₦airaland Forum

By Elroy Chibex


It’s another weekend, a time we pick up an erring part in mobile tech and thrash it out. This article was inspired by a comment from Mobilista Surajudeen, and we explore reasons why you shouldn’t buy low-end smartphones from popular phone brands.

https://img.talkandroid.com/uploads/2014/12/stack-of-phones-july-2014-9324-001-630x472.jpg

There’s a general misconception people have with mobile phone makers. OK, for instance, If I asked, “What are the best Android phone brands?” The reply I expect to hear would be answers like Samsung, LG, Sony, and HTC. This is true. These aforementioned brands make the best Android phones you can see in the market, but then, there’s a limit to their greatness.

These popular brands make phones people love, but the great experience ends with their high end (and a few mid-range) phones. When it comes to low end devices, the likes of Samsung , LG, HTC and Sony are useless. Yes, you read it right. People buy them with the inner belief they’re getting something great, but trust me, the reverse is the case here.

If you want to buy a cheap Android device, look away from these popular brands because their low end devices are under specced and over priced. An experience with it may leave a bad taste in your mouth. If you must buy any of these popular brands, then save up and buy the very expensive ones. That’s when you know you’ve bought something worth celebrating.

There are many instances: Let’s pick out the Samsung J1. This is a phone released in 2015 but it comes with measly 512 MB RAM, and the price (at the time of writing this) is N20,330. It’s funny when you know you can get a 2 GB RAM Infinix Hot 2 for less or same price. Another case is the Galaxy Star 2 Plus, which Samsung used as a Hero deal during the
Jumia Mobile Megathon. The phone has no 3G, carries just 512 MB RAM, 4GB internal memory and was priced at N17,000.

Outside Samsung, there’s a mid-range Sony device, Xperia M4 Aqua . You can imagine, the 8 GB version of this phone has just 1.26 GB usable memory. Even rooting and hacking cannot save the situation. Imagine shelling N40,000 and being faced with this problem. LG, and HTC are also culprits, when you look at their low-end devices, you see that they’re expensive compared to the offerings of Chinese brands.

If your budget for a new smartphone is at the region of N30,000, then stay away from big name brands. Rather look towards the likes of TECNO, Gionee, Innjoo etc. They offer way better value for money compared to those popular brands you know.

Oya rant your own Happy Weekend folks!!

Source: [url=mobilityarena.com/weekend-rants-dont-buy-cheap-android-phones-from-popular-brandsheres-why/]Mobility[/url]

If you're interested in it, then call their customer care to verify.

If you know what's good for you go to calabar, it's a more developed city with more accommodating people as for the school, I don't know anything about Unical but I can tell you that Uniuyo is an academically bankrupt school with a lot of semi-literate lecturers and also I guarantee you'll be tearing your hairs out by the fistfuls by the time you're done with your registrations, you'll still be carrying files and folders all over the place and standing in queues by the time exams start.
Nothing is cheap in Uyo except transportation.

Frantically devouring your ice cream in hot weather as it starts to drip on your hand could soon be a thing of the past. Scientists have developed a way to keep ice cream frozen for longer in high temperatures, helping it retain its smooth texture. The product could be available to consumers in three to five years.

The breakthrough comes in the form of a naturally occurring protein called BsIA that can bind together air, fat and water. The protein is found in so-called “friendly bacteria” and is already part of the food chain. The research was conducted by teams at the University of Edinburgh and the University of Dundee.

“We’re excited by the potential this new ingredient has for improving ice cream, both for consumers and for manufacturers,” said Professor Cait MacPhee of the University of Edinburgh in a statement . The ice cream will still melt eventually, but will remain stable for longer; the researchers estimate it will buy consumers a few minutes extra.

The protein helps ice cream keep its shape by binding droplets of fat – commonly oil in ice cream – to air bubbles. This makes the fat more stable, keeping the ice cream frozen for longer. A study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences earlier this year said that the protein acts as a hydrophobic (water-repelling) “raincoat.” Doing so would therefore preserve key components of ice cream, and also stop ice crystals from forming, helping the ice cream stay smooth.

There are other benefits, too. As the ice cream can be eaten at warmer temperatures, it means manufacturers won’t need to add as much sugar as normal, which is necessary to make flavor noticeable in very cold food items. It could also reduce the fat content of ice cream, but MacPhee notes that it will not do so at the expense of taste.

“By using this protein we're replacing some of the fat molecules that are currently used to stabilise these oil and water mixtures so it can reduce the fat content, but it shouldn't taste any different,” she told the BBC .

Source: Iflscience

September 3, 2015 | by Eliza Berlage and James Whitmore

https://www.iflscience.com/sites/www.iflscience.com/files/styles/ifls_large/public/blog/%5Bnid%5D/shutterstock_95030080.jpg
There are a lot of trees on Earth. But there used to be many, many more. Clara Rowe, Author provided


There are more than three trillion trees worldwide, but that’s only half as many as were around at the start of human civilisation, according to new research.
The study, published today in Nature, updates the estimate for the total number and density of trees on Earth. It found that each year more than 15 billion trees are lost through a combination of deforestation, disturbances such as fire, and changes in land use. Since the beginning of human civilisation, the world has lost 46% of its trees.

The research team, led by Thomas Crowther, postdoctoral fellow at the Yale University School of Forestry and Environmental studies, challenges previous estimates from satellite data by using more than 400,000 on-ground tree density estimates to produce the first complete global map of trees.
Crowther said the map contributes to our fundamental understanding of the Earth’s ecosystems, allowing us to comprehend the global forest spread in terms of tree numbers.

There are 1.39 trillion trees in tropical and subtropical forests, 610 billion in temperate regions, and 740 billion in northern, boreal regions.
Crowther argued that without a solid baseline of tree numbers it is difficult to develop targets and projects to conserve forests.

Bill Laurance, a biologist at James Cook University, said the findings of the study were both striking and alarming.

“It’s remarkable that there are so many trees on the planet but concerning that we are losing the trees so rapidly,” he said.

Laurance said it was important to consider the consequences of the shift in tree sizes, where small trees are rapidly replacing large trees that are vulnerable to environmental factors such as drought and human intervention through logging.

Rod Keenan, a forestry professor at University of Melbourne, said “high tree numbers may not always be a good indicator of forest condition”.
Lots of trees may indicate young forests recovering from disturbance, and tree numbers would decline as forests mature, he said.

The worst tree loss is already known to be in tropical regions but the global scale of forestry decline highlights how historical land use has shaped natural ecosystems.

Peter Kanowski, a forestry professor at Australian National University, said “all sorts of forests are valuable for all sorts of reasons, and we’re losing too much of them”.

“The scale and rate of loss of biodiversity, carbon stock and other forest values, that has been at unprecedented rates for much of the past 50 years, is impacting profoundly and perhaps irreversibly on ecosystems, livelihoods, forest values and climate at scales from global to local,” he said.


Source: Iflscience

ProphetUdeme:
dude i graduated there. And besides if you doubt the school's beautiful campus take a trip to its Permanent site

I'm in Uyo right now, University of Uyo absolutely average in terms of looks and subpar in academics.

ProphetUdeme:
O.p were are the likes of beautiful schools like university of uyo, university of abuja,etc.
Lalasticlala, Ishilove pls do the needful thanks

Did you just say University of Uyo? Have you been there?

emmastone019:
Marvel sucks.DC universe is the real deal.

Why is it so difficult for people like you to enjoy both?

RobinHez:

Earth also means soil, so that phrase means how tall it is above ground.

There's no such thing.

b0y:
What happened to using David Oyelowo for this strategic role

on the other hand, i think that Will Smith is ageing UNgracefully or is it just me

Or Chiwetel Ejiofor

If you know what's good for you leave them alone, those are system processes and if you somehow succeed in uninstalling them you'll damage your phone.

All I see are sheep, and particularly dumb ones for that matter. The religious never seize to amaze me.

https://www.iflscience.com/sites/www.iflscience.com/files/styles/ifls_large/public/blog/%5Bnid%5D/shutterstock_108853310.jpg


The world’s tallest tree is a coastal redwood standing at a staggering 379 feet and four inches (115.6 meters) feet above the earth – beating its predecessor Stratosphere Giant by over 10 feet.

To gain some sense of perspective, take a look at this image created by ILTWMT.com comparing it to some famously tall landmarks.


https://i.imgur.com/o4fdknC.jpg


Found in Redwood National Park, the goliath, nicknamed Hyperion, was discovered by two hikers. To gain its official title, Hyperion was measured precisely by a team of scientists from Humboldt State University , led by Steve Sillett, using the highly complicated and technical method of climbing the tree and dropping a (really long) tape measure down its trunk.


Few are allowed to know the exact location of Hyperion in order keep tourists and media away, who could potentially harm the tree and its environment.

Take a look at the video by the scientists chronicling the climb:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIoZ0J7x1Cg


Source: Iflscience

What an enormous waste, an intellect that should be one more ray of sunshine in this gloomy world is being squandered on stupid religious extremism.
This goes to show that having a high IQ doesn't make you smart.

Chartey:
Wow! Maybe they started allowing recently. E be like sey u be Konga agent. Let me list asap. Thanks for going the extra mile to prove me wrong. You've given me new information. Thanks again.

Please i'm not a Konga agent o.

Chartey:
Maybe you mistook Kaymu for Konga. I have stores on both Konga and Kaymu. Pepper Sprays cannot be listed on Konga.

What are these then?⬇

Cool,I knew about the Elephants, Bats and Sharks already, but a land animal seeing up to 5 km, wow.

Chartey:
Not sold on Konga. Rather on Kaymu. Please my signature to get a link to my Kaymu shop.

There's pepper spray on Konga, saw them myself.

cao:
Those folks that keep dying after they pull 3-4 days playing MMORPGs (usually World of Warcraft) living only on caffeine energy drinks.

Mostly Koreans though and Chinese.

When the guy you buy game discs from calls to ask why you havent patronised him for 3days now.

LOL!, This!⬆
You know you're a game addict when you've forgotten the last time you ate, but you still feel "fine".

kudos4u:
Why don't you give "Movie HD" you will thank me later, let me know your view on it when you download it.

Alright I'll give a try, I'm also having problems with Playbox.

lordZOUGA:
Her premise that when you minimize an app or a game on android that they must be running in the background is wrong.

Android OS manages the memory such that the current app in the foreground takes priority. if you have an app eating memory in the background and the app currently visible needs memory, the android OS will automatically close the background app in order to provide memory for the visible app.

So, those games she minimized have no influence on the performance of the current app in use since the OS may have silently closed the games already. Notice that in the middle of her review the launcher was reloading? That's because the OS closed it when it needed memory for one of the games.

A multitasking test is mostly a test of how fast you can switch between apps or tasks and not how much apps a device can hold in memory (like she was trying to demonstrate).

Just what I was going to post.

Goahead:
YES you can download with it.

Alright, thanks man.

Goahead:
I think those little kids running Showbox has been on summer holidays with their parents abroad. So I guessed, but there's a slight alternative called "playbox"...

Can you download with Playbox or is it only streaming like most others?

Nice

Are you sure about the 3G part? because that would be a deal breaker for me.

Does anyone here use Showbox? If so have you been able to download any movies recently?

By Onche Odeh, Lagos

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has warned against impending nutrition crisis in Nigeria.

The UNICEF in its report released on Monday disclosed that nearly 1,000 Nigerian children die of malnutrition-related cases every day, resulting in 361,000 deaths each year.

The UN organisation also revealed that an estimated 1.7 million under-five children in the country were suffering Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM), accounting for a tenth of the world’s total.

An intruiging perspective to Nigeria’s poor nutritional status is that a significant proportion of children born to the rich homes in the country are also suffering malnutrition.

They are about 70 per cent of children from ages six to 23 months who, records from the Federal Ministry of Health have shown, are not receiving the minimum acceptable diet.

Head of Nutrition at the Federal Ministry of Health, Dr. Chris Isokpunwu, who disclosed this, said not less than 13 per cent of all deaths from causes linked to malnutrition in Nigeria occur among the rich families.

This also means that 46,930 children born to the very rich families in Nigeria die every year (about 129 per day) from malnutrition.

Isokpounwu, while giving insight from statistics from recent surveys conducted by the Federal Ministry of Health and other development partners, during his presentation to journalists in Kano, said: “Every single day, Nigeria loses about 2,300 under-five years old of which over 50 per cent is caused by malnutrition, and 145 women of child-bearing age.

“This makes the country the second largest contributor to the under–five and maternal mortality rate in the world.”

He further said: “Yes, malnutrition in the context of under-nutrition is a very big problem linked to poverty in Nigeria. Recent discovery, however, has shown that malnutrition, especially over-nutrition and micro-nutrient deficiencies, is a big problem among children of rich families.”

It is, however, not all gloom as the Government of Nigeria and UNICEF announced on Monday that they have reached more than one million Nigerian children with a highly successful and cost-effective treatment for acutely malnourished children, saving over 200,000 lives in the past six years.

The strategy known as Community-based Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM), piloted in Gombe and Kebbi States in 2009, has now been introduced in 11 northern Nigerian states where malnutrition poses the greatest threat.
According to UNICEF, more than 830,000 children have been cured in the programme with the cure rate currently standing at 85 per cent.

UNICEF, in a statement on Monday also disclosed that, of the remaining children, about two per cent does not respond to treatment and is referred to hospitals, as the current mortality rate is just one per cent.

“We must scale up CMAM in Nigeria. It is a proven high-impact intervention that is saving lives and helping Nigerian children reach their full potential through a good start in life,” UNICEF Nigeria Representative Jean Gough, said, adding, “we need greater investment in Nigeria’s future by investing in good nutrition.”

Source: [url=dailyindependentnig.com/2015/08/malnutrition-hits-nigerias-rich-families/]Daily Independent[/url]

https://cdn.akamai.thisdaylive.com/0bef99d6-acf5-4e2c-9779-8fa02ba3fcd4/assets/100514l.FRSC-logo.jpg

In about seventy two hours or less from today, the Federal Road Safety Corps will commence full enforcement of the compulsory use of speed limiting devices meant to address the increasing speed related road traffic crashes in the Country. Excessive speed remains the number one causative factor accounting for about 50percent of reported road traffic crashes in the Country. The sept 1,2015 enforcement date was agreed by the FRSC and its strategic partners who appealed for a shift in the enforcement date from June 1, to September 1,2015 to enable them embark on adequate awareness as agreed during a one day stakeholders Forum held in Abuja .

The Forum had also agreed for FRSC and its partners to embark on massive awareness to secure public buy in, government to set deadline for all imported vehicles and those manufactured in Nigeria to have speed limiters installed ,while SON should demand in-plant calibration certificate from manufacturers of speed limiting devices meant for use in Nigeria among others. The shift was equally to enable other logistics necessary for a successful implementation to be put in place by partners such as SON, National Automotive Council of Nigeria and FRSC among others.

Since the shift in date ,series of events and machineries have been put in place to ensure a smooth sail for the scheme which if properly implemented by the Corps and its strategic partners and supported by the motoring public, should result in about 30percent crash reduction going by the fact that commercial vehicles presently account for over 30percent of crashes and 40percent of deaths .When the next phase involving other categories of vehicles such as private cars, takes off, another level of reduction may be achieved so long as all the loopholes are plugged .

The events which took place include series of consultation between FRSC and its partner such as NUPENG/PTD,NARTO and NURTW.There were also advocacies such as the sponsored Total Nigeria awareness campaign held in the Federal Capital Territory during which about 30 vehicles were installed with speed limiters as a demonstration of the Corporate Social Responsibility of Total .Across the country similar events were held including ongoing advocacies by the FRSC formations.

But after the shift in enforcement strategy, have we really addressed all the issues that was responsible for the shift?.Have the strategic partners and the FRSC truly embarked on the kind of awareness that would drive the needed buy in? Are Nigerians now adequately schooled on all they need to know about the speed limiter? Have the vendors, some of whom have been in the business hatched in on this novelty to creatively educate the public and have FRSC done enough in raising public awareness? I will rely on one of the several interactions from some of my readers to answer the posers raised on where we are and what we need to do to ensure hiccups are addressed.
Just last week ,I got a text from one reader, who expressed concern on the numerous questions being asked by motorists who have no doubt demonstrated willingness to partner with the FRSC in addressing the issue of speed. Some of these motorists are private car owners who despite the fact that enforcement will begin with commercial vehicles are willing to commence installation in their private privates to guard against unnecessary deaths or crashes.

This is how my friend captured his concern on the issue, ‘Dear Jonas, let me start by appreciating you efforts in raiding awareness through your numerous write-ups which I have passionately followed since you started with the Sun Newspaper and Leadership Newspaper as far back as 2008 when you were still in Abuja as the Sector Commander,FCT.Let me however draw your attention to the soon to be enforced speed limiting device which I acknowledge will go a long way in addressing excessive speeding which has caused so much pains to families and the nation at large.

As one whose passion for safer roads no bounds, I must inform you that I am daily in touch with concerned Nigerians who have wondered if truly you hope to enforce by September 1, as reported in the dailies .I have no issues with that date .But please I need you to please provide me the details of the vendors and their spread across the country, their capacities, the cost for installation and how long it takes to install a limiter in one vehicle. I also need to know how much training your men have gone through to equip them with the skills and knowledge for detecting tampering of installed systems as was the case in places like Kenya.

These questions are necessary because I know that the success of these schemes lies in adequate preparation through well orchestrated awareness that will address all the grey areas. As you and your colleagues work towards making our roads truly safe, please kindly rethink and ensure you guys do what you did with the seat belt campaigns which succeeded because you took time to embark on nationwide awareness such that even before you commenced enforcement over 12years ago, every motorists in the Country knew the importance.

As we ponder on the issues raised by this reader, I am excited that some of the fleet operators and transport organizations have expressed their willingness to comply with the September 1,2015 deadline by installing the required limiter which conforms to specifications as contained in the approved standards by the Standards Organization of Nigeria.

Source: ThisDay

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Ellie and Joel, The Last of Us

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Total studio cost is around $80K, says Portal developer Kim Swift

Most people understand that making video games can be a time-consuming and expensive business.

But how much does it really cost? In her speech at PAX Prime today, noted game designer Kim Swift attempted to demonstrate the costs involved in big studio game development, by breaking it down to one single in-game character.

Swift is currently working on "a secret game" for Amazon Game Studios. Her previous work includes Portal , Left 4 Dead and
Quantum Conundrum .

Her speech attempted to address popular misconceptions about game development. One such, she said, is the oft-expressed belief that games are over-priced.

Swift showed how one game character — a melee warrior — is made, from initial concept art, through animation, to writing, voice-over, combat design, audio and special effects.

For example, a concept artist would likely spend two weeks making the character design, with a salary cost of about $3,000. An effects artist creating impact weapon-swing and impact animations might also spend around two weeks on this particular task, with a salary cost of around $3,000.

Other specialists working on the character would include a character artist, a technical animator, a combat designer, animator, programmer, voice actor and audio engineer. In a large studio working on a big budget game, this one character might take about three months to take from concept to actual in-game asset.

Using published game industry salary averages and "being conservative" Swift reckoned on the total salary cost for the character to be $46.5K. But she also added costs such as office space, computers, software and utilities. The total cost for one character, she said, is around $80K.

"That's just one character," said Swift. "Extrapolate that out to multiple characters and environments and it gets expensive, fast."

Source: Polygon

https://www.iflscience.com/sites/www.iflscience.com/files/styles/ifls_large/public/blog/%5Bnid%5D/highresimmortus.jpg
photo credit: Is The Immortus (illustrated) the future of driving? EVX Ventures.


Can a road-legal car be powered by the Sun alone? One company thinks so, and they’re planning to unveil a scaled-down version of their proposal later this year.

Called “The Immortus,” the two-person vehicle is the work of EVX Ventures , an electric vehicle technology startup based in Melbourne, Australia. The car is decked out in solar panels, covering up to eight square meters (86 square feet), and also has a lithium battery to store energy, between five and 10 kilowatt-hours. So light is the car though, 500 kilograms (1,100 pounds) when empty and 700 kilograms (1,550 pounds) when fully laden, it is able to run on just solar power alone.

This is all possible thanks to the low mass-to-power ratio of the car. It is also extremely aerodynamic while still looking “compelling and stylish,” EVX co-founder and CEO Barry Nguyen said to IFLScience. The car also doesn’t use normal road tires, but rather tires specially designed for so-called “solar racers” – cars that are powered by the Sun.

Using a combination of battery and solar power, the car will apparently be capable of reaching up to 160 kilometers (100 miles) per hour. On solar power alone, it can reach up to 80 kilometers (50 miles) per hour.

And perhaps most interestingly, Nguyen said that the car would be able to run perpetually on just solar power, giving it an infinite range, in theory, so long as it didn’t exceed 60 kilometers (37 miles) per hour and the Sun was continuously shining. Still, that's pretty impressive. However, Nguyen stressed that the idea of the technology was to use solar cells in tandem with existing vehicles.

“We see the solar cells as a range extender technology in everyday driving, rather than the solar cells capturing more energy than it consumes for practical use,” he said. “However, uniquely, the range is infinite when there is consistent sunshine cruising at 60 km/h.”

https://i.imgur.com/lHqLl9x.png
A working prototype could be built by late 2016. EVX Ventures.


EVX plans to unveil a one-quarter scaled version of their car at the SEMA Show 2015 at the Las Vegas Convention Center in November. A leading electric vehicle research and development group at the Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne is also involved in the project.

When it is eventually released, Nguyen said the car is expected to retail for about $370,000 (£240,000), and sales of more than 100 are not expected. The car will be road legal “under individually constructed vehicle regulations” in Australia and the U.S., according to Nguyen.

The team plans to test a full-scale version of the car by the end of 2016, providing they can raise enough money for a working prototype.


Source: Iflscience