My Science School

A U.S. start up is behind Terran 1, and could be a pioneering effort in the still-nascent commercial space industry.

Relativity Space is a Los Angeles aerospace start-up that builds rockets using advanced 3D printing technology.

Its debut rocket, the Terran 1, has completed pre-launch testing, ahead of a planned launch window beginning June 30. Originally intended to be ready by 2020, the project is running about 18 months behind schedule. The first rocket launch will carry no cargo and is purely a test flight. If successful, a second flight will carry a NASA payload-it is capable of lifting up to one tonne into low Earth orbit.

The Terran 1 is an intended stepping stone on the way to realising the Terran R, a reusable rocket currently under development, capable of carrying 20 times the cargo of the Terran 1, when it launches in 2024. In order to 3D-print large components, Relativity Space has created "Stargate" a system that it claims is the world's largest 3D printer of metals. It uses existing welding technology to melt metal wire, layer by layer, into precise and complex structures that have minimal joints and parts. The company says it will eventually be able to build an entire rocket (95% of which is 3D-printed) in two months. Traditional methods of construction take 24 months and use 100 times as many parts.

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What happened when you browse the Net in incognito mode? Does it ensure anonymity?

You may have noticed a tab in Google Chrome and other browsers called private/incognito. Browsers usually store the web addresses or URLS of the sites you visit. That makes it easier for you to find them again later. In private (incognito) mode, your search history won't be stored on the device you are using.

Your browser also stores cookies. These small data files can not only automatically enter passwords, so you don't have to type them each time, they can also provide tracking information to advertising companies that want to figure out your browsing habits. If you have looked for the best sunglasses available in the market, for example, ads for sunglasses keep popping up on whatever website you are visiting! This is how the internet advertising industry creates detailed profiles of people's online activities over time.

Private or incognito browsing helps here, since it can temporarily disconnect someone's browsing from the technical means used to build up and maintain most of those profiles. Cookies won't provide advertisers with the detailed information they'd otherwise mine. Sometimes private browsing enables you to get around paywalls that block you from reading content on subscriber-only sites. However, going incognito won't make you anonymous or invisible online! Your internet service provider can track your web activities. The sites you visit will also know your location. And if you are logged in to your Google account when browsing, Google sees your search patterns, even in incognito mode.

Picture Credit : Google 

TikTok took the top spot for most downloaded app in the first three months of 2022, beating Instagram and Facebook. The short-form video sharing app TikTok was the most downloaded app worldwide in first three months of 2022, according to a report from Sensor Tower.

TikTok is one of the world’s fastest-growing social media platforms. Sensor Tower recently released its “Q1 2022: Store Intelligence Data Digest” report in which TikTok was the top app by worldwide downloads in Q1 2022. The app previously had surpassed 3.5 billion all-time downloads in the first quarter of 2021, becoming just the fifth app (and the only one not owned by Meta) to achieve this milestone.

Since the start of 2022, TikTok has been downloaded more than 175 million times. TikTok has surpassed 10 million downloads for the past nine quarters now, while YouTube has surpassed the same threshold for eight consecutive quarters. No app has had more downloads than TikTok since the beginning of 2018 when WhatsApp had 250 million worldwide downloads, per the report.

There’s a lot to be said about the success of TikTok and where it’s going. The social media app is mainly dominant for its relevant trends, unique algorithm and a diverse set of communities for every niche subject matter. Just recently, its updates include interactive add-ons for in-feed ads as well as a test on a private dislike button for comments. It also recently launched its own AR development platform, Effect House.

When examining the global downloads on iPhones and iPads, the order of the top five apps has remained unchanged over the past three quarters. TikTok exceeded 70 million App Store downloads for only the third time in Q1 2022, driven by 11% quarter-over-quarter growth in Asia. Despite being banned in India, which has one of the largest markets for app installs in the world, the app was ranked third place overall in Asia. It was No. 1 in the App Store, yet in seventh place for Google Play in Asia.

Looking at U.S. overall downloads, TikTok has been the top app each quarter since Q1 2021. The last app to beat TikTok was Zoom in Q4 2020. Also, since Q1 2021, TikTok and YouTube have been the top two apps on the U.S. App Store each quarter. TikTok was also the number one app on Google Play for the third quarter in a row, with installs up 19% year-over-year.

The same five apps have taken the top spots in Europe for each of the past four quarters. TikTok and WhatsApp were in the top two positions, while Instagram went down a ranking from last quarter to the number four spot. Even though WhatsApp has been the top App Store app in Europe for each of the past seven quarters, TikTok has also held on to the top spot on Google Play over the same period.

These estimates made by Sensor Tower include worldwide downloads for iPhone, iPad and Google Play for January 1 through March 31, 2022. This excludes preinstalled apps. The company only reports unique installs and Android estimates do not include third-party stores. The figures represent aggregate installs of all app versions.

Credit : Tech crunch \

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Digital Marketing is a modern way of promoting brands, products and services using all forms of digital channels such as websites, email, social media, mobile apps, etc.

What's this career about?

Digital marketing is another name for online marketing. These days every business and company utilizes digital marketing strategies as people use their mobile phones almost all day, making it easier to reach potential customers.

There are different types of digital marketing some of which are:

SEO Marketing

SEO Marketing or search engine optimization, is one of the most widespread and in-demand skills in the digital marketing world. In essence, SEO marketing is all about designing and creating content to rank highly in search engines when consumers ask brand-relevant queries and industry-applicable searches.

Social Media Marketing

Social Media Marketing is a fast-growing vertical within digital marketing and can serve as a powerful tool in a business' advertising arsenal. In this specialty, you will develop content and advertising strategies that promote customer interest and engagement on a variety of social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.

While social media marketing may get more media coverage, email marketing is still a core profitable aspect of modern business. Email Marketing sustains and increases business relationships, providing value for customers and engagement for the company. It can drive sales by circulating targeted content designed to appeal to a brand's customer needs and interests.

Content Marketers

Content Marketers create relevant, interesting, and timely content that appeals to and engages customers on all digital frontiers, from a brand's social media channels to its website. Often, this kind of marketing will also encompass educational and informative articles, whitepapers and other written work that establishes a brand as a thought leader in its field.

Conversion Rate Optimization

Conversion Rate Optimization is all about increasing the number of conversions - that is, the percentage of website visitors and potential customers who actually make a purchase, fill out a form, or otherwise interact with the site. A conversion rate optimization (CRO) professional may design website flow and structure to enhance conversion and interaction.

Pay-Per-Click Marketing

Pay-Per-Click Marketing means a company may pay large ad vendors like Google or Facebook for text or visual ad placement, aiming to pique searcher attention and ultimately drive sales.

These marketing managers first examine the needs and resources of the business or organization. Then they work with the editorial, commercial, marketing and technical teams to decide on a simple, effective, advanced and comfortable digital channel, which fit the business requirements. They need to ensure all campaigns are delivered on time and on budget. Later, they track what people are saying about a brand online, and help companies manage their brand image.

In small companies, one may have responsibility across all of these areas in some capacity, while in bigger companies, you may solely manage one area like e-mail marketing.

How do I get there?

As digital marketing pertains to knowledge in science, statistics, artistic visualisation and e-commerce, students of any field can take up digital marketing as a career. However, those with degrees in technology and/or marketing do have an upper hand.

A number of courses/certifications are available throughout India. The duration may range from few months to one year and eligibility is graduation. Some of these are: Google Analytics IQ Certification, Hootsuite Social Marketing Certification, Google Ads Certification, HubSpot Content Marketing Certification, Digital Garage: Fundamentals of Digital Marketing Certification, HubSpot Inbound Marketing Certification.

During the course, students learn about the various formats of marketing like displaying advertising, social media marketing, mobile and internet marketing, search engine optimization and marketing and website design and ways to use them in order to produce a higher response to online marketing efforts.

What skills do I need?

• Excellent oral and written communication skills.

• Passion for online and media-rich, audio-visual products.

• Experience in running and developing marketing initiatives in the online world.
• Willingness to continue to learn about new methods and technology.
• Excellent decision-making and problem-solving skills.
• Creative and aesthetic sense.
• Ability to see things differently, innovative mind.

Institutes

• Indian Institutes of Management at various places

• Indian School of Business, Hyderabad
• National Institute of Securities Markets, Navi Mumbai
• EduKart.com, New Delhi
• Internet & Mobile Research Institute, Bangalore
• NIIT at various places
• Digital Vidya, Gurgaon

Employment profile

Successful candidates may work in the fashion and lifestyle e-commerce industry. Some of the target companies include ITC, Jet Airways, Max Life Insurance, Amazon, Kellogg's, Nestlé.

According to LinkedIn, the digital marketing industry is growing every year and has the greatest number of job openings. It's a thriving industry - today, countless consumers buy products based on the ads they see as they navigate search engines, scroll through social media platforms, and open e-mails. Businesses are increasingly spending a big proportion of their marketing budgets on digital marketing.

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Instagram is testing out a pin-to-profile feature that lets you choose three posts to feature at the top of your profile grid. You can choose any three photos, videos or reels to pin. Users will be able to spotlight specific elements on their profile, e.g., most-liked post, major development in life, etc. Click on the three horizontal dots at the top right corner of the post you want to pin. Tap 'Pin to your profile' on the menu, and the post will show up at the top of your grid. If you change your mind about pinned posts, un-pin them by clicking 'Unpin from your profile' from the menu. If you don't see the option to pin a post, then you don't have access to the feature yet.

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Merlin Bird ID was created for bird watchers, nature lovers, and anyone curious about birds. It is the only bird app that enables both sound and photo identification powered by AL. Merlin offers four fun ways to identify birds. Answer simple questions and Merlin reveals a list of birds that match your description. Got a photo of a bird you can't identify; tap 'Photo ID' to id it. Use 'Sound ID to record birdsong, and Merlin shows you which species it is most likely in real time. 'Explore Birds' shows you all the birds most likely to be around you on that day. Save the birds you identify to keep track of those you've seen. The app delivers personalized results of birds to expect based on the time of year, your location or your choice of regions around the world, including a digital field guide with more than 80,000 photos and sounds, plus maps, and ID tips. The app, powered by eBird and the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, delivers results based on millions of sightings, photos, and sounds from bird watchers across the world. Free for iOS and Android.

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With the Rocketbook Flip, you get the best of both handwritten and typewritten notes. As well as being environmentally friendly, it's an efficient way to organise your notes. Designed for lefties and righties alike, the 36 page Flip features a top-turn binding. Each page is equipped with lines on the front and a dot grid on the back. Write with the accompanying Pilot FnXion pen, then again! wipe clean with a microfibre towel to reuse again a Use the Rocketbook app to scan your notes, lists and ideas Your pages are then optimised and digitised, you can even search for specific words. The notes can be sent to the cloud (Google Drive, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, etc.). The pages have icons at the bottom representing the cloud applications: select one before scanning, and they will automatically be sent to the relevant location. Once you've uploaded your notes, you can erase them and begin again.

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Mr. Trash Wheel, officially called the Inner Harbor Water Wheel, is a trash interceptor, a vessel that removes trash from the Jones Falls river as it empties into the Inner Harbor in Baltimore, Maryland. It is powered by water wheels and solar cells, and places trash from the harbor onto an onboard conveyor belt which routes it into dumpsters on the vessel. Mr. Trash Wheel was invented by John Kellett in 2008, who launched a pilot vessel at that time. A larger vessel was later developed; it replaced the pilot vessel and was launched in May 2014. The Mr. Trash Wheel vessel is part of the Waterfront Partnership of the City of Baltimore's "Healthy Harbor Plan."

Mr. Trash Wheel is a moored vessel that removes trash from the mouth of the Jones Falls river at Baltimore's Inner Harbor. Rubbish from the streets of Baltimore is flushed into storm drains that empty into the Jones Falls river. The floating rubbish is then carried by the river to its outlet into the Inner Harbor, where it is captured by Mr. Trash Wheel. Mr. Trash Wheel is powered by the current from the river, and backup power is provided by solar panels when the current is sluggish. These power a conveyor belt. Mr. Trash Wheel removes flo

ating debris using rotating forks that dip into and out of the water, and which then place the trash onto a conveyor belt which moves it into a dumpster. The water wheel can be controlled remotely on the Internet. Mr. Trash Wheel was constructed using $720,000 of public and private funding.

Credit : Wikipedia

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Did you know scientists hope to develop targeted drugs for hard-to-treat diseace using the technique?

Ultra high-definition 3D videos of cells inside the body taken by an advanced microscope are creating a revolution in modern biology. Previously, transmission electron microscope (TEM) images of living cells (called biomolecules) were indistinct blobs. This was because the high-energy electron beams would dry out the water surrounding the molecules and burn them.

In cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM), biomolecules are cooled to extremely low temperatures and embedded in vitrified water (ice that has no crystals). This ensures that they are preserved intact. The three scientists who developed the cryo-EM technique won the 2017 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

The current level of sophistication in the cryo-EM technique is largely due to advances in camera technology, image processing and computer software. The biomolecules are photographed from thousands of different angles and at different stages. The images are put together to create a video, allowing researchers to see the structure of the molecules in live action within the cell.

Using this technique, scientists hope to develop targeted drugs for hard-to-treat diseases such as dementia and Parkinson's.

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Your mother wants to make a duplicate set of the house keys. That would involve a visit to the local key-maker. Wouldn't she be relieved if you could make her a set sitting right at home? Well, that day is not too far into the future and best of all, it's not science fiction. 3D printing is here!

Additive manufacturing

3D printing is not really new. It is a type of additive manufacturing or AD, which itself means creating an object by adding material to it layer by layer. AD is also known as stereo-lithography, 3D layering and 3D printing 3D printing can be compared to stalactites and stalagmites in limestone caves or to coral reefs. Both are built by adding material layer by layer, bit by bit, until they form a solid structure. This natural process is very slow. In 3D printing, the design is precisely engineered with computer software. The computer directs the printer on how to add the layers.

Used in diverse fields

3D printing was earlier used to build prototypes or models of objects. Now there are a variety of printers that can create products in a vast number of fields. Already available in the market are 3D printers that can roll out anything from a precision-moulded car part, a designer chocolate and a customised toy to artificial limbs, dentures and even living human tissue for building organs!

First, a 3-D model is produced on computer using CAD or computer-aided design software. CAD can also tell you how the model will work when made with the kind of material you are using. In fact, the working can be seen using virtual simulation. The second step is converting the CAD model to a format that will work with the designated printer and then transferring it to the computer that controls the printer. Just as with a normal laser or inkjet printer, you can feed in the size and orientation (landscape. portrait, etc). Each kind of printer uses different materials (printing inks/toners) to build the object-cheese or chocolate for food items and liquid polymers or other chemical binders for making inedible objects like car or aeroplane parts or dental fixtures or even live cells to produce human tissue (bioprinting). The object is layered on a tray made of material that is water-soluble. Once the object is created, this support can be easily removed!

The machine may take hours or days to complete the object and it can take more time to cool, set or cure till it is fit to handle and be used.

It's expensive, right now

3D printers are expensive right now, ranging from $30,000 to $80,000. However, as the technology evolves, the cost is expected to come down and you may eventually be able to print a set of keys at home!

Critics of 3D printing feel that the technology may be misused to print weapons. One nervous state in the U.S. has already passed a law banning 3D plastic and metal guns, and taken down a website that showed people how to make them!

Did you know?

A family in France became the first in the world to move into a 3D printed house in July 2018. The four-bedroom house took 54 hours to print, with an additional four months for contractors to add doors, windows and the roof! The design of the house was programmed into a 3D printer which worked by printing the walls in layers from the floor upwards. The cost of construction was 20 per cent less than that of a traditionally built house.

Picture Credit : Google