Israel Active

In a winning move, Israel’s University of Haifa, in collaboration with chess Grandmaster Boris Gelfand, has launched a program to develop a novel academic approach to the skills and culture of chess-playing that can in turn contribute to social and scientific development.

Israeli start-up Yotpo provides a solution for companies to receive on-line reviews of their products – and a lot more besides. But during Operation Pillar of Defense, four of their ten employees were called up. Needless to say, the rest of Yotpo’s staff used their social skills to cover for their colleagues.

This clever video highlights 3 popular Israeli smart-phone applications that sum up what Tel Aviv life is all about. But be sure to watch through to the humorous self-critical ending.

(Thanks to NoCamels) Alcohoot’s application and smartphone add-on turn a user’s phone into an accurate BAC (Blood Alcohol Content) tester. It can also show you a list of nearby taxi companies and has other useful features.

This APV is by Research and Development Institute for Intelligent Robotic Systems, of the Computer Science Department of the College of Management Academic Studies (COMAS) of Rishon leZion.

(Thanks to NoCamels) Israel’s Center for Educational Technology and Singapore’s Dynamics Speech are developing VTAMIC (Visual Task Manager in a Calendar), which is designed to help children and adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) to deal with daily activities.

The Israeli company Epcon will build eleven wind turbines on land owned by Kibbutz Degania, to power electrical generators that will produce ten megawatts of power. On Israel’s first wind farm in the Golan Heights, built in 1992, ten turbines produce six megawatts of power.

Israel completed a successful test of the David's Sling missile defense system (also known as Magic Wand) by intercepting a medium-range missile. The system is estimated to be operational in 2014 and will provide Israel with additional layer of protection against ballistic missiles.

BBC’s David Shukman reports on the SESAME synchrotron facility, as reported by Israel21c (and me) back in Feb 2011. Shukman doesn’t mention Israel on the video – only briefly on the BBC website. Still, it’s better than nothing and also better late than never.

Technically, it can – especially when designed by scientists at Israel’s Technion.