Working from home may have its benefits - but staying in the same place each day can gettiresome after a while.

If youre looking for inspiration to brighten up your home office or improve your workspace environment, here are some tips.

Find a comfy chair

If you have a comfortable chair you can use as your work chair, this will make a big difference if youre sitting at a desk or table all day.

Make sure the height, arm rest and comfort level suits your needs and youll find youre comfier and have fewer aches and pains at the end of the day.

Clean up your mess

A clean and tidy working environment can make the world of difference.

Making sure your desk or table is free of clutter so that you have space to work, and that its clean and tidy can leave your feeling calmer and more productive.

Tidy your wires away

If you have a lot of electrical equipment at your desk, wires might be getting in the way.

Managing them with clamps and zip ties can help keep your work space neat and tidy.

Plants

Adding plants can also make a positive difference. Green or colourful plants add colour to your home office, boost your mood and reduce stress.

They can also help to increase productivity levels too. Picking a plant that is easy to maintain could be a good option.

Natural lighting

If possible, choose a place for your workspace environment that has natural lighting. This can be beneficial to your mood and increase productivity.

Being near a window while working can also up your Vitamin D levels, which helps regulate the amount of calcium and phosphate in the body, and these nutrients are needed to keep muscle, teeth and bones healthy.

Separate work computer

Your brain usually associates your work computer with work, so it usually helps to improve productivity if you have a separate work computer.

If not, make sure any personal documents or tabs are shut when at work so as not to get distracted.

Separate work and living areas

If its possible to do so, your workspace should be in a room or space as far away as possible from the place where you sleep if you want to increase your productivity.

Your brain tends to associate certain spaces with certain tasks, which is why its important to keep your work and living areas physically separate if you can.

Try to keep to office hours

Although it can be difficult then working from home, try to stick to your usual office hours rather than working overtime or unusual shifts.

Working for a set period of time each day helps give routine and structure to your day.

When youre finished work, close your laptop and put away your things to revert your home to a comfy living space.

Continued here:
Eight tips to improve your home working space - Hereford Times

Power crews were restoring service to customers but thousands of users were still in the dark early Thursday evening. Several houses were damaged by trees as well, but there were no reports of serious injury. Delaware News Journal

Numerous New Castle County residents reported power outages on Thursday as a result of the day's high winds, which also felled trees throughout the county.

More than 9,000 customers in Delaware were affected on Thursday, the power company reported, with more than 180 outages across the state. As of Friday morning, about 1,700 people were still affected.

The power company said the outages were due to weather conditions.

Agencies respondedto weather-related emergencies,Aetna Hose, Hook & Ladder Company said in a Facebook post.

RELATED: Damaging wind gusts expected in lower Delaware on Thursday

Closures, damages and injuries werereported in different areas of the state.

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A person wastaken to the hospital with minor injuriesafter a tree fell onto a homeon Forest Drive in Forest Brook Glen near Newport, according to New Castle County Police.

Newark Police partially closed Capitol Trail for about three hours whena tree and wires fell into the road. Route 41 at Brackenville Road wasalso temporarily closed due to a fallen tree and wire, according to the Department of Transportation's website.

High winds also reportedly damaged the Saville apartments at Wilmington's Sixth and King streets.

Send story tips or ideas to Isabel Hughes at ihughes@delawareonline.com or 302-324-2785. For all things breaking news, followher on Twitter at @izzihughes_

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Thursday power outages in Delaware blamed on high wind - The News Journal

Thursday, April 30th 2020, 11:36 am - With more people staying at home due to the pandemic they are paying more attention to wildlife in and around their homes. Of course, springtime also means baby time.

Springtime is baby time and animals are on the lookout for places to start their families and that includes our homes.

Every home in North America typically has anywhere from 35 to 50 areas on one particular home that animals can get into, said Bill Dowd, the president, CEO and founder of Skedaddle Humane Wildlife Control.

That includes chimneys, vents, downspouts, soffit vents and any other cracks.

Homeowners should always be looking at their home. Everybody kind of thinks that the roof is up there, it's out of sight, it's out of mind but it's your most important part of your entire home. Raccoons, squirrels, birds, bats and mice and rats can gain access into your attic from the roof, said Dowd.

Raccoons are the first babies seen in the season. They arrive around mid-march and continue into the end of June, sometimes July.

Then we'll see squirrels which will typically arrive towards the end of March, start of April. We'll see them, same thing, all the way through till June, said Dowd. He says they even saw their first baby skunks. They will continue to be born until June and July.

Courtesy: Skedaddle Humane Wildlife Control

Baby birds typically arrive around mid-may and continue through the entire summer into The Fall season.

Go here for our complete coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic

Dowd says with more people staying home during the pandemic, they are probably more aware of the wildlife in and around their homes.

We're all being safe. as we're being safe we're noticing that scratching or clawing in the walls are in the attic and rather than homeowners waiting, they're picking up the phone immediately and calling, said Dowd.

Homeowners should be inspecting their properties for points of entry.

Go outside. Take a look on the roof. Look for missing shingles that are torn off or ripped apart. Soffit or aluminum being torn to indicate something is in the Attic, said Dowd. When you're talking mice and rats they can get in small little weep vents that are vents that allow proper drainage and ventilation of your home that need to be secured with a screening.

Racoons in the attic of a home. Courtesy: Skedaddle Humane Wildlife Control

Be aware of garages too.

Anytime the soffit comes in and meets the shingles that's another common entry area. Garages that are left open that have joist spaces allow the animals to go in and get into the attic space, he said. The dryer or the kitchen stove. We get birds, mice, rats, squirrels go in through those.

SEE ALSO: 24 cats rescued from hot car near Los Angeles

If cars are sitting vacant, especially because we're not working and they're sitting in their garage or the driveway, squirrels and mice or rats will get into the cars. They'll actually chew the wiring in the cars coated with a vegetable biodegradable coating, which is actually attractive for those animals and they'll actually chew the electrical wiring so the cars won't start, said Dowd.

He suggests starting the car every few days and taking it for a drive around the block. That will prevent animals from gaining hold of nesting and engine compartments.

Squirrel nest found under hood of car. Courtesy: Skedaddle Humane Wildlife Control

Dowd and his teams dont relocate the animals. They specialize in animal-proofing peoples homes.

Typically there's anywhere from 35 to 55 raccoons in a square kilometre. They're going to be always around and they're always going to want to come back and get into that home so the most important part. Animal proofing, us installing our screen or fixing it so they can't get back in, he said.

The key is to learn to live among the animals.

All urban wildlife typically have anywhere from 7 to 10 den sites in a neighbourhood so that's where they're staying. They're here.We're never going to get rid of them and homeowners need to recognize this and animal proof their home.

Original post:
'We are in baby season': Dealing with wildlife nesting in homes during COVID - The Weather Network

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Railway Contact Wires Market 2020 Analysis by Geographical Regions, Type and Application Till 2025 with Top Key Players: Jiangyin Electrical Alloy,...

Issued on: 02/05/2020 - 08:07

Havana (AFP)

These are hot, humid days in Havana. When the afternoon breeze sweeps in off the sea, William Roblejo steps onto the roof of his building, draws his bow across the strings of his violin, and runs through his repertoire of music to soothe an anxious city.

Access to a rooftop and a breeze is a coveted luxury in the Cuban capital, areas of which have been in lockdown over the coronavirus pandemic for several weeks.

On other Havana rooftops, the country's top ballet dancer rolls out a mat and runs through his positions and pirouettes, an Olympic pentathlete lunges at an imaginary rival with an epee, and a Greco-Roman wrestling champion pumps iron.

Cuba has imposed lockdowns only in certain barrios, but the government has called on people to stay home as the number of confirmed infections climbed above 1,500 this week with 64 deaths.

With temperatures exceeding 30 degrees Celsius, water shortages in some areas of the capital and long lines at food stores, Cubans have grown more anxious under weeks of confinement.

Adrian Sanchez, first soloist at the National Ballet of Cuba, fears above all that his muscles and his posture, used to a daily nine-hour training regime, will atrophy.

"When all this is over we have to return to the ballet, and if we come back untrained, that will be very hard," said Sanchez, 22.

He practices "two or three hours" a day on the roof of his building, reached through a skylight and overlooking the iconic Revolution Square.

"That way the time goes by faster, and I don't feel I'm being locked up so long," he says.

Like everyone else, a good part of his day is spent queueing up for food.

- Making do -

After decades of living under a US blockade, Cubans are adept at making do, even under the most difficult of circumstances -- not least their athletes and performers who now have to find a way to pursue their dreams during the uncertainty fueled by the pandemic.

Leydi Moya pulls out her epee to practice her fencing as part of her preparations for the next Olympic pentathlon event, whenever that may be.

Moya, youth Olympic champion in Singapore 2020 and triple-medallist at the Panamerican Games in Lima last year, was returning from a training camp in Mexico when the pandemic hit the region.

She knows that the makeshift training regimen she is reduced to at home is a far cry from Olympic-standard fitness training.

"Performance is going to drop," she admits.

It's a similar situation for Daniel Gregorich, a Panamerican champion in Greco-Roman wrestling at his 87 kg weight level, who made Cuba's Olympic team at a recent qualifying event in Ottawa, Canada.

"Sport is health, sport is life and at least it calms my anxiety," the 23-year-old said between sessions of lifting weights and doing push-ups.

- A little gratitude -

Roblejo, the musician, is at times frustrated by not having his usual concert audience because "musicians are used to delivering art live."

But he is also grateful for some of the quarantine's gifts as he plays on his rooftop above the deserted barrio of Playa, where the lulling sounds of the sea are more noticeable now there is no traffic.

"I have to thank this quarantine a little bit, because I studied a bit more and I think I've advanced in my music. Now I want this to be over so that I can show it," said RobLejo, head of the string section of Havana's Conservatory.

In many ways, he admits to being "very happy. I've been locked up and playing alone at home for 20 or 25 days now."

Psychologist Patricia Ares, writing in Granma, the daily of the ruling Communist Party, said "all of us will have to learn to live with adversity.

"We cannot avoid the wind, but we can build windmills."

2020 AFP

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Artists, athletes cling to their dreams on Havana's rooftops - RFI

I bought a house without an in-person viewing. When I signed the contract, I noticed something interesting

I grew up in Newmarket during the 1990s. We lived in Stonehaven, a neighbourhood with lots of young families, which meant there were always kids running around. It was a typical suburban upbringing. We hung out in parks with our dogs and, when we played road hockey on the street after school, cars would actually slow down. After high school, I took film studies at Queens University. Thats where I met my girlfriend, Hilary, who was in the nursing program.

In 2018, Hilary and I moved into a 700-square-foot condo at Lakeshore and Fort York. We liked the location. There were plenty of parks nearby, which made us feel close to nature, but we could also walk downtown in five minutes. Plus, it was pretty close to both of our workplaces. But after living there for a year, we decided we wanted more rooms and square footage. Well probably have a family in the future, so we needed to find something that we could grow into.

We knew one thing for sure: we wanted to move to Newmarket. Ive still got a bunch of family in the area and Hilary likes it there, too. Its got a small-town feel, with friendly neighbours and quiet streets. And nice-sized lots are affordable. Its about an hour-long drive from Newmarket to Toronto, just close enough if we want to drive in for concerts and sporting events. We realized that moving would complicate our work commute, but my schedule is fairly flexible and Hilary doesnt mind driving that much.

In late 2019, we officially started house-hunting. We set a budget around $550,000, with a maximum of $600,000, and started looking. We werent too picky about the number of bedrooms or bathrooms, since anything would be an upgrade from our tiny condo. Our ideal place: a detached home, with a big kitchen because we love to cook, and a spacious backyard where we could barbecue and get to know our neighbours.

We found a three-bedroom, three-bathroom semi in Newmarket with a beautiful kitchen and a long, rectangular yard. It was in our price range, too. We were pretty skittish, since it was our first time bidding on a home, but we submitted an offer. The sale became a bidding war and we backed off quickly. We were only willing to spend $560,000 and it ended up going for roughly $570,000. After that, nothing worked out. There were only a few places within our price range and everything seemed to get scooped off the market immediately. After a few months, by February 2020, we thought, Okay, this is just not going to happen right now. We have to wait until theres a bit of a lull.

On March 11, we took a week-long vacation to Cabo with my family. Everything felt relatively normal when we took off. But the day after we arrived, the bad news started coming in. I remember being out for dinner on our first night there, just enjoying the beautiful weather, when we happened to glance at our phones and see an alert about the NBA shutting down. Im not a huge basketball fan, but being a sports guy otherwise, I thought, Woah, this is real. In the days that followed, I received panicked messages from family, friends, and co-workers. A couple days before we were set to leave, I remember Prime Minister Trudeau looking very seriously at the camera during one of his public announcements and saying, Its time to come home. There were plenty of other Canadians vacationing in Cabo. We all wondered how things would be when we got back. Fortunately, given that we were Canadian citizens, we were allowed to return under the governments travel ban.

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When we arrived back in Toronto, on March 18, we immediately went into a 14-day quarantine, per the federal governments mandate. We figured that our house-buying dreams would be put on hold, at least for the moment, since everything was so chaotic and we figured we wouldnt be able to see anything in person anyway. But a couple days later, on March 22, we got a notice from our realtor about a three-bed, three-bath detached that recently hit the market for $579,000 in Newmarket. We could tell from the listing that the layout was just like the first home we bid on, with a big kitchen and a long backyard. It had these amazing half-century old trees, which shielded the house from the street and offered a sense of privacy. It also had some sentimental value, since it was located on the same street as Hollingsworth Arena, where I played hockey as a kid, and right near South Lake Hospital, where I was born.

Hilary and I knew it was a great price, and we thought hard about it. Within a few hours, our realtor got back to us and said someone else had bought the house. We figured wed be stuck living in the condo for a while. Then, on March 28, our realtor got back to us and said the place was back on the market because the first deal fell through. He asked if we were interested. Since we were still in quarantine, we thought, Lets just put an offer in, conditional on home inspection. At this point, wed only looked at the pictures online.

Some people might be anxious about buying a home without seeing it in person. We were comfortable, though, because wed seen nearly identical homes in the same neighbourhood. Having been through the process of bidding on those other homes, we knew what to expect in terms of things that might go wrong. For instance, the houses in that neighbourhood are a bit older, so theyre likely to have aluminum wiring, which is generally a no-no for insurance companies. But I have an electrician and an insurance broker in the family, so I figured wed be fine. And we didnt think we had the luxury of time to ask for a showingeven a virtual showing. We just jumped on it. That said, if we werent in the middle of a pandemic, we probably wouldnt have been so aggressive.

When I signed the offer, I noticed something interesting. The sellers name looked familiar. I asked the realtor if he could find out whether the seller used to teach at Stonehaven Elementary, where I went to school.

Back in elementary school, I loved telling stories. There are a lot of teachers who dont have the energy to deal with a kid who constantly wants to be performing for everyone else. Except for my homeroom teacher, who always encouraged me to express myself artistically. She was creative, too. In her class, we put on a 1970s adaptation of Macbeth, which included big hair, flared jeans and weird Star Wars references. Its one of my favourite memories. That teacher encouraged me to use my imagination, and shes a big reason why I went on to become a video game developer, a job that involves a lot of creativity. I liked her so much that, when I left her class, I gave her a set of wood and metal wind chimes.

Our realtor contacted the listing agent. It turned out that the seller had in fact been my old homeroom teacher. According to the realtor, she remembered me and said that I was one of her favourite students. When I finally saw her at the home inspection at the house, on April 2nd, we were giving each other air hugs because of the social distancing rules. She and her partner introduced us to their neighbours and showed us around their garden. It was such a warm feeling. Sure enough, dangling from a tree in the backyard, were a set of wood and metal wind chimes.

The home inspection was clean and the closing date is May 14. Hilary and I plan to move in at the end of May. Going back to Newmarket makes it feel like my life is coming full circle. Im not sure if my old teacher will take those wind chimes with her when she moves out. But if she leaves them behind, Ill be sure to buy her a new set.

As told to Liza Agrba

More here:
I bought a house without an in-person viewing. When I signed the contract, I noticed something interesting - Toronto Life

Issued on: 02/05/2020 - 04:12

Sydney (AFP)

The New Zealand Warriors have been cleared to fly into Australia as the National Rugby League moves further toward a season return.

Australian officials granted the team an exemption from a ban on international arrivals into the country on Saturday morning, taking a big step toward the planned May 28 resumption of the sport.

The NRL season was suspended on March 24 after just two rounds amid a government shutdown of all non-essential gatherings in a bid to stem the spread of coronavirus.

"It has been a challenging and often frustrating time for all parties over the last few weeks with so many issues on the table but it has finally come together as of today," Warriors chief executive Cameron George said Saturday.

The Warriors are expected to land in the rural town of Tamworth on Sunday afternoon and begin a 14-day isolation in the town, about five hours drive from Sydney, before the start of the NRL.

George said a negotiation over player pay had been resolved and the team had also been given permission to train in Australia.

Australia's Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton confirmed 36 players and staff had been granted an exemption from the travel ban, clearing the flight to arrive in the country.

"This is an excellent outcome for rugby league and another step towards the competition resuming on May 28," Australian Rugby League Commission chair Peter V'landys said.

"The club will follow the strictest biosecurity protocols and, like all clubs, will participate in an education day about the protocols on Monday morning."

On Friday, the league cleared another hurdle after the Queensland government said players would be able to play, train and travel across borders currently locked down as part of coronavirus restrictions in the country.

"I said I was as keen as anyone else to see the NRL return and I meant it," Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said.

But after several players were caught breaching social distancing requirements earlier this week, V'landys warned players would have to be responsible to assure the league's return.

"It's up to the players -- if there's a slip-up... and they do the wrong thing -- that puts the whole rugby league season in doubt," he said.

Under plans thrashed out by the league and its broadcast partners this week, the season will be cut from 25 rounds to 20 -- including the two already played -- with a four-week playoff series ending in a Grand Final on October 25.

The three-match State of Origin series between New South Wales and Queensland, normally played mid-season, will shift to November for the first time.

2020 AFP

Go here to read the rest:
NRL steps toward return as Warriors cleared to land - RFI

When do we draw the line between early adoption and, uh, regular adoption? With virtual reality, maybe its right now. Years of sluggish sales had me convinced that virtual reality might disappear with nary a whimper, but then the hardware got better, the games got better, and suddenly people are talking about VR again. And hey, being essentially trapped in your house for weeks on end doesnt hurt.

The hardware landscape has gotten a lot more confusing since the first-gen Oculus Rift and HTC Vive debuted in 2016. We have tethered and untethered headsets, different resolutions, different lensesand what the hell is MR anyway?

Were here to guide you in the right direction. Below youll find our recommendations, whether youre a first-timer or an early adopter looking to upgrade. And if youre looking to buy right now, youre probably going to have to settle for whatevers in stock. Headsets have been in short supply since the Half-Life: Alyx reveal in November. Still, lets pretend all these headsets are in stock for the moment, at least.

Well update this list periodically to accommodate new releases as well, though with the Valve Index and Oculus Quest less than a year old (at time of writing) it might be a while before we see better hardware worth buying.

It's pricey, but Valve's new virtual reality headset is the one to beat thanks to its crisp display and high field of view.

The Valve Index is the best all-around headset you can buy at the moment. Best optics, best audio, best comfort, best tracking, and (once you get used to them at least) best controllers. Best everythingexcept the price, which at $1,000 (for the headset, controllers, and base stations)Remove non-product link is bound to make even the most enthusiastic adopter wince.

Its 2880x1600 resolution and 130-degree field of view mean you can see the digital world clearer than ever, and more of it. The Index also supports up to a 144Hz refresh rate, though youll need a monster of a PC to hit that frame rate consistently.

But its the less immediately noticeable features that make the Index stand out to me. The tracking is rock-solid, just like withthe original HTC Vive. Valve still relies on base stations, which make the Index a pain to set up and dismantle, but ensure the system will almost never lose track of a controller or the headset. The audio is top-tier as well, replacing the old headphones method with two speakers that float over your ears, creating an ultra-realistic audio field that surrounds you instead of merely sounding like...well, headphones.

Last but not least, the Index Controllers (or Knuckles) are the most advanced on the market today. The controllers strap over the backs of your hands and sensors embedded in the grips help track each individual finger, allowing you to open and close your hands, squeeze cans until theyre crushed, or (most likely) flip enemies the ol middle finger.

Nobody else allows you to do that. Maybe thats worth the $1,000 cost of entry on its own.

At $799 for just the headset, the HTC Vive Pro is probably destined to remain a niche product. Early adopters who've been pining for a resolution bump though will find it hard to go back after trying one out.

Valve isnt the only high-end headset in town. Though Valve is no longer partnered with HTC, the Vive Pro is still a solid alternative to the Index. It has the same 2880x1600 display and uses the same rock-solid Lighthouse tracking. The only real difference is that the Vive Pro uses headphones instead of speakers, and ships with the old Vive wands instead of the more futuristic Index Controllers. It also costs more than the Index ($1,200 vs. $1,000 for the whole system, sans PC), so theres really no reason to opt for the Vive Pro insteadunless of course the Index remains in scarce supply.

The Oculus Quest feels like the first virtual reality headset with true mass-market appeal, providing a room-scale experience without the need for a gaming PCor wires of any kind.

If you dont want to plunk down $1,000 for the Valve Index (and I dont blame you) then my next recommendation is the Oculus Quest. Why? Because its a VR headset youll actually use.

Quest is the first untethered headset thats actually worth a damn, by which I mean it provides a desktop-caliber experience without the need for a desktop PC. If youre simply looking to play Beat Saber or Job Simulator or The Room VR or any of a dozen other VR games with minimal fuss, Quest is the way to go. No wires means you can set it up anywhere youd like, or even take it on the road.

And as an added benefit, the Oculus Link Cable allows you to turn Quest into a full-fledged PC headset to rival the Oculus Rift. Sure, an $80 cable is ridiculous. I think we can all agree on that. The Quest/Link combo feels like magic though, enabling you to play top-tier VR games like Half-Life: Alyx and Lone Echo (and my favorite Google Earth VR) when you have a PC handy, and then return to your carefree wireless life when youre done. Its the best of both worlds.

Sure, theres some image compression when you use Link, and Quests tracking isnt quite as good as Oculuss tethered alternative, the Oculus Rift S. But its good enough, and youre essentially getting two headsets for the price of one. Even before Link, I wouldve probably recommended Quest to most people over one of the tethered headsets. With Link? Theres no contest.

That said, if youre really, absolutely, totally certain youll never want to use your VR headset away from your PC? Oculuss Rift S is a perfectly serviceable fallback. Again, I find it hard to recommend the Rift S personally, but thats only in comparison to its more capable cousin.

Side note: Its also worth noting that buying a Quest or Rift S is technically the only way to play Oculus exclusives, including Lone Echo, Asgards Wrath, Wilsons Heartbasically, a significant portion of the best VR games. Index and Vive owners can try LibreVR/Revive, but the results are sometimes lackluster and its very much a community-built workaround. Oculus has been pretty hands-off with Revive for a few years now, but theres always the chance you wake up and it simply no longer works.

If we chart the progression of video games from Spacewar and Zork all the way through to 2016, then the HTC Vive is the next logical step towards realism.

This is less of an official buy-it-here recommendation and more just a practical suggestion. If youre looking to get into VR on-the-cheap, keep an eye out for secondhand HTC Vives and Oculus Rifts. The Vive, in particular.

While its now 4-year-old hardware, the Vive is still a perfectly suitable entrypoint for VR. If youre playing in a living room or bedroom, the original Lighthouse tracking will be just as solid as the upgraded version that ships with the Valve Index. The Vive wands are also perfectly suitable, and the only thing youll probably want to replace is the faceplate (because gross) and the strap, assuming your secondhand unit comes with the original elastic instead of the superior Deluxe Audio Strap add-on.

After years of dev kits and prototypes and behind-closed-door demos, the Oculus Rift is finally ready for consumers. Welcome to VR.

On the Rift side, youll want to make sure your secondhand unit comes with the Oculus Touch controllers and at least two (but preferably three) of the cameras used for tracking. Room-scale support for the original Rift isnt nearly as good as with the Vive, but if you can find one for cheap, go for it.

And nows your chance, really. A lot of people are dumping their old Vive and Rift hardware to upgrade to the Quest, Rift S, and Index. You might be able to get in on-the-cheap if youre lucky.

A few years ago Microsoft decided it was also going to get into VRor rather, into all of the Rs. Combine virtual reality (VR) with augmented reality (AR) and you get...Mixed Reality, or MR. Or thats how Microsoft pitched it, at least.

But really, all of the MR headsets are just VR headsets. I know, its confusing, but Microsofts AR tech is still confined to HoloLens, which targets enterprise use cases. The consumer-focused Windows Mixed Reality headsetsby companies like Acer, Dell, and HP dont really do anything more than the rest of the competition.

They are really cheap though, which might make you wonder: Is this a good place to get into VR? If its your only option, sure, go for it. Just know that youre signing up for a compromised experience. Windows MR was the first platform to mount cameras on the headset to track both the players position and the controllers.

Being first out of the gate has drawbacks though. All of the Windows MR headsets are restricted to two front-facing cameras for tracking. This works fine if youre holding your hand out where the cameras can see, but the tracking is easily broken by any number of everyday actions: Hand behind your head, hands down at your sides, and so on.

Can you deal with it? Sure, and if its your first VR experience you probably wont know any better. Its a lesser experience though, and given how much prices have come down for the Oculus Quest and Rift S, the Windows MR headsets no longer seem like as much of a bargain. Hell, the $649 HP Reverb (the top-tier Windows MR headset at the moment) costs more than either the Quest or Rift S, and provides a lesser experience.

We used the headsets. And used them. And used them. And used them.

No, seriously. Whenever we review products at PCWorld, we use them for some period of time. I might put a keyboard through its paces for a few weeks, for instance. But Ive been covering VR since the early days, when all you could buy was the original Oculus Developer Kit.

With such a limited hardware pool, you can trust that Ive gotten a lot of use out of our VR headsets. The original Vive lasted two years until the Vive Pro came along. That, in turn, stayed on my desk until the Index arrived last year. And the first-gen Oculus Rift had the best run of all, making the trip in and out of my closet fairly regularly from 2016 until the Quest and Rift S released last yearand on the day I finally retired my original Rift, I celebrated, because I no longer needed to use four different USB ports for a single VR headset.

Point being, Ive put these headsets through their paces and feel confident speaking to the pros and cons of each, be it comfort, optics, the controllers, or even just the price.

Want to delve into more detail? Check out the list of reviews below, where we go more in-depth on the products above, and a few more besides. Well keep updating this list on a regular basis (meaning whenever there are new headsets to cover) so be sure to check back in and see whats going on with VR.

The rest is here:
The best VR headsets for 2020: Every option reviewed and ranked - PCWorld

EDITORS CHOICE 06.04.20

Leigh Prather / Shutterstock.com

Climate change, environmental issues, global warming, carbon emissions, pollution these are all terms we hear every day in the news and something that is starting to be tackled across the world. Amy Wallington finds out how home automation can help reduce our carbon footprint.

Obviously, the best way to save energy is to use less, but that is not always easy. Consumers might think they are saving energy and money by having a smart meter in their home. That might be the case for some, but it is unlikely that people are using less energy than before just because they know their daily usage.

Instead, home technology can help homeowners save energy and reduce their carbon footprint. Often an initial expense will save money in the long run. However, Dean Reddy, product marketing specialist at ABB points out: There is often a misconception as homeowners think that a professionally installed home automation system would cost the earth. On average, a basic install will cost around two per cent of the overall value of the property. Studies have shown that you can save up to 30 per cent on utilities with an automation system compared to a conventional install.

This is a great opportunity for system integrators to use technology to create an efficient ecosystem in homes and actually make a difference. Yasemin Borg is the prescription manager at Schneider Electric and agrees: According to the 2019 Committee on Climate Change report, CO2 and hazardous gasses are mostly emitted from buildings. Considering that such systems and increasing awareness in society can help lower emissions, this is solid proof that a connected smart home is more beneficial than a normal home.

Climate change is a huge issue and we are starting to see the effects take shape through natural disasters, higher temperatures and melting ice caps, just to name a few. Most recently, we have seen the devastation in Australia caused by bushfires due to record high temperatures and no rainfall. Simon Johnson, UK sales manager at EnOcean recognises the problems: In view of the devastation climate change could have on the planet, we all need to do our bit and help reduce energy usage. Unfortunately, the majority of existing homes in the UK do not have any kind of active energy saving devices installed. New builds are improving with more stringent regulations on the actual construction, including better wall and loft insulation, more advanced door and window systems, and the drive away from fossil fuelled heating sources, but with regard to active controls, even new builds are a long way from being slightly clever, never mind smart.

Reddy thinks that the UK is behind the rest of Europe on standardising smart homes. He says: Unfortunately in the UK we are not building homes of the future that are adaptable or intelligent. We really do need to catch up with our European neighbours as they have been using home automation systems for the past 30 years.

R.Moore / Shutterstock.com

Using natural elementsIntegrator Adrian Brown, technical director of Alpha Touch Limited, thinks that home automation professionals are in a key position to take action against climate change. He recognises: As a tech industry, we should really be taking the lead in finding ways of making the best use of technology to make more efficient use of the energy available and particularly how we can harness the likes of sun, wind, water, and other natural elements.

Brown is experimenting with different smart energy technologies in his own home so that he knows what possibilities he can offer his customers to make their homes more efficient. In terms of smart energy, we have installed solar panels coupled with sonnen battery storage, discloses Brown. The solar panels are giving us free energy eventually, once [the investment is] paid back. Realistically that will probably take about 10 years. Yes, there is an upfront cost, but longer term, it will pay for itself.

In this particular case, Brown recognised that he could use a Loxone system to make more efficient use of the excess energy created from the solar panels. He explains: Rather than exporting the excess energy back to the grid, we can harness it and use it ourselves, and using Loxone, we can prioritise where it goes. Initially, when the solar panels are generating power, the primary source is whatever the house is currently consuming on a day to day basis. Once the house has met its demand from the solar panels, it is creating excess energy which can then be used to charge electric vehicles for example.

In our case, once the solar panels have recharged the battery and the house has met its consumption, we divert the excess energy to an immersion heater, he continues. Rather than heating up the hot water tank from oil which is fossil fuel based, we can use that excess energy to heat the immersion heater to get our hot water, and weve saved on the cost of the oil and its better for the environment.

According to Gavin Stokes, country manager UK, sonnen UK, Brown has the best solution for an energy efficient home: From our point of view, one of the most efficient solutions for a household to become sustainable and energy efficient is to produce its own energy. With a photovoltaic (PV) system, up to 75 per cent of the annual demand can be covered by clean solar power. Additional energy from the grid is only needed in case of long bad weather periods or on shorter days in the winter.

A battery storage system like the sonnenBatterie is the heart of this solution. It integrates a smart energy manager that optimises the usage of the self-produced energy. Therefore, the homeowner doesnt have to change their habits.

He continues: Coming from an energy perspective, the smart control of the sonnenBatterie and its own energy supply has clear advantages over a conventional system. After all, the aim of energy management is to enable households to generate as much solar power as possible themselves. To achieve this, the software synchronises itself with the current weather forecasts, for example, then decides when the electricity should be stored or if it should be consumed in the house. A smart control system can have a very strong positive influence on the efficiency and sustainability of a house.

Adrian Brown, Alpha Touch Limited, had solar panels installed into his own home.

When it comes to home automation and energy efficiency, a lot of the time, it can simply be down to how a system is programmed. Brown recognised Loxones strengths in automation and utilised this to create an efficient home system.

He explains: The most efficient way of running a Loxone system is for it to be zoned, so that rather than having a traditional radiator system which heats up the whole house on one circuit, the Loxone system is zoned so that heat is not diverted to rooms that are not being used. It all comes down to programming how the property is making use of its energy and diverting the energy to where its required the most. Integrators need to think very carefully about how people use their houses, while also making intelligent use of how that house is occupied.

Start with the basicsThe best and simplest way to start being energy smart using technology is by automating the basics, which not only makes the homeowners life easier, but also makes it more energy efficient without really trying. The aim of home automation is to facilitate processes at home in a smart way, while serving to individual taste, says Borg. You can start being more energy efficient by monitoring, controlling and programming your heating, ventilation, lighting and home entertainment systems.

Something as simple as motion sensors and PIRs can make a big difference when conserving energy in the home. With many of them being battery-less, its an even better solution to install into peoples homes.

Connected things allow people to easily automate tasks that were once manual, and this automation allows for objects to easily follow schedules or occupants based on sensing technologies, explains Chris LaPr, solutions architect, Zigbee Alliance. For example, using motion features of smart thermostats and switches, temperatures can be lowered or lights turned off when rooms are deemed unoccupied. Gone are the days when people waste energy by leaving lights or devices on when leaving a room or the house.

Taking advantage of greener methods of creating power, Zigbee Alliance has a feature called Green Power, which allows battery-less devices to quickly join Zigbee PRO networks. These types of sensors that dont rely on batteries are extremely eco-friendly and keep waste out of landfills, LaPr says. Rather than relying on batteries, smart switches can be powered using energy resources that are often overlooked such as motion, light or vibration.

For example, Green Power takes advantage of the energy thats used to flip a light switch. That tiny burst of energy is actually powerful enough to send on/off commands to a wireless network, removing the need to use batteries. Today, we primarily see Green Power integrated into smart homes via smart switches, which can often be an easy retrofit option to have a switch wherever its desired.

Built around energy harvesting wireless technology, EnOcean also creates battery-less solutions for an eco-friendly home. Johnson agrees that sensors are a vital element of an eco-friendly home. EnOcean creates a sensor that is positioned near a window. It then senses that the window is open and doesnt allow the heating to be turned on until the window is closed. In Europe, and especially in Germany, thats common place. But in the UK, the amount of buildings you go into where the windows are open and the heating is on, its madness and it shouldnt be allowed to happen. Using a simple window contact that links back to an actuator on the boiler for example, means that if someone opens a window, it automatically turns the heating off. Its common sense when you think about it, but we are slow to adopt it in the UK.

Johnson also suggests that another basic and inexpensive thing to do is to have an ALL ON/OFF switch near the front door or near a bedroom for night use. This can be programmed to control everything that does not need to be on when youre not home or asleep realistically, anything other than the fridge freezer and security alarm as a simple way of turning all appliances off, rather than leaving them on standby.

From an integrators perspective, these solutions are not particularly expensive and it may not be a huge money maker, but these small and simple changes make ethical sense. It also opens the market up to the middle and lower ends, which could in turn increase your business.

Set it and forget itAs previously mentioned, despite containing a lot more technology, smart homes are naturally more eco-friendly and energy efficient than an un-smart home. LaPr agrees with this and thinks the set it and forget it system is the reason why.

He states: Evolving smart technologies brings a host of new possibilities to not only make humans more efficient with their energy use, but more efficient with their time around the home too. The ability to create rules such as, turn the light off in room after 30 minutes of no motion or, turn down the thermostat when an area is unoccupied for 30 minutes can reduce energy waste.

Adrian Brown's energy monitor shows how much energy is produced through solar panels.

Smart shades offer another option to save energy by automatically raising and drawing shades depending on the weather, temperature inside or outside, or time of day. This ability to set it and forget it delivers rewards in both energy savings, comfort and an overall satisfying smart home experience. Leveraging the convenience of your phone and the cloud, consumers can check on devices, or be alerted, and adjust accordingly. These are things you cannot do in a non-connected home.

The Internet of Things (IoT) plays a big part in energy efficient smart homes, and again, is more appealing to the lower ends of the market as a more affordable, off-the-shelf solution that can help them to reduce energy waste. This is also something that the government has recognised, hence the roll out of smart meters. Although smart meters wont necessarily save you energy and money, it does make homeowners more aware of what they are using.

The benefits of IoT in terms of sustainability and efficiency has increased greatly over the last 20 years, explains Borg. Our devices now communicate with each other as we communicate with them. This growth in connectivity is only expected to increase.

The home automation market is currently considered to be in an early high development growth stage, which is forecasted to grow by a further 50 per cent between 2019 and 2023. The government has also officially signed the Net Zero target, which is to bring all greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050.

She continues: There is over 400 million to be invested in public and private buildings, which includes the smart meters program and other innovations bringing energy efficient solutions to the residential space. While the government is publishing policies, investing in infrastructure development and technology is key to be part of this social change.Europe vs. USDont worry, this isnt going to become a political debate! But there is a point to be made that energy prices across Europe are a lot higher than in the US. That might sound like a bad thing to us on this side of the pond but it actually encourages consumers across Europe to invest in smart home technology to make it cheaper for themselves.

According to LaPr: Right now there is a dichotomy between Europe and America. Europeans pay three times as much for energy as the US, so an investment in smart devices for energy savings has a higher return of investment (ROI) for homeowners.

We have all heard Trumps fake news claims about climate change, but all the while the American government are subsidising energy costs, consumers are not encouraged to think about solutions to create a more energy efficient solution.

In countries like the US, the government subsidises much of the energy costs and Americans dont feel the savings impact right now, continues LaPr. If the subsidising stops for any reason in the future and energy prices skyrocket, Americans would probably become more aware and interested in smart energy device investments within their homes.

Statistics from the last few years show that Germany usually pays the most in Europe in energy costs. However it has one of the highest levels of energy efficiency in Europe, according to a 2018 KfW Research report.

Supporting this, Stokes explains how sonnen works in the country: In Germany, we digitally connect the households with each other, so that the surplus of energy which is not needed or stored by the households themselves can be shared with other households in the sonnenCommunity. The remaining grid electricity in return that the household cannot produce itself also comes from renewable energy sources. In recent years, the largest decentralised energy-sharing platform in the world has thus been grown.

We also use a virtual power plant to offer the available storage capacity of the digitally networked sonnenBatteries as a buffer for the power grid. This way, fluctuations in the production of renewable energy can be balanced out in a matter of seconds.

Regional variationsThe UK is also playing a big part in the race to being green, although more can be done. Sonnen recognises the fact that each country has different needs and policies. In principle, it is possible for a household to have its own energy supply with a PV system and a storage system all over Europe, explains Stokes. However, the regulations on the energy market are different in each country, so we adapt our offering.

In addition to Germany, we already have virtual power plants from decentralised home storage systems in Italy and the UK. In the UK we are working with Centrica as part of the local energy management project as well as with a wide range of other forward thinking companies.

One of the biggest things stopping people having smart energy in their homes is the cost, and many say that the government should be doing a lot more to utilise the technology and expertise to help in the fight against climate change.

Theres a lot in the news at the moment about climate change and I think its becoming more and more urgent that we do something, states Brown. As a tech industry, we should be taking the lead in harnessing technology in the best possible way, not just in this country but around the world, to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and make the best of renewables. I think technology can do that.

He continues: I think the government can do a lot more in helping the industry. We decided to install solar panels last summer because we knew that on the 1st October 2019, the VAT on renewables was going to increase from five per cent to 20 per cent. By very stark contrast, fossil fuels coal, oil, etc the VAT was going to stay the same. That doesnt give people an incentive to invest in technology to make their homes more eco-friendly. I strongly believe that the government could do a lot more and reverse that; either reduce the VAT back to where is was or abolish it altogether and put high VAT rates on coal and oil.

Reddy agrees but also thinks builders should play a part too. He states: Although we work with various departments to ensure the technology is considered for government projects, we would certainly like to see the government driving this change. We would welcome a change in legislation so all new builds and rewires have to include an element of control. People are more conscious of the environment and are always looking for ways to reduce their carbon footprint. Homeowners are also becoming more aware and accepting of technology and the benefits it can bring. In the future, I see home automation systems being installed as standard by developers alongside smart appliances.

Stokes thinks the investment in self-sufficient energy supplies is worthwhile. A current generation sonnenBatterie can be used for up to 20 years and a PV system for more than 30 years. In Germany, the investment is paid off after 9-12 years for the average household. After that, they produce and use their clean electricity free of charge.

He continues: There are regional subsidy programmes that provide financial support for investing in own energy supplies. The background to such government support is often that storage is the key technology for a successful energy transition in every country. This is because they can balance out fluctuations in the production of wind and solar energy in a matter of seconds and thus make renewable energy suitable for base load to some extent.

Old habits die hardThe move to have more smart energy in homes is definitely beginning to happen. It needs more development, investment and education but its certainly starting to take some sort of shape. Our everyday devices and utilities are now being built with energy saving features or some sort of intelligence to make it more eco-friendly and efficient.

Johnson points out: I think a lot of appliances going forward will have some sort of intelligence built in. Appliances such as washing machines, tumble dryers, fridge freezers and so one will become intelligent and turn themselves on or off depending on when they are most likely to be used, for example.

He also thinks that old habits die hard and we need to work harder to educate consumers about home automation and the environment. Ultimately, I think cost will always hold people back. We are also very traditional in the way we wire houses so I think anyone who tries to divert too much away from the standard system that we have got will probably struggle because we are frightened of change. If we can use an existing system and just stick bits on to make it intelligent, I think thats probably the way to go. Maybe in the future, houses will be wired totally different, but history would say probably not; we have been doing it this way for 50-60 years. I think the way forward is sticking things to the end that will make it intelligent, I dont think anything will change with regard to that.

However, technology companies are recognising the issues and finding ways they can make a difference. Many are entering into partnerships to create new innovations that will make new technologies that are energy efficient.

Apart from the legislation driving home energy automation, 24 of the largest and most innovative electrotechnical manufacturing companies, including Schneider Electric, are announcing a major commitment to reduce their emissions to net zero by 2050, Borg admits. This is an industry-wide campaign and will influence market trends of the future.

Ultimately, as Borg says: To reduce the effects of climate change, home automation will become a serious requirement, rather than being a luxury investment.

Original post:
Saving the planet one smart home at a time - HiddenWires

Issued on: 09/04/2020 - 03:44

Rio de Janeiro (AFP)

There are no good options these days in City of God.

Venture out in this densely populated Rio de Janeiro favela, and residents risk exposing themselves to coronavirus.

Stay in, and many have nothing to eat.

The Brazilian slum rose to fame in 2002, when an acclaimed film of the same name chronicled the violence, crime and stark choices facing young people growing up on its streets.

"If you run, the beast will get you. If you stay, the beast will eat you," went the film's tagline.

It could just as well apply to the era of COVID-19.

Like 40 percent of Brazil's labor force, people in favelas tend to work in the informal sector, the kind of jobs that become impossible under the stay-at-home measures adopted to slow the spread of the new coronavirus.

"A lot of them are self-employed. They style hair, give manicures, collect cans to recycle, guard people's cars, sell things at the beach," says Samantha Messiades, founder of a charitable organization called Ligacao Cultural (Cultural Connection).

"All these people have lost their income. And they urgently need help," she says, wearing a pink face mask as she watches workers hand out food to needy residents in the slum of 37,000 people.

- A shadow of itself -

Rio de Janeiro is a shadow of itself under coronavirus isolation measures. A hush reigns over its usually jam-packed streets, and authorities have closed non-essential businesses, as well as the city's iconic beaches and tourist attractions.

That means hard times for the 1.5 million people who live in favelas -- a quarter of the city's population.

Messiades originally launched her organization to bring music, theater, dance and other cultural opportunities to children in City of God.

But now she has reinvented it as a food pantry to help people get through the coronavirus crisis.

It is supplying food, soap and basic hygiene supplies to 800 families, thanks to donations from churches, associations and private citizens.

"This is very important and valuable to people here," says Monica Oliveira da Silva, a cleaner among those waiting in a closely-packed line, many with babies and young children.

"The poor have no income and no savings. My children aren't working because they can't. They work in transportation. Everyone needs help," says Maria de Fatima Santos, a retiree.

Favela residents are also living in fear of the destruction a big outbreak could bring to their crowded, under-served communities.

On a street outside the community center where workers handed out boxes of food, a banner gives the global death toll and urges: "Stay home and save lives."

City of God has confirmed only one case of the new virus so far, authorities say.

2020 AFP

Read the original:
Coronavirus adds to struggles in City of God favela - RFI