January 2014

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Google has announced the creation of the Open Automotive Alliance (OAA), a coalition that aims to bring you the Android platform in cars. This alliance includes the car manufacturers Audi, GM, Honda and Hyundai but also the processors manufacturer NVIDIA. The OAA intends to bring together the know-how of the various companies that form it to create a common platform to drive innovation to make technology in the car more secure and intuitive for everyone.

Queen of Candesce by Karl Schroeder

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The novel “Queen of Candesce” by Karl Schroeder was published for the first time in 2007. It’s the second novel of Virga and and the sequel to “Sun of Suns”.

Lady Venera Fanning ended up in Spyre, an ancient cylindrical habitat that’s decaying, in all senses. Over the centuries the local society has fragmented into a myriad of micro- states with an unstable political and social balance. The habitat is slowly going to pieces too and now no one is able to repair it.

The Indian GSLV (Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle) Mk.II D5 rocket ready for launch (Photo ISRO. All rights reserved)

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The communication satellite GSAT-14 was just launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota island using the GSLV (Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle) Mk.II D5 rocket. All the stages of the rocket performed as predicted and after less than 20 minutes the satellite successfully separated from the last stage.

The gecko robot Abigaille walking on a wall (Image Simon Fraser University School of Engineering Science/MENRVA)

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A collaboration between ESA and the Simon Fraser University in Canada has led to the construction of a small robot that can walk on vertical surfaces or ceilings holding onto them like a gecko lizard. This prototype with six legs, called Abigaille, has the aim to develop robots capable of performing maintenance operations even in space.

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Certain statements by Robert Scoble, one of the Explorers, meaning one of the participants in Google’s limited program which gave the opportunity to buy the first version of the Google Glass, made people talk again of this product. According to Scoble, at least for this year they will be a success.