New Solar Power Technology Revealed
A prototype solar device has been unveiled which mimics plant life, turning the Sun's energy into fuel.</p>The machine uses the Sun's rays and a metal oxide called ceria to break down carbon dioxide or water into fuels which can be stored and transported.
The 'fuel' for this machine is just like plant's — water and carbon dioxide, and it will produce a byproduct of hydrogen and carbon monoxide. Produces of this machines can be easily used as fuel. Hydrogen will be utilized in hydrogen fuel cells and
a combinatino of carbon monoxide and hydrogen can produce syngas.
The prototype is extremely inefficient, utilizing only 0.7% of the solar energy, but this US-Swiss invention can finally allow us to harness single most simple element of all — hydrogen. This could be a solution to our long addiction to oil.
The reason for the emergence of new electricity generation technologies is due to Peak Oil. It is believed that we have tapped almost all oil reserves. Once we hit the 0 mark on our oil supply, life will be quite different. How would we operate our cars? How would we get to work? How would we transport products? These kinds of questions need answers, and the answer is investment in alternatives such as this.
The Horror of Merry Christmas by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert
Wait and see. Your presents might be just waiting for you.
Credits:
STARRING
Amin Mammadov
Marilyn Heidecker
Brent LilleyDIRECTED BY
DANIELS (Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert)THANKS
Douglas Burgdorff
Araz MammadovMUSIC
Sleigh Bells "Rill Rill"
Streetline Parking in San Francisco
Streetline in San Francisco has developed a wireless parking sensor technology that will assist you with open parking spots over your smartphone.
You have your phone and you arrive to the spot. What do you do when you can't find parking? Your smartphone will tell you where there is an open parking space. Eventually, I see these units installed all over the city, where there is parking, and communicate the information to Google.
Perhaps it is only time for these cute boxes to be installed all over NYC, unless Bruce McCall's idea becomes real!
Unfortunately these devices do not forward the Wifi connection — imagine if they did. Then you would have wireless wherever there is parking: sidewalks. If the city is already installing these devices, how hard would it be to actually implement Wifi forwarding? They don't have to be that powerful, but at least people will have Wifi at parking spots.
via. Doobybrain
Bruce McCall's NYC Without Cars: Shakedown Street
The New York Time's Bruce McCall presents "a vehicle-free paradise."
BASE Jump - Human Flying
This gives me the chills!
A video surfaced a couple of years ago where two guys jump off a mountain with their wing suits that make them look like flying squirrels. I am reposting it because it is just freaking awesome! If you want to call it a sport, or if you want to call it a hobby, it does not matter. I have not seen anything more thrilling than this. B.A.S.E. jumping (Buildings, Antennae, Spans, Earth) is a form of sport where parachute gliders jump off a piece of land that is in some form connected to the ground - base. BASE jumping is considered to be more dangerous forms of parachuting because of the short distance/time for landing.
Credits:
Camera & Performers:
Jeannoel Itzstein
Robert Pecnik
Edo Senica
Mirko Schmidt
Jokke Sommer
Halvor Angvik
Luka Fornazaric
Florian
Eliv Ruud
Tom Erik Heiman
LudovicWoerth
Ted Rudd
Dominik Loyenadditional camera by:
Dino Raffault
Michael Theileediting by Jarno Cordia
Production company, Air Rebels, is behind this and they have an awesome reel as well.
Also, checkout the photo gallery of the flying suit maker, Phoenix Fly.
Google Sends an Android Into Space
Google decided to attach their phone to a weather balloon and send it into outer space. They'd monitored phone's sensors and captured some interesting facts.
Maximum Speed: 139 mph
Maximum Altitude: 107,375 ft (over 20 miles, over 30 km)
Maximum Ascent Rate: 5.44 m/s
Average Flight Duration: 2 hours, 40 minutes
Average Descent Time: 34 minutes</p>
Here is the video for their preparation:
Here is the video for the time being in space:
via Slashdot.
Freddie Wong: Call of Duty in Real Life
Call of Duty is one of my favorite games. Freddie Wong went on to recreate it in real life:
Whistleblowing / Information Revolution
American pilot posts videos depicting flaws in the airport security.
The YouTube videos, posted Nov. 28, show what the pilot calls the irony of flight crews being forced to go through TSA screening while ground crew who service the aircraft are able to access secure areas simply by swiping a card.</p>
Following the Julian Asagne's Wikileaks hype, I would not be surprised if more whistle blowing heroes will show up.
The dramatic shift in the possession of information and the use of it is shifting the balance of power from the state to the people. It will be interesting to see which way it actually swings. Is America willing to keep its Freedom, or is it going to try to hush it out?
We always talk about how technology changing the world, but the true face of the Revolution of the Information Age is coming to light. The factors involved are definitely beyond whistle blowing, and this has only begun. One of the factors that come to mind is Net Neutrality. With the passing of the recent bill, the shaping of the modern society will have consequences. Let's just wait and see.
I believe that information, like other things, wants to be free. Therefore, once may be crippled, it will reach a certain equilibrium where everyone will have their say and they will be heard.
via Slashdot.
Jelly Wobbler
If you want to wobble your jelly, here is the device for it. By Nik Ramage.