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Comment the only possible application? (Score 3, Insightful) 204

To use water and aluminium as energy storage. We already have a pretty good global aluminium infrastructure.

If water could be combined with aluminium to produce hydrogen on demand, then you refuel by replacement of the aluminium oxide waste with fresh aluminium and refilling the water tank.

Then you still need a better method to convert aluminium oxide to aluminium - but here's the great thing about this research. Better ways to convert in one direction usually lead to better ways to go the other way too (eg, microdots convert electricity to light better, but also the other way round too).

The Military

DARPA Creates Remote Controlled Insects 101

EmagGeek writes "Attempts by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to create cybernetic insects (hybrids of biological and electronic 'bugs') have yielded ultra-low power radios to control the bugs' flight and a method of powering those circuits by harvesting energy, according to research that will be reported this week at the IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Conference. 'Electrodes and a control chip are inserted into a moth during its pupal stage. When the moth emerges the electrodes stimulate its muscles to control its flight. I expect a run on bug zappers any day."

Comment Re:Been there.. (Score 0) 42

I'm wasting my mod points now by posting, but I can't let that lie. A volcanic eruption that can kill everybody spouts vast quantities of CO2 - that's how it kills them - it suffocates them.

The guy in prison would be the first to go because CO2 is heavier than air and would fill the gaol as soon as possible.

Comment Re:Stores Twice the Energy of a Lithium-Ion??? (Score 1) 603

That appears to be the sort of claim they are making, although I think they say the total volume will only be 20% less.

And they claim the practicalities, efficiencies and economies of Li nano-titanate and Li nano-phosphate batteries - which have half the specific energy of Lithium-Ion again. That's four times the specific energy of like-for-like batteries.

We're just going to have to see if it works and see what the price is.

Comment Re:Too little too late. (Score 1) 603

Also the ICE weighs an awful lot more than 280lbs while four small in wheel motors weigh very little. then there's the gearbox, the driveshaft, the lead-acid battery (hint, hint "LEAD"). The coolant, the brake fluid (not needed with decent inwheel motors).

The electric version will be /much/ lighter overall.

Image

Sleep Mailing Screenshot-sm 195

Doctors have reported the first case of someone using the internet while asleep, when a sleeping woman sent emails to people asking them over for drinks and caviar. The 44-year-old woman found out what she had done after a would be guest phoned her about it the next day. While asleep the woman turned on her computer, logged on by typing her username and password then composed and sent three emails. Each mail was in a random mix of upper and lower cases, unformatted and written in strange language. One read: "Come tomorrow and sort this hell hole out. Dinner and drinks, 4.pm,. Bring wine and caviar only." Another said simply, "What the......." If I had known that researchers were interested in unformatted, rambling email I would have let them read my inbox. They could start a whole new school of medicine.

Comment Re:I'm amazed (Score 1) 857

I've looked at you example again and there are not enough samples to determine that it is a skewed normal curve so we can't know whether it is actually a counter example.

I suspect it isn't but I have ladies to meet and dance argentine tango with in a few hours so I'm not going to spend the time forming a pedantic proof or disproof of any of this.

Hah! Who's the smart one now?

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