Techology & social revolution: Steve Wozniak at TEDxBrussels (video)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKXjjpZqZwU&feature=youtube_gdata_player Apple co founder co-founder engineer futurist Jobs pioneer digital age three founders Apple Computer garage 1976 Woz design designed hardware circuit boards operating system Apple I 1 plane crash 1981 full time employment 1987 technology scene founding several tech companies working remote controls GPS technology Lego robots data storage autobiography iWoz From Computer Geek Cult Icon 2007 continues to provide schools in his neighbourhood with funding, technical support and advice. Wozniak is a founder of the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the recipient of the National Medal of Technology, the Heinz Award, and numerous honorary doctorate degrees

3D Printer + Snow = Signal Snowboards (video)

You may have heard this story from early in the history of the telephone: a small town had just had a telephone installed.  The mayor, being a far sighted man, observed that he could foresee a day when every town would have a telephone.

How is this related to 3D printers?  Point is, it's impossible to comprehend the impact of a new technology going in, but 3D printers look like being very important.

This is another application:

http://the-gadgeteer.com/2013/03/26/3d-printer-snow-signal-snowboards/ / print printing printed manufacturing manufacture /

Biofuel from CO2: Too good to be true?

Pyrococcus furiosus, aka rushing fireball
Credit: Michelle Kropf/ Missouri University of Science & Technology

Too good to be true?  So far, yes.

Existing systems to do this involve growing crops to produce biomass & then converting the biomass to fuel.  Perhaps the best known is growing sugar cane & converting the sugar to alcohol, using a conventional brewing process.  Sounds attractive on the surface: take carbon dioxide from the air & turn it into biofuel.

Where this falls down is that 1 unit of food energy requires inputs of 7 units (or more) of fossil fuel energy.  Turning the food into fuel doesn't improve the equation.  Biofuel produced by this method involves a big loss of energy.  It it not a green solution.

Linked below just might be an answer.  Before giving this one the tick, many questions have to be answered, most importantly, how much carbon dioxide is emitted in producing fuel by this method?

http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1083167_biofuel-from-co2-too-good-to-be-true / energy fuel petrol photosynthesis extremophile deep ocean vent black smoker volcanic transport future fossil fuel petroleum hydrocarbon carbon dioxide CO2 greenhouse gas global warming climate change University of Georgia Biomass Magazine researchers microorganisms atmosphere air atmospheric processes plants plant life photosynthesis sunlight transform water sugars sugar /

quirky makes invention accessible (video)

Have you ever had an idea for an invention?  Many people have.  Unfortunately, most people have also been overwhelmed by all the work between the moment of inspiration & a commercial product.  As Thomas Edison put it, "Genius is one percent inspiration, ninety nine percent perspiration."

What to do?  Kickstarter is one solution.  It provides exposure for inventors & developers, who have progressed their idea to the prototype stage, & require assistance in accessing funding for some combination of final development, production & marketing.  Kickstarter has done some truly wonderful things, not only in the area of devices, but movies, books & others as well.

Another solution is quirky, which takes raw ideas & adds whatever level of development, production & marketing is required to turn the idea into a commercial product.  Not surprisingly, they require a larger share in the profits for their larger contribution to development & share of the risk.

quirky discussed on Global BC's Tech Talk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CR2ZM0EraUA&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Founder Ben Kaufman tells his quirky story
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqYeWg7igkU&feature=youtube_gdata_player

quirky Web site
http://www.quirky.com/ / invent invention inventor inventing design developer develop development prototype prototyping finance loan debt venture capital investment share idea marketing sell /

I, Robin Hood: Bowblade does archery the iOS way (video)

Credit: Josh Lowensohn/ cnet



cnet
http://news.cnet.com/8301-10797_3-57566979-235/i-robin-hood-bowblade-does-archery-the-ios-way/

Manufacturer's site
http://bowactivegaming.com/bowblade/Movie.html / archery bow arrow release trigger game gaming exercise strength muscle game games accelerometer gyroscope simulation simulate feeling hunting general dynamics developers make specialty games designed iPhones iOS iPods Android devices Nintendo Nintendo's Wii console systems Xbox 360 PlayStation 3 peripherals Macworld iWorld, gaming, archery, exercise, Bowblade /

How to lock down & find Android & Windows phones

If you are using the "smarts" of your smartphone, the biggest risk in a lost or stolen phone is exposure of your data to malicious use.  Apple has the excellent Find iPhone which can help in recovering your device.  If this fails, it can protect your data using its lock or erase functions.

For Android & Windows phones, try this:

http://howto.cnet.com/8301-11310_39-57519173-285/how-to-lock-down-and-find-android-and-windows-phones/ / Enable screen lock sign up find my phone remote erase remote-erase option smart phone site app Lookout FoneHome lockscreen loss thief lose steal stolen thieves theft Find My Phone Face Unlock face recognition passcode protect Lookout Plan B Google Maps map scream lock remotely wipe live account register battery dead flat discharged /

F1 racing's focus turns to 2014's more fuel efficient engines

Red Bull in testing for the 2014 season
Credit: Green Car Reports/ The Car Connection

Racing once had relevance to road cars.  E.g. disc brakes first appeared in a D type Jaguar at Le Mans in the '50s.  Changes to 2014 Formula 1 create a superficial resemblance to road cars, but don't look for a practical application any time soon.

http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1083133_f1-racings-focus-turns-to-2014s-more-fuel-efficient-engines / Jag disk brakes sports racing car turbocharger turbocharged turbo 2013 Formula One racing season engineering engine regulations improve car cars fuel efficiency reduce sport sport’s environmental impact regulations raise development costs team teams relevant 2.4 liter litre V8 V-8 engines naturally aspirated litre 1.6-liter turbocharged V-6 V6 cylinder layout configuration improvements fuel consumption real world real-world efficiency efficient road car economy Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems KERS heat exhaust /