NSSO ponders harvesting solar energy via satellites

Posted Apr 12th 2007 5:15AM by Darren Murph (from Engadget)

When you've already got colleagues dreaming up space sunshades, all of a sudden harvesting energy from outside of the Earth's atmosphere doesn't sound like such a stretch. Apparently, ambitious individuals at the Pentagon's National Security Space Office (NSSO) may "begin a study in the near future on the possibility of using satellites to collect solar energy for use on Earth." Notably, the plan actually seeks to not only provide an alternate source of fuel to the oil-dependent dwellers here on Mother Earth, but it would hopefully provide ample energy "to US troops in bases or on the battlefield." As impossible as it may sound, the present probably isn't a bad time to consider such an endeavor now that solar cells are becoming increasingly efficient, and since an actual deployment wouldn't even be in the cards until "around 20 years" from now, it's not like there's oodles of time to waste. [Via Wired]

Read More...

Summary only...

Samsung's Mobile WiMax MITs devices go live in S.Korea

from Engadget by Thomas Ricker

As if you weren't already feeling cheated by your data plan, Samsung comes along and launches a few Mobile WiMax MITs (Mobile Intelligent Terminal) devices in S.Korea: their SPH-M8100 WinMo 6.0 cellphone and SPH-P9000 (pictured) all-out convergence thingamajig. That's right, 12Mbps or about 2-3 Mbps when traveling up 120-KPH (75-MPH). While the Mobile WiMax (or WiBro as it's hailed in its Korean home) service isn't country-wide yet, Korea Telecom's offering does cover the 10M+ people scooting about Seoul and its southern suburbs including 17 universities and 4 subway lines. How S.Korea pulled a 19 ranking on the technology superpower list still has us scratching our heads.

Read More...

Summary only...

Sony Demos 9mm-thick High-Def OLED Displays

Look and yearn folks. This here is Sony's new OLED display. It's an obscene 9mm thick yet it packs a 1080p resolution along with a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio. Just as a recap, OLED displays are thinner and brighter than their LCD counterparts and they suck up less power. Sony was showing this beaut off at this week's Display 2007 Expo down in Japan. And if you like that, you'll love their other display, which believe it or not is thinner measuring in at....

SonyOLED2007

---

3mm thick. This one isn't HD, however, capping out at 1,024 x 600. No word on when we'll see either of them, but this is a very promising sign of what OLED is capable of. – Louis Ramirez

Read More...

Summary only...

FlickrCash lightbox grid - Augustine's Flowers

link to my hardcover, coffee-table book :-) http://www.blurb.com/my/book/detail/23897

Read More...

Summary only...

OnRequest Images Raises $9M (stock images)

from alarm:clock by BT Seattle's OnRequest Images has raised $9M from Menlo Ventures and current investors Maveron and Frazier Technology Ventures. OnRequest is an odd bird investment. The company sells a range of photo management services to corporations to help them manage their brands. It claims to employ a global network of more than 1,600 photographers, combines that with pre-and-post production services, and Web-based image management, licensing and rights management services, and brand imagery consulting, OnRequest Images empowers brands to develop the right visual approach based on culture, ethnicity, and demographics. OnRequest claims to give companies original photos that other companies can't use. It points to two advertisers that used the same stock photograph of a man in their ads -- Met Life and Viagra. Do viewers notice? Who knows.

Read More...

Summary only...