Benches are microcosms of an expansive debate about who belongs in urban public spaces. When they are removed or made uninviting, we lose more than just a place to rest. (slPlacesJournal)
I found this article through Blue Sky, where a mutual MeFite follow said that this was their issue when they were in Tokyo, a city where you can do a lot of walking to explore.
I found this article through Blue Sky, where a mutual MeFite follow said that this was their issue when they were in Tokyo, a city where you can do a lot of walking to explore.
The Guardian’s picture editors select photographs from around the world
Continue reading...Technology minister tells Commons ‘de-identified’ information from UK Biobank advertised for sale on Alibaba
The confidential health records of half a million British volunteers have been offered for sale on Chinese website Alibaba, the UK government has confirmed.
The data, belonging to participants in the UK Biobank project, was found for sale on three separate listings last week. The records have now been removed and it is not believed any sales were made.
Continue reading...Special envoy to Donald Trump suggested the idea
‘Firstly not possible … secondly not appropriate’
The Italian sports minister, Andrea Abodi, has described a proposal for his country to replace Iran at the World Cup as “not appropriate”, rejecting any idea that the Azzurri will be granted a last-minute berth at this summer’s tournament.
On Wednesday it emerged that Paolo Zampolli, a special envoy to Donald Trump, had suggested Italy should be fast-tracked to the World Cup despite their shock defeat by Bosnia & Herzegovina in last month’s playoffs. Zampolli proposed the four-time winners Italy replace Iran and said they would “have the pedigree to justify their inclusion”. But Abodi said that football’s showpiece tournament should remain meritocratic.
Continue reading...Criminal investigation under way after carcasses found across Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise national park within a week
The carcasses of 18 wolves have been found in an Italian national park within the space of a week in an apparent series of poisonings described by conservationists as the most serious crimes against wildlife in Italy in a decade.
Authorities of the national park of Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise said eight wolves were found dead in recent days in three different areas of the vast park, adding to the 10 carcasses discovered last week. Three dead foxes and a buzzard were also found.
Continue reading...
europeanspaceagency posted a photo:
Two rectangular yellow patches extend like butterfly wings from a device attached to a floating platform at the European Space Agency’s Orbital Robotics Laboratory.
Within the framework of his PhD research activities, Riccardo Mazzotti, PhD candidate at the University of Bologna and engineer at the Italian startup Adaptronics, is testing an innovative device developed by the company.
The device employs two Electro Active Adhesive Layers (EAAL), each about the size of two credit cards, to approach a non-cooperative object and adhere to it without any mechanical force, glue, or suction.
“The EAAL relies solely on electrostatic force,” explains Riccardo. “Imagine rubbing a balloon on your hair. When you do that, the two remain attached thanks to electrostatic forces – the balloon becomes negatively charged, and your hair gains a positive charge. Because opposite charges attract, your hair will stick to the balloon. Our device exploits the same principle of operation, resulting in an adhesive force between the device and the target object.”
Of course, no balloons or hair are involved in the device Riccardo is testing. Instead, the EAAL is sporting thin and flexible multi-layer devices based on Kapton material, manufactured through high-precision printed electronics processes, which can become adhesive on command.
“The device operates in two distinct modes: a sensing mode, with a reduced applied voltage to monitor proximity and contact, and an active adhesion mode, where electrostatic forces are generated to create the grip. This ensures continuous readiness while minimising power consumption when adhesion is not required,” says Riccardo.
“When activated, the device uses about 1 watt of electricity, a thousand times less than a microwave oven does. Activation requires just 10 milliseconds and, after that, only 10 milliwatts of power are required to maintain the grip.”
Jules Noirant, ESA’s automation and robotics engineer, comments: “To manage the growing number of satellites in space, we need to be able to approach those in need of repair or refuelling, as well as remove those that are beyond repair.”
Adaptronics’ EAAL relies on principles and materials that are compatible with vacuum and microgravity conditions, making it well suited for space applications like in-orbit servicing, assembly and manufacturing, and active debris removal.
A key advantage of the technology is that it does not require any pre-installed fixtures and can safely interact with both cooperative and non-cooperative targets, enabling more flexible operations in space.
To test Adaptronics’ invention under conditions resembling space, Riccardo made us of ESA’s ORBIT facility.
ORBIT is part of ESA’s Orbital Robotic Laboratory and consists of a 43 m2 ultra-flat floor – the height difference between its lowest and highest points is less than a millimetre.
The facility operates similarly to an air hockey table – its testing platforms are equipped with air bearings, which create a stable air gap between the platforms and the floor.
This air gap, thinner than a strand of hair and so hardly visible to the human eye, allows the platforms to move across the floor without any friction, reproducing the state of weightless free-floating in two dimensions.
In Earth gravity conditions, an EAAL the size of a credit card can lift several kilograms of almost any material, both conductors (which allow electricity to flow through them) and dielectrics (non-conducting materials that can hold an electric charge without allowing it to flow through).
Attached to one of ORBIT’s floating platforms – in a simulated two-dimensional microgravity – the device Riccardo is testing was able to pull one of the other platforms (simulating a target satellite), which weighs more than 200 kg.
“The test campaign at ESA’s ORBIT facility represents an important step in the validation of Adaptronics’ electroadhesive technology for space applications. The results confirm the robustness, efficiency and versatility of the EAAL, strengthening its potential as an enabling solution for future in-orbit operations,” concludes Riccardo.
“On a personal level, this campaign was also a unique opportunity to gain hands-on experience in validating the systems I am developing, and to work within ESA’s Orbital Robotics Laboratory at ESTEC, where many of Europe’s future space technologies take shape: I am truly grateful for this experience.”
Adaptronics are alumni of ESA’s Business Incubation Centre (BIC) in Turin, one of many centres supporting space-related startups throughout Europe. The company’s involvement in the BIC network made this test campaign possible.
[Image description: A close-up of a technical laboratory setup with two flat, rectangular yellow panels mounted horizontally on either side of a central black part. Each yellow panel is about the size of two credit cards and features evenly spaced, narrow rectangular markings across its surface. Above the panels, small spherical grey parts are attached to a vertical structural support. The whole setup is secured to a frame made of silver-coloured columns. A red cable is connected to the lower part of the device. The background is dark and out of focus, which highlights the bright yellow colour of the panels.]
Credits: ESA-SJM Photography
De renovatie van de Euromast in Rotterdam duurt langer dan gepland. Begin april had het werk aan de toren klaar moeten zijn. “We mikken nog steeds op heropening in het voorjaar, maar een exacte prognose kunnen we niet geven”, zegt een woordvoerder.
De renovatie van de Euromast in Rotterdam duurt langer dan gepland. Begin april had het werk aan de toren klaar moeten zijn. “We mikken nog steeds op heropening in het voorjaar, maar een exacte prognose kunnen we niet geven”, zegt een woordvoerder.
Een opmerkelijk ongeluk donderdagochtend in Bleiswijk. Als een motorrijder gewond raakt aan de Lorentzstraat, komt een ambulance om hem na te kijken. Maar dan gebeurt er nóg een ongeluk: een vrachtwagen klapt op de ambulance.
The 12-month subscription costs around a third of the Lada Vesta’s full retail price.
Rozen zijn rood
Islam weer kampioen GEVAAR
Opvallend aan 2025 is de verdere toename aan jongeren (tot 24 jaar)
GEVAAR GEVAAR GEVAAR. Hamas in Europa GEVAAR. Anti-institutioneel extremisme GEVAAR. Hackers GEVAAR. Links-extremisme GEVAAR. Rechts-extremisme GEVAAR. Wapens GEVAAR. Samidoun (bekend van Oxfam Novib) GEVAAR. Antimilitarisme GEVAAR. Antifascisme GEVAAR. Criminelen GEVAAR. Turkije en Marokko GEVAAR. Cyberrrrr (bekend van Rudy Bouma's Nieuwsuur) GEVAAR. Iran GEVAAR. Noord-Korea GEVAAR. Rusland GEVAAR. China GEVAAR. HUUUU GEVAAAAARRRRRRR GEVAAR IEDEREEN LOOPT GEVAAR & GEVAAR
Wins $300M deal over Salesforce, IBM because of 'integration with existing USDA systems,' among other things
Palantir has won a $300 million contract from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to support the National Farm Security Action Plan (NFSAP) and modernize how USDA delivers services to America's farmers.…
Als directeur van het Jeugdeducatiefonds zag Spekman hoe door precaire arbeidsomstandigheden een groeiende groep moeite heeft om het hoofd boven water te houden. Bij de FNV wil hij de bestuurlijke chaos achter zich laten en die groep ondersteunen.
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I love the chutzpah of this: all 35 of Shakespeare’s plays ranked. Romeo & Juliet didn’t crack the top 20 but Macbeth, Hamlet, and Twelfth Night made the top 5. Worth it for the old photos of productions feat. Ralph Fiennes, Judi Dench, Brian Cox…