Comment Space (Score 1) 63
I can't help but think this could lead to a great building material for a Mars colony.
Comment Re:Is there really need for "rebooting" (Score 1) 123
The new elite is being developed by David, this is being developed by a team.
(I am supporting both projects, and fwiw, I think David is going to come up with something fantastic with considerably less money).
Comment Yeah but, yeah but, yeah but, yeah but (Score 1) 123
You can get to fly a really big ship which has it's own fighter in its hold that someone else can fly and gun emplacements that others can use (or NPCs).
I want it now ...
Comment Re:Linux support (Score 1) 123
The only mention was in a poll asking what future stretch people want, sadly linux support didn't get near the top.
Star Citizen is being built on Cry Engine 3, since there isn't an OpenGL version of Cryengine yet, it's unlikely to get a linux release any time soon.
Submission + - Old Electric-Car Batteries Put into Service for Home Energy Storage
Hugh Pickens writes writes: "Josie Garthwaite writes that old electric car batteries degraded below acceptable performance levels for autos still have enough life to serve the grid for at least ten years with a prototype announced by GM and ABB lashing five Chevy Volt battery packs together in an array with a capacity of 10 kilowatt-hours — enough to provide electricity for three to five average houses for two hours. "In a car, you want immediate power, and you want a lot of it," says Alexandra Goodson. "We're discharging for two hours instead of immediately accelerating. It's not nearly as demanding on the system." Deployed on the grid, community energy storage devices could help utilities integrate highly variable renewables like solar and wind into the power supply, while absorbing spikes in demand from electric-car charging. "Wind, it's a nightmare for grid operators to manage," says Britta Gross, director of global energy systems and infrastructure commercialization for GM. "It's up, down, it doesn't blow for three days. It's very labor-intensive to manage." The batteries would allow for storage of power during inexpensive periods for use during expensive peak demand, or help make up for gaps in solar, wind or other renewable power generation. One final advantage of re-using electric car batteries is that the battery—the most expensive part of an electric car—remains an asset beyond its useful life in the vehicle. "If there is a market in stationary power for spent batteries, consumers could recognize this as an increased resale value at end of life, however small," says Kevin See."
