TED: Light Buld as Data Transmitter

TED: Flying robot-bird

TED: The Art of Data Visualization

TED: The ethics of bio-engineering

Is the world getting crazier with bio-technology. Judge for yourself...

TED: living architecture

This is so cool...

New aircraft paint to cut cost

Easyjet is to apply a special paint to some of its planes as part of an unusual method to try and save money.

The 'revolutionary' coating is said to reduce drag when planes are flying, thus helping to cut down on fuel consumption.

Easyjet is the first commercial airline to trial the ultra-thin high-tech coating, which has only been used on US military aircrafts so far.

The budget airline is to test the paint on eight of its aircrafts over a twelve-month period. It will then compare their fuel usage with that of its other planes.

The paint is only one micron thick (i.e a millionth of a metre), and it will add just four ounces to the total weight of the planes. But according to coating distributor TripleO, it could help cut fuel consumption by up to 2%, meaning that Easyjet could save around £14m in a year if the polymer was applied across the company’s fleet.

The technology used is said to cut down fuel usage by reducing the build-up of debris on the plane's surface, thus minimising friction and drag – and the need for fuel.

Chief executive Carolyn McCall said: "If we can find new ways of reducing the amount of fuel used by our aircraft, we can pass the benefits on to our passengers by offering them low fares and a lower carbon footprint.

“Innovation and efficiency is at the DNA of everything Easyjet has ever done. This plays to both of those things. We don't know it will definitely cut 1% to 2% off our fuel bill, but that is what we are being told is possible."

Original article: Yahoo News.

How Astrolabe was used to tell time in the 13th century

New surgery op to improve eye problem

This is a news article on a surgery operation to improve eyesight to better than 20/20 vision.

Excerpt:

Patients are having their eyes fitted with an artificial lens that allows them to see in high definition.

Surgeons begin the process by implanting the lens into the eye using the standard procedure for cataracts. Then, for the first time in Britain, they can fine-tune the focus of the lens several days later. The technique gives patients vision so sharp that it is even better than 20/20 - the best an adult can usually hope for.

Bobby Qureshi, the first ophthalmic surgeon in the UK to use the lens, described it as "a hugely significant development". It can correct both cataracts and the long-sightedness that usually comes with age. The lens is made from a special light-sensitive silicone.

By shining ultraviolet light on specific parts of the lens, surgeons can change its shape and curvature, sharpening the image seen by the patient.

(More on this article).

The future of technology...

...or the technology of the future? You decide...

Making Phone Calls Over the Internet (VOIP)

Amit of Digital Inspiration posted an article on the details of how to make calls over VOIP and lower phone bills. Very useful with details of the hardwares, softwares, and/or services available to do this.

Cooking With Sound: Stove Converts Heat Into Electricity

ScienceDaily (July 20, 2009) — A low-cost generator with the potential to transform lives in the world's poorest communities is now being tested across the UK and in Nepal. The Score project, led by The University of Nottingham, is developing a bio-mass burning cooking stove which also converts heat into acoustic energy and then into electricity, all in one unit.

The £2 million Score project (Stove for Cooking, Refrigeration and Electricity) brings together experts from across the world to develop the biomass-powered generator. By developing an affordable, versatile domestic appliance Score aims to address the energy needs of rural communities in Africa and Asia, where access to power is extremely limited.

Researchers in the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at The University of Nottingham are working on the generator's Linear Alternator — the part which turns the sound energy into electricity. The system uses special configurations of magnets which generate electrical energy from sound. Computer simulations of the linear alternator have proved successful, and test models are currently being constructed in the department's workshops.

Nottingham researchers are working with Dai-ichi, one of Malaysia's largest loudspeaker manufacturers, to bring down production costs through good design practice. Though the Score unit does not physically resemble the average loudspeaker, it is compatible with the Dai-ichi manufacturing process.

More on this at ScienceDaily.com.

Inexpensive Thin Printable Batteries Developed

ScienceDaily (July 5, 2009) — For a long time, batteries were bulky and heavy. Now, a new cutting-edge battery is revolutionizing the field. It is thinner than a millimeter, lighter than a gram, and can be produced cost-effectively through a printing process.

It was developed by a research team led by Prof. Dr. Reinhard Baumann of the Fraunhofer Research Institution for Electronic Nano Systems ENAS in Chemnitz together with colleagues from TU Chemnitz and Menippos GmbH. "Our goal is to be able to mass produce the batteries at a price of single digit cent range each," states Dr. Andreas Willert, group manager at ENAS.

The characteristics of the battery differ significantly from those of conventional batteries. The printable version weighs less than one gram on the scales, is not even one millimeter thick and can therefore be integrated into bank cards, for example. The battery contains no mercury and is in this respect environmentally friendly. Its voltage is 1.5 V, which lies within the normal range. By placing several batteries in a row, voltages of 3 V, 4.5 V and 6 V can also be achieved. The new type of battery is composed of different layers: a zinc anode and a manganese cathode, among others. Zinc and manganese react with one another and produce electricity. However, the anode and the cathode layer dissipate gradually during this chemical process. Therefore, the battery is suitable for applications which have a limited life span or a limited power requirement, for instance greeting cards.

More on this at ScienceDaily.com.

10 Next-Generation Green Technologies

Here's a list of 10 new emerging technologies to reduce global warming:

1. Concentrated solar power.
2. Tidal energy.
3. Smart grid.
4. Offshore wind.
5. Algae biofuel.
6. Carbon capture and sequestration (CCS).
7. Geothermal.
8. Lithium-ion batteries.
9. Contentrated Solar Photovoltaic (CSPV)
10. Nuclear fusion..

Read more about these at Time.com.