Whether it is Apple, Samsung, or another brand, these wrist devices all only detect changes in skin temperature from an established personal baseline. This can assist in menstrual cycle detection but also general health as an additional indicator of any illnesses. They do not measure actual body temperature.

But many often have these capable devices without knowing how to use the feature (or others such as fall detection, HRV, and much more). It is really worth checking what your device can do, and taking a few minutes to just set the features up if required (often an access permission must first be granted).

Currently, only the Apple Watch Series 8 and the Apple Watch Ultra (2022) can take wrist temperature readings. No models of the Apple Watch SE can take wrist temperature readings at present.

See https://www.howtogeek.com/887231/how-the-apple-watch-body-temperature-feature-works-and-where-to-find-it/

#technology #AppleWatch #health #temperature

Yes, I know studies can prove and also disprove anything, so some time and additional studies would need to tell if this really has any benefit. It may also be dependent upon what you actually do on the Internet, as just watching movies may be the same as watching a TV channel. Also, "more" may not mean that 16 hours per day is going to better.

The study was conducted by researchers from New York University. They analyzed data from the Health and Retirement Study, a government-funded project that has tracked the wellbeing of a representative sample of older Americans via surveys conducted every two years.

The team focused on nearly 18,000 adults over 50 who were dementia-free at the start of the study and were followed for up to 17 years. They then divided the participants into two groups, based on whether they said they regularly used the internet in their initial survey. Another questionnaire assessed people’s cognition, which the researchers used as a measure for dementia status.

The authors found that regular internet users were half as likely to meet the criteria for dementia than those who reported no use at baseline, even after accounting for other factors like their pre-existing health.

The authors say their analysis is the longest of its kind to examine this possible relationship.

See https://gizmodo.com/internet-use-dementia-risk-hours-online-brain-health-1850405066

#technology #dementia #health

Starting today, Google users can switch to passkeys and ditch their passwords and two-step verification codes entirely when signing in.

Passkeys are a safer, more convenient alternative to passwords being pushed by Google, Apple, Microsoft, and other tech companies aligned with the FIDO Alliance. They can replace traditional passwords and other sign-in systems like 2FA or SMS verification with a local PIN or a device’s own biometric authentication — such as a fingerprint or Face ID. This biometric data isn’t shared with Google (or any other third party), and passkeys only exist on your devices, which provides greater security and protection since there’s no password that could be stolen in a phishing attack.

I'm still holding off on this until my own password manager has a working solution (Bitwarden announced today their solution is being worked on). But for me numerous questions still remain, despite this undoubtedly being a more secure solution:

• What happens if your passkeys are on your primary device, and you lose that? Hopefully everyone has their passkeys backed up and are able to retrieve and actually use them.
• How do you log into the service to disable lost passkeys, if the passkey is your access to the service?
• Users get locked into a specific passkey service and then want to leave for another one, e.g. an iPhone user decides to move to Android.
• If passwords are the weakness, they should be completely removed from a service, otherwise they remain just as risky as if you were using them still. Passkeys will only be as secure as any fallback method, e.g. if a provider uses SMS for backup, then you are running the same risks having SMS as if you were using SMS 2FA.
• Security has always been a trade-off against convenience, so a lot of basic user education is going to be needed otherwise we run the risks of either having risky fallbacks, or many users will be locked out of their accounts. An account is either secure, or it is not. 'Marketing messages' don't create the security.

See https://www.theverge.com/2023/5/3/23709318/google-accounts-passkey-support-password-2fa-fido-security-phishing

#technology #security #passkeys

“The brick structures have a fibre drop and a network termination unit. The tin structures receive their Wi-Fi through a pole-mounted outdoor, fibre-connected, Wi-Fi access point,” Briggs explained.

While the network operator initially wanted to use Wi-Fi hotspots to supply multiple homes to reduce costs, the metal shacks severely attenuated Wi-Fi signals. To work around the issue, the company connected fibre directly to homes to avoid connectivity interruptions due to signal interference.

Another aspect Isizwe had to overcome was Eskom load-shedding, which prevented residents in the township from buying Internet access. To allow residents to buy Internet access whenever needed, Isizwe installed one uninterrupted power supply (UPS) at each home.

Well that's not a bad cost because a month would cost about R150 for uncapped 100Mbps. Very usable and affordable. I see they use a VulaCoin wallet for top-ups, so it would be interesting to know if there are any implications around that. The stated revenue earned per day per home exceeds the income from the user, so I'm imagining there is some other generation of revenue through ads being inserted? I would also think at this cost that the 100Mbps is not a guaranteed speed, but rather one that is contended with quite a few other users (like ADSL was).

See https://mybroadband.co.za/news/fibre/489603-fibre-to-the-shack-uncapped-100mbps-for-r5-a-day.html

#technology #SouthAfrica #fibre

Yotta Energies, a clean energy startup based out of Austin, Texas, has been making waves in the solar field since its founding in 2017. Its newest product, which was launched in September 2022, is seeking to provide off-grid charging for electric vehicles across the US. This product, the Yotta REV, is a deployable EV charger that is entirely powered by solar. These rapidly deployable chargers can be installed in 48 hours, use bifacial solar modules, and are grid optional. The REV is designed for year-round use and in all weather climates. Shipped in a standard shipping container, it has a vast amount of potential for deployment overseas in areas that experience large-scale power outages (that likely means South Africa).

This is not a high volume EV charger for busy rooutes though. It can be used as a power generation facility during natural disasters or grid outages, giving it a variety of uses for municipalities and emergency services. Groups that work in remote locations, such as wildland firefighters, miners, construction workers, and researchers, are all among potential users. Particularly for large parks with off-grid campsites, having a reliable and durable charging station will increase park visits.

See https://cleantechnica.com/2023/04/30/a-new-solution-for-off-grid-ev-charging-solution/

#technology #environment #EV

Magic Earth now supports Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) systems powered by the phone’s camera. The application can monitor the road ahead and provide functionality otherwise available in integrated ADAS technology fitted into the car. The application offers lane departure warnings, traffic sign recognition, and forward and pedestrian collision notifications.

The navigation application, which retains its focus on user privacy and offline route guidance, also brings most features to Android Auto. Magic Earth now supports truck navigation, letting users enter vehicle information. For example, the application can look for routes based on certain vehicle parameters, such as width, height, length, weight, and axle weight. Once all these details are provided, Magic Earth only configures appropriate routes, avoiding narrow roads, low bridges, and sharp curves.

I tested it out today, but in my case, the version I just downloaded did not yet recognise Android Auto. Just like OsmAnd it is based on OpenStreetMap. It has a much simpler, but I'd say better looking, interface than OsmAnd. Any new interface of course takes a bit of time to get used to. OsmAnd does also have all the truck navigation features previously mentioned, and it has a ton more settings and options (for example also speed bump and pedestrian crossing warnings), but many may find OsmAnd a bit more complex. If so, then Magic Earth may be well worth trying out.

Magic Earth says they are privacy first with no tracking, no profiling, don't trade in our personal data, and don't have our personal data.

It does have options for traffic and re-routing (and I'm not sure how the traffic data is working) but I suppose the proof of the pudding for many will be, how well does it route in real life. You can however also tweak these settings for cars, bicycles and walking (I imagine trucks is in the newer version I don't seem to have yet).

See https://www.autoevolution.com/news/a-new-google-maps-alternative-launches-on-android-auto-with-massive-update-214097.html

#technology #navigation #MagicEarth #OpenStreetMap

Due to my Samsung Galaxy Watch starting to become very erratic with accurate tracking of my heart rate during exercises (I get bonus rewards that depend on that data) I opted to buy a Polar H10 Chest Strap this last week.

But although the chest strap data is super accurate it was only registering with the Polar Beat app through to my medical insurance. I could not get it to show inside Samsung Health at all. There are quite a few videos and articles on how to connect an external Bluetooth sensor, such as a chest strap, to Samsung Health but that in no way does what you expect it to do (it does nothing).

The reason is, Samsung Health defaults to using only the Galaxy Watch for heart rate monitoring (HRM) if it is connected, even if the chest stap is registered in Samsung Health as an accessory. The app has no way at all to switch between the Watch and any external device (why not Samsung?).

So, there are actually TWO different ways of getting your chest strap data into Samsung Health. Just very important to note that the single Bluetooth channel between the phone and the chest strap, can only be managed by ONE app at a time, so you must choose to either use Samsung Health ort the Polar app.

Samsung Health App with Polar H10 Chest Strap

• Make sure the Polar app or other app is not using the chest strap.
• Make sure you have added the chest strap as an external accessory inside Samsung Heath app -> three dots menu / Accessories / Scan for Accessories
• Go to the Galaxy Wearable app and disconnect the Watch. No need to unpair the Bluetooth.
• You must start an exercise from the Samsung Health app, and not from the Watch itself. If you start it from the Watch, it will record using the Watch HRM sensor.
• In the Samsung Health app, tap on the exercise symbol you want to use to open the start exercise screen. The small green symbol at the top left indicates what HRM sensor is going to be used. If the one for the external device is shown (cross-link chain), you can go ahead and start your exercise by tapping on the start button.
• Remember EACH time to disconnect the Watch before starting any exercise.

Using Strava

You could either just use the Strava app as your primary exercise app (with the chest strap linked to that app directly), or like I’m doing, I’m using the Polar Beat app with the chest strap and the Polar app is configured to push the exercise data to Strava.

The important thing that must be done though, is inside the Samsung Health app, you need to connect it to the Strava service.

• First ensure you do have the Strava app installed, and you have linked it / created your Strava account.
• To link the Samsung Health app to Strava: Click on the three dot menu to go to Settings / Services / Toggle on Strava connection.

Now you can use either the Strava app or the Polar Beat app. Inside Samsung Health you should then see the exercise appear with the Strava tag on it. In my case it still showed the Watch exercise too, as I had recorded with both. But I deleted the Watch exercise and Samsung Health still counts in the Strava exercise in its stats and shows the HR graph etc if you open it.

With the Strava option it is better NOT to start any exercise on the Watch, nor inside the Samsung Health app, just so you don’t end up with duplicate workouts shown inside Samsung Health. You may also want to disable auto-recognition of exercises in the Galaxy Wearable app for the Watch as well.

Original post at https://gadgeteer.co.za/how-to-get-polar-h10-chest-strap-or-other-external-bluetooth-sensors-data-into-samsung-health-for-workouts/

#technology #health #PolarH10 #SamsungHealth #workouts

Magna's solution is to put the camera into a rearview mirror. The camera and infrared illuminators are embedded behind the glass, with a circuit board containing the necessary electronics for eye tracking. And since the camera is mounted high up in the cabin and has a wide field of view, it could also monitor the other occupants if desired.

Privacy-focused readers should rest easy—this DMS (driver-monitoring system) does not record video, nor can it pass video into anyone's cloud. All the processing happens in the mirror, with the car just being given alerts if the mirror detects the driver is looking in the wrong area for too long. (In the past, Volvo has told us its DMSes work in a similar fashion.)

Magna has signed its first customer for the DMS mirror, but until that OEM makes the relationship public, all Magna can tell us is that it's a German automaker. Expect to see the first models sporting this mirror on the road in Europe early next year, then here in the US by fall 2024.

I'm a great fan of biohacking stats, so I'd be really interested in seeing my "alertness index" over time (if such a thing were to be available).

See https://arstechnica.com/cars/2023/04/this-rearview-mirror-will-look-back-at-you-to-monitor-distracted-driving/

#technology #driving #DMS #roadsafety

These settings are nothing to do with rooting your phone or flashing firmware etc. They are merely experimental and debugging features that you can toggle on and off. Although none of the features in the Developer options will break your phone or tablet, enabling some of them can cause unintended problems. Normally the menu is hidden, but this article explains how to unlock it with a few taps.

But why would you want to? Well, this article also gives a run-down of the current options available, with a short explanation for each. So, it is easy to scan this list and see if there is anything that may be of interest to you.

See https://www.xda-developers.com/android-developer-options/

#technology #Android