Geek News

Diesel trains are noisy and polluting, but on stretches of non-electrified rail, what else are you going to do? Hydrogen trains are one option, but now there's another: Canadian transportation firm Bombardier has (re-)introduced the battery powered train. In Berlin, it launched the Bombardier Talent 3 electro-hybrid train, the first of its kind in Europe in over 60 years, the company said. The train took its maiden voyage with local luminaries including the federal commissioner for rail transport and th e Brandenburg transport minister. "Around 40 percent of the German rail network is not electrified," said Bombardier German transportation chief, Michael Fohrer. "The Bombardier battery-operated train is an attractive option to counter that, both economically and ecologically speaking." Developed with $4 million worth of support from the Germ...

Cosmic Collision Forges Galactic Ring How could a galaxy become shaped like a ring? The rim of the blue galaxy pictured on the right is an immense ring-like structure 150,000 light years in diameter composed of newly formed, extremely bright, massive stars. That galaxy, AM 0644-741 , is known as a ring galaxy and was caused by an immense galaxy collision. When galaxies collide , they pass through each other -- their individual stars rarely come into contact. The ring -like shape is the result of the gravitational disruption caused by an entire small intruder galaxy p assing through a large one. When this happens, interstellar gas and dust become condensed, causing a wave of star formation to move out from the impact point like a ripple across the surface of a pond. The likely intruder galaxy is on the left of this combined image from Hubble ( visible ) and Chandra ( X-ray ) spa...

The current White House doesn't accept climate science , and California is worried that this may lead to NASA switching off climate probes under pressure from President Trump. The state's solution? Build its own probe. In a speech at the Global Climate Action Summit, Governor Jerry Brown declared that California would launch its "own damn satellite" to detect pollution and address climate change. While he hinted at the possibility in 2016 remarks, it's more than just an allusion this time. The state is working with Planet Labs on the project, and will rely on the California Air Resources Board for further help. It's not certain when this satellite might deploy or how much it would cost. And those elements are important. There may not be much point to the satellite if there's a change in White House leadership by the time the spacecraft...

As mainstream as Tesla has become, its repair process is still far more drawn out than what you'd expect from a conventional. It's not unheard-of for owners to wait weeks or even months for a working vehicle after a crash . That's about to change, according to Elon Musk. Tesla now plans to conduct most collision-related repairs "in-house" instead of farming them out to third parties, which often have to order parts and often aren't very familiar with Tesla's lineup. There are already some repairs that finish within 24 hours, Musk added , with plans for same-day and even one-hour repairs. Don't expect to see a huge improvement in the immediate future. Musk noted that Tesla is still caught up in weeks of "insane car delivery logistics" as it rushes to sell as many EVs as possible . The company will shift its priority to ...

Outside of Netflix's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon sequel , streaming movies haven't really had a chance to shine on IMAX screens. They might make a regular appearance before long, though. IMAX chief Richard Gelfond told investors that his company is in "active discussions" with "all" streaming services about IMAX releases. It's not certain how clos e the two sides are to a deal, but Gelfond saw it as just a matter of time. If streaming firms were going to have a giant "opening day" for their releases, the executive argued, the best way to do it was on an equally giant IMAX screen. It was "inevitable" that theatrical releases would be more common given the money involved, Gelfond added. There's little doubt that Amazon, Netflix and others are pouring lots of cash and publicity into blockbuster movies -...

Tesla just had to contend with another fire at one of its facilities . The electric car maker and county emergency staff have reported that a fire broke out in the Gigafactory in Nevada late on Saturday, leading to a halt in production as the company evacuated the building. The company thankfully faced no injuries and re sumed operations early on Sunday, but it's not clear what damage was done or how much this might affect the plant's battery and motor output. The fire took place in the cooling tube coating oven on the third floor of the Gigafactory, although Tesla was still investigating the cause. This is likely just a blip in Tesla's overall production. However, it's coming at a terrible time for Musk and crew. Tesla is scrambling to produce as many EVs as it can in a bid to boost its summer quarter sales numbers, and that means wringing every...

Uber has used Google traffic data to estimate conditions in the past, but the company is now trying to go its own way. The ridesharing firm told TechCrunch that it's expanding a previously low-key test that relies on its own traffic data. Fire up the passenger app (it's already in use by all drivers) and you'll see a color-coded representation of traffic along your potential route, calculated both through historical trip info and real-time info from drivers' phones. They're only available on unshared rides for now. The company has already been sharing its data with city officials since 2017, but that was to help with urban planning efforts. A spokesperson wasn't shy about the main reason for the experiment: it's about making an informed choice about your method of transportation, including when you'd be better off using a bike or...

Tesla's offer of free, unlimited Supercharger access was supposed to have ended in early 2017 , but it's been on a form of life support since then. Unless you were buying a regular Model 3 , you could get the no-cost charging by ordering your EV with a referral code from an existing owner. Now, however, even that exception is coming to an end. Elon Musk has pointed out that the referral program is about to end. After September 16th, owners will only get to hand out $100 in Supercharging credit to Model S, Model X and Model 3 Performance buyers -- just enough for a few top-ups. The end to the offer isn't surprising, even with Tesla's repeated extensions. Superchargers may cost you less than filling up a gas-powered car, but they're still expensive to operate -- Tesla had to factor the cost of Supercharging into every sale when the perk was fr...

Bribery in tech companies or their supply chains in is nothing new (there are numerous stories of factory workers leaking unannounced products ), but Amazon is grappling with some particularly serious concerns. The company has confirmed to the Wall Street Journal that it's investigating rep orts of employees in the US and China leaking data to merchants on the site in return for bribes. The shady resellers have paid as much as $2,000 to obtain internal sales data and reviewers' email addresses (to persuade them to alter or remove harsh reviews). In some cases, the merchants have paid Amazon employees to delete negative reviews outright. The aim, as you might suspect, is to game the system. In addition to skewing reviews, the bribery gives merchants an illegal advantage by letting them know customers' shopping habits, popular keywords and other detai...