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<ul><li>Moscow-based designer <keyword id="12414025" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Andrew-Fabishevskiy" source="Orion">Andrew Fabishevskiy</keyword> created the concept ‘<keyword id="12414024" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="moon-bike" source="Orion">moon bike</keyword>’.</li><li>The <keyword id="12414023" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="lunar-bike" source="Orion">lunar bike</keyword> features a simple and light design with “minimum styling elements.”</li><li>It’s only a concept for now but Fabishevskiy hopes to turn it into a reality soon.</li></ul>There’s a lot to imagine what we could possibly use on the moon and it could be a motorbike according to this Russian automotive designer. Moscow-based designer Andrew Fabishevskiy has created a concept lunar motorbike that looks well, pretty cool. Fabishevskiy shared the designs of the “NASA moto” on his blog where the motorbike is actually pictured on the lunar surface. The moon bike was inspired by the Lunar Roving Vehicle used on Apollo 15, 16 and 17, according to Space.com. Fabishevskiy also took the idea of a simple electric bike for this concept. <div type="image" title="nasa_test_10-3-1" msid="87355105" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The moon bike was inspired by the Lunar Roving Vehicle used on Apollo 15, 16 and 17.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> The lunar bike has two big wheels and features a trellis-like design holding inside the battery and important parts of the motorbike. The lunar bike also has the NASA branding which makes it stand out more. In reality, the lunar bike would be equipped with an electric suspension and electric in-wheels motors. It looks like a simple and clean design for a bike with nothing flashy, and this is what Fabishevskiy had in mind. <div type="image" title="nasa_small" msid="87355084" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The idea first originated from a challenge on Instagram after which Fabishevskiy made a 3D mode. &amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> "The main design theme of this motorcycle is to make an object that looks like clear engineering, with minimum styling elements,” Fabishevskiy was <a href="https://www.space.com/moon-motorcycle-concept-photos" data-type="tilCustomLink">quoted</a> as saying by Space.com. “I wanted to make a visually light object, such lightness is characteristic of machines designed for space, as well as the combination of materials that I used – lots of white and reflective materials," he added. The idea first originated from a challenge on Instagram after which Fabishevskiy made a 3D model and it was later turned into a proper concept through a collaboration with Germany-based motorcycle design company Hookie Co. This is only a concept for now but Fabishevskiy hopes to build a full-size prototype later. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/nasa-shares-video-of-future-space-explorations/articleshow/87152796.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Here’s what space explorations in the very distant future could look like</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/chinese-ev-maker-unveils-flying-car-that-can-also-be-driven-on-roads/articleshow/87249164.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Chinese EV maker unveils flying car planned to be launched by 2024</a>

Inspired by Apollo’s lunar rover, a Russian designer creates a motorbike concept for the moon

<ul class="summary-list"><li>As bikes became a means of recreation, exercise, and commuting during <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword> shutdowns, <keyword id="31979" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="bike">bike</keyword> companies were facing <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-convinces-some-americans-to-turn-to-bikes-2020-4">growing demand</a>.</li><li>In March, leisure-bike sales <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/18/nyregion/bike-shortage-coronavirus.html">jumped 121%</a> in the US.</li><li>But when Lunar New Year and COVID-19 outbreaks shut down bike-manufacturing factories in China, bike companies also had to contend with a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/united-states-is-running-out-of-bikes-during-coronavirus-pandemic-2020-5">shortage</a> of the now super-popular bikes.</li><li>Business Insider stopped by the <keyword id="10141876" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="linus-bike">Linus Bike</keyword> warehouse in Los Angeles and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-commuter-bike">State Bicycle's</a> shop in <keyword id="209428" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Tempe">Tempe</keyword>, Arizona, to see how the companies pivoted to keep up with demand.</li></ul>Following is a transcription of the <keyword id="21654" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="video">video</keyword>.- When the coronavirus shut down public transportation and gyms, Americans returned to a trusted classic: the <keyword id="6397210" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="bicycle">bicycle</keyword>. In March, leisure-bike sales increased by 121% in the US. By April, bike shops across the country were cleared out of inventory.Adam McDermott: At no point did we ever satisfy demand.Narrator: And that demand is still holding strong. But bike companies are facing a problem: a shortage of bikes.Adam: This whole shelf right here all the way back to that side of the warehouse is usually stacked with bikes, and now there's nothing.Narrator: We visited two bike shops, one in LA and one in Arizona, to see how they're keeping up with this unprecedented surge in demand.Mehdi Farsi: During typical times, we have bikes in stock, and we can ship them the bike that same day.Narrator: That's Mehdi, the founder of <keyword id="10141877" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="state-bicycle">State Bicycle</keyword> in Tempe, Arizona. Usually, he sells 30 to 40 bikes a day. But now, he's more than tripled his daily orders, to 150. Mehdi's bikes are made in Taiwan and China.Mehdi: In January and February, right around the Lunar New Year, all bike suppliers really were shut down for at least four weeks.Narrator: Then COVID-19 shut down the factories for an additional month through February. That happened just before demand for bikes started to surge stateside, in mid-March.Mehdi: Only a couple weeks later, we were completely sold out of bikes.Narrator: Even though bike shops were deemed essential businesses, Mehdi still had trouble bringing new bikes in.Mehdi: Production times are getting longer and longer, and that's why we're seeing such a shortage of bicycles still.Narrator: Over in Los Angeles, Adam McDermott had a similar story. His company, Linus Bike, was wiped clean of its bikes.Adam: We immediately sold through all our inventory, and it was just like, waiting for the next container. And by the time that next container arrived, it was already completely sold out.Narrator: Adam and his business partner, Chad Kushner, started Linus Bikes back in 2007. Customers can buy their '50s French-inspired city bikes starting at $400 online.Adam: Our web traffic increased by, like, 150%. Like, every sector that we sell through, we're seeing, you know, 100% increase in revenue.Narrator: Built in Taiwan, the bikes are sold all around the world. But we stopped by the Simi Valley warehouse in LA.Adam: We're down to kind of just the bare minimum here. If we could just get more product, that's really what we're facing right now.Narrator: From his Venice Beach shop not too far away, Adam's team would normally sell wheels to walk-in customers, meaning they could buy a bike and take it home that day. But since the pandemic, this isn't an option.Adam: Inventory that was supposed to last us the entire year, we were selling just in a matter of months. So, at, like, peak, in July, we were back-ordering for some models all the way to February, which is insane for us.Narrator: Linus went from selling 1,200 units a month to about 4,000. Now it's taking the company nearly double the time to produce a single bike. To keep up with demand, both companies had to get creative.Mehdi: We quickly went to a preorder method and started ramping up our production overseas.Narrator: Mehdi also put a cap on the number of bikes each of his 300 dealers could sell.Mehdi: In order to prevent larger shops from eating up all the inventory and kind of taking away availability from some other shops.Narrator: Over at Linus Bikes...Adam: When COVID broke out, New Jersey, where our other warehouse is, the picture looked much worse there for New Jersey and New York, so we diverted all inventory to the West Coast, just 'cause it seemed like this warehouse will keep operating. So, we're doing all our shipping from the West Coast. It's a much bigger expense, but at least we knew this warehouse would be functioning.Narrator: Adam's also working on a new kind of inventory.Adam: We just introduced e-bikes. They're just landing now, so they're not even available. We're still preselling them. And those range from about $2,000 to $3,000. It's a really massive kind of change. It became a business of managing inventory and trying to allocate inventory. Where we can get the bike to the customer, how we can, like, keep one customer happy and not lose another customer.Mehdi: If we had bikes in stock that we could send to someone same day, I could only imagine sales might be up 10X or more.Narrator: Linus doesn't anticipate getting many of its popular bikes back until 2021.Adam: I think it's really key not to rest on this crazy demand that is temporary. I know it's temporary in some form. I think if a business expects it or assumes it, like, you'll pay for it later.Mehdi: My advice for any other small-business owner out there, try to be as agile and flexible as you can in order to adapt and survive.Narrator: For both companies, the biggest surges happened in cities, where residents traded in crowded trains for bikes.Adam: It's Portland, New York, Brooklyn, Chicago. Los Angeles is a big market.Mehdi: People just feel a lot more comfortable commuting by bike versus subway trains or buses now.Narrator: And the demand for two wheels isn't expected to let up.Adam: We think demand will hold into 2021.Mehdi: With so many more riders experiencing their cities on bikes, the future of American cities might actually transform as well. More and more people are going to look to commute via bike, which is obviously awesome for the environment. We love to see that. And, who knows, maybe the next Lance Armstrong or the next Tour de France winner has gotten on a bike during this pandemic, and in several years' time, we're gonna kind of see the next great American road cyclist come out of this.<div type="image" title="Advertisement" height="1" width="1" msid="81359486" hostid="285"></div>

How bike shops kept up with America's 121% spike in demand

<ul class="summary-list"><li>European stocks jumped and US futures rose, although US <keyword id="31671" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="markets">markets</keyword> are closed.</li><li>WTI oil rose past $60 for the first time since January 2020 as demand bounces back.</li><li><keyword id="6354947" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="bitcoin">Bitcoin</keyword> fell from a record high of close to $50,000 after surging the previous week.</li></ul>European stocks jumped in early trading on Monday, US futures rose and Asian equities climbed overnight as investors doubled down on bets that coronavirus vaccines and government stimulus will power a rapid rebound this year.Meanwhile, <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/commodities/oil-price?type=wti">West Texas Intermediate oil</a> rose past the $60 for the first time in over a year as tensions in the Middle East and a cold snap in parts of the US.Europe's <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/index/stoxx_europe_600">Stoxx 600</a> index was up 0.8% in morning trading, while the UK's <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/index/ftse_100">FTSE 100</a> was 1.39% higher.Futures for the US's <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/index/s&amp;p_500_500">S&amp;P 500</a> were up 0.29%, although trading will be closed on Monday for Presidents' Day.Markets in China and Hong Kong were shut for the Lunar New Year. But Japan's <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/index/nikkei_225">Nikkei 225</a> jumped 1.91%.The MSCI All World index ended at a record high on Friday in a sign of investors' confidence that economies will heal quickly in 2021.Read More: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cannabis-stocks-to-buy-market-leaders-years-ahead-potx-etf-2021-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">These 3 cannabis stocks are 'poised to be market leaders' and have the infrastructure to grab up industry share when federal legalization happens in the US, according to an analyst for the top-performing ETF in the world this year</a>"As the virus count falls in major countries and the vaccine roll-out proceeds with fits and starts, the mood in markets is improving," said Marshall Gittler, head of investment research at trading platform BDSwiss."It helps too that financial conditions are extremely loose, meaning there's a lot of money floating around looking for a home," Gittler added. "As a result, stock markets are moving further into record territory."Expectations of a strong rebound in demand as economies recover have pushed oil prices to one-year highs.Crude prices extended their rally overnight after a Saudi-led coalition said it had intercepted a drone fired by the Houthi group, which is aligned to Iran, according to state TV.The possibility of higher tensions in the Middle East combined with a possibly disruptive cold snap in Texas to send <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/commodities/oil-price?type=wti">WTI crude</a> to a high of close to $60.80 a barrel. It was last up 1.87% to $60.57, trading at levels not seen since January 2020. <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/commodities/oil-price">Brent crude</a> was up 1.33% to $63.26 a barrel.Richard Hunter, head of markets at Interactive Investor, said: "Hopes of increased demand in the coming months along with controlled supply has been positive for an <keyword id="51471" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Oil-price">oil price</keyword>, which has risen by 22% in the year to date."The <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/currencies/btc-usd">bitcoin price</a> slipped back from a record high of above $49,700 touched on Sunday. It was 3.29% lower on Monday morning at $47,528 on the Bitstamp exchange, having fallen to $45,900 overnight.The <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/index/us-dollar-index">dollar index</a> fell 0.19% to 90.31 as investors moved out of the greenback into equities. Its fall helped push the <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/currencies/gbp-usd">British pound</a> up 0.39% to $1.3898, its highest level since the spring of 2018.Read More: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/stock-picks-to-buy-pandemic-social-distancing-leisure-spending-bofa-2021-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bank of America shares 9 stocks to buy as the pandemic prompts consumers to shift their spending habits towards 'solitary leisure' activities like golf and biking</a>

Global stocks hit record highs and WTI oil tops $60 as 'reflation trade' powers ahead

<ul class="summary-list"><li><a href="https://realestate.usnews.com/places/rankings/best-places-to-live">US News &amp; World Report</a> named <keyword id="14138452" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="huntsville" source="Orion">Huntsville</keyword>, <keyword id="11910053" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="alabama" source="Orion">Alabama</keyword>, as the best US city to live in its annual ranking.</li><li>I've lived there for over 50 years and have watched the city grow before my eyes. </li></ul>My family has lived in Huntsville, Alabama, for six generations, setting down roots back when it was just a small rural farm town in the 1840s. As a native of what's now <a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/alabama/articles/2021-08-13/huntsville-now-alabamas-largest-city-overtakes-birmingham#:~:text=(AP)%20%E2%80%94%20Huntsville%20has%20overtaken,has%20a%20population%20of%20215%2C006.">Alabama's largest city</a>, I've watched my hometown evolve before my eyes.Now, the secret is officially out. This year, Huntsville took home the top honors in <a href="https://realestate.usnews.com/places/rankings/best-places-to-live">US News &amp; World Report's annual list </a>of the best places to live in the US. The ranking is determined by an analysis of both public data and user opinions of the following <a href="https://realestate.usnews.com/places/methodology">five criteria</a>: job market, housing affordability, quality of life, desirability, and migration patterns.Here's what Huntsville is like, from someone born and raised there. <h2>Huntsville has a rich history that's shaped it into the city it is today </h2><div type="image" title="welcome to huntsville sign" height="2620" width="3494" msid="92064305" hostid="261"></div>Situated in the <a href="https://www.insider.com/best-mountains-in-the-world-2018-4">foothills of the Appalachian Mountains</a> and nestled in the Tennessee Valley, Huntsville is the location of many of Alabama's <a href="https://www.insider.com/civil-rights-moments-historic-past-150-years-2019-1">historic firsts and brightest achievements</a>.It was the state's first city to <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2020/09/the-firsts-desegregating-alabamas-public-schools/616449/">integrate its public schools in 1963</a> and where scientists and engineers <a href="https://www.al.com/news/huntsville/2019/06/alabama-and-its-rocket-put-apollo-11-first-man-on-the-moon.html">helped put the first man on the moon in 1969</a>.Eventually, decades of innovation in <keyword id="11945697" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="space-exploration" source="Orion">space exploration</keyword> and rocket science in Huntsville led it to be coined "The Rocket City," a nickname many people know the city by today. <h2>The cost of living is relatively low compared to some similarly sized cities, but home prices are still climbing</h2>Huntsville has a metro population of 464,607 people, according to the report.In comparison to similarly sized cities like <a href="https://realestate.usnews.com/places/colorado/boulder">Boulder, Colorado</a>, which is ranked fourth on <a href="https://realestate.usnews.com/places/alabama/huntsville">US News &amp; World Report</a>'s list, and <a href="https://realestate.usnews.com/places/maine/portland">Portland, Maine</a>, which is ranked eighth, the <a href="https://www.nerdwallet.com/cost-of-living-calculator/compare/huntsville-al-vs-portland-me">cost of living in Huntsville is relatively low</a>.Even so, it's been shocking to watch the <a href="https://www.reckonsouth.com/family/2021/07/a-lot-of-wealth-and-rocket-scientists-why-huntsville-is-now-unaffordable-for-so-many.html">meteoric rise</a> in our city's home prices over the past few months.My daughter was fortunate enough to <a href="https://www.insider.com/how-to-buy-a-house-2018-6">purchase her first house</a> in Huntsville in December 2021. The previous owners beat the Huntsville housing boom and paid $74 per square foot in 2017, per Zillow. As of June 2022, the home's value has increased to $188 per square foot. <div type="image" title="stovehouse outdoor area in huntsville alabama, swinging seat on left with shops in the background" height="3024" width="4032" msid="92064308" hostid="261"></div>According to <a href="https://realestate.usnews.com/places/alabama/huntsville">US News &amp; World Report</a>, Huntsville's median home price is $192,667. And although I've seen the city's housing market take off firsthand, it's still considerably less than Boulder's $528,833 and Portland's $310,300, which makes me appreciate what Huntsville real estate has to offer.<h2>Huntsville is known for being a hub for space exploration</h2>Huntsville's <a href="https://www.huntsville.org/blog/list/post/why-huntsville-doesnt-have-skyline/">tallest structure</a> is a 363-foot tall Saturn V rocket for a reason: The city is a hub for space exploration. The US Army selected Huntsville's Redstone Arsenal, a former World War II-era chemical munitions facility, to be the <a href="https://history.redstone.army.mil/ihist-1950.html">home of the Ordnance Guided Missile Center</a> in 1950. These <a href="https://www.insider.com/places-people-think-aliens-built-2018-7">scientists and engineers</a> marked the beginnings of the US space program and eventually NASA, which officially formed in 1958.<div type="image" title="Saturn V rocket outside of the Davidson Center for Space Exploration" height="3024" width="4032" msid="92064310" hostid="261"></div>Huntsville teams went on to <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/centers/marshall/history/explorer1/explorer-1.html">develop the technology</a> for the Explorer 1, America's first satellite; the Saturn V for the Apollo Lunar Lander Program; the Space Shuttle; and the International Space Station.The <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/centers/marshall/home/index.html">Marshall Spaceflight Center</a> in Huntsville still plays a critical role in missions, some of which include developing the <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/sls/index.html">Space Launch System</a> and the <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/content/more-about-the-human-landing-system-program">Human Landing System Program</a>, which aims to send people to the moon and Mars.<h2>It has several tourist attractions that appeal to locals, too </h2><div type="image" title="exterior shot of space camp in huntsville alabama, white building on left with space camp logo" height="3024" width="4032" msid="92064314" hostid="261"></div>Lest you think Huntsville is all work and no play, let's talk about the fun side of all this space history:<a href="https://www.spacecamp.com/"> Space Camp</a>, a hands-on learning experience for all things space <keyword id="11896628" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="travel" source="Orion">travel</keyword>. Participants can simulate missions, launch model rockets, and learn what it's like to live in the International Space Station.The camp's been open since 1982 and, over the years, almost one million people have graduated from the program. Among its alumni are several individuals who have gone on to <a href="https://www.huntsville.org/blog/list/post/space-camp-alumni-who-left-their-mark-on-the-world/#:~:text=As%20one%20would%20anticipate%2C%20there,aboard%20the%20International%20Space%20Station.">become professional astronauts</a>. <div type="image" title="Saturn V Rocket inside the Davidson Center for Space Exploration, shot from below" height="3024" width="4032" msid="92064316" hostid="261"></div>Many <a href="https://www.insider.com/tourist-attractions-no-longer-popular-2019-11">visitors and locals alike</a> also enjoy visiting the adjoining <a href="https://www.rocketcenter.com/">US Space &amp; Rocket Center</a> museum, the home of the aforementioned Saturn V. The famous rocket, which serves as the beacon of The Rocket City skyline, is actually a replica.The real article, which is one of only three in the world and holds the title of <a href="https://www.nps.gov/articles/nasa-nhls.htm">National Historic Landmark</a>, is located inside the Davidson Center for Space Exploration on the grounds of the US Space &amp; Rocket Center.Many people hold <keyword id="12722729" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="local" source="Orion">local</keyword> conferences, awards dinners, and weddings by the iconic rocket.<h2>Many of our entertainment venues are housed in repurposed old buildings</h2>Huntsville has way more to offer than rockets. Adaptive reuse of historic or abandoned properties has led to some unique entertainment opportunities over the past few years. Take, for instance, <a href="https://lowemill.art/">Lowe Mill ARTS &amp; Entertainment</a>, which originally opened as a cotton mill in 1901 and later served as a <a href="https://www.insider.com/tour-lisa-franks-abandoned-factory-today-2018-11">jungle-boot factory</a> during the Vietnam War. <div type="image" title="lowe mill entertainment space in huntsville alabama. brown brick building in left corner and water tower on the right" height="3024" width="4032" msid="92064319" hostid="261"></div>My father likes to say that as a young man he worked at Lowe Mill making boots and, six months later, he was wearing them. Even more change has happened, as it's now the US's <a href="https://lowemill.art/history/">largest privately owned arts facility</a>.The beautiful building is home to over 150 studios and features pottery, painting, photography, <a href="https://www.dannydavisguitars.com/">a luthier</a>, a <a href="https://piperandleaf.com/">local tea company</a>, <a href="https://ironsone.com/">a small batch single-hand crafted whiskey distiller</a>, and even <a href="https://www.pizzellesconfections.com/">an artisan chocolatier</a>. <div type="image" title="barrels up close to camera in huntsville bar" height="2939" width="3918" msid="92064321" hostid="261"></div>Just down the road, you'll find<a href="https://campus805.com/"> Campus No. 805</a>, a former middle school with visible remnants of its past, like burnt-orange lockers and a former principal's office.Now, this reimagined landmark houses an event space,<a href="http://straighttoale.com/"> Straight to Ale</a> brewery and<a href="https://www.yellowhammerbrewery.com/"> Yellowhammer Brewing</a>,<a href="https://www.facebook.com/Ronnie-Rayguns-1568541326782872/"> Ronnie Raygun's</a> arcade,<a href="https://www.facebook.com/offbeatcoffeestudio/"> Offbeat Coffee Studio</a>,<a href="https://earthandstonepizza.com/"> Earth and Stone Wood Fired Pizza</a>, and more.<div type="image" title="exterior of stovehouse in huntsville alabama" height="3024" width="4032" msid="92064323" hostid="261"></div>There's also Stovehouse, a former stove factory that's been converted into a destination for date nights, family dinners, and lunch breaks.As a mixed-use development, there are also a lot of offices there too. Stovehouse, for its part, describes itself as a space for "horsejackery," or "the act of slowing productivity and/or causing a commotion." And there are plenty of opportunities for "horsejackery." <a href="https://www.kamadoramen.com/">Kamado Ramen</a>,<a href="https://www.stovehouse.com/tenant/taqueria-el-cazador/"> Taqueria El Cazador</a>,<a href="https://charliefosters.com/"> Charlie Foster's</a> coffee, and<a href="https://www.stovehouse.com/tenant/bark-barrel-bbq/"> Bark &amp; Barrel BBQ</a> are just a few of the delicious dining options you can find there along with live music, a bar, event spaces, and shopping. <div type="image" title="sign from stovehouse in huntsville alabama, listing &quot;yes&quot; and &quot;no&quot; behavior for guests" height="4032" width="3024" msid="92064327" hostid="261"></div><h2>We also have wonderfully mild weather and direct access to tons of outdoor adventures </h2>With an <a href="https://www.weather.gov/hun/huntsvillenormalsandextremesdatabase">annual average high temperature of 74 degrees Fahrenheit and an annual average low temperature of 52 degrees Fahrenheit</a>, Huntsville residents can enjoy outdoor activities pretty much year-round.The <a href="https://www.landtrustnal.org/">Land Trust of North Alabama</a> encompasses 9,000 acres of beautifully preserved land, with <a href="https://www.insider.com/hikes-around-the-world-2019-3">73 miles of trails to explore</a>, all of which are accessible within Huntsville and its surrounding area.<a href="https://www.alapark.com/parks/monte-sano-state-park"> </a><div type="image" title="a brown sign for Land Trust of North Alabama at a trailhead" height="2891" width="3854" msid="92064328" hostid="261"></div>Also just minutes from downtown is <a href="https://www.alapark.com/parks/monte-sano-state-park">Monte Sano State Park</a>, which has its own 2,100 acres of preserved lands, 20 miles of hiking trails, and 14 miles of <a href="https://www.insider.com/best-bike-trails-in-every-state-2018-11">bike trails</a>. The southern edge of Huntsville, bordered by the Tennessee River, is where you'll find<a href="https://www.dittolanding.org/"> Ditto Landing Marina</a>, equipped with not only boating, but also hiking, camping, cycling, and ample space for picnicking. <div type="image" title="North Alabama Japanese Garden at Monte Sano State Park, wooded area with a small brown building/cottage in the right corner" height="3024" width="4032" msid="92064329" hostid="261"></div>But in my opinion, Huntsville's most iconic outdoor space is Big Spring Park, located in the downtown area. As a young adult, I remember downtown being a mostly quiet place with a smattering of bars and empty storefronts. In the evenings, the park primarily played host to local teenagers looking for something to do.More recently, Tommy Battle, the mayor of Huntsville, <a href="https://www.al.com/news/huntsville/2017/04/big_spring_park_is_open_again.html">referred</a> to this special place as the city's "living room," and with good reason. On sunny days, you'll find it full of folks feeding the ducks, grabbing a bite for lunch, or getting in their steps. At night and on weekends, Big Spring Park is often the location of <a href="https://www.crushwinefestival.com/">festivals</a> and <a href="https://www.artshuntsville.org/concerts-in-the-park/">concerts</a>.<div type="image" title="big spring park in huntsville alabama, water and red bridge with trees to the left and a building in the background" height="2747" width="3926" msid="92064330" hostid="261"></div><h2>Huntsville's community has grown and evolved with the city</h2>Huntsville's space program has drawn people from all over the world, creating a truly unique community through the decades. According to the data from the <a href="https://www.al.com/news/2022/03/huntsville-area-adds-3200-people-each-year-from-migration-fueling-rapid-growth-in-north-alabama.html">US Census Bureau</a>, Madison County, where Huntsville is located, had a population increase of <a href="https://www.al.com/news/2022/03/huntsville-area-adds-3200-people-each-year-from-migration-fueling-rapid-growth-in-north-alabama.html">50,000 new residents</a> between 2010 and 2020.Some people come to support the space program, defense programs, and emerging biotechnology endeavors. Others are involved in industries like manufacturing or the arts. <div type="image" title="Blue Origin Human Lander Building in Cummings Research Park exterior" height="2732" width="4032" msid="92064331" hostid="261"></div>According to the <a href="https://www.huntsvilleal.gov/business/city-of-huntsville/the-history-of-huntsville/">City of Huntsville</a>, over 10% of its residents are natives of other countries, and more than 100 languages and dialects are spoken in the city.This broad range of cultures and experiences is my favorite thing about living in this community. Huntsville is a place where ideas come to grow, and the ground here is fertile for innovation and creativity. Having personally experienced more than 50 years of life in Huntsville, I would argue that the people are what make this city so special. Individuals from all over the globe come together in Huntsville to develop new technologies, take on challenges never accomplished before, and leave their own legacy.

Huntsville, Alabama, was named the best place to live in the US. Here's what it's like to live there.

<ul><li>The Indian government has been giving a big boost to <keyword id="6354973" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="electric-vehicles">Electric vehicles</keyword> (EVs) to meet its climate change commitments.</li><li>Experts from Gateway House believe that EVs may not be the right way to reduce carbon emission or lower India’s dependency on oil.</li><li>Instead, exploring <keyword id="1281106" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="hydrogen-fuel">hydrogen fuel</keyword> and getting oil-rich countries to invest in downstream assets may be a better option in the long haul.</li></ul>The Indian government has been giving a big boost to electric vehicles (EVs) as a part of its ambitions to meet its climate change commitments on fossil fuels. EVs may be trending, however, experts believe that EVs may not be the right answer for India’s requirements. “In the form of fossil fuels, we have an energy source that’s reliable and it works. EVs have captured the imagination of people due to high-end cars being produced for the super-rich in the west,” said Amit Bhandari, energy and environment fellow with Gateway House. The central theme of switching over to EVs are two-fold. One is to reduce India’s dependency on oil and the second is to reduce <keyword id="6375918" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="carbon-emissions">carbon emissions</keyword>. On both accounts, EVs fail to meet the requirements. The dependency conundrum There was a time when the concern of acquiring enough oil to meet India’s energy demand. But over the last decade, the tables have turned and oil suppliers should be equally worried about demand security. “With its already large market and expected growth, India is going to be a key provider of this demand security,” said Bhandari. Not only should India invest in oil-rich countries but it should also get them to invest in downstream assets so that both their fortunes are tied together, he explains. On the one hand, India will get protection against price fluctuations, and on the other, it will also be ensuring that its energy demands are future proof. In pursuing EVs, India may reduce its dependency on oil but it will also create an entirely new dependency as well. “Pursuing EVs at this point of time, very aggressively, is akin to falling into a black hole called the Chinese economy,” said Chaitanya Giri, space and emerging technologies fellow with Gateway House. China can afford to be an EV-centric nation because it has an enormous amount of lithium reserves in its own backyard. For India, it will have to look to countries like China, Australia, the lithium triangle — Bolivia, Chile and Argentina — or the Democratic Republic of Congo for its requirements. “The internal geopolitical stability of Congo is a big question mark. So we really don’t want to create a new set of dependencies by over-focusing on EVs,” said Giri. South America, on the other hand, is a very long logistic distance for India to consider. The problem of carbon emissions Until and unless India switches over to renewable sources of energy at the source, it will only be transferring it problem of carbon emissions from the tailpipe to the back-end, explains Bhandari. “EVs are trying to address the question of clean air. Moving towards natural gases is probably a better solution and can be done with the existing infrastructure,” he said. This is because, at the end of the day, electricity is generated using coal, oil or other fossil fuels — which still produce their fair share of carbon dioxide. EVs, on the other hand, will be duplicating hundred and million dollars worth of oil infrastructure, which we have created over the past century. And, India will be doing it at a time when companies are struggling to stay afloat and to pay wages to their existing employees — to create something from scratch, explains Bhandari. It will also put the jobs of nearly 8 million Indians who work in the Gulf at risk. Is there a third option? Experts suggest that rather than pushing on EVs right now, India can set its own new emission standards. For now, EVs are expensive cars and bikes that only the super-rich can afford. The economics of it don’t really add up. In addition to that, the technology behind EVs is yet to pan out. If India chooses to invest in lithium batteries, it will have to set up plants. Some people may move to supercapacitors. The technology is changing all the time and continues to be dynamic. “Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe. And, if we start to use it as a fuel, then it’s also the cleanest of all,” suggests Giri. Hydrogen is made from natural gas, something that India’s existing infrastructure can already support. The Indian Oil Corporation has already demonstrated technology where it can blend hydrogen with compressed natural gas (CNG) — which is already being used for a large chunk of public transportation. “Having said that, hydrogen fuel, even today is very expensive,” Giri explained but it’s something that makes more sense to invest in for the long haul given India’s position right now. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/defense/news/china-responds-to-prime-minister-narendra-modi-and-us-president-donald-trump-conversation/articleshow/76188158.cms">China responds to Modi-Trump conversation — ‘there is no need for any third party to intervene’</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/policy/foreign-policy/news/india-and-australia-pump-12-7-million-into-ai-quantum-computing-and-robotics/articleshow/76194354.cms">India and Australia pump $12.7 million into AI, quantum computing and robotics — renewing their cyber and critical technology partnership</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/fridays-lunar-eclipse-might-be-difficult-to-spot-heres-how-you-catch-the-difference/articleshow/76189989.cms">Friday’s lunar eclipse might be difficult to spot — here’s how you catch the difference</a>

Oil dependency and carbon emissions — EVs may not be India’s answer to reducing either, say experts

Last year, IIT Bombay’s Techfest saw a staggering footfall of 1,65,000 enthusiasts in a span of three days. The Asia’s biggest Science and Technology Festival is back once again, with a bang. 
 
The fest will see an interesting lineup of events, lectures, panel discussion and competitions this season as well, but ‘IIT-B exhibition’ remains one of the biggest draws of this fest every year. Displaying technological marvels, the exhibition has, over the years, exposed Indians to major breakthroughs in science and technology, scientific thinking and innovation. 
 
With a theme of Space Expedition this year, the exhibition, open to all, will once again give visitors a peek into innovations in the field of space research. 
 
Mind-controlled drones from the US, Morphofunctional drones — which mimic actions of living creatures — from Switzerland, ISRO’s launch vehicles used for space missions like Chandrayan and Mars Orbiter will be a part of the fest. Each one of these will highlight the fundamental research and the technologies developed at IIT Bombay. 
 A working prototype of the droid, which first appeared in last year’s <keyword id="61596" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="20" keywordseo="Star-Wars">Star Wars</keyword>: The Force Awakens, will also be one of the technological marvels to be exhibited. It has been prepared by students of Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University in Russia. 
 
A Formula One racing car and an underwater vehicle built by IIT-B students will be on display. Visitors will also get a peek into the data received from Pratham, Mumbai’s first student satellite launched in September. 
 
Another attraction will be hearing India's first spaceman, Rakesh Sharma, and Isro chairman AS Kiran Kumar interact with students. This is the second time in three years that Sharma will participate in TechFest—he had earlier visited the campus in 2013. 
 Bedabrata Pain, a <keyword id="6360409" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="NASA">Nasa</keyword> scientist-turned-film director, and Krishnaswamy Kasturirangan, former Isro chairman, will also speak at TechFest. Pain had directed the National Award-winning film, 'Chittagong'. 
 
On the exhibition front, some of the highlights of last year included Jinn Bot from Switzerland, who showcased the first 3D printed walking humanoid robot, which made heads turn. 
 NASA Chondrobot from Bangladesh was an automated robot which is capable of mining in lunar environments. In others, the Dutch Nao Team from Netherlands were present which showed off autonomous football playing Nao <keyword id="16719" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="robots">robots</keyword> from RoboCup. 
 
Other exhibits included a Poker Robot from Hungary, All Terrain Rescue and Relief Robot from Bangladesh and Minirobots from South Korea. 
 
Apart from robotics, there were many artists present at the event too. Afishal from the United Kingdom, who is known to be the father of a unique technology for visual DJ drums showcased his talent for the first time in India. Some of the setups also included an All-Terrain vehicle, laser tag, 9D simulator, aerodrums, drona, F1 simulator, flying simulator, paintball, bungee run, BMX bikes, 3D chess, quilling and cards tricks workshops too.

Mind-controlled drones, Star Wars' inspired Droids: The Amazing Technology Marvels to be exhibited at IIT-B's upcoming Tech Fest

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/harrisonxjacobs/">Harrison Jacobs/Business Insider</a>Forget about tipping in guitar cases. Chinese people give money to street musicians and panhandlers with their phones.</div></div></div><ul><li><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/category/mobile-payments">Mobile payments</a> have become so common in <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/category/china">China</a> that paying with cash is practically unheard-of, even with street performers and taxi drivers.</li><li>The mobile payment market is dominated by two apps, WeChat Pay and AliPay, which have hundreds of millions of active monthly users and make Apple Pay's 127 million global user base look small in comparison.</li><li>Paying by phone became popular in China in part because credit cards never gained the popularity they see elsewhere in the world, and because the infrastructure for mobile payments was already in place.</li><li>Phone-scannable QR codes also mean that anyone can become a merchant, since you don't need hardware like a card or chip readers.</li></ul>Paying with your phone isn't a novelty in China these days. Paying with cash is. Over the last 15 years, mobile payments in China <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/0f0b9b82-5ce0-11e8-9334-2218e7146b04">have grown into a $16 trillion market</a> dominated by China's two biggest tech giants - Tencent and Alibaba. Mobile payments totaled $9 trillion in 2016, according to iResearch Consulting Group. Meanwhile, the US <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/chinas-mobile-payment-boom-changes-how-people-shop-borrow-even-panhandle-1515000570">saw $112 billion in mobile payments in 2016</a>, according to a Forrester Research estimate.Tencent and Alibaba's competing mobile payment apps - WeChat Pay and AliPay, respectively - are used by just about everyone in China, from fancy restaurants and high-end designer boutiques down to street vendors, taxi drivers, and even panhandlers.The depth to which the payment method has become part of daily life was driven home for me on a recent visit to the city of Xi'an, a city of 13 million in northwestern China. At the gate of the city's ancient walls, I happened upon a group of Chinese students gathered to listen to a few musicians sing on a Saturday night.This is not an uncommon sight in New York, where in nearly every metro station, a musician is strumming a guitar with his or her guitar case dotted with dollar bills. But the musicians in Xi'an had no open guitar case.At first I wondered how the musicians might receive tips. But every couple of songs, one of their friends held up two cards printed with QR codes - one for Alipay and the other for WeChat Pay. Dozens of the attendees lifted up their phones and, in seconds, had scanned the QR code and sent a few yuan to the performers.It was genius. No more digging around for loose change and finding you only have a $20 bill. No more trying to push your way to the front of the crowd so that you can deposit a few coins in the guitar case. Only a couple of clicks.<h2>In China's major cities, mobile payments are the preferred way to pay for just about everything</h2><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/harrisonxjacobs/">Harrison Jacobs/Business Insider</a></div></div></div>It would be easy to write my anecdote as some particularly tech-savvy millennials, except for the fact that such uses of mobile payments are common, and not just with young people.Tencent's WeChat Pay has a whopping 900 million monthly active users, while Alipay, from Alibaba affiliate <a href="https://www.antfin.com/family.htm">Ant Financial</a>, has over <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/0f0b9b82-5ce0-11e8-9334-2218e7146b04">500 million monthly active users</a>. Almost all of those users are Chinese nationals.For comparison, Apple Pay has 127 million users globally - and it comes pre-installed on every iPhone. Walking through the colorful Muslim Quarter street market in Xi'an the following day, I noticed that all of the food vendors had set out AliPay and WeChat Pay QR codes for tourists to pay for their food. I was the only one paying in cash. I saw the same at street-side fruit stands in Shenzhen and Beijing weeks later. One coffee shop in Beijing didn't even have a register, only a QR-code scanner. I had to leave and go to a different cafè because all they accepted was mobile payment. Phone-scannable QR codes means that anyone can become a merchant. No one needs hardware like a card or chip readers. All you need is an account and your personal QR code. Print it out on a sheet of paper and anyone passing by can send you money. Or simply scan the QR code of the person trying to pay you.Ninety-two percent of people in China's top cities <a href="https://www.techinasia.com/wechat-cashless-china-data">said that they use WeChat Pay or AliPay as their primary payment method</a>, according to a 2017 study by Penguin Intelligence. And the amount spent per month through those services keeps going up.Chinese spending using cash, however, is down <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/chinas-mobile-payment-boom-changes-how-people-shop-borrow-even-panhandle-1515000570">around 10% over the last two years</a>, according to The Wall Street Journal.Young Chinese people I spoke to said they rarely carried a wallet or cash at all. There was no point. Smartphones were the easiest way to pay for things, so why bother? <h2>Mobile payments have become wildly popular in China for two reasons</h2><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="Harrison Jacobs/Business Insider" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5b065f011ae66218008b45ce-960/alipaywechatpay-china 2 of 3.jpg"></a><a href="https://www.instagram.com/harrisonxjacobs/">Harrison Jacobs/Business Insider</a></div></div></div>It is clear that mobile payments have taken off in China in a way that they have yet to in the US or Europe. While it is tempting to suggest that this has occurred because China is so far ahead technologically, the reality is that it comes down to existing infrastructure. Credit cards were never popular in China, due in large part to poor options, cultural attitudes about debt, and, until recently, the lack of disposable income. China's state-owned banks, meanwhile, are notoriously difficult to deal with.When AliPay launched in 2004 as an escrow-service between buyers and sellers on Taobao, Alibaba's massively popular consumer-to-consumer e-commerce platform, it provided a much needed layer of security and trust. By the time it evolved in a mobile payment service in recent years, it already had a large user base. And compared to signing up for a credit card or using the state-owned banks, AliPay was infinitely more user-friendly.Meanwhile, WeChat Pay is a function within WeChat, Tencent's messaging app that is <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/wechat-has-hit-1-billion-monthly-active-users-2018-3">used by more than 1 billion people</a>. It has been <a href="https://technode.com/2018/01/17/china-top-1000-apps/">China's most popular app</a> for some time.The payment function was launched in 2014 during Lunar New Year, when it is common in China to give friends and family red envelopes of cash. Tencent drove adoption by allowing WeChat users to gift digital red envelopes of money to groups of friends. Users who opened the packets first - and, in the process, signed up for WeChat Pay - got bigger sums.WeChat Pay saw 16 million red envelopes get sent in the first 24 hours of launch, according to <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/chinas-mobile-payment-boom-changes-how-people-shop-borrow-even-panhandle-1515000570">The Wall Street Journal</a>. Pretty quickly, the app became the primary way for friends to send money to each other or split bills, similar to Venmo in the US.<h2>Alibaba and Tencent are sitting on a treasure trove of consumer data</h2><h2><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">REUTERS/Shu ZhangFacebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Founder and Executive Chairman of Alibaba Group Jack Ma laugh as they meet at the China Development Forum in Beijing, China, March 19, 2016.</div></div></div></h2>The benefits for Alibaba and Tencent go far beyond the transaction fees collected. The ubiquity with which Chinese people use mobile payments means the companies are sitting on a treasure trove of consumer data.WeChat and Taobao, Alibaba's primary app, both serve a variety of functions from messaging, social networking, and e-commerce to taxi-hailing, bike-sharing and travel booking. The consumer data from payments is used to build detailed profiles of each user, which can then be monetized for marketing purposes directly within their apps in ways that even Facebook and Google would salivate over.For example, that baby formula that you bought from the convenience store is telling Taobao to start sending you ads and promotions for other infant products to buy directly in the Taobao app.Further, both Tencent and Alibaba have credit scoring businesses - Tencent Credit and Zhima Credit, respectively - that heavily factor payment histories into their scores. Both companies are beginning to introduce other financial products, such as loans and money market funds, as well.In terms of market share, Alipay has 54% compared to 40% for WeChat Pay, according to iResearch Consulting Group. But the battle for who will dominate the mobile payments industry <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/ywang/2018/03/28/is-alipay-losing-to-wechat-in-chinas-trillion-dollar-payment-war/#6f84f2058822">is only just starting to heat up.</a> <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/why-the-yuan-not-euro-could-become-global-currency-dollar-china-usa-eu-dharshini-david-2018-4">Why China's Yuan, not the Euro, could become the dominant global currency</a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

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