Who's behind a better lithium-ion hybrid/EV battery? Why, it's Exxon Mobil

Posted Nov 29th 2007 12:29PM by Sebastian Blanco
Filed under: Emerging Technologies, EV/Plug-in, Hybrid, Green Daily

When we write about Exxon Mobil here on AutoblogGreen, we mostly do it to point out just how much money they make. In 2006, after all, the company did make $1,252 every second. Sometimes we write about their shady ethanol studies or other ways the giant oil company is trying to buy off scientists. What I'm saying is that it's not too often that we say somewhat nice things about Exxon Mobil.

Today we do. The AP has a story about Exxon's new greener car announcement. Apparently, the latest technological advancement the company is working on (with Japan's Tonen Chemical) is a new film for lithium-ion batteries that would make electric and hybrid cars more efficient and affordable. Exxon will release more information at the Electric Vehicle Symposium and Exposition (aka EVS23) in Anaheim. I'll be attending that conference, and will make sure to bring you more details from Exxon.

[Source: AP via CNN Money]

States Claim There is No Match for Microsoft

Posted by samzenpus on Wednesday November 28, @10:07PM
from the ants-and-elephants dept.

Bergkamp10 writes "State antitrust regulators have dismissed companies such as Google and Mozilla Corp, and software technologies such as AJAX and SaaS as "piddling players that pose no threat to Microsoft's monopoly in the operating system and browser markets". According to the report ten US states, including California, New York and the District of Columbia have called for an extension of monitoring of Microsoft's business practices until November 2012. They claim that little has changed in the OS and browser spaces since the 2002 antitrust case ruled against Microsoft. In their most recent brief, the states countered Microsoft's contention that Web-based companies — Google, Salesforce.com, Yahoo, eBay and others — and new Web-centric technologies constitute what Microsoft dubbed a "competitive alternative to Windows." Not even close, said the states, claiming that while these companies' products provide functionality for users they still rely on Operating Systems and browsers — the two spaces where Microsoft dominates. Experts were apparently even more damning, claiming competition in the market has not been restored since 2002 and that the collective powers of Google, Firefox and Web 2.0 are about as effective as a one legged man in a butt-kicking contest when it comes to unsettling Microsoft's monopoly of the market."

[+] microsoft, business, antitrust, duh, webossucks (tagging beta)

USAF Launch Supersonic Bomb Firing Technology

Posted by samzenpus on Wednesday November 28, @08:40PM
from the drop-it-like-it's-hot dept.

coondoggie writes "Boeing and the US Air Force today said they have tested new technology that for the first time will let military aircraft launch bombs from aircraft moving at supersonic speeds. Researchers from Boeing Phantom Works and the Air Force Research Laboratory used a rocket sled in combination with what researchers called "active flow control" to successfully release a smart bomb known as MK-82 Joint Direct Attack Munition Standard Test Vehicle (JDAM) at a speed of about Mach 2 from a weapons bay with a size approximating that of the U.S. Air Force B-1 bomber, Boeing said. Active flow control is a tandem array of microjets upstream of the weapons bay that, when fired reduces the unsteady pressures inside the bay and modifies the flow outside to ensure the JDAM munition travels out of the bay correctly."

[+] military, science, sopwith (tagging beta)

Wirelessly powered Christmas tree: when high-tech meets high-chintz

Posted Nov 29th 2007 5:14AM by Nilay Patel
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

We're pretty certain we were supposed to be seeing cellphones, DAPs, and medical devices -- you know, gadgets -- rock the PowerCast wireless power system by now, but it looks like the first product off the line to include the tech is this chintzy $395 Christmas tree from Frontgate. The fake tree does indeed feature wireless power for its LED lights, but honestly, if you're moving your tree so much you need it to be wireless, you should really think about getting out of your house more often.

[Thanks, Joe]

The Secret to Raising Smart Kids

Posted by samzenpus on Thursday November 29, @07:55AM
from the the-most-smartest dept.

Hugh Pickens writes "Scientific American has an interesting article on the secret to raising smart kids that says that more than 30 years of scientific investigation suggests that an overemphasis on intellect or talent leaves people vulnerable to failure, fearful of challenges and unwilling to remedy their shortcomings. In particular, attributing poor performance to a lack of ability depresses motivation more than does the belief that lack of effort is to blame. One theory of what separates the two general classes of learners, helpless versus mastery-oriented, is that these different types of students not only explain their failures differently, but they also hold different "theories" of intelligence. The helpless ones believe that intelligence is a fixed trait: you have only a certain amount. Mistakes crack their self-confidence because they attribute errors to a lack of ability, which they feel powerless to change. Mastery-oriented children think intelligence is malleable and can be developed through education and hard work. Challenges are energizing rather than intimidating offering opportunities to learn."

[+] education, science (tagging beta)

Texas wind rangers?

by Josh Loposer
Nov 29th 2007 @ 7:13AM

Filed under: Alternative Energy

In a state known for its cowboy mentality, colossal CO2 emissions, and more recently a sausage fanatic who is pissed off at Jimmy Dean; it comes as a bit of a surprise that it can also brag about one more thing -- leading the country in wind energy production. Jumping ahead of California last August, Texas' wind farming potential has become the interest of many green investors -- and ranchers. West Texas towns like Roscoe, previously drying up and blowing away, are getting a major lift from companies like Airtricity from Dublin, Ireland, which recently invested $1 billion towards building windmills in and around the town.

According to the experts, west Texas might possibly be the nation's bread basket of wind energy, due to its average wind speed of 17mph. This is good news to rural residents, who have been watching their way of life virtually disappear for the last several decades. If these investments pan out, wind farming enthusiasts like Cliff Etheredge (see photo) may get streets named after them -- but not exactly for leading the environmental cause.

Ironically, many of the new crop of wind farmers are not big proponents of global warming ideology, but instead see the windmills as a way to remain afloat economically. Not that they don't see the benefits of a clean, renewable energy source, but as one farmer put it:

"Everybody likes crisis-type situations and [climate change] has gotten very popular, particularly with the media and so forth."

Related Link

New Type of Fatigue Discovered in Silicon

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on Wednesday November 28, @05:29PM
from the beat-on-anything-long-enough dept.

Invisible Pink Unicorn writes "Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have discovered a phenomenon long thought not to exist. They have demonstrated a mechanical fatigue process that eventually leads to cracks and breakdown in bulk silicon crystals. Silicon — the backbone of the semiconductor industry — has long been believed to be immune to fatigue from cyclic stresses because of the nature of its crystal structure and chemical bonds. However, NIST examination of the silicon used in microscopic systems that incorporate tiny gears, vibrating reeds and other mechanical features reveals stress-induced cracks that can lead to failure. This has important implications for the design of new silicon-based micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) devices that have been proposed for a wide variety of uses. The article abstract is available from Applied Physics Letters."

Google launches effort to develop cheap renewable energy sources

by Brad Linder
Nov 27th 2007 @ 2:59PM

Filed under: Gadgets and Tech, Alternative Energy

Google is one of the biggest names in internet business. The company has the world's most popular search engine, a hugely successful advertising platform, and a whole slew of other cyberspace services. Now Google is trying to tackle a real world problem: our reliance on non-renewable fuel.

The company today announced a new research initiative with a pretty ambitious goal: to develop technologies that will bring the price of renewable energy down below the price of coal. The initiative is cleverly titled RE>C, which stands for renewable energy cheaper than coal.

The company is hiring engineers and energy experts to take part in a multi-million dollar research project focusing on solar, geothermal, wind, and other renewable energy sources. Google expects to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on research. In the long run, if Google is successful, the company will probably reap returns from royalties.

What does Google have to do with renewable energy? Co-founder Larry Page says the company has developed expertise in building large-scale energy efficient data centers. And if they can do it the planet can. Or something like that. The internet company doesn't plan to do all of its research in house. Google will also be providing grants and investments in companies that are working in the renewable energy field.

Related Link

10 stupid gifts that will end up in the trash

by Jonathon Morgan
Nov 27th 2007 @ 2:33PM

Filed under: Shopping Guide

Despite the tireless efforts of your favorite bloggers, who've combed the endless Internets in search of eco-friendly gifts, some people will still purchase mind-numbingly stupid presents for their loved ones. Why do I care? After all, maybe your brother-in-law really thought you'd like that fart machine. The problem, however, is that these dumb gifts inevitably end up in the trash.

Thankfully, your friends at Stupid.com have made a list of the Top 10 "stupidest" gifts for 2007, so you know the kinds of pointless crap you should avoid giving your family.

1. Mistletoe To Go: comes with a suction cup for your forehead
2. The Hillary Nutcracker: cracks nuts, runs for president
3. Slingshot Monkey: obviously
4. Larry Craig Action Figure: denies being gay
5. Uncle Oinker's Gummy Bacon Candy: it even looks like bacon
6. Inflatable Moosehead: no need to shoot a real one
7. Electronic Yodeling Pickle: does exactly what you'd think
8. Poo-lar Bear Candy: tasty polar bear poop
9. Get Off the Phone Excuse Machine: for slow-witted people
10. USB dancer: nerd alert

Gallery: 10 dumbest gifts

Phillip's super high-res CT scanner shows you from the inside

Posted Nov 26th 2007 1:11PM by Nilay Patel

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Philips unveiled a new ultra-high-res 256-slice CT scanner called the Brilliance iCT at the Radiological Society of North America yesterday, a unit the company says not only produces higher quality 3D images using less radiation than previous scanners, but does it far more quickly -- a full body scan takes only a minute. The speedup is achieved because the rotating X-ray element spins some 22 percent faster than other models, hitting four revolutions a second at top speed. Getting in and out of the machine that much faster also cuts radiation exposure some 80 percent from a traditional X-ray machine, and Philips says the machine is accurate enough to capture a complete image of the heart in less than two beats. Metro Health in Cleveland is the first off the line with the new gear -- check the read link for a video of it in action.

Tags: brilliance, brilliance ict, BrillianceIct, ct, ct scanner, CtScanner, health, medicine, philips, x-ray, xray

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New Neutron Scatter Camera to Detect Smuggled Nukes

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on Monday November 26, @02:15PM
from the size-matters dept.

Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories in California are developing a new neutron scatter camera that they claim will be able to detect radiation through much more shielding and at much greater distances than traditional tech. "The neutron scatter camera consists of elements containing proton-rich liquid scintillators in two planes. As neutrons travel through the scintillator, they bounce off protons like billiard balls. This is where "scatter" comes into play -- with interactions in each plane of detector elements, the instrument can determine the direction of the radioactive source from which the neutron came. [...] Computers record data from the neutron scatter camera, and using kinematics, determine the energy of the incoming neutron and its direction. Pulse shape discrimination is employed to distinguish between neutrons and gamma rays."

[+] science, technology, neutroncamera, sendinjackbauer (tagging beta)

Siemens developing call center voice-recognition software that determines age and gender

Posted Nov 26th 2007 3:03PM by Nilay Patel
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

We're not certain why call center employees need even more reasons to treat customers condescendingly, but Siemens has announced that it's developing tech that will "intelligently" assign reps to callers based on determinations of age and gender. No word on how the system makes the determinations, but we're not going to be happy if we have to start doing Marilyn Monroe impressions just to get someone on the phone.

[Via The Raw Feed]

Tags: call center, CallCenter, siemens, voice recognition, VoiceRecognition

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Whiskey to keep school kids warm

by Rigel Gregg
Nov 25th 2007 @ 12:37PM

Filed under: Kids and Parenting, Alternative Energy

As much fun as they might have with it no, the kids aren't going to be drinking the stuff. The Tynecastle High school in Edinburgh, Scotland will be getting a new building by 2010, and part of the new plan is to cut energy costs by using waste heat from the neighboring North British Distillery to heat the classrooms. Water will pass from the school through to a heat exchanger where it will be warmed by the distillery's wasted energy. The project initially added an extra £200,000 to the cost of the new building but it is expected to pay for itself in savings after only 4 years.

Interesting thought: if you live in that area now buying a bottle of whiskey is suddenly something you can do "for the children."

Related Link

Toyota demos massive driving simulator, aims to nix traffic deaths

Posted Nov 26th 2007 9:03AM by Darren Murph
Filed under: Transportation

Simulators similar to the one recently unveiled to the world by Toyota aren't all that uncommon, but this 4.5-meter high pod is "the first to move laterally and has the longest range of 35-meters front to back and 20-meters from right to left." Reportedly, the automaker plans to use its newest toy to "analyze driving characteristics under various conditions such as drunkenness and drowsiness" and subsequently decide what new safety features should be added to its fleet of motorcars. More specifically, the device enables researchers to "conduct driving tests that would be too dangerous to perform in the real world or that require specific driving conditions," and we're pretty sure the 360-degree concave video screen is quite the draw, too. Unfortunately, we have little faith that you'll ever see a tamed version of this here simulator at your local arcade, but one can hope, we suppose.

[Via Yahoo / Reuters, image courtesy of Tech.co.uk]

Tags: driving, driving simulator, DrivingSimulator, safety, simulator, toyota, vehicle

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Portable Nuclear Battery in the Development Stages

Posted by Zonk on Monday November 26, @02:29AM
from the will-be-nice-if-it-happens dept.

Xight writes "The Santa Fe Reporter has up an article about a portable nuclear reactor, about the size of a hot tub. Despite it's 'small' size the company that is planning to develop the product (Hyperion Power Generation), claims it could power up to 25,000 homes. 'Though it would produce 27 megawatts worth of thermal energy, Hyperion doesn't like to think of its product as a reactor. It's self-contained, involves no moving parts and, therefore, doesn't require a human operator. "In fact, we prefer to call it a 'drive' or a 'battery' or a 'module' in that it's so safe," Hyperion spokeswoman Deborah Blackwell says. "Like you don't open a double-A battery, you just plug [the reactor] in and it does its chemical thing inside of it. You don't ever open it or mess with it."' If all goes according to plan, Hyperion could have a factory in New Mexico by late 2012, and begin producing 4,000 of these reactors."

US domestic oil reserves may already be past their peak

Posted Nov 25th 2007 7:58PM by Sam Abuelsamid
Filed under: Etc., North America

While new discoveries of natural gas in the United States exceeded consumption in 2006, the same was not true for crude oil. Overall, proven reserves of crude oil in the U.S. dropped by four percent last year with the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska dropping ten and seven percent respectively. Previous estimates of reserves in those two regions were revised downward while little new oil was discovered. Utah had the biggest increase at thirty percent with Colorado and New Mexico also discovering a little bit new crude. Those new discoveries weren't enough to overcome declines in the bigger oil fields. Domestic production also declined as some Alaskan facilities were shut down to inspect and repair corrosion problems.

[Source: Energy Information Administration]

Tags: declining-us-oil-reserves, peak-oil

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Automated paintball gun keeps the residence secure

Posted Nov 26th 2007 4:39AM by Darren Murph
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Nah, it's not like tagging an intruder with shades of neon green, yellow and orange will do much to disable him / her, but it would probably make 'em think twice before going any further. 'Course, we're sure one could think of other uses for an automated paintball gun, and for those creative enough to agree, Team Cynergy has put together a videotaped how-to guide for building a laser-based motion detector and connecting it to your gun. We'll save the technicalities for those who dare to check out the near-10 minute clip posted after the break, but the long and short of it involves a Parralax BASIC Stamp 2 microcontroller, a red laser pointer, a servo and a good bit of tinkering (among other things). Besides, this is a lot less dangerous than that motion-activated BB rifle and laser-guided turret you built earlier this year, so why not flex some DIY muscle and give this endeavor a go?

[Via HackedGadgets]

Tags: autonomous, diy, gun, guns, hack, laser, mod, paintball, security, teamcynergy, video, weapon, weaponry

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