High Surf Pounds Local Beaches, Higher Waves Expected In Secondary Swell

Posted on by

JALAMA BEACH, Calif. -

High surf is pounding local beaches thanks to a Pineapple Express weather system.

At Jalama Beach Thursday, about half a dozen kite surfers braved the rough conditions.

While, most people are urged to stay out of the water, experienced kiteboarders live for these times.

Local resident and photographer Paul Dieckman has been out at Jalama for days snapping pictures of his buddies catching big waves.

"They are very good. They know what they are doing or they wouldn't be here. They are used to kite boarding and extreme conditions," Dieckman said.

The Santa Barbara County Fire Department said even the most experienced surfers and kiteboarders need to be cautious during this big swell.

Beachgoers from the Central Coast to Ventura County are being warned to stay out of the water.

"Stay out of the water. Except for those experienced surfers and even then you are out on your own when you are going out there," said Mike Eliason of the Santa Barbara County Fire Department.

The department is trained and ready to help, just in case.

See more here:

High Surf Pounds Local Beaches, Higher Waves Expected In Secondary Swell

Study links small drain pipes to pollution at Newport's 'baby beaches'

Posted on by

Small drain pipes carrying runoff from Newport Beach streets could be causing high fecal bacteria counts frequently detected in bay waters at so-called "baby beaches," according to a UC Irvine study.

Bays often are home to baby beaches because the water tends to be still enough for even the smallest swimmers. But that also makes them more likely to hang onto bacteria, experts say.

For years, experts have warned swimmers to steer clear of coastal waters during rainstorms because of increasing levels of bacteria carried from storm-drain runoff to bay and beach waters. However, a recent study by Newport Beach officials and UC Irvine researchers shows that runoff, dubbed by experts as "urban slobber," can make its way to enclosed bay beaches during dry seasons as well. The study was published last week.

The National Resources Defense Council's annual beach report card in 2013 showed that the majority of Newport's beaches bay and ocean did not often exceed bacteria levels considered acceptable by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The beach on 38th Street did not exceed the bacteria levels at all in the 50 samples collected.

However, bacteria levels at the Newport Boulevard bridge at Newport Bay exceeded the standards 44% of the time one of the worst rates in California. Other areas of the bay tested considerably better, the nonprofit's report card showed.

"We were trying to determine why water quality can sometimes show elevated concentrations of bacteria on the shoreline, the area that impacts beachgoers directly," said Megan Rippy, a UCI postdoctoral urban ecologist.

Researchers found that runoff from watering lawns collects in the narrow pipes, gathering animal waste, fertilizer, oil and gas drippings from cars and other pollutants and becomes trapped in the pipes during high tide. The pollutants are then released in a pulse at low tide when storm-drain openings are exposed.

"Urban slobber is any runoff that runs onto our roads that haven't seen rain for a long time," Rippy said. "Whatever is in that runoff is delivered in a highly concentrated form by our storm system to our water bodies."

City engineers and researchers dyed waste that came out of pipes in the upper and lower portions of Newport Bay. They tracked the green plumes to determine how long the pollutants were present and where the waste migrated around the bay from 2006 to 2009.

Researchers found that since water in enclosed bays is generally calmer than at ocean beaches, the bacteria isn't diluted as quickly. Winds often force the runoff against the shoreline, where the water is shallow and swimmers and waders generally congregate, the study shows.

Read the original:

Study links small drain pipes to pollution at Newport's 'baby beaches'

The beauty of Ethical Robots | Nikolaos Mavridis | TEDxTransmedia – Video

Posted on by


The beauty of Ethical Robots | Nikolaos Mavridis | TEDxTransmedia
This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences. With his extensive knowledge in Robotics and Artificial Intelligence, Dr. Mavritis doesn #39;t explore...

By: TEDx Talks

Read more:

The beauty of Ethical Robots | Nikolaos Mavridis | TEDxTransmedia - Video

Facebook to prevent you from posting content that you might regret later

Posted on by

Washington: Facebook is building an artificial intelligence tool that would warn people when they are about to do something they might regret later such as uploading an embarrassing photo on the social networking site.

Yann LeCun, who heads the Facebook Artificial Intelligence Research (Fair) lab, and his team are now laying the basic groundwork for the tool.

LeCun wants to build a kind of Facebook digital assistant that will recognise when you are uploading an embarrassing photo from a late-night party.

Facebook is building an artificial intelligence tool that would warn people when they are about to do something they might regret later.

In a virtual way, LeCun said, this assistant would tap you on the shoulder and say: "Uh, this is being posted publicly. Are you sure you want your boss and your mother to see this?"

Such a tool would rely on image recognition technology that can distinguish between your drunken self and your sober self, 'Wired' reported.

The larger aim, LeCun said, is to create things like the digital assistant that can closely analyse not only photos but all sorts of other stuff posted to Facebook.

"You need a machine to really understand content and understand people and be able to hold all that data," he said.

LeCun's Facebook lab has already developed algorithms that examine a user's overall Facebook behaviour in an effort to identify the right content for their news feed - content they are likely to click on - and they will soon analyse the text users type into status posts, automatically suggesting relevant hashtags.

LeCun and his team are also looking towards AI systems that can understand Facebook data in more complex ways. "Imagine that you had an intelligent digital assistant which would mediate your interaction with your friends and also with content on Facebook," LeCun said.

See the original post here:

Facebook to prevent you from posting content that you might regret later

Facebook tool to keep you from uploading embarrassing photos

Posted on by

Washington, Dec 11:

Facebook is building an artificial intelligence tool that would warn people when they are about to do something they might regret later such as uploading an embarrassing photo on the social networking site.

Yann LeCun, who heads the Facebook Artificial Intelligence Research (Fair) lab, and his team are now laying the basic groundwork for the tool.

LeCun wants to build a kind of Facebook digital assistant that will recognise when you are uploading an embarrassing photo from a late-night party.

In a virtual way, LeCun said, this assistant would tap you on the shoulder and say: Uh, this is being posted publicly. Are you sure you want your boss and your mother to see this?

Such a tool would rely on image recognition technology that can distinguish between your drunken self and your sober self, Wired reported.

The larger aim, LeCun said, is to create things like the digital assistant that can closely analyse not only photos but all sorts of other stuff posted to Facebook.

You need a machine to really understand content and understand people and be able to hold all that data, he said.

LeCuns Facebook lab has already developed algorithms that examine a users overall Facebook behaviour in an effort to identify the right content for their news feed content they are likely to click on and they will soon analyse the text users type into status posts, automatically suggesting relevant hashtags.

LeCun and his team are also looking towards AI systems that can understand Facebook data in more complex ways.

The rest is here:

Facebook tool to keep you from uploading embarrassing photos

Aerospace Club works on simulated Mars sample recovery vehicle for NASA competition

Posted on by

The Vanderbilt Aerospace Club, defending champions in the NASA Student Launch (NASA SL) Challenge for the past two years, is tackling the agencys all-new 2014-15 design challenge.

The rocket team is working on an earth-simulated Mars Sample Recovery Vehicle, which includes an Automated Ground Support Equipment Robot (AGSE) that autonomously places an encapsulated soil sample in a Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV). The ascent vehicle is eventually launched to a height of 3000 ft., with the sample independently parachuted back to Earth.

In previous competitions, teams were allowed to choose their own scientific payload designs and build appropriate rockets to carry the payloads to a mile above ground and return safely.

NASA has standardized this years competition by requiring all teams to design the AGSE and the appropriate MAVs. The agency has added an optional challenge, called the Maxi MAV, said Team Director Amrutur Anilkumar, a professor of the practice of mechanical engineering.

The Maxi MAV challenge requires teams to design their own autonomous launch pads and ignition systems that complete the sample insertion into the rocket, and launch it in a period of 10 minutes. It is linked to the NASA Centennial Challenges Competition with the possibility of awarding major cash prizes.

The team has decided not to participate in the optional Maxi MAV competition.

We felt we should concentrate on aspects of the competition that would ensure on-time project completion and the most elegant design with optimal utilization of the teams budget resources, Anilkumar said.

The team recently tested a first model of its ascent vehicle at a Manchester, Tennessee launch site, and had a successful recovery of a mock-up payload. The launch also pointed out a few operational glitches that the team is working to perfect before the competition April 7-11 in Huntsville, Alabama. The SL challenge now in its 15th year is organized by NASAs Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville.

Read more:

Aerospace Club works on simulated Mars sample recovery vehicle for NASA competition

Aerospace Manufacturers Warm to Southern States

Posted on by

DEARBORN, Mich. (PRWEB) December 11, 2014

Aerospace manufacturers have an established presence across the South, including Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Bell Helicopter, Northrop Grumman and Raytheon, and are partnering with SME to produce AeroDef Manufacturing Conference + Exposition, with Composites Manufacturing, which relocates to Dallas on April 2023 in 2015.

The new location reflects the growing presence of aerospace manufacturing in the South, most notably the Southeast. Like the automotive industry, aerospace companies are attracted by the regions low costs, generous state incentive packages and right-to-work laws, according to a recent report by Pew Charitable Trusts. Among the newcomers to the region are Airbus in Alabama, Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. in Georgia and GE Aviation in North Carolina.

"Texas is a leading aerospace and defense manufacturing center. It's a natural that we're bringing AeroDef there in 2015, said Debbie Holton, director, events and industry strategy for SME. The event gives stakeholders across the region insight into what OEMs need, showcases transformative technologies and explores integrated solutions to increase productivity.

States are clamoring for aerospace manufacturing businesses to boost economic development because it is considered an advanced industry with wages relatively higher to other industry sectors. Many states include extensive worker training provisions in their economic incentive packages, in some cases taking on most, or all, of the costs for workforce development programs.

Its a strategy that appears to be working. According to Pew, other aerospace firms have recently expanded or relocated to the South:

SMEs AeroDef, with Composites Manufacturing, features keynote speakers and panel discussions on the most promising technologies, including flexible manufacturing and the digital tapestry; an exposition floor arranged by seven technology zones; additive manufacturing/advanced materials resource center; tours of regional aerospace manufacturers; and a comprehensive technical conference.

Registration for the exposition which includes access to the exhibit floor, keynote speakers and panels is free of charge. Visit aerodefevent.com/papers to download complimentary SME technical papers on aerospace manufacturing, including the drilling and machining of composites and advanced materials.

For more information about attending, exhibiting or presenting, visit aerodefevent.com or call 800.733.3976. For the most up-to-date details, follow @AeroDefMfg on Twitter or join the LinkedIn AeroDef discussion group.

About AeroDef Manufacturing AeroDef Manufacturing Collaboration for the Future of Aerospace, is the leading technical conference and exposition for the aerospace and defense manufacturing industry. Produced by SME in partnership with industry OEMs, its mission is to foster innovation across the extended enterprise to reduce costs, expedite production times and maintain U.S. competitiveness in the global economy.

Original post:

Aerospace Manufacturers Warm to Southern States