[CPJ] The Committee to Protect Journalists, along with 26 other press freedom and human rights organizations, sent a letter on November 12 to the U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (UNWGAD) seeking updates on the urgent appeal filed on November 14, 2023, concerning the imprisonment of Egyptian writer Alaa Abdelfattah.

January 25, 2006 – Last month, just prior to the Congressional holiday recess, renewal efforts for the Patriot Act ground to a halt. The law, which gives the federal government sweeping search and seizure powers that many believe to be unconstitutional, had sixteen very controversial clauses that were due to expire at the beginning of this year. The Bush Administration had been pushing Congress to renew the law in its entirety, and to make it permanent. But when four Republican senators (a so-called “gang of four”) joined with democrats to demand greater protections for individual privacy, they were able to launch a filibuster to prevent a long term renewal of the law. Instead, the Senate and House of Representatives were forced into a compromise that renewed the law until February 3, 2006.

Noisy environments pose a challenge to deaf people, particularly when they're trying to discern what a specific person within such a setting is saying. AirCaps glasses are designed to help, by providing real-time captioning to the wearer.

Continue Reading

Category: Wearables, Consumer Tech, Technology

Tags: Deaf, Hearing, Glasses, Eyewear, Cornell University, Artificial Intelligence, Speech

I've tested Nokia's revamped 3210 and have the answers to the biggest questions on this 2024 retro phone.

The Pulsar 125, in its Classic guise, continues to be a massive seller for Bajaj, but the company needed something fresh and youthful to address the TVS Raider and Hero Xtreme 125R. After all, those two have carved out a new segment of about 50,000-60,000 sales per month. The N125 is Bajaj’s answer, and the interesting thing is that it has nothing to do with any other Pulsar before it.

Bajaj Pulsar N125 design, colours, quality 

Bajaj wanted to make a 125 that weighed 125 kilos (which is nearly 20kg less than the existing 125cc Pulsar models), and that necessitated an entirely new platform. The N125 also carries a new design language, and it’s great to see that this isn’t just another Pulsar wearing a familiar set of clothes.

Plenty of floating panels all over and a rather un-Pulsar-like headlamp bring freshness to the design philosophy. But there’s also familiarity in elements like the shape of the tank extensions as well as the new take on the twin-slash brake lamps. 

While so much aero-inspired bodywork on a tiny 125 is almost purely for aesthetics, the vents on the front mudguard shroud are actually functional. The story goes that the initial design did not have any vents, but the engine development team complained to the design department that their air-cooled engine wasn’t getting enough flow, which is why the vents were incorporated. 

There are some unusual touches, like the body panel along the side of the subframe. We’re used to seeing this kind of bodywork at the tail section on most motorcycles, but it finds itself positioned between the rider and pillion seat on the N125. This has the effect of adding mass to the design but also keeps the tail quite slim. The fat fork shrouds do a good job of masking the skinny 30mm telescopic fork, but while they certainly give the bike more presence, some may find them to be excessively wide.

Quality levels are decent, but some visible panel gaps on our bike do leave room for improvement. In all, the N125 has a striking design that will be a little polarising yet also easily identifiable, especially in the funky colour schemes Bajaj has gone with. It doesn’t have the same ‘big-bike’ look as the Hero Xtreme 125R, but it certainly stands out, and that’s a good thing.

Bajaj Pulsar N125 ride and handling

The seating position is more or less what you’d expect from a bike like this. At 795mm, the seat height isn’t the lowest in the class, but it’s still very manageable, and the seats are spacious and comfortable. The footpeg placement is a little sporty, which goes well with a bike like this. However, the narrow handlebar felt a bit too ‘commutery’, which slightly dilutes the special feeling a bike like this should have. 

Happily, the new chassis makes up for this in its sheer lightness and behaviour. 125kg is nearly on par with the TVS Raider, and just like that bike, the N125 has a delightfully nimble, easy-going character without any nervousness. Bajaj let us experience this on a go-kart track, and the N125 was genuinely good fun, displaying an eagerness to change direction and lean over. The footpeg placement enabled plenty of cornering clearance without any scraping, and the bike never displayed any fidgety moments you might expect with a very light machine. The MRF tyres were nice and grippy in this situation as well, and the only thing I’d have liked was a bit more initial sharpness in the front brake.

Bajaj Pulsar N125 engine refinement, mileage

Nevertheless, the N125’s dynamics will translate into an enjoyable experience on densely packed city roads. Going nicely with this is a very light clutch effort, which they say is 50 percent less than the competition. With 12hp, the new engine is the most powerful in the segment alongside the NS125, but this bike has a much better power-to-weight ratio of nearly 100hp/tonne.

More importantly, the engine is smooth and tractable, and it makes a nice sound as well. While the strong acceleration only arrives at quite high revs, the engine can also pull you along in third gear (out of 5) as low as 20kph, which is crucial in a city bike like this. 

Refinement is excellent, but I noticed that the motor would stall if the revs got too low without any of the typical warning signs (like a juddering sound or feel) that come when an engine’s revs get too low. This isn’t really an issue on its own, but the problem arises in that the N125 doesn’t have a gear position indicator or even a rev counter. With its tractable nature, you will often find yourself riding around at rather low revs in heavy traffic, and that’s when these stalls can catch you out, so it’s something you’ll need to learn to work around.

Bajaj claims a 0-60kph time of 6 seconds and a top speed of 97kph, although you’ll see over 110kph on the display. The bike hits about 80kph quickly, and overall performance feels up to the mark of the best in the segment. The company also claims an overall fuel efficiency of about 60kpl.

Bajaj Pulsar N125 price, features and verdict

One of the big success factors with bikes like the Raider and Xtreme 125R is that they offer the looks and feature set of bigger 150-200cc machines. When it comes to the latter, the Pulsar N125 isn’t quite up there with its rivals. On the one hand, it has a front disc brake and LED head/tail lamps as standard, while the top model gets Bluetooth connectivity and a silent start/start-stop system. But then it misses important things like a rev counter, gear position indicator or single-channel ABS – although Bajaj says it will introduce the latter if there’s demand.

While the Pulsar N125 probably won’t sway buyers with segment-leading features, it has most of the essential fundamentals in place, the key among them being the price. At Rs 95,000 for the base model and 98,000 for the top model, it is more affordable than a similarly specced Raider and on par with the Hero Xtreme 125R. As of now, we can’t confirm whether it’s the best in its segment, but the new Pulsar N125 definitely has a fighting chance. 

Also See: Bajaj Pulsar N125 video review

Kochi-based farmer KK Vijayan plants sunflowers on a 50 cent plot. The blooms are drawing curious locals looking for selfies

The US Department of Defense is pursuing next-generation geothermal energy systems that can produce zero emission electricity and green hydrogen, too.

The post US Air Force Pursues Green Hydrogen Via Geothermal Energy appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Waymo is growing its ridership by leaps and bounds, and opening up to more and more riders almost every week it seems. It’s also working on its PR, looking to score brownie points for helping different disadvantaged groups. Or maybe it’s just trying to do good in the world — ... [continued]

The post Waymo Supporting Single Mothers & Vulnerable Road Users appeared first on CleanTechnica.

There’s always a lot of buzz surrounding the Met Gala, and we finally know what the next edition of the fashion biggest nights will be all about. The Costume Institute announced the theme of their upcoming spring exhibition and announced the impressive lineup of co-chairs joining Anna Wintour this time around. Exhibition Theme “Superfine: Tailoring […]

The strange relationship of prosperity and piety.

Fr. Stephen Freeman looks at the notion of "allegory" as it is used in the New Testament and in the Orthodox worldview. He also considers the true nature of "literalism" and how we should understand it.

Fr. Stephen Freeman speaks on icons as doors that open onto other rooms. He also speaks about how we view evil in this understanding of God's world.

Frederica examines the concept of non-violent resistance. Should we refuse to exercise any earthly power?

Frederica shares with us the special prayer entitled "Akathist to the Mother of God, Nurturer of Children."

Last week, we explored how Christ shows us the path of the Cross is the path of willing vulnerability. This week, Christian discusses the role of vulnerability in our lives as we seek close and intimate relationships.

After the disciples encounter Christ, they run through the dark night back to Jerusalem to share the good news with the other disciples. Join Christian this week as he explores what sharing Christ with others looks like for Orthodox Christians.

Ever noticed how your thoughts seem to impact your day in a big way? This week, Christian explores this phenomenon, pointing toward how our thoughts also impact other people.

Young people keep leaving the Church, and most of us are very concerned about this. This week, Christian explores this phenomenon through Attachment Theory and suggests that perhaps the Church is losing her young people because she has failed to be there for youth in the way that they need

This week, Christian explores how our lives are meant to be lived for others rather than used to serve ourselves.

Fr. Tom talks about the other canons of the fourth century in addition to the Council of Nicaea.

If we believe that the Orthodox Church is the True Church, how are we to relate to those in other faith traditions or even non Christians? Fr. Tom takes us to the Church Fathers for answers.

In August I published a post examining a common question in email marketing – do email subscription pop-ups work? The post detailed how I went about implementing pop-ups via OptinMonster (affiliate), as well as the results I attained in using them on two separate sites. Despite “most people” claiming they hate them, the results were…

The post Comparing Email Subscribers Acquired from Pop-Ups vs. Other Methods appeared first on Sugarrae.

Fr. Finley, with reference to potential “mass conversions,” explains what we must do to prepare.

In his 84th episode reflecting on the Divine Liturgy, Fr. Tom talks about the Kiss of Peace which takes place after the celebrant declares "Let us love one another that with one mind we may confess."

Fr. John shares his homily from the Sunday of the Holy Fathers.

Fr. John Whiteford describes the important role of motherhood as seen through life of the Theotokos, the mother of our Lord.

Fr. John Whiteford talks about the life of St. James the Just.

While most Mother’s Day celebrations include things like cards, brunch or carnations, there are other, more tangible ways to embrace the more non-commercial aspects of appreciating mothers. What would it look like to connect daily gratitude with the small moments of mothering? How might it transform us?

All great religions have a form of the Golden Rule. But in the Christian Faith this wisdom has specific wisdom on not only how to actually follow the Golden Rule but to share this faith with others.

How do we continue to love unconditionally amidst our suffering, especially when this suffering is caused by the people we love best? How do we attain and maintain the maturity of faith we need to be Christ-like, let God be in control, and recognize the grace in our lives despite the pain. Join Michael as he shares his thoughts and experiences on this very difficult topic.

In celebration of Mother’s Day, join Michael as he explores the language of the Genesis creation stories and what they teach us about the value of women and the feminine and motherly nature of God. He then reflects on the Theotokos and how her life and Christ’s demonstrate the value of women established in Genesis, and how they restore women to the place God intended for them. This podcast is based on a Zoom class Michael gave to a Church community and also includes responses from the question and answer period of the class.

Join Michael as he provides an in-depth discussion of the many spiritual aspects of patience that are critical to our salvation and the salvation of others, and how lacking this virtue is more spiritually harmful than we may realize.

Fr. Seraphim Aldea answers the question of whether or not couples should abstain from sexual relations after the years of procreation.