A nice contrast to these high-tech installations, Adrian Lee's Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Citrus Division (below), sees 65 lemons trying to communicate with aliens. Using their own juices, these lemon batteries power a small motor - which turns a disc into which is punched the Morse code for "We are here". As the disc rotates, a class 2 laser - also powered by the lemons - shines through the holes and the encoded message is then directed by a small mirror up into space...or in this case, onto the ceiling of the Ambica P3 venue. Amusing, simple and sophisticated all at once, the Citrus Division mixes old and new science and technology in just the right measure.
Group items tagged
SETI, Citrus Division - 1 views
Wind Power Without the Blades: Big Pics : Discovery News - 4 views
-
The carbon-fiber stalks, reinforced with resin, are about a foot wide at the base tapering to about 2 inches at the top. Each stalk will contain alternating layers of electrodes and ceramic discs made from piezoelectric material, which generates a current when put under pressure. In the case of the stalks, the discs will compress as they sway in the wind, creating a charge.
-
Based on rough estimates, said Núñez-Ameni the output would be comparable to that of a conventional wind farm covering the same area
-
After completion, a Windstalk should be able to produce as much electricity as a single wind turbine, with the advantage that output could be increased with a denser array of stalks. Density is not possible with conventional turbines, which need to be spaced about three times the rotor's diameter in order to avoid air turbulence. But Windstalks work on chaos and turbulence so they can be installed much closer together, said Núñez-Ameni.
- ...1 more annotation...
-
additional information: http://atelierdna.com/?p=144
-
isn't this a bit of a contradiction: on the one hand: "Based on rough estimates, said Núñez-Ameni the output would be comparable to that of a conventional wind farm covering the same area" and on the other: "After completion, a Windstalk should be able to produce as much electricity as a single wind turbine, with the advantage that output could be increased with a denser array of stalks. Density is not possible with conventional turbines, which need to be spaced about three times the rotor's diameter in order to avoid air turbulence. " still, very interesting concept!
GPS satellites suggest Earth is heavy with dark matter @NewScientist - 0 views
-
At a meeting of the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco in December, he reported an average figure that was between 0.005 and 0.008 per cent greater than the value for Earth's mass established by the International Astronomical Union. A disc of dark matter around the equator 191 kilometres thick and 70,000 km across can explain this, he says. Harris has yet to account for perturbations to the satellites' orbits due to relativity, and the gravitational pull of the sun and moon. Maybe relativistic GPS could improve this even further? As a side note however, the Juno spacecraft flyby showed an gravity acceleration which matched the calculations, casting doubts on the earlier calculations.
1 - 6 of 6
Showing 20▼ items per page