Copper end use trends

aptains would be able to throttle back the ship’s diesel engine and slash fuel consumption up to 50 percent in optimal conditions. The first cargo ship to be fitted with a kites from SkySails is the 460-foot Beluga SkySails owned by the Beluga Group.

Would you like to use a light-powered toothbrush which needs no toothpaste and no batteries? It’s already available in Japan and North America and it costs about $30. Its rod contains titanium dioxide that generates a plaque-removing electrochemical reaction. This ’solar’ toothbrush of the future ‘works by releasing electrons that then react with the saliva in the mouth and help to breakdown plaque.’ It just needs some light — so you’ll be able to wash your teeth in your garden or on your balcony. And as it has no batteries, this is a very eco-friendly device. It is currently tested today by 120 students at the University of Saskatchewan, Canada, but it’s already available online.

Forever Landfill is a private disposal service for L.A. residents that gives each home a landfill plot for their personal trash. With the average American producing four pounds of trash a day, there’s a dire need to get waste under control. Forever Landfill also knows that being totally eco-friendly and not producing any waste leaves little room for fun, and no room for luxury.

YOU need not be a Wall Street chieftain to feel the anxiety that has wrapped its arms around the American economy.

According to Penn State engineers, transmission rates of 100 gigabits per second are possible today over copper. But only on distances of less than 100 meters. And only with high-end Category 7 copper cables. These Ethernet cables are made up of four pairs of twisted wires shielded to reduce crosstalk. The Penn State technology could provide an alternative to glass fiber optics cables in computer datacenters where distances between systems are not too big. In other words, it would be possible to interconnect servers inside a building at speeds similar to the ones provided by more expensive fiber optic cabling.