We believe that everyone’s future can be richer, happier and more efficient. But you can’t embrace that future unless you take the first, most crucial step: being informed about it.
Welcome to The Tipping Point, a regular post on Future Tech for people who don’t have enough time to read all the full news stories. Instead we shorten them, concentrate everything into one post, put that in your face, and you have to suck it. So let’s go!
This Weeks News!
FOOD: McDonald’s rolls out meatless Beyond burgers in Canada
Vox
“The world’s second-largest fast food company (only Subway has more locations) announced this morning that they will start offering Beyond burgers at 28 locations in Canada, starting on September 30. They’re calling it the P.L.T. (for “Plant. Lettuce. Tomato.”) and it’ll be available for 12 weeks in southern Ontario. Most other companies have started with similarly small rollouts, and taken the products to more locations after strong initial interest.”
COMPUTE: Microsoft’s Android “phone” isn’t the Surface Phone you’ve been begging for
Android Police
“Microsoft fans have been holding out for a ‘Surface Phone’ for years. Yesterday, it could have almost appeared — if you squinted hard enough — that Microsoft gave it to them. But the Surface Duo is barely a phone at all, and hardly what rendered fantasies have imagined a Microsoft smartphone could be. It’s way weirder and way more daring than that. And, counter-intuitively, a strong reason to temper your excitement for Microsoft’s big leap into the world of Android.”
Microsoft also announced the Surface Neo
COMPUTE: The OnePlus 7T is official: 90Hz display, Snapdragon 855 Plus, and a new super macro mode for $599
Android Police
“Like the 7 Pro before it, the 7T picks up a smooth “Fluid” 90Hz display, but at a reduced 1080p-equivalent resolution. That screen also hits up to 1,000 nits, with HDR10+ certification and wide-color support. It’s all powered by a slightly-improved Snapdragon 855 Plus SoC — a decent bump from the Snapdragon 845 in the OnePlus 6T, given that we didn’t get the OnePlus 7 here in the ‘states, but not a terribly huge improvement over the 855 in the 7 Pro.”
COMPUTE: GoPro announces new $400 Hero8 Black
GoPro
“With unshakeable HyperSmooth 2.0 stabilisation, built-in mounting, the ability to add lights, mics and more, TimeWarp 2.0, SuperPhoto, improved HDR, 4K at 60fps, LiveBurst, night time lapse videos and more. There’s also a great comparison against the Hero 7 and FJI Osmo Action here at Drone DJ
ENERGY: China to shutter 8.7GW of coal power by year’s end
Renew Economy
“China’s National Energy Administration has suggested the country will shutter nearly 8.7GW of coal-fired power by the end of the year in an effort to further curb smog and greenhouse gas emissions. The NEA said on its website on Sunday that all provinces and regions have been ordered to shutter coal-fired power units with a capacity of less than 50,000 kW, while larger units of up to 100,000 kW in regions covered by large-scale power grids will also be shut down, along with plants which have reached the end of their lifespan.”
MEDICINE: Positive Results for Senolytics in Human Trial
Leaf Science
“A small-scale human trial by Mayo Clinic researchers has shown for the first time that harmful senescent cells that accumulate with age can be removed from the body by senolytic drugs. This has been demonstrated many times already in mice, but this is the first confirmation that these drugs work in the same way in people.”
ROBOTICS: Skydio introduces all-new Skydio 2
DroneDJ
“First of all, the Skydio 2 will make safe drone-flying easy with the help of its autonomous flying capabilities and obstacle avoidance. The new drone can keep its camera focused on you and record your actions while self-flying and avoiding obstacles up to a speed of 36mph. There are six 4K cameras that in combination with the Skydio Autonomy Engine turn this aircraft into a self-flying drone. We expect the Skydio 2 to do an even better job in this respect than the already really impressive R1.”
SPACE: SpaceX’s Mark 1 Starship Is An Absolute Unit
Alex Shoolman
“This evening at a private event (but streamed live) in Boca Chica, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk revealed their not-so-secret Starship Mark 1 design. On display behind him dwarfing their very first Falcon 1 rocket, the 50 metre high, 9 metre wide (without fins) rocket looks like an absolute beast.”
TRANSPORT: Tesla starts wider release of it’s V10 software update
Tesla
“Software Version 10.0 introduces updates to the touchscreen and Tesla app for an improved, more entertaining user experience. With the introduction of full-screen video support, Tesla Arcade updates, plus map and driving visualisation improvements— your Tesla is better than ever. Sing along with friends, visit surprise destinations and discover your new favourite restaurant for the most adventurous experience on wheels. Enjoy a classic run-and-gun action game optimised for Tesla or stream your favourite movies to your touchscreen with immersive sound while charging.”
TRANSPORT: Gas station removes gas pumps to make space for electric car-charging stations
Electrek
“Oil and gas station companies are increasingly looking at adding electric vehicle charging stations at their locations in order to stay relevant as the industry moves to electric. Shell is leading the charge through its involvement in the new Ionity charging network in Europe, building its own chargers at its own gas stations, and recently acquiring a charging network with over 30,000 chargers.”
TRANSPORT: Norway and US service stations are ripping out petrol pumps for EV chargers
The Driven
“Owner-operator of RS Automotives Depeswar Doley who has owned the 61-year-old Takoma Park station for over 20 years made the decision to switch to servicing electric cars only citing complex and limiting clauses with oil and petrol companies as a driver for his decision.”
And that’s it for this week! Let us know in the comments what you think or if you have found any other important news!
The benefits include: 1) How to get those silky smooth videos that everyone loves to watch, even if you're new 2) How to fly your drone, from taking off to the most advanced flight modes 3) Clear outlines of how to fly with step-by-step instructional demonstrations and more 4) Why flying indoors often results in new pilots crashing their drone 5) What other great 3rd party apps are out there to get the most out of your drone 6) A huge mistake many pilots make when storing their drone in the car and how to avoid it 7) How to do all of these things whilst flying safely and within your countries laws.
