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Author: Jim O Brien/CEO
CEO and expert in transport and Mobile tech. A fan 20 years, mobile consultant, Nokia Mobile expert, Former Nokia/Microsoft VIP,Multiple forum tech supporter with worldwide top ranking,Working in the background on mobile technology, Weekly radio show, Featured on the RTE consumer show, Cavan TV and on TRT WORLD. Award winning Technology reviewer and blogger. Security and logisitcs Professional.
Cycling in Dublin is best described as risky due to no room on the road and again when it comes to sharing roads and not forgetting being lit up having the right gear on and the clash with motorists and cyclists breaking red lights and much more but this is not about who is right or wrong this is a new app which will be welcome amongst the cycling community. I cycle myself and will be giving this a go and also we have some cycling tech accessories in for review so stay tuned for that.
Dublin Cycling Campaign, Dublin City Council, and Smart Dublin, have been working together to produce the ‘Go-To’ cycle routing and gamification app curated just for Dublin. Through the participation of our cycling community, this app will continue to crowd-source critical information to provide more ‘localised’ and accurate cycle routing data. This will help Dublin City Council to create a safer and more bike-friendly environment for all.
Dublin Cycling Buddy helps make your cycle rides around Dublin safer and more enjoyable! Built using a new community-powered cycling navigation engine, the app will find safe, bike-friendly routes for your commuting and recreational rides. It utilises large data sets, including GPS trajectories and crowdsourced issue reports, with a data engine that analyses the collected data to produce these optimised routes. The solution will give cyclists peace of mind when planning their ride, knowing full well that they’re getting the best selection of cycle routes available.
The collection of data from cycling routes will help the city council’s planning department determine which ‘non official’ routes that cyclists are organically taking, in order to improve cycling infrastructure in these key locations.
The app is also expected to foster a deeper digital community for Dublin cyclists through the real time feedback (e.g. potholes, traffic jams, near misses etc.), as well as taking part in the friendly competitions across the city and county.
As quoted by DCC’s Chief Executive Owen Keegan:
“The app offers Dublin’s cyclists a smarter way to engage with the Council, build a community of cyclists, as well as share trip information and advice on safer routes. This will help inform our investment priorities and also help us measure the impact of current investments across the city.”
Along with aerospace, robotics and education, the automotive industry remains one of the key sectors adopting and embracing 3D printing. Not only does the industry use the technology for components and tooling equipment, but also for the customisation of parts, for example, wall panels, bumpers and car doors.
3D printing functional parts has become more prevalent in the automotive sphere, especially with the adoption of additive manufacturing technology, Selective Laser Sintering. However, the ultra-lightweight McLaren 720S has made the headlines because of its completely exposed exterior made from carbon fibre, combined with the use of 3D printed parts to improve vehicle performance.
We look at the people behind the innovation, the differences it makes to high-end vehicle functionality and why the McLaren 720S could mark the start of a new age in the manufacture of high-performance cars.
McLaren 720S Light-weight advantages
Specialists in aftermarket carbon fibre and ECU tuning, 1016 Industries works on exclusive and exotic cars across the world and has already used 3D printing technology for prototypes and the production of spare parts. They worked alongside Abushi to produce the main parts for this ultra-lightweight 720S sports car.
The fully functional parts of the special edition model are up to around 9% lighter than the original factory model, with the combined use of 3D printing and carbon fibre dropping its weight from 1,419 kg. Founder of 1016 Industries, Peter Northrop says that the main aim was to see how 3D printing and carbon fibre processes could work together in auto design. The new model is the result of ‘years of extensive field testing and design validation. He states that it’s no secret that 3D printing makes way for more ‘nimble manufacturing’ but the process has also allowed engineers to apply improvements to the ‘quality and precision of each functional part’.
How were the 720S parts made?
Typically, automotive parts manufacture is an extensive process incorporating the use of conjoined pieces for the making of the panels. However, using an extremely high-resolution resin 3D printer used for creating large scale models, the 720S components were made in just 120 hours and with one single piece, which helps to strengthen the structure of the part.
The research and design process adopted by 1016 also provided ways to adapt the printing to scaled manufacturing development. 1016 used Computational Fluid Dynamics to help improve ergonomics, an especially important feature for performance sports cars. The 3D printed parts on the vehicle include the inner bumper structures, outer door wings and the hood and as linkages within the wing kit.
The full process, which resulted in thousands of hours of engineering, means that prototypes as well as final designs were able to be produced. The company now plans for tooling to be made via 3D printing for the moulds of the 720S and possibly other performance cars it works on in the future.
3D printing in the auto industry
As the call increases for greater performance in standard vehicles, as well as performance cars, 3D printing makes way for the production of more ‘performance enhanced’ features, and an improvement in the overall production process with the use of 3D printed tooling equipment. For example, Volkswagon’s Autoeuropa factory which began using 3D printing for tool production a few years ago, now uses it predominantly for inhouse tooling production of jigs and grips to help cut costs from 70% to 95%, as well as reducing lead times.
3D printing to help improve sports car performance
When it comes to sports vehicles like the McLaren 720S, other manufacturers, such as Porsche, has also incorporated the technology into their prototype production. More recently, the company created 3D printed aluminium pistons for the engineering of its iconic 911 GT2 RS model, in partnership with mechanical engineering company, Trumpf, MAHLE. The inclusion of the 3D printed pistons supports greater efficiency to boost the Horse Power of the vehicle. Frank Ickinger, Porsche project team leader said that the technology makes it possible to reach 30 PS more power from the 700 PS biturbo engine, and the same time, efficiency is improved.
A new era in 3D printing for performance vehicles?
The overall developments in 3D printing across the auto industry have been impressive, however, as the first to use ‘000’ carbon fibre features, together with additive manufactured parts, the engineering of the McLaren 720S potentially marks one of the most exciting developments in 3D printing.
Along with the prospect of producing vehicle body components in large scale manufacturing processes and plans to do more with 3D printed components for the other high-performance vehicles it works on, the story for 3D printing for performance has not come to a conclusion yet. Coupled with mainstream vehicle manufacturing’s commitment to 3D printing adoption and continued research, it looks like we can certainly expect further developments all round in the automotive sector.
Every vehicle should have a dashcam I keep saying it with every review but many just ignore the fact it could save you some day and help clamp down on fraudulent claims which is still a problem and not only this it will help drive your premium down, given our insurance industry is seen as a cartel there is signs things will change in the summer this year and having a dashcam can and will help int he long run.
This dashcam offers more than the typical one we mostly but as it has three cameras so this means you have eyes everywhere in your vehicle and you can have two of them facing inwards or outwards which is an added bonus and for my testing I had two facing outside and one inside as my car is in for service during m test period I decided to see how well it would work on one of my vans and this will protect you not only from the front and in the cab but also from the rear end so all angles are covered. the app that comes with the unit is also great and easy to use and is most welcome. One thing I do miss is an internal screen on the unit but you have a LIVE VIEW option which cover this in the app which is great as it allows you to see either one camera or all three on your smartphone and works really well and is crystal clear too and overall the app is simple to use which makes life easy for the user, we go through this in our full video review below and how to operate the whole system. There is some buttons on the unit inside which allows you quick access to functions too.
This dashcam also protects your vehicle when you are not inside it and has parking mode again here you can set the sensitivity level to stop false negatives.
VIOFO DASHCAM
VIOFODASHCAM
Set up is simple enough it does not need to be hardwired but you can buy the cable for it if you like and you channel the wires around your roof lining with the tools provided it took me around 10 minutes to set this up fully which was great and nothing to difficult about it, once installed you adjust accordingly via the app for the view you need and you are good to go, the files auto store and you can check out all the settings on offer and tailor to your needs. Again all shown in the video below. Overall this is a super effective 3 camera system and a must have for any driver and a worthy investment.
If there’s one thing the last year living through a global pandemic and lock down conditions has taught us all it’s that we need to switch off from the world and look after our own state of mind more often than we probably were before. But what has that got to do with golf and video games? Playtonic Friends has partnered with Okidokico, creators of the chart topping OK Golf, to announce the third title under its new publishing label which sets out to answer that very question.
A Little Golf Journey is a relaxed, playful experience built around a stripped back version of the game of golf where it’s all about the journey, not the driver. Explore diverse destinations, uncover each course’s secrets and tee off on the most relaxing round you’ve ever experienced.
“With our previous title, OK Golf, we received so much feedback from players about how relaxing they found the experience but we really thought we could take that side of it further and that’s where the core ideas for A Little Golf Journey came from.” commented Charlie Goatly, Co-Founder at Okidokico “We’ve removed all those stressful elements of a traditional round of golf and replaced them with beautiful imagery, a soothing soundtrack and a narrative adventure layer for those who want to seek it out. For us, it was all about creating a game we could truly escape into and get away from the pressures of daily life”
Gavin Price, CEO of Playtonic, added “After a year of nothing but home schooling, video calls and hardly leaving the house, the idea of not a round of golf instantly grabbed the Playtonic Friends team and we knew we wanted to help the guys at Okidokico make their next vision a reality. A Little Golf Journey is the anti Souls-like; there’s no pressure or frustration, just a pure, relaxed experience which is as deep as the player wants it to be.”
A Little Golf Journey will be launching on Steam for PC and Nintendo Switch later this Summer – join in the conversation on the official channels.
Online gaming has become a sensation. With billions of people playing at last count, the gaming industry grows every day. There are hundreds of new games and ways to play. It’s all literally fun and games, but safety concerns abound. If proper measures aren’t observed your security, personal information and privacy will be constantly threatened.
Check out these simple steps you can take to stay safe and secure while playing online.
Buy A Smurf Account
In the online gaming world, every player has a reputation, particularly skilled gamers. This is why smurf accounts have been popular since as early as the 90s.
A smurf account is a new different account that allows a player to play only under a name and account separate from their regular one. It’s like starting afresh, with no pressure or reputation to live up to. As a result, as explained at GooseSmurfs.com, players can go wild, play differently than their regular playstyle, practice their technique without messing up their original high score, playing with lower-skilled players as an ego boost, and elevating new accounts to expert level for sale to interested amateur players.
Because of the vagueness and anonymity of smurf accounts, there’s a significantly less chance of being targeted for security breaches such as hacking.
Beware Of Cheat Codes And Cheat Programs
One of the most fun parts of playing online is finding new games and progressing steadily to the top or the next level. Hitting a snag and struggling to make it to the next level when you’re playing is one of the worst feelings. This is why cheat codes are a thing.
A cheat code or program is one that is designed to give gamers shortcuts so that they progress a lot faster than average. For example:
In shooting games cheat codes are sold that improve a player’s shooting by doing things like marking their opponents’ heads bigger and thus easier targets.
There are cheats called ”wall hacks” which operate by allowing players to see the positions of opponents through opaque objects. Or to identify the location of the treasure.
”Lag switching” let players stutter around a game’s map so that they’re difficult targets
There are cheats that allow players to hide their avatars for the duration of the game until the very end, winning by default
Other cheat codes and programs give gamers the ability to heal their avatars over and over again
A cheat code may seem like a sweet deal, but the majority of codes and programs purporting to aid in cheating will do nothing but give your computer viruses.
If you must cheat, rely on popular cheat codes, like the Konami Code. Created by Kazuhisa Hashimoto who was developing the video game Gradius back in 1985, it is the most famous cheat code.
Beware Of Cyberbullies
Playing online exposes you to all manner of people. Online gaming platforms give you the ability to interact with other players. This is good and bad at the same time.
These interactions mean the chance to exchange tips and tricks with other players, create bonds, beautiful friendships, and be thoroughly entertained. On the flip side, being exposed to all types of people also means being a potential target for online bullies and trolls.
Gaming trolls do things like shouting at players in the middle of playing, constantly insulting everyone for making mistakes, and booing all the winners.
Almost every online playing site offers channels for reporting toxic behaviours and rude language so make sure to report users who behave badly online. Block and report.
Virtual Private Network
Discovering new ways to play online is fun, but all that surfing all over obscure parts of the internet exposes all your devices to not just viruses but spyware.
This is particularly true whenever you use public Wifi. When you use public Wifi anyone with the password and basic tech knowledge can monitor your online activity. This is where Virtual Private Networks come in handy.
A VPN is a piece of software that creates a secure connection over the internet by encrypting your information and shielding your online activity from cybercriminals and even your Internet Service Provider, or ISP.
Use A Firewall
For added double protection, use a firewall even if your network is secure and encrypted with a firewall.
A firewall is an electronic barrier that blocks unauthorized access to your computers and devices and is often included with comprehensive security software. Getting a firewall means that all of the devices connected to your network are secured. Did you know that most Internet of Things (IoT) devices are vulnerable entry points for hackers?
Playing online doesn’t have to spell danger to your safety and security if you take steps to protect yourself. Using firewalls, buying smurf accounts, and reporting bullies are all examples of how to protect yourself.
Deezer, has released a new Apple Watch app which will allow users to benefit from offline listening on the Apple Watch, a feature currently unavailable on Spotify for example. This will provide Apple Watch users with a greater variety of potential streaming services, and Deezer users with an optimal experience when using an Apple Watch.
Key features:
Offline listening
Download music straight to Apple Watch
add or remove playlists that you no longer want to hear.
Family subscribers will also be able to download playlists and favorites from individual profiles
JAM Audio and House of Marley – the sustainable audio brand created in collaboration with Bob Marley’s children – have a range of gifts for music-mad Dads. With stylish bookshelf speakers and turntables to blast his golden oldies and true wireless earbuds for listening on-the-go or whilst exercising – all of his music needs are sorted!
The Champion TWS Earbuds are crafted from REGRIND™ silicone, bamboo and natural wood fibre composites. What’s more, the braided charging cable is made from 99% post-consumer recyclable polyester. With 8 hours of battery and a sweatproof design, the Champion TWS Earbuds are ideal for all of Dad’s daily activities.
Introducing the brand new Get Together Duo, bookshelf style speakers with Bluetooth connectivity. Capturing House of Marley’s signature style with materials that make a difference to the footprint we leave behind. Get Together Duo are crafted from Bamboo and REWIND™ Fabric. The speakers sync together as soon as you connect them, or can be used separately. One is a permanent plug-in home wired speaker (with built-in RCA and Aux inputs) and the other is rechargeable for life on the move. The wireless and rechargeable speaker carries 20 hours of playback for easy listening wherever the beat takes you. The speakers can be paired with the Stir It Up Wireless turntable, and purchased as part of a bundle.
Bamboo, REWIND™ fabric, REGRIND™ silicone and recyclable aluminium have been used to make this stylish product. This turntable wirelessly connects to any Bluetooth speaker and offers a built-in switch pre-amp allowing seamless compatibility with Marley speakers or in-home receivers. It also includes a USB port for PC recording. The turntable can be paired with the Get Together Duo speakers, and purchased as part of a bundle.
The JAM Speaker and Turntable Bundle is the perfect set-up for all vinyl lovers. This all-in-one vinyl solution allows Dad to surround himself with his go-to albums, delivering a clear, rich audio experience. The Stream turntable allows for easy streaming of Dad’s favourite vinyls to the Bookshelf Speakers. The speakers and turntable can also be used separately.
Gamesir, a leading provider in innovative, high quality game peripherals are pleased to announce that the F7 Claw is now available.
When it comes to gaming on the go, tablets have a larger screen, longer battery life, better processing power and can provide a considerably better gaming experience than a smartphone. The GameSir F7 Claw can help to improve that experience even further.
The GameSir F7 Claw has been specially made for on-screen control games. It doesn’t rely on Bluetooth for a connection; instead, the micro mechanical buttons and advanced chip mean a fast response and sensitive trigger operation. Thanks to the lack of Bluetooth connection, you don’t have to worry about installing any apps for key mapping – you can simply start playing straight away.
The GameSir F7 Claw is compatible with all tablets on the market with a thickness range of 6mm to 12mm and will give up to 120 hours of battery life on a single charge. The suction cup design makes it easy to attach (and detach), and will be a comfortable hold for a long gaming session.
Featuring 3/6/9 turbo modes, and supporting recording turbo, the GameSir F7 Claw will enhance your tablet gaming.
Conferencing and collaboration specialist Konftel has developed a combined personal video and audio solution for wherever people are working. The Konftel Personal Video Kit creates conferencing convenience – and is ideally suited to today’s growing hybrid working trends, spanning both the home and traditional office.
Thecomplete conferencing package consists of the new Konftel Cam10 webcam and popular Konftel Ego speakerphone – delivering business class performance with high levels of usability as part of a compact and portable overall design.
“The Konftel Personal Video Kit is specifically designed for desktop users who demand professional quality conferences anywhere,” says UK Sales Director, Jeff May. “High quality video matched by crystal clear audio.”
Users can take advantage of an enhanced visual and audio experience, with a 90 degree viewing angle, full HD video output and acclaimed OmniSound audio performance.
“With USB plug and play, this portable kit is the perfect home and traditional office companion,” May adds. “The Konftel Cam10 is ideal for users with single or multiple external displays. Placed in an optimal position on top of the main screen, it promotes a natural lifelike viewing experience.”
UK Sales Director, Jeff May.
In addition the Konftel Cam10 features innovative noise reduction technology, low light capabilities, swift autofocus and a 4x digital zoom for great flexibility.
The Konftel Ego is a Red Dot design award winner and despite its compact size, it delivers exceptional sound – together with a smart and clear LCD display.The Konftel Ego is a good alternative to a headset; more comfortable for longer calls with the capability of room filling music too.
“Designed for today’s hybrid working trends – where more and more business critical meetings take place online – this professional USB web camera and speakerphone combine advanced technologies with big performance. The Konftel Personal Video Kit is ideally suited for more flexible ways of working. It’s personal, productive and performance-driven,” May explained.
Whatever the preferred app or cloud service, the Konftel Personal Video kit fits all collaboration needs. Users just connect the USB cables to their laptop or PC and they’re good to go – with optional Bluetooth for audio too. A simple desktop app enables zoom, customization of image and camera features.
The Personal Video Kit is part of Konftel’s recently renewed Climate Neutral certification – where all greenhouse gas emissions are offset – so people can conference ‘with a clear climate conscience’. The Konftel Personal Video Kit has a list price of £209.
