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Tesla Model X driver dies in Mountain View crash

A Tesla vehicle is at the center of another tragic crash, and the company is coming under renewed scrutiny over safety concerns as a result. The driver of a Model X has died after his electric SUV collidedwith a median barrier on Highway 101 in Mountain View and was subsequently struck by two other vehicles. The incident destroyed the front half of the vehicle and sparked a fire that involved the battery, leading to Tesla sending an employee to investigate. Witnesses reported seeing a fireball during the crash.

It's not certain whether or not Autopilot was involved, or the degree to which the battery was involved in destroying the vehicle. Fires are common in crashes regardless of the power plant. We've asked Tesla for comment, but the California Highway Patrol believed the battery might have played a role.

Regardless of the causes, the crash highlights the uncertainties surrounding the safety of electric cars, especially as the introduce autonomous features. First responders still aren't certain how to deal with EV crashes, and there's now the potential for autonomous driving systems to play as much of a role as humans.

5 Best Black Gym Bags

Br 4:47:00 AM Body, Fitness, Health

In this post, we've rounded up our favorite little black bags, which—thanks to their neutral color—will go with every item in your wardrobe, work attire and fitness gear included. Some boast nifty yoga straps, others have a more minimalist appeal, but they all have one thing in common: they'll be your new favorite wardrobe essential.

MZ Wallace Jim Gym Bag

Feel free to stuff the spacious MZ Wallace Black Oxford Jim Bag with all your favorite gear. It’s super lightweight, so your shoulders will thank you.

GapFit Mesh Cinch Backpack

We love the simplicity of the GapFit Mesh Cinch Backpack, a chicer take on your kid’s basketball bag. Just toss in your gear, pull the drawstring, and go.

Sweaty Betty Union Jack Holdall

Durable neoprene makes the sophisticated Sweaty Betty Union Jack Holdall practically indestructible. And it can serve as a weekender in a pinch.

lululemon All Set Hobo

Forget about lugging around multiple bags. With an interior padded laptop sleeve, the water-repellent Lululemon All Set Hobo doubles as a work tote.

Reebok Lead & Go Graphic Grip Duffle Bag

This utilitarian bag sports plenty of compartments to keep everything—water bottle, wet clothes, sneakers, even a yoga mat—organized.

The Largest Prime Number

Bt 3:22:00 AM Mathematics, Science, Technology

Curtis Cooper, a mathematician of the Central University of Missouri (USA) discovered on 7 January, the largest prime number, known "Mersenne" and equivalent to 2^(74207281) -1 and contains more than 22.3 million digits, reports The New Scientist.

This prime number was discovered as part of the GIMPS (Great Internet Mersenne Prime Search) project. It is a shared calculation project in the form of software and is used by Internet users to search for the largest prime numbers of Mersenne.

These numbers named in honor of Marin Mersenne, a French mathematician (sixteenth century), are in the form 2^p -1, where "p" is also a prime number. The interest of writing a number in this form is that one can easily check whether it is prime or not.

We know only 49 prime numbers of Mersenne, the last fifteen being discovered thanks to the GIMPS project. There is nevertheless an infinite number of Mersenne prime numbers. Note that their discovery is useful for detecting computer bugs.

For the latest prime numbers research, one may consult the following website:
http://www.mersenne.org/prime.htm

Quantum Computing

Bt 8:13:00 PM Mathematics, Physics, Science, Technology

What is quantum computing?

Nature -- including molecules like caffeine -- follows the laws of quantum mechanics, a branch of physics that explores how the physical world works at the most fundamental levels. At this level, particles behave in strange ways, taking on more than one state at the same time, and interacting with other particles that are very far away. Quantum computing harnesses these quantum phenomena to process information in a novel and promising way.

What are classical computers?

The computers we use today are known as classical computers. They’ve been a driving force in the world for decades -- advancing everything from healthcare to how we shop. But there are certain problems that classical computers will simply never be able to solve. Consider the caffeine molecule in a cup of coffee. Surprisingly, it’s complex enough that no computer that exists or could be built would be capable of modeling caffeine and fully understanding its detailed structure and properties. This is the type of challenge quantum has the potential to tackle.

How do quantum computers work?

Classical computers encode information in bits. Each bit can take the value of 1 or 0. These 1s and 0s act as on/off switches that ultimately drive computer functions. Quantum computers, on the other hand, are based on qubits, which operate according to two key principles of quantum physics: superposition and entanglement. Superposition means that each qubit can represent both a 1 and a 0 at the same time. Entanglement means that qubits in a superposition can be correlated with each other; that is, the state of one (whether it is a 1 or a 0) can depend on the state of another. Using these two principles, qubits can act as more sophisticated switches, enabling quantum computers to function in ways that allow them to solve difficult problems that are intractable using today’s computers.

What can quantum computers do?

Quantum systems may untangle the complexity of molecular and chemical interactions leading to the discovery of new medicines and materials. They may enable ultra-efficient logistics and supply chains, such as optimizing fleet operations for deliveries during the holiday season. They may help us find new ways to model financial data and isolate key global risk factors to make better investments. And they may make facets of artificial intelligence such as machine learning much more powerful.

Starfish-Killing Robot May Save the Great Barrier Reef

Br 10:21:00 AM Physics, Science

Scientists have designed a robot that kills with the mechanical efficiency you’d expect from a soulless hunk of metal, but there’s no reason to be concerned.

The COTSbot will soon be set loose to wreak havoc, but for a noble cause: to save the struggling Great Barrier Reef. You see, the reef is under siege by hordes of Crown of Thorns Starfish, prickly menaces that destroy coral, which serves as the foundation for the world’s most complex underwater ecosystem. COTSbot is coral’s new defender.

Killing Spree

Five decades ago, scientists sounded the alarm about the destructive powers of these spiny starfish. They tend to attack reefs in waves, and there have been three such Crown of Thorns outbreaks since the 1960s. Right now, we’re in the midst of a fourth explosion of these creatures. According to scientists, the damage inflicted by starfish swarms on coral reefs is second only to cyclones.

To this point the job of controlling the starfish has fallen upon human divers, who kill starfish by injecting them with a solution of cattle bile. Hundreds of thousands of starfish have been killed in this manner. But the Great Barrier Reef is big, and there aren’t enough divers to wipe the stubborn starfish out.

A New Direction

COTSbot to the rescue. The robot doesn’t need a lunch break, it doesn’t have a family, and it doesn’t mind working for free. Two scientists from Queensland University of Technology designed an underwater drone that can pull an 8-hour shift and wipe out about 200 starfish in each shift. The robot uses a proboscis-like instrument with a retractable needle to pierce starfish and inject its toxic payload.

COTS is loaded with programs that help it distinguish starfish from innocent creatures. After the robot does its work, human divers will sweep in later to take care of any starfish that survived the wrath of the robot.

Scientist plan to send COTSbot on trial missions later this month, and they plan to work on refining the bot’s navigation systems during these test runs. Eventually, a fleet of 10 to 100 COTSbots will be put into action on the reef.

With any luck, the days of the Crown of Thorns starfish may be numbered.

THE BEST SUSPENSION TRAINER WORKOUT

Br 10:34:00 AM Body, Fitness

A suspension trainer, such as the TRX or Jungle Gym XT, can mean the difference between sticking with your training while on the road and returning from your travels feeling slobbish. So long as your suspension trainer is fully adjustable and offers foot cradles you’ll have a total-body gym that you can unpack from your suitcase whenever, wherever.

HOW IT WORKS

The kind of instability a suspension trainer provides is ideal for core strengthening. To increase the instability , we’ve designed this workout using unilateral exercises, meaning that you’ll be training each side of your body individually . If you need to reduce the intensity of an exercise, simply increase the angle of your body to the floor (shorten the length of the handles/straps). The workout at right lets you customize your training, giving you a specific period of time in which to do your reps, rather than a concrete number of reps to hit every set.

DIRECTIONS

Perform the exercises as a circuit, completing one set of each in sequence. Do as many reps as you can in 30 seconds, resting only as long as it takes to set up the next exercise. Perform two to four circuits.

1-SINGLE-LEG ROW

REPS: AS MANY AS POSSIBLE IN 30 SEC. (EACH SIDE) REST: 0 SEC

Attach a suspension trainer to a doorframe or other sturdy object and stand on your left leg. Hold the handles and get into a lunge position with your rear knee bent— but keep your foot raised above the floor. Row your body to the handles while driving your right knee up in front of you.

2-SINGLE-LEG WOBBLE LUNGE

REPS: AS MANY AS POSSIBLE IN 30 SEC. (EACH SIDE) REST: 0 SEC

Set the foot cradle of the suspension trainer to about a foot and a half above the floor and turn around. Raise your right foot and rest it inside the cradle. Bend your left knee so you descend into a lunge position.

3-UNI-BRIDGE PRESS

REPS: AS MANY AS POSSIBLE IN 30 SEC. (EACH SIDE) REST: 0 SEC

Face the suspension trainer’s attachment point and hold one handle in your left hand. Pick up a water bottle (or some other source of light resistance) in your right hand as if you were going to press. Lean back so your body is in a straight line at an angle, suspended by the handle. Row your body up until the handle touches your ribs while pressing the right hand over your chest.

4-TAP OUT

REPS: AS MANY AS POSSIBLE IN 30 SEC. (EACH SIDE) REST: 0 SEC

Set your feet in the cradles of the trainer and get into pushup position. Keeping your body straight, reach up with your right hand and tap the inside of your left elbow. Put your hand back down and repeat with the left hand. Continue for 30 seconds.

5-PUSHUP ROCKET

REPS: AS MANY AS POSSIBLE IN 30 SEC. REST: 0 SEC

Get into pushup position with your feet in the cradles of the trainer and perform explosive pushups so that your hands leave the floor and you can clap in midair.

THE BEST ALL-MACHINE WORKOUT

Br 10:14:00 AM Body, Fitness

There are three likely reasons you would do a workout entirely with machines. One is that you fear free weights. Another is that you’re in a hotel gym with machines as your only workout options, and the third is that you’re a little beat up and need to protect overw orked joints or work around
nagging injuries. Whatever the case maybe, machines are suitable musclebuilding equipment, and you can train your whole body with them.

HOW IT WORKS

This workout uses a classic body building approach: pyramid sets. You start with higher reps and increase the weight slightly each set w hile reducing reps to gradually warm up the muscles and joints and recruit more and more muscle fibers. No matter how hard you train or how heavy you go, you’re
unlikely to get injured, because the machines are stabilizing the load for you. This isn’t alw ay s ideal, but it does allow you to push yourself and focus your mind solely on the muscles you want to work without worrying about a freak accident keeping you out of the gym for weeks.

DIRECTIONS

Perform the exercise pairs (marked “A ” and “B”) as alternating sets. So you’ll do a set of A , rest, then a set of B, rest again, and continue for all the prescribed sets. The remaining exercises are done as conventional straight sets.

1A-CHEST PRESS

SETS: 3 REPS: 12, 10, 8 REST: 60 SEC

Adjust the height of the seat so that the handles are in line with the middle of your chest. When you grasp the handles, your elbows should be bent nearly 90 degrees. Press the handles until your elbows are locked out. Keep tension on your muscles at the bottom of each rep.

1B-CHEST-SUPPORTED ROW

SETS: 3 REPS: 12, 10, 8 REST: 60 SEC

Using a chest-supported row machine, row the weight to your belly, squeezing your shoulder blades together at the top of the movement.

2A-SHOULDER PRESS

SETS: 3 REPS: 12, 10, 8 REST: 60 SEC

Adjust the seat of a shoulder press machine so that the handles are at shoulder level. If you have shoulder problems, and if your machine allows it, grasp the handles so your palms face each other. Otherwise, grasp them with palms facing forward as normal. Make sure your elbows track in a normal pressing path as you press the handles overhead.

2B-NEUTRAL-GRIP PULLDOWN

SETS: 3 REPS: 15, 12, 10 REST: 60 SEC

Attach a close-grip V-handle to the pulley of a latpulldown machine, or use two single-grip handles as shown. Grasp the handle so your palms face each other and set your legs under the pad. Pull the handle to your collarbone, driving your elbows down and back.

3-CALF RAISE ON LEG PRESS

SETS: 3 REPS: 25, 20, 15 REST: 60 SEC

Set up in a leg press machine and place your feet at the bottom of the foot plate at shoulder width so that only the balls of your feet are on the plate. Remove the safeties and allow the weight to flex your ankles slowly until you feel a stretch in your calves. Extend your ankles to raise the weight back up.

4-LEG PRESS

SETS: 4 REPS: 25, 20, 15, 10 REST: 120 SEC

Adjust the seat of the machine so that you can sit comfortably with your hips beneath your knees and your knees in line with your feet. Remove the safeties and lower your knees toward your chest until they’re bent 90 degrees and then press back up. Be careful not to go too low or you risk your lower back coming off the seat (which can cause injury).

Read also: THE BEST ONEDUMBBELL/ KETTLEBELL WORKOUT

THE BEST TWODUMBBELL/ KETTLEBELL WORKOUT

Br 9:13:00 AM Body, Fitness

HOW IT WORKS

In this situation, the load you have will be more appropriate for some exercises than others. To see that you get the most out of the workout we prescribe here, whatever the poundage you have to work with, you’ll need to adjust the speed of your reps. Apair of 25-pound dumbbells, for example, probably won’t be challenging on exercises such as the stepup. In this case, perform your reps more slowly to test your endurance and build muscle control. On other exercises, like the bentover lateral raise, 25 pounds may be just right or a bit heavy , so perform your reps explosively .
If you should happen to have two unevenly weighted dumbbells, such as a 25-pounder and a 15-pounder, don’t be discouraged. Simply switch the weights in your hands each time you repeat the circuit. Asymmetrical loads force your core to stabilize you even more on each exercise.

DIRECTIONS

Perform the exercises as a circuit, completing one set of each in turn without rest. After the last exercise, rest two minutes and then repeat. Continue for 20 minutes. You can repeat the workout up to four times per week.

1-SIDE PLANK W/ LATERAL RAISE

SETS: AS MANY AS POSSIBLE REPS: 10–12 (EACH SIDE) REST: 0 SEC

Lie on your left side resting your left forearm on the floor for support. Hold the dumbbell in your right hand. Raise your hips up so that your body forms a straight line and
brace your abs—your weight should be on your left forearm and the edge of your left foot. From this position, raise the weight in your right hand until your arm is parallel to the floor. If the dumbbell or kettlebell you have is too heavy to perform a lateral raise with in this position, you can use a weight plate from the dumbbell (if it’s the plate-loaded kind), or simply skip the lateral raise and use the weight to resist your side plank.

2-SINGLE-LEG ROMANIAN DEADLIFT

SETS: AS MANY AS POSSIBLE REPS: 10–12 (EACH SIDE) REST: 0 SEC

Hold a dumbbell in one hand and stand on the opposite leg. Bend your hips back and lower your torso until you feel your lower back is about to lose its arch. Squeeze your glutes and extend your hips to come up.

3-DUMBBELL PUSHUP W/ ROW

SETS: AS MANY AS POSSIBLE REPS: 10–12 (EACH SIDE) REST: 0 SEC

Get into pushup position with a dumbbell in each hand. Perform a pushup and then, in the up position, shift your weight to your right side and row the left-hand dumbbell to your side. Perform another pushup, shift your weight to the left, and row with the right hand.

4-STEPUP

SETS: AS MANY AS POSSIBLE REPS: 10–12 (EACH SIDE) REST: 0 SEC

Stand behind a bench or other elevated surface that will put your thigh at parallel to the floor when you place your foot onto it. Hold a dumbbell in each hand and step up onto the bench but leave your trailing leg hanging off.

5-BENTOVER LATERAL RAISE

SETS: AS MANY AS POSSIBLE REPS: 10–12 REST: 0 SEC

Hold the dumbbells and stand with feet shoulder width. Bend your hips back and, keeping your lower back in its natural arch, lower your torso until it’s parallel to the floor. Allow your arms to hang. Squeeze your shoulder blades together and raise your arms out to the sides until they’re parallel to the floor.

6-LUNGE W/ OVERHEAD PRESS

SETS: AS MANY AS POSSIBLE REPS: 10–12 (EACH SIDE) REST: 120 SEC

Hold the dumbbells at shoulder level and step forward into a lunge, lowering your body until your rear knee nearly touches the floor and your front thigh is parallel to the floor. Push off your front foot to come back to the starting position and then press the weights overhead.