Why Piracy Is Indispensable For The Survival Of Our Culture
Last Year Techdirt wrote about the case of the huge collection of historic jazz recordings that had been acquired by the US National Jazz Museum. The central problem is that even if the recordings can be digitized before they deteriorate, very few people will hear them because of their complicated copyright status. But as this eye-opening article from Benj Edwards explains, bad as that situation is, it's even worse for the entire category of software creations. Floppy disks, which were once used as the medium du jour for personal computers, have a decidedly finite lifespan: estimates for the data retention abilities of a floppy range anywhere from one year to 30 years under optimal conditions. Fortunately, getting around such schemes is just the kind of challenge that hackers enjoy, and this has led to efforts by enthusiasts to preserve these fast-disappearing cultural artefacts by transferring them from the old media to more modern storage. Edwards concludes with a call to action:
This solar panel printer can make 33 feet of solar cells per minute
Whatever oil and gas true believers want to think, the world is doing this solar power thing. It’s getting cheaper and cheaper to make solar panels, and the panels are getting more and more effective. For example: A team in Australia just built a gigantic printer that spits out solar cells at a rate, Gizmodo reports, of about 33 feet every minute. It’s not even particularly complicated technology, according to the researchers. Gizmodo writes: [The printer system] utilizes only existing printer technology to embed polymer solar cells (also known as organic or plastic solar cells) in thin sheets of plastic or steel at a rate of ten meters per minute. This particular type of cell isn’t the most efficient, but it’s the type that lends itself to uses where you need a little flexibility — solar windows, bags, or tents, for instances.
Amazonian Mushroom Eats Indestructible Plastics
More than 7,500-year-old fish traps found in Russia
Public release date: 25-Jan-2012 [ Print | E-mail Share ] [ Close Window ] Contact: Marta Garcia Gonzalomarta.garcia.gonzalo@orgc.csic.es 34-915-681-476Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) A team of international archeologists, led by the Spanish National Research Council, has documented a series of more than 7,500-year-old fish seines and traps near Moscow. The equipment found, among the oldest in Europe, displays a great technical complexity. The survey will allow us to understand the role of fishing among the European settlements by early Holocene (10,000 years ago), especially in those areas where inhabitants did not practice agriculture until nearly the Iron Age. Ignacio Clemente, CSIC researcher (Institució Milà I Fontanals) and manager of the project, explains: "Until now, it was thought that the Mesolithic groups had seasonal as opposed to permanent settlements. Advanced Technology Organic remains [ Print | E-mail AAAS and EurekAlert!
This glass sphere might revolutionize solar power on Earth
German architect André Broessel, of Rawlemon, has looked into his crystal ball and seen the future of renewable energy. In this case it’s a spherical sun-tracking solar energy-generating globe — essentially a giant glass marble on a robotic steel frame. But this marble is no toy. It concentrates both sunlight and moonlight up to 10,000 times — making its solar harvesting capabilities 35 percent more efficient than conventional dual-axis photovoltaic designs. André Broessel was a finalist in the World Technology Network Award 2013 with the globe’s design and afterward produced this latest version, called Betaray, which can concentrate diffuse light such as that from a cloudy day. André Broessel’s latest invention looks like something out of a superhero movie. In reality, though, it’s a stand-alone solar energy generator. But Broessel’s invention may be more than just aesthetically pleasing. “We can squeeze more juice out of the sun,” Broessel says. Source: NewsDiscovery
Steroids control gas exchange in plants
Public release date: 5-Feb-2012 [ Print | E-mail Share ] [ Close Window ] Contact: Zhiyong Wang zywang24@stanford.edu Carnegie Institution Stanford, CA— Plants leaves are sealed with a gas-tight wax layer to prevent water loss. The mechanisms for such regulation have remained elusive. Brassinosteroids are found throughout the plant kingdom and regulate many aspects of growth and development, including inhibition of photosynthetic genes when there is insufficient light for photosynthesis. Wang, lead author Kim and their colleagues Marta Michniewicz and Bergmann set out to determine brassinosteroid's role in stomatal development. Wang and his colleagues had previously determined that when brassinosteroid binds to a receptor on the surface of a plant cell, it initiates a chain of signal transduction that results in certain genes being turned on or off within the cell's nucleus. [ Print | E-mail AAAS and EurekAlert!
Celestial Stunner: Venus to Cross Face of Sun This Year | Venus Transit of the Sun Jun 5-6 | 2012 Venus Transit
On your 2012 calendar, be sure to put a big red circle around June 5. On that day, a celestial occurrence that will not be seen by human eyes until well into the 22nd century — the year 2117 to be exact — will take place. The planet Venus will cross the face of the sun. Through the balance of this winter season and well into the spring of 2012, Venus will gradually climb higher in the sky and grow progressively brighter, eventually becoming an "evening lantern" for those commuting home from work and school. By the end of May 2012, however, Venus will be rapidly dropping back toward the sun's vicinity, ultimately to disappear as it makes the transition back into the morning sky. Normally, Venus would pass unseen, hidden in the brilliant glare of the sun. From June 5-6, 2012, an exceedingly rare occurrence is to take place: from here on Earth, we will be able to see Venus cross in front of the sun, making itself evident as a small black spot slowly moving across the solar disk.
New Material Converts Sunlight to Steam
Researchers from MIT have developed a new material that converts sunlight into steam much more efficiently than currently available alternatives. This material acts sort of like a two-way sponge: it can attract and hold sunlight for heat and can also continually draw up water in order to create a constant supply of steam. The research was led by Hadi Ghasemi and the results were published in Nature Communications. “Steam is important for desalination, hygiene systems, and sterilization,” Ghasemi said in a press release. The system works in layers. “On the left, a representative structure for localization of heat; the cross section of structure and temperature distribution. When it is exposed to sunlight, the graphite flakes heat up. Solar-powered steam generation isn’t anything new, but this material is markedly more efficient. Another new approach to generating steam has used nanoparticles within water. “This is a huge advantage in cost-reduction,” Ghasemi explained.
