New Technology
DVD If you think that storage for removable media is large now, wait to you see what is coming. Scientists have just about finished creating a disc the size of a quarter that will hold the same amount of data as 250 DVDs. We can thank UC Berkeley and the University of Massachusetts Amherst for this new discovery. Scientists described the new technique that is used to do this as, "innovative and easily implemented”. The technique is derived from nano technology as is so much of what is coming out. A scientist went on to say, "I expect that the new method we developed will transform the microelectronic and storage industries, and open up vistas for entirely new applications”. While this invention will be invaluable for those in the movie industry and also for some professionals, the question is will it ever be used for home applications. The answer is that most of us will have no use for it, just as most home users are now finding that hard drives are becoming bigger than they need. This is especially true for the word processing and Internet browsing crowd. Scientists have now been able to get 10 terabits per inch of storage device, and you thought a one terabyte drive was big. By the way there are 8 bits in a byte.
Flash Movie Demonstrating New Safety Feature NASA has developed a new system to help prevent fatalities in helicopter crashes. It is a block of honeycombed material that consists of Kevlar, that is strapped to the bottom of the helicopter. A helicopter was dropped from 35 feet in the air. The machine contained 4 dummies, no they weren't politicians, they were crash dummies and one even had simulated internal organs. While the data of the crash was not fully examined yet, NASA officials stated that the dummies didn't look too much worse for wear, which was a good sign. The honeycomb material was developed to protect spacecraft, but it didn't take long to realize that it might be able to also protect aircraft and maybe other devices. Something unusual is about to happen. The solar panel is about to become available in stores all around your area. Lowes has already made them available in some stores. No this is not the newest version that is about 80% efficient, but it is a start. A spokesperson for Lowes said, "There's definitely a growing market for this with the number of people moving toward energy efficient homes". There are recent indications that AT&T is getting over extended in wireless use. A story in the New York Times states that the company is considering ways to get customers to conserve. The company has said that the U.S. is experiencing tremendous growth in this area, which is far more than anywhere else.
Electric Cars The auto industry is about to come out with plugin electric cars and they have worked hard to make the cars feel as much as gasoline models as humanly possible. They want us to keep the automobile experience that we are used to, because they are afraid that change will effect sales. The idea is that the electric car has to be as convenient as the gasoline model. Once consumers are asked to make sacrifices, than the equation is changed. Here is the funny part of driving an electric car, some companies are making them accelerate slower so that they feel the same to us and don't scare the drivers. One area that will be different however is the range. While I am sure it will improve, a range of about 100 miles is predicted for the Ford Focus. One thing that has some psychologists and psychiatrists worried is something called social isolation. That refers to people who mostly stay at home on their computers, even though they might converse with others over the Internet. Some feel that this is not enough interaction with others and will affect those people in ways that were never seen before, except in those that were already recluses. Michelin has demonstrated a new technology recently, it is called the TWEEL. This is really short for Tire and Wheel. It is a combination of a wheel and sort of a tire, although it does away completely with pneumatic technology. Initially it is being used on things that are light weight, such as Segway devices. Michelin is now looking toward military vehicles for its new invention, but look for it to appear sometime in the future on automobiles. It has been described as an invention with strong future applications. Why do people feel that this device is so revolutionary? It is because the hub and spoke design replaces the need for air pressure and yet delivers performance on a par with the pneumatic tire. There is a move afoot and it is gaining speed every day. It is the move to make every gadget wireless. Look for this to become standard in the near future. While this will be a boon to people who hate having wires all over the home and office, it does present certain problems. The first one that comes to mind is an issue of privacy. Wireless signals can be picked up by individuals with simple equipment. The second concern is about all the waves that are surrounding us and our health. While nothing has ever been proven as far as these waves being bad for us, they certainly are not a good thing health wise. It just might turn out in the future that a down side will be found. The race for a new type of device is nowhere more obvious than in battery technology. With electric cars starting to appear and all sorts of other devices that could benefit from longer battery life, such as computers and communications devices, the race has intensified There is a company in Texas that is being very secret, but they have stated that they have a new energy storage technology that is a “game changer”. The company claims that it is on track to ship new systems for electric cars very soon. Its new device is said to be able to replace the electrochemical batteries in every device from electric cars to laptop computers. The company has stated that their new storage device will outperform lithium-ion batteries and be 10 times more powerful than lead-acid batteries and yet cost only half as much. |
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