This is an eco-house that is made in a such a way that it generates more energy than it uses. It is an eco-house that is suppose resemble a flower of a certain orchid species. From this angle, it looks like a mutated lobster - but that’s okay the money spent on it makes it the most sensational monument ever build in the country side of UK.
I am not surprised that the anonymous buyer wanted to remain anonymous but rumors have it that the person is from the entertainment industry. I am putting my money on one of England’s knights.
Seriously, why would anyone in their right mind would spend $15 million on a house like that? So what if it generates more energy than it uses? If the purpose is to set an example then the target for such setting aims at the higher echelon of society only. Sure, like I have $15million in my drawers right now hidden under a pile of underwear. How about feeding some poor nation or sponsor 1,000 children from poor countries with that money?
Come May 13, 2008, the ASIMO robot, lovable mascot of Honda, will conduct the Detroit Orchestra to perform “Impossible Dream” in hopes attracting people to their DSO music education programs. Read the press release here:
DETROIT, U.S.A., April 23, 2008– ASIMO will focus attention on the Detroit Symphony Orchestra’s (DSO) nationally acclaimed music programs for young people in Detroit by conducting the orchestra as it performs “Impossible Dream” to open a special concert performance with renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma at 8 p.m, Tuesday, May 13. Honda hopes ASIMO’s appearance will draw attention to the DSO’s music education programs, and particularly the DSO’s effort to encourage and support involvement of children in Detroit.
n addition, ASIMO will demonstrate its unique capabilities for hundreds of area school children at 10:45 a.m, May 14 prior to a specially arranged master class in Orchestra Hall, where a select group of music students will receive personal music instruction from Yo-Yo Ma. In attendance will be students from the Detroit School of Arts (DSA), Detroit Renaissance and Cass Technical high schools, as well as from schools across metro Detroit and Windsor, Canada.
ASIMO, which stands for Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility, is designed to help people and will someday assist the elderly and disabled in their homes. But while Honda continues to develop and enhance ASIMO’s capabilities, ASIMO is being used today to encourage and inspire young students to consider studies in math and science. The addition of music education to ASIMO’s repertoire is a natural extension of these efforts.
As recently announced, Honda is providing the DSO with a gift of more than $1 million to create The Power of Dreams Music Education Fund. With the Detroit Public Schools drastically reducing or eliminating music programs due to financial constraints, many students are denied the opportunity to learn to play instruments, read music, and participate in bands or orchestras. Honda has partnered with the DSO to develop an innovative, multi-faceted program to promote and support music education as well as to promote diversity in the field of classical music. In addition to sponsorship of the YoYo Ma performance and Master’s Class for students in May, over the next five years the Honda partnership with DSO will include:
· Launch of a new initiative called The Power of Dreams String Project to provide introductory music education/string training to children in metro-Detroit communities where opportunities are non-existent or unaffordable.
· Establishment of The Power of Dreams Music Scholar program to provide private lessons to aspiring students with financial need in the String Project, DSO Civic Ensembles and/or DSA, enabling them to fully develop their musical capabilities.
· Support of DSO Civic Youth Ensemble performances; the DSO’s educational partnership activities with the DSA; and the DSO’s spring Educational Concert Series for metro area school children in Orchestra Hall at the Max M. Fisher Music Center.
· Support of the 2008 Classical Roots Gala which raises funds for programs such as the DSO’s African-American Fellowship Program.
A University of Nevada’s professor is looking into making the first fastest computers in the world that runs on infrared light than electricity. That said, they’re currently look to harvest the energy from terahertz radiation, which if successful will be the start of super computers/machines running on the speed of light.
“We have taken a first step to making circuits that can harness or guide terahertz radiation,” says Ajay Nahata, study leader and associate professor of electrical and computer engineering. “Eventually — in a minimum of 10 years — this will allow the development of superfast circuits, computers and communications.”
Electricity is carried through metal wires. Light used for communication is transmitted through fiberoptic cables and split into different colors or “channels” of information using devices called waveguides. In a study to be published April 18 in the online journal Optics Express, Nahata and colleagues report they designed stainless steel foil sheets with patterns of perforations that successfully served as wire-like waveguides to transmit, bend, split or combine terahertz radiation.
“A waveguide is something that allows you to transport electromagnetic radiation from one point to another point, or distribute it across a circuit,” Nahata says.
If terahertz radiation is to be used in computing and communication, it not only must be transmitted from one device to another, “but you have to process it,” he adds. “This is where terahertz circuits are important. The long-term goal is to develop capabilities to create circuits that run faster than modern-day electronic circuits so we can have faster computers and faster data transfer via the Internet.”
Nahata conducted the study with two doctoral students in electrical and computer engineering: Wenqi Zhu and Amit Agrawal.
In today’s overwhelming preference for all things green, more and more consumer products are becoming more environmentally friendly. One of those products are solar rechargeable products. This is a video reviewing 3 of those products:
If you’re not a really hands-on kinda guy, who can’t tell a carburetor to an engine or know which PSI your tire is suppose to be filled then these self-inflating tires are for you! Created in the Czech republic I can see how it would help the world AND Japan less one more headache to think about when they own cars. You don’t have to think about pumping air into your tires anymore, just remember to fill in your battery water. Or change your oil.
The tyres are inflated with a peristalistic pump, which keeps the pressure constant so it’s safe for driving at all times. Why didn’t anyone think of this before?
And I present you, miCoach (F110), a cellphone device that is akin to having your own personal trainer before you. Nevermind that it’s just a block of buttons, a screen and a sexy sliding keypads, the miCoach (F110) number one function is to serve your exercise regime. Of course, it would still have all the expected functions of today’s cellphone.
Ignore the Introduction of the presentation slide, it’s absolutely lame but do stay on for the whole lecture. It’s about the evolution of gadgets and it’s purpose evolved through the refinement of technology and advancement of mankind. I must say, it’s pretty insightful and quite true. I’ll tell you what’s stupid about today’s gadgets in a nutshell…there is more room for uselessness. *hic*
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