Submission + - super cheap solar power within a few years?
tora201 writes: The Daily Telegraph has an article explaining that we should be able to expect super cheap solar power within a decade, as a new super thin polymer foil 200 times lighter than normal glass-based solar material comes on line.
From the article: Within five years, solar power will be cheap enough to compete with carbon-generated electricity, even in Britain, Scandinavia or upper Siberia. In a decade, the cost may have fallen so dramatically that solar cells could undercut oil, gas, coal and nuclear power by up to half. Technology is leaping ahead of a stale political debate about fossil fuels. (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/ money/2007/02/19/ccview19.xml)
Golfer Sues Over Vandalized Wikipedia Entry 267
coondoggie writes "Pro golfer Fuzzy Zoeller is suing to track down the author of what Zoeller says is a defamatory paragraph about him on the Wikipedia site. In an Associated Press story Zoeller's attorney, Scott Sheftall, said he filed a lawsuit against a Miami firm last week because the law won't allow him to sue Wikipedia."
New Details on Xerox Inkless Printer 198
Iddo Genuth writes "Xerox is developing a new printing technology which does not require ink of any kind. The new technology includes reusable paper which can be printed and erased dozens of times and has the potential to revolutionize printing. New details on this upcoming technology, which was first reported in September 2006, are now revealed."
Submission + - Superconducting heat spreader to obsolete CPU fans
vinsci writes: R&D company Novel Concepts, Inc. has announced its new IsoSkin heat spreader material that dissipates heat 20 times more effectively than copper, according to the company. The thin (down to 500 microns) IsoSkin spreaders could eventually be used to replace the outer "skin" of portable electronics, thereby eliminating the need for heat sinks and fans that cool notebooks and PCs, ExtremeTech reports.
Comment Re:Missed the Memo (Score 1) 661
While the MacPro may currently be cheaper (I wonder if that will last) it really isn't relevant in a sense. Sure apple fans will throw their money at it, but it's vastly more computer than 99% of the people buying need. Most people don't need to spend more than $1000 on their computer, nevermind $2300+ for the Mac Pro. This is the same reason most people aren't buying Precision workstations, if they want a dell desktop they get the Dimension.
I don't really see this having a big impact on most people. Do they want to spend $2300 on a Mac Pro which is currently a better deal than a comparable Precision, or $1300 on a Dimension which is plenty of machine for their needs?
Apple is giving a good deal on those, there's no doubt. The only way I could come close in cost/performance building it myself appears to be if I went with the slowest chip Apple offers since they aren't too astronomical online. However Apple is buying in "bulk" and prices will gradually drop (new chips are always inflated) and Dell is likely to fight back.
I don't really see this having a big impact on most people. Do they want to spend $2300 on a Mac Pro which is currently a better deal than a comparable Precision, or $1300 on a Dimension which is plenty of machine for their needs?
Apple is giving a good deal on those, there's no doubt. The only way I could come close in cost/performance building it myself appears to be if I went with the slowest chip Apple offers since they aren't too astronomical online. However Apple is buying in "bulk" and prices will gradually drop (new chips are always inflated) and Dell is likely to fight back.
