Category: News

One of the most frequent objections to renewable energy systems is that their production is too variable. But technologies continue to be developed that will allow storage of power generated from wind, solar, and other intermittent renewable sources. The latest development comes from researchers at Isentropic in Cambridge, England who propose giant batteries filled with gravel and argon gas. These batteries would provide a number advantages over pumped hydro, which is presently used for almost all electricity storage today, as well as over underground compressed air storage.

The gravel battery system would use excess capacity generated by a renewable source to heat and pressurize the argon gas and then pump it through a gravel filled silo to store energy. Then, when demand calls for electricity, the system is simply operated in reverse to generate electricity. According to the company, the system’s “round trip efficiency is over 72% – 80%.” This is comparable to the efficiency of pumped storage hydro, which has an efficiency of 70% – 85%. But gravel batteries are much more compact, and can be more readily installed in relatively flat areas characteristic of many areas with good windpower potential, such as the American Great Plains. A gravel battery can use far less land (1/300th) than that required for a pumped hydro lake, as well.

Underground compressed air storage is another technology that has been suggested, but that requires the presence of underground caverns, which are not always present where you might want to put a power storage facility. In addition to being able to be located anywhere, gravel batteries could be relatively inexpensive because they do not need costly materials. Costs could be as low as $55/kWh, and $10/kWh at scale for large installations.

via: Worldchanging

As the federal government’s Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee considers its options before releasing its official nutritional recommendations this year, it’s clear that the latest push is against salt. Backed by activist groups such as the self-anointed food police at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, New York City is leading the charge against sodium. And in April the Institute of Medicine released a report calling for the FDA to set limits on salt in processed foods.

We’re pushing back. As readers of the Boston Herald discovered yesterday, despite all of the blustering the effects of a national salt reduction aren’t known. Like many reckless activist campaigns against food and ingredients, there could be unintended consequences:

The editor of the American Journal of Hypertension last year recounted nine observational studies of salt intake and heart attacks and strokes. Four found no association between salt and health. That’s one reason he called attempts to tinker with salt intake as amounting to “an experiment on a whole population.”

And let’s not forget that salt reduction can lead to an increase in blood pressure in some people. Because of the variance of how people deal with salt, then, there’s no one-size-fits-all amount the government can mandate….

The IOM report recommends determining the “appropriate” amount of salt to allow in different kinds of food. It’s hard to imagine the government creating a regulation for how much salt can be in every single thing we eat. At that point, the feds might as well publish their own “government-approved” recipe book.

Read the whole piece here.

Robots are becoming ever more ubiquitous, from rescue missions to toddlers’ rooms to other planets, but they haven’t become much more like us.

Filed under: Motorsports, Coupe, Performance, Chevrolet, Racing

At next month’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Chevrolet Corvette will celebrate its gold anniversary, having run the French race for the first time fifty years ago.

The first party to mark the milestone will be this weekend at the will be marked by having the current Corvette racing team joined by ‘Vettes and ‘Vette drivers from the last fifty years at the six-hour ALMS race at Laguna Seca Raceway. Follow the jump for the full release on Corvette’s activities for this weekend, and have a look at a dressed up one-off Z06 built to commemorate the pedigree.

[Source: Chevrolet]

Continue reading GM prepping for 50th anniversary of Corvette at LeMans with one-off Z06

GM prepping for 50th anniversary of Corvette at LeMans with one-off Z06 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 20 May 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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OK this is a little device for special users and there are not to many out there that will need this but I am sure there are some.

This is a 3 port USB HUB nothing special there the USB ports swivel so that it will be easier to plug your USB devices in. But it is more then just a HUB.

Next to the USB ports it also offers an RJ45 network port. If you computer is missing an physical network port then this could be the solution. For instance if you have a Macbook Air with only 1 USB port then this is great it gives you a real network port and 3 USB ports instead of one.

Have a closer look at this USB 2.0 3-PORT Hub with Ethernet

The following is a photo account of my trip to Kindred Spirits Sanctuary in Ocala, Florida.
“Kindred Spirits is a non-profit farm animal sanctuary that helps neglected, abused, unwanted, or displaced farm animals.”

This will be a 6-part series broken down by animals because each animal deserves their own spotlight.

Part four is horses!

Does this not look like a unicorn??

(As a side note, I was NOT asked by the sanctuary to provide this information on my blog. I’m only doing it because after my visit to the sanctuary, I truly believe in what they’re doing, and I know if my blog readers could visit that they would feel the same way. All of the information I’ve posted here is from my own personal account with visiting the sanctuary, and information from their website.)

By Joe Wilcox, Betanews

About a month ago I asked: “Will iPad cannibalize Mac sales?” Today’s report that iPad is outselling the Mac is another reason to ask. The answer may not come until Apple releases second calendar quarter results, to see whether there’s cannibalization or new revenue. Oh, but I can speculate, meantime.

RBC Capital Markets analyst Mike Abramsky released a report indicating that Apple is now selling about 200,000 iPads a week, compared to 246,000 iPhone 3GSes and 110,000 Macs. Data is for United States. That puts iPad’s sales rate nearly double the Mac, and that’s with constrained tablet supplies. How much greater could they be if Apple met demand.

I first saw the report in a post by All Things Digital’s John Paczkowski, earlier today. On May 17, Paczkowski answered my question, or perhaps thought he did, with post: “Is the iPad Cannibalizing Mac Sales? Not Really.” Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster asserted that, based on April US retail sales, “iPad has a minimal cannibalization impact on Mac sales, and could be slightly cannibalizing iPod sales.”

But I wonder. Sales of a new product category typically come from completely new buyers or those buying the new thing instead of something else. The something else could be Macs, or even Windows PCs. As I asserted in late January: “iPad fills a gaping hole in the Mac product line between the aforementioned $399 and $999.” Various iPad models sell between $429 and $829. “Apple now offers portable computers — and that’s how I classify iPhone, iPod touch and iPad along with Macs — ranging from $99 to $2,499. From a pricing strategy perspective, iPad is a brilliant product, because it fills the gap between iPhone/iPod touch and Macbook without price cuts or risk to the Mac’s premium brand status.”

The cheapest Mac you can buy today is iPad. It’s reasonable to ask if people who might otherwise buy a cheap Windows laptop are instead picking up iPad. It’s also reasonable to presume that iPad will also cannibalize some Mac sales, particularly as education sales begin to kick in later in the quarter. But it’s too early for there to be meaningful substantiating data, because:

• Second calendar quarter tends to be stronger for Mac sales because of back-school-buying. However, iPad could reasonably appeal to educational institutions, particularly with budget cuts, as Macs.
• About 45 percent of Apple sales are international, but iPad has only been available in the United States. The one market isn’t measure enough to long-term gauge whether or not iPad will eat away global Mac sales.
• Apple is heavily marketing iPad, but not Macs. Early marketing could be just as likely to generate new sales as take them away from some other Apple product.
• Second quarter typically is slowest of the year for Windows PC sales, although it’s typically strongest for Microsoft because of software license sales to businesses. Typical channel checks likely wouldn’t yet reveal whether sales sluggishness, if any, would be seasonal or lost sales to iPad.
• Recent stories about iPad cannibalizing netbook sales are probably wrong. I’ve looked over the data, and netbook sales declines started around the release of Windows 7. At least through April, cheap Windows 7 laptops almost certainly sucked away sales from netbooks. The question: What happened since?

So, I don’t yet have a definitive answer to either question. For Apple, the best two scenarios would be iPad opening a whole new revenue stream without cannibalizing Mac sales and/or iPad taking away new Windows PC sales. My educated guess based on years covering Apple: iPad is opening a new revenue stream and pulling in new sales from Windows users who couldn’t justifying $999 or more for a Mac. Additionally, I predict that iPad will cannibalize future Mac sales; people satisfied with the device will augment their existing Mac, delaying its replacement.

Copyright Betanews, Inc. 2010

Materials: 6.5 yards of Majken fabric

Description: I folded the fabric directly in half and cut down the fold, making the two panels.

To hem each side, I used Stitch Witchery. I followed the steps on the back of the packaging to adhere the 1/2″ hem on each side. No sewing machine for this project!

I stapled one end of each panel to a thin 1×4″ (only $2!) that my husband cut down slightly narrower than the width of the panel.

Then I coaxed him into using our extension ladder to scale the 18 foot wall, all the way up to the ceiling and screw the 1x4s into the wall. To make his life easier, and less death defying, he pre-screwed about five screws into each piece of wood so that he could use one hand to hold the 1×4 on the wall and the other hand screw the screws in. After securing one screw, he said that is was much easier to screw the others in because he didn’t have to hold the panel up anymore and could put all of his force into the other screws.

One little tool that made the hanging process a breeze was this little laser level that I bought for him a few years ago. Rather than measuring placement on the wall at the top of the ladder, we propped this guy on the mirror and he beamed a straight and level line all the way up to the ceiling.

A short while later, both panels were hanging and after about 30 seconds of staple-gunning were tacked to the wall.

See more here. Also check out Jessi’s Poang chair repainting and Bonde TV unit turned sideboard.

~ Jessi @ The Design Slice, Chicago, Illinois

You may remember that, about six years ago, there was a push in Europe to have the EU Parliament legalize software patents. After a huge uproar among folks who understand just how damaging towards innovation software patents can be, the EU Parliament voted against the idea by a huge margin. Except… software patents are still finding their way into Europe. Last year, we wrote about how the UK was now recognizing software patents by saying that it’s not a pure software patent if it makes a “technical contribution,” whatever that means.

Perhaps even more alarming is the news, found via Glyn Moody that a German court has effectively allowed a wide range of software patents. Previously, you could have very limited software patents only if they involved using “controllable forces of nature” to create a desired effect. Software usually did not qualify:

By contrast, the new ruling of that court on the document generation program now sets the bar extremely low. It now basically says that a computer is a technical device per se and software that “takes into account” the characteristics of that computer is patentable. To give some examples, if you make sure you don’t allocate infinite amounts of memory (since every computer has limits in that respect), that might be enough. Or you ensure that you don’t use too much bandwidth over a network.

So, as we sit and wait in the US for a ruling on Bilski, hoping (but doubting) that it will greatly curtail software patents, Germany is going in the opposite direction.

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Netflix have updated their iPad app to support the tablet’s video output functionality, meaning those users with Apple’s component, composite or VGA adapters will be able to hook up a bigger screen. Netflix for iPad v1.0.2 supports up to 1024 x 768 resolution, and is available as a free download.

[Source: Everything iPad]

The Californian company announced today the launch of its own TV platform designed to revolutionize the way in which users are associated, on the second day of its annual developer meeting the Google I/O conference, where Google also released the latest version of the Android operating system for ’smartphones’, Android 2.2.

Google TV was presented at the conference for developers in San Francisco and promises to “end the option to choose between television and the web.”

“Google TV is a new platform that will change the future of television,” said a Google official, Rishi Chandra.

Through this new tool, users can search videos and view online TV channels, while surfing the Web via a keyboard connected to their monitor.

Google TV, based in Android 2.1, will feature a powerful Intel will have WiFi connectivity, connect to your TV via the HDMI interface for high definition and can be controlled remotely with any smartphone with Android.

The American company has enjoyed the cooperation of Sony and Logitech for this release that fuses TV with the new technologies.

This technology would be accessible through internet-connected televisions, either directly or via a decoder.

Google TV will be released in the coming months. In the world there are more than 1,000 million viewers, a good figure for the internet giant.

The second big announcement of the Google I/O 2010 conference has been the release of Android 2.2, the new software revision for smartphones. The company focuses on more than twenty specific applications, including of which is the synchronization with Microsoft Exchange to view emails from Outlook.

Related posts:

1. Official Twitter App Now Available For Android Handsets
2. Free Android Phones from Adobe and Google!
3. Android OS Now To Feature On TV – Sony, Intel, Logitech Partners

This post is the fifth in an ongoing series highlighting the artists behind the SculptCAD Rapid Artists Project. (Hit this link for all posts related to the project.)

Shane is a contemporary artist in Dallas, Texas.  He has exhibited his work internationally in Sydney, Australia at the Paddington Contemporary Gallery and domestically at Gallery Works in Aspen, Colorado, HCG Gallery in Dallas, and his own SP Studio in Dallas, Texas.

How did you get involved with the RAPID Artists project?

I met Nancy Hairston at one of my art exhibits.  She liked my work and asked me to participate in the SculptCAD RAPID Artists Project.

Is this your first experience with 3D/digital sculpting technology and tools?

Yes.

How have these technologies changed the way you approach your process?

The technology has expanded my creative process because it has given me immediate access to materials and design in a virtual world.   Such an expansive library of options has expanded my thought process as well.  Many of the functions in the software allow you to create structures and shapes that would not be easy to create on a standard project.

Are these digital tools having an effect on the work you are creating? Are the tools aiding/adding to/hindering the process?

I have had a positive experience using the digital tools.  I did not know what to expect but as I became more familiar with the software, I was also becoming more cognizant of what tools and options I had at my fingertips.  The possibilities seem limitless.

What are your thoughts on the SculptCAD Rapid Artists Project?

I think it was an amazing project and experience.  I plan on using this technology more in my work now and in the future.

Looking beyond the project, what do you have coming up in the near future art-wise? Do you have any shows or projects planned?

I have site specific installations scheduled in Toronto, Montana, and Sydney.  I also have two upcoming shows in June and July in Dallas.

How can people interested in your work get in touch with you?

Website: www.shanepennington.com

email: [email protected]

phone: 214 564 6980

Do you have any final thoughts on the Rapid Artists Project?

Way to go!! Thanks to all that were involved and made this possible.  Special thanks to the Milwaukee School of Engineering and the University of Louisville and Forecast 3D for the printing of the SLA resin sculpture pieces. And a big thank you to Nancy Hairston and Kevin Atkins at SculptCAD for all their support within the project! … it has opened up an entire new creative realm and medium for turning ideas into art.

Here’s the digital model of

Shane’s SculptCAD Rapid Artist piece:

"Darwin's Theory" by Shane Pennington, digital model

Specifications on “Darwin’s Theory” and a statement on the piece from Shane:

Darwin’s Theory,  H 40 in x W 36 in x L 30 in, 2010, Artist: Shane Pennington

I am creating a tree and roots out of SLA White Resin to comment about the environment and the scarcity of natural rescues.  The top of the piece will be stylized cartoonish in nature and the roots will be a combination of real tree roots and synthetic roots.  Trees are the metaphor of this idea in this piece and the possibility of our need to synthetically recreate them in the future.

Head below the fold for more of Shane’s work.

Here is a still from a video piece by Shane, “Carmen’s Wish”:

Still from Carmen's Wish by Shane Pennington

Additional information on the piece:

Carmen’s Wish, Digital video mixed with acrylic on canvas, H 156 in x W 120 in, Artist: Shane Pennington

Installation at Chase Tower lobby in Dallas, Texas.

And here’s another example of Shane’s work:

"Joyous!" by Shane Pennington

More information on the piece:

Joyous!, The American Dream Series, H 120 in x W 72 in, Mixed Media Copper Wire Sculpture, 2009, Artist: Shane Pennington

WHAT:

Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore), leading environmental experts and industry leaders will brief journalists next Wednesday on a new initiative to curb trade in illegal wood. The event, moderated by Jonathan Lash, president of the World Resources Institute (WRI), will launch the Forest Legality Alliance (FLA), a global initiative to help companies remove illegal wood from their supply chains and reduce reputational risks. Panelists will also discuss new laws to combat illegal logging, including the amended U.S. Lacey Act.

The initiative is spearheaded by WRI, the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The founding alliance members are the American Forest & Paper Association, the Hardwood Federation, IKEA, the International Wood Products Association (IWPA), NewPage Corporation, the Retail Industry Leaders’ Association, Staples Inc., and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. Spokespeople from each organization will be available for interviews following the event.

WHO:
Jonathan Lash, president, WRI
Earl Blumenauer, congressman, Oregon
Allan Thornton, president, EIA
Mark Suwyn, chairman, NewPage Corporation
Brent McClendon, executive vice president, IWPA
Alexandria L. Panehal, acting deputy assistant administrator, Bureau of Economic Growth, Agriculture and Trade, USAID

WHEN:
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. EST
(Lunch will be served at 12:30 p.m.)

WHERE:
World Resources Institute
10 G Street NE Suite 800, Washington, DC 20002
(Metro: Red Line to Union Station)

Call-in Details
1-800-610-4500 (Toll Free in USA and Canada)
1-702-851-3339 (for callers outside USA and Canada)
Passcode: 5184429

Live Webcast: http://www.wri.org/news/webcasts
Email questions to Camilo Ramirez at cramirez@wri.org

RSVP: Jessica Forres, WRI media officer, +1(202)729-7736, jforres@wri.org