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Just as many of us are getting used to augmented reality applications for cellphones and digital cameras, Babak Amir Parviz and his University of Washington students are taking it one step further. The group is working on a human machine interface where LEDs are embedded into contact lenses in order to display information to the wearer. You heard right, in a few years your cyborg eye will talk to you. In an article with the IEEE Spectrum, Parviz relays the challenges of custom-building semi-transparent circuitry into a polymer lens roughly 1.2 millimeters in diameter.

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Editor’s note: This story is part of a series we call Redux, where we’ll re-publish some of our best posts of 2009. As we look back at the year – and ahead to what next year holds – we think these are the stories that deserve a second glance. It’s not just a best-of list, it’s also a collection of posts that examine the fundamental issues that continue to shape the Web. We hope you enjoy reading them again and we look forward to bringing you more Web products and trends analysis in 2010. Happy holidays from Team ReadWriteWeb!

Says Parviz, “We’re starting with a simple product, a contact lens with a single light source, and we aim to work up to more sophisticated lenses that can superimpose computer-generated high-resolution color graphics on a user’s real field of vision.”

For now, Parviz mentions that single pixel visual cues for gamers and the hearing impaired are already quite possible with the lens prototypes. The group has also experimented with non-invasive biomonitoring including checking glucose levels for diabetics.

Some of the obvious challenges of building an augmented reality contact lens include:
1. The Need for Custom Parts: Regular circuitry and LEDs are incompatible with regular contact lenses. Every piece of this project must be fabricated from scratch.

2. Physical Constraints: The group must attempt to fit transistors, radio chips, antennas, diffusion resistors, LEDs and photodetectors onto a minuscule polymer disc. Additionally, the team is required to control lens position and light intensity relative to the pupil. And finally, because the lens is so close to the corneal surface, the group must project images away from the cornea using either micro-lenses or lasers.

3. User Safety: In addition to protecting the eye against chemicals, heat and toxins, the lens components must be semi-transparent in order for the wearer to view their surroundings.

“We already see a future in which the humble contact lens becomes a real platform, like the iPhone is today, with lots of developers contributing their ideas and inventions. As far as we’re concerned, the possibilities extend as far as the eye can see.” And you thought the iPhone SDK was a tough nut to crack.

For Parviz’s complete seven-page article, check out the IEEE Spectrum’s Biomedical page.

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Filed under: Government/Legal

When gas prices rose in 2008, one of the few bits of good news was that the federal government was bumping up the business mileage deduction to 55 cents per mile. Now that gas prices have stabilized in 2009, the Internal Revenue Service has reportedly decided to cut back on some of its generosity. According to Wallet Pop, the new per mile rate is 50 cents, a nine percent decline from a year ago. The decrease will likely do little to the casual business traveler, but high mileage sales types and pizza delivery specialists will likely take a big hit to the pocket book when Uncle Sam reaches out his considerable hand on April 15.

Those who moved for work or traveled for medical expenses will receive an even bigger cut this year, down from 24 cents to 16.5 cents. It’s difficult to understand why medical/travel mileage was cut so drastically, but we keep trying to remind ourselves that the IRS works in mysterious ways. Heck, we didn’t even know you could claim moving and medical mileage, so this one is pretty much a bonus to us.

[Source: Wallet Pop | Image: Scott Olson/Getty]

PSA: IRS lowers mileage deduction for 2010 – will you owe more in taxes? originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 30 Dec 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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InfraTec (www.InfraTec.de) is committed to extend its product line of pyroelectric detectors by new, highly innovative components which perfectly fit the latest markets requirements constantly. Since 2002 a wide range of current-mode detectors with integrated CMOS OpAmp instead of a JFET source follower has been brought on the market. These single and multi-color devices offer a signal voltage in the order of several hundred millivolts in NDIR gas analyzers and can easily be connected with microcontrollers.

In October 2009 a new series with an ultra low power consumption of only 40 µW @ 2.7 V and single supply is launched.

The flagship LME-336 based on the patented LowMicro chip mounting and its very high responsivity is especially de-signed for gas analyzing instruments ope-rating in the wavelength range (8 … 12) µm (alcohol, chlorated hydrocarbons, ozone). The LME-346 is of interest for flame detection at large distances. A LowMicro chip mounting and shorter time constant characterize this detector. A stable DC operating point is realized by a thermal compensation element for both devices.

As for all devices of InfraTec RoHS and REACH requirements are fulfilled.

A roundup of economic news from around the Web.

• Grading the First Year: Berkeley professor Brad DeLong reviews the Obama economic policy team and gives this grade: exceeds expectations (or a solid B+/A-). DeLong, who served in the Clinton Treasury Department, also highlights (and critiques) a column by Bloomberg’s Al Hunt that says the Obama economic team features poor coordination, faulty communication and an inability to convey an overarching policy.
• Lobbying and Bailouts: At the Big Picture, Barry Ritholtz looks at a paper by International Monetary Fund economists on lobbying and the financial crisis, calling it “yet another indictment of the nexus between Wall Street and Washington.” He writes: “We know from previous reports that the lobbying of the most aggressive, freest spending banks led to the greatest return in bailout monies. The IMF shows that it also led to riskier lending with less supervision and regulation.”
• Forces of Joblessness: At Econbrowser, Menzie Chinn looks at structural unemployment in the latest downturn. “Secular structural unemployment is likely to have risen. But it is not clear to me that an increase in structural unemployment constitutes the largest portion of the increase in unemployment.”

The Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) announced wholesale rates for the renewable energy yesterday, with the tariffs expected to take effect in one week. The private sector is being encouraged to deploy new equipment to produce renewable energy …

Filed under: Spy Photos, Coupe, Budget, Performance, Hyundai, South Korea

Would this, could this be the new Hyundai Veloster? A little background is in order. Way back in 2007, we first saw the oddly named, smartly proportioned Veloster concept at the Seoul Auto Show. No one was quite sure what to make of the funky, chunky little front-wheel drive coupe. A Tiburon replacement? Something else entirely? Who knew? Then word came down that the Velostar was just a concept and that was seemingly the end of it.

Fast-forward two years to February of this year. Hyundai has successfully launched both the Genesis Coupe and sedan. Rumors begin circulating that the Veloster is anything but dead. Not only that, but Hyundai is claiming that it will arrive as a 2012 model in 2011. Fast forward a little more to earlier this month, and during the state of the company address at the new Tucson launch, affable president and CEO John Krafcik tells us that Hyundai is working a new 24/7 plan – seven new models in the next twenty-four months.

Rewind a bit (sorry) to July, 2009 and Krafcik told Inside Line that not only will the Velostar be coming to a dealer near you in 2011, but that the production car will look “70-80 percent” like the concept. More importantly, he advised that the new car can be thought of as a “four-passenger CRX,” a car “you can take out and wring its neck and still get good mileage. Fun and economical, with a great power-to-weight ratio.” We love the sound of that. And the more competition there is for Honda’s upcoming CR-Z, the better.

All that said, while we’re not sure where these shots were snapped, we’re pretty sure that this is indeed the new sporty Hyundai. Power will probably come from a 2.0-liter version of Hyundai’s new Theta II GDI (Gas Direct Injection) engine, though we doubt it will make 198 horses like the upcoming Sonata. But hey, maybe. More likely power will be in the 150-160 horse range. Also, let’s not forget that the Theta II GDI will soon come with a turbo. Can you imagine? A pint-sized, two-door MazdaSpeed3 fighter from Hyundai? We shudder to think. As for the name Veloster, we hope they call it the Tiburon, too. Hat tip to Danny P!

[Source: Bobaedream.co.kr]

Spy Shots: First look at 2012 Hyundai Veloster? originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 30 Dec 2009 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You’re the CEO of a little company with a promising experimental antibiotic. You cut a deal with J&J to co-develop your new drug. Sweet deal! Unless …

Unless, when the drug is submitted for FDA approval, the agency balks. Unless the FDA tells J&J there wasn’t adequate monitoring of the clinical investigators’ conduct of late-stage trials, and key data are unreliable.

That’s what Basilea, a Swiss drug maker, says happened with ceftobiprole, an antibiotic that was just rejected by the FDA.

The news wasn’t much of a surprise, given that the agency had already said it found problems with the way the studies were conducted. In fact, Basilea has already taken J&J to arbitration over the problems.

In its statement today, Basilea says J&J breached the licensing agreement between the two companies by “among other things, causing the delay in the approval of ceftobiprole in the U.S. and EU. Basilea’s initial significant damage claims, including milestone payments and additional damages, in the arbitration will increase as a result of this further delay.”

In a statement cited by Dow Jones Newswires, J&J said it planned to discuss “the best way forward” with the FDA as soon as possible. Earlier this year, a J&J spokesman told the Health Blog that the company was prepared to arbitrate Basilea’s dispute, and added that the companies “share a goal to get the drug to patients.”

Image: iStockphoto

(This guest post originally appeared on the StockTwits blog)

This morning @OptionRadar pointed out that there was massive call buying in $LLL in the weeks leading up the the terrorist attempt on Christmas Day:

Some of the original tweets are listed below (timestamped):

While we don’t want to get into Conspiracy theories, $LLL is a major manufacturer of body-scanning technology that is now actively being pursued by major airports.  Regardless, the stock is up 5% from those original tweets, which just shows how relevant actionable information is always being shared within the StockTwits community each day.

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• L3 Shares Soar, As Travelers Prepare For Full-Body Scans
• We Screwed Up, Big Time
• Obama Holds Three-Day Late News Conference On Terrorist Attack, Doesn’t Wear A Tie

Malas noticias nos llegan para uno de los compactos que más fama han acumulado durante este año 2009. Se acaba de confirmar que el Tata Nano esta comenzando a perder las reservas que ya tenia realizadas.

A día de hoy, el 15% de los últimos pedidos recibidos han sido retirados debido a las interminables listas de espera que tiene dicho modelo. Estos clientes que han cancelado su reserva han optado por adquirir otros modelos un poco más caros pero por los que no tienen que esperar tanto tiempo.

Desde la propia Tata, han sufrido diversos problemas de producción que les ha obligado a reducir el ritmo de fabricación de su modelo lo cuál se ha traducido en esta bajada de reservas.

Related posts:

1. Tata Nano Europa, nuevos detalles
2. El Tata Nano europeo sufre modificaciones
3. Tata Nano costará como máximo 4.000€

I’ve previously talked about AlumiFuel in 2006 and 2007 as an environmentally friendly, on demand method to produce hydrogen. After a couple more years of intense R&D, AlumiFuel is finally starting production on its first commercial hydrogen generator.

The AlumiFuel system uses aluminum, water, and some proprietary chemical catalysts to create hydrogen on-demand and of course, onsite. AlumiFuel Power used to be owned by Hydrogen Power Inc. (HPI) until May 2009.

HPI converted a 2005 Ford Ranger XL to run on their AlumiFuel product and demonstrated the vehicle at the 2007 International Auto Show in Seattle, Washington.

According to their press release, “API’s PBIS-1000 relies on the robust chemical reaction among aluminum, water, and proprietary additives. Operation of the generator is simple: two 32-oz. ‘aluminum can’ cartridges containing aluminum powder and the proprietary additives, are loaded into the reactor vessels. Water from practically any source, including salt or brackish water, is poured into the water tank, and a hand pump is then used to inject water into the cartridges, generating 1,000 liters of hydrogen in 20 minutes.”

The AlumiFuel product is non-toxic and recyclable. It can be disposed of safety in a municipal dump or recharged to be used again and again.

But, what this really means is that this product may be used as a shortcut in building out a hydrogen infrastructure. Compressed hydrogen gas will not have to be piped or hauled by truck, tanker or train as it can be created onsite and on-demand.

This will not only bode well for hydrogen fueling stations, but could also mean home hydrogen fueling stations will be able to use this product as well.

theChive has great taste.

(theChive)

Bourne has been awarded funds for three renewable energy projects from the Massachusetts Renewable Energy Trust for a project that furthers the Commonwealth’s clean energy goals. Bourne will receive: $4,657 to purchase one Big Belly Solar Trash …

Email this story Print this post Add your comments Critics of Oregon’s generous renewable energy incentives are pointing to how corporate giants are profiting at the expense of taxpayers. For instance, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. last year paid $22.6 …

Published Dec. 29, 2009
By Ben Reynolds, Tri-City Herald

PASCO — Lane Schumacher is not overly excited that his team is 3-9. He is also not that disappointed either.

In spite of a lackluster preseason record, the coach of the Columbia Basin College men’s basketball team is holding out hope that the first 12 games will serve as a learning experience for his young team.

“I would love to have a better record,” said Schumacher, now in his eighth season, “but hopefully we’ll learn something from those losses.”

Mixed in those nine losses — the most in the NWAACC this season — are two that the Hawks could have won and one more they should have.

CBC had a chance to knock off Mount Hood, only to get beat on a shot at the buzzer. Two days later, the Hawks led second-ranked Clackamas early, but a second half of cold shooting resulted in an eight-point loss.

Then on Dec. 19, CBC missed two free throws in the closing seconds of regulation against Clark that would have iced the game. Instead, the Hawks fell by three in overtime.

“I just chalk it up to being young,” Schumacher said.

And that’s an argument that won’t face much resistance at this point.

The Hawks have just one sophomore — Drew Church, who averaged 1.4 points per game in just over a minute of playing time last season.

That is the extent of Hawks’ experience.

Church, so far, has used that limited experience to become one of team’s leaders. In 12 games, he is averaging a team-best 15.1 points per game and ranks in the top 20 in the NWAACC with 7.5 rebounds per game.

The Hawks are also getting a nice contribution from freshman Mark Wilson. The former Liberty Christian star ranks second on team, scoring 14.9 points per game, and has emerged as a consistent 3-point shooter for the Hawks.

“He’s been playing great the last couple of weeks,” Schumacher said.

But, like the rest of his teammates, he has had plenty of time to cool off.

The Hawks wrapped up their preseason schedule with a loss to Whatcom on Dec. 20. CBC does not play again until Jan. 9 at Walla Walla to open East Region play.

That gives CBC an extended break Schumacher hopes will revive his team and provide his players with a fresh start.

“We just need to settle down a little bit,” Schumacher said. “We just need to stop talking about doing it and start doing it.”

Additional news stories can be accessed online at the Tri-City Herald.

No clue who this chick is, but my god.

(Hollywood Tuna)

This year we ran our Quick Weeknight Meals contest for the very first time, and it was a hit! We’ve made many recipes from your submissions, and we were so inspired by your quick and creative meal ideas. Here’s a look back at some fast weeknight meals from the contest and from our writers’ own kitchens. You’ll find polenta with eggs and mushrooms, flat iron steak with salsa verde, bean burritos, and one-bowl mac and cheese — plus much, much more.

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Worth a read to understand the role of China in the failure of Copenhagen. Certainly puts Lula, Obama, Merkel, Brown and Rudd in a better light compared to the chinese delegation. Mark Lynas is the author of the impressive book “Six Degrees: Our Future on a Hotter Planet”.

The next time you see a new post on this website, it will be on the SB Nation network.

Don’t forget to join us for the live chat on New Year’s Day at 445pm!

One of the hallmarks of the financial regulation reform bills snaking their way through Congress is the empowerment of the Federal Reserve as an overseer of the country’s largest, most important banks. But could giving the Federal Reserve more power actually make it less powerful? This is some interesting conjecture from Harvard economist Jeremy Stein, in an interview with Real Time Economics:

I think it’s quite likely we’ll have a somewhat different model of
central banks a decade from now. I could imagine it would involve
broader powers but somewhat less independence. If you think that the
Federal Reserve has to be involved in cyclical leverage policy, then it
also has to be more deeply involved in supervising the banks. With all
those powers, it may be politically harder to sustain complete
independence from the government.

Interesting thinking. And there’s logic in it, too. After the Federal
Reserve swung open its doors and bailed out the housing and financial
markets with trillions of easy dollars, Congress came to audit Bernanke,
not to praise him. It’s politically repugnant for an independent entity
like the Federal Reserve to be seen wielding too much power (For an
analog, look at the pressure on nominations for the similarly
independent Supreme Court to be deferential to precedent, not-activist,
etc).

It will be interesting to see if financial regulation hold-outs make
something of this when those bills move to the head of the
congressional queue. You could imagine a last minute deal about Fed
powers involving a quid pro quo between a stronger Fed and a more
politically accountable Fed.

Two final points. It should be said that the Federal Reserve — like
the Supreme Court — only draws scrutiny when it draws attention. For
most of the decade, the attention paid to the Fed was a matter of
interest rates moving a quarter percent up and and down. With new
expanded powers, the Fed should be out of the spotlight for the
overwhelming majority of the next decade so long as the banks stay
solvent — ie, the Fed does its job.

Finally, I think that a more politically tethered Fed would be a huge
mistake. It’s not simply that I find Congress’ current incarnation to
be a vestigial shell of a political body. Congress isn’t terribly good
at its own job, which is making law. It’s certainly not going to be
very good at the Fed’s job, which is making monetary policy. The
pernicious implications of our electeds using their political positions
to jockey for midterm numbers is bad enough on the whole of our
economy. For heaven’s sake, Congress, keep your fingers off the money
supply levers.

La nueva escudería USF1 acaba de presentar un vídeo en el que nos muestran sus últimos progresos en el desarrollo del monoplaza que utilizarán en la temporada 2010 de la Fórmula 1.

En este vídeo podemos ver  algunos de los pasos que toman en la fábrica de Charlotte (Estados Unidos), para fabricar los monoplazas que hará uso de los motores Cosworth. La preparación de las instalaciones, la llegada de las maquinas informatizadas de mecanizado, diseño de los conjuntos mecánicos por ordenador e incluso la fabricación de algunas de las piezas.

Por último, nos muestran el morro del monoplaza recien salido del horno en el que se le da forma a la fibra de carbono. Poco más podemos destacar, sin duda se agradece este material ya que a día de hoy poco conociamos de esta recien creada escudería.

Related posts:

1. Nuevo vídeo del BMW Serie 5 GT
2. BMW-Sauber se despide de la Fórmula 1 con un emotivo vídeo
3. Jose María López ya ha firmado por USF1