Photo via the New Republic It's a widely held notion that politicians have long been in the pocket of Big Oil. And there's good reason for that perception: oil companies' huge campaign donations, vast lobbying power, and close ties to politicians have ensured that their taxes remain low , that hidden subsidies are around to provide extra funding, and that they receive preferential treatment in US energy policy. But there could be a new, ... View original post here: The Next Big Oil: Big Smart Grid?
So there really isn't anything that deep to this image. It's just a (more or less) life-sized blue whale eye. And on the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society site you can educate yourself/be mesmerized/ waste some time for a while staring at it while the entire life-sized animal scrolls across your browser window. Believe me, it's way cooler than you might think:... Read more from the original source: Ever See a Blue Whale Life-Sized on Your Computer? Now You Can
published December 29, 2009 and has No Comments
Photo via rockyjvec It's generally agreed that cockroaches are a feat of evolution, and they certainly move incredibly well on their six legs. Which is why researchers at Oregon State University are using them as a source of inspiration for the world's first legged robot to be able to run easily over rough terrain. But it isn't just the ...
Read more...published December 1, 2009 and has No Comments
Photo: Public domain DNA Repair in a Pouch Getting some time in the sun is probably good for you since most of us are deficient in vitamin D , but it can also be dangerous because exposure to UV radiat... Read the full story on TreeHugger More: Kangaroos May Inspire 'Anti-Cancer' Skin Cream
Read more...published November 23, 2009 and has No Comments
Photo via MIT Biomimicry is again at the heart of new technology, this time for a solution to creating a better anchor. "The best anchoring technology out there is an order or magnitude worse than the clam - most are two or three orders worse," says Anette (Peko) Hosoi for MIT. She and graduate student Amos Winter have taken ...
Read more...published November 23, 2009 and has No Comments
Photo via Slashgear One of the primary aspects of e-Reader devices that are driving competition against one another is the display, with manufacturers looking at how energy efficient, how easy on the eyes, how readable in daylight, and how colorful they can make it. Qualcomm is now putting out an e-reader that uses Mirasol technology - something we've mentioned ...
Read more...published November 5, 2009 and has No Comments
Yesterday the exhibition Bits 'n Pieces launched at Material Connexion in New York, a dialogue between the analog and the digital technologies within design in a post-digital era . What grabbed our attention in the busy space during the opening, were the insects doing graphic design! A sophisticated machine transformed the movements of a few bugs into beautiful patterns ...
Read more...published November 3, 2009 and has No Comments
Image via Sahara Meteorite Prospecting I recently returned from the Do Lectures in Wales, a collection of talks given by visionary people who've decided to put their ideas into action; to "do." I walked away inspired by nearly all of the lectures, but there was one lecture in particular that got my design juices flowing. It was given by ...
Read more...published November 2, 2009 and has No Comments
Images: Jetson Green Biomimicry is everywhere these days. It seems increasingly clear that design inspired by nature will play a great big role in our energy future. Case in point: Green Wavelength , an up-and-coming California engineering biz, has prototyped a small wind turbine, the xBEE, the elegant flapping motion of which is inspired by the buzz of insect ...
Read more...published November 2, 2009 and has No Comments
Credit: G.L. Kohuth, Michigan State University We've heard a lot about robotic fis h over the last year, including that they'll patrol for pollution , and gather information to monitor climate change in the oceans. Michigan State University researchers are bringing another version of a robotic fish to the scene, having just received funding to move the project forward. ...
Read more...published October 30, 2009 and has No Comments
Image via PopSci Sharklet Technologies, a Florida-based biotech company, has figured out a way to capitalize on shark skin - specifically on the way parasites and bacteria can't stick to sharks. The trick is in the pattern of the skin's surface. Scientists have figured out how to print the pattern onto adhesive film, which wards off bacteria and is ...
Read more...published October 27, 2009 and has No Comments
Photo via Stephen Childs Mantis shrimp - giant shrimp living on Australia's Great Barrier Reef - are being eyeballed (har har) as holding solutions to creating a higher quality DVD player, and it's all because they have the most complex set of eyes in the animal kingdom. That complexity could be translated into a DVD player that can handle ...
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"The stakes are very high and scientists are not the best people to deal with the social, ethical or political issues that geoengineering raises." View original here: Geoengineering is a Technical Fix for a Political Problem
Google leads the pack in Greenpeace's annual ranking of IT companies based on their efforts to use clean energy and reduce their environmental impact. Here is the original: Google Tops Greenpeace's Clean IT List
