SmartLight redirects sunlight into "light-locked" building interiors — www.gizmag.com — Readability

SmartLight redirects sunlight into "light-locked" building interiors — www.gizmag.com — Readability: "Researchers at the University of Cincinnati have developed technology that could help cut lighting energy costs by brightening up rooms with natural light. The SmartLight system is designed to direct sunlight into dark, dingy rooms located within the bowels of buildings without requiring the installation of new wiring, ducts, tubes or cables. It also allows excess light to be harnessed and centrally stored to provide energy for electric lighting on cloudy days."

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Quanta demonstrates aftermarket hybrid kit with 770-hp Corvette Z06 — www.gizmag.com — Readability

Quanta demonstrates aftermarket hybrid kit with 770-hp Corvette Z06 — www.gizmag.com — Readability: "The Quanta Corvette QHP770 is upgraded with a high-performance hybrid system

Automakers typically use hybrid powertrains to improve fuel economies and kowtow to government relations. Not Quanta. Similar to cars like the McLaren P1 and Toyota Hybrid R concept, the hybrid technology in Quanta's Corvette QHP770 is all about performance. The show car is designed to test the waters for hybrid upgrade kits for Corvettes and other sports cars."

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Does Smaug Have Enough Gold? — www.wired.com — Readability

Does Smaug Have Enough Gold? — www.wired.com — Readability: "I guess dragons love gold. In the recent trailers for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (YouTube clip) you can get a glimpse of all the gold Smaug has. Why does a dragon need this much gold? I don’t get it. Maybe Smaug doesn’t actually like gold but he just wants to keep it away from other people."

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Death valley weather hottest place on Earth

Death valley weather hottest place on Earth: "There has been some dispute and controversy over the past 90 years about what place on Earth holds the record for the highest temperature reading. In July 1913 there was an official reading at Furnace Creek in Death Valley of 134 degrees. In 1922 there was a temperature recorded in Northern Libya of 136 degrees, that took the record away from Death Valley."

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FAA testing confirms Citation X as world's fastest civilian aircraft — www.gizmag.com — Readability

FAA testing confirms Citation X as world's fastest civilian aircraft — www.gizmag.com — Readability: "In the wake of the Gulfstream G650 claiming a new around-the-world speed record for a certified civilian aircraft, Cessna is signaling that the record will be short lived. On its way to certification, Cessna's Citation X recently wound up all high-speed certification flights with the FAA, which confirmed the aircraft as the fastest civilian aircraft in the world."

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Every existing smartphone and tablet can now be a 3D scanner — www.techhive.com — Readability

Every existing smartphone and tablet can now be a 3D scanner — www.techhive.com — Readability: "As 3D printing technology crawls out from the darkened corners where basement hobbyists toil and comes into the light of ubiquity (and affordability), so has the market for 3D scanners."

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Lockheed Martin developing successor to the SR-71 Blackbird — www.gizmag.com — Readability

Lockheed Martin developing successor to the SR-71 Blackbird — www.gizmag.com — Readability: "When the last SR-71 Blackbird was grounded in 1998 it was a double blow. Not only did aviation lose one of the most advanced aircraft ever built, but also one of the most beautiful. Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works has now revealed that it is building a successor to the Blackbird: the SR-72. Using a new hypersonic engine design that combines turbines and ramjets, the company says that the unmanned SR-72 will be twice as fast as its predecessor with a cruising speed of Mach 6."

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Maiden flight of next-gen MQ-8C Fire Scout unmanned helicopter — www.gizmag.com — Readability

Maiden flight of next-gen MQ-8C Fire Scout unmanned helicopter — www.gizmag.com — Readability: "The next-generation MQ-8C Fire Scout unmanned helicopter has taken to the air for the first time at Naval Base Ventura County (NBVC) in California. Built by Northrop Grumman around a Bell 407 helicopter, the MQ-8C is designed to boast twice the endurance and three times the payload capacity of the MQ-8B variant that has clocked up over 5,000 flight hours in Afghanistan."

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India starts countdown for Mars mission — www.gizmag.com — Readability

India starts countdown for Mars mission — www.gizmag.com — Readability: "India has started the clock on its most ambitious space project to date. On Sunday at 6:08 IST, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) began the countdown for its Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM). If all goes to schedule, the unmanned probe will lift off on Tuesday from the First Launch Pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SHAR), on the island of Sriharikota at 2:38 pm IST atop a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C25), marking the point where India hopes to launch itself into the space-faring big leagues."

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Porsche adds extra edge to Panamera with new Turbo S — www.gizmag.com — Readability

Porsche adds extra edge to Panamera with new Turbo S — www.gizmag.com — Readability: "Porsche revealed the updated 2014 Panamera and Panamera Turbo at the Shanghai Motor Show earlier this year and it's rounding off the line-up with the range-topping Turbo S. The automaker has previewed the new S variant before its official debut at the Tokyo Motor Show. This upgraded trim level follows the usual "S" format of bolstering power and increasing performance."

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Why Hot Water Freezes Faster Than Cold—Physicists Solve the Mpemba Effect — medium.com — Readability

Why Hot Water Freezes Faster Than Cold—Physicists Solve the Mpemba Effect — medium.com — Readability: "Water may be one of the most abundant compounds on Earth, but it is also one of more mysterious. For example, like most liquids it becomes denser as it cools. But unlike them, it reaches a state of maximum density at 4°C and then becomes less dense before it freezes."

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Test drive: McLaren 12C Spider — www.gizmag.com — Readability

Test drive: McLaren 12C Spider — www.gizmag.com — Readability: "It’s interesting how a little context will shape one’s opinions. Turns out I’d been an accidental fan of McLaren for years. Before the name became synonymous with Formula 1, and before the release of the iconic F1 supercar in the 90s, there were slotcars. Yes you heard me, slotcars. Going through some old Kodaks, I realized I’d in fact been driving scaled down, electric McLarens since the 70s … putting me years ahead of Tesla in terms of electric vehicle development. So upon learning I’d be driving the full-scale version of McLaren’s 12C Spider, I was as pleased as Scottish schoolboy in September."

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