Technology Archives - Page 4 of 4

Tesla–Sustainable Living At Its Finest

June 6, 2018 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

By Shelby Armor

When we think about Tesla, Inc., we think about their cars. And, yes, their cars are 100% electric, and have no engine whatsoever. As of April 2018, Tesla has saved 3,330,166.37 tons of CO2 emission through their vehicles alone, and the number goes up every minute. But, Tesla does so much more. While their cars are groundbreaking, they also do a lot of things that help home life, and help to create a greener environment and promote sustainable living.

In addition to having 100% electric cars, they also produce solar panels, “Powerwalls,” and solar roofs. Their solar panels have a sleek design and seamless integration into the roof. The way they operate is by connecting to the “Powerwall,” which is another creation by Tesla. The Powerwall is a 100% self-powered battery that meets all energy needs of a house on any given day. When there is a power outage, the Powerwall can sustain the house for 7+ days on the energy it has created alone. It functions by taking the solar energy that the solar panels produce during the day and storing it. They also have a Tesla app, where you can track the power that is being used and how much you still have in your home. As Tesla is big on getting a sleek look, they also created a “Solar Roof,” which essentially acts as a solar panel and blending in seamlessly to your house. The solar roof connects directly to the Powerwall to power your home. Tesla grants a lifetime warranty on the solar roof itself, which goes through the subsidiary company Solar City.

Tesla has been helping the world as well, not just the home. The Powerwall, announced in the April of 2015, and since then has been used extensively in home life and also in community service projects. Elon Musk, the creator of Tesla, actually brought 700 Powerwalls to Puerto Rico, to the “Hospital del Niño” after the hurricane to help bring care to patients who needed them. For the actual Tesla cars, they do not use one big battery, but instead use thousands of small, cylindrical, lithium-ion commodity cells, like those found in everyday electronics. They put the batteries under the floor of the vehicle. Because of this, there is more space in the trunk and interior. An example of this is that the Tesla has a “Frunk,” or a trunk in the front. If you go to the hood and open it, there will be extra space to store things, since there is no engine there.

Tesla also created something called a “supercharger.” The supercharger is a free electric charger made by Tesla that exists all over the world for Tesla owners to charge their cars. There are 7,320 superchargers globally, and they provide up to 120 kW of power, meaning it would take around 75 minutes to get a full charge. I have been a fan of Tesla since I first heard of it a few years ago. I don’t think that people realize how much Tesla does besides their cars, and I hope this sheds some light on all of the work that Tesla is doing for a green future.

Editor: Renée Vazquez

Is Far Cry 5 a “5 out of 5”?

May 16, 2018 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

By Peter Kadel

Far Cry 5 is the latest installment of the Far Cry published by Ubisoft and developed by Ubisoft. The game takes place in the fictional Hope County in Montana. This is the first game of the series to take place in the United States. Many of the jokes and quests are more relatable and the characters seem to be more relatable and more farcical at the same time. As a sequel, the game stays close to the core concept of Far Cry: Lots of weapons, outlandish and wacky side characters, maniacal and oddly charismatic villains, and an expansive open world. But, it also mixes it up with a plethora of new minor features that give the game a fresh feeling for the first couple hours of gameplay. The gameplay itself is pretty standard for a Far Cry game. The main villain(s) is/are the Seed family and their radical evangelical cult, The Project at Eden’s Gate, who have taken over Hope County, Montana, and are capturing, brainwashing, torturing the people of Hope County. The main leader of the cult is Joseph Seed who oversees the entire cult with support from his three siblings: Jacob Seed, a cruel and merciless warrior who believes in culling the weak; John Seed, a charismatic man who forces people to confess their “sins” and submit to the cult; and Faith Seed, a sort of enchantress who uses a hallucinogenic drug to control and manipulate her enemies and turn some cultists into drug-fueled berserkers. Each member of the Seed family controls a region, and players have to defeat the three lieutenants and liberate their region before getting to the leader Joseph.

The main story of the game is entertaining at parts, but as a whole it is disorganized and lacks a compelling reason to follow the main quest. In all honesty, I only completed the main questline because the side quests were even more one dimensional and linear, with one exception–the Clutch Nixon Stunt missions, which are a series of time limited vehicular feats which you must recreate. The quests themselves don’t have a compelling backstory, but they unlock a series of star-spangled vehicles that are really fun to drive/fly around. But, in general, the game fails to provide a compelling reason to complete missions other than “do this to get some cool stuff” or “because an NPC [Non-Player Character] said so.”

That being said, the game is entertaining and provides an enjoyable experience in many parts. New vehicles such as planes, helicopters, and semi trucks offer more options in terms of gameplay and how to overcome certain challenges and obstacles such as enemy strongholds and convoys. The game also includes a new type of weapon–melee weapons. These give the player more stealth options in terms of combat.

SO! Overall the verdict is: Far Cry 5 is an entertaining game and provides a good gaming experience, but it isn’t worth the 60 dollars needed to pay for it, so if you would like to purchase it, I suggest waiting until it is cheaper.

Editor: Bella Bier

01010011 01101110 01100001 01101011 01100101, A Poem In Binary

March 28, 2018 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

By Antonio Patencio

01010011 01101110 01100001 01101011 01100101 00100000 01101111 01101000 00100000

01110011 01101110 01100001 01101011 01100101 00100000 01101111 01101000 00100000

01101101 01100001 01110010 01110110 01100101 01101100 01101111 01110101 01110011 00100000

01110111 01101111 01101110 01100100 01110010 01101111 01110101 01110011 00100000

01100010 01100101 01100001 01110101 01110100 01101001 01100110 01110101 01101100 00100000

01110011 01101110 01100001 01101011 01100101 00100000

01111001 01101111 01110101 00100000 01100101 01100001 01110100 00100000

01110100 01101000 01100101 00100000

01101101 01101001 01100011 01100101 00100000

01111001 01101111 01110101 00100000

01110011 01110111 01100001 01101100 01101100 01101111 01110111 00100000

01110100 01101000 01100101 01101101 00100000

01110111 01101000 01101111 01101100 01100101 00100000

01111001 01101111 01110101 00100000 01100101 01100001 01110100 00100000

01110100 01101000 01100101 00100000

01110010 01100001 01100010 01100010 01101001 01110100 01110011 00100000

01111001 01101111 01110101 00100000

01110011 01110111 01100001 01101100 01101100 01101111 01110111 00100000

01110100 01101000 01100101 01101101 00100000

01110111 01101000 01101111 01101100 01100101 00100000

01111001 01101111 01110101 00100000

01110011 01101100 01101001 01110100 01101000 01100101 01110010 00100000

01101001 01101110 00100000 01100111 01110010 01100001 01110011 01110011 00100000

01111001 01101111 01110101 00100000

01110011 01101100 01101001 01110100 01101000 01100101 01110010 00100000

01101001 01101110 00100000 01101000 01101111 01101100 01100101 01110011 00100000

01100010 01110101 01110100 00100000 01101100 01100101 01110100 00100000

01110101 01110011 00100000 01101000 01101111 01110000 01100101 00100000

01111001 01101111 01110101 00100000 01100001 01110010 01100101 00100000

01101110 01101111 01110100 00100000 01101001 01101110 00100000

01100001 01101110 00100000

01100101 01100001 01100111 01101100 01100101 00100111 01110011 00100000

01101000 01101111 01101100 01100100 00101110

*and its translation . . .

Snake oh

snake oh

marvelous

wondrous

beautiful

snake

you eat

the

mice

you

swallow

them

whole

you eat

the

rabbits

you

swallow

them

whole

you

slither

in grass

you

slither

in holes

but let

us hope

you are

not in

eagle’s

hold.

Editor: Shelby Armor

No-Tube

January 11, 2018 by szachik@pvs.org 3 Comments

Graphic by A.J. Patencio

By A.J. Patencio

Dear fellow PVS students, as many of you have probably already noticed, YouTube has been blocked by the school. While we don’t see the normal page for a website that’s blocked by the LightSpeed system when visiting YouTube, we see “ERR_QUIC_PROTOCOL_ERROR” on your screen and text that tells you the YouTube website is either “temporarily down” (which is not likely, as the website loads on all devices when off-campus) or has “moved permanently to a new web address” (which YouTube would never do). This means that the website has been blocked and students can’t access it during school for any reason.

There might be multiple reasons for YouTube being blocked. Maybe too many kids in the Upper or Middle School (as we share the same Wifi network) were caught watching YouTube during class, and this caused the ban (which might be the cause for Netflix being banned as well). Maybe the school is just trying to enforce the rule in the PVS Technology Handbook/Chromebook Contract we all signed (yes, you had to sign a contract to get your Chromebook, and if you’re absolutely sure that you didn’t sign a contract then you shouldn’t have that Chromebook) that states we will not watch streaming services for entertainment on the Chromebooks. Maybe it’s because when lunch came around, the Wifi network immediately started lagging horribly due to the amount of students jumping onto YouTube (and Netflix, Spotify, etc.) to look at random stuff.

Whatever the cause is, there are already consequences appearing (other than us not being able to watch memes). Many educational websites (such as Crash Course, JoczProductions, Khan Academy, TomRichey.net, etc.) host their videos on YouTube. Why is this important? Well, now that YouTube is blocked, you won’t be able to see any of the videos on those websites, which teachers use to assign as classwork. The teacher could use the Staff Wifi to access the video and project it on the board, but this hinders individual and small group work and is problematic for combined AP and non-AP classes that have to watch different videos.

Keep in mind, this is only the first week back from vacation–plus it’s review week for all the Upper School students taking Midterms–, and there are already problems arising. Whether or not YouTube will be unblocked by the school in the near future is unanswered, as the problems caused by this are still just popping up. If you have an opinion you’d like to share about this, a problem that’s caused by YouTube being blocked, or a possible solution, please put it in the comments.

Editor: Claire Jenkins

Why An iPhone (or any expensive smartphone) Is Worth The Price

November 27, 2017 by szachik@pvs.org 2 Comments

BY Luke Langlois — guy with opinion

Apple’s newest phones, the iPhone X and the iPhone 8, were unveiled to the public at their 2017 presentation in September. The new “flagship” device, the X, has sparked a plethora of design nitpicking, debating, or just plain old praise.

The one complaint that people tend to agree upon is that the four digit price tag of $1,000 is just too high. Pair this with any Apple Care programs, any other irresistible pieces of tech, and the day-to-day costs of life on Earth, and you’ve got a noticeable absence of money in your bank account.

This raises a question for everyone who loves their smartphone: just how much am I going to have to shell out for my new phone every couple of years? Will the prices continue to rise? These are all valid questions. But, my humble opinion is that people have just become spoiled.

I don’t mean to call people spoiled as in children who whine and cry; people maybe have just forgotten (or never have lived in) the time before the lightweight and portable phone. If you think your phone is in your pocket, you reach for it and it’s not there, it is worrying to say the least. Our phones are such an amazing luxury. We have all of the world’s information, games, entertainment, connections, productivity, and notes available in our purses or pockets. Not only the functionality of the devices are incredible. The technology in these devices are FANTASTIC.

No, I’m not saying you need to shell out for the latest Apple or Samsung product. It will still be difficult to spend so much money on these phones now and in the future. Nevertheless, remembering the ridiculous amount of function and power these devices give you might help make the decision easier.

Editor: Shelby Armor

The Same But Not the Same

June 3, 2016 by szachik@pvs.org 2 Comments

–by Blog Philosopher Jordan King

The ancient thought experiment Ship of Theseus made famous by Plutarch asks a much-debated question. It asks whether a ship that has all its components replaced, one by one, is still the same ship. How can a ship with all new parts still be the same ship? This introduces a puzzling dilemma about living forever. We may see in the distant (or not-so-distant) future the technology of uploading consciousnesses of dying people into a robot or even another human body. We may also see pills which allow people to live indefinitely, but for indefinite living to be possible the people taking ever-life pills would have to replace eventually all of their body parts as the old ones wear out. How can a person with an entirely new body still be the same person?

The conundrum, if an object has all of its components replaced, is it fundamentally the same object?

Let’s start off with the ship; it’s easier for now. To be able to answer the question of whether the Ship of Theseus is wholly original or wholly different, you would need to know what makes a ship a ship. Is a ship the sum of its parts, or is a ship an overall structure? If you were to take the original pieces of the disassembled Ship of Theseus and build it into a second ship, would it be the same ship? Do the pieces define the originality?

Or, if you replace the original pieces with identical new pieces while retaining identical structure, is it a new ship? Or, the original ship? I would say the original ship replaced with new pieces would be the real one. I say this for two reasons. First off, the ship would have exactly the same structure. Replacing each piece one by one would stay more true to the initial structure of the ship than it would to rebuild the ship completely. Secondly, when you are replacing each piece with a new piece, at what point does the ship cease to be the same ship? The first piece being replaced wouldn’t make it a new ship, nor the second. The ship’s only identity is The Ship of Theseus, nothing else; the ship has no thoughts, no personality, and no persona. The ship’s sole purpose of existence is its use as a ship, to transport goods and/or people. If you rebuild the ship using the same parts after the original ship was replaced with new parts, the rebuilt ship wouldn’t be original. It’s identity is not the same because it doesn’t exist in the same location. If the ship had a soul, the ship with the new pieces would be original because it has the same existence, purpose, and structure. It has the Same identity.

People do change though. They grow older; their skin falls off; their hair falls out, and their cells replace themselves. Almost all cells die and replace themselves every 10 years, with the exception of the nervous system, female gametes, and lens cells, which take a lifetime to replace.

Here is a chart from bionumbers.org, of the amount of time cells take to replace themselves:

So, every 10 years you are a completely different person (when it comes to what you’re made of). But… It’s not just your body parts that are different; you actually change psychologically, too. Your personality will change dramatically over the next decade (Time.com). You’re not the same as your four-year-old self; you are more mature (hopefully), and you are smarter with more life experience.

When we are able to transfer human consciousnesses onto machines or take pills to live forever, we will be different people. But we already become different people every 10 or so years. Nothing has changed. When we are able to live forever, we’ll still change, just a lot more, as we will be alive hundreds or even thousands of years. Five-hundred-year-old you won’t be anything like you were in your teens.

5 Technologies That Will Change The Way We Live

June 1, 2016 by szachik@pvs.org 3 Comments

–by Blog Technology Correspondent Jordan King

Tired of driving in traffic? Weary of going to the post office to pick up a package? Do you wish you could sit court side to watch Steph shoot those waaayyy outside shots? Jordan says times they are a-changing. We’re in the middle of the technological revolution, a cyber renaissance.

Technology makes our lives better in so many ways. It allows us the get places quicker; it allows us to access information faster; it lets us interact with the world in an entirely new way. The near future will bring several game-changing technologies to the main stage. Here are five technologies–already in development–that will change the way we live.

#5. Drones

The idea of a sky filled with drones may seem a little scary at first, but small drones (not the large ones often used in the military) could change the way we get stuff. Drone delivery is going to be a reality in the very near future. Amazon drones are already working; the only thing in the way is FCC regulation. Most likely, within the next five years, drones will be approved for commercial use in our air space, and you’ll be able to receive a package in a matter of minutes or hours.

Drone deliveries will change the way we live because people will be able to receive things without leaving the house. If there aren’t any stores nearby that sell what you need, you can get it. If you needed something but are too busy to go out, you can get it. Imagine looking out your front window, and you see a drone approaching, closer and closer. The dog is barking crazily. The drone comes in for a landing, and you see suddenly the orange of the Amazon logo. Then you realize, it’s not your creepy neighbors or the NSA spying on you, it’s your order of New York Times best-selling books deposited at your doorstep.

#4. Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality

Virtual Reality headsets immerse you in another world. Wearing VR headsets is like sitting right in front of a 4K HDTV but better; the picture surrounds you. Virtual Reality puts you IN the picture. In a Virtual Reality basketball game, you can sit court side, see Steph Curry make the game-winning basket, then you can turn around and see the reaction of the stands. Look up, and you see the score is tied on the JumboTron. Gaming, nature shows, movies, sports events are now more realistic than ever.

Augmented Reality has been much less successful than Virtual Reality, but it could be even more useful. Augmented Reality could be game-changing to education. It will change the way students learn and their learning environment. Students will be able to interact with problems in new ways, and teachers will be able to make learning environments more interactive and creative. The digital and physical world intertwine, and concepts come to life. For example, students can record themselves defining vocabulary words. Later, other students can access the Aurasma app to see their peers’ image pop up with a recorded definition. Educators call this a Word Wall. Imagine an avatar teaching you the latest Calculus theorem. One app, PhotoMath, allows a student to take a picture of a math problem, submit it, and PhotoMath will walk that student through the steps of solving the problem. Virtual teachers teach flesh-and-blood students. Here’s a video of it in action.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=TyXePLD54uU

#3. Self-Driving Cars

Self-driving cars are already fully operational. They’re legal in seven states and DC. Self-driving cars will change the ridesharing industry. Uber plans to start phasing out its human drivers with self-driving cars in the next decade. Uber would be able to cut its fares in half after phasing out human drivers.

Self-driving cars will change how we get around. Car ownership will decrease drastically as people switch to the ease of ride-sharing services and expanded public transportation.

#2. The Hyperloop

Transportation needs to be drastically improved. How we get around is behind the times. We have been getting around the same way for nearly 100 years. That’s where the Hyperloop comes in. The Hyperloop will allow people to travel at 800 miles per hour. With the Hyperloop, you can travel from LA to San Francisco in half an hour.

The effects of the Hyperloop would be enormous. People will be able to get places faster than ever before. You would be able to live in LA and work in San Francisco. You’ll be able to cheer on your grandchildren’s Little League game in Santa Barbara and still make your tee time for 9 holes back in the desert. Distance will become less and less an issue, and people will be more connected than ever.

#1. Artificial Intelligence

Without a doubt, the single technology that will impact people the most is artificial intelligence. Every single item on this list relies on virtual intelligence to operate. Artificial intelligence will soon be able to learn from itself and get smarter. This is how self-driving cars are getting more accurate. The more Tesla’s cars are driven by their owners, the smarter they get. The more Amazon’s drones are used, the more efficient they become. Artificial intelligence is gathering data, refining data, learning. Technology may one day, be smarter than humans.

Tesla Unveils the Model 3

April 6, 2016 by szachik@pvs.org 2 Comments

–by Jordan King, Blog Auto Industry Correspondent, future driver who will probably get a Toyota Corolla because the Tesla 3 doesn’t come out until the end of 2017, and he can’t WAIT THAT LONG!

March 31st marked the beginning of a revolution: the electric-car revolution. Tesla unveiled the Model 3–the most mainstream electric car ever. Why is this so exciting? Well, first off, the Tesla 3 gets 215 miles of range for the cheapest model! All models (except the cheapest model) come with autopilot! What’s even more exciting is the price; the Model 3 is $35,000 at its cheapest, but after government incentives the price drops to $25,000. Also, just look at it!

teslamotors.com

teslamotors.com

Well… There are a few complications though. Firstly, if Tesla sells more than 200,000 units, there won’t be an incentive. Tesla already has over 270,000 pre-orders for a car that won’t ship for another eighteen months. Also the base model probably won’t have any of the features that people want. Autonomous features won’t be available unless you have a model for potentially $50,000 or more. Also the Model 3 isn’t expected to ship until the end of 2017. How can anyone wait that long? It’s madness! I’m betting, however, the Model 3 will disrupt the auto industry. It’s the first affordable electric car that gets over a hundred miles of range. Already, everybody wants one.

Right now, it may not seem realistic to drive an electric car every day, but soon it will. Tesla is doubling the amount of superchargers in the world. If you didn’t know already, the Tesla Supercharger fully charges a car in half an hour, and the charging time could be even less in the future. You’ll find Superchargers in malls, at grocery stores, at train stations, etc. So, hold onto your hats because this is going to be one heck of a ride.

Are you going to put a Tesla in your garage?