Sawyer water filter cleaning

Texas’ deep freeze was the latest warning that extreme weather events threaten to derail efforts to clean up the most toxic sites in the US. In a worst-case scenario, a natural disaster can unleash buried toxic substances. But even minimal damage or the mere threat of a storm can stop or slow cleanup efforts. That vulnerability could become a bigger problem as climate change brings about more weather-related disasters. For years, experts have pushed the Environmental Protection Agency to prepare for the onslaught. “We have over two dozen Superfund sites here in our county, and we are one of the most threatened coasts in the world by natural forces,” says Jackie Young-Medcalf, executive director of the Houston-based nonprofit Texas Health and Environment Alliance. “As long as the waste remains in place … It’s at risk for impacts from Mother Nature.” Efforts to control hazards at some toxic Superfund sites in Texas temporarily halted as a result of the deep freeze that battered … [Read more...] about Texas cold snap froze cleanup efforts at some Superfund sites

Audio glasses are quickly becoming a thing. Last year Bose followed its original Frames with three second-generation models, including the sporty Tempo Fames , and Amazon is selling the second-generation of its Echo Frames while plenty of others, like Razer, are now jumping in on the "smart" glasses action. The Razer Anzer , which comes in round and square versions in two different size options, is available now for $200 (£200, AU$320). I haven't tried them yet but their design (at least the square version) and specs don't appear to be so different from other models I've tried. The small size weighs 43 grams while the large weighs 48 grams (the Echo Frames are 31 grams by comparison). The glasses include 35% blue light filtering lenses along with a set of polarized sunglasses lenses (you can easily swap them in), have touch controls and integrated 16mm speaker drivers that fire directional sound toward your open ears. See it at Best Buy They're IPX4 … [Read more...] about Razer enters audio glasses arena with Anzu eyewear

South Korean tech giant Samsung has launched a durable smartphone, called Galaxy XCover 5 . The company has announced that the device will be available in Asia, Europe and Latin America, with availability expanding to other regions at a later date. The company did not provide any exact date, but did mention that it will be available sometime starting March 2021. The USP of the smartphone is its durability. The device is said to be shock resistant, as well as dust and water resistant. It is IP68-rated and is claimed to be able to be submerged in over a meter of water for longer than 30 minutes. The device also comes with Glove Touch feature that is said to increase touch sensitivity allowing users to operate it while wearing gloves. Besides the external durability, Samsung also claims that the device comes equipped with security platform Samsung Knox that enables end-to-end protection “from the chip all the way up to the apps.” Samsung Galaxy XCover 5 specs … [Read more...] about Samsung launches durable smartphone Galaxy XCover 5: Specs, features and more

Sherlock Holmes remembers everything by imagining that he's storing bits of information in a "memory palace," a technique that originated in ancient Greece. Now, researchers have found that this method really does work to create long-lasting memories. Users of the mnemonic technique, called the "method of loci," mentally navigate around a familiar place, such as a path (or Holmes' palace). To remember a piece of information, you "drop" it along the path and later retrace your steps and "pick it up." For example, if you're very familiar with Central Park in New York City, you can imagine walking through it, dropping the word "book" at the Boat House, then the word "water bottle" at the next bend, then the word "space" at the fountain. When you want to remember the words, you imagine retracing your exact steps. By training with this method, the world's best memory champions can remember inordinate amounts of information, like word lists, digit series and decks of cards, … [Read more...] about Sherlock Holmes’ famous memory trick really works

Right now there are two TV technologies available to most people: LCD and OLED . Sure, people with tons of money might get a MicroLED TV , but mere mortals have only those two choices. The biggest TV maker in the world, Samsung, has been firmly in the LCD camp for many years, while crosstown rival LG is the biggest name in OLED . LCD, despite advancements like QLED , mini-LED and dual panels , has always lagged behind OLED in overall picture quality. Now Samsung is working on a new kind of TV that aims to combine two display technologies into something greater than the sum of its parts. It's a hybrid between OLED and quantum dots called QD Display. According to Korea IT News , Samsung Display will end production of LCD panels by the end of 2021, moving to QD Display next year. At the same time, Samsung Electronics could start selling these new TVs as early as 2022. Stay tuned Subscribe to the CNET TVs, Streaming and Audio newsletter for … [Read more...] about Samsung OLED TV with quantum dots could challenge LG as soon as next year