Brit Morin, the Martha Stewart of tech, is today announcing a $1.25 million seed round for her technology and content company Brit. The list of investors is actually pretty sympatico with "the next generation of lifestyle" branding of Brit & Co, with fashion-heavy Index Ventures, tech fashionista Marissa Mayer, KCPB's Aileen Lee, Tina Sharkey and Seth Goldstein, Kevin Colleran, Annabel Teal, General Catalyst Partners, Founders Fund Angel and DMGT all going in. In addition to the funding the company is also launching its first app, Weduary, which lets tech-savvy couples build their own attractive and dynamic wedding websites. The Facebook app, which users can try for free, lets prospective brides and grooms build a custom wedding website in four steps, leveraging the Facebook social graph to make it easy to import photos from Facebook, invite guests, coordinate registry details and other event RSVPs.
Last week may have drawn to a close, but the march of Clevo news continues. On the heels of Maingear announcing an 11-inch gaming notebook, Origin PC is throwing its own ultraportable into the ring: the EON 11-S. Though this is a new model for the company (the smallest laptop it's ever sold, in fact), it's not quite fresh to us: this is the same exact Clevo-made notebook Maingear unveiled two days ago, only re-badged under Origin PC's brand and available in a wider range of colors. As far as performance goes, then, that means you can expect Ivy Bridge processors, a 2GB NVIDIA GT 650M GPU, Optimus graphics-switching technology and a battery rated for 6.5 hours of runtime. In Origin PC's case, the laptop starts at $999 (compared with $1,099 for Maingear), though you'll have to head over to Origin's site for a breakdown of what specs you'll be getting at that lower price.
For the past two years, I have read or glanced over what seems like hundreds of blog posts and thousands of tweets from people who either directly claim or indirectly hint at a disruption of traditional venture capital. For some, the factors related to the economy, that limited partners and especially institutional investors were reviewing their investment approaches. For others, it seemed as if there was too much money in the venture asset class, that there was too much money chasing too few real opportunities. There seemed to be a long laundry list of why venture capital was undergoing this shift, but never any thread that could lay out all the factors and synthesize just how each factor contributed to shift. That is, until now..
Well, well, talk about déjà vu! It was just yesterday that a corner of Sony's 16.1 megapixel NEX-F3 leaked onto the interwebs and now more photos have surfaced, along with a previously unannounced shooter, the Alpha A37 SLT. The pictures come courtesy of Yang Canggih, which says it had a chance to demo the two devices yesterday at Sony's Partner's Conference in Jakarta (curiously, the NEX-F3 post isn't live as of this writing, but Sony Alpha Rumors has the images up). Starting with the F3, the mirrorless camera has lost a smidgen of the curves found on its older sibling, the C3, adopting a slight bit of the angular edges that once made the NEX-7 the badass standout in the lineup. You'll notice that the shutter button and grip have an uncanny resemblance to the 7's, not to mention that it's clearly gained a pop-up flash -- a first for the lower-end NEXs. Past that, the rumored -- and self-portrait friendly -- 180 degree tilt-screen is also present, which'll likely give the C3 an edge over its siblings when it comes to composing shots. Also worth note, some of the buttons on back have been slightly repositioned.
Moving along, those hoping for a successor to the A35 will apparently have their wish granted with the 16.1 megapixel A37. According to Yang Canggih, it features the articulating display from last generation of NEX cams,Auto Portrait Framing (first introduced with the A57), four more effect modes than the a35 (up from 11) and an ergonomic grip in the vein of the A77. Sadly, that's about all that's currently known, so hopefully we'll get an official introduction to the cameras soon. Head past the break for a shot of the A37 and then check out the links below for even more of both.
E Ink Holdings made a loss of over $25 million last quarter, despite supplying its backlight-free panels to popular e-readers like the Kindle and the Nook. Why the poor showing after ten quarters of solid money-making? The company's accountants blame "off-season effects" and "inventory adjustments" by customers, which may simply be corporatese for "the screens aren't selling so well." Overall revenue tumbled 63 percent compared to the same period in 2011 and the outlook remains "conservative" -- although it's hard to believe that everyone suddenly wants to stay indoors and stare at pixels.
Okay, so maybe physical keyboards were a bigger deal back in 2010 when this thing was filed, or maybe -- just maybe -- we'll one day see an Xperia Play smartphone with both a gamepad and a full QWERTY counterpart. A patent for such a contraption was just granted to Sony by the USPTO, which stakes its claim for a device with two sliding mechanisms in addition to the display. When the primary sliding mechanism is engaged, the second will come along for the ride -- and for those curious, it seems the default option is the keyboard. Once both are open, the sliding units may be disengaged from one another, so that when one of the units retracts, the other will remain accessible. It all sounds quite feasible, and if the mechanism works well enough, what's a few extra millimeters among friends?
Sharon Osbourne is thrilled to be a grandmother. While her son Jack Osbourne adjusts to life as a new father, his mom Sharon is also getting used to being a first-time grandma.
But in their upcoming clip for "The Fighter," they're taking a different tack: They're getting real.
"The video is part documentary-style, part-performance [and] it follows the life of John Orozco, a young, up-and-coming, hopefully gold medalist from the Bronx," GCH frontman Travie McCoy told MTV News on the set of the video. "Plus, an awesome, energetic performance from us and Ryan Tedder."
Orozco's story — from a talented Bronx gymnast to training at the U.S. facility in Colorado Springs to perhaps this country's best chance of snagging a gold at the London Olympics — has already caught the attention of outlets like the New York Times, and GCH are hoping their new video will only add to his profile. And provide a soundtrack to his success too.
"Ryan did his thing on the hook, he adds the extra punch," McCoy said. "And with the Olympics and stuff coming up, I think it's going to be the anthem for a lot of people to get pumped up to."
Of course, there are other benefits to having one of the most hotly tipped Olympic hopefuls star in your new video. Namely, you can let someone else stand beneath the spotlight, which, thankfully, takes the pressure off the Heroes and their less-than-stellar acting chops.
"It's great doing a video like this because I feel like a lot of other videos we shoot, we end up sticking to somewhat of a script and act," drummer Matt McGinley laughed. "And I mean, I'm a musician, so it's great to be doing what comes natural."
Are you looking forward to the Heroes' upcoming video? Tell us in the comments!
Chelsea Handler has made a name for herself with a take no prisoners comedy style and blunt attitude in a number of best selling books. In an interview that hit newsstands this week the comedian and TV host maintains her image as she clears common misconceptions and opens up about other Hollywood stars in More Magazine's May cover story.
A known friends to Jennifer Aniston, Chelsea chose Angelina Jolie as the opposite of a girl's girl. "You just know as a woman when you see another woman if that?s a woman you can trust. She (Jolie) doesn?t strike me as someone I would have a close friendship with.?
Chelsea also cleared the air about some rumors attached to her through recent years. Did a relationship with an E! executive get her on TV? "He?s not responsible for me selling out arenas. All he did was recognize talent."
Is Chelsea attached to that vodka bottle she always refers to? "I don?t drink as much as I should?or as much as people think I do. It?s more for diet than the actual drinking thing."
Apple's annual World Wide Developer Conference (WWDC) was announced earlier this morning, at 5:30am PDT, with a ticket price of $1600... and it sold out in less than 2 hours.
Seacrest will make $15 million a year through 2014 season. By Gil Kaufman
Ryan Seacrest Photo: Getty Images
Ryan Seacrest learned many lessons at the foot of his late mentor, Dick Clark . One of them appears to be: Don't rock the boat. Especially if it's a eight-figure million luxury yacht. That's the long way of saying that Seacrest has inked a two-year deal to stay with "American Idol" for a reported cool $15 million a year.
"For the last 11 seasons, I've had the privilege to be a part of one of television's most iconic shows. It's been a wild ride, and I'm excited for my journey with 'American Idol to continue," Seacrest said in a statement. "The legions of fans, amazingly talented contestants, judges, and producers, along with the hard working 'Idol' crew, impress me every time we go on air and make hosting the show a dream job."
Seacrest has hosted the show since its launch in 2002 and though the judging panel has undergone a series of overhauls over the past four seasons, the genial entrepreneur has been the one constant in the mix. "Ryan is one of a kind," said Mike Darnell, President of Alternative Entertainment at Fox. "His ability to engage the viewers, keep the contestants at ease during intense moments and adapt to any situation, especially during the live shows, solidifies him as the absolute best in the business. He is an integral part of why 'American Idol' is a true phenomenon, and we can't imagine doing this show without him."
Of course, Seacrest has multiple irons in the fire besides his "Idol" gig, from the various Kardashian-related shows on the E! network, to his hosting and producing gig on "E! News," red carpet awards show coverage, morning radio show and an upcoming pact to launch his own entertainment cable channel this summer called AXS TV . He's also finishing up a deal with NBCUniversal that will include a gig as part of this summer's Olympics coverage.
Jack Osbourne and fiancee Lisa Stelly, are new parents, having welcomed a daughter into the world. Congratulations on the arrival of their baby girl!
Her name: Pearl Osbourne arrived weighing 8 pounds and 6 ounces, according to a Hello magazine tweet that was re-tweeted by Jack and then other sites.
"Well @lisamarstelly is supposed to give birth to our baby tomorrow," the 25-year-old father tweeted last week. Guess Pearl knew how to be fashionably late!
"Still pregnant," the 26-year-old new (but exasperated) mama tweeted Friday. "Apparently I made too lovely of a home int here! #overit #comeonbaby."
But at last, she made it.
"Thank you all so much for your congratulations but they realy [sic] should be gonig to @lisamarstelly & @mrjacko! I am one proud Auntie!" added his sister Kelly Osbourne.
"Today I witnessed my first grandchild being born, life changing experience," tweeted Jack's mother, Sharon Osbourne. "She is an angel."
Ozzy Osbourne has four other grandchildren, as well. Jack got engaged to Lisa Stelly in the fall of last year. Congratulations to all!
Motorola scored a win with the US International Trade Commission this week in its on-going patent battle with Apple. The commission's Judge Thomas Pender ruled that Cupertino is in violation of a Motorola WiFi patent -- one of four patents included in a complaint filed by the RAZR maker back in October 2010. Before the ITC actually goes so far as blocking the import of Apple products, however, the ruling is subject to review by the commission. The decision follows another patent win for Motorola, handed down by the ITC yesterday in a dispute with Microsoft.
Editors' Note (4/11/2012): After the most recent version of iOS was released, the previously mentioned issue of interrupted AirPlay streams was cleared up. We have since tested and confirmed this, and as such have revised the review and score to reflect that improvement.
As AirPlay speaker systems increase in number?most of them still being referred to as "docks" despite a lack of an actual dock for an iPhone, iPod, or iPad?a few things are becoming increasingly clear. Almost all AirPlay docks are black, and the Klipsch Gallery G-17 Air is no exception. They are all pretty expensive?the G-17 is a hefty $549.99 (direct). For the most part, all AirPlay docks thus far offer quality audio, ranging from booming bass, as with the Audyssey Audio Dock Air ($399.99, 3.5 stars) to superb high fidelity sound, as with the Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Air ($599.95, 4 stars). The G-17 sounds excellent, and as of the most recent iOS update, has resolved the streaming issues we experienced in the past.?
Design The rounded, glossy black piano finish of the Gallery G-17 Air is striking, as is the horizontal array of drivers?two 20-watt woofers in the middle and two 10-watt tweeters on the far left and right ends of the front panel. A small Klipsch logo and a remote sensor are the only other things on the front panel. All of the controls are located on the small right-hand side panel?Power, Volume, Input Select, and Wi-Fi, which is used for inital setup. The back panel houses the power cable connection, a 3.5mm Aux input, and a USB connection. You'll need a Phillips head screwdriver to attach the glass stand to the speaker unit (screws are included), but the G-17 is also wall-mountable. Also included with the G-17 and its stand: a rubber cover for the input panel on the back, a black cloth grille cover in case you want to hide the awesome looking drivers, a remote control, the power supply, an owners manual, and?seriously?white gloves, so your fingertips don't smudge the glossy black surface when you move the system.
The included remote can be frustrating to use?depending on the angle, and strength of the Wi-Fi signal, adjusting the volume can be a very delayed process. When the signal is good and the audio is streaming smoothly, the remote, which is a simple, thin, black plastic controller with membrane buttons, works fine. It has Power, Volume, Play/Pause, Skip Forward/Backward, and Input Select buttons.
Performance The Gallery G-17 offers fairly powerful, refined audio performance for its size. There are four drivers but no subwoofer, and the net result is a audiophile-friendly flat response, devoid of booming deep bass but quite capable of articulating low frequencies well. Kick drums sound tight, not thunderous. Lower register stringed instruments sound pleasantly resonant, not overly boosted or booming. John Adams' modern classical piece, "The Chairman Dances," sounds neither overly bright nor rumbly. Instead, the G-17's response favors mid-range frequencies, occasionally allowing high frequency percussion hits, like wood blocks, to pop out from the more commanding force of the stringed instruments. At maximum volume on deep bass tracks, the G-17 doesn't distort, but this is partially due to the lack of booming bass pushed out by the speakers. Still, many systems that have no subwoofer try to reproduce deep bass frequencies with the result of distortion, and the G-17 avoids this problem. The Knife's "Silent Shout," at maximum volume, doesn't sound as thumping as it would on a system with a sub, but it does not distort either, and the bass frequencies are still well represented. Basically, the G-17 offers a nice, smooth response throughout the frequency range that doesn't exaggerate the lows or ignore them. Fans of accurate response over booming bass will be pleased.
Because AirPlay relies on Wi-Fi, it's dependent on the bandwidth of the local network. The more tasks being completed on the Wi-Fi network, no matter how un-taxing on the bandwidth, like sending an email, the more likely the stream is to pause, or stop completely. We have since tested the Klipsch Gallery G-17 Air again with the new version of iOS and experienced little to no interruption in the stream. This is a vast improvement over our initial tests of the speaker, and we have revised its score accordingly.
Apple is reportedly choosing to either switch to or include Bluetooth streaming into the AirPlay feature. Even a year or so ago, Bluetooth streaming was still a weak audio solution, with very little bass and low bit-rate fidelity. But recent developments have strengthened the audio quality greatly, as evidenced by recent Editors' Choices, the portable Bose SoundLink Wireless Mobile Speaker ($299.95, 4 stars) and the fantastic JBL OnBeat Xtreme ($499.95, 4.5 stars), which shows up as an AirPlay device on an iPhone or iPad, but uses Bluetooth. As of the most recent iOS update, AirPlay and Bluetooth seem to be similarly reliable.
The Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Air remains at the top of the list of AirPlay docks, in terms of audio performance, with the Klipsch Gallery G-17 close to the top with the most recent version of iOS. The streaming issues have been resolved, and it's now about as functional as a Bluetooth speaker, with excellent audio quality.?
More Speaker reviews: ??? Klipsch Gallery G-17 Air ??? iHome iD50 ??? House of Marley Bag of Rhythm Portable Audio System ??? Zvox Z-Base 220 ??? iLuv ArtStation Pro iMM514 ?? more
Efforts to galvanise business tourism by investing in infrastructure look to be paying off for Abu Dhabi, with figures showing that the number of events taking place in the emirate is on the rise.
Abu Dhabi has significantly expanded its business travel market in recent years, particularly the meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) segment.
Forecasts from the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority (ADTCA) now estimate that the MICE market should double in value by 2020 to reach almost $1.4bn, with the segment earmarked to play a significant role in Abu Dhabi?s overall economic expansion.
The move to channel funding into infrastructure for business tourism has helped the emirate strengthen its position as an events destination despite tough regional competition. A report commissioned by the ADTCA and issued on March 26 said the direct economic impact of business events was expected to expand 7% annually between now and 2020. The ADTCA has already set itself an ambitious target of increasing four-fold the number of MICE events staged and doubling visitor numbers for the segment by 2015.
Lois Hall, the director of the annual Gulf Incentive, Business Travel and Meeting Exhibition (GIBTM), which is held annually in Abu Dhabi, believes that the rolling out of new infrastructure in the emirate has provided the foundations for growth in the emirate?s MICE segment.
?Abu Dhabi?s business tourism, meetings and incentive infrastructure has expanded significantly over the past year,? she said in an interview in the March edition of Travel and Tourism News. ?Business tourism currently accounts for approximately 70% of Abu Dhabi?s hotel guest profile, with 10% of this emanating from the MICE segment.?
While the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, which is the largest venue of its kind in the Middle East, remains a popular choice for major events in the emirate, a number of hotels have added conference and exhibition halls to their facilities as they look to capitalise on growth in the market.
Omer Kaddouri, the chief operating officer at Rotana Hotels, said MICE was a core component of the group?s business plan. ?Everyone?s after MICE,? he said in an interview with UAE daily The National on March 27. ?MICE brings volume of business, it brings food and beverage, [and] MICE fills the rooms.?
He added that with competition in the domestic market rising, prompted in part by a wave of newly opened hotels and venues, events organisers were likely to find Abu Dhabi more affordable as a meetings destination.
While Abu Dhabi has to vie with its regional competitors for a larger slice of the MICE market, the emirate has been able to use its position as the capital to its advantage. But competition still remains tough across the region, particularly from Dubai, which began building up its services sector and positioning itself within the international MICE segment several years ago.
A report produced last year by Reed Travel Exhibitions and meetme magazine ranked Dubai just ahead of Abu Dhabi as the top Middle East and North Africa MICE destination, while other countries in the region, including Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain, are working to promote themselves in the global events market. Qatar in particular is set to gain media coverage after winning the rights to stage the 2022 World Cup, which will provide it with plenty of opportunities to showcase its hospitality facilities.
While prospects for business tourism in Abu Dhabi look promising, concern remains that the segment could yet feel the ripple effects of the global economic crisis if bookings drop, particularly from markets in Europe. To date, the impact of the European debt crisis appears to have been minimal, with figures issued by the ADTCA in late March showing that hotel guest numbers were up 16% for January and February in a year-on-year comparison.
While the MICE segment?s performance could waver if international firms are forced to curb spending on trade fairs and conferences, industry players will be hoping that the resilience displayed by the market so far suggests business leaders are giving a priority to maintaining their profile on the global stage, even in tough times.
Despite the global temperature increase and the overall shrinking of the world's glaciers, some glaciers in the Karakoram mountains have actually grown over the past decade, according to a new study.
Practicing good science often means accepting inconvenient data. The results of a new study that depict the recent growth of some Asian glaciers ? despite the warming global climate ? surely fall into this category, especially in the US where, according to a 2011 Harris Poll, public belief in manmade warming dropped from 71 percent in 2007 to 44 percent in 2011.
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This research, led by glaciologist Julie Gardelle of the University of Grenoble, has confirmed suspicions about the massive glaciers in the Karakoram Mountains along the border of India, Pakistan and China. The researchers analyzed satellite images of a 2,168 square-mile area, and found that the glaciers are not losing ice, but probably gaining it. The study's results were recently published in Nature Geoscience.
For the past seven years, scientists have noted that the Karakoram glaciers have been spreading. Yet it was not clear whether the glaciers were merely becoming thinner, with the same amount of ice, or less, spread over a larger area, or if they were actually gaining mass.
To determine which, Gardelle and her team used data taken by instruments aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavor and the French SPOT5 satellite, which collected the relevant data in late 1999 and 2008, respectively. The researchers estimated that, over this time period, the glaciers gained mass. On average, the glaciers developed a new patina of ice that, if melted, would amount to just over four inches of water.
Gardelle?s team, as well as many other scientists, say they cannot yet determine why the glaciers grew. The Karakoram region has been a climatological oddity for decades. Between 1961 and 2011, weather stations there have reported increases in winter precipitation and decreases in summer temperatures. A lack of glacial meltwater has constricted the flow of one of the local rivers by 20 percent, over the same time period. Incidentally, the 46,000 ice masses that compose the glaciers of the Tibetan plateau provide water to over 1.4 billion people living in central and southern Asia.
Though scientifically?intriguing, the scientists involved in this study are wary of the political impact of these results; especially in light of the 2007 snafu involving the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change?s mistaken assertion that the Himalayan glaciers would be eradicated by 2035, and the damage to the credibility of the IPCC?s otherwise robust body of research. Unfortunately, the political volatility of manmade global warming is such that even the smallest oversight can have a significant impact on the general public's perception.
Most detailed maps yet of Africa's groundwaterPublic release date: 19-Apr-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Michael Bishop michael.bishop@iop.org 44-117-930-1032 Institute of Physics
A scattergun approach to borehole drilling in Africa is likely to be unsuccessful.
This is the message from a group of UK researchers who have, for the first time, quantified the amount, and potential yield, of groundwater across the whole of Africa.
They estimate the total volume of groundwater to be around 0.66 million km3 more than 100 times the available surface freshwater on the continent and hope that the assessment can inform plans to improve access to water in Africa, where 300 million people do not have access to safe drinking water.
The results have been published today, 20 April, in IOP Publishing's journal Environmental Research Letters.
The researchers, from the British Geological Survey and University College London, warn that high yielding boreholes will not be found using a scattergun approach and a more careful and exploratory approach that takes into account local groundwater conditions will be needed, which they hope their new study will encourage.
Their results show that in many populated areas in Africa, there is sufficient groundwater to supply hand pumps that communities can use for drinking water. These hand pumps can deliver around 0.1-0.3 litres per second.
Opportunities for boreholes yielding five litres per second or more the usual amount needed for commercial irrigation are not widespread and limited to specific areas, such as countries in the north of Africa.
Central to the researchers' methods was the collation of existing national hydrogeological maps as well as 283 aquifer studies from 152 publications. The vast amount of data was compiled into a single database in which the researchers were able to make their calculations.
The amount of groundwater present in a certain region is reliant on the interplay between the geology of the area, the amount of weathering and the amount of rainfall experienced both in the past and present. All of these factors were considered to estimate the volume and potential yield of groundwater in each aquifer.
As a result of population growth in Africa and a planned increase in irrigation to meet food demands, water use is set to increase markedly over the next few decades. Climate change will pose a huge threat to this increase; however, groundwater responds much more slowly to increasing climatic variability as opposed to surface water, so will act as a buffer to climate change.
The lead author of the study, Dr Alan MacDonald, said: "Groundwater is such an important water resource in Africa and underpins much of the drinking water supply. Appropriately sited and developed boreholes for low yielding rural water supply and hand pumps are likely to be successful and resilient to climate change.
"High yielding boreholes should not be developed without a thorough understanding of the local groundwater conditions."
###
For more information, see the project pages on the British Geological Survey website at: www.bgs.ac.uk/gwresilience
From Friday 20 April, this paper can be downloaded from http://iopscience.iop.org/1748-9326/7/2/024009/article
Notes to Editors
Contact
1. For further information, a full draft of the journal paper or contact with one of the researchers, contact IOP Press Officer, Michael Bishop:
Tel: 0117 930 1032
E-mail: Michael.bishop@iop.org
Quantitative maps of groundwater resources in Africa
2. The published version of the paper 'Quantitative maps of groundwater resources in Africa' (A M MacDonald et al 2012 Environ. Res. Lett. 7 024009) will be freely available online from Friday 20 April. It will be available at http://iopscience.iop.org/1748-9326/7/2/024009/article
Environmental Research Letters
3. Environmental Research Letters is an open access journal that covers all of environmental science, providing a coherent and integrated approach including research articles, perspectives and editorials.
IOP Publishing
4. IOP Publishing provides publications through which leading-edge scientific research is distributed worldwide. IOP Publishing is central to the Institute of Physics (IOP), a not-for-profit society. Any financial surplus earned by IOP Publishing goes to support science through the activities of IOP.Beyond our traditional journals programme, we make high-value scientific information easily accessible through an ever-evolving portfolio of community websites, magazines, conference proceedings and a multitude of electronic services. Focused on making the most of new technologies, we're continually improving our electronic interfaces to make it easier for researchers to find exactly what they need, when they need it, in the format that suits them best. Go to http://ioppublishing.org/.
The Institute of Physics
5. The Institute of Physics is a leading scientific society promoting physics and bringing physicists together for the benefit of all.
It has a worldwide membership of around 40 000 comprising physicists from all sectors, as well as those with an interest in physics. It works to advance physics research, application and education; and engages with policymakers and the public to develop awareness and understanding of physics. Its publishing company, IOP Publishing, is a world leader in professional scientific communications. Go to www.iop.org
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Most detailed maps yet of Africa's groundwaterPublic release date: 19-Apr-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Michael Bishop michael.bishop@iop.org 44-117-930-1032 Institute of Physics
A scattergun approach to borehole drilling in Africa is likely to be unsuccessful.
This is the message from a group of UK researchers who have, for the first time, quantified the amount, and potential yield, of groundwater across the whole of Africa.
They estimate the total volume of groundwater to be around 0.66 million km3 more than 100 times the available surface freshwater on the continent and hope that the assessment can inform plans to improve access to water in Africa, where 300 million people do not have access to safe drinking water.
The results have been published today, 20 April, in IOP Publishing's journal Environmental Research Letters.
The researchers, from the British Geological Survey and University College London, warn that high yielding boreholes will not be found using a scattergun approach and a more careful and exploratory approach that takes into account local groundwater conditions will be needed, which they hope their new study will encourage.
Their results show that in many populated areas in Africa, there is sufficient groundwater to supply hand pumps that communities can use for drinking water. These hand pumps can deliver around 0.1-0.3 litres per second.
Opportunities for boreholes yielding five litres per second or more the usual amount needed for commercial irrigation are not widespread and limited to specific areas, such as countries in the north of Africa.
Central to the researchers' methods was the collation of existing national hydrogeological maps as well as 283 aquifer studies from 152 publications. The vast amount of data was compiled into a single database in which the researchers were able to make their calculations.
The amount of groundwater present in a certain region is reliant on the interplay between the geology of the area, the amount of weathering and the amount of rainfall experienced both in the past and present. All of these factors were considered to estimate the volume and potential yield of groundwater in each aquifer.
As a result of population growth in Africa and a planned increase in irrigation to meet food demands, water use is set to increase markedly over the next few decades. Climate change will pose a huge threat to this increase; however, groundwater responds much more slowly to increasing climatic variability as opposed to surface water, so will act as a buffer to climate change.
The lead author of the study, Dr Alan MacDonald, said: "Groundwater is such an important water resource in Africa and underpins much of the drinking water supply. Appropriately sited and developed boreholes for low yielding rural water supply and hand pumps are likely to be successful and resilient to climate change.
"High yielding boreholes should not be developed without a thorough understanding of the local groundwater conditions."
###
For more information, see the project pages on the British Geological Survey website at: www.bgs.ac.uk/gwresilience
From Friday 20 April, this paper can be downloaded from http://iopscience.iop.org/1748-9326/7/2/024009/article
Notes to Editors
Contact
1. For further information, a full draft of the journal paper or contact with one of the researchers, contact IOP Press Officer, Michael Bishop:
Tel: 0117 930 1032
E-mail: Michael.bishop@iop.org
Quantitative maps of groundwater resources in Africa
2. The published version of the paper 'Quantitative maps of groundwater resources in Africa' (A M MacDonald et al 2012 Environ. Res. Lett. 7 024009) will be freely available online from Friday 20 April. It will be available at http://iopscience.iop.org/1748-9326/7/2/024009/article
Environmental Research Letters
3. Environmental Research Letters is an open access journal that covers all of environmental science, providing a coherent and integrated approach including research articles, perspectives and editorials.
IOP Publishing
4. IOP Publishing provides publications through which leading-edge scientific research is distributed worldwide. IOP Publishing is central to the Institute of Physics (IOP), a not-for-profit society. Any financial surplus earned by IOP Publishing goes to support science through the activities of IOP.Beyond our traditional journals programme, we make high-value scientific information easily accessible through an ever-evolving portfolio of community websites, magazines, conference proceedings and a multitude of electronic services. Focused on making the most of new technologies, we're continually improving our electronic interfaces to make it easier for researchers to find exactly what they need, when they need it, in the format that suits them best. Go to http://ioppublishing.org/.
The Institute of Physics
5. The Institute of Physics is a leading scientific society promoting physics and bringing physicists together for the benefit of all.
It has a worldwide membership of around 40 000 comprising physicists from all sectors, as well as those with an interest in physics. It works to advance physics research, application and education; and engages with policymakers and the public to develop awareness and understanding of physics. Its publishing company, IOP Publishing, is a world leader in professional scientific communications. Go to www.iop.org
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
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Brit Morin, the Martha Stewart of tech, is today announcing a $1.25 million seed round for her technology and content company Brit. The list of investors is actually pretty sympatico with "the next generation of lifestyle" branding of Brit & Co, with fashion-heavy Index Ventures, tech fashionista Marissa Mayer, KCPB's Aileen Lee, Tina Sharkey and Seth Goldstein, Kevin Colleran, Annabel Teal, General Catalyst Partners, Founders Fund Angel and DMGT all going in. In addition to the funding the company is also launching its first app, Weduary, which lets tech-savvy couples build their own attractive and dynamic wedding websites. The Facebook app, which users can try for free, lets prospective brides and grooms build a custom wedding website in four steps, leveraging the Facebook social graph to make it easy to import photos from Facebook, invite guests, coordinate registry details and other event RSVPs.
For the past two years, I have read or glanced over what seems like hundreds of blog posts and thousands of tweets from people who either directly claim or indirectly hint at a disruption of traditional venture capital. For some, the factors related to the economy, that limited partners and especially institutional investors were reviewing their investment approaches. For others, it seemed as if there was too much money in the venture asset class, that there was too much money chasing too few real opportunities. There seemed to be a long laundry list of why venture capital was undergoing this shift, but never any thread that could lay out all the factors and synthesize just how each factor contributed to shift. That is, until now..
Chelsea Handler has made a name for herself with a take no prisoners comedy style and blunt attitude in a number of best selling books. In an interview that hit newsstands this week the comedian and TV host maintains her image as she clears common misconceptions and opens up about other Hollywood stars in More Magazine's May cover story. 
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Public release date: 19-Apr-2012
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