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PARIS — Raising Earth's average surface temperature another degree Celsius will lock in 2.5 metres of sea level rise from Antarctica alone and an extra three degrees see the frozen continent lift oceans 6.5 metres, scientists warned on Wednesday.

These devastating increases in the global waterline — enough to cripple coastal cities from Mumbai to Miami and displace hundreds of millions of people — would unfold over hundreds to thousands of years.

But the man-made greenhouse gas emissions that could guarantee such an outcome are on track to occur on a timescale measured in decades, they reported in the journal Nature.

One of the study's most alarming conclusions is that hikes in sea level caused by a disintegrating Antarctic ice sheet — which holds enough frozen water to boost oceans 58 metres — would become dramatically larger with each additional degree of warming.

Sea level rise, for example, would average about 1.3 metres (for each of the first two degrees above pre-industrial levels.

Earth's average surface temperature has already gone up one degree since the late 19th century, enough to enhance the severity of deadly heatwaves, droughts and tropical cyclones.

But from 2ºC to 6ºC above that benchmark, the increase in sea level would double to 2.4 metres per degree of warming.

At the upper end of that range, climate change would devastate civilisation and redraw the map of the world's coastlines, scientists say.

Beyond that, each added degree would result in 10 more metres, pushing the entire ice sheet past the point of no return and lifting oceans to levels not seen for millions of years.

"In the end, it is our burning of coal and oil that determines if and when critical temperature thresholds in Antarctica are crossed," co-author Anders Levermann, a climate scientist at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, said in a statement.

An 'existential threat' 

"And even if the ice loss happens on long time scales, the respective carbon dioxide levels can already be reached in the near future."

The ice sheet atop West Antarctica will be the first to go, eroded not so much by warm air but rather warm sea water seeping below the underbelly of glaciers and eroding their ocean-facing edges, known as ice shelves.

"That makes glaciers the size of Florida slide into the ocean," noted co-author Torsten Albrecht, also a researcher at the Potsdam Institute.

Once global warming crosses the 6ºC threshold, the dynamic changes.

"As the gigantic mountains of ice" — up to five kilometres thick — "slowly sink to lower heights where the air is warmer, this leads to more melt at the ice surface," Albrecht added.

This process has already created raging rivers of meltwater on the Greenland ice sheet, which saw a net loss of more than half-a-trillion tonnes in mass last year alone.

"This very important and timely study makes clear the urgent need to stabilise surface temperature rise in line with Paris Agreement targets so as to limit the total committed sea level rise to a few metres," said Matt Palmer, a UK Met Office sea level rise scientist who did not take part in the research.

The 2015 treaty enjoins nations to cap global warming at "well below" 2ºC, and 1.5ºC if possible.

Even a 2ºC world "represents an existential threat to entire nation states," Jonathan Bamber, a glaciology professor at the University of Bristol, told the Science Media Centre, commenting on the study.

"We're looking at removing nations from the map — it doesn't get much more serious than that."

Computer games are not created equal. One of them in particular stands out. It actually is well beyond the traditional notion of game and simple fun. It is in a class of its own and would deserve a different name, to distinguish it from the crop. It is Microsoft’s celebrated Flight Simulator (MFS). After many years of being out of the limelight it is now back, with incredible new features, and is more realistic than ever, benefitting from the sheer processing power of today’s personal computers and from fast web connectivity.

It was first introduced in 1982. By 1993, with its version 5.0, the programme had already reached maturity and had won itself a huge, faithful fan base, the world over. Teenagers would play it, as well as big corporations executives.

I used to play it myself in the 1990s and would proudly say that it is the only computer game I play. Things have not changed since. I still am not interested in any other computer interactive form of entertainment. I learned the most part of the concept and principles of flying aircrafts with it, took off from and landed in a good number of airports without leaving my living room, and saw many friends become addicted, from all age groups.

MFS is rare case of perfect edutainment, the ideal illustration of it. You acquire serious, useful, scientific, technical skills and get your kicks from doing it. If you have never flown MFS you should be prepared for a rush of adrenaline upon your very first attempt at taking off the ground.

Comments on the web written by specialised sites make you want to go and get the software immediately. “A spectacular comeback” says theverge.com. But “… this is not a game for wimpy PCs” notes tomsguide.com. Take heart however, most of the home computers today do meet the minimum requirements. It just would not be right to try and run it on a Core i3 entry-level laptop. And of course, you can enjoy the new MFS 2020 on an Xbox if you prefer.

MFS 2020 comes in three versions. The Standard Edition is $60, the Deluxe is $90 and the Premium $120. The difference is in the number of aircrafts you can choose from, respectively 20, 25 and 35. You can take off and land in 37,000 airports, and customise a limited, selected number of them with astonishing details. 

Already spectacular in the 1990s, MFS 2020 now draws on the raw power of the latest crop of processors by Intel and more particularly on the muscular graphics processors designed and sold by Nvidia and AMD, making full use of the 4K image resolution and video frame rate that were not imaginable even in our wildest dreams at the beginning of the journey with the application. If aficionados did miss MFS during the last few years when it was somewhat dormant, they now think it was definitely worth the wait!

The planes, the scenery, everything you see is absolutely breath-taking, and the smoothness of the motion makes the early versions look like they were taking place in the silent movies’ era, thinking of it all retrospectively.

Some have asked why there is no trial version or demo that one can test and watch before buying. The answer is a long but acceptable one. This type of game (again, not the perfect word to describe MFS…) does not lend itself well to trial and demo. It takes some time just to get started and to feel what is going on in MFS. There are however videos on YouTube that one can watch and that give a good idea of what to expect and that work as perfect appetisers.

In these days of relatively constrained travel habits what can be cooler than to fly everywhere without leaving home?

PANAMA CITY — Cocooned from the outside world, some 200 critically endangered golden frogs are living a sheltered existence in Panama, protected from a devastating fungus that threatens to wipe out a third of the country’s amphibian species — a situation scientists describe as “critical”.

The frogs, which are yellow or gold with black spots, enjoy a controlled environment inside fish tanks installed at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI), a 465-square-metre facility in Gamboa, north of Panama City. 

Though endemic to the lush Central American country, no Panamanian golden frog can be seen in its natural habitat, threatened as it is by a so-called “superfungus” that has decimated amphibians in the wild.

According to a report by the World Wildlife Fund published this week, the planet has lost more than two-thirds of its vertebrates in less than 50 years.

The situation is especially dire in the tropical areas of Central and South America, where the extent of loss is pegged at 94 per cent.

Believed extinct in the wild, only about 1,500 of the tiny Panamanian golden frogs are found in zoos where they can reproduce.

But it is not only frogs that are vulnerable to the fungus. Toads, salamanders and caecilians — limbless amphibians similar to snakes — are also at risk.

“In Panama, we can say that about a third of the 225 species of amphibians are threatened in some way,” said STRI researcher Roberto Ibanez.

Gina Della Togna, a specialist in molecular and cellular biology at the University of Maryland, described the situation as “critical”.

‘Superfungus’

The biggest threat posed to amphibians is chytrid fungus, which spreads through water.

The pathogen is responsible for chytridiomycosis, an infectious disease that scientists say has already caused the disappearance of some 30 species.

The fungus becomes embedded in the animal’s skin and infects it, causing it to be unable to exchange salts and water with the environment.

The disease causes irreparable damage to vital functions. Eventually the animal dies of heart failure caused by asphyxiation. 

“It’s a pretty dramatic and painful disease,” said Angie Estrada, a biologist at Virginia Tech University and administrator of Panama’s Summit Park. 

“When the fungus gets to a place where it wasn’t, it affects populations very much and animals die en masse. It causes certain death in the individuals it infects. It’s a devastating phenomenon,” said Della Togna.

The microorganism was first detected in the 20th century in the Korean Peninsula and scientists warn that it has already spread throughout the world.

“Anywhere in the world where there are amphibians, the fungus is already there,” said Estrada.

It arrived in Panama in the early 1990s and has been wreaking havoc ever since.

“It’s a superfungus that can even affect other species that are not amphibians,” according to Ibanez.

He warned that deforestation, environmental destruction and pollution of streams and rivers caused by humans exacerbate the problem.

Glimmers of hope

Despite the gloomy scenario, scientists point to some glimmers of hope, saying that in the past few years some species believed to have gone extinct have been re-discovered.

Specialists suspect that some amphibians have been able to bolster their defences against infection.

“This gives us hope, knowing that some frogs are returning and that they have ways to counter-attack” the fungus, said Estrada.

Meanwhile, in Gamboa, the STRI maintains some 2,000 specimens from 12 frog species in the hope they can one day be released into the wild to fend for themselves.

“The idea is not to keep these animals in captivity forever. We want to be able to reestablish populations in their natural habitat,” said Ibanez.

To that end, Smithsonian researcher Della Togna is carrying out an assisted reproduction project, where she freezes the animals’ semen in order to impregnate the females and increase their numbers.

With great care, she injects hormones into the tiny frogs that appear to get lost in the palm of her hand.

“Of all the different animals, amphibians are the world’s most threatened,” Della Togna said.

A mild hybrid version of what is perhaps Jordan’s most popularly aspirational car, the Mercedes-Benz E350 is a powerful, comfortable, classy and somewhat conservative executive saloon that seems to thankfully and deliberately downplay its limited electrified capacity.

Looking and driving like a regular E-Class saloon with virtually none of the drawbacks of traditional hybrids, the E350 is in fact very much a petrol-powered car, with a prodigiously powerful yet compact internal combustion engine, subtly assisted by a little intrusive background hybrid system. 

Seemingly available for specific high tax or import duty markets with its moderate capacity high output engine, the E350 is in some ways a hybrid car for more traditional drivers who don’t particularly like hybrids for their driving and packaging compromises. Identical to a garden variety E-Class externally, and with none of the attention-seeking telltale virtue-signalling badges, details, colour schemes or design changes often associated with hybrid and EV version models, the E350 is even more discretely conservative than the full plug-in hybrid E350e.

Elegant and muscular

Somewhat of a bridge model with a new engine and hybrid system but nevertheless the fifth generation E-Class model’s original design, the E350 was first introduced in 2019. But despite an imminent face-lifted E-class in the works with more horizontally-oriented rear lights, the current E350 remains a particularly interesting version given its abilities. That said, the E350’s elegantly arcing lines, long snouty bonnet and grille, tapered rear, and subtle, flowing creases remain fresh and contemporary, especially with the sportier and more muscular AMG appearance package.

Located behind its twin-slat grille and large tri-star emblem, the E350’s new turbocharged direct injection 2-litre 4-cylinder engine develops previous generation V6-like output. Much reworked over the previous generation with higher compression and twin-scroll turbocharger, the E350’s engine develops a mighty 295BHP at 5,800-6,100rpm and a muscular 295lb/ft torque at 3,000-4,000rpm. Driving the rear wheels through a smooth shifting 9-speed gearbox and with a weight roughly estimated at 1.7-tonnes, the E350 scrambles through 0-100km/h in just 5.9-seconds and onto an electronically-limited 250km/h top speed.

Subtle electrification

With a slightly more peaky character and narrower maximum torque band than previous or less powerful 2-litre Mercedes turbo engines, the E350’s delivery wells up quickly and at mid-range in a punchy and powerful manner, right until its redline. Effortlessly quick and responsive in mid-range, the E350 also benefits from short small supplementary bursts of power from its 14BHP and 110lb/ft electric starter/generator 48V mild hybrid system at up to 2,500rpm, and seemingly at full throttle high rev acceleration, as evidenced during test drive.

A mild hybrid system that little interferes with the driving experience and little distorts power delivery, the E350’s mild hybrid system recovers kinetic energy and mostly powers ancillary systems to reduce fuel consumption to a combined 6.7l/100km on the combined cycle, and allows the E350 to automatically coast during driving for further efficiency. This, however, seems more apparent in more sympathetic conditions than experienced during recent heatwave conditions, where the test drive involved plenty of heavy traffic, constant A/C, little use of “Economy’ diving mode and a shorter “sportier” segment.

Smooth and settled

As stable, settled, refined and quiet on highways as expected of quality German executive saloons and with Mercedes’ almost trademark “planted” ride quality, the E350 is a smooth and relaxing high speed long distance express. Additionally, it is as adept in urban environments, and is comfortable and spacious inside — if not with quite as much headroom as its direct predecessor — and benefits from the tight turning circle and easy manoeuvrability that traditionally made the E-Class a favourite of both wealthy executives and taxi drivers, at least in base specification.

Like all Mercedes saloons, the E-Class’ handling abilities have greatly improved in recent years to compete with traditionally sportier rivals. The E-Class has developed a quick and tidily crisp turn-in, and terrific balance and body control. The E350 is also lighter and better weighted than the full hybrid E350e, with lighter, more compact batteries and electric components slung out behind the rear axle. It also loses only half its spare wheel well to hybrid components compared to the more rear-heavy E350e, which loses more boot volume.

Elegantly sporty

Rear grip is similarly good when loaded and leaning into a corner, with wide staggered low profile 245/40R19 front and 275/35R19 rear tyres providing good steering and braking properties. The E-Class, however, now has a more “drifty” disposition on low traction tarmac. With its more surging and higher torque output, coupled with its immediate electric bursts of torque, the E350 — like most rivals — thus tends to rely more on electronic traction and stability controls to manage its power when driven hard through fast but narrow snaking roads than less powerful E-classes.

With intuitive, well-weighted steering, settled re-bound control and a reassuring ride quality, the E350’s great looking optional low profile tyres are ride slightly firm over sudden, jagged textures and imperfections. Inside, front space, driving position, adjustability and comfort are in its favour, as is its classy design, materials and textures, which well match conservative tones with high tech equipment like its huge tablet-like twin screen instrument and infotainment panel. Extensively well-equipped, the E350’s long list of creature comforts, infotainment, safety and driver assistance features, include blind spot detection and reversing camera.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Engine: 2-litre, turbocharged, in-line 4-cylinders

Bore x stroke: 83 x 92mm

Compression ratio: 10.5:1

Valve-train: 16-valve, DOHC, variable timing, direct injection

Gearbox: 9-speed automatic, rear-wheel-drive

Ratios: 1st 5.35; 2nd 3.24; 3rd 2.25; 4th 1.64; 5th 1.21; 6th 1.0; 7th 0.86; 8th 0.72; 9th 0.6

Power, BHP (PS) [kW]: 295 (299) [220] @5,800-6,100rpm

Specific power: 148.1BHP/litre

Torque, lb/ft (Nm): 295 (400) @3,000-4,000rpm

Specific torque: 200.9Nm/litre

Hybrid system: 48V starter/alternator

Electric power, BHP (PS) [kW]: 14 (14) [10]

Electric torque, lb/ft (Nm): 110 (150)

0-100km/h: 5.9-seconds

Top speed: 250km/h (electronically limited)

Fuel economy, urban/extra-urban/combined: 9.1-/5.4-/6.7-litres/100km

CO2 emissions, combined: 153g/km

Fuel capacity: 66-litres

Length: 4,923mm

Width: 1,852mm

Height: 1,468mm

Wheelbase: 2939mm

Overhang, F/R: 841/1,143mm

Headroom, F/R: 1,051/971mm

Shoulder room, F/R: 1,467/1,450mm

Track, F/R: 1,616/1,619mm

Aerodynamic drag co-efficient: 0.26

Boot capacity: 540-litres

Unladen weight: under 1,700kg (estimate)

Suspension: Multi-link

Steering: Electric-assisted rack & pinion

Turning circle: 11.6-metres

Brakes: Ventilated discs

Tyres, F/R: 245/40R19/275/35R19

By Abeer Jabaji

Personal Development Coach and Classical Homeopath

How many times have we given up on our dreams because of our own self-sabotaging beliefs? “Oh, I don’t have the money for it,” or “I don’t have the time!” “I don’t know how to start.” “I have my job and I am too old to start again!” Sounds familiar? 

We had so many dreams and aspirations when we were young. We wanted to make them all come true. As time passed, we put them on the shelf to collect dust. Sometimes we would visit them or daydream about them, but then abandon them again when we got busy with our daily lives. There were bills to pay, kids to get to school and responsibilities to take care of. But is this what we really wanted for ourselves? Did we want to wake up one day only to find out that life just happened while we stayed in our safe spot, our comfort zone? 

I had many dreams. I wanted to become an actress, then a painter and later a poet. I abandoned all three. I never pursued any of them seriously enough. Do I regret not fulfilling any of them? YES. What stopped me? My own limiting beliefs. The good news? It’s never too late to change all that. 

We can create new dreams or revive old ones. But first, let’s identify the self-sabotaging false beliefs we have about fulfilling our dreams. According to Life Coach Peter Banerjea, the following are a few of the most common obstacles we put in our way:

‘It is too hard’

Sometimes we create our own failures before we even start. We tell ourselves: “What do I need to do to fulfil my dream? Money, talent, time and people to help me. I don’t know how or where to start”. And quickly we abandon the dream. If you feel that your dream is difficult, ask yourself, “What can I do now to work on my dream? What baby steps can I take to get me closer to my dreams?”

• If you want to become a writer, write two pages every day

• If you long to become an artist, start by taking lessons, and if money is a problem, the Internet is full of free tutorials and lessons on painting 

• If you want to climb a mountain, start hiking on weekends

• If you aspire to start your own business, begin networking with people in that field

So just by naming an intention and working towards it little by little, you will soon find yourself on your way to achieving your dream. But why do dreams seem so hard and seem out of reach? Because of the following belief…

‘I have to 

succeed quickly’

How quickly? Five years? Ten years? If that feels like it’s too long, ask yourself: “Would I rather get there late or not at all?” We often lack the discipline and perseverance to work hard and consistently because we are looking for instant gratification. When we don’t get it, we give up on our dreams.

‘Either I become 

known or I’m a failure’

Why do we need to be known or be famous for achieving our dream? Why do we need to compare ourselves to others? Each one of us has their own journey in this world. We don’t need to compete. Some of us achieve more than others because their path is different and their mindset is different while others are late bloomers. There is no set rule towards achieving a dream. If we were able to accomplish a part of our dream only, that doesn’t mean we failed. We only fail if we never try. Maybe I will never become a famous actress or painter, but does that mean any achievements I’ve accomplished towards those dreams are just failures? Definitely not. 

‘It’s too late for me’

Do you feel that you missed the train? I felt that on so many occasions, but people kept proving me wrong. So many people achieved their dreams when they were older. Just read up on all the success stories of people who have achieved their dreams after 50, 60 or even 70. There is no limit to what we can do at any age. There is no time limit on realising one’s dream. If you have a dream, you can make it happen at any age. 

‘It’s too risky. 

I might fail’

True! What if you don’t make it? What if all your efforts are in vain? What if your dream remains unfulfilled? What if you fail? What if you lose money and lose your job? You are right! But be honest with yourself. Are you happy where you are now? If one day you look back on your life, will you regret not following your dreams? Not trying enough?

Don’t you think that’s a risk worth taking? Maybe I haven’t fulfilled my initial dreams but many years later, I achieved another one when I became a counsellor and a personal development life coach. So dreams do come true if we want them badly enough. 

Questioning 

our limiting beliefs

If you have a dream, don’t stall any longer. Life is too short for regrets. Your dreams are closer than you think. What baby steps will you take today to bring yourself closer to your dream?

Reprinted with permission from Family Flavours magazine

PARIS — The upcoming release of a ninth generation of games consoles by Sony and Microsoft is set to be a sales slam dunk with consumers seeking entertainment during pandemic confinement, but could it also be their swan song as the habits of gamers change?

Both companies have been dripping out information for months about the PlayStation 5 (PS5) and the Xbox Series X to build excitement, and now have announced the consoles will hit shelves — and living rooms — in mid-November.

Pre-orders for the PS5 quickly maxed out at several retailers, showing many gamers are indeed raring to upgrade and setting up a sales battle just in time for the holiday season.

And it will be a major upgrade in terms of hardware as the current generation of machines were released all the way back in 2013. Both new consoles will offer much more powerful central and graphics processors, support 4K televisions, as well as offer ray tracing, which allows for better rendition of how light behaves. All of this will all make for more fluid and vivid play.

“When one looks at the technical specifications of the new consoles, there 10 times above the current generation. We’re going to have games that are more beautiful, more realistic, more immersive. People are going to be blown away,” said Charles-Louis Planade, a video game expert with Midcap Partners.

Dark cloud in the sky?

Sony has the 110 million PS4 consoles it has sold over the past seven years as a gauge of success, more than double the amount of its competitor the Xbox One.

“For Microsoft, the challenge is to not to let Sony get too far ahead, maybe even the game with it,” Planade told AFP.

Taking into account the growing number of players, the analyst believes it possible they could match their previous success.

Others aren’t so sure given the changes in the industry, which is already beginning to move away from big expensive machines to cloud gaming, where the play is happening online. 

“This generation could be the last physical consoles. It’ll be the last time we’ll here talk of teraflops,” said Audrey Leprince, co-founder of the independent game studio The Game Bakers.

A teraflop refers to the capacity of a processor to calculate a trillion operations, and both Sony and Microsoft have been vaunting the speed and power of their new consoles. 

Leprince said there haven’t been any major innovations with game interfaces or with the games themselves.

But “the stone in the pond... is the shift to the subscription model”, which means the console makers are becoming a “Netflix of video games”, she said.

The subscriptions — Game Pass for Microsoft and PlayStation Plus for Sony “are going to completely revolutionise the industry as was the case for films and music”, said Leprince.

The Game Pass already operates much like a Netflix for video games by offering access to a catalogue of titles, while PlayStation Plus offers other services that are attractive to gamers such as playing online with friends.

“The challenge for the console manufacturers is to hold onto their subscribers so as not to give an opening to challengers such as Google or Amazon,” said Planade.

Cloud gaming

The two web giants are betting on cloud gaming which allows them to dispense with consoles. Games can run on a variety of devices such as smartphones and tablets. As it is the servers in the cloud that do the heavy lifting in terms of processing, there is no need for powerful and costly consoles.

But both firms have also take a step towards cloud gaming by offering lower priced versions of their new consoles without drives. Games have to be downloaded from the web or streamed, and have dedicated xCloud and PlayStation Now services. 

“We’re in a transition phase,” said Laurent Michaud, an analyst who specialises on the video game industry, who expects consoles and cloud gaming to coexist for a while.

The “trends indicate that this won’t be the last generation of consoles”, he believes.

Many gamers value playing on big, high resolution screens, and publishers are going to want to exploit 8K televisions which offer a much superior experience.

“Networks, even in a few years, won’t be rapid enough to transport images for 8K screens”, noted Michaud.

With “technology putting all the manufacturers on the same level” it is the catalogue of games “that will be even more important than in the past for the success of this generation”.

Not by chance both Sony and Microsoft have lined up a number of eagerly awaited game titles to launch with the consoles.

Having the most appropriate computer hardware and software is necessary to use technology efficiently and agreeably. The two aspects are equally important. Indeed, whereas efficiency goes without saying, the pleasure part is not to neglect either. It is not a luxury anymore, considering the long hours we spend using the systems and the networks, and the stress that unavoidably goes with the work and that we absolutely need to relieve as much as possible, in any imaginable way.

To achieve that there are big questions to address, and then there are minor ones. The big ones concern the choice of the brand, of the processor, the size of the hard disk, the version of MS-Office or Google Suite, the size of your external screen, and so forth. This takes time and money.

The minor ones actually are not as “minor” as the adjective may imply. Basically they are free, or at least inexpensive. They range from a nice keyboard to good sounding speakers and friendly plug-in software applications that can do wonders in making your IT life more pleasant.

The latter, humble category, includes countless items to choose from. Two of them, taken from the long list, are particularly interesting.

The good old mouse is a little, apparently negligible item that can do more than just selecting and clicking. If the overwhelming number are basic models that have a left button, a right button and a scroll button in the middle, other types come with more buttons that can be programmed, assigned to do various functions, to replace long series of keyboard actions for example.

I recently found myself working on a long project where I had to perform a large number of double clicks with the left button. By large number I mean several thousands! In addition to the physical stress that this would have put on my wrist and fingers, it would have been too bad to waste time double-clicking. For even a half second when multiplied by 15,000 times, for instance, would have represented about two hours lost.

I used a special four-button mouse in conjunction with a nice little app called XMouseButtonControl designed by British company Highrez. It is legally free (you are also free to donate if you like), and it lets you programme what each of the buttons does exactly. The user interface is intuitive and easy to use. I set the fourth button to do automatic double-clicks, et voilà – it saved my hand. Programming what the buttons do is left to one’s imagination.

The second attractive item on my short list is SparkoCam. Developed by SparkoSoft, the nice software application interfaces with your webcam, or with any Nikon or Canon model you would connect through USB to your computer. Once the connection is established SparkoCam can change the background behind you, not just to a photo from the built-in catalogue or from your own collection of personal pictures, but even from a movie!

It can blur the background without changing it, keeping you sharp and clear, or add various effects to the image, or let little cartoon-like characters wander on your screen, next to you, above you, etc. Having fun while working or while video chatting with your friends is not a sin. It also allows you to record the video stream in excellent image quality. SparkoCam is not free, but at about $50 it comes as the inexpensive and perfect complement to your webcam in these days of going online without restraint.

NEW YORK — With its electric and hydrogen-fuelled trucks, the firm Nikola aims to revolutionise the future of the transportation sector. But with one investor claiming the group is running on empty, it has been having a rollercoaster ride on the stock exchange for the past week.

Founded in 2015 by Trevor Milton, the company is mainly working on the development of trucks and pick-ups powered by electric batteries or hydrogen fuel cells, as well as building out hydrogen recharging stations. 

Although it has not yet built anything, it has forged strategic partnerships with several renowned industrial groups including the German engineering giant Bosch, the Italians CNH Industrial and, most recently, US car-maker General Motors. 

The announcement of the latter partnership on September 8 caused shares to leap 41 per cent on the New York Stock Exchange, where the group was floated in June via a merger with a company called VectoIQ, founded by a former senior executive at GM.

Like Tesla, Nikola has benefited on Wall Street from investor infatuation with electric vehicles, considered to be the future of the automobile.

But the investment company Hindenburg Research published a report on September 10 accusing the start-up of “intricate fraud” based on multiple lies by the company’s founder Milton, who it said “misled partners into signing agreements by falsely claiming to have extensive proprietary technology”.

That announcement triggered a plummet in share value, with stock diving 36 per cent in three days.

Nikola immediately rejected the charges before issuing a more weighty statement of denial on Monday. 

The group said it had been in touch with the Securities and Exchange Commission about the report, which it said was aimed at manipulating its share value, which climbed back 11 per cent on Wall Street Monday.

Staged video

Nikola does not, however, deny one of the more astounding charges levelled against it by the investment company, which was about the staging of a 2017 video showing one of its prototypes in action. 

According to Hindenburg, “Nikola had the truck towed to the top of a hill on a remote stretch of road and simply filmed it rolling down the hill.”

Nikola responded that it had “never stated its truck was driving under its own propulsion in the video” but had simply said that it had been “in motion”. 

Hindenburg shot back Monday that the company’s explanation was “completely inadequate”.

The start-up’s financial director Kim Brady called the report “offensive” to the company’s partners.

Before teaming up with Nikola, he said, Bosch had had its engineers study the project for several months, while GM had taken advice from the major banks and consultancies before buying its 11-per cent stake in the company.

“I think it’s offensive to our strategic partners that you have a short seller who’s doing a hack job and essentially pointing fingers at our strategic partners that they don’t know what they’re doing,” Brady said at an industry conference. “I would suggest it’s ridiculous to think they haven’t done a deep dive.”

For Daniel Ives, an analyst at Wedbush, Nikola’s future depends on how the group executes its strategy between now and 2023. 

“If Trevor and the team can successfully build out its Arizona factory, morph prototypes into models... lay the groundwork for its charging network, and catalyse delivery trucking orders with an attractive gross margin structure then the opportunity for NKLA is massive and the stock will reflect this dynamic,” he said in an advisory note on Monday. 

“However, clearly there is much wood to chop to get there over the next 12 to 18 months and this remains a ‘prove me’ stock in the eyes of investors.”

Can the group become the new Tesla, the electric car company built up by Elon Musk, which is now worth more on the stock exchange than traditional carmakers even though it sells far fewer vehicles?

Probably not, said Ives. Just as Apple and Amazon dominate their respective sectors “there’s one Tesla”. 

“But if successful in their visions, Nikola has a huge opportunity,” he told AFP. “In the Electric Vehicle market, you’re talking about hundreds of billions that’s going to be spent over the next decade. There’s going to be many winners.”

PARIS — The atmosphere of Venus contains traces of phosphine gas — which on Earth can be attributed to living organisms — scientists said on Monday, in a fresh insight into conditions on our nearest planetary neighbour.

Conditions on Venus are often described as hellish with daytime temperatures hot enough to melt lead and an atmosphere comprised almost entirely of carbon dioxide.

A team of experts used telescopes in Hawaii and Chile's Atacama Desert to observe Venus' upper cloud deck, around 60 kilometres from the surface.

They detected traces of phosphine, a flammable gas that on Earth often occurs from the breakdown of organic matter.

Writing in Nature Astronomy, the team stressed the presence of phosphine did not prove the presence of life on Venus.

However, as the clouds swirling about its broiling surface are highly acidic and therefore destroy phosphine very quickly, the research did show that something was creating it anew.

The researchers conducted several modelling calculations in a bid to explain the new phosphine production.

They concluded that their research provided evidence "for anomalous and unexplained chemistry" on Venus.

Lead author Jane Greaves, from Cardiff University's School of Physics and Astronomy told AFP that the presence of phosphine alone was not proof of life on Earth's nextdoor neighbour.

"I don't think we can say that — even if a planet was abundant in phosphorus, it might lack something else important to life — some other element, or conditions might be too hot, too dry," she said.

Greaves added that it was the first time phosphine had been found on a rocky planet other than Earth.

Reacting to the study, Alan Duffy, an astronomer from Swinburne University and Lead Scientist of The Royal Institution of Australia, said it while it was tempting to believe that the phosphine was produced by lifeforms, "we have to rule out all possible other non-biological means of producing it".

He called the finding "one of the most exciting signs of the possible presence of life beyond Earth I have ever seen".

Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate, which has conducted several fly-bys of Venus, called Monday's research "intriguing".

Venus, which rotates in the opposite direction to Earth and where a day lasts 243 times longer, is a subject of intense interest among astronomers.

It is so close and of such similar size to our home planet that some experts believe it serves as a warning of the dangers of runaway climate change.

Previous studies have unearthed tantalising clues suggesting Venus has active volcanoes, including signs of recent lava flows.

With a shrinking post-lockdown economy, reduced purchasing power, re-focused priorities and other restrictions a reality for many people, the Suzuki Alto and cars of its like, have perhaps never been more relevant.

Highly affordable to own, maintain and run, the Indian-made Alto is the product of another developing nation, as part of Japanese brand’s Suzuki-Maruti partnership. A tiny back-to-basics car that regardless features essentials like air conditioning, the Alto is ideally suited as the nimble, frugal and manoeuvrable urban run-around that well covers most needs for most drivers.

Kei-car like convenience

An un-fussed and simply designed 5-door 5-seat hatchback that easily slips through traffic and fits in the tightest parking spots, the Suzuki Alto’s small footprint and diminutive dimensions originate from Japan’s restrictively-sized low tax urban-oriented “kei car” designs. Its tall, slim and upright design, meanwhile, provides excellent visibility of the road and the Alto’s extremities, which in turn makes it easier to place on road and more accurately manoeuvre. Riding with 160mm ground clearance and wheelbase and overhangs, the Alto is also well-paced to cope with tall bumps and broken or unpaved roads.

Weighing just 755kg, the Alto is powered by a proportionally small naturally-aspirated 0.8-litre 3-cylinder engine driving the front wheels. Developing 47BHP at 6,000rpm and 51lb/ft torque at 3,500rpm, the Alto returns frugal 4l/100km/h fuel consumption, and long driving range from its 35-litre fuel tank. Accelerating through 0-100km/h in around 15.2-seconds, the Alto isn’t exactly quick, but feels faster with its low weight, slim tyres and little insulation, and is brisk enough for urban speeds. Not ideal for long distance or high speed cruising, the Alto, however, can achieve up to 140km/h on highway duties.

Perky and chirpy

Well keeping up with urban traffic flow, the Alto’s eager 3-cylinder is a joy to rev right to its redline, while its slick, quick short throw 5-speed manual gearbox is even more fun and engaging, especially with its close ratios and intuitive clutch biting point. Great fun being worked hard, the Alto’s front wheels can even be induced to let out a quick chirp on a well-timed and quick high rev up-shift to second gear. With little weight to carry around, the Alto’s progressive tiny engine delivered better mid-range flexibility and top-end confidence than expected. 

Tested in recent heatwave conditions, with air conditioning at full blast and two passengers of around 200kg combined, the Alto drove seamlessly, but expectedly required one to shift down to first gear rather than second at very low speed. That said, the Alto proved a lot perkier in low speed second gear driving with the A/C off, and felt gutsier and punchier digging deep and pulling with more confidence, when powering out of hairpin corners. Expectedly eager through such corners, the Alto’s body lean was however better controlled despite its narrow and tall shape.

Go-cart like go-getter

Falling under the category of a go-cart like lightweight, small and modestly powered car that is fun to drive briskly and at full tilt, the Alto’s low weight and short wheelbase play much in its favour and make it a particularly darty and nimble drive. Turning on the clichéd and proverbial dime, the Alto is tidy, quick and eager changing directions, with taut front grip and effortless manoeuvrability, including a short 9.2-metre turning circle. A fun car to drive through tight and narrow corners, the Alto has an engaging, intuitive and little filtered sense of connected driving charisma.

Well-suited for urban and environments and even less developed locales, the Alto delivers more driving clarity than many heavier, clumsier and more filtered cars. Its power-assisted rack and pinion steering is light, yet, direct, and just about quick enough in its ratio. Front solid disc and rear drum brakes are meanwhile responsive and effective slowing down its small mass, while thin high sidewall 145/70R13 tyres are affordable, durable and comfortable. Ride quality from its MacPherson front and rigid three-link rear axle suspension is, meanwhile, comfortable, supple and stable, if slightly bouncy when easily dispatching lumps and bumps.

Accommodating and affordable

A convenient, practical and well-packaged car with comparatively good 180-litre boot space, even with a full spare tyre, the Alto accommodates much more with the rear seats folded. Accommodating five passengers, the Alto’s headroom is generous, but shoulder and leg space is less accommodating for larger rear occupants. Its driving position is upright and offers good visibility and storage spaces, but shoulder room could be better for larger, taller drivers who could need to adjust the seat all the way back and use the seatbelt’s full length. Controls are meanwhile simple and within easy reach, including both manually-adjustable mirrors. 

Airy, pleasant and user-friendly inside but with no pretentions at luxury, the higher spec version Alto — as imported for Jordan — features air conditioning, electric front windows, two built-in rear head-rests, two three-point rear seatbelts and dealer-fitted remote control USB-enabled CD player. Among the most attainable new cars in Jordan at JD8,900 on-the-road minus insurance, the Alto is also affordable in the long run, with a 60,000km/3-year warranty. Significantly lower than most cars, Alto dealership spare part prices include JD8 spark plugs, JD55 front and JD19 rear lights, JD49 front bumper and mirrors at JD20 apiece.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Engine: 0.8-litre, transverse 3-cylinders

Bore x stroke: 68.5 x 72mm

Compression ratio: 11:1

Valve-train: 12-valve, DOHC, multi-point injection

Gearbox: 5-speed manual, front-wheel-drive

Gear ratios: 1st 3.545; 2nd 1.904; 3rd 1.28; 4th 0.914; 5th 0.756

Reverse/final drive: 3.583/4.47

Power, BHP (PS) [kW]: 47.3 (48) [35.3] @6,000rpm

Specific power: 59.4BHP/litre

Power-to-weight: 62.6BHP/tonne

Torque, lb/ft (Nm): 51 (69) @3,500rpm

Specific torque: 86.6Nm/litre

Torque-to-weight: 91.4Nm/tonne

0-100km/h: under 15.2-seconds (estimate)

Top speed: 140km/h (estimate)

Fuel consumption, combined: 4-litres/100km (estimate)

Fuel capacity: 35-litres

Length: 3,430mm

Width: 1,490mm

Height: 1,475mm

Wheelbase: 2,360mm

Overhang, F/R: 597/473mm

Tread, F/R: 1,295/1,290mm

Ground clearance: 160mm

Kerb weight: 755kg

Gross vehicle weight: 1,185kg

Luggage, minimum: 180-litres

Steering: Power-assisted rack & pinion

Turning circle: 9.2-metres

Suspension: MacPherson struts/three-link rigid axle, trailing arm

Brakes, F/R: Discs/drums

Tyres: 145/70R13

Price, JD8,900 (on the road, excluding insurance)