Clipmarks | deb2012's 'technology' clips

mining metals on the ocean floor

Sun, 18 May 2008 14:07:45 GMT

clipped by: deb2012
clipper's remarks: new technology for producing more commodities

THE first deep-sea mining machines — for extracting gold, silver and copper deposited near volcanic fissures on the ocean floor — are being built by a British engineering company. The machines, which will resemble giant, abrasive vacuum cleaners, are at the forefront of an emerging underwater mineral extraction industry that is sounding alarm bells among marine biologists and environmental scientists.

contract for two sea-floor mining tools

Soil Machine Dynamics

Tags: commodities, mining, metals, technology

Britain makes camera that "sees" under clothes

Mon, 10 Mar 2008 14:35:47 GMT

clipped by: deb2012
clipper's remarks: one example of technology improvements going exponential

Clip Source: www.rawstory.com

LONDON (Reuters) - A British company has developed a camera that can detect weapons, drugs or explosives hidden under people's clothes from up to 25 meters away in what could be a breakthrough for the security industry.

The technology works on the basis that all people and objects emit low levels of electromagnetic radiation. Terahertz rays lie somewhere between infrared and microwaves on the electromagnetic spectrum and travel through clouds and walls.

Depending on the material, the signature of the wave is different, so that explosives can be distinguished from a block of clay and cocaine is different from a bag of flour.

Tags: technology, orwellian

Cleaner Water

Sun, 02 Mar 2008 23:35:04 GMT

clipped by: deb2012
clipper's remarks: new technology

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

TRAVELERS who don’t trust the water from a mountain stream or a hotel-room faucet have often used chemicals or filters to purify it. Now they have a high-tech option as well: swirl the water with a portable, lightweight wand that beams rays of ultraviolet light.

The wand can clean up a quart of water that is clear — but could harbor stomach-wrecking microorganisms — in 90 seconds. The high-frequency light damages the DNA of bacteria, viruses and protozoa in the water like giardia and cryptosporidium so they can’t reproduce and create havoc.

To make the disinfection process easier for users to monitor, one new device on the market, the SteriPen JourneyLCD($129.95) has a liquid-crystal display that shows a countdown during purification (48 seconds for 16 ounces, 90 seconds for 32 ounces) and a smiley face at the end to signal that the job is done.

Tags: environment, technology

Synthetic life forms

Fri, 29 Feb 2008 11:27:13 GMT

clipped by: deb2012
clipper's remarks: technology will boom over the next few years

Clip Source: www.sfgate.com

Genetics pioneer Craig Venter shook things up at the TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) conference in Monterey Thursday, announcing that he is getting closer to creating a synthetic form of life.

Imagine an organism that consumes carbon dioxide and can be used to battle global warming. A new species that can chemically generate fuel. Or a life form that helps create vaccines or antibiotics.

Wherever you come down on the issue, Venter's pioneering work in the field he calls "synthetic genomics" is truly groundbreaking. It will be fascinating to see how our culture responds to the work as his team grows closer to actually creating life.

Tags: technology, innovation

zero emission car

Wed, 13 Feb 2008 12:59:33 GMT

clipped by: deb2012
clipper's remarks: Ga Tech working on it

Clip Source: www.gatech.edu

ATLANTA (February 11, 2008) —Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a strategy to capture, store and eventually recycle carbon from vehicles to prevent the pollutant from finding its way from a car tailpipe into the atmosphere. Georgia Tech researchers envision a zero emission car, and a transportation system completely free of fossil fuels.

Tags: conservation, energy