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Palmer C

Wind Energy Pros - 0 views

  • Cons of Wind Energy Wind is highly variable. Wind speed varies by numerous factors, including weather, location and season, so not all places are appropriate for wind energy. At Inn Serendipity, we rarely overproduce electricity during the summer months. Equipment requires a sizeable upfront investment, depending on the size of system selected. To meet the needs of a modest hobby farm, like ours (after energy conservation and efficiency efforts have been exhausted), a 10 kW system that costs $40,000 to $70,000 would be needed to become a net producer of electricity on an annual basis. Evaluating projected wind-system output is difficult due to variability of turbine design and production conditions. “Wind turbines are not created equally,” Hippensteel says. “Some require considerably more maintenance and service than others.” Living with a renewable energy system demands a more energy-mindful way of living. After any big storm, we check our inverters in much the same way that our farmer neighbors check on their animals. State or municipal zoning laws may result in expensive hearings or possibly prevent you from erecting a tower of sufficient height. NIMBYism: Some neighbors may voice objections to the sight or sound of a swishing turbine. While possible harm may be done to birds, research studies, such as one by the National Wind Coordinating Committee, have found that collisions with windows in buildings and vehicles, capture by outdoor cats, as well as poisoning due to chemicals cause far more avian fatalities than encounters with residential wind systems. Depending on location, securing capable technicians or service workers for possible repair or maintenance can add significant costs to owning a system.
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    "Pros of Wind Energy Wind is renewable, freely available and tax-free. Farm businesses may even be eligible to receive a wind-production tax credit. No pollution or waste is generated by the system's operation. Depending on the wind turbine selected, the equipment can be low-maintenance. In general, the more complex the system and the moving parts, the more likely repairs or maintenance will be needed. (Note: After five years, our 10 kW Bergey's generator and inverter required no special repair.) A growing number of utility companies offer simple net metering contracts. (More than 40 states have net metering according to the Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency.) Under net metering, a wind energy system owner would receive credit for at least a portion of the electricity they generate. There are numerous statewide wind-energy financial incentives, according to Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency. Numerous national manufacturers of wind turbines have proven reliability track records, including Bergey, Proven, Abundant Renewable Energy, Wind Turbine Industries Corp., and Southwest Windpower, according to John Hippensteel, and engineer with Lake Michigan Wind and Sun, Ltd. Land within the acre or two needed for a residential wind turbine can still be used for pasture, gardens or other agricultural purposes. In our experience-as as noted by the American Wind Energy Association, the Midwest Renewable Energy Association and others-as of 2009, wind is the most cost-effective source of renewable energy, especially when compared to solar electric (photovoltaic) systems. Depending on the system and electricity rates, which continue to rise, your investment might break even in about 17 years."
Palmer C

Hydroelectric Energy Pros and Cons - Energy Informative - 0 views

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    " ENERGY INFORMATIVE THE HOMEOWNER`S GUIDE TO SOLAR PANELS GO SOLAR TOP 10 BENEFITS SOLAR BASICS How Solar Works Financing Compare Extra Resources COMPARE Solar Panels Mono-, Polycrystalline and Thin Film Micro-Inverters and Central Inverters Best Solar Leases ABOUT FREE SOLAR CONSULTATION Home / Hydroelectric Energy Pros and Cons Hydroelectric Energy Pros and Cons Last updated June 1, 2013 by Mathias Aarre Maehlum 31 Comments FACEBOOK60 TWITTER2 GOOGLE +1 20% of the world's electricity consumption in 2006 was generated with hydroelectricity (generating electricity from hydropower), the most used renewable energy source in the world. We all know that hydroelectricity is both renewable and green, but what are the other advantages this technology offer? Are there any disadvantages? Read the hydroelectric energy pros and cons list below to find out! This article is solely about the pros and cons of hydroelectricity. If you don't know how hydroelectricity works yet I suggest you first read through How Does Hydroelectric Power Work?   "
William C

Nanotechnology Delivers Microcoatings | EMDT - European Medical Device Technology - 0 views

  • In the field of medical device development there are a number of factors generally recognised as being important for success. Among these are the biocompatibility, sterility, reliability and adaptability of materials to their surroundings. Without a suitable approach to these issues, the majority of medical devices will not be as successful as they could be. Biocompatibility of materials, in particular, is a critical factor in the development and application of permanent and temporary implants and other devices such as catheters and tubes that are to be used in and around the body. Coating technology is the obvious and ideal solution for separating the bulk properties of a material or device from direct interaction with its surroundings. The independent modification of surface and bulk properties widens the range of features that can be incorporated into products. Bulk properties are responsible for characteristics such as mechanical strength. A suitable coating will enhance the interaction of the device with its surroundings. For example, it will provide drug-elusion (stents), anti-fouling and antibacterial properties, and a hydrophobic self-cleaning surface, referred to as lotus coating.1 The lotus effect in material science is the observed self-cleaning property found with lotus plants. A coating with this effect will make surfaces self-cleaning and will decrease the need for active cleaning of the subsequent surface; it may even enhance the sterility of surfaces. Recently there have been some interesting developments in materials and coatings based on organic and inorganic components, which are responsible for current state-of-the-art devices. Examples include coatings for stents that provide multiple therapeutic effects in thinner layers and coatings with better adhesion to device surfaces. The future holds the promise of even greater functionality for medical coatings.
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    "In the field of medical device development there are a number of factors generally recognised as being important for success. Among these are the biocompatibility, sterility, reliability and adaptability of materials to their surroundings. Without a suitable approach to these issues, the majority of medical devices will not be as successful as they could be. Biocompatibility of materials, in particular, is a critical factor in the development and application of permanent and temporary implants and other devices such as catheters and tubes that are to be used in and around the body. Coating technology is the obvious and ideal solution for separating the bulk properties of a material or device from direct interaction with its surroundings. The independent modification of surface and bulk properties widens the range of features that can be incorporated into products. Bulk properties are responsible for characteristics such as mechanical strength. A suitable coating will enhance the interaction of the device with its surroundings. For example, it will provide drug-elusion (stents), anti-fouling and antibacterial properties, and a hydrophobic self-cleaning surface, referred to as lotus coating.1 The lotus effect in material science is the observed self-cleaning property found with lotus plants. A coating with this effect will make surfaces self-cleaning and will decrease the need for active cleaning of the subsequent surface; it may even enhance the sterility of surfaces. Recently there have been some interesting developments in materials and coatings based on organic and inorganic components, which are responsible for current state-of-the-art devices. Examples include coatings for stents that provide multiple therapeutic effects in thinner layers and coatings with better adhesion to device surfaces. The future holds the promise of even greater functionality for medical coatings."
William H

Renewable Energy World - Renewable Energy News, Jobs, Events, Companies, and more - 0 views

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    "Renewable Energy News & Information Featured Article View All Wind Energy 2014 Outlook: Major Markets Recover, Battling Policy and Grid Concerns Wind Energy 2014 Outlook: Major Markets Recover, Battling Policy and Grid Concerns James Montgomery - 1 hour ago Preliminary estimates suggest worldwide wind energy installations were 34-35 GW in 2013, "a substantial dropoff" from a record-setting 2012, according to Steve Sawyer, Secretary General of the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC). In fact 2013 will have been the first time in nearly... "
Zachary D

See the Future: Real 3D Digital Building Holograms (Wow!) | Designs & Ideas on Dornob - 0 views

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    This is the future of the office "Imagine someone rolling out what looks like a blueprint … only the buildings begin to literally pop off the page, showing you like never before what the structure will look like before it is even built. There is no way to describe how amazing this architectural innovation is - you have to see it to believe it (video below)! Forget the physical: you can now generate high-speed, life-like, visually three-dimensional and fully-automated holographic models of buildings cheaper, faster and more accurately than its 'real life' equivalents."
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    This is some pretty mind-blowing technology, just to be able to see a picture in 360 angles and the picture just be a flat piece of plastic. The hologram is a technology that many people will have use for in the future... making it a use for us in this project. I believe this is a seemingly reputable source being that it came from the company that produces the product. I loved the second picture, once you lower your eye-point you see a street view of the potential building.
Palmer C

Advantages and Disadvantages of Solar Energy - 0 views

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    "Advantages of Solar Power? Solar energy is a clean and renewable energy source. Once a solar panel is installed, solar energy can be produced free of charge. Solar energy will last forever whereas it is estimated that the world's oil reserves will last for 30 to 40 years. Solar energy causes no pollution. Solar cells make absolutely no noise at all. On the other hand, the giant machines utilized for pumping oil are extremely noisy and therefore very impractical. Very little maintenance is needed to keep solar cells running. There are no moving parts in a solar cell which makes it impossible to really damage them. In the long term, there can be a high return on investment due to the amount of free energy a solar panel can produce, it is estimated that the average household will see 50% of their energy coming in from solar panels.   Disadvantages of Solar Power? Solar panels can be expensive to install resulting in a time-lag of many years for savings on energy bills to match initial investments. Electricity generation depends entirely on a countries exposure to sunlight; this could be limited by a countries climate. Solar power stations do not match the power output of similar sized conventional power stations; they can also be very expensive to build. Solar power is used to charge batteries so that solar powered devices can be used at night. The batteries can often be large and heavy, taking up space and needing to be replaced from time to time."
Savana R

John Kay - Technology and wealth creation: where we are, where we're going - 0 views

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    "Every twenty years or so since the Industrial Revolution, a group of new technologies has had a major impact on economic life. Steam power, canals, railroads, telegraph and telephone, electricity, road transport, radio, air transport, pharmacology, television, computers and information technology. Some of these have been general enabling technologies (such as steam power or electricity) which change the way production is organised; some (such as television) create new consumer goods which command a large fraction of household time or expenditure. Enabling technologies transform business life. Consumer technologies transform domestic life." This is talking about how technology can be used for wealth. This also says how every twenty years we get new technology.
Nicholas C

History of artificial intelligence - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - 0 views

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    AI current progression "Progress in AI has continued, despite the rise and fall of its reputation in the eyes of government bureaucrats and venture capitalists. Problems that had begun to seem impossible in 1970 have been solved and the solutions are now used in successful commercial products. However, no machine has been built with a human level of intelligence, contrary to the optimistic predictions of the first generation of AI researchers. "We can only see a short distance ahead," admitted Alan Turing, in a famous 1950 paper that catalyzed the modern search for machines that think. "But," he added, "we can see much that must be done."[3]"
Luke Soko

NASA Eyeing Nuclear Fusion Rockets for Future Space Exploration - 0 views

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    In this article you can find various information about the future of propulsion devices that are planned to be used for the future rockets. This article strictly keys in on the idea of Nuclear Fusion Generators to provide energy for the rocket. Although, in this article they also state that this may not happen anytime soon because of the fact that so far, humanity has not been able to create a generator that creates more energy than it consumes. Other ideas include extremely large solar panel sails that have lasers bouncing off of them. This article includes very useful information about futuristic propulsion devices.
Michaela Weindruch

What will the future hold for cyborgs, the fusion of humans and machines? -- ScienceDaily - 0 views

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    "The general representation of a cyborg is that seen in science fiction films of a fusion between human and machine." This site is useful because it shares with us what could happen with the developement of cyborgs in the future. This site is reliable because I searched it on easybib and it said it was.
William B

Medical uses expand for human tissue from 3-D printers | The Portland Press Herald / Ma... - 0 views

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    "SAN FRANCISCO - 3-D printing, used to construct everything from art to toys to spare parts for the space station, may one day produce human organs at a hospital near you. click image to enlarge A 3-D printed prosthetic nose and ear are displayed at an industry show in London in November. The technology may eventually help reduce organ shortages. Bloomberg News photo by Chris Ratcliffe Select images available for purchase in the Maine Today Photo Store The 20-year-old technology uses liquid materials that become hard as they print out three-dimensional objects in layers, based on a digital model. Current medical uses are in dentistry, for hard-material crowns, caps and bridges, as well as prosthetics. Last year, a 3-D printer was used to create a structure from moldable polymer that replaced more than 75 percent of a patient's skull. Now, Organovo Holdings Inc. is using 3-D printers to create living tissue that may one day look and act like a human liver, able to cleanse the body of toxins. Drugmakers and cosmetic companies already plan to use 3-D printed human tissue to test new products. Eventually, the technology may help reduce organ shortages and cut transplant rejections as patients receive new organs constructed from their own cells. "3-D printing is like a new tool set," said Organovo Chief Executive Officer Keith Murphy. "You can make a living tissue you can grow outside the body. That's the core of our technology. How can you be smart about doing that?" Organovo already is preparing to sell strips of liver tissue to drugmakers this year to be used to test toxicity of potential treatments, Murphy said in a telephone interview. The San Diego-based company's five- and 10-year goals are first to use a patient's own cells to print tissue strips that can be used to patch failing organs, and finally to be able to create entire new organs. The first 3-D printer was produced in 1992. Since then, a variety of materials have been used as the t
Kellie C

HowStuffWorks "How Augmented Reality Will Work" - 0 views

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    "This new technology, called augmented reality, blurs the line between what's real and what's computer-generated by enhancing what we see, hear, feel and smell."
Tristen H

The Rapid Advance of Artificial Intelligence - NYTimes.com - 0 views

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    "The growing power of computer vision is a crucial first step for the next generation of computing, robotic and artificial intelligence systems."
Micah K

Nanotechnology - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - 1 views

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    nanotechnology is an interesting concept. many world governments have invested billions in research for nanotechnology. "Nanotechnology (sometimes shortened to "nanotech") is the manipulation of matter on an atomic, molecular, and supramolecular scale. The earliest, widespread description of nanotechnology[1][2] referred to the particular technological goal of precisely manipulating atoms and molecules for fabrication of macroscale products, also now referred to as molecular nanotechnology. A more generalized description of nanotechnology was subsequently established by the National Nanotechnology Initiative, which defines nanotechnology as the manipulation of matter with at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometers. This definition reflects the fact that quantum mechanical effects are important at this quantum-realm scale, and so the definition shifted from a particular technological goal to a research category inclusive of all types of research and technologies that deal with the special properties of matter that occur below the given size threshold. It is therefore common to see the plural form "nanotechnologies" as well as "nanoscale technologies" to refer to the broad range of research and applications whose common trait is size. Because of the variety of potential applications (including industrial and military), governments have invested billions of dollars in nanotechnology research. Through its National Nanotechnology Initiative, the USA has invested 3.7 billion dollars. The European Union has invested 1.2 billion and Japan 750 million dollars."
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    "Nanotechnology (sometimes shortened to "nanotech") is the manipulation of matter on an atomic, molecular, and supramolecular scale" Nanotechnology is really a manipulation-nanotechnology doesn't happen naturally.
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    Pretty good facts on this, I just do not know how reliable this page is, given that it is off of wikipedia. It is interesting to find out just how much countries have invested in nanotechnology. Just may want to check credibility to this page.
Tristen H

Artificial Intelligence [Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy] - 1 views

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    "Artificial intelligence (AI) would be the possession of intelligence, or the exercise of thought, by machines such as computers."
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    "While we don't know what thought or intelligence is, essentially, and while we're very far from agreed on what things do and don't have it, almost everyone agrees that humans think, and agrees with Descartes that our intelligence is amply manifest in our speech. Along these lines, Alan Turing suggested that if computers showed human level conversational abilities we should, by that, be amply assured of their intelligence. Turing proposed a specific conversational test for human-level intelligence, the "Turing test" it has come to be called. Turing himself characterizes this test in terms of an "imitation game"" This seems to be a wonderful source, and I feel that it is reliable because it is an official academic resource, reviewed by many. I plan on using this fantastic source for general information, and specifically the bit I quoted for determining exactly what qualifies as an artificial intelligence. Many computers are considered "thoughtful" but what truly defines AI I play to learn from Turing's Test; an experiment developed by Alan Turing (another facet I would consider researching)
Josh Turner

The Rapid Advance of Artificial Intelligence - 0 views

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    "The growing power of computer vision is a crucial first step for the next generation of computing, robotic and artificial intelligence systems. Once machines can identify objects and understand their environments, they can be freed to move around in the world. And once robots become mobile they will be increasingly capable of extending the reach of humans or replacing them." This source is useful because it give some good background information on artificial intelligence and also an idea of what it will be like in the near future. The information from this article will be used in our project when we present what AI is like today and how it is quickly expanding. The facts and knowledge from this article are credible because it is from an official news source, the New York Times. This article is also reliable because it contains real quotes from real scientists studying AI.
Joey Parker

The future of computers: what can we expect? - 0 views

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    "However, it is fast becoming time to reckon with what the future holds for our computers - and technology in general." This site is useful to me because it leaves open any possibility about computers of the future. It talks about how computer technology can only improve. I will use this website to help improve my predictions. This website is reliable because it goes along with a lot of predictions about future computing devices.
Peyton Wade

What is a Solar Sail? - 0 views

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    "A solar sail, simply put, is a spacecraft propelled by sunlight. Whereas a conventional rocket is propelled by the thrust produced by its internal engine burn, a solar sail is pushed forward simply by light from the Sun." This site gives great information on how solar sails work and how efficient they are. The text describes how solar sails can accelerate indefinitely. It also mentions how large they generally are. This information can be useful for certain research points and help clarify what a solar sail really is. This site is most likely reliable because websites ending in ".org" are typically reliable. It has very sound research, as well.
Morgan G

Cancer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - 0 views

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    "The causes of cancer are diverse, complex, and only partially understood. " What cancer is and the causes of it.
Gabe Stevens

Nanotechnology In General - 0 views

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    This page talks about the many applications for nanotechnology in the near future and what they can do, from keeping food from spoiling to diagnosing disease.
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