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Left to right: Jesse Lee, Robert Abban and
Chris Lau prepare their solar furnace
for an afternoon test.

Four recent graduates who majored in aerospace and mechanical engineering lined an old satellite TV dish with hundreds of squares of aluminum-coated Mylar.

At the end of a 3-foot pipe that rises from the center of the dish, they clamped a box made of a steel bottom and furnace insulation bricks for the sides and top.

In the heat of a spring Cleveland sun, the reflected light striking the steel panel pushed temperatures inside the box a past 1,100 degrees Fahrenheit.

“We’re shooting for 700 degrees Celsius on a really nice day,” said Chris Lau, from Houston. That would be 1,292 degrees on your backyard thermometer, if it registered that high. Or, to put it in another perspective, easily enough heat to melt aluminum.

Lau, Jesse Lee of Dublin, Ohio, Robert Abban from Columbus and Jason Presutti of Pittsburgh, built the solar furnace as their senior project.

They built on the cheap, on purpose, taking the first step toward creating a model that could be used in developing countries. For less than $500, they’ve produced a prototype: 75-square-feet of mirror aimed at a vessel that can safely handle the heat. Aim the mirror at the sun and the temperature in the box climbs rapidly.

For everyday use, the sunlight concentrated from the 10-foot-diameter dish could be used to cook by hanging a black pot where the brick box is, or to distill water – a key feature for areas where water and power supplies are poor.

“Simply boiling water can take care of biological contamination but may not remove chemical pollutants,” Lee said. “But if you boil water and catch the steam, that’s 100 percent pure water.”

He suggested a reflective trough, which could concentrate heat on a water pipe running down the center, would likely be more efficient and less expensive for water uses.

But, this set up may be a better option for generating electricity. Aim the energy at a heat engine, such as a Stirling engine, which turns a generator. The result could be as much as 2,000 watts of power, or enough to keep four standard refrigerator-freezers running while the sun is bright, they’ve calculated.

Beyond household uses, the solar furnace was meant to prove the maximum temperature that could be reached simply by concentrating and storing the energy, Lee said. It’s more of a “green” and “sustainable” approach to high temperature materials processing.

In the last month, the group has found how clear the day is, the wind and the outside temperature all affect how much heat can be generated, Abban said.

Some members of the team may continue to fine-tune the design and experiment more this summer. After that, they’ll leave the project for succeeding classes willing to improve the furnace.

For more information contact Kevin Mayhood, 216.368.4442.

A guest post by Ben Tulchin, President and Founder of Tulchin Research, a leading polling and strategic consulting firm.

Yesterday the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) released poll results about the California water bond. These results vary wildly from the poll Tulchin Research conducted back in February.

Our February 2010 poll showed the water bond losing big—with 55 percent of likely voters indicating they would vote no on the proposed $11 billion bond.

To me, this was an indication that the water bond is in deep trouble. No California bond measure has ever won statewide that started with a majority against it. The poll surveyed 600 likely voters across California, asking respondents to share their opinions after reading the official title and summary as it will appear in voters’ handbook*.

Recently, the PPIC poll asked a question about the water bond which we believe has been misinterpreted to suggest there may be majority support for the water bond, so we wanted to set the record straight.

PPIC found that seven out of 10 voters (70%) feel that a “water package”, which includes general reforms as well as the water bond, is “important”, with 42 percent saying it is “very important” and another 28 percent indicating it is “somewhat important”.

Why do these polls vary so much? Well, it's all in how you ask the questions…

While the PPIC results are interesting, this question fundamentally differs from the question we asked in our own survey.

The Tulchin Research poll asked about the bond as it will appear in voters’ official handbooks, with the real price tag ($22 billion – principal and interest) and whether or not they would vote yes to support the bond or no to oppose it. This is a true ballot test that we have done hundreds of times to measure support for a ballot measure and have found it to be a very accurate measurement of how voters will vote for an initiative.

In contrast, the PPIC poll asked about a “water package” that includes water conservation, clean up and recycling, and restoring the Delta, with the bond thrown in at the end. Here is the question, with conservation listed up front and the price tag at the end:

“The governor and legislature recently passed a water package that includes water conservation requirements and plans for new water storage systems, water clean-up and recycling, and a council to oversee restoration of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. This package includes a proposal for an $11.1 billion bond measure to pay for water projects. How important is it that voters pass the bond measure?”

Note that the question goes on to ask, “How important is it to pass the bond” – not whether people support or oppose the policy package or the bond.

The bottom line is that it is hard to interpret what exactly the results for the PPIC survey question mean, since the question has so many different components. At the least, it suggests to me that Californians feel water is an important issue facing the state, particularly water conservation, clean up and recycling. However, I don’t think the PPIC poll question tells us anything about how voters are, in fact, going to vote on the water bond, since it does not measure support or opposition directly.

In sum, in assessing these different polls on the water bond, I believe that voters do feel water is an important issue facing California, but, based on our poll results, they do not feel prepared to spend $22 billion and put our state deeper in debt at a time when California continues to face a budget deficit.

*Tulchin Research conducted the survey on behalf of the campaign opposing the bond measure.

SwipeLife was lucky enough to catch Copenhagen based Frost Birgens at the last Capsule show in NYC. According to the label, “Frost Birgens dresses the urban confident man in subtle cuts balancing the familiar with the astounding.” This is particularly true with all their collections and at real life glance, we knew that something was astoundingly different to what this label brings to the industry. For Fall/Winter 2010, expect a combination of sweats, flannels, and long johns to paired up with items such as jackets, roll neck sweaters, plaid shirts, cardigans and more.

Continue reading for more images.

Since our own Jim is finalizing his Master’s degree in Columbus today, there’s no other song to help us celebrate than this classic from Mr. Hetfield and friends:

Even though it’ll be final next week-ish, congrats are in order!!

Bike summit needed to save lives, livelihood of trails

Editor, The Times:

Friday was Bike to Work Day. [Bike to work with care: key danger zones,” page one, May 21.]

Last Friday as I was doing just that, I saw my life flash in front of me. I was on the Burke-Gilman Trail just past the bumpy part (in Lake Forest Park) when I spied a huddle of spandex on bikes heading toward me.

As I got closer, the spandex decided to pass another rider. Suddenly, I was faced with three bicyclists riding abreast; the choice of a head-on collision or the ditch to my right was all I had.

I closed my eyes. I made it, but spent the rest of my ride muttering to myself about why we couldn’t be more like the Europeans, who do not mix training for the Tour de France with commuting to work.

I love the Burke-Gilman Trail. It’s a gem in our community and I appreciate that it is multipurpose. But everyone who has ridden it has a story of seeing some older couple leap off the trail as a snaking line of racers zooms by or hearing the sometimes aggressive, “on your right” directed at a young child trying to learn to ride.

I don’t know what the solution is — we don’t want bike cops or big regulatory signs. Education seems to be preaching to the choir. There aren’t enough trails around.

Somehow we need to figure out how to coexist on our bike trails. We need a bike summit with smart people representing different interests all at the table.

— Barbara McGrath, Kirkland

If you trekked down to the local Verizon store for an early morning camp-out in order to pick up an LG Ally yesterday, you might have left a bit upset — and empty handed. While Verizon initially said that they’d have’m in stock by the 20th, they were a no show.

If this note purportedly being sent out to pre-orderers rings true, would-be Ally owners might have right around another week (or more) of waiting.

According to the note, first posted by the folks over at the oh-so-focused LG Ally Forums , the phones initial availability has been pushed back until “on or after May 27th”, with pre-orders now running until the day before.

I blame Iron Man. Damn you, Tony Stark! Damn you!

Dear Valued Customer,

This notification is to inform you that Verizon Wireless has received your pre-order of the LG Ally. We have extended the pre-order period for the LG Ally until May 26th.

Since you have pre-ordered, you will be the first to receive the phone upon initial availability on or after May 27th.

We appreciate your business, and we will send you another confirmation email as soon as your LG Ally ships.

Sincerely,

Verizon Wireless

Better problems to solve

What grandstanding — pushing a bill to legalize online gambling when it doesn’t have a chance of passing [“McDermott says don’t ban Internet gambling, tax it,” NWThursday, May 20]. This is no different then when Rep. Jim McDermott pushed re-establishing the military draft a few years ago.

All legal gambling is currently heavily regulated to protect the gambler from shenanigans of the house. This is true federally, on every reservation and in every state where gambling is legal. Further, there is no way to currently regulate online gambling.

So how could you tax something you can’t regulate?

In the scheme of things and standing alone, online gambling is a minor issue. McDermott has tried to make it more of an issue by tying it to foster kids.

Making the health and well-being of foster kids dependent upon what amounts to a sin tax that results in an unclear revenue stream is perverse. If foster kids need more resources —and I bet they do —is this really the best that could be mustered?

We need to fix our core economic inadequacies. We need to get to the bottom of what doesn’t work. We need to deal with the big issues, such as global warming. There is a host of other must-fixes, yet the old guard just keeps dabbling in minutia. No wonder the county is so upset with Congress.

— Bill Hoffman, Seattle

Gambling with the future

Rep. Jim McDermott’s proposal to legalize Internet gambling is dangerous, unenforceable and hypocritical. If Internet gambling is offshore now, how could it be taxed?

Does McDermott need closet gamblers to fund his overspending?

Internet gambling competes with our lottery, cardrooms and casinos; it puts Washingtonians out of work and reduces our tax revenue.

Although foster programs need more funds, shouldn’t gambling taxes be used to rehabilitate the addicts who pay those taxes?

If McDermott really wants to raise revenues, he would support legalization of marijuana, which is easier to regulate, would save more than 6,000 lives in Mexico, raise more revenue and free up our police, courts and prisons to deal with violent crime.

McDermott is gambling with our future. Re-electing him would be a bad bet.

— Cliff Godwin, Seattle

Crime and punishment for all

If anyone were to assault a police officer, they would be arrested and put in jail immediately [”Group wants cops in video fired,” NWWednesday, May 19]. Why then were police officers — who were caught on video and audio assaulting an innocent citizen — not given the same treatment?

This is unacceptable and inexcusable. This tells me that police are exempt from the laws of the land and that there is an obvious and unmistakable double-standard here, which needs to be addressed.

Someone who is involved in a crime, but did not actually do something directly is often charged as an accomplice for aiding and abetting. The sergeant in charge could have intervened and taken action against the offending officers. His failure to act is no different from being a partner in crime. He is just as guilty as the cops who assaulted the Latino man.

Only after significant outcries from the public did Interim Police Chief John Diaz finally decide that he should do something. Why did Seattle Police simply do an investigation when the officers were caught red-handed violating the law?

This is another example of why we need a commission made exclusively of civilians who have complete authority over Seattle Police. Officers should get the same treatment as anyone breaking the law or should be held accountable to an even higher standard, just as a criminal who gets a longer sentence for a repeat violation because he should have known better.

— Brian Luther, Seattle

Trust Fund roll call for baby boomers

When Social Security was first instituted, current wage-earners’ payroll taxes were used to fund current retirees’ benefits. This worked as long as the numbers of wage-earners and retirees were approximately the same.

In 1983, former Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill and former President Ronald Reagan foresaw an crisis in Social Security —baby boomers, as retirees, would greatly outnumber the wage-earners. Their solution was to double payroll taxes on current wage-earners. “Boomers” would finance our parents’ retirement benefits as well as our own. Surplus tax collections would be held in a Social Security Trust Fund. This additional payroll tax was set to “sunset” in about 2035 as I could recall, by which time many boomers would no longer be around to collect benefits.

This worked for a year or so. Then Reagan wanted to balance the budget while keeping his tax cuts. The “excess” cash sitting in the Trust Fund proved irresistible and every president since then —regardless of party —has regarded the Trust Fund as his administration’s personal ATM.

Now that boomers are retiring, it’s time to pay us the benefits we have earned and paid for instead of blaming us for the “crisis” and “tweaking” us around!

— Paula Joneli, Des Moines

Neighbors not poised for noise

This is a response to [“Chef wants to clean up park with Pike Place salmon bake,” NWWednesday, May 19]. While I salute Tom Douglas for his civic-mindedness and fine restaurants, his proposal to include loud entertainment is most worrisome. Those of us who live next to Victor Steinbrueck Park have struggled with the Parks Department over noise issues for several years. After several favorable rulings by the city’s Hearing Examiner and the Pike Place Market Historical Commission, the department has been ordered on a trial basis not to introduce amplified sound into the park.

The results have been great. The park remains beautiful and safe, the neighbors are free from intrusive noise and the department has been able to further its objectives with quiet activities instead.

Persistent, loud drumming and chanting would upset this balance. If Douglas wants Native American -themed entertainment, how about Native American arts and crafts or unamplified storytelling?

— John Mason, Neighbors for a Peaceful Park, Seattle

A fishy situation

Tom Douglas’s idea is good, up to a point. But rather than spending the $12 a plate on hiring security to drive the “bad” element out of Victor Steinbrueck Park, why not take a portion of that money to provide services or training in restaurant work for those homeless people who spend their days in that park?

A positive solution might go much further than just driving people from one location to another.

— Elizabeth Sheets, Seattle

Dude, where’s my representative?

Government representatives don’t seem to work for their constituents anymore.

I understand that less than 40 percent of Seattle residents support the recent City Council decision to boycott Arizona businesses. It just doesn’t seem right that the city of Seattle should interject itself in the politics of Arizona.

It would be fitting for Seattle to empathize with Arizona and the problems that illegal immigrants bring with them to that state. Instead of boycotting Arizona businesses, how about confronting the federal government and demanding that the government secure our borders?

Imagine Washington State having “human drug trains” entering our country from Canada. Imagine our residents having to provide the social services to thousands of illegal immigrants who pay little or nothing in taxes.

Arizona is trying to do something to confront crime: There are thousands of illegal immigrants who cross its border illegally each month. Yes, many if not most of these illegal immigrants are hard-working folks who provide valuable service to farmers and so on. But there is a legal way for them to continue to enter the United States and do this work.

If they choose to cross our borders illegally, we should have the right to demand they be arrested and dealt with. The City Council’s action was just wrong.

— Ray DeJong, Sequim

If there was ever a brand that personifies exactly what the fashion standard for New York is at this moment, it would be Unis. For the current Spring/Summer season, Unis brings to the table versatile looks that allows one to trek around the city in a non restricted manner. The pieces are laid back and comfortable and includes items such as plaid shirts, henleys, chambray shorts, light jackets, and more. We particularly favor the “Gio” pants in both rust and pink colors for the summer.

Continue reading for more images.

Four signs to rule them all, but which ones?

On May 15th, I received a letter from the Washington State Liquor Control Board (WSLCB) informing me that as of April 3rd, I would be limited to four neon signs in my tavern’s windows. Furthermore, the signs could be no larger than 1,600 square inches.

The purpose of this rule was to ensure that innocent children would not be overexposed to garish advertisements that would induce them to consume products that could contain alcohol.

I have conformed to the new rule. However, I have a small dilemma: Which of the 13 neon signs that used to hang in my windows is least likely to cause children harm?

One sign says “Rainier” in red with a white mountain behind it. Is this safe? Another sign is shaped sort of like a guitar and says “Budweiser.” Would this cause children to pester their parents to buy the product or, even worse, aspire to become a rock star?

There was a sign that said “Steam” over an anchor design. This I knew to be dangerous to children because it surely would inspire them to get a bad hairdo and start reading the most alarming things to an unsuspecting public on evening television.

The worst of all was a sign that said “Schlitz” in big letters with the cryptic message: trade pure mark. That could encourage almost anyone to start speaking English badly.

The WSLCB did not include in its notification any guidelines on how to select a non-offending neon. I ask The Times and its readers for some help. How would one choose a neon advertisement that will not threaten the well being of our children?

— Gustav Hellthaler, Blue Moon Tavern owner, Seattle

For years, the common criticism of Wikipedia was the “brain surgery” myth, which usually was something along the lines of saying, “you wouldn’t let an amateur or ‘the crowd’ perform brain surgery, so why would you let them create a reference book?” Of course, that makes a bunch of bogus assumptions. First, it assumes that there’s some sort of equivalence between creating an encyclopedia and doing brain surgery. But that’s silly. Second, it assumes that no one involved in Wikipedia is an expert, which is not true. In fact, there are some brain surgeons who patrol Wikipedia as well. Finally, it assumes that these kinds of services are based on everyone being on equal footing, rather than recognizing that well-supported content is what gets through.

Along those lines, we’ve now got people using the same bogus “brain surgery” myth to attack the concept of “citizen journalism”:

First, would you trust a citizen neurosurgeon to remove your kid’s neuroblastoma? No, you wouldn’t. You would not trust a citizen dentist either for your cavities. Or even a people’s car repairman.

Of course not. But most people seem to recognize the basic difference between reporting on something and cutting into someone’s brain. And, many people also recognize that most reporters themselves are often not experts in the field they’re reporting on — and what participatory journalism and the internet enable is the ability for actual experts on the topic to take part in the discussion and reporting as well.

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Late last month, two young coal miners were killed in western Kentucky when a roof collapsed at the Dotiki coal mine, a non-union operation owned by Tulsa, Okla.-based Alliance Resource Partners.

Today, Rand Paul, the GOP nominee to replace outgoing Kentucky Sen. Jim Bunning (R), weighed in on the disaster:

“We had a mining accident that was very tragic,” he told Good Morning America. “But then we come in and it’s always someone’s fault. Maybe sometimes accidents happen.”

Sometimes accidents happen? The Associated Press notes the safety history at the mine since 2009:

Records show inspectors from the Kentucky Office of Mine Safety and Licensing have issued 31 orders to close sections of the mine or to shut down equipment because of safety violations since January 2009. Those records also show an additional 44 citations for safety violations that didn’t result in closure orders.

MSHA records show the mine was cited 840 times by federal inspectors for safety violations since January 2009, and 11 times closure orders were issued.

Here at TWI, we tallied the safety violations at Dotiki this year:

Since the start of the year, the mine has tallied 214 citations for federal safety violations, according to data compiled by the Mine Safety and Health Administration. Sixty-five of those were deemed “significant and substantial,” indicating that they are “reasonably likely to result in a reasonably serious injury or illness.” Eleven of them are related to roof-support systems, the failure of which is the likely cause of last night’s collapse.

And the Charleston Gazette’s Ken Ward Jr. pointed out the not-so-wonderful record of fatal accidents that Alliance Resource Partners has accumulated in recent years:

We don’ t have any idea yet what caused the massive roof fall that has left two miners missing at Craft’s Dotiki Mine in Western Kentucky … But we do know that in recent years miners have died in Alliance’s non-union operations because the company violated mine safety laws. …

A quick check of U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration reports revealed seven such incidents that claimed nine lives in the last five years alone:

The mine’s record hasn’t been lost on Kimberly Freeman Brown, who heads American Rights at Work, a pro-union group. She issued a statement Friday blasting Paul’s comments as “simply bizarre.”

“Obviously,” she said, “he hasn’t read the published reports about the mine disaster in his own state.”

While we’ve all noticed the great deal of international media attention regarding the Foxconn suicides, the local press offers a response all their own in this Chinese cartoonist’s take on the tragedies. More »

Filed under: Etc., Technology, Audi, BMW, Ford, GM, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz

More tech in your car? Oh, that’s inevitable. But automakers are trying to figure out the best way to implement it. There are two main architectures currently; tethered and embedded. Ford’s SYNC is an example of a tethered tech-integration system that uses Bluetooth to connect to mobile devices consumers already own and carry with them. General Motors’ OnStar system is an embedded setup that builds the technology into the car. Going forward, the consensus seems to be that we’re going to see systems that combine elements of both.

A tethered system is typically less costly than an embedded alternative, and it works with equipment you already own and know how to use. Systems like Sync can extend the functionality of your gear and is an attractive option to tech-savvy consumers. The lower cost makes it possible to proliferate these kind of features into more models, instead of just being a high-end feature. However, embedded systems offer advantages of their own. With communications hardware built in to the vehicle, performance is more reliable, and safety can be enhanced by tying in to the vehicle’s crash sensors and stability control to automatically call for help if it detects a severe accident.

True to the cliche, it seems that the young’ins are more comfortable with tethered systems, while older generations prefer embedded systems. OnStar is already starting to do this, opening up the system in Chevrolet Volt applications with a mobile app that lets drivers connect to their car even when they’re away from it. The future likely holds a system that combines aspects of both, enhancing safety, beating back obsolescence and drawing on the strength of each technology to deliver the best experience as cars continue to become more sophisticated.

[Source: AutoObserver.com]

The Next Big Debate: Hardware or software? originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 21 May 2010 16:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A mais nova categoria da Família Stock Car chega com ritmo forte ao Rio Janeiro, para a realização da segunda etapa da temporada. Neste sábado o Mini Challenge fará a disputa da primeira bateria no Autódromo Internacional Nelson Piquet. O pole position foi Fabio Viscardi, que fez o tempo de 1min33segs627. José Mario de Castilho largará ao seu lado na primeira fila, após marcar 1min33seg765, enquanto o terceiro melhor tempo foi de Alexandre Conil,1min33seg787. A prova do sábado tem largada marcada para as 10h48, enquanto que no domingo a segunda bateria acontece 9h48, ambas terão transmissão pelo Speed Channel.

A segunda bateria, que abre a programação do domingo em Jacarepaguá, terá o experiente Guto Negrão largando na frente, com o tempo de 1min33seg872. Em segundo largará Leonardo Burti, que estreia na categoria e finalizou o classificatório com 1min33seg879 e o terceiro foi José Mario de Castilho, 1min34seg061. Fabio Viscardi, que competirá nas duas baterias, vai largar em oitavo na disputa de domingo.

Fotos: Fernanda Freixosa

Fonte: Stock Car

The most important part of a mobile phone’s lifespan is when it’s hacked to run old video games. Few games are more classic than Everquest, the game that brought the MMO to a mass audience. I think that’s fair to say. Anyhow, today’s the Droid’s lucky day!