Could fuel cells give MacBooks unreal battery life? Today we’re lucky if a laptop can last six or seven hours. But what if, in a few years, notebook computers could have an uptime of days or weeks? That’s what Apple may be hoping to accomplish with a new patent. A fuel cell is a device that uses a chemical reaction to convert chemical energy from a fuel into electricity. Apple’s filing takes on a bit of a socio-political tone, as it details the United States’ current dependence on unstable Middle East countries for oil. This isn’t the first time that Apple has shown interest in fuel cell tech. As with all Apple patent filings, you won’t want to hold your breath on seeing it on store shelves. via Free Patents Online [1] [2], via Apple Insider
Scientists Discover The Oldest, Largest Body Of Water In Existence--In Space Scientists have found the biggest and oldest reservoir of water ever--so large and so old, it’s almost impossible to describe. The water is out in space, a place we used to think of as desolate and desert dry, but it's turning out to be pretty lush. Researchers found a lake of water so large that it could provide each person on Earth an entire planet’s worth of water--20,000 times over. Yes, so much water out there in space that it could supply each one of us all the water on Earth--Niagara Falls, the Pacific Ocean, the polar ice caps, the puddle in the bottom of the canoe you forgot to flip over--20,000 times over. The water is in a cloud around a huge black hole that is in the process of sucking in matter and spraying out energy (such an active black hole is called a quasar), and the waves of energy the black hole releases make water by literally knocking hydrogen and oxygen atoms together. The new cloud of water is enough to supply 28 galaxies with water.
- StumbleUpon (click images for detail) For the better part of three decades multidisciplinary artist Guy Laramee has worked as a stage writer, director, composer, a fabricator of musical instruments, a singer, sculptor, painter and writer. Among his sculptural works are two incredible series of carved book landscapes and structures entitled Biblios and The Great Wall, where the dense pages of old books are excavated to reveal serene mountains, plateaus, and ancient structures. So I carve landscapes out of books and I paint Romantic landscapes. Laramee’s next show will be in April of 2012 at the Galerie d’Art d’Outremont in Montreal.
2012: Year of the LED Light Bulb? If everyone in the U.S. transitioned to energy efficient lighting in their homes, according to Phillips, consumers would avoid 87.5 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions and generate energy savings of $15.8 billion – a fact the company would like you to remember as you’re watching the LED light-laden ball drop in Times Square. New Year’s 2012 will mark the 12th consecutive year that Philips Lighting has served as the official lighting partner to the Times Square New Year’s Eve Ball. And while efficient light bulls have become a political issue in Washington, D.C., for Philips they’re a selling point. The company is highlighting the fact that the same technology used in the Times Square ball can also be found in the Philips AmbientLED line of LED light bulbs. image via Royal Phillips Electronics Like the 32,256 Philips Luxeon LEDs that light the glittering Times Square ball, Phillips AmbientLEDs bulbs consume up to 80 percent less energy than traditional incandescent bulbs.
Sauro Lab at University of Washington Beautiful Wood Insertions in a Modern Home’s Interior Design Italian architecture company Studiota transformed a residential space into a stunning contemporary home. The House Studio residential project covers 915 square feet – enough space for all the necessary facilities to be carefully reconfigured into more inviting and modern spaces. Located near Piazza Castello, on Via Bertola in Turin, Italy, the residential project features a bold and soothing combination of wooden floors and wood volumes shaping the interior design. Reconstructed with a budget of €80,000, the House Studio features living spaces on the east side, while the nighttime invites owners and guests to the west area, where the bedroom is. A thick wall stands between the two volumes of the house, separating them into the private and the social zones. Levitating alongside the white wall, a superb staircase leads up to a small but fantastic home office/study.
Your Next Suture Could Be Made of Shrilk, a Superstrong Synthetic Insectoid Material The stuff of shrimp shells and exoskeletons makes for a strong, light, and biodegradeable replacement for plastics A Synthetic Insect Wing Made of Shrilk Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering Taking design cues from insects and shrimp, materials scientists at Harvard have created a material that’s as strong as aluminum alloy but only half the weight. The substance, dubbed “Shrilk” by its creators, is a material analog for insect cuticle--the material found in the exoskeletons of insects--and is the synthetic equivalent to one of nature’s strongest, lightest, and most interesting materials. Insect cuticle is nature’s way of providing serious strength and protection without adding weight that would inhibit movement or flight. That’s exactly where the researchers started. Potential applications include a biodegradable replacement for many plastics, making everything from trash bags to diapers to packaging more eco-friendly without sacrificing strength or integrity.
Kimoto.us - Personal Web Space of Andrew Kimoto