Introducing the world's smallest 100mW fuel cell, Microsoft under your skin, more
Toshiba today announced a prototype fuel cell that can be used to operate devices such as MP3 players -- in fact the 8.5g cell generates 100mW of power - enough, Toshiba said, to run a MP3 player for 20 hours.

As if Microsoft isn't everywhere already, they've now received a patent to use the human body as a power source...Of course, no mention if we have to have the MS window tattooed somewhere on our bodies if we become a walking wireless network...and would that mean someone sitting next to me on the bus can use my body to transmit his hip hop?

Is GM outsourcing all it's engineering and design to GM Daewoo in Korea? Well, they have hired 200 new engineers in Seoul to run with this...

Finally, National University's School of Engineering and Technology is going to offer a MS degree in homeland security and safety engineering.
- posted by Paula Porter @ 8:06 AM

 
They did it, now what?
SpaceShipOne flew 62 miles just breaking free of the atmosphere and then coming back to earth.This CNN link also features a 3d movable model of the Burt Rutan design. The pilot became the first privately-sponsored astronaut in history during his historic two-hour flight.

So what's next? Now they have to put together 3 folks to duplicate the trip in order to win the $10 million X Prize. But there are 24 other private entities world-wide also in the running.
- posted by Paula Porter @ 12:49 PM

 
Space Travel for all
Burt Rutan, 1988 Design News Engineer of the Year, will be testing his SpaceShipOne next week in the Mojave Desert. He's backed by Microsoft's Paul Allen and the hope is if this flight is successful it's a major step to winning the $10 million Ansari X Prize, a competition begun by a group of entrepreneurs to encourage a private space race.

Rutan is famous for the Voyager, which circled the globe in '86 without refueling.(Scaled Composites)
- posted by Paula Porter @ 7:56 AM

 
Flashbacks
Remember the Moog Synthesizer? Believe it or not fellow boomers and music lovers, it's 40 years old. Invented by engineer Bob Moog, they had a concert this week in NYC. There's even a Moog archive site with drawings of the first Moog. Wanna do your own Moog? Then check the University of California page on the Moog.
Celebrate this great invention and listen to some of the old LPs featuring the Moog, including Abby Road, Pet Sounds, Swtiched-on Bach, and one of my personal favorites, the classic Popcorn!
- posted by Paula Porter @ 7:32 AM

 
The Dentist's chair
Man, if you hate having dental work as much as I do, you are going to love this article from Wired today. How about growing teeth back well into adulthood? Using ozone to painlessly zap cavities? No more novacaine!
- posted by Paula Porter @ 2:18 PM

 
Mileage lies?
Have a hybrid car? If not, maybe you'll want to hold off buying one for a while. In an article from Wiredhybrid cars get less than 60% on the average of advertised mileage. Of course, there are new diesel hybrid cars that show a promise. Final car story on Wired today, cars that learn...
- posted by Paula Porter @ 6:52 AM

 
Gadgets of the future
One site I check nearly every day is www.wired.com...there is just so much great news/info on the site...for instance, today is a fascinating story of "The shape of things to come". There are ideas for the not so far future on electronic trinkets, on medicine, on transportation, on space.


- posted by Paula Porter @ 9:05 AM