Matt's Favorites: Apple Introduction And Much More
So what the heck is up in the amazing world of science and technology as we hit midweek? Hey, check out these dandies...
* First of all, here are links to the Tech Report home page and Tech Report Page Two. Enjoy.
* Apple announced a new line of iPads on Tuesday at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater in San Francisco -- the iPad Air and second-generation iPad mini. Apple CEO Tim Cook kicked off the event saying, "You're going to see some amazing products this morning." Here's a roundup from CNet's News.com.
* Not to be outdone, Nokia announced Tuesday a slew of new, colorful mobile devices at the Nokia World event in Abu Dhabi. These include a high-end 6-inch smartphone known as the Lumia 1520, Lumia 1320 "phablet," Nokia's first Lumia 2520 tablet and three budget Asha phones that target developing markets.
* U.S. energy-related carbon emissions dropped to an 18-year low in 2012. A U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) report released Oct. 21 showed that they dropped 12 percent below the 2007 peak, to 5,290 million metric tons. The numbers have declined in 5 of the last 7 years.
* While no one wants to promote climate change, a group of Vermont winemakers can thank the state's rising temperatures for an economic boost. They have been able to add warmer-weather varieties, like pinot noir, to their selection. Thirty years ago, winemaker Patrick Berrelet says, the grapes would not have survived Vermont's cold winters.
* The first privately built Cygnus cargo ship to visit the International Space Station detached from the orbiting lab Tuesday and is poised to destroy itself in Earth's atmosphere in a fiery finale to its successful test flight. The unmanned Cygnus spacecraft built by Orbital Sciences Corp. of Dulles, Va., was released by astronauts using the station's robotic arm at 7:30 a.m. Eastern time Tuesday as both space vehicles sailed high above the Atlantic Ocean, east of Argentina. The spacecraft is expected to fire its rocket thrusters Wednesday to leave orbit and burn up in Earth's atmosphere.
* Microsoft has reintroduced its Windows 8.1 operating system update after fixing glitches.
* If rockets scare you, not to mention Virgin Galactic's anticipated $200,000 pricetag for space tourism involving 15 minutes of weightlessness, a company is now developing balloon-based trips to the edge of space (30 miles up) for a mere $75,000.
* New research shows giant pandas have a stronger immune system than previously known, because the panda immune system develops different antigens depending on where it lives. This genetic diversity is a natural defense against extinction, because it means a single pathogen cannot wipe out the entire population. The study shows pandas are more genetically diverse than Bengal tigers, Namibian cheetahs and other endangered species.
* A dinosaur skeleton discovered by an eagle-eyed high-school student turns out to be the smallest, youngest and most complete duck-billed dinosaur of its kind ever found.
* Twitter gets a $1 billion line of credit ahead of its IPO.
