Breakthrough In Use of Graphene For Ultracapacitors

Posted by kdawson on Wednesday September 17, @02:59AM

from the high-credit-limit dept.

Hugh Pickens writes"Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin have achieved a breakthrough in the use of a one-atom thick graphene for storing electrical charge in ultracapacitors. They believe their development shows promise that graphene could eventually double the capacity of existing ultracapacitors. 'Through such a device, electrical charge can be rapidly stored on the graphene sheets, and released from them as well for the delivery of electrical current and, thus, electrical power,' says one of the researchers. Two main methods exist to store electrical energy: in rechargeable batteries and in ultracapacitors, which are becoming increasingly commercialized but are not yet well known to the public. Some advantages of ultracapacitorsover traditional energy storage devices such as batteries include: higher power capability, longer life, a wider thermal operating range, lighter, more flexible packaging and lower maintenance. Graphene has a surface area of 2,630 square meters, almost the area of a football field, per gram of material."

 [+] power, science (tagging beta)

Glamping? Really?

by LESLIE WOLCOTT
Sep 16th 2008 @ 7:30PM

Filed under: Travel and Vacation

The New York Times today reports a new trend in outdoor recreation: Glamping. Think glamour + camping. 

One "glamping" hostess claims that she wants to provide "the traditional camping experience like in the 30's, 40's, and 50's"--an experience that includes a lake stocked with trout and costs nearly $500 for a weekend. 

Though some of these fancy camping sites have hot water showers and toilets (one even has heated mattresses), they don't have cell phone coverage or wi-fi. Well, at least there's something that keeps this from being another day at home. MSNBC even has a top-ten list for the best luxury camping trips around.

I dunno, sure, a Yurt in the French Alps with organic restaurant food sounds like a great trip, I wouldn't call it camping. I would call it just the opposite.

Full disclosure: when I climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro, where you are required to hire porters, our guides would bring us hot "water for washing" in the freezing cold mornings, and it was the most wonderful camping innovation I've ever heard of. But that's another post. 

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Chevy finally releases official Volt specs

by JOSH LOPOSER
Sep 16th 2008 @ 3:30PM

Filed under: Cars and Transportation

After months of carefully orchestratedhype-building by the Chevy Volt's PR team, we finally get the real deal, straight from the source. As part of GM's centennial birthday bash, the automaker has gone public with the official specs for the car that they hope will launch them into a successful second century of automotive glory. Pictures of the production Volt, along with a press release touting the vehicle's features are finally out.

According to the press release, the Volt will be able to make a 40 mile trip without using any gasoline, saving drivers an estimated $1,500 a year. Nice. While I still kinda wish the Volt had kept its sports car facade, I might have been too harsh when I bad-mouthed the new body style last week. In the new photos, it looks a bit more aggressive. Also, the changes to the body style were made to improve the Volt's aerodynamics, thereby increasing its range -- pretty crucial. 

Gallery: The Volt Unmasked

IPv6 and the Business-Case Skeptics

Posted by kdawson on Tuesday September 16, @03:16PM

from the there-is-none-get-over-it dept.

Julie188 writes"Experts keep screaming that the IPv4 sky is falling. Three such experts were recently asked point-blank to state an irrefutable business case for moving to IPv6 now, and their answer was more plausible than the old refrain (the lack of addresses and a yet-to-be-seen killer IPv6 app). They said that there isn't a business case. No company that is satisfied with all of its Internet services will need to move, even in the next few years. They also pointed out that Microsoft is a unique position in the industry both causing and hindering IPv6 adoption — causing through its IPv6 support in its OSes, and hindering by not extending IPv6 support into very many of its apps."

Drinking Chamomile Tea May Help Fight Complications Of Diabetes

ScienceDaily (Sep. 16, 2008) — Drinking chamomile tea daily with meals may help prevent the complications of diabetes, which include loss of vision, nerve damage, and kidney damage, researchers in Japan and the United Kingdom are reporting.

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Massage Therapy May Have Immediate Positive Effect On Pain And Mood For Advanced Cancer Patients

ScienceDaily (Sep. 16, 2008) — A new study from the National Institutes of Health finds that massage therapy may have immediate benefits on pain and mood among patients with advanced cancer. The study appears in the September 16, 2008 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine.

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Al Gore draws flack for his 100ft houseboat

by JOSH LOPOSER
Sep 16th 2008 @ 10:25AM

Filed under: Celebrities, Travel and Vacation

How green is green enough? When it comes to Al Gore, some say he's done his part to fight the good fight against global warming, evidenced by winning a Nobel Peace Prize and an Academy Award -- so we should just leave him alone. Others wonder just exactly how he can reconcile his lavish lifestyle with his message of impending climate doom. First, it was his energy-hogging mansion, then the controversy over his jet setting, now it's his 100ft "green" houseboat.Is Al Gore yet another TV evangelist, living a contradictory double life? 

To be fair, he did name his 100' house boat on Center Hill Lake in Tennessee the "Bio Solar One" -- which I take to mean that it's mostly powered by biodiesel and solar energy -- a good start. It's apparently been called the "Toyota Prius of boats" by it's manufacturer. I myself would call it the "Hybrid Chevy Tahoe of titanic luxury houseboats." But hey, do we really want to split hairs here? 

It's much more interesting to ponder exactly how accountable a supposedly green celebrity needs to be in order to keep their credibility in tact. Do they get a pass when they're guilty of greenwashing?

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Montana cyclist gets in a bear wreck

by JOSH LOPOSER
Sep 16th 2008 @ 8:41AM

Filed under: Cars and Transportation

And you thought that your work commute was a doozy! Last Wednesday, when school teacher Jim Litz was riding his bike through the hills of Missoula on the way to work, he had no idea he was about become a bicycling legend. As Jim topped a hill going around 25mph, he came upon a 300lb black bear and smacked head on into the unsuspecting beast.Whammy! Both rider and bear went for a tumble in what has to be one of the most spectacular wrecks in cycling history.

In the process of tumbling down the road the bear managed to scratch Jim's shoulders and back and roll over his head, cracking Jim's helmet under its weight before fleeing the painful scene. According to Jim, "I didn't have time to respond. I never even hit my brakes." Luckily, Jim's wife came driving by in the nick of time and drove him to the hospital, where he was patched up. 

According to the AP story, Litz planned to return to teaching science at Target Range Middle School by Friday. What a trooper.

[via Treehugger]

Dark Matter Disk In Our Galaxy, Supercomputer Simulation Shows

ScienceDaily (Sep. 16, 2008) — An international team of scientists predict that our Galaxy, the Milky Way, contains a disk of ‘dark matter’.  Astronomers Dr Justin Read, Professor George Lake and Oscar Agertz of the University of Zurich, and Dr Victor Debattista of the University of Central Lancashire use the results of a supercomputer simulation to deduce the presence of this disk.

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Spy Agencies Turn To Online Sources For Info

Posted by kdawson on Monday September 15, @07:21PM

from the i-spy-with-my-little-internet dept.

palegray.net sends us to US News and World Report for an article about increased spy agency use of online sources. Turning to well-known destinations such as NPR and Wikipedia, folks in the intelligence world are increasingly filling their reports with information gleaned from the public domain."A few days ago, a senior officer at the Pentagon called his intelligence officer into his office. The boss had heard a news report about China while driving to his office and wanted some answers. It wasn't a tough assignment, given the news coverage, but there was a hitch. 'There was plenty of information in the public domain about the topic,' recalls the intelligence officer, a 10-year veteran. 'And yet, if there wasn't some classified information cited in my report, the boss would never believe it was accurate.'"

 [+] internet, military, stupidboss (tagging beta)

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NASA Announces Next Mars Mission

Posted by kdawson on Monday September 15, @10:07PM

from the next-planet-from-the-sun dept.

Grant Henninger writes"Today, NASA announced their final selection for the Mars Scout 2013 mission: Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN. MAVEN will provide the first direct measurements ever taken to address key scientific questions about Mars's evolution by measuring characteristics of its atmospheric gases, upper atmosphere, solar wind, and ionosphere. The mission, estimated to cost $485M, is scheduled for launch in late 2013."

 [+] mars, nasa, space, evolution (tagging beta)

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NASA Announces Next Mars Mission

Posted by kdawson on Monday September 15, @10:07PM

from the next-planet-from-the-sun dept.

Grant Henninger writes"Today, NASA announced their final selection for the Mars Scout 2013 mission: Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN. MAVEN will provide the first direct measurements ever taken to address key scientific questions about Mars's evolution by measuring characteristics of its atmospheric gases, upper atmosphere, solar wind, and ionosphere. The mission, estimated to cost $485M, is scheduled for launch in late 2013."

 [+] mars, nasa, space, evolution (tagging beta)

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Purifying Parasites With Light

ScienceDaily (Sep. 15, 2008) — Researchers have developed a clever method to purify parasitic organisms from their host cells, which will allow for more detailed proteomic studies and a deeper insight into the biology of organisms that cause millions of cases of disease each year.

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Putting A 'Korset' On The Spread Of Computer Viruses: Invention Stays One Step Ahead Of Anti-virus Software

ScienceDaily (Sep. 15, 2008) — Anti-virus companies play a losing game. Casting their nets wide, they catch common, malicious viruses and worms (known to the industry as “malware”), but it may take days before their software updates can prepare your computer for the next attack. By then it could be too late. And some insidious programs prove immune to anti-virus software, residing inside your computer for months or even years, collecting personal information and business secrets.

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Japan's eco-rigs create power and fish food

by CHRISTINA CLARK
Sep 15th 2008 @ 8:32AM

Filed under: Alternative Energy, Plants and Wildlife

Necessity is truly the best mother of invention sometimes. Japan, facing rising energy costs and dwindling fish populations has come up with a solution to alleviate both issues, the eco-rig. 

The eco-rigs will be large solar and wind powered generators that will float in the seas around Japan. A small amount of the power will be siphoned off to fuel banks of underwater LEDs. This will attract seaweed that absorbs carbon dioxide and feeds fish and plankton. 

More fish food will help increase fish populations which feed Japanese people. And the eco-rigs, when joined together, are said to be able to produce as much power as a nuclear plant. 

Seems like a very good solution to me. 

[Via Clean Technica]

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Google's Floating Datahaven

Posted by CmdrTaco on Monday September 15, @10:15AM

from the don't-spring-a-leak dept.

PDG writes"Google has pending plans to take its data centers off-shore, literally. By moving their data centers to floating barges in international waters, they are able to save money on taxes and electricity (using wave based power) as well as reside their operations outside the jurisdiction of governments. There is mention of hurricane and other caveats, but I wonder how they plan to get a bandwidth pipe large enough and still be reliable. Seems like a chapter out of a Neal Stephenson novel."You might recall earlier discussions on the same subject.

Urinals are hot home item

by PATRICIA MAYVILLE-COX
Sep 15th 2008 @ 11:30AM

Filed under: Home

The new, hot bathroom item is a urinal. Yep, urinals, according to a recent Kansas City Star article. Usually reserved for public bathrooms, the home urinal market is hot, and because they use much less water than a toilet, they are eco-friendly as well. 

Urinals eliminate the whole toilet-seat problem (er, remembering to put it back down), don't take up much space, and use much less water than a toilet. A standard toilet uses about 1.5 gallons per flush, while a basic urinal only uses half a gallon. 

Waterless urinals are also available, although, according to the article, they are not catching on due to the "yuck factor." 

And of course, don't forget about Mister Miser, which uses a scant 10 oz per flush.

Related Link

Irradiation, nothing to be scared of?

by PATRICIA MAYVILLE-COX
Sep 15th 2008 @ 11:02AM

Filed under: Food, Health

The New York Times editorial page tackled the subject of irradiated foodrecently. In late August, the FDA approved the use of ionizing radiation to kill bacteria on spinach and lettuce. Sounds kind of scary, but according to the FDA, the World Health Organization, the CDC, and the AMA, irradiation is a safe way to kill deadly bugs like E. coli, salmonella and listeria. Irradiation is already approved for use in meat, poultry, spices, oysters, clams and mussels.

However, the NY Times editorial cautions that irradiation is not a "magic bullet," as the approved doses are not strong enough to kill some bugs responsible for food poisoning outbreaks, urging the development of comprehensive food safety programs.

Foods treated with irradiation need to be labeled with a radura symbol and the words "radiated" or "irradiated." However, there is a proposal before the FDA to lift that requirement.

Consumer safety groups disagree with the FDA's approval of irradiation, such as Joel Mendelson of The Center for Food Safety. In a recent letter to the WSJ, Mendelson writes that irradiation is just a "quick fix" and doesn't deal with the real problems in food safety.

In the meantime, here are 12 Raw Food Safety Tips, to help you eat your fruits and veggies a bit more safely.

Extra freezer sales going up

by PATRICIA MAYVILLE-COX
Sep 15th 2008 @ 10:30AM

Filed under: Home

Extra freezer sales are going up, up, up, according to recent sales data reported in an AP article. Across the country, people bought more than 1.1 million extra freezers during the first six months of 2008, up more than 7% from the same period last year, according to the NPD group. 

The reason for the boom, according to experts cited, is the economy. People are trying to buy in bulk in order to save money, and also to conserve gas consumed in multiple trips. Almost half of U.S. households already have a freezer chest or upright freezer, separate from the standard refrigerator-freezer combo in their kitchens. Such freezers come in a wide range of prices, anywhere from $150 to $800.

Freezers, of course, consume loads of energy, so before you buy one, you want to make sure you are really going to use it. According toUmbra at Grist, it's better to have one large fridge or freezer than two. If you are going to buy an extra freezer, make sure it is going to be full most of the time. And of course, make sure you look for an Energy Star model.

I am kind of surprised that half of U.S. households already have an extra freezer. Who knew? Do you have an extra freezer, or is your current one just fine as it is?

[Via Planet Save]

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10 Years of Translated Bin Laden Messages Leaked

Posted by kdawson on Monday September 15, @02:27AM

from the portraits-in-extremism dept.

DragonFire1024 lets us know that Wikileaks has obtained 10 years of messages and interviews by Osama bin Laden, the leader of al-Qaeda. The documents were translated and the messages and interviews were authenticated by the US CIA."The nearly three hundred page, 'official use only' packet from 2004, translated by the Foreign Broadcast Information Service, a division of the CIA, includes interviews with bin Laden from various news agencies and also includes messages he sent directly to the US from the periods of 1994 to 2004. One message includes bin Laden's denial of having anything to do with the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York City, Washington DC, and Pennsylvania."

 [+] censorship (tagging beta)

Brightest Stellar Explosion Heralds New Type Of Long-distance Astronomy

ScienceDaily (Sep. 15, 2008) — A flash of light that blinded even small telescopes six months ago was the brightest astronomical explosion ever observed - visible to the naked eye despite originating halfway across the universe.

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Scientists Watch As Listener's Brain Predicts Speaker's Words

ScienceDaily (Sep. 15, 2008) — Scientists at the University of Rochester have shown for the first time that our brains automatically consider many possible words and their meanings before we've even heard the final sound of the word.

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The 'Satellite Navigation' In Our Brains

ScienceDaily (Sep. 15, 2008) — Our brains contain their own navigation system much like satellite navigation ("sat-nav"), with in-built maps, grids and compasses, neuroscientist Dr Hugo Spiers told the BA Festival of Science at the University of Liverpool on September 11.

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