SP3D admin opening is there.Company Name : L&T MHPS,Place : ChennaiExperience : 5+Salary as per your performance.... Also they ll consider as per l&t standardInteresting candidates please contact undersigned immediately...Name : Praveen S.Con. No : 9944546470Mail I'd : praveen.savarimuthu@lntmhps.com.Company looking very fast..
Some recent Qualcomm Snapdragon processors have dual ISPs so that manufacturers can add two cameras onto the back of their smartphones, one for each ISP. Qualcomm publishes a promotional video on its dual camera support:
“If you think about it, this [Bayer CFA] is a very inefficient way to get color because you’re absorbing two thirds of the light coming in,” Menon says. “But this is how it’s been done since the 1970s. So for the last 40 years, not much has changed in this technology.”
Menon’s solution is to use a color filter that lets all light pass through to the camera sensor. He does this with a combination of software and hardware. It is a wafer of glass that has precisely-designed microscopic ridges etched on one side that bends the light in certain ways as it passes through and creates a series of color patterns or codes. Software then reads the codes to determine what colors they are.
Instead of just reading three colors, this new filter produces at least 25 new codes or colors that pass through the filter to reach the camera’s sensor, producing photos that are much more accurate and with nearly no digital grain.
“You get a lot more color information than a normal color camera. With a normal camera, you only see red, green or blue. We can do 25 or more,” Menon says. “It’s not only better under lowlight conditions but it’s a more accurate representation of color.” Ultimately, the new filter also can be cheaper to implement in the manufacturing process because it is simpler to build as opposed to current filters, which require three steps to produce a filter that reads red, blue and green light, Menon says.
Talking about small pixel results, the paper says: "As anticipated, the DFA, together with the regularization algorithm, works well for the 1.67μm sensor pixel except at the boundaries of abrupt color change, where crosstalk smears color accuracy. Scalar diffraction calculation estimates the lateral spread of the crosstalk (or spatial resolution) to be ∼13μm. This is approximately three image pixels in our configuration, since one DFA unit cell is 5μm×5μm.
However, in the areas of uniform color (areas #4 and 5), our reconstructions demonstrate negligible distortion and noise. The absolute error between reconstruction and true images averaged over the entire image space is well below 5%. For this object of 404×404 image pixels, it takes roughly 30s to complete reconstruction by regularization without implementing any parallel computation techniques on a Lenovo W540 laptop (Intel i7-4700MQ CPU at 2.40 GHz and 16.0 GB RAM) for simplicity."
Menon has since created a company, Lumos Imaging, to commercialize the new filter for use in smartphones and is now negotiating with several large electronics and camera companies to bring this technology to market. He says the first commercial products that use this filter could be out in three years.
Mediatek Youtube technology presentation talks about its new next generation Imagiq ISP supporting the dual camera and depth mapping features, starting from time 13:15.
In October 2015, an area appeared in the Arctic sea ice where the temperature of the ice was a few degrees Celsius higher and where ice concentration and salinity levels were substantially lower than the surrounding ice. The image below pictures the situation on October 11, 2015.
[ click on image to enlarge ]
Could this have been an iceberg? If so, ice concentration should have been higher, rather than lower. More likely is that this is a vent hole with methane rising through cracks in the sea ice.
Malcolm Light comments: "The whole of the Arctic seabed is covered with methane hydrates and NASA satellites should have long ago defined where the major plumes were coming out. It is clearly a surface methane vent hole in the ocean ice analogous to the large methane vent holes that appeared all over northern Siberia this year. It means we have overheated the Arctic seafloor to the extent where the methane hydrates are now unstable and we could have further major releases at any time. We have already lit the fuse on a giant methane subsea permafrost bomb in the Arctic which can go off at any moment." Roger Caldwell responds: "I think it's upwelling warm water. There is a ridge right below the spot. I can see warm spots through the ice on the nullschool program. The warm water comes through the Bering Strait and sinks to the mid levels. When it gets to the ridge it flows upward, making a temporary polynya."
The image below shows warm water entering the Arctic Ocean from the Pacific Ocean (through the Bering Strait) and the Atlantic Ocean, with the dark-red color of many areas in the Arctic Ocean indicating warm waters, including an area close to the North Pole marked by the red circle. So, the spot could indeed be a polynya caused by upwelling of warm water. Alternatively to the Pacific Ocean, the warm water could have originated from the Atlantic Ocean. In the Fram Strait, near Svalbard, sea surface temperatures as high as 11.9°C or 53.5°F were recorded on October 28, 2015, i.e. 9.6°C or 17.2°F warmer than 1981-2011 (at the location marked by the green circle).
[ click on image to enlarge ]
Of course, with water this warm reaching the center of the Arctic Ocean, the threat that this will cause (further) destabilization of methane hydrates at the seafloor of the Arctic Ocean is equally ominous. The more recent image below shows warm waters in the Arctic Ocean in a different way, partly because the anomaly is calculated from the period 1961 to 1990.
The image below shows that sea surface temperatures as high as 12°C or 53.5°F were recorded near Svalbard on October 31, 2015, i.e. 9.7°C or 17.4°F warmer than 1981-2011 (at the location marked by the green circle).
[ click on image to enlarge ]
On the image below, Malcolm Light added the Gakkel Ridge, i.e. the fault line that extends on the seafloor of the Arctic Ocean from the northern tip of Greenland to Siberia (red line), and the location of explosive volcanoes (lilac spot), with content from Sohn et al., 2008.
A zone of increased heat near the North Pole which may be related to large quantities of gas released from a group of extremely pyroclastic carbon dioxide-rich volcanoes located at the Gakkel Ridge
The table below shows the height that emerging carbon dioxide plumes can be expected to reach for a given carbon dioxide volume fraction in the foam at the top of a magma chamber.
Malcolm Light adds: "Sohn et al. (2007) outlined how the sequence of extreme pyroclastic eruptions occur along the Gakkel Ridge (85°E volcanoes) at an ultra-slow plate spreading rate (<15-20 mm/year). These volcanoes formed from the explosive eruption of gas-rich magmatic foams. Long intervals between eruptions with slow spreading caused huge gas (volatile) build up high storage pressures, deep in the crust. Extension of the 85°E seismic swarm occurred over 3 months but later earthquakes were caused by large implosions from the explosive discharge of pressurized magmatic foam from a deep-lying magma chamber through the fractured chamber roof which rapidly accelerated vertically, expanded and decompressed. There were many periods of widespread explosive gas discharge from 1999 over two years detected by small-magnitude sound signals from seismic networks on the ice. Pyroclastic rocks contain bubble wall fragments and were widely distributed over an area of more than 10 square km. Deep fragmentation was caused by the accumulation of a gas (volatile) foam within the magma chamber which then fractured, formed a pyroclastic fountain 1-2 km high in the Arctic Ocean and spread the pyroclastic material over a region whose size was proportional to the depth of the magma chamber (see above table). A volatile carbon dioxide content of 14% (Wt./Wt. - volume fraction 75%) is necessary at 4 km depth in the Arctic Ocean to fragment the erupting magma."
As said, with water this warm reaching the center of the Arctic Ocean from the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, the threat is that added heat from volcanic activity or pressure shocks from underwater earthquakes or landslides will trigger (further) destabilization of methane hydrates at the seafloor of the Arctic Ocean.
Below follows some more background.
Animations
Naval Research Laboratory 30-day animations are added below for temperature, concentration, salinity and thickness of the sea ice. Click on each of them to view full versions.
Temperature
Concentration
Salinity
Thickness
[ click on animations to enlarge ]
Background on tectonic plates and faults A major fault line crosses the Arctic Ocean, forming the boundary between two tectonic plates, the North American Plate and the Eurasian Plate. These plates slowly diverge, creating seismic tension along the fault line. From where the Mid-Atlantic ridge enters the Arctic Ocean, it is called the Gakkel Ridge. The fault continues as the Laptev Sea Rift, on to a transitional deformation zone in the Chersky Range in Siberia, then the Ulakhan Fault between the North American Plate and the Okhotsk Plate, and then continues as the Aleutian Trench to the end of the Queen Charlotte Fault system.
The situation in October 2013
High methane readings were recorded for a period of just over one day, October 19 - 20, 2013, as shown in the images below. Indicated in yellow are all methane readings of 1950 ppb and over.
To pointpoint more closely where methane is venting along the Laptev Sea Rift, the image below gives readings for October 20, 2013, pm, at just three altitudes (607 - 650 mb).
Satellite measurements recorded methane readings of up to 2411 ppb on October 20, 2013.
Methane venting in the Laptev Sea in 2005 and 2007
For further reference, large amounts of methane have been venting in the Laptev Sea area in previous years. Added below is an edited part of a previous post, Unfolding Climate Catastrophe.
In September 2005, extremely high concentrations of methane (over 8000 ppb, see image on the right) were measured in the atmospheric layer above the sea surface of the East Siberian Shelf, along with anomalously high concentrations of dissolved methane in the water column (up to 560 nM, or 12000% of super saturation).
The authors conclude: "Since the area of geological disjunctives (fault zones, tectonically and seismically active areas) within the Siberian Arctic shelf composes not less than 1-2% of the total area and area of open taliks (area of melt through permafrost), acting as a pathway for methane escape within the Siberian Arctic shelf reaches up to 5-10% of the total area, we consider release of up to 50 Gt of predicted amount of hydrate storage as highly possible for abrupt release at any time".
In 2007, concentrations of dissolved methane in the water column reached a level of over 5141 nM at a location in the Laptev Sea. For more background, see the previous post, Unfolding Climate Catastrophe.
Methane levels in October 2015
The image below shows high methane concentrations over the Arctic Ocean on October 11, 2015, pm, at 840 mb, i.e. relatively close to sea level.
The image below shows high levels of methane over the Arctic Ocean at higher altitude (469 mb) on October 28, 2015, pm, when methane levels were as high as 2345 ppb.
Note that the above two images have different scales. The data are from different satellites. The video below shows images from the MetOp-2 satellite, October 31, 2015, p.m., at altitudes from 3,483 to 34,759 ft or about 1 to 11 km (241 - 892 mb).
Peak methane levels were as high as 2450 ppb on November 1, 2015.
Update: Warm Water in Arctic Ocean
On November 5, 2015, sea surface temperatures as high as 8.5°C or 47.3°F showed up in the Bering Strait, an anomaly of 6.6°C or 11.9°F, while sea surface temperatures as high as 14.4°C or 57.9°F showed up near Svalbard on November 5, 2015, a 12.2°C or 22°F anomaly. The situation is illustrated by the image below.
[ click on image to enlarge ]
These high temperatures indicate that the sea can be a lot warmer below the surface than at the surface, and it appears that very warm waters are continuing to enter the Arctic Ocean from both the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean. As discussed in previous posts such as this one, the danger is that ever warmer waters will (further) destabilize methane hydrates at the seafloor of the Arctic Ocean, resulting in abrupt methane eruptions that could dwarf the impact of existing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
Climate Plan
The situation is dire and calls for comprehensive and effective action, as discussed at the Climate Plan.
In October 2015, an area appeared in the Arctic sea ice where the temperature of the ice was a few degrees Celsius... Posted by Sam Carana on Friday, October 30, 2015
The company management says: "Revenue for our Image Sensor Group was approximately $189 million, up approximately 9 percent over the second quarter. ...Demand remains strong for our image sensor solutions driven by the increased adoption of rearview cameras and ADAS Safety Systems. ... During the third quarter, we secured design wins for our VGA Image Sensor to support the 2018 United States mandate for Rear View Cameras.
...a leading customer in the action sports camera market launched three new cameras using our image sensors.
...In the security market, sales of our image sensors grew by more than 20% quarter over quarter. We also saw strength in other industrial sub-segments, such as in machine vision for our CMOS and CCD image sensors."
Toshiba PR on image sensor business withdrawal officially reveals its CIS sales data: "The CMOS sensor business, a part of System LSI business, recorded sales on the scale of approximately 30-billion yen (consolidated basis) in FY2014."
PRNewswire: OmniVision announced the OV2718, a an 1080p30 CameraChip sensor for security cameras. The 1/3-inch OV2718 leverages OmniBSI-2 pixel and is said to deliver best-in-class low-light sensitivity. The 1/3-inch OV2718 can record 1080p30 video in HDR mode.
"Industry analysts predict a strong demand for image sensors with high quality 1080p HD video recording capabilities in mainstream commercial security systems. The OV2718, a sensor that offers such capabilities in a standard 1/3-inch format widely adopted in the industry, is designed to directly address that demand," said Chris Yiu, senior strategic marketing manager at OmniVision. "The OV2718 delivers best-in-class low-light sensitivity for 1080p security cameras. This sensitivity, paired with OmniVision's HDR technology, enables excellent scene reproduction even in challenging lighting conditions, which is essential for surveillance cameras."
The OV2718 is currently sampling, and is expected to enter volume production by the end of 2015.
Piping EngineerNES Global Talent - Abu DhabiAn Oil & Gas company in Abu Dhabi, UAE is currently looking for a Piping Engineer on a residential Basis. Job Purpose & Scope: - Provide technical expertise on all engineering subject matter pertaining to Piping Engineering related to layout, specification and stress analysis.- Ensure design optimization and the application of correct Codes and
CHIYODA CCC LEAD PIPING DESIGN ENGINEER - UAE The jobholder will be responsible for leading and supervising the work of the project piping team and may be required to work on more than one project at a time, in which case the jobholder shall report to the Piping Section Head. Successful candidate will lead, supervise and guide piping-specific teams in the preparation and co-ordination of design
Yole Developpement continues to publish snippets of info from its 2015 Camera Module Industry report:
The Compact Camera Module (CCM) market will more than double in the next five years, reaching $51B by 2020.
Thanks to explosive growth, automotive will soon be the second-largest application.
The CCM industry is quickly adapting to changing market needs.
Critical technology shifts (3D, Computional, Motion, Infrared) are ahead of us, with the camera module ultimately becoming the hub for multi-sensing.
"Access to technology is key in the CCM industry. At the image sensor level, access to Sony’s state-of-the-art 3D stacked sensors is a prerequisite for high-end, high-resolution modules. The integration of Phase Detection Auto Focus (PDAF) is another key technology feature. Most CMOS Image Sensors (CIS) vendors are quickly closing the technology gap with Sony, but as the investments get larger and larger only the biggest companies will be able to compete.
One key on-going technology shift for high-end CCM is the integration of Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) functionality. This critical feature is mainly provided by Korean and Japanese Voice Coil Motors (VCM) manufacturers. The high demand for VCM technology means stronger negotiating power for players with access to it."
SeekingAlpha publishes the transcript of STMicro Q3 2015 earnings call. The CEO Carlo Bozotti says: "Digital Product Group revenues totaled $230 million, an increase of $23 million on a sequential basis, driven by Imaging. In our specialized imaging business, we continued to expand our Time-of-Flight photonic sensors business in Asia, with now more than 20 phone models available from several leading Asian smartphone manufacturers. ...unfortunately I cannot give you too many details because it is a very important line for us. And I would – what I can say is that, there is a good momentum. It's a new area and I think it's a good opportunity for the future."
"Imaging, as you know, we have already decided that we are out now. This is another, let's say, actions that we took here is to exit from the commodity camera module and in Q4, basically, the sales zero. Here, it's very special products for imaging with a lot of potential. So, this is an important area for us."
Sony reports its quarterly results: "In the Devices segment, sales increased significantly mainly due to an increase in sales of image sensors for mobile devices and the impact of foreign exchange rates."
However, the Devices business forecast for the fiscal year ending on March 31, 2016 has been adjusted down: "Sales are expected to be lower than the July forecast mainly due to a decrease in sales of lithium-ion polymer batteries and the impact of a temporary decrease in image sensor production due to a production equipment problem. Although this production equipment problem has been remedied, sales are expected to decrease in the second half of the current fiscal year as well. The forecast for operating income remains unchanged from the July forecast mainly due to the above-mentioned decrease in sales being offset mainly by an increase in productivity and yield in the image sensor business as well as a reduction in costs."
PRNewswire: OmniVision announces mass production of OV10823, a 4K, 30fps video sensor for security and surveillance systems, first announced in April 2015. The 1/2.6-inch CameraChip sensor utilizes 1.4um OmniBSI-2 pixel.
"In terms of image processing, bandwidth, and playback capabilities, we view the security market as ready to take the leap into ultra-high resolution 4K video. Up to this point, a critical missing component has been a high performance image sensor that can deliver the required image quality and video specifications. The OV10823 is designed to provide exactly that capability," said Chris Yiu, senior product marketing manager at OmniVision. "The OV10823 is a no-compromise image sensor that can bring exceptional image quality. In conjunction with our partners' 'intelligent' algorithms, this new sensor can form a key part of new security systems with advanced features such as video analytics and automatic detection and tracking."
The OV10823 offers a zero-degree CRA and CSP package. The sensor is currently in volume production.
BusinessWire: X-FAB Silicon Foundries introduces XS018, said to be the first specialized 0.18µm CMOS process for fast and large image sensor pixels. Unlike the 4T pixels used in consumer products such as mobile phones and digital cameras, which have small sizes, the new XS018 technology is said to be the first to support high-speed large pixels required for medical and scientific applications such as computer tomography and x-ray scanners for 3D images. The XS018 process supports pixel sizes up to 200µm x 200µm with high-speed reading capability. The charge transfer time can be as short as 20ns with almost no image lag. The low dark current of less than 5pA/cm² gives designers a high SNR that allows high DR designs.
XS018 has a 3.3V core that results in a very low mask count, reducing cost if 1.8V devices are not necessary. Optionally, it can be extended for higher integration by using a 1.8V module.
The new 4T pixel cells with pinned photo diodes offer lower dark current and lower noise than the 3T cells commonly used today for large pixel designs. The pinned photo diode available with four different pinning voltages and a 3.3V n-channel MOS transistor with five different options for low-threshold voltages can be used as a SF, RST device or row SEL device in the pixel. This flexibility allows for higher voltage swing as the SF, and higher floating diffusion voltage as the RST device, diminishing image lag and increasing transfer speed. The XS018 also offers a 3.3V low-noise buried n-channel transistor that can reduce pixel noise.
According to Detlef Sommer, Business Line Manager CMOS Sensors at X-FAB, “Our customers in the medical and scientific sectors require large pixels and often large dies to handle the high-speed optical sensing their applications demand. We are pleased to meet this need with our new XS018 CMOS image sensor process – the first to support 4-transistor large pixel designs. In addition, our proven stitching process supports large dies – up to one die per wafer – giving our customers a clear edge for their advanced designs.”
Sony and Toshiba announce that they have entered into a non-binding memorandum of understanding that confirms their intent to negotiate the transfer to Sony of certain Toshiba semiconductor fabrication facilities, equipment and related assets in Oita Prefecture, and also other related equipment and assets.
The parties intend to transfer fabrication facilities, equipment and related assets of Toshiba's 300mm wafer production line, mainly located at its Oita Operations. Following the transfer, Sony plans to operate the site as a production facility of Sony Semiconductor, primarily for manufacturing CMOS image sensors.
Negotiations between the parties are proceeding with a view to Toshiba outsourcing production of the semiconductor products Toshiba currently manufactures on its 300mm wafer production line to Sony Semiconductor following the transfer.
The parties also are planning to make arrangements to offer the employees of Toshiba and its affiliates, employed at the manufacturing facilities to be transferred, as well as those involved in areas such as CMOS image sensor engineering and design (approximately 1,100 employees in total), employment within the Sony Group, upon the completion of the transfer.
This acquisition will enable Sony to increase its CMOS sensors production capabilities, where further market growth is anticipated.
Withdrawing from the CMOS image sensors business will allow Toshiba to devote its resources to other products where it has a high technological advantage.
After due diligence on the semiconductor fabrication facilities, equipment and related assets to be transferred, Sony and Toshiba aim to execute legally binding definitive agreements by the end of calendar year 2015. Thereafter, Toshiba and Sony aim to complete the transfer within the fiscal year ending March 31, 2016, subject to regulatory approvals.
GlobeNewsWire: PARC, a Xerox company, develops "a hyperspectral imaging technology with the potential to be integrated into just about any existing imaging system. The technology demands a minimal cost and size overhead as it relies on a liquid crystal layer about as thick as a human hair."
"The PARC HSI technology endows any existing image sensor with spectral sensitivity without significantly increasing its cost or size. By sandwiching a liquid crystal layer between crossed polarizers and synchronizing the drive of the liquid crystal with the camera’s image acquisition, the system performs interferometry between two polarizations of light that travel through the liquid crystal. The interferometric data are analyzed to provide the spectral information. Because the complexity of the device is shifted from hardware to software, the sophistication of full spectral processing is within reach anywhere images are normally taken."
PARC has prototyped its HSI technology by integrating a liquid crystal cell inside a commercial monochrome CMOS camera. The prototype offers the following performance:
640 x 480 spatial resolution
Up to 80 degree field of view
Acquires 30 independent spectral bands in 0.4 seconds
Nikkei reports that Toshiba may transfer up to 1,100 employees, or about 40%, at its fab in Oita to Sony in conjunction with the image sensor business sale. The companies are discussing the employees transfer in late-stage negotiations on the deal.
PRNewswire: OmniVision announced the OV9732 and OV9733, two power-efficient 720p30 CameraChip sensors based on OmniPixel3‑HS pixel for mainstream security systems and wireless battery-powered smart-home cameras.
The OV9732 is a traditional Bayer sensor. The OV9733 is equipped with RGB-IR pixels that can replace the traditional mechanical IR cut filter, thus simplifying the system designs and enabling the sensor to capture high quality infrared images and video, even from long ranges.
"Power consumption and image quality are among the most critical performance indicators for compact, battery-powered cameras found in new security systems and IoT-based smart-home and lifestyle cameras," said Chris Yiu, senior strategic marketing manager at OmniVision. "The extremely power-efficient OV9732 and OV9733 are 35 percent smaller than the previous-generation OV9712 CameraChip sensor, while capturing equally exceptional images. These benefits make the OV9732 and OV9733 extremely versatile imaging solutions, capable of supporting most mainstream security cameras and battery-operated camera platforms."
The sensors' narrow 9-degree CRA supports consumer-grade optical lens systems and reduces image artifacts for enhanced performance. When operating in low-power mode, the 1/4-inch OV9732 requires just 115mW to capture 720p30 video.
The OV9732 is currently in volume production and the OV9733 is expected to enter volume production in the Q4 2015.
BusinessWire: Ambarella introduced S3L, a low-power IP camera SoC that enables H.265, or HEVC video encoding in cloud-based home monitoring and mainstream professional IP cameras. S3L includes multi-exposure HDR, 180-degree fisheye lens correction and a high performance CPU for intelligent video analytics.
“Our new S3L SoC family brings the low bit rate benefits of H.265 to cloud-based home monitoring and mainstream professional cameras,” said Chris Day, VP of marketing and business development at Ambarella.
If you have children, do you regulate their use of smartphones?In particular, what do you do about smartphones when you sit down for a meal together?These questions came to mind when my wife told me about a little episode she'd witnessed in a restaurant one evening last week.
The mother and father sat on either side of the daughter, who was perhaps 11.Shortly after they got there, all three got out their smartphones, and each person escaped into a different electronic world.The parents actually put down their phones and started a conversation after a while over the girl's head, but she held onto her phone till the food came, and after she was finished eating she picked it up again.
In the lobby of the restaurant we'd passed a lady who was singing pop tunes and accompanying herself on the accordion.(This is Canyon Lake, Texas, you understand, not New York City.)Later in the evening, the singer picked up a hand puppet and went around entertaining guests who had brought along their children.According to my wife, the puppet struck out with the smartphone girl, who looked up uncomprehendingly and then went back to her phone.Evidently, live entertainment can't compete with electronic media, at least in that particular girl's world.
When a new technology gets adopted as widely and rapidly as smartphones have, there is always at least a theoretical concern that some long-term effect that hasn't shown up in pilot marketing tests will pop up later to surprise and harm us.The worst case like this from history I can think of was the thalidomide crisis of the 1960s.
Thalidomide was a drug introduced in West Germany in 1957 and marketed as, among other things, a treatment for morning sickness in pregnant women.While it appeared to help, it took several years for doctors to figure out that if a woman took it early enough in her pregnancy, thalidomide caused severe birth defects:deformed or missing arms and legs, facial defects, and other disabling problems.Although thalidomide is still available and prescribed for certain conditions such as cancer, the medical community knows to avoid any possibility of its use by women who could be pregnant.
If something as bad as the thalidomide episode was going to happen with kids using smartphones, I think we'd probably know by now.Nearly two billion such devices are out there, and a survey in Britain showed that more than half of eleven-year-olds use their own smartphone.But not every technological problem can be studied with surveys and statistics.
What my wife witnessed in that restaurant was the clash of tradition and something else—"modernity" isn't the right word, nor is "technology."One way to put it was expressed by a friend of mine, Bruce Hunt, who is a historian of technology.We talk a lot about "cyberspace" without always knowing quite what we mean by it.His definition of cyberspace is this:"Cyberspace is where you are when you're on the phone."At the time, he meant a traditional POTS phone (Plain Old Telephone Service), but saying that all three members of the family were in cyberspace before the food arrived is a pretty accurate statement.So it was a clash between traditional space and activities, and whatever each individual happened to be doing in cyberspace.
By traditional, I mean nothing more than activities that have gone on more or less the same for a long time.There have been restaurants and inns and families eating in them as long as there have been civilizations, I suppose.And the same goes for live entertainers, going all the way back to cave men who put on masks and danced around the campfire.Just because a thing has been done a long time doesn't mean it's necessarily good—it's just durable.
When it comes to a family eating meals together, though, you can find studies that correlate all sorts of good things with families who eat together at least five nights a week.Their kids are less likely to get involved in drug and alcohol use, they make better grades, and they feel closer to their parents.I don't know whether the studies were fine-grained enough to notice how often smartphones were brought to the table, but it doesn't take a Ph. D. to tell that a family meal without smartphones is going to allow more opportunities for interpersonal interaction than one with them.
The age at which a child should gain access to a smartphone is a question each parent has to decide.Not having children myself, I have never had to make that decision, but I hear that it's a hard one to make.Like driving, watching R-rated movies, and drinking alcohol, using smartphones is something that adults are free to do, and it's a judgment call on the part of parents as to when a child is mature enough to use one responsibly.
But the little drama in the restaurant made me think that the family that brings their smartphones to the dinner table is missing something valuable that has no corporate-sponsored PR in its favor, no guaranteed payoff, and no particular immediate harm that results when it goes missing.It's the chance to be with other people, in the time-honored sense of devoting one's embodied attention to the experience of the real, actual bodily presence of other human beings.The very name "media" means "that which goes between," and anything between us can separate us as well as bring us together.
So I'm not going to issue any blanket condemnations of smartphones at the dinner table.
But I would ask parents to consider first how you use your smartphone and what kind of example you are setting for your children to follow.Do you let it interrupt quality time with your spouse or children?Or do you put it away at specific regular times, and devote your full attention to other members of your family?Children have a powerful built-in instinct that says, "Whatever mommy or daddy does is okay," and if you tell your son to put away his smartphone at the dinner table and then whip yours out when it goes off, you've just wasted your breath.The kids won't always be young, and you won't always be around to talk with them.Do it while you have the chance.
InVisage announces the release of “Prix”, a short film shot entirely with InVisage’s QuantumFilm smartphone camera sensor. The film is said to capture "a stunning level of detail despite dynamic lighting environments and shooting fast-moving subjects outdoors. This quality is made possible thanks to InVisage’s QuantumFilm, a quantum dot camera sensor technology."
“Today, filmmakers of all types have access to HD-quality cameras through their smartphones,” said InVisage President and CEO Jess Lee. “However, achieving truly cinematic quality can be difficult without professional-grade cameras. Our expanded dynamic range capability is a major step forward in allowing smartphones to capture the tiniest of details across a wide range of lighting conditions. The results can be seen in ‘Prix,’ a charming short film about children who make their own technological innovations.”
Prix film has been published on Youtube, while another Youtube video talks about the QuantumFilm advantages and gives a short Invisage office tour:
Update: Phys.org posts a collection of responses from different web sites on the QuantumCinema technology.
Nikkei reports that "Toshiba is in late-stage talks on selling its image sensor operations to Sony in a deal estimated at around 20 billion yen ($163 million)."
"Negotiations on the sale have reached an advanced stage. Toshiba is looking to divest its newest production facility in Oita, which can handle 300mm wafers. Besides production equipment, Sony would take over some employees as well as customer accounts, which include automakers and camera manufacturers.
Besides production equipment, Sony would take over some employees as well as customer accounts, which include automakers and camera manufacturers.
Toshiba would in effect withdraw from the image sensor market and concentrate its semiconductor investment on its more competitive memory business.
Toshiba's global market share in CMOS sensors came to just 1.9% last year, compared with 40.3% for Sony, according to Tokyo-based Techno Systems Research. Sony's investments in this business will help it fend off rising competition from Samsung Electronics."
Another Nikkei article talks about Toshiba restructuring and its hard choices:
"Toshiba has little choice but to carry out a sweeping reorganization of its presence in semiconductors. It has turned to Sony, which once sold a portion of its semiconductor operations in Nagasaki to Toshiba, only to buy it back later.
Some workers at its Oita semiconductor operations in southern Japan would go to Sony as part of the image sensor business sale.
Muromachi [Masashi Muromachi, the new Toshiba President who started the re-org - ISW] once ran Toshiba's semiconductor operations in Oita."
The Japan Times quotes Yomiuri newspaper saying the deal will be officially announced next week.
Arctic Sea Ice Extent Growth Seals Off Arctic Ocean
Arctic sea ice increased rapidly in October 2015, after reaching its annual minimum in September. As the image below shows, the growing sea ice extent has effectively sealed off the Arctic Ocean from the atmosphere, resulting in less evaporation and heat transfer from the ocean to the atmosphere.
The Naval Research Laboratory 30-days animation (up to October 22, with forecast added up to October 30) on the right shows that sea ice has grown in extent, adding plenty of very thin sea ice, while the existing ice has hardly increased its thickness.
The Buffer Has Gone
Thick sea ice used to extend meters below the sea surface in the Arctic, where it could consume massive amounts of ocean heat through melting this ice into water. As such, thick sea ice acted as a buffer. Over the years, Arctic sea ice thickness has declined most dramatically. This means that the buffer that used to consume massive amounts of ocean heat carried by sea currents into the Arctic Ocean, has now largely gone.
Meanwhile, especially from 2012, huge amounts of freshwater have run off Greenland, with the accumulated freshwater now covering a huge part of the North Atlantic, acting as a lid that prevents ocean heat to evaporate from the North Atlantic.
Since it's freshwater that is now covering a large part of the surface of the North Atlantic, it will not easily sink in the very salty water that was already there. The water in the North Atlantic was very salty due to the high evaporation, which was in turn due to high temperatures and strong winds and currents. Freshwater tends to stay on top of more salty water, even though the temperature of the freshwater is low, which makes this water more dense. The result of this stratification is less evaporation in the North Atlantic, and less transfer of ocean heat to the atmosphere, and thus lower air temperatures than would have been the case without this colder surface water.
Cold freshwater lid on North Atlantic, feedback #28 on the Feedbacks page
The cold lid over the North Atlantic has meanwhile expanded. Greenland has been experiencing wild weather swings this month, with temperatures shifting from one extreme end of the scale to the other end. The image below shows temperature anomalies on October 17 (left panel), October 23 (center panel) and a forecast for October 30 (right panel). Temperatures are forecast to swing back to the extreme high end of the scale, pushing up temperature anomalies for the Arctic as a whole to as high as 2.37°C on October 30, 2015.
Wild weather swings causing methane releases, feedback #21 on the Feedbacks page
These wild weather swings over Greenland threaten to cause cracks in the ice, with methane hydrates in the ice becoming destabilized, resulting in releases of huge amounts of methane from hydrates and free gas into the atmosphere, as earlier discussed as feedback #21 on the Feedbacks page.
Strong winds have further contributed to extend the cold lid over the North Atlantic, while also making cold air flow from Greenland over the North Atlantic. This is illustrated by the image below, depicting the situation on October 23, 2015, with the left panel showing surface wind speed, while the right panel shows the resulting sea surface temperature anomalies.
The video below shows surface wind speed forecasts in the Arctic from October 25 to November 1, 2015.
Ocean Temperature Rise
NOAA analysis shows that the global sea surface in September 2015 was the warmest on record, at 0.81°C (1.46°F) above the 20th century average of 16.2°C (61.1°F). On the Northern Hemisphere, the anomaly was 1.07°C (1.93°F).
[ click on image to enlarge ]
Of all the excess heat resulting from people's emissions, 93.4% goes into oceans. Accordingly, the temperature of oceans has risen substantially over the years and - without action - the situation only looks set to get worse.
The Threat
As ocean temperatures continue to rise, especially in the North Atlantic, the Gulf Stream will keep carrying ever warmer water from the North Atlantic into the Arctic Ocean. Without the buffer of thick sea ice to consume the increasing amount of ocean heat, the threat is that ocean heat will increasingly reach the seafloor and unleash huge methane eruptions from destabilizing clathrates. Such large methane eruptions will then warm the atmosphere at first in hotspots over the Arctic and eventually around the globe, while also causing huge temperature swings and extreme weather events, contributing to increasing depletion of fresh water and food supply, as further illustrated by the image below, from an earlier post.
[ click on image at original post to enlarge ]
October 2015 Sea Surface Temperature Update
The North Atlantic continues to be very warm. Sea surface temperature anomalies were as high as 7.9°C or 14.2°F at a location off the east coast of North America on October 22, 2015. Anomalies were 8.1°C or 14.5°F at that same spot on October 16, 2015.
Sea surface temperature anomalies were as high as 7.5°C or 13.6°F at a location near Svalbard on October 25, 2015. On October 9, 2015, sea surface temperatures were as high as 13.1°C or 55.6°F at that same location near Svalbard (marked by green circle on image below), an anomaly of 9.5°C or 17.2°F. These temperatures indicate that the water can be much warmer below the surface than at the surface, and that this warm water is transported by the Gulf Stream below the surface of the North Atlantic into the Arctic Ocean. The animation below switches between the above two dates and also shows that the cold freshwater lid on the North Atlantic has meanwhile extended further south.
In the Bering Strait, warm water also keeps flowing into the Arctic Ocean. At the location marked by the green circle on the image below, sea surface temperatures were as high as 7.3°C or 45.1°F on October 22, 2015, an anomaly of 5.7°C or 10.2°F.
Methane
The images below show high methane concentrations over the Arctic.
Above image shows methane levels at low altitude on October 22, 2015. Because of its height, there are no data at this altitude for Greenland. The image below shows methane concentrations at a higher altitude, with high methane levels showing up over Greenland on October 16, 2015.
Climate Plan
The situation is dire and calls for comprehensive and effective action, as discussed at the Climate Plan.
Malcolm Light comments
GLOBAL EXTINCTION IS NOW SIX YEARS CLOSER
The following comments refer to Figure 224 below. All historical floating ice appears to have been lost in the Arctic by September 2015 so we can assume that the 5+ year old ice pack has largely gone by this time. The 5+ year old ice pack was only predicted to melt back by 2021.7 consequently this year's volume of ice melting has occurred 6 years earlier than the previous prediction. The previous estimate of the final loss of 1 year Arctic floating ice from polynomial data was 2037.7 which now corrects to 2031.7, 16 years in the future.
Previous estimates of when the average atmospheric global temperature anomaly increase would reach 6°C was 2034.7, by which time massive global extinction would be proceeding. The new corrected time for this event is 2034.7 - 6 = 2028.7 which is 13 years in the future. During the major Permian Extinction event, which was caused by a massive methane build-up in the atmosphere, the mean surface atmospheric temperature increased by 5°C over 13 years. As the present mean global surface atmospheric temperature is already greater than 1°C hotter than the mean, we will be looking at at least a 6°C temperature increase by 2028 with its associated global extinction event. This is a frightening correlation between the new predicted 6°C average global surface atmospheric temperature rise and what is known to have occurred during the major Permian extinction event, both of which were caused by a massive buildup of methane in the atmosphere. We are clearly in for a very rough-hot ride in the next decade as the terminal global extinction event approaches.
Malcolm P.R. Light (Dr) Earth Scientist
Figure 224. Arctic sea ice melt back times estimated from area, volume and thickness anomalies compared to various extinction zones defined by the global atmosphere temperature field. Credit: Malcolm Light. Click on image to enlarge.
NOAA analysis shows that the global sea surface in September 2015 was the warmest on record, at 0.81°C (1.46°F) above... Posted by Sam Carana on Friday, October 23, 2015
