Monday, April 18, 2011

Mobee Magic Bar induction charger for Apple’s Bluetooth Keyboard and Magic Trackpad

Mobee Magic Bar induction charger for Apple’s Bluetooth Keyboard and Magic Trackpad: "Going wireless with your keyboard and mouse might unleash you from the shackles of cables, but at the price of having to constantly shell out for batteries or swap rechargeables in and out."

Google invests US$168 million in world’s largest solar power tower plant

Google invests US$168 million in world’s largest solar power tower plant: "Google has chipped in a US$168 million investment in what will be the world's largest solar power tower plant. To be located on 3,600 acres of land in the Mojave Desert in southeastern California, the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System (ISEGS) will boast 173,000 heliostats that will concentrate the sun's rays onto a solar tower standing approximately 450 feet (137 m) tall."

Microfluidic device promises rapid detection of cancer and HIV

Microfluidic device promises rapid detection of cancer and HIV: "A cross-discipline project that brings together biomedicine and nano-engineering has led to the development of a dime-sized microfluidic device that can rapidly detect cancer cells in a blood sample. The new device is based on a cancer cell-detector created four years ago by Mehmet Toner, professor of biomedical engineering at Harvard Medical School. In its latest incarnation, carbon nanotubes have been introduced into the design resulting in an eight-fold improvement in the collection of cells"

New advanced composite material lends itself to aircraft safety

New advanced composite material lends itself to aircraft safety: "A combination of light weight AND strength makes advanced composite materials very useful when building something that's designed to go fast while being subjected to physical stress ... like an aircraft. On the downside, bulky equipment is required when it comes to inspecting these aircraft for damage – a problem that is MIT researchers hope to solve with the development of a new type of composite material that incorporates carbon nanotubes."

Replacement developed for rare material widely used in electronics manufacture

Replacement developed for rare material widely used in electronics manufacture: "With its two chief properties of excellent electrical conductivity and optical transparency, indium tin oxide (ITO) can be found in transparent conductive coatings for displays found in all kinds of products, such as TVs, mobile phones and laptops, and is also used as a transparent electrode in thin-film solar cells. Unfortunately indium is a rare metal and available supplies could run out in as little as ten years."

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Replacement developed for rare material widely used in electronics manufacture

Replacement developed for rare material widely used in electronics manufacture: "With its two chief properties of excellent electrical conductivity and optical transparency, indium tin oxide (ITO) can be found in transparent conductive coatings for displays found in all kinds of products, such as TVs, mobile phones and laptops, and is also used as a transparent electrode in thin-film solar cells."

April 12, 1961: A remarkable date in human history

April 12, 1961: A remarkable date in human history: "A remarkable milestone in human history took place exactly 50 years ago today when Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space. During the flight of Vostok 1 on April 12, 1961,"

Virgin Oceanic's ambitious plans to explore Earth's last frontier

Virgin Oceanic's ambitious plans to explore Earth's last frontier: "Seventy percent of Mother Earth's surface is covered in water, yet we know more about the moon than we do about our deepest oceans. In yet another ground-breaking initiative under Virgin's multi-faceted 'Branded Venture Capitalism', Richard Branson intends to change all that with the Virgin Oceanic Five Dives project."

Researchers tackle mouse control from a different angle

Researchers tackle mouse control from a different angle: "For many people with motor disabilities, the task of precisely moving a mouse cursor around a screen can be incredibly frustrating. While controlling a mouse cursor with the power of thought looks likely to be possible in the not too distant future,"

Zacuto Z-Finder EVF – a standalone LCD screen for DSLR filmmakers

Zacuto Z-Finder EVF – a standalone LCD screen for DSLR filmmakers: "HDSLR cameras are taking off in a big way as cheap video rigs with quality interchangeable glass – but the more you get into SLR filmmaking, the more obstacles you find yourself working around."

Friday, April 15, 2011

Spiking biofuel with nanoparticles found to increase performance

Spiking biofuel with nanoparticles found to increase performance: "Nanoparticles have added yet another string to their microscopic bows with a new study showing that the addition of alumina nanoparticles can improve the performance and combustion of biodiesel, while producing fewer emissions."

Einstein's Pedometer app provides a relatively good incentive to get you moving

Einstein's Pedometer app provides a relatively good incentive to get you moving: "Among other things, Einstein's theory of special relativity says that as an object's velocity increases, time as experienced by the object will slow down when compared to another object traveling at a lower velocity."