronavirus pandemic and prevent the next outbreak.

How: The coronavirus pandemic has tested the public health systems of every country around the world — and, for many, exposed shortcomings. Georges C. Benjamin details how citizens, businesses and leaders can put public health first and build a better health structure to prevent the next crisis. He envisions a well-staffed and equipped governmental public health entity that runs on up-to-date technology to track and relay information in real-time, helping to identify, contain, mitigate and eliminate new diseases. Looking to countries like that have successfully lowered infection rates, such as South Korea, he emphasizes the importance of early and rapid testing, contact tracing, self-isolation and quarantining. Our priority, he says, should be testing essential workers and preparing now for a spike of cases during the summer hurricane and fall flu seasons. “The secret sauce here is good, solid public health practice,” Benjamin says. “We should not be looking for any mysticism or anyone to come save us with a special pill … because this one was a bad one, but it’s not the last one.”

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