Author: E

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Tornado Power

Tornado and LightningTemperature gradients are the basis of thermoelectric generators. The potential difference allows for the creation of electrical current. What does this have to do with Tornadoes?

One scientist, Louis Michaud, plans on harvesting a by-product of large scale temperature gradients – tornadoes – to generate electricity. The core of his proposed power plant, called the Atmospheric Vortex Engine (AVE), will generate a tornado and harvest energy from the resulting air currents. In order to supercharge and sustain the vortex, the power plant will feed it waste heat generated by the turbines. This creates a cutoff switch in case of emergency, such as if a giant, permanent tornado next door to your house escapes its earthly bondage to reign destruction upon its human oppressors. If the waste heat is cut off from the vortex, the vortex dries up.

Early calculations by Michaud predict a possible 200 megawatt output from such a power plant, enough to power a small city. (source)

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Integrated Graphics, AMD’s PUMA

IGP (Integrated Graphics Platforms) have been the bane of gamers, especially mobile gamers, for many years. Created for use by casual computer users who want little more than to write Word documents, play flash games, and watch YouTube, they often fall well below the mark for acceptable DVD/Blueray playback and PC Gaming. For mobile users, the choice between a dedicated GPU (Graphical Processing Unit) and an Integrated GPU merits consideration. Integrated GPUs use much less power, create less heat, and result in an all around more mobile system. Dedicated GPUs use more power, create much more heat, but allow gamers on the go to play the latest and greatest with a few tweaked settings. Intel’s IGP solutions, the GMA series of integrated graphics (GMA 915, GMA 950, X3100, upcoming X4500), have been the most common and also the most frustrating. Intel doesn’t do graphics, so their IGPs are very hit and miss, especially in running games properly. ATI/AMD’s solutions, such as the X1250, as well as Nvidia’s solutions, such as the 7150, provide more acceptable gaming performance, but still not enough to play high intensity games very effectively at medium/high settings.
AMD/ATI finally broke the mold, their new 780G motherboard chipset contains the HD3200 IGP, which offers a significant performance improvement over all other IGPs. While a dedicated GPU will still perform better, the HD3200 is an important step forward. In a mobile system, the 780G is part of AMD’s PUMA platform, which also offers an external port allowing an external GPU to be connected to the laptop, something not practical or effective until this point. The following video compares the HD3200 with an older X3100 (which has been replaced by the slightly improved, though still lacking, X4500).

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Old Nwes

Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at an Elingsh uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer are in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae we do not raed ervey lteter by it slef but the wrod as a wlohe.

badly written sign

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Alaska to generate power from Volcanoes!

Alaska is getting geothermal. Modern estimates indicate that at least 25% of Alaska’s energy needs could be drawn from geothermal sources, including one active volcano, Mount Spurr. Accordingly, Alaska has begun surveys of the volcano and is leasing surrounding area to geothermal ventures.

Volcano

If geothermal sources around the US were fully tapped, they could provide about 25% of the entire nation’s energy needs! Geothermal sources include hot springs and volcanoes, heat is extracted for use in creating steam to run electric generators. How exactly this is done, I’d like to know myself.

Some estimates claim 80% of the USA’s geothermal sources have yet to be discovered. (source)

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Don’t Worry, Be Happy (Everyone else is doing it)

According to an article posted on LiveScience, the world’s overall happiness quotient has risen significantly over the past few years.
“The upbeat outlook is attributed to economic growth in previously poor countries, democratization of others, and rising social tolerance for women and minority groups.”

Most anthropologists and sociologists have long believed that the world’s general level of happiness stays constant over time. This recent study is both surprising and comforting. It looks like we really can look forward to a brighter future.

Life Instructions

“It requires some effort to achieve a happy outlook on life, and most people don’t make it.”
—Author and researcher Gregg Easterbrook

Basic advice proven to work (by scientists and religion alike, no less) include: “Make lists of things for which you’re grateful in your life, practice random acts of kindness, forgive your enemies, notice life’s small pleasures, take care of your health, practice positive thinking, and invest time and energy into friendships and family.” (source)

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No Ice in the North Pole

North PoleAccording to scientists, the North Pole could be devoid of ice this year for the first time in human history.

Pros: Ship passage through the fabled Northern Passage (the top of the world) that could accelerate trans-Atlantic shipping. Canadian/Icelandic beachfront property.

Cons: Affirmation of Global Warming? Destruction of Santa Claus.

Ironically, there are abundant oil reserves under the North Pole, which would be accessible after a meltdown.

More information on the subject available here.

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On Games and Women

Men and WomenUntil recently, gaming was primarily a male pastime. Females entering the realm of controllers, attribute modifiers, BFGs, and circle strafing have created a confused and disoriented male gamer. But fear not, one of my favorite gaming journalists has written an excellent paper detailing exactly how us devoted male gamers will make it out of this predicament alive. I recommend you all read it. For the sake of Cortanna, Kerrigan, Jade, Lara, and Jaina, read it. Read the article here.

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Confirmed: Diablo 3

Diablo 3 IconAlright, I’ve spent the last hour or so pouring over the new Diablo 3 trailers/gameplay/interviews and I admit I am impressed! For once, I won’t be embedding game videos into the blog, I’ll be providing links instead. The Diablo 3 gameplay and trailer really require that widescreen feel the current iteration of this blog cannot provide. That said, check out the annoucement trailer (make it full screen using the button to the right of the menu button in the GameSpot video player, can be done with the other videos too).

Here is a good 20 minute live gameplay video (introduces barbarian and witchdoctor classes).

And of course an interview with a Blizzard employee.

So what’s so great about Diablo 3? I was drawn in for 2 reasons. First, Blizzard actually added a color palette this round. After playing games like Warcraft and Starcraft, playing Diablo 2 felt like replacing life with black and white. D3 has so much more color than the previous games, in addition to a very tasteful art design that will allow this game to look great on anyone’s machine. Second, Blizzard added physics. Physics is not a hallmark feature in RPGs, but it has been implemented in such a way as to look good AND provide additional gameplay. When you are watching the trailer, pay attention to when objects in the world blow up into chucks of wood and stone and imagine if it all fell on the floor in a boring heap instead (like it did in D2).

Happy Saturday!

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Spray-on Skin!

Skin SprayAFIRM (Armed Forces Institute of Regenerative Medicine) has made several advances in the past several years. Notably, they took a ‘pixie dust’ manufactured out of pig bladders to regrow the fingertips of two patients. The dust signals growth factors in scar tissue, causing small limbs, such as fingertips, to grow back fully (nail included).

Other regenerative research includes work by Anthony Atala, a Wake Forest University tissue engineer, who has developed an ink-jet printer capable of manufacturing entire organs one cell layer at a time. While he has managed to print an entire rat heart, applications in skin regeneration look extremely promising in human patients. Also, mobile versions of the printer could regrow critical organs in combat zones.

AFIRM has developed a spray that would serve same solution, regrowing burned and scarred skin. The spray utilizes a patient’s own keratinocytes, immature skin cells. Trials on 16 patients have been extremely promising, showing results comparable to more complicated (yet effective) skin grafting procedures.

Soon enough, these military medical technologies will make their way into civilian medicine, making us into invincible super soldiers capable of world domination. Happy Friday!

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Diablo 3 “Announced!”

Quoted from MaximumPC.com, Jeff, eat your heart out:
diablo 3

“Here we go! The community site Diabloii.net is reporting that Blizzard will be announcing the third game in its epic Diablo series at this week’s Worldwide Invitational in Paris.  That’s right.  Diablo III is on its way!

“With this week’s speculation over the Blizzard teasers, more and more reports in the media, and numerous tips coming direct us at IncGamers from reliable inside industry sources in the past 24 hours, we now have confirmation from inside sources to say that Diablo 3 WILL be announced on Saturday at WWI Paris 2008.”

Blizzard’s Vice President of Design, Rob Pardo, already teased that a new game announcement was on the way in an interview with GamesIndustry.biz this morning.  He’d know–the Blizzard frontman is delivering the keynote address at this year’s big gathering.

Of course, had you a dollar every time a news site swore that Diablo 3 was coming, you could have already hired the producers for Diablo IV and World of Diablo.  Blizzard’s ongoing series of teasing splash images has a few days left before the big reveal.  If this is just another Starcraft 2 race, expect to see a number of demon-killing enthusiast gamers eating hats–the taste certainly wouldn’t be new.”