Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/29/asus-u33jc-a1-bamboo-review/
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Source: http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2010-07/stanford-researchers-using-rockets-treat-sewage
In what sounds like the most over-engineered toilet tech ever, Stanford engineers are using rocket science to clean up sewage.
It's actually simpler than it sounds -- the scientists are developing a system that exploits sewage-loving bacteria to produce nitrous oxide, which can be used up by a rocket thruster. The nitrous-powered rocket's only byproduct is hot, pure air.
Stanford professor Brian Cantwell specializes in designing rocket thrusters that run on nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas. He and some of his grad students wanted to use nitrous oxide as an emissions-free energy source. While nitrous oxide is a powerful greenhouse gas, when it's burned as rocket fuel, the only byproducts are hot oxygen and nitrogen.
As a Stanford release explains, Cantwell teamed up with Craig Criddle, a professor of civil and environmental engineering, who explained that wastewater sludge contains bacteria that naturally convert nitrogen wastes into nitrous oxide.
You have to remove some oxygen to do it, so that nitrous oxide-producing bacteria can thrive. The process also produces excess methane, and the researchers say that gas can be used to power wastewater treatment plants of the future.
Typically, wastewater treatment plants pump oxygen into a roiling mix of raw sewage, to encourage good bacteria to break down organic matter. Nitrogen is one of the byproducts.
But aerating sewage is expensive and difficult; using anaerobic bacteria is cheaper and simpler. The problem has been how to dispose of the nitrous oxide byproduct, which is far worse for the environment than nitrogen. Rocket science is apparently the answer.
Cantwell's rocket thruster, which was designed for use in spacecraft, can consume the excess nitrous oxide to produce heat. In a Stanford press release, Cantwell says the nitrous oxide can heat an engine to almost 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit and expel nitrogen and oxygen at 5,000 feet per second.
The team says their rocket-sewage system could replace existing wastewater treatment facilities throughout the U.S. and introduce clean water to developing countries. They say it could also be used to recover nitrogen from groundwater beneath fertilized farm fields.
[PhysOrg]
Source: http://lifehacker.com/5599454/1dlus-is-a-swiss-army-knife-of-single+use-web-sites
1dl.us is fast-loading, bringing visitors to a page that's quickly filled with their IP address, a temporary email address for potentially spam-generating sign-ups, and a user agent checker. A minimalist tabbed view provides further access to image uploading, link shortening, and an online pastebin with optional password protection. There's also an instant password strength checker, but we're not always a fan of typing in your passwords anywhere where you don't know 100 percent of the rules and safety measures. But that's your call—the site doesn't seem to be sending your text anywhere—and five out of the six tabs here are very helpful for those who haven't already loaded their browser up with bookmarklets and add-ons to accomplish the same.
The services at 1dl.us are free to use, no sign-up required. Know of a better all-in-one web tool site? Share the love in the comments. Thanks for the tip Jackson!
While many hurdles are keeping us stuck here on Earth, our solar system's deadly radiation is chief among them. But scientists now think that a thumb-sized magnet could produce a force field big enough to shield an entire spaceship.
The big fiery ball we call our Sun is constantly shooting high-energy particles out into the solar system, a solar wind that yields radiation some 1000 times more powerful than that of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. The Earth's magnetosphere, produced by our planet's molten iron core, deflects the solar wind from our rock and protects our bodies from that radiation.
Scientists once thought a prohibitively huge magnet would be necessary to produce a similar, spaceship-sized shield, but a British lab has found that a small magnet is sufficient to create a magnetic field powerful enough to deflect a significant amount of the charged particles. The phenomenon occurs because of a unique reaction between the solar wind and the magnet:
Because the solar wind is a plasma made up of charged particles, it too carries a magnetic field. When the solar wind's field meets the rocks' mini-magnetosphere, the two fields clash, exerting a force on each other. Something has to give. Because the solar wind's field is created by free-moving particles, it is the one that yields, altering its orientation to minimise conflict with the mini-magnetosphere's field.
Some parts of the solar wind shift more easily than others. The positively charged protons have nearly 2000 times the mass of the negatively charged electrons, so the latter are much more easily deflected. The electrons stay at the surface of the magnetic bubble, while the positive charges penetrate further in.
This separation of positive and negative charges generates intense electric fields up to a million times stronger than the magnetic fields that created them. Subsequent solar wind particles hit these electric fields and are strongly deflected. The result is a shielding effect far more powerful than the magnetic field alone might be expected to provide.
Skeptics worry that the higher-energy particles found in space would blast through such a shield, but the Rutherford Appleton Lab, which made the discovery, is already in confidential talks with NASA to determine the implications of their find. For more force field fodder, check out the full article at New Scientist. [New Scientist]
As LG points out in its press release (below), the Optimus Z is a bit of a departure from their usual design. They mention that "its unique "Z- style" design is more angular than previous LG smartphones," which is certainly true—and I like it. It looks almost Droid-like in appearance.
Anyway, the specs are probably going to be pretty similar to the Optimus One and Optimus Chic, which have already been unveiled for the western market, though that design is definitely a lot more premium than what the other two are offering.
For now, it's only for Korea, but LG says that it will "be introduced globally," and that "more Optimus devices are in the pipeline, including the launch of LG's Android tablet in the fourth quarter of 2010." This is only the second time that LG has publicly acknowledged the presence of their tablet, but we're still lacking details on what it's going to be like. You can probably take a guess based on Samsung's upcoming Galaxy Tab range, however.
SEOUL, July 29, 2010 – LG Electronics (LG) today announced the Korean launch of its latest smartphone, LG Optimus Z (LG-SU950/KU9500). Offered through local tele-coms providers SK Telecom and KT, Part of LG's Optimus Series, Optimus Z boasts a singular, stylish design and latest version of Google's Android OS.
With the 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon at its core, Optimus Z is being launched with Android OS 2.1 with the option to upgrade to Version 2.2 before the end of the year. Advanced multimedia options include 3.5 inch WVGA "Hyper" HD LCD (800 x 480 pixels), Korea-specific T-DMB mobile TV, 5 MP camera, Dolby Mobile and DivX compatibility. Optimus Z comes with two 1,350mAh batteries, good for hours and hours of talking or entertainment. And at only 11.05 mm thin, Optimus Z and its unique "Z- style" design is more angular than previous LG smartphones and its matte-finish metal gives the Optimus Z a solid, durable feel.
In a first for Korean smartphones, the LG Optimus Z offers On Screen Phone function that lets user display their phone interface on the screen of their PC. Using Bluetooth or a data cable, the interface will appear onscreen, letting users manage the phone's vari- ous functions – including applications and e-mail – on the computer. In addition, any documents, images or music files stored on the PC can be easily transferred to Optimus Z using this interface. Furthermore, Drag & Shake allows LG Optimus Z users to share files between smartphones with a simple shake of the handset, while LG Air Sync lets them constantly sync the phone with their PCs or other mobile digital devices.
The LG Optimus Z comes pre-equipped with more than 100 of the most popular appli- cations in Korea, along with 70 more that are not available in the Android Market. Additional applications may be downloaded through SK Telecom's and KT's respective application stores.
Optimus Z is the third device in LG's Optimus Series family to be introduced globally. More Optimus devices are in the pipeline, including the launch of LG's Android tablet in the fourth quarter of 2010.
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