192021 is a new project that hopes to understand the impact of the rise of the super cities on the world around us. 19 cities around the world have 20 million people in the 21st Century and the Richard Saul Wurzman, the founder, believes that we’ve stopped seeing the world as a globe of countries but one of cities. 192021 aims to deliver a multi-year, multimedia initiative to collect, organize and better understand the population’s effect regarding urban and business planning and its impact on consumers around the world.
It seems that in the last decade scientists
have switched goals from producing efficient LEDs to producing "natural
light" LEDs. However, whenever this was achieved, significant efficiency
sacrifices were made to enable experimentation to work. Through use of a
nano-crystaline coating, it seems that scientists at Bilkent University, Turkey
have succeeded in creating an LED that "produces attractive white light while
wasting next-to-no electricity". The definition of attractive is that for each watt
of light produced, around 300 lumens are visible to the human eye. This
compares with fluorescents which produce around 80 lumens per watt, according
to the article. There is however a barrier to market. This is because the nano-crystalline
coating is expensive and apparently difficult to produce.
Think of it as an advanced ‘Second Life’ for architects and designers where they can experiment with visualization, architecture, design, information and simulation that would not be possible in reality.
I have come across all sorts of biro art sites and artists lately - and as a form of drawing it appears to be trend on the up. Biro Art is featuring more and more in blog discussions and they are even entire exhibitions dedicated to the art of making art with Biro’s. One in Spain had to be cancelled recently as all the art work was sold.
LONDON (Reuters) - Lead is still in the race to make batteries for hybrid-powered vehicles, President Bruce Neil at privately-owned lead producer Doe Run told a conference on Monday.
The USA’s leading plumbing manufacturers Kohler Co., has put out an ad campaign “The Bold Look of Kohler” designed to portray the company and its products as cutting edge, sexy and, well, bold.
It will take years before bacteria can generate enough energy to generate electricity for transportation, homes or businesses, but researchers at the University of Minnesota studying bacteria have found a way to convert waste into electricity.
In 2007, more than $100 billion was invested in new renewable energy capacity,
manufacturing plants, and research and development -- a true global milestone.
Yet perceptions lag behind the reality of renewable energy because change has
been so rapid in recent years.
According to a study from Clarion University, Pennsylvania, USA each step in the current US process of building and running a nuclear plant, from mining the uranium ores to disposing of the wastes, contributes to greenhouse gas emissions. Indeed, the article states that for nuclear power to be a feasible alternative energy source the entire process would need to be more efficient. This study gives a view on nuclear power which includes long standing ideals. The paper seems to offer an intermediate review on issues around the subject of nuclear, in the wider energy debate.
In an advancement that could radically reduce the cost of making solar panels, Massachusetts-based Konarka Technologies has developed and successfully demonstrated the ability to print solar cells with an inkjet printer. By using the inkjet printing process in the manufacturing of solar cells, the need for “clean rooms” is eliminated, and manufacturers can work with a number of different substrates, including plastics, and different colors.
This one’s been swirling around for a tick, but Leviathan Energy’s brilliant new turbine is just too good to pass up. Showcased at the Cleantech Forum in California, this contraption would reportedly generate power from the downward movement of water through pipes in a municipal system. In other words, there’s potential to conjure up energy from simply flushing one’s toilet. Of course, there’s nothing revolutionary about yet another hydroelectric generator, but using such a device to grab power from such a dirty place takes things to a whole ‘nother level.
President George W. Bush called on Congress to support a
international clean energy fund to bring renewable energy technology to those in
the developing world. He made his remarks at the Washington International
Renewable Energy Conference in Washington DC.
Latin American nations could become important suppliers of ethanol for world
markets in coming decades, according to an Oak Ridge National Laboratory study.
Rather than putting tubes on a rooftop, RES lays the collection system within concrete -- think the black asphalt of a road or runway. The piping connects to undeground storage areas.
When you take the consumer obsession with technology and put it inside an automobile, you have a potential recipe for danger. Fortunately, new, high tech in-car features—including reading text messages, controlling MP3 players and accessing the Internet—are safely offering drivers entertainment and useful information for an enhanced driving experience.