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The Pros and Cons of Digital Minimalism 

By
Alex
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0

Tired of Doom Scrolling

Most Days I would spend hours browsing Instagram and Youtube and I would notice how the content I see and engage with would affect my mood for the whole day. Picking the book “Digital Minimalism” by Cal Newport helped me reflect on this doom scrolling habit.

In this article, I will share my learnings from Digital Minimalism and list its pros and cons:

What is Digital Minimalism

Before dwelling on the pros and cons of Digital Minimalism, let’s look at its definition as stated by the author:

“Digital minimalism is a philosophy of technology use in which one focuses on their online time in a small number of carefully selected activities that strongly support the things one values and then happily miss out on everything else.”

The book also details out on the three following principles:

1. Optimization is Key- In order to extract the full benefit of a particular technology, we must be careful how to use this technology

2. Clutter costs a lot – too much time on devices and apps can suck one’s energy and attention span, in turn causing a negative impact on the user’s mind.

3. Intentional usage is important- Digital minimalists tend to be more intentional with their use of technology which makes them happier in the long run

Pros of Digital Minimalism

  • Optimising your time online

    Apps and devices are designed to be addicting and it’s easy to waste time on mindless scrolling. But Digital Minimalism has taught me to not only limit the time I spend on devices, but to use my time on devices with clarity on my intentions such as self-development, learning new skills or catching up with a friend.
  • Can help Improve Mental Health

    Spending too much time on Social Media can be a sort of escape from the day to day. With limiting time online, you spend more time with introspection and thought patterns that you would otherwise not think of when being bombarded by plenty of online distractions.
  • Can help improve relationships

    Newport talks about how most of us are veering more towards low-quality interactions such as texting/chatting instead of high quality interactions such as conversing with a loved one that involves social cues. Digital minimalism veers for us to engage more with high quality interactions and become more mindful and caring for those around us.


Cons of Digital Minimalism

  • Decluttering Can Be Difficult

    The declutter process can be difficult for some especially if the solution is to get rid of all of it in one go. The user involved should have a clear idea of their values when proceeding with decluttering digitally.

    To paint a better picture when decluttering; My first thought process then was listing my values which are still my priorities to this day: connection, curiosity and excellence. This means I value spending time with reaching out and talking to people I care for and ongoing learning.
  • The Practice Can Be Lonesome.

    Pursuing Digital Minimalism means spending most of the time in your head and getting rid of the clutter in your mind. This lone path can cause discomfort from disconnection.




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‘World’s first affordable’ 3D glass printers to soon come online thanks to AUS startup

By
Keizo
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0

Additive manufacturing startup Maple Glass Printing is shaking up the AM game with Maple™, a 3D glass printer which the company touts as the “world’s affordable 3D glass printer”.

Maple Glass announced yesterday via a Facebook post that its Maple2™Glass 3D Printers are now in production. 

According to the product brochure, the Maple2™ should allow the user to create “complex digital designs” with glass thanks to a “unique technology” that removes the inconveniences typically associated with glass manufacturing.

In contrast to polymers and metals, glass has received little attention in the AM industry. Certain factors such as its viscous liquid phase, slow melting, and reduced optical quality due to bubbling are hurdles manufacturers have to overcome when dealing with glass. 

3D printing with glass also poses a challenge due to high-energy demands and high temperature stress.

“With our 3D printers, customers will be able to create rapid prototypes with unique designs and iterate with high repeatability,” the brochure said.

Driven by sustainability, Maple Glass’ mission is to reduce glass waste through glass-based additive manufacturing.

“By using recycled glass, our patent-pending machine can print detailed glass pieces with an economically viable process.”

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Smart glasses for industry use? Harvest Technology, Iristick NV join forces to make it a reality

By
Keizo
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0

Smart glasses for industrial use may soon materialise as Harvest Technology Group Limited (ASX:HTG) announced today an agreement with Iristick NV to further develop industrial smart safety glasses.

The two firms agreed to integrate each other’s strengths — Harvest’s Infinity Wearwolf™ technology with Iristick’s industrial smart glasses.

Iristick smart glasses feature real-time feedback and information systems provided by a distant expert, allowing remote assistance to workers in various industries — from doctors performing medical procedures to quality assurance personnel perform factory checks.

By integrating Wearwolf™ into Iristick smart glasses, these industrial glasses can leverage the live secure point-to-point video encryption of Infinity Nordstream (Nordstream) even at poor quality or congested networks.

Prototype testing reached fruition in December 2020 with “successful” results. Harvest Technology and Iristick plan to launch the device by the first quarter of 2021.

Harvest Technology is an Australian-operated group of company marshalling subsea technology solutions for the energy, resources, and renewables sectors.

Based in Belgium, Iristick is a technology company that specialises in the manufacturing and development of industry-grade safety glasses. The company’s competitive edge lies in the smartphone-accessibility of its enterprise wearables.

What are smart glasses and how do they help?

Also known as ‘smart eyewear’, industrial smart glasses are devices that present data from a background information system right in front of a person’s eyes.

In contrast to virtual reality headsets, these smart glasses allow the user to experience the physical and the digital worlds simultaneously. By augmenting the user’s field of view with superimposed information, industrial smart glasses could easily revolutionise (and simplify) complex manufacturing solutions.

Johan De Geyter, Iristick CEO, said that the COVID-19 pandemic “kickstarted the use of remote assistance via smart glasses” to keep business operations despite pandemic restrictions.

Geyter adds that smart glasses could be used when workers are confronted with low or no Wi-FI connection.

“…this collaboration can overcome the issue and make remote assistance available over low bandwidth, at any possible location, ensuring workers stay connected at any time,” he said.

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AML3D to manufacture steel impellers for Thyssenkrupp and Wilhelmsen

By
Keizo
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0

AMLD3D Limited (ASX:AL3) confirmed today the purchase order for the delivery of marine-grade stainless steel impellers from Thyssenkrupp and Wilhelmsen.

The Australian metal AM startup said that the impellers are being manufactured to “demonstrate the advantages” of its flagship Wire Arc Manufacturing technology WAM® — a disruptive 3D printing process that best suits medium and large-scale components — over more traditional casting methods.

According to AMLD3D, the purchased manufacturing technology is slated to provide a “significant commercial opportunity,” for the company given the quality and scale of the purchase.

AMLD3D acquired the order from 3D-printing joint venture Thyssenkrupp and Wilhelmsem through a purchase valuing at SGD 33K, on usual purchase order terms.

On September 2020, maritime service and supply know-how Wilhemsen announced its collaboration with Thyssenkrupp, a Germany-based additive manufacturing firm.

The joint venture aims to galvanize the maritime supplies market by employing additive manufacturing, or 3D printing processes, thereby disrupting costly and time-consuming supply chain overheads.

That being said, the purchase AML3D steel impellers is part of the dyad’s larger goal to markedly improve the cost of maritime spare parts, lead times, and environmental footprint.

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Boeing completes groundbreaking autonomous teaming flights at the new Queensland Flight Test Range in Cloncurry

By
Jas
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0

Global aerospace giant Boeing has tested its latest autonomy technology at Australia’s first commercial drone flight testing facility at Cloncurry Airport.

Boeing completed flight tests with five high performance surrogate jets operating autonomously in a team at the new flight test range in Cloncurry, which was designed and constructed by global defence technology company QinetiQ.

The Queensland Government invested $14.5 million to develop the foundation stage of the facility, which gives users access to a 20-metre by 20-metre hangar, a 2-kilometre runway, state-of-the-art monitoring equipment, surveillance radar, an air conditioned workshop and supporting amenities.

Deputy Premier and Minister for State Development, Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning Steven Miles said the construction phase of the new testing facility for unmanned aerial systems (UAS) supported more than 100 direct jobs in the region including five new apprenticeships.

“The facility is the largest of its kind in the southern hemisphere and includes a hangar, buildings for office space and monitoring equipment, range control systems, a surveillance radar and amenities,” the Minister said.

“Boeing Australia tested their advanced autonomy project including brain-on-board technology over 10 days in Cloncurry, flying up to five high performance test aircraft in a team for the first time.

“To enable instrumented testing of this calibre to occur right here in Queensland is something that makes us extremely proud.”

Director of Boeing Phantom Works International Emily Hughes said the activity was the final milestone delivered in partnership with the Queensland Government as part of the company’s Advanced Queensland Autonomous Systems Platform Technology Project.

“The tests demonstrated our success in applying artificial intelligence algorithms to ‘teach’ the aircraft’s brain to understand what is required of it,” Ms Hughes said.

“The data link capabilities enabled the aircraft to communicate with the other platforms so that they could collaborate to achieve a mission.

“The facility will provide excellent conditions to test a range of airborne test beds, which is part of an autonomy R&D program that’s heading toward new autonomous product and prototypes.”

QinetiQ Australia Managing Director Greg Barsby said the flight test range will support ‘all weight classes of UAS’ for routine flying operations, demonstration activities and test and evaluation trials.

“It will be a critical component in the overall drone ecosystem, as an enabler and connector of high-technology UAS programs and initiatives,” Mr Barsby concluded.

Image credit: https://www.boeing.com.au/
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