Daily News Courier

The Grid is Getting Smarter, but it’s a Long Way from Smart

To lower fossil-fuel emissions while meeting demand for electricity, power grids around the world are going to need to become a lot more intelligent, and a lot more complicated.

The smart-grid is an electrical grid that communicates. The idea is that the Internet and communications technology can make our electrical system far more resilient to problems like blackouts, better accommodate unconventional power sources, and ease energy demand by providing instant information about prices to consumers.

Calculations 4.0 does basic math, converts measurements and currency exchange rates on the fly [App Reviews]

Calculations 4.0 is more than just an app that adds, subtracts, multiplies, and divides. It is a tool that can perform those tasks quickly, but it also is a solid app for quickly grabbing info for information that you commonly plug into a calculator. And it does it with a simple, Ice Cream Sandwich-style user interface that is available to all Android devices running Android 2.1 or higher.

Aside from handling basic math equations, Calculations 4.0 is a clever shortcut for people who travel or need to make quick conversions. The app can provide instant information on measurements, telling users that 500 centimeters is 196.85 inches, 5 meters, and so on. It can also measure area, temperature, volume, weight, and time in metric or imperial units.

Another nifty feature is that Calculations has fairly up-to-date information about currency conversion rates. Users can set their home currency and then select different kinds of currency to know the going rate for exchanging to several countries. So as an America who sometimes needs to send money to Argentina or Jamaica instantly knows how far that money can go. Someone making purchases from Japan or Germany can quickly know that something costing 10,000 yen or 96 euro isn’t that expensive.

Calculations 4.0 is ad-supported and can be a little annoying because the ad placements and flash can be distracting. A Pro version for $0.99 removes ads and allows users to focus on your calculation. Regardless of which version you opt for, you’ll get a great app capable of doing any of the following:

• Add, subtract, multiply, divide
• Convert dozens of currencies using current exchange rates
• Convert various units of measurements
• Calculate mortgage loans for number of payments, monthly costs, and repayment date
• Enter bill to immediately get tip amount at an 8, 12, 15, 18, 20, 22, 25, or 30 percent rate

 

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A Quicker Way to Identify Skin Cancer

A new device that a doctor holds right over a mole uses laser light to determine if it’s melanoma.

Detecting melanoma—the most lethal form of skin cancer—still relies on dermatologists eyeballing moles and deciding which ones warrant a biopsy. A new handheld device developed by scientists at the British Columbia Cancer Agency (BCCA) and licensed to Verisante Technology could provide instant information about the molecular makeup of moles.