posted by admin on Dec 28

Why is so much money still be spent on inventions for our pleasure rather than our survival?

There is plenty of talk about the range of new products and technologies that we need to be inventing in the next few decades to make sure that we lower carbon emissions and get energy from water – yet money is still being spent on inventing another mobile phone application to help you call the restaurant down the road without using a phone book!

Or inventing a talking, dancing giant hamster for kids to play with?

Should the world start looking at more pressing inventions, and stop funding things ‘for fun’ or just ‘to find out what so-and-so does’?

Yes, Because…..

There could be a massive argument that without funding of alternative energy sources or a reduction in the emissions from current energy practices – there won’t really be a captive audience left to buy that hamster!

If the scientific facts floating about at the moment about the effects of our emissions and our other activities, then there are going to be some major changes to the way we view ‘normal’.

People can get quite frustrated with the governments or science bodies when they hear about apparently pointless studies and inventions.  People want to see things being achieved that will change their lives – not finding the elusive Higgs -Boson!

No, Because…..

So many things have been invented for one purpose – but then changed slightly to do something completely different – and what if that new thing was the best invention ever?

I know this money all comes from us somewhere down the line (as does all funding) but the more people there are tinkering with this and that – the more chance they will find something great.

We all know the story of Post-It notes and the like, where it’s all a big mistake, but maybe we are looking at the environment in the wrong way and we need a scientist to accidentally turn up with the answer to everything!

posted by admin on Dec 24

The University of Western Ontario has received a $200,000 grant to find out!

There has long been the idea that sensors in contact lenses could help to identify certain medical conditions including diabetes.  In the latter it could be of use if it kept changing color when sugar levels rise or fall in the body and other conditions could be monitored in a similar way.

There is much debate over whether this is of real use to everyday adults with the condition – and many people have commented that they don’t want other people to know they have an illness by using the color change lenses.  However, there is overwhelming support for it’s use in less able individuals who need home support or other forms of care – as a much better alternative to test needles.

And, it is just in contact lenses at the moment – so a normal sighted individual would have to start wearing plain lenses.  But, as technology advances, this could be moved to other areas of the body which are easy to monitor (it’s tricky to see your own eyes) and easier to apply (have you ever tried to get lenses out of your eyes when you aren’t a lens wearer?).

The Big Idea:
Put simply, the fluid secreted from your tear ducts to moisten your eyes can be analyzed for sugar levels and therefore be used to indicate your blood sugar level.

More technically, the use of extremely small nano-particles embedded into the material of the lens will allow for a chemical reaction with the blood sugars secreted by the body allowing for a color change to occur across the whole surface of the lens.

Therefore, the sufferer does not have to repeatedly test their blood sugar levels with a needle testing kit to make sure they are not about to become gravely ill – they just look in a mirror! 

Obviously, diabetes is just one of many conditions that this technology could benefit, but it is one of the world biggest health issue affecting around 220 million people worldwide according to WHO so this technology could save many lives – as around 500 people a day die of the condition.

Imagine if just a quick glance at your friend could save their life! 

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posted by admin on Dec 16

Welcome to the final Blog Carnival of 2009 – And Best Wishes for the New Year!

Let’s begin with the very thorough and interesting article by Mary Jones who details 25 Everyday Technologies That Came from NASA. Neat!

And welcome back to a regular writer on e-books – Marco Gustafsson with his article this time on the Cool-er EBook Reader: Intuitive Marketing or Blatant Copying?.

The third article is about the planet – and lists lectures that could change the way you think about biology, technology and the world itself – let Linda Jones share with you 50 Fascinating Lectures on the Future of the Planet.

A little story about the Eco Rally that took place earlier this year by 00FF00 has some great info and some nice photos too! So, read here about The Revolve Eco Rally

And finally, the obligatory ‘Apps’ listing article this month is from Carolyn Friedman who tells us about the Top 20 iPhone Apps for Business Travelers but is joined by a very in-depth article on just 1 particular app – John presents us with his article on A Bird-finding App for iPhone and iPod Touch

See you in 2010!

posted by admin on Dec 13

Just like the UNESCO Heritage Sites are saved for future generations – now the Tango will live on too!

Since 2001 the United Educational, Scientific & Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) have been recognizing living traditions that cannot always be held or preserved physically such as dancing and certain rituals as worth preserving for the future. 

These intangible heritages are vital for family groups across the world. The knowledge of these acts is passed down from family to family; father to son and mother to daughter.

They represent a part of the community, a part of their lifestyle that just cannot be simply copied by others – it needs to be felt. And how can someone know what to feel, if they have not learnt from someone who already knows.

What Else Is Worth Saving?
Such things already on the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) include China’s Dragon Boat Festival, Lace Making in Croatia and the Indonesian Batik.  There are many other virtually unheard of traditions, festivals, musical and dance related events from around the world that are vitally important to those countries, and those communities, no matter how large or small they are.

The UNESCO listings offer documents, photographic slideshows and video footage of all these events in action, to show readers why it is so important to preserve.  And it’s not just the actions that make them unique, it’s the history, the meaning and the passion that brings them alive they are literally embodied by the participants.

What Can You Do?
So, what UNESCO hopes to do, is to make sure that they work with communities and countries to ensure that maximum participation is encouraged to ensure that these traditions are learnt for generations to come.  They need to keep an interest in these cultures – not just for the people themselves, but for visitors from across the world to enjoy.

What better way to learn the Tango than from an Argentinian Dancer actually living in Argentina?

posted by admin on Dec 10

According to current reports from the US – yes you can…….

Obviously the paper is only a small part of the whole energy source, but could lead the way forward in making energy without mining and disposing of tonnes and tonnes of dangerous and wasteful metals.

Reports from Stanford University suggest that by coating plain copier paper with a carbon and lithium mix could actually power many electrical goods, but research is still in the early stages.

How Is It Done?
Testing so far has allowed for rolled sheets of paper to be painted with a carbon ‘ink’ to form a nanotube structure.  The many inter-connected fibres found in paper could be the key to it’s use – and of course it is bendable, can be folded and manipulated into a whole host of shapes (think origami!) that means it could be better manipulated than many common metals used today and it is much, much, lighter!

Once the structure is prepared, the whole thing is lowered into a lithium solution where electrolytes react to create the electrical current.  Nanotube technology is only small scale at the moment – but with the potential that paper offers, these could be scaled up.

Energy Efficient:
With all the component parts of the battery being one and the same will allow for better energy efficiency as there will be less energy wasted moving it around inside the product – the whole thing is electrical.  I mean, you can even cut the paper in half and it will still work – but at 50% of the output of the original!

They are not currently cost effective though, and paper batteries the size required to power a lightbulb are currently way out of kilter with the cost of other power sources.

But, this small step could lead up to things that noone ever expected – just think of the Internet itself – the technology just ran away with itself!

The Future?
With the potential for larger sizes, and the fact that these batteries can release energy much faster than standard batteries, there is talk of the technology being used to power cars for example – although there has been no actual research into this at the moment.

Similarly there has been talk of pacemakers running on these non-toxic fuel cells – but nothing on paper.

Also, with the structure of paper the same over huge dimensions – it is possible that a whole wall could be painted with the carbon ink and used as an energy store rather than a multitude of smaller devices.  And certain cloths are very similar in structure to paper so could be used as well.

I am not sure that I would want a whole wall or a set of curtains in my home filled with electrical energy, but for factories and other workplaces or vehicles, this could be just the thing!