Regen’s Reverb: A Solar-Powered iPod Dock That Is Three-Foot High

November 10, 2009
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As much as I would like to go gaga over this new solar-powered iPod dock from Regen, I might have to pass on this one. A three-foot high device is not exactly my cup of tea.

Same as with Regen’s Renu, this new one (called Reverb) will both amaze and appall you. It is capable of shelling out 60 watts of power straight from the sun’s rays. The Reverb can also generate enough electricity to play your music for 4.5 hours at full volume and 12 hours at normal volume.

The device will, however, take 20 hours in order to get a full charge from the sun. But if you’re not that…

Plastic Logic E-Book Reader Will Have WiFi Connectivity Through AT&T

July 23, 2009
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On Wednesday, Plastic Logic announces that its e-book reader will debut with WiFi connectivity through the AT&T’s 3G network. The e-book reader is expected to come out next year.

This move keeps the Plastic Logic E-Book Reader with Amazon’s Kindle that uses Sprint’s wireless connectivity. This enables the Plastic Logic E-Book Reader to connect to the Internet for book downloads and basic browsing. The Plastic Logic E-Book Reader is about 8.5 x 11 inch and less than 0.25 inch in thickness. It also has a touchscreen interface. The company, however, did not announce the price for this device.

The Plastic Logic E-Book Reader can also support document formats such as PDF, Word,…

Skyline Solar Unwraps Low-Cost Concentrator

May 6, 2009
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Skyline Solar has designed a solar concentrator that relies on more sheet metal and less silicon to cut costs.

The Mountain View, Calif.-based start-up on Monday introduced its product, called High Gain Solar (HGS) arrays, and said that it has raised an additional $24.6 million from New Enterprise Associates and other investors. It’s one of six companies to get a Department of Energy grant worth $3 million for solar photovoltaics research.

Its arrays, expected to be available later this year, are targeted at commercial customers and utilities looking to generate from about 100 kilowatts to megawatts worth of electricity. The company has a 24-kilowatt demonstration facility at a plant in San Jose,…

Invisibility cloak on the horizon, scientists say

May 6, 2009
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Scientists say they are a step closer to developing materials that will render people and other objects invisible.

Researchers say they can redirect light around 3D objects using metamaterials–artificially engineered structures created at a nano scale that contain optical properties not found in nature, according to an Associated Press report.

People see objects as a result of the light reflecting or scattering off them. This new mixture of materials has “negative refractive” properties that keep light from being absorbed or reflected by the object, allowing only the light from behind the object to be seen. Essentially, the material bends visible light in a way that eliminates the creation of reflections or shadows…

Mercedes-Benz F-Cell Caught In The Wild

April 29, 2009
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While out testing the very stylish Aston Martin DB9 Volante in the Santa Cruz Mountains recently, we ran across the car’s opposite, a Mercedes-Benz F-Cell research car. We caught up with the F-Cell (easily) and followed it to a vista point, where we cornered its driver and started grilling him about the car. It’s not often you see the future of the automobile out in the wild like this.

This F-Cell was from the first generation, built into Mercedes-Benz’s A-class platform, a small vehicle that’s not sold in the U.S. Its 5,000-psi hydrogen tank feeds a fuel cell that produces electricity, in turn powering an 87-horsepower electric motor.

The driver of the…

Facebook Maps Swine Flu Hysteria

April 29, 2009
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There have been a lot of resources that have surfaced to help track the newly spreading swine flu.  Tuesday night, Facebook released some interesting data on the conversations taking place around the swine flu outbreak. The company has posted a photo album on Facebook’s official fan page, containing images that detail the growth of the discussion as well as the geographical distribution of people talking about swine flu.

As this image shows us, there is a wide range in the percentage of people talking about swine flu in wall posts from state to state. Texas has 0.82 percent of its Facebook users mentioning swine flu, while Mississippi only has 0.29 percent.…

UFO In Northern Australia Documented By Area Mother

April 21, 2009
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A witness known only as Kym recently photographed in bright daylight a bizarre, silver airborne disk, flying in the air over the Northern Territory in Australia. The mother-of-three captured an image of the object on her mobile phone after some video footage and multiple other pictures failed to capture anything at all. Kym had the following to say about the phenomenon:

“It’s hard to tell what it is - it’s very strange. There was some lightning at the time but the shape of these lights is different. If it was streaks you’d think it was lightning but these are circles. I thought it could be a street light reflection in the…

Busy Weekend For UFO Sightings In The American South

April 21, 2009
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For some reason, last weekend saw an unusual amount of UFO sightings, especially in the southern United States. Most of the reports originated in Georgia, Tennessee and Florida.

One witness stated that he recently settled in Alamo, Tennessee, whereupon he began to witness unexplained phenomena in the air. The witness claims to have found a number of strange balls on the ground in the vicinity of his residence; at least one picture has emerged of these eerie findings.

On April 18th, over in Lebanon, Tennessee, another witness observed two objects in the air. Both were rapidly changing direction and speed in an extremely erratic manner. The witness used a pair of 8×50…

Automakers Summit Produces A Plug Standard For Electric Vehicles

April 20, 2009
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The German energy firm, RWE, has announced that a coalition of leading automobile manufacturers and energy companies have come together in order to define a standard plug which will ensure that most electric cars can be recharged at any universal station. The plug has three thick prongs and carries 400 volts, and would be made available at every charging station across the European continent.

The corporations involved in the consensus include General Motors, Fiat, BMW, Volkswagen, Ford, Mitsubishi, Eon, Toyota, Vattenfall, Enel, Endesa, EDF and Npower. The agreement also connotes an ethic of partnership between powerful rival companies, at least in order to ensure the viability of sustainable energy vehicles.

A spokesman…

Disturbingly Vivid UFO Sighting Filmed In Australia

April 20, 2009
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On Tuesday of this week, in the town of Bendigo, Australia (in Victoria), a keen citizen happened to notice a mysterious shape moving quickly across the sky. The observer jumped to action, which he details in a startling report:

“( I ) Just stepped outside this evening, enjoying a cuppa and this unidentifiable flying thing appears in the sky travelling steadily, I instantly ran inside and grabbed the HD video cam and captured what I could. As i was in a hurry, I didn’t switch the cam to night vision mode, it was set to sunny, though it was dusk.

“As for the shakiness, well I couldn’t believe my eyes! This object…