Technology

Is it okay to simply shout down the laptop screen once you’re done, or should you turn your computer off at night? There is no easy one-size-fits-all solution to this, as with all of life’s major issues, but there are certain aspects to consider.

According to a survey of 1,000 Americans conducted by Panda Security, just 37% of users shut off their laptops every night. It’s commonly considered that shutting down after the day is done is best practice, as if the computer, like the rest of us, requires a good night’s rest. However, turning off your computer after each use isn’t always essential.

Most computers will fall into “sleep mode” after a set length of time if left alone. When you close the screen on most laptops, they go into sleep mode as well. However, this may be altered in the settings.

This is essentially a low-power mode that consumes little energy while keeping all of your files, applications, and data operating in the background but on temporary hold. When you press the keyboard or wiggle the mouse, you’ll be able to go back to work faster. It’s also useful if you want to run updates, scan for viruses, or perform other tasks while your computer is turned off.

Furthermore, there are certain disadvantages to this. If you’re connected to an unprotected network in public, it’s not a good idea to put your computer to sleep since it’ll be more open to cyberattacks. Leaving a computer in sleep mode consumes electricity, which is something to consider if you’re watching your budget. When it comes to electricity, you should consider purchasing a surge protector, which will safeguard your computer from power surges that might harm its components.

Turning your computer down completely from time to time is also beneficial since it clears the RAM, allowing it to run more smoothly.

Another item to consider is how frequently you will use it. Switching on a computer consumes a significant amount of energy, and some say that this spike might place a strain on the system, potentially reducing the machine’s lifespan. This is why some experts recommend that regularly used computers be turned on and off no more than once per day and that a full shutdown be performed only when the computer will not be used for an extended length of time.

“It depends on how frequently you use it,” said Steven Leslie, a Geek Squad representative, in an interview with Digital Trends. “It’s recommended to leave your computer on if you use it several times every day.” If you just use it for a short period of time — say, an hour or two — once a day, or even less, turn it off.”

“Leaving a computer on all the time is less stressful than turning it on and off multiple times a day — but it is persistent stress,” Leslie noted.

Overall, the question boils down to how you utilize your computer. As a general rule, leaving your computer on for days at a time will not hurt it if you use it frequently, but it’s good giving it a weekly thorough shutdown and take certain safeguards.

According to tradition, a wolf laid the foundation for the Roman Empire. More than 2,700 years later, some of the civilization’s last and best-preserved relics still have a canine guardian — but with a very 21st-century twist.

Spot, Boston Dynamics’ four-legged robot “dog,” is here to help. He’s recently started a new job, guarding the Pompeii ruins.

The spot was created in 2015 for search and rescue missions in areas that were too risky or inaccessible for people. He’s also exceptionally firm on his feet, especially on uneven or slippery terrain—a combination of skills that Pompeii officials feel makes the dog ideal for this new job.

Today, thanks to the collaboration with high-tech companies and in the wake of successful experiments,” said Gabriel Zuchtriegel, Director General of Pompeii Archaeological Park, “we wish to test the use of these robots in the underground tunnels that were made by illegal excavators and that we are uncovering in the area around Pompeii.”

“The safety circumstances within the tunnels excavated by tomb robbers are sometimes highly perilous, as a result of which the deployment of a robot might represent a breakthrough that would allow us to go at a faster pace while being completely secure.”

The spot isn’t the only high-tech instrument making its premiere at the old archeological site: park experts have previously been testing with the Leica BLK2FLY, a flying laser scanner capable of doing autonomous 3D scans, according to a press statement issued on Monday. Spot has his own autonomous laser scanner and a color camera with a 360-degree field of vision, but he can also be linked to the BLK2FLY to monitor the site as a group.

Spot and BLK2FLY are two of the very first instances of autonomous robots utilized at archeological sites. There are good reasons for this: “technological advances in the world of robotics… have produced solutions and innovations typically associated with the industrial and manufacturing world,” according to Zuchtriegel, “until now [they] had not found an application within archaeological sites due to the heterogeneity of environmental conditions, and the size of the site.”

Spot definitely has his job cut out for him, with his new home encompassing 66-hectares (163-acres) of old and unstable ruins. But his appointment couldn’t come at a better time: while Pompeii remained intact for over two millennia after Mount Vesuvius’ explosion, in recent years the site has begun to succumb to an even deadlier foe than volcanoes: humanity.

Pompeii was declared a state of emergency by the Italian government in 2008 due to tourism demands, climate change, and plain old-fashioned tombaroli – the local term for tomb robbers. The deteriorating status of the monument was brought to light again in 2010 when the House of the Gladiators collapsed, with opponents claiming that preservation efforts had been poorly managed. By 2013, the situation had deteriorated to the point where Unesco threatened to put Pompeii to a list of endangered world heritage sites unless Italian authorities took action.

But, with Spot and his flying companion BLK2FLY, Pompeii officials aim to find a cutting-edge way to preserve and maintain this historic city.

“The goal of using innovative technological solutions is precisely to improve both the quality of monitoring of existing areas, and to further our knowledge of the state of progress of the works in those areas undergoing recovery or restoration, and thus to manage the safety of the site, as well as that of workers,” park officials said.

“[The project] seeks an intelligent, sustainable, and inclusive administration of the park via the application of an integrated technology solution, transforming Pompeii into a Smart Archaeological Park.”

Researchers from North Carolina State University and the University of Buffalo created and tested a “self-driving lab” that employs artificial intelligence (AI) and fluidic systems to increase our understanding of metal halide perovskite (MHP) nanocrystals. This self-driving lab may also be utilized to study a wide range of other semiconductors and metallic nanoparticles.

Milad Abolhasani, an associate professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at NC State and corresponding author of a publication on the study, says “We’ve constructed a self-driving laboratory that can be utilized to enhance both basic nanoscience and practical engineering.”

The researchers concentrated on all-inorganic metal halide perovskite (MHP) nanocrystals, cesium lead halide (CsPbX3, X=Cl, Br), for their proof-of-concept presentations. MHP nanocrystals are a new class of semiconductor materials that have the potential to be used in printed photonic devices and energy technologies due to their solution-processability and unique size- and composition-tunable features. MHP nanocrystals, for example, are highly efficient optically active materials that are being considered for application in next-generation LEDs. And, because they may be produced utilizing solution processing, they have the potential to be produced at a low cost.

Solution-processed materials, which include high-value materials like quantum dots, metal/metal oxide nanoparticles, and metal-organic frameworks, are created with liquid chemical precursors.

MHP nanocrystals, on the other hand, have yet to be used in industry.

“Part of this is due to the fact that we’re still learning how to synthesis these nanocrystals in order to create all of the features associated with MHPs,” adds Abolhasani. “And, in part, because synthesizing them necessitates a level of accuracy that makes large-scale manufacture uneconomical. Both of these difficulties are addressed in our work here.”

The new technology builds on Abolhasani’s lab’s Artificial Chemist 2.0 idea, which was announced in 2020. Artificial Chemist 2.0 is a fully autonomous system that performs multi-step chemical synthesis and analysis using AI and automated robotic technologies. In practice, the system focused on tailoring the bandgap of MHP quantum dots, allowing consumers to move from requesting a bespoke quantum dot to completing the necessary R&D and starting production in under an hour.

“Our novel self-driving lab technology can dope MHP nanocrystals on demand, adding manganese atoms to the crystalline lattice of the nanocrystals,” explains Abolhasani.

Doping the material with various quantities of manganese alters the nanocrystals’ optical and electrical capabilities while also introducing magnetic features. Doping MHP nanocrystals with manganese, for example, can alter the wavelength of light emitted by the material.

“We now have even more control over the characteristics of the MHP nanocrystals,” explains Abolhasani. “In other words, the universe of possible hues that MHP nanocrystals may create has grown. It’s not just about the hue. It has a substantially wider spectrum of electrical and magnetic characteristics than other materials.”

The new self-driving lab technology also allows researchers to learn how to manufacture MHP nanocrystals to get the appropriate mix of attributes faster and more efficiently. “ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BflpW6R4HI ” is a video of how the new technology works.

“Let’s assume you want to learn more about how manganese doping and bandgap tuning influence a certain class of MHP nanocrystals, such CsPbX3,” explains Abolhasani. “If you were to control for every potential variable in each experiment, there are around 160 billion different experiments. Using standard procedures, learning how those two processes—manganese doping and bandgap tuning—affect the characteristics of the cesium lead halide nanocrystals would take hundreds or thousands of trials.”

The new system, on the other hand, accomplishes everything on its own. Its AI algorithm, in particular, picks and performs its own trials. It continues to execute experiments until it knows which processes regulate the MHP’s many qualities, based on the findings of each completed experiment.

“In a practical demonstration,” Abolhasani explains, “we discovered that the system was able to gain a full grasp of how these processes modify the characteristics of cesium lead halide nanocrystals in only 60 tests.” “In other words, instead of months, we can receive the knowledge we need to develop a material in hours.”

While the paper’s research focuses on MHP nanocrystals, the autonomous system might also be used to describe other solution-processed nanomaterials, such as a wide range of metallic and semiconductor nanomaterials.

“We’re thrilled about how this technology can expand our understanding of how to regulate the characteristics of these materials,” adds Abolhasani, who also points out that the system may be used for continuous production. “So you can utilize the system to figure out the optimum way to make your desired nanocrystals, and then configure the system to produce material nonstop—and with great precision.”

“We’ve developed cutting-edge technology. We’re now searching for collaborators to help us adapt this technology to particular industry concerns.”