DE BILT (ANP) - Het water van de Noordzee was afgelopen weekeinde gemiddeld 21,5 graden. De watertemperaturen worden sinds 1984 bijgehouden en niet eerder was de zee zo warm. Dat komt volgens het KNMI door klimaatverandering en door een hogedrukgebied met veel zon en weinig wind.

De recordtemperatuur werd geregistreerd bij het zogenoemde Lichteiland Goeree. Dat meetplatform staat ongeveer 30 kilometer uit de kust van Hoek van Holland.

In augustus 2018 werd een gemiddelde temperatuur van 21,4 graden op de Noordzee gemeten. Dat was het oude record. Het KNMI verwacht dat het record ook weer zal worden gebroken, omdat de opwarming van de aarde doorgaat "met meer zeespiegelstijging, hitte, droogte en extreme regenval tot gevolg". Het instituut roept op de uitstoot van broeikasgassen te verminderen.

Sinds het begin van het jaar kwam de temperatuur van de Noordzee op 35 dagen boven de 20 graden uit. Daarmee nadert 2026 het record van 2022, toen de grens op 43 dagen werd gepasseerd.

Comcast has folded its Wi-Fi-based intruder detection feature into Xfinity Shield, a repackaged bundle of physical and cybersecurity offerings. The US telco launched WiFi Motion in 2025. Xfinity Shield also includes cybersecurity protections built into the Xfinity Gateway router. The Wi-Fi sensing technology harnesses the radio waves beamed around a user's home to detect motion and potential intruders. "Using Xfinity Gateway intelligence, WiFi Motion detects changes in the home's radio frequency signal between the Xfinity Gateway and a Wi-Fi connected device, then sends instant notifications to customers through the Xfinity app when unexpected activity is detected," Comcast said. "It provides an added layer of awareness without recording video, capturing images or identifying individuals." The company does not consider this a home security service, merely a feature, because it is not managed by a dedicated security provider. Not every connected device can support the sensing feature. It uses the Xfinity Gateway, Xfinity Wi-Fi extenders, and up to three other compatible devices around the home. Crucially, these devices must be stationary. Think thermostats and home speakers, not smartphones or toothbrushes. Comcast advises users to position the router and extenders so that their signals pass through the areas where they want to detect motion. Open spaces such as hallways work best, and the company urges routine testing to ensure coverage is maintained. A setting in the Xfinity app allows WiFi Motion to ignore small pets. Animals weighing around 18 kg (40 pounds) or less will not trigger alerts when this setting is enabled, and the app warns this may also exclude small children. Customers can also adjust the sensitivity of the motion detection, choosing from low, medium, and high-sensitivity modes. Comcast says the latter works best in single-family, detached homes, whereas those who share walls with neighbors may want to choose the less-sensitive settings to avoid meaningless notifications. The telco also assured customers that WiFi Motion does not track individuals or their precise movements, and cannot identify specific people. It added that it "does not monitor motion and/or notifications generated by the service." The small print, which also accompanied the 2025 launch, suggests the service may not be quite as private as the marketing implies. Comcast states: "Subject to applicable law, Comcast may disclose information generated by your WiFi Motion to third parties without further notice to you in connection with any law enforcement investigation or proceeding, any dispute to which Comcast is a party, or pursuant to a court order or subpoena." Comcast does not specify what information may be disclosed or which "third parties," beyond law enforcement, might receive it. How it works Users can establish "sensing areas" by placing Wi-Fi devices around parts of the home with regular foot traffic. Comcast describes each sensing area as a long oval extending between two connected devices. Sensing areas can be established through walls separating rooms, although in two-storey or multi-storey homes, the telco encourages customers to avoid placing Wi-Fi equipment directly above or below each other. "Motion is detected within the sensing area when movement disrupts the wireless signals that travel between your Xfinity WiFi equipment and selected WiFi-connected devices within the sensing area," said Comcast. "Notifications will be sent only when motion disrupts the wireless signals in the sensing area between the WiFi equipment and your connected devices." Not a novel feature Comcast is the latest, but not the first, to harness Wi-Fi radio waves for motion detection. Companies such as Cognitive Systems and Origin Wireless have been developing other uses for wireless signals. Beyond domestic intruder alerts, the technology can measure occupancy and foot traffic in commercial buildings, helping operators reduce energy consumption and make better use of leased space. Wireless signals can also be used to support caregivers in places like assisted living centers. Wi-Fi transmissions can help track activity patterns and build a greater understanding of patients' fall risks, for example. Boffins began working on an official Wi-Fi sensing standard in 2020. Following a draft published by the IEEE in 2023, the 802.11bf standard was ratified in 2025. Major chipmakers including MediaTek, Qualcomm, and others are now working on embedding the standard into their Wi-Fi 7 chips and beyond. SaaS biz Plume, which provides smart home services to consumers and ISPs, has offered Wi-Fi sensing since 2020, around the time the 802.11bf working group began devising the standard. ®

Thomas Hawk posted a photo:

date stamped on slide June 1990

Thomas Hawk posted a photo:

Thomas Hawk posted a photo:

Thomas Hawk posted a photo:

handwritten on back of photograph, "Polly and her new bicycle, Xmas 49/50"

Thomas Hawk posted a photo:

Updates from Headingley; play starts 11am BST
Ali Martin on ‘El Dysfunctiono’ | The Spin

Warm applause as Joe Root leads England out at the start of his second spell as permanent captain. Are there any precedents for this, an experienced former captain returning to the job on a permanent basis years later? Bob Simpson is the name sitting at the top of my head. I guess Mike Brearley qualifies, though his situation was unique.

Last Friday was a glorious anniversary for Pakistani cricket, 10 years on from a 10-wicket win against England at the Oval. Younis Khan, their greatest run-scorer, hit a double hundred. Yasir Shah, a magical leggie and Lionel Messi lookalike, took a five-fer. Misbah-ul-Haq, their 42-year-old captain, led his men on a victory lap in south London and would have the ultimate reward a few days later. His side, unable to play at home since 2009 because of an attack on Sri Lanka’s team bus, moved up to No 1 in the Test rankings for the first time.

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A study of more than 64,000 people born around the end of Britain's postwar sugar rationing found that those exposed to less sugar during their first 1,000 days had lower rates of five cancers decades later, including roughly 69% lower liver cancer risk and 36% lower breast cancer risk. They also "showed signs of slower biological aging" and "continued to consume less sugar and had healthier diets overall," according to the authors of a new study published in The Conversation. From the report: After the second world war, sugar remained rationed in Britain for several years. But in September 1953, rationing ended and people started eating a lot more sugar. Consumption nearly doubled. This meant that children born just a few months apart had very different levels of sugar exposure both in the womb and during early childhood. For our study, we used data from over 64,000 people born in Britain between 1951 and 1956. Those born earlier spent a larger share of their first 1,000 days under sugar rationing, while those born later experienced progressively less of it.

[...] What is most surprising, however, is not the cancer results or the biological markers of ageing. It's how early-life sugar exposure continued to affect people's diets even 50 years later. We found that people who experienced sugar rationing early in life still consumed less sugar in adulthood, around age 50. They also ate less overall, and their diets were healthier and more diverse. This suggests that the level of sweetness people are exposed to very early in life may shape their taste preferences for a long time.

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Het Argentijnse voetbal laveert voortdurend tussen twee stijlen: het attractieve, aanvallende spel versus antivoetbal. Verschillende historische nederlagen én successen zijn daaraan debet. „Bij tegenslag kan het wervelende spel omslaan in onplezierig gedram.”