When will the last gasoline car be built? 2070, Shell Oil says

http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1088044_when-will-the-last-gasoline-car-be-built-2070-shell-oil-says / disappearance internal combustion internal-combustion engines government governments predict predicted predicting last gasoline vehicles sold latest prediction particularly unlikely source Shell Oil Company largest petroleum producers producer world company predicts predict prediction latest report petroleum powered petrol gasoline gasolene petroleum-powered cars car gone 2070 concept Shell Shell's New Lens Scenarios report reports Autoblog Green forward looking forward-looking predictions company decide operate coming years scenario building 2013 policy develop development developing developed New Lens Scenarios scenario Mountains Oceans mountain ocean predicts predict prediction future based on two possible paths global economy coming decades decade affected technological developments global population changing pressures scenarios global population expected top 9 billion 2050 future very different depending each scenario lens incumbent governmental economic power persists natural gas dominant fuel 2030 demand liquid fuels derived from oils falls petroleum product products transport transportation driving much less 1,200 miles per year average mile miles mileage today shorter average journeys city-centric population better use two-wheeled transport public transport economic growth sluggish environment 2-degree 2 degree degrees Centigrade rise global temperatures temperature Oceans Shell predict predicts world greater understanding compromise world more prosperous dwindling food energy water become the new priorities natural gas solar grows grow growth world world's largest energy source global warming climate change technological developments, forcing society make significant adaptions oil phased out 2070 scenario Shell's overall estimate 2070 passenger road market nearly oil-free electricity oil free hydrogen dominant fuel fueling road transportation PDF file possible future outcomes social pressures energy global economy country countries German Germany German eCarTec Switzerland Swiss green pressure group electric cars dominate 2050 promote promoting electric charging wider use EV electric vehicles vehicle EVs vision visions United Kingdom GB Great Britain UK governmental government proposal proposals hybrid plug-in plugin plug in zero-emission zero emission illegal 2040 predict future global firm company companies firms perol gasoline /

Universal add on lenses fit any smartphone or tablet

Credit: Allputer/The Gadgeteer

Don't expect too much from these lenses. Between the prices ($6.95 – $10.95) & the potential difficulties with aligning the axis of the built in & add on lenses, results are likely to leave something to be desired. A case on your phone or tablet will create its own difficulties.

At the price though, you don't have much to lose. I've ordered the telephoto. :)

http://the-gadgeteer.com/2013/10/30/perk-up-your-pix-with-a-universal-clip-side-lenses/

Retailer's website

http://allputer.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=74_238&zenid=9dc370954ce2e9f0781aed90b6e134ec / photograph photography focus camera lens lenses clip on lenses iPhone macro wide angle capability capabilities capable built in camera clip on Clip-Slide lenses Allputer.com universal clips universal fit any smartphone phablet tablet aluminum multi coated multi-coated optical glass clip design slide edge device orient Clip-Slide lens device’s built in camera lens Allputer CPL glare reflection non metallic non-metallic surfaces surface polarize polarized polarizer filter polarizing 2X Zoom 2X Telephoto lens fisheye super wide angle lens Macro shot distance wide angle capability /

Phonebloks — it just might happen (video)

Credit: Hack A Day

You may remember a previous post about Phonebloks, the modular smartphone platform. At the time it seemed like a good idea, not really likely to become a commercial product. Now Motorola is adding a bit of real development & marketing muscle.

http://hackaday.com/2013/10/30/ask-hackaday-does-project-ara-solve-the-phonebloks-problems/ / tips line blowing Motorola’s Project Ara smart phone modularity modular components plug into base endoskeleton skeleton news coverage strewn across Web Project Ara similar vaporware Phonebloks concept Ask Hackaday article conspiracy theory circulating Motorola released concept viral marketing scheme generate hype official product line Hacker News Israeli startup, Modu similar modular mobile cell phone Google bought patents Project Ara is revised Modu partner partners partnered Phonebloks’ creator Dave Hakkens vaporware unavoidable hardware limitations hardware Android platform software vibrant third party third-party developer ecosystem lower barriers entry increase pace innovation substantially compress development timelines time times open source open-source hardware advances 3D printing evolving open hardware ecosystem next era phone development hack hacking hacker small startup company relationship PC peripherals peripheral slot slots attach attaching additional components website partnership /

MIT attempts to make its own dark matter

Credit: MIT/DVICE

http://www.dvice.com/2013-10-28/mit-attempts-make-its-own-dark-matter / dark matter scientist scientists exist exists gravity gravitation universal gravitational evidence invisible science dark matter certain features observe observation observed discovery discover MIT’s DarkLight lab project theoretical theory dark matter account accounts huge portion total mass Universe scientists studying discover discovering discrepancies mass masses mass massive galaxy galaxies mass account unaccounted mass dark matter proof researcher researcher research large photon team developed develop developing particle accelerator project machine beam electron electrons energy high power detector detect decays decay decaying exotic particles particle Higgs boson /

Why are Apple’s iPads so damn expensive?

Credit: Boy Genius Report

http://bgr.com/2013/10/24/ipad-mini-price-analysis-ipad-air/ / Apple debut debuted iPad 2010 bargain no basis for comparison $500 large portable Apple device expensive company company’s notebook computers computer lap top laptop fast forward 2013 Android vendors price tablet capable tablets big vendors around $200 7-inch size range Apple’s iPad lineup look pretty pricey expensive new iPad mini Retina display $399 nearly twice price Google Google’s Nexus 7 Amazon Amazon’s 7-inch Kindle Fire HDX iPad mini starts at $299 displays expensive Apple recent analysis mobile analyst Benedict Evans global tablet shipments Apple losing market share Apple losing tablet market share numbers chart Amazon tablet shipments Android tablet shipments growing rapidly iPad’s share global market declining Nexus tablet shipments insignificant affordable well equipped well-equipped sales non-existent non existent nonexistent share of tablet web traffic subset Android tablets growing most rapidly no name no-name tablet segment sold around China white box vendors dirt cheap compete competition competing used for emerging markets lower income groups west what that they’re being used for little bit of Web free gaming book reading video consumption for many buyers compete with TVs iPads Nexus Nexuses Tabs not being used the way iPads are used feature phone phones featurephones of tablets perspective $300 entry point competitive problem iPad doesn’t yet face a strong competitive threat two very different markets post PC post-PC ultra low ultra-low margin product totally different product /

Charge your smartphone while you party — or sleep

Credit: Vodafone/Ecouterre

http://www.ecouterre.com/vodafones-power-shorts-use-body-heat-to-charge-your-cellphone/ / running down cell phone mobile cellphone battery smartphone smart Vodafone Vodafone’s Power Pocket peripherals pumping body heat movement prototypes prototype prototyping denim shorts sleeping bag charge your gear walk dance sleep rest move breath live nap Isle of Wright Festival Thursday Power Pocket collaboration between British telecommunications company Department of Electronics and Computer Science University of Southampton smart material contains thermoelectric modules convert temperature differences between body heat energy temperature surrounding air volt amp current electric voltage concept physics Seebeck effect develop development developing developer research researcher researchers researching working printed smart material Stephen Beeby professor electronic systems University of Southampton low high temperature high-temperature ceramics energy harvesting energy-harvesting smart materials harvest harvesting energy Power Pocket shorts charge smartphone trial trials technology summer talk time hours standby time inside sleeping bag 37 degrees Celcius Celsius 98.6 Fahrenheit human body temperature details device commercial release sal research technology hard wearing hard-wearing sleeping bags bag example fold folded up compressed small package material materials flexible improve improvement improvements thermoelectric thermo-electric thermo electric effect /

Why a hydrogen economy doesn't make sense

Hydrogen fuel cell car — fabulous idea! It's even supported by such luminaries as George W. Bush & the brilliant minds at Top Gear (before the assault & the dismissal etc.) ...

... then the laws of physics & economics raise their ugly heads:


Credit: Ulf Bossel/Phys Org

In the image above, we see 100 kWh of energy being used to drive a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle (on the left) or a battery electric car (on the right). Depending on how the hydrogen is managed, 19 or 23% of the energy at the beginning is actually available to drive the vehicle. For a battery electric car, 69% of the original energy is available to drive the vehicle.

I think we have a winner.

More:
http://phys.org/news85074285.html / study research researcher researching fuel cell expert Ulf Bossel explains hydrogen economy inefficient wasteful large amount energy required isolate hydrogen natural compounds water natural gas biomass package light gas compression compress compressor pressure liquefaction transfer energy carrier user energy lost when converted useful electricity fuel cells cell around 25% practical use unacceptable value run economy sustainable future niche applications applicarion like submarines spacecraft use hydrogen more energy needed isolate hydrogen from natural compounds compound recovered from use Bossel explains PhysOrg.com making new chemical energy carrier form natural gas would not make sense increase gas consumption emission CO2 dwindling fossil fuel reserves reserve replaced replace energy from renewable sources source scientists scientist around world technology Bossel reality realistic use hydrogen carrying energy overall energy analysis hydrogen economy demonstrates high energy losses inevitably result resulting laws physics hydrogen economy advantages hydrogen praised praise journalists non-toxic burns burn water abundance hydrogen Universe misleading production hydrogen depends depend availability energy water rare political issues issue oil and natural gas money thorough analysis scientists research money laboratory laboratories laws of physics research capital technology never make economic sense source energy green electricity grid new energy carrier solve energy problem wasteful process analyze analysis analyzes method methods synthesize synthesizing store storing deliver delivery transport transportation delivering hydrogen method naturally occurring synthesized renewable electricity electrolysis of water energy content converted back electricity fuel cells recombined oxygen water separating separate hydrogen water electrolysis massive amounts of electrical energy substantial amounts water source energy carrier of energy electron economy existing electricity infrastructure storage battery /