Whistle for help with Geko's Smart Whistle

The world’s first Smart Whistle by Geko is created with GPS tracking and Bluetooth technology that alerts your family and/or police or ambulance directly whenever you are in need of help.

How it works:

This new device works together with an app called WISO. After downloading the WISO app on your smartphone simply pair it to your Geko Smart Whistle.

On the app you are able to select the contacts you wish to notify in case of an emergency or accident when you need help or assistance.

If you want to activate your SOS alerts, blow on the mouthpiece or press on your Smart Whistle’s button for two seconds. Doing this will automatically call (Android only), text, and email your contacts.

The texts and emails will contain an SOS message, along with a map guiding to your current location, this information will be updated continuously every two to three minutes until deactivation of the alert.

After deactivating the alert, your contacts receive another message informing them of your safety. 

Features of the Geko Smart Whistle:

Bluetooth:

The Smart Whistle comes with Bluetooth technology to allow pairing between it and your WISO app. Through Bluetooth it syncs with your phone and app and allows texts/emails to be sent once activated.

Audio Recording & Messaging:

You can send your preselected loved ones a personal recording to let them know what’s happening.
Aside from sending digital alerts to your pre-selected contacts, you can also keep blowing your whistle and/or set your app to play a loud siren to attract attention, or, even set stealth mode to remain quiet.

GPS on Google Maps:

You will be easily able to be tracked during an emergency on Google Maps via the WISO app, or online. When the Smart Whistle is activated, your contacts will receive the SOS alerts with a simple and discreet location info on a map straight to their phone or email. After this the WISO app will update your contacts with your current location every three minutes! This will automatically go on until alert is deactivated.

IOS and Android suitability:

As long as you are connected to the internet it does'nt matter whether you have an iOS or Android device, you’ll be able to pair your Smart Whistle to both and activate your SOS alerts. There are no seperate monthly service plan/ contract required.

Lifehack Finders Nice to Know:

This device is especially suitable for women, kids, students, elderly who live alone, and athletes who practice (extreme) sports individually.

It comes with 1 year guarantee and is available in different colours.

The strap is designed to be stretchy and flexible in order to be strapped on anywhere / anything and is made durable for outside use and different weather types.

You also receive 30 free SOS SMS per month and unlimited email/call notifications up to 3 contacts.

1 Candle x 12 with Rekindle

Benjamin Shine must have had a momentous spark of true inspiration which lead him to make Rekindle: the candlestick holder which slowly but steadily turns into a brand new candle, as it burns and melts away.

Rekindle is a self-regenerative wax candle stick that consists of a tubular acrylic stem that holds and remolds the melting wax of the candle as it is burning into a second new candle.

As the wax accumulates inside the stem, it hardens around a strip of wick running through the center, as a result all you'll need is a new wick to recreate the original candle.

The recycled candle is however a little smaller, because every time it burns all the way through, the flame is generated by burning wax vapours.

Still the Rekindle lets you re-use your candles in the most effective way, up to 12 times!

Very useful during a cold season where extreme storms have been shutting down cities and especially in case of other emergencies where the electricity is off for an  uncertain period of time.

Lifehack Finders Nice to Know:

The designer can customize this item to your choice of stainless steel, anodized aluminum, or porcelain.

If you are interested in this please contact Benjamin Shine directly.

Prime numbers: Amazing patterns in 3D

Mac keyboard hacks: timesaving shortcuts

The right keyboard shortcuts can save you much of your time. Here are some basic and more advanced shortcuts you can use if you own a mac keyboard.

Basic tricks:

Cmd+Z: Undo

Maybe the most frequently used keyboard shortcut is Cmd+Z. It undoes your last action and works across multiple programs, so whether you've accidentally deleted a file, applied an image filter you don't like, or erased pages of important textfiles you can use this shortcut to retrieve it back.

Cmd+W: Close

Cmd+W is for closing
any window or file you have open. It works for almost anything, from open documents to browser tabs. Great when you need to close down a lot of windows, images, or anything else quickly. This shortcut saves you alot of time and clicking.

Cmd+Q: Quit apps

When you click the red "x" in the top-left corner of an application window, macOS won't actually close the program completely but it will minimize the app to the dock. Because it leaves programs running, it can really slow down your processor speed. To avoid this you can use this keyboard shortcut.

Cmd+F: Search

By using this shortcut: in your browser, you can search the current webpage; in Finder, you search the contents of your hard drive; in iTunes, you search your music library or the store; you can start a search from about anywhere by hitting Cmd+F.

Return: Rename

When busy with renaming files, this shortcut is great. Once you've selected the file in Finder, you hit the Return key, type out the new name, and hit Return again when you've finished. Then move on to the next file by moving the cursor.

Advanced tricks:

Cmd+Space: Launch Siri

The Siri feature (Apple's smart assistent) can be used by the Cmd+Space shortcut. You need to press and hold these keys to access it. When Siri launches, you can voice a variety of commands, from searching local files to preparing for the day's weather.

Cmd+Opt+Delete: Immediately delete a file

To make sure a file is securely gone, or prevent the Trash folder from taking up too much hard drive space, hit Cmd+Opt+Delete to immediately delete a file indefinitly.

Cmd+Opt+3: Take a screenshot

Hit Cmd+Opt+3 to save your entire screen as a PNG file on the desktop. Use Cmd+Opt+4, to draw a rectangle over an area to screenshot just that specific region. And you can hit Cmd+Opt+4 and then press the space bar before clicking on a window for a shot of that window on its own.

Cmd+Opt+Esc: Force quit applications

The Cmd+Opt+Esc shortcut will bring up the Force Quit dialogue box, with a list of  currently running programs. Select the problematic app and hit Force quit. To skip the dialogue box and immediately shut down the program you're currently using, press Shift+Cmd+Opt+Esc.

Cmd+comma: Open preferences

Press Cmd+comma to open the Preferences pane for whatever program you're using.

Improved navigation tricks:

Cmd+number: Change the Finder view

Cmd+1 lets you view each file as an icon, Cmd+2 as a list, Cmd+3 shows the contents of a set of folders as a series of columns, and Cmd+4 gives you the cover flow perspective. The arrow keys will let you navigate through lists, columns, and files.

Cmd+H: Hide applications

Cmd+H hides all the open windows of the application you currently are using, and switches the foremost application to the most recent one. By adding the Option key you can achieve the opposite effect: Cmd+Opt+H hides all the open windows of all the open applications, except the one you're using right now.

Cmd+Tab: Switch apps

A quick tap on the Cmd+Tab keyboardshortcut will switch you from your currently-foremost app to the app you were using immediately before; another tap will take you back again. Hold down the Cmd key even after you press Tab, and you'll see icons for all your open apps: Hit Tab to cycle through them.

Space: Quick Look

The Quick Look shortcut is perfect for looking at a series of images or other files without fully opening them in an application. Select the file you want to preview in Finder and hit Space. To close this view, tap Space one more time. Also it is possible to select a list of several files and press Cmd+Opt+Y to access a Quick Look slideshow.

Cmd+Opt+D: Show or hide the dock

Quickly hide it from view, by hitting Cmd+Opt+D. Press the shortcut again to reveal the dock once more. If you prefer the dock-free look, go to System Preferences, where the Dock entry lets you automatically hide it when not in use.

Educate yourself with MOOC provider edX

EdX is an excellent MOOC provider for people who want to learn online, (MOOC is short for massive open online courses). The Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University founded edX in May of 2012.

Ever since it's foundation it has been governed by colleges and universities and it is the only leading MOOC provider that is both nonprofit and open source.

As an online educational organisation edX offers high-quality courses from the world’s leading universities and upscale institutions, that enable anyone to educate themselves on an academic level.

Some of the university level courses are free of charge and there are a wide range of courses made available in computer science, languages, engineering, psychology, writing, electronics, biology, or marketing.

Edx also performs research in e-learning, based on how people use their platform.

Their ultimate mission is to provide quality education for everyone, everywhere and increasing access to high-quality education for everyone, everywhere.

Therefor they have developed ways to allow people around the world to get an education that would otherwise be impossible.

Unlike other MOOC providers like Coursera and Udacity, edX is a nonprofit organization and runs on the free Open edX open-source softwareplatform. This online learning platform is freely available.

On June 1, 2013, edX open sourced its entire platform. On GitHub the source code can be found.

With Open EdX, educators and technologists can build learning tools and contribute new features to the platform, creating innovative solutions to benefit students globally.

Also the platform is made freely available to other institutions of higher learning that want to make the same offerings. Several higher-education institutions use the Open edX to provide MOOC services, such as MIT's MITx platform and some private companies also use Open edX to provide training.

With more than 90 global partners, EdX counts the world’s leading universities, nonprofits, and institutions as it's members. EdX university members top the QS World University Rankings® with the founders receiving the top honors, and EdX partner institutions ranking highly on the full list.

It is possible to get a verified certificate after completing a course and also to automatically update the information about the received cerficate on to your LinkedIn profile.

For more information visit the site: Open edX or edX.

Lifehack Finders Nice to Know:

As of 29 December 2016, EdX has around 10 million students taking more than 1,270 courses online.

More than 70 schools, nonprofit organizations, and corporations offer or plan to offer courses on the edX website.

Online education is available via EdX in English, Mandarin, French, Hindi, Spanish

Edx latest tweet says they are excited to announce two new Microsoft Professional Program tracks, Cloud Administration and DevOps.

The Everybot by Moneual: a robotic mop

After numerous autonomous smart vacuum cleaners, here is the first ultimate robot mop cleaner called Everybot. A project launched at Kickstarter.

This ingenious device by Moneual has seven different cleaning modes to fit the types of floors and furniture layout of your home, and the oval shape allows it to fit into and clean even the hard to access corners. Everybot can be a real timesaver.

Everybot has a number of truly impressive and advanced features: multi-directional sensors to avoid obstacles and the ability to sense vertical drop-offs: so no falling accidents with a staircase or countertop.

The sensors of this smart device can even detect room lighting, which allows it to travel back to a well-lit area after it's done mopping under furniture.

Everybot has a dry cleaning mode too to clear the floor before mopping so it essentially is a vacuum and mopp both.

Lifehack finder's Nice to Know:

Besides mopping and vacuuming you can also use the handle on top to let the Everybot work. It is a multifunctional cleaning tool; also handy to clean windows, countertops or your car.

Japan's new licensing for 11 bitcoin exchangers

As China is withdrawing from bitcoin trading, operating licenses have been issued to 11 bitcoin exchanges by Japan's Financial Services Agency (FSA) 

The new Japanese law established bitcoin as a legal payment method and is now enforcing new ruling regarding security guidelines for cryptocurrency exchanges.

The licensing enforces certain operational requirements for the exchanges. These include: the verification of customer identities, the segregation of customer accounts and high standards for cybersecurity.

The new regulations are intended to protect investors from fraud and cyber crime, while supporting financial technology innovation.

The registration places several requirements on the companies, such as building a strong computer system and checking the identity of users to prevent money laundering.

Japan is currently uniquely proactive in its cryptocurrency regulations.

Bitcoin payments may be accepted at over 260,000 stores in Japan by this summer as result of partnerships between bitcoin exchanges and major retailers.

Coincheck, which holds most of the bitcoin payment market share in Japan, will bring Bitcoin payments to shops that use AirRegi, a point-of-sale app developed by Recruit Lifestyle, by this summer.

Using AirRegi customers can simply scan the barcode displayed on the app to pay with bitcoin. Coincheck will then process the transaction, converting the bitcoin into yen.

It was also very recently  reported that Japanese banks are considering setting up their own digital currency called the J-Coin.

Japan already had over 4,000 locations accepting bitcoin and considering the tax incentives and the new favourable regulations the country is expected to have a positive impact on consumer confidence and growth of the domestic virtual currency market.

As for the new regulations and licensing the exchange firms are reacting very enthusiastically.

Quoine, one of the 11 bitcoin exchange firms to receive a license said that they are aiming "towards the healthy development of the cryptocurrency industry within Japan and on a global scale."

"Japan has been exploding with demand for both bitcoin trading as well as virtual currency services," said Bitflyer's CEO, Kano.

"The FSA's approval for bitFlyer to operate as a Registered Virtual Currency Exchange, and the agency's openness and forward thinking regulation could not come at a better time for the blockchain space."

Lifehack Finders Nice to know:

Blockchain is a digital leger that is dispersed across networks. It is used in the cryptocurrency space to securely record every transaction between users.

Evolution theory debunked: Hominid footprints found in Crete

Newly discovered approximately 5.7 million years old human-like footprints in Crete question the common narrative of early human evolution.

The discovery of these newly found securely dated human-like footprints in Crete, suggests a different and far more complex reality, mainly because the footprints were made at a time when previous research puts our ancestors in Africa with ape-like feet.

The origin of the human lineage has been thought to lie in Africa. All fossil hominins older than 1.8 million years came from Africa, leading most researchers to conclude that this was where the group evolved.This has been the case ever since the discovery of fossils of Australopithecus in South and East Africa during the middle years of the 20th century.

After that, fossil discoveries in the same region, including the 3.7 million year old Laetoli footprints in Tanzania have founded the idea further that early hominins not only originated in Africa but remained there isolated from the rest of the world for several million years.

Gerard Gierlinski a paleontologist at the Polish Geological Institute specialized in footprints, first discovered the Crete footprints  but identified them as mammal.

After intensive study and research however, together with another scientist named Grzegorz Niedzwiedzki, he came to the conclusion that the footprints were made by early hominins.

Human feet have a very distinctive shape, different from all other land animals. The combination of a long sole, five short forward-pointing toes without claws, and a hallux ("big toe") that is larger than the other toes, is unique.

The new footprints, from Trachilos in western Crete, have an unmistakably human-like form. This is especially true of the toes. The big toe is similar to our own in shape, size and position; it is also associated with a distinct 'ball' on the sole, which is never present in apes.

The sole of the foot of the dicovered footprints is proportionately shorter than in the Laetoli prints, but it has the same general form.

In short, the shape of the Trachilos prints indicates clearly and unmistakenly that they belong to an early hominin, somewhat more primitive than the Laetoli trackmaker.

What makes this discovery so controversial is the age and location of the prints according to Professor Per Ahlberg at Uppsala University.

At approximately 5.7 million years, they are younger than the oldest known fossil hominin and contemporary with the fossil from Kenya, but they are more than a million years older than the fossil called Ardipithecus ramidus which is a fossil with ape-like feet.

This conflicts with the hypothesis that Ardipithecusis a direct ancestor of later hominins.

Prof. Per Ahlberg involved with the study of the footprints says: 'This discovery challenges the established narrative of early human evolution head-on and is likely to generate a lot of debate. Whether the human origins research community will accept fossil footprints as conclusive evidence of the presence of hominins in the Miocene of Crete remains to be seen.'

Lifehack Finders Nice to know:

Earlier this year, another group of researchers reinterpreted the fragmentary 7.2 million year old primate Graecopithecus (only known from teeth and jaws) found in Greece and Bulgaria as a hominin.

How to use Silica Gel Packets

The Flippist; a flipbookartist

Lifehack Finders Nice to know:

The Flippist is an artist that creates custom made hand drawn animated flipbooks so you can surprise someone in a very personal and fun way on special occasion, like a wedding proposal or an anniversary. For more information visit his website The Flippist.

WhatsApp hacks

Hydaway collapsible bottle: fresh water, fresh environment

Designer Niki Singlaub made Hydaway not only for convenience, but was also inspired to contribute to the reduction of the waste of empty water bottles.

Every minute 90,000 plastic bottles are thrown away so by each one of us using a reusable container this amount can really be reduced significantly.

When you’re not using it; you can fold the Hydaway because it’s so incredibly compact and fits in any pocket, it collapses like an accordion to just over an inch high.

Hydaway is made of flexible, durable silicone that won’t interfere with water’s taste. By unscrewing the top you can also use it like a cup. It is very easy to use daily on the go: in traffic, at workplace, in school, on outings or at events or anywhere else.

Staying hydrated while traveling long distances by plane is very important,
but think of all the water bottles thrown out at airport security?

With this product in your pocket there is no more expensive bottled water purchases and inconvenient security screenings.

Travellers will love to know that you can also clip it to a backpack with the carry handle.

Needless to say that last but not least Hydaway is extremely handy for everyone with an active lifestyle of fitness, athletics and sports. Drinking and staying hydrated go hand in hand with perspiration but when you are out running, hiking or cycling or at the gym you need a practical, easy and light solution so you can move around and/or work out more easily and freely.

Lifehack Finders Nice to Know:

Hydaway can store up to 600 ml (21oz) in its food-grade silicone, but collapses to just over 3.2 cm (1.25in) in height when not in use and weighs only 6 ounces.

Hydaway is an eco-friendly, non-toxic, BPA-free hydration solution made of materials in various fun colours that are tested and certified safe: making it highly suitable for children.

It’s a high quality item: leak-proof, dishwasher safe, and the narrow base lets it fit in most cup holders.

Hydaway can be bought together with a travel case to protect the bottle.

Cross between pomegranate and lemon

Make your own 3D Snapchat Bitmoji

Make your own Magnetic Lifehacks

Bubloons

Make your own Bottled Beach

New wind by trees made by 'New Wind' trees

After three years of research, the French company 'New Wind' has installed the first wind trees at Place de la Concorde in Paris.The team of developers installed a prototype in the Pleumeur-Bodou commune in Brittany in northwestern France.

'The idea came to me in a square where I saw the leaves tremble when there was not a breath of air,' said Jérôme Michaud-Larivière, founder of 'New Wind'

The 26ft trees are fitted with 63 aeroleaves. Tiny blades inside these 'leaves' can generate electricity in wind speeds as low as 4.5 mph regardless of the wind's direction.

The tree has the potential to generate 3,500 kWh to 13,500 kWh a year depending on the wind speed and the location of the tree.

This amount of wind generated energy could provide enough power to supply 15 street lamps, 83% of the electrical consumption of an average family household or one electrical car for 10,168 miles over the course of a year.

An average onshore wind turbine can produce more than 6 million kWh in a year - enough to supply 1,500 average EU households with electricity.

The tree shpuld be profitable after winds of 7.8 mph on average over 1 year.

The company's founder, Jérôme Michaud-Larivière, hopes the trees can be used to exploit small air currents flowing along buildings and streets, and could eventually be installed in people's backgardens and urban centre.

The trees are also silent, so sound pollution is a thing of the past, this is a great  improvement from previous wind turbine designs.

'New Wind' is hoping to expand this concept of clean energy throughout the country and abroad.

For the future Mr. Michaud-Larivière aspires to make an even better tree that has leaves with natural fibres, roots  and 'bark' covered with photosensitive cells. These will also be able to generate geothermal energy.


Lifehack Finders Nice to Know:

Similar inspiring and exciting future green concepts are highways (and other locations) enlightened by windturbines by TAK Studio.

And windkites that work with HAWP:
high altitude wind power. A project which is also promoted for crowdfunding at Indiegogo: Flying wind turbine