The world’s first algae-fueled vehicle, which is called the Algaeus, has started its long green drive across America. The car, a converted plug-in Prius outfitted with a nickel-metal hydride battery and filled with a blend of 5% algae and 95% gasoline from Sapphire Energy, set out from San Francisco yesterday and will take 10 days to make it to Washington, DC.
The group responsible for the Algaeus, the Veggie Van Organization, expects the car will only require 25 gallons of fuel to make the entire trip.
Sapphire Energy plans to produce two million gallons of algae fuel per year for the next two years with hopes of it becoming cost-competitive in the next few years at $60 to $80 a barrel. Sapphire wants to create a 10%algae blend for its future commercial products. They are also producing a million gallons of algae-based jet fuel this year.
Friday, October 2, 2009
NASA Is Running Out of Space Fuel, No Refills In Sight
So apparently, NASA needs this itsy-bitsy little thing called Plutonium-238 to make their deep-space rocketships go ZoOOOooOoOooM ZooOOOOoMM, but they're running out of it and need congress to drop $30 million to help make more.
NPR says that NASA has not made any new Plutonium-238 since the 1980s, instead opting to borrow from Mother Russia. And because they use up to 11 pounds of the material each year, it would take 8 years worth of production to begin satisfying demand again. But the requested $30 million from Congress is only a start—the full Plutonium-238 production program could cost up to $150 million.
Because it gets so cold in deep space (reaching absolute zero), spacecrafts traveling out that far need a fuel generating a lot of heat, so they can convert that energy to electricity. Plutonium-238 naturally generates a serious amount of heat as it goes through radioactive decay, so it's often the fuel of choice for these NASA adventures, such as voyages to Saturn and beyond.
According to a Johns Hopkins planetary scientist, NASA has enough Plutonium left to fuel the next Mars Rover mission, and maybe enough to test out some new power generators. After that, they need more scratch for more fuel. [NPR via MIT Tech Review]
NPR says that NASA has not made any new Plutonium-238 since the 1980s, instead opting to borrow from Mother Russia. And because they use up to 11 pounds of the material each year, it would take 8 years worth of production to begin satisfying demand again. But the requested $30 million from Congress is only a start—the full Plutonium-238 production program could cost up to $150 million.
Because it gets so cold in deep space (reaching absolute zero), spacecrafts traveling out that far need a fuel generating a lot of heat, so they can convert that energy to electricity. Plutonium-238 naturally generates a serious amount of heat as it goes through radioactive decay, so it's often the fuel of choice for these NASA adventures, such as voyages to Saturn and beyond.
According to a Johns Hopkins planetary scientist, NASA has enough Plutonium left to fuel the next Mars Rover mission, and maybe enough to test out some new power generators. After that, they need more scratch for more fuel. [NPR via MIT Tech Review]
Notebook laptops: Samsung N130 - New netbook
As September wears on, some companies are confirming the launch of new products. And Samsung is one of them. The company has announced to the public that an interesting and tiny netbook called Samsung N130 will be launched into the market shortly. This netbook will be remarkable: it will have an internal battery for an 11 hours estimated autonomy. That is a really high battery autonomy nowadays. The Samsung N130 has been equipped with an Intel Atom N270 processor and it will come with a 10.1-inch screen, resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels, WiFi connectivity, Bluetooth 2.1 connectivity, built-in 1.3-megapixel webcam (which is perfect for those people who like or need online video communications all the time), memory cards reader, and a hard drive with a storage capacity of up to 160 GB.
In addition, this new netbook also includes a GMA 950 video card, 3-cell or 6-cell battery (it is up to the user to select the most appropriate) and 1GB of RAM.
Lastly, other features include 3 USB ports, a VGA output, an approximate weight of 1.27 kg (2.8 pounds). The dimensions are 263.8 x 185.5 x 28.5 mm (10.4 x 7.3 x 1.1 inches).
In addition, this new netbook also includes a GMA 950 video card, 3-cell or 6-cell battery (it is up to the user to select the most appropriate) and 1GB of RAM.
Lastly, other features include 3 USB ports, a VGA output, an approximate weight of 1.27 kg (2.8 pounds). The dimensions are 263.8 x 185.5 x 28.5 mm (10.4 x 7.3 x 1.1 inches).
Best video game - PS3 3D mode will be available in 2010
Enough years have passed since the introduction of the technology that allows us to see 3D images on a screen. In one way or another, we know this technology is present in our world, but it has not had the impact on the society and exploitation that would have been expected to occur after its commercial launch. But that situation could change very soon since Sony has announced that all the games compatible with PS3 will have a new 3D mode.
Sony is trying a new strategy to attract new users. For that reason, the company is currently working to add 3D support for all of its available games for PS3. The transition should be taking place in 2010, according to Sony’s announcement. So, if Microsoft is pushing hard to reach its ambitious goals related to the Xbox 360, now Sony wants to change the users’ experience in a radical way (at least with the PS3 games).
We don’t know the exact specifications of the first version of this 3D mode, but some preliminary reports have confirmed that it consists of a process where the console sends 3D content by using an HDMI cable. That content is synchronized and the users will be able to see the 3D effects by using 3D glasses. So, we can get an easy deduction from this basic explanation: As usual, it will be necessary to use the traditional 3D glasses and, besides that, we will need a new TV that supports 3D (in case you don’t have one).
For now, the only thing we can do is wait for some reviews of this innovative technology, which hopefully will improve the way in which we enjoy our consoles. Maybe this will be the most important change in the video games industry during the following years. We’ll see. Apparently, 2010 will be the year of the 3D games.
Sony is trying a new strategy to attract new users. For that reason, the company is currently working to add 3D support for all of its available games for PS3. The transition should be taking place in 2010, according to Sony’s announcement. So, if Microsoft is pushing hard to reach its ambitious goals related to the Xbox 360, now Sony wants to change the users’ experience in a radical way (at least with the PS3 games).
We don’t know the exact specifications of the first version of this 3D mode, but some preliminary reports have confirmed that it consists of a process where the console sends 3D content by using an HDMI cable. That content is synchronized and the users will be able to see the 3D effects by using 3D glasses. So, we can get an easy deduction from this basic explanation: As usual, it will be necessary to use the traditional 3D glasses and, besides that, we will need a new TV that supports 3D (in case you don’t have one).
For now, the only thing we can do is wait for some reviews of this innovative technology, which hopefully will improve the way in which we enjoy our consoles. Maybe this will be the most important change in the video games industry during the following years. We’ll see. Apparently, 2010 will be the year of the 3D games.
BioLogic FreeCharge - Recharge your gadgets while riding a bike - Battery charger rechargeable
Well, the same principle used by a dynamo that generates electricity is now taken by Dahon (the world’s largest manufacturer of folding bikes), to create a new device that allows users to recharge electronic gadgets while they are riding a bike. The device is attached to the dynamo and its name is “BioLogic FreeCharge”.
It has a battery that is charged with the power supplied from the dynamo. Then, you can recharge your gadgets by connecting them to the BioLogic FreeCharge and using a USB connector that comes with this device.
We guess this charger will be useful to those who usually use a bike as one of their regular means of transport because it will provide an easy way to keep some personal gadgets charged (for example: cell phones and MP3 players).
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