The More You Know... Boulder, Colo. -- A bold experiment is transforming this college town into a living laboratory by changing the way utilities manage -- and customers use -- electricity. Participants in the project, called SmartGridCity, can go online to see exactly how much power they're using or calculate how much it cost to crank up the hot tub the previous evening. Soon, they'll be able to program some appliances over the Web and even choose where they want their electricity to come from. They might set their dishwasher to run only when wind power is available, for instance. The plan will also give the local utility, Xcel Energy Inc., a vastly bigger reach. To ease strain on the power grid, Xcel will be able to reach into a neighborhood remotely and temporarily turn down thermostats or shut off hot-water heaters in participating homes. Tomorrow's Grid This $100 million experiment is the first full-fledged test of a high-tech "smart grid" in the U.S. -- and it comes at an important time.
CSI: The Experience - Web Adventures. Geography. Mythbuster's Hyneman designs next-gen military armor. Mythbusters - the Discovery Channel reality show - has gained quite a reputation for dramatically shattering preconceived notions that many viewers have believed for years. So it doesn't come as much of a surprise that Jamie Hyneman’s prowess recently caught the attention of the U.S. military. Yes, the Department of Defense has asked Hyneman to help it develop a new generation of lighter, stronger armor for military vehicles.
Of course, Hyneman is already involved with several other projects outside his regular ol' "day job" at Mythbusters - including developing special effects for the film industry. Still, Hyneman is making time to work with the Office of Naval Research in its quest to improve vehicle armor and better protect U.S. troops deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq. Anyone that has watched Mythbusters for a while will attest to Hyneman being no stranger to experimenting with explosives in different scenarios. [Via Discovery News & CNET] Bones Episodes. FSCJ. Partagez le Web comme vous le vivez.