N Y B B L E M O N T H L Y N E W S L E T T E R
A Free Ezine about Anything Tech and Everything Else
2010.03.25 Issue No. 218
Twenty years ago, the only consumer devices that are wireless are the television and radio. Nowadays, we have mobile phones, WiFi laptops, Bluetooth headsets and input devices, wirelss USB, GPS, even wireless HDMI. With more and more devices and more and more congestion, we're pushing towards higher and higher frequencies. I'm pretty sure this is not doing us any good. 24/7 exposure to all these electromagnetic radiation must have some effect on us human beings. I guess we'll know what these effects are very soon.
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_________WATER ON SATURN'S MOON_________
A flyby of Saturn's moon Enceladus showed small jets of water spewing from the southern hemisphere, while infrared mapping of the surface revealed temperatures warmer than previously expected - latest evidence that the surface may be hospitable to life.
In the measurements, peak temperatures along Baghdad Sulcus exceed 180 Kelvin (minus 135 degrees Fahrenheit), and may be higher than 200 Kelvin (minus 100 degrees Fahrenheit). Although the temperature estimate is not yet definitive, the hotter the surface temperature makes for a hotter interior, strengthening the chances of pools of liquid water inside the moon. That would also increase the likelihood life could be present in the interior as well.
If true, this makes Enceladus' organic-rich, liquid sub-surface environment the most accessible extraterrestrial watery zone known in the solar system.
_________PRINTER WITH NO CONSUMMABLES_________
A Japanese company called
Sanwa Newtec has developed a printer that works without toners, ink or (copy) paper. The
PrePeat RP-3100 is rather based on a line thermal head and special paper that’s made of PET plastic and can be reused 1,000 times over.
The printer prints in black and white only, but at least you need neither toners nor ink. As for the special paper, if you have a sheet that you don’t need any longer you can insert it back into the printer (where it gets “cleaned”) and immediately print out a new document in one go.
The PrePeat printer is priced at U$5,600, while the paper costs U$3.35 each. Each of those special sheets can be used 1,000 times, saving not only the costs for 1,000 sheets of copy paper but also 5.7kg of CO2 for the environment.
At the moment, the printer is only available in Japan.
_________SELF-POWERING CIRCUITS USING GOLD NANOPARTICLES________
Researchers at the
University of Pennsylvania have uncovered a way to turn optical radiation into electrical current that could lead to self-powering molecular circuits and efficient data storage.
Professor of materials science Dawn Bonnell and colleagues placed light-sensitive gold nanoparticles on a glass substrate, minimizing the distance between the nanoparticles. The team then stimulated conductive electrons with optical radiation to ride the surface of the gold nanoparticles, creating so-called "surface plasmons" that induce electrical current across molecules. Under these conditions, surface plasmons were found to increase the efficiency of current production by a factor of four to 20. The size, shape and separation of the array of golden nanoparticles can be customized independently of the optical characteristics of the molecule, and optimization of these parameters could produce enhancement factors of thousands, and the resulting electrical current could be easily transported to the outside world.
The results may lead to better nano-sized circuits that can power themselves, potentially through sunlight. Another interesting application suggested by the researchers could be for data storage, where a photovoltaic circuit could encode bits using wavelengths of light rather than electrical charge.
_________GRAPHENE TRANSISTORS FASTER THAN SILICON_________
IBM has created prototype graphene transistors, made from atom-thick sheets of carbon, that operate at 100 gigahertz, about 10 times as fast as the speediest silicon transistors. The transistors were created using processes that are compatible with existing semiconductor manufacturing, and experts say they could be scaled up to produce transistors for high-performance imaging, radar, and communications devices within the next few years, and for zippy computer processors in a decade or so.
Ultimately, graphene has the potential to replace silicon in high-speed computer processors. As computers get faster each year, silicon is getting closer and closer to its physical limits, and graphene provides a promising potential replacement because electrons move through the material much faster than they do through silicon. Other researchers have made very fast transistors using expensive semiconductor materials such as indium phosphide, but these devices only operate at low temperatures. In theory, graphene has the material properties needed to let transistors run at terahertz speeds at room temperature.
The IBM researchers grew the graphene on the surface of a two-inch silicon-carbide wafer. The process starts when they heat the wafer until the silicon evaporates, leaving behind a thin layer of carbon, known as epitaxial graphene. This technique has been used to make transistors before, but the IBM team improved the process by using better materials for the other parts of the transistor, in particular the insulator.
The first applications of graphene transistors will likely be as switches and amplifiers in analog military electronics. Indeed, the IBM group's work is supported in part by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. But the researchers say it will be years before the company begins commercial development on carbon electronics.
_________CAR BODY AS BATTERY_________
Scientists at London’s
Imperial College is undertaking a U$4.5 million project, looking to make the cars themselves as a power source. They are currently developing a new material that can store and release electrical energy like a battery. Once perfected, they hope the substance will replace standard car bodies, making vehicles up to 15 percent lighter and significantly extending the range of electric vehicles.
The strong yet lightweight substance charges much like a battery, storing energy and releasing it when necessary. Researchers say that because the material is durable, it can be used to replace metal car parts like the wheel well and roof. That way, the car body itself could serve as an extra source of energy for electronics like GPS units or replace the car’s battery entirely. the technology could boost electric vehicle development, too. By pairing lithium-ion batteries with car bodies that produce power (or just relying on the bodies themselves), EVs will be able to drive further on a single charge, making them more attractive to drivers. With any luck, this substance will add even more incentive for people to ditch their gas guzzlers in favor of eco-friendly EVs.
Scientists say the tech is still pretty far from commercialization, but once it is ready, it could also work in aircraft or in mobile devices like laptops and cell phones.
_________PLASMA JETS TO REPLACE DENTAL DRILLS_________
Instead of using dental drills to reat cavities in our teeth, a new study shows that bacteria-killing jets of plasma could soon be the way to go. Researchers recently demonstrated that a small, blowtorch-like device emitting a relatively cool beam of purple plasma can eliminate oral bacteria in cavities, leaving more tooth structure intact than a drill does. On a side note, plasma is the fourth state of matter, formed when gases are energized to the point where electrons fly off some or all of their atoms.
To test how well these plasma jets sterilize tooth material, the research team took slices of dentin from extracted human molars and doused them with bacteria. These samples were then torched by the plasma jet for six, 12 or 18 seconds. Longer blasting periods slashed bacteria levels 10,000-fold and completely disinfected the dentin of one common decay-causing germ. While the plasma jet fires, it charges oxygen gas in the surrounding air, creating highly reactive molecules that can break down the bacteria's defenses. The team thinks that the reactive oxygen species are able to penetrate and to destroy bacterial walls, thus killing the bacteria.
As for whether these plasma jets can assure pain-free dentistry without the high-pitched whine of drills, it is certainly possible. Fingers, for example, can be temporarily placed under the beam without discomfort. The team thinks that the plasma jet could become dentist-tray ready in perhaps as little as three to five years.
_________LIKEABLE LINKS_________
Spinning Google
Free Documentaries Online
PiratePad
Free Audiobooks
_________QUESTIONABLE QUESTION_________
I've noticed that the credits for a movie occasionally include the title "Executive Co-Producer". What's the job description of an "Executive Co-Producer"?
_________QUOTABLE QUOTE_________
He who wishes to secure the good of others, has already secured his own.
~ Confucius
_________TRIVIAL TRIVIA_________
When do we begin to lose brain cells?
The brain reaches its maximum weight at age 20 - about 3 pounds. Over the next 60 years, as billions of nerve cells die within the brain, it loses about 3 ounces. The brain begins to lose cells at a rate of 50,000 per day by the age of 30.
Source: Arcamax Trivia
_________LAUGHABLE LAUGH_________
This morning my wife came up to me and said, "Take off my shirt."
So I took off her shirt.
Then she said, "Take off my skirt."
I took off her skirt.
"Take off my shoes."
I took off her shoes.
"Now my hose, bra, and panties."
I took them off.
Then she looked at me and said, "I don't want to catch you wearing my things ever again."
That's all for this week. Nybble is and will always be a work in progress. Please do send me your comments and suggestions on how to improve Nybble. Just hit the reply button to you know, reply.
As can be deduced from the title, this is the sequel (some would say, Freakquel) to the hugely popular Freakonomics. This time, we see authors Steven Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner tackle heavy issues such as:
