Thursday, September 24, 2009

Time-lapse proof of extreme ice loss [Video]

Time-lapse proof of extreme ice loss | Video on TED.com





Photographer James Balog shares new image sequences from the Extreme Ice Survey, a network of time-lapse cameras recording glaciers receding at an alarming rate, some of the most vivid evidence yet of climate change.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

First Details of Microsoft's Secret Tablet - Microsoft courier tablet [video]

First Details of Microsoft's Secret Tablet - Microsoft courier tablet - Gizmodo



It feels like the whole world is holding its breath for the Apple tablet. But maybe we've all been dreaming about the wrong device. This is Courier, Microsoft's astonishing take on the tablet.

Courier is a real device, and we've heard that it's in the "late prototype" stage of development. It's not a tablet, it's a booklet. The dual 7-inch (or so) screens are multitouch, and designed for writing, flicking and drawing with a stylus, in addition to fingers. They're connected by a hinge that holds a single iPhone-esque home button. Statuses, like wireless signal and battery life, are displayed along the rim of one of the screens. On the back cover is a camera, and it might charge through an inductive pad, like the Palm Touchstone charging dock for Pre.

[More/ Video]

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Miraculous aerocraft may fly 5 continuous years

Miraculous aerocraft may fly 5 continuous years

aerocraft_01

The aerocraft, with its 150-meter-long Z-type wing, can adjust its posture to absorb as much solar energy as possible. When flying in darkness, it will adjust the wing into a more aerodynamic position driving the plane with energy stored in the solar panels.

With the designed flight altitude of about 60,000 to 90,000 feet, the aerocraft can play a special role in military reconnaissance, communication and environmental monitoring while dealing with upper-atmosphere observation without pollution.

The unpiloted aerocarft was developed in the “vulture” plan by Aurora Flight Sciences, an American company. The plan was supported by BAE Systems, CS Draper Laboratory and the Sierra Nevada Corporation.

Currently, they have exhibited the first scale sized sample; and they would like to make a half sized sample before finishing the whole plane in 5 years.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Teenager invents solar panel that could be solution to developing world's energy needs..made from human hair

Teenager invents solar panel that could be solution to developing world's energy needs..made from human hair

A new type of solar panel using human hair could provide the world with cheap, green electricity, believes its teenage inventor.

Milan Karki, 18, who comes from a village in rural Nepal, believes he has found the solution to the developing world's energy needs.

The young inventor says hair is easy to use as a conductor in solar panels and could revolutionise renewable energy.

Milan Karki


FUEL Filmmakers Unveil World's First Algae-Fueled, 150 MPG Car (VIDEO)

FUEL Filmmakers Unveil World's First Algae-Fueled, 150 MPG Car (VIDEO): "FUEL Filmmakers Unveil World's First Algae-Fueled, 150 MPG Car (VIDEO)"


Solar Roadways Awarded DOT Contract to Pave Roads with Solar Cells

September 7th, 2009 by Lisa Zyga solar roadwaysIn addition to generating power, the Solar Road Panels contain embedded LED lights that "paint" the road lines from beneath. Image credit: Solar Roadways






Solar Roadways Awarded DOT Contract to Pave Roads with Solar Cells: "Solar Roadways Awarded DOT Contract to Pave Roads with Solar Cells"

In a first step toward turning highways into energy-generating solar panels, the Sagle, Idaho-based startup Solar Roadways has recently received a $100,000 grant from the US Department of Transportation (DOT). The company will use the money to build a prototype of its Solar Road Panel, made from solar cells and glass, that is meant to replace petroleum-based asphalt on roads and in parking lots.

The 12- x 12-foot panels, which each cost $6,900, are designed to be embedded into roads. When shined upon, each panel generates an estimated 7.6 kilowatt hours of power each day. If this electricity could be pumped into the grid, the company predicts that a four-lane, one-mile stretch of road with panels could generate enough power for 500 homes. Although it would be expensive, covering the entire US interstate highway system with the panels could theoretically fulfill the country's total energy needs. The company estimates that this would take 5 billion panels, but could "produce three times more power than we've ever used as a nation - almost enough to power the entire world."