Urine-Fueled Generator

Pee power! African teens create urine-fueled generator.In a stroke of ingenuity that could have proven handy during Hurricane Sandy, four teenage African girls have come up with a urine-powered generator.
Duro-Aina Adebola, Akindele Abiola

, and Faleke Oluwatoyin, all 14, and Bello Eniola, 15, collaborated on the invention, which they claim generates one hour of electricity from one liter (about a quart) of urine.
The pee-powered product made its debut at Maker Faire Africa in Lagos, Nigeria, this week. A post on the Maker Faire Africa blog describes the generator's workings in the following words:
Urine is put into an electrolytic cell, which separates out the hydrogen.
The gas cylinder pushes hydrogen into a cylinder of liquid borax, which is used to remove the moisture from the hydrogen gas.
This purified hydrogen gas is pushed into the generator.
Hydrogen, of course, carries explosive risks, so the girls used one-way valves as a security measure (whether that is safety precaution enough is unclear). But don't start saving your bladder output just yet. The blog doesn't mention where the energy needed to power the electrolytic cell comes from, or whether the electrolytic cell uses more power than the machine generates.
While many commenters on the Maker Faire Africa blog are applauding the girls' work, others have expressed skepticism of their contraption. On one science-minded blog, believers and not-so-believers are currently engaged in a lively and thorough deconstruction of its various components. The girls will probably be famous chemists one day, in any case, but they aren't the first to propose urine (or more solid human and animal waste) as a possible alternative fuel.

Last year, in one example, researchers from Ohio University came up with their own technology for extracting hydrogen from urine. Doing so, they say, requires less power than plucking it from water, as hydrogen can be separated more easily from the ammonia and urea chemical compounds present in pee.
The four African teens likely are the youngest researchers yet to dabble in pee as power. Skepticism aside, can we all just agree that the foursome should be lauded for their efforts to find alternative power sources on a continent that could really use them? Sheesh. When I was 14, I'm pretty sure I was too busy watching TV to concern myself with hydrogen extraction.

Samsung Galaxy S3 overtakes the iPhone 4S as the world’s best-selling smartphone

Samsung Galaxy S3 overtakes the iPhone 4S as the world’s best-selling smartphone in Q3.After becoming the top OEM in the U.S., after selling three million Galaxy Note 2s in a month, and after selling more than 30 million Galaxy S3s worldwide in five months, Samsung is at the top of the food chain. But the winning streak doesn’t stop there. According to market research and consulting firm Strategy Analytics, Samsung’s Galaxy S3 has overtook Apple’s equally hot-selling iPhone 4S to become the world’s best-selling smartphone for the third quarter of this year.

The firm notes that this is the first time for Samsung to achieve such feat and that its large touchscreen, extensive distribution, and generous operator subsidies have propelled the device to make it to the top. The data from Strategy Analytics reveals that the sales of the Galaxy S3 in Q2 were nothing but short compared to the iPhone 4S. But when Q3 came, the tables began to turn in favor of Samsung. But now that the iPhone 5 is out, we’re wondering if Samsung will still manage to keep the spot.

Strategy Analytics Executive Director, Neil Mawston, thinks that the position as the world’s best-selling smartphone model is likely to be short-lived. “The Apple iPhone 5 has gotten off to a solid start already with an estimated 6.0 million units shipped globally during Q3 2012. We expect the new iPhone 5 to out-ship Samsung’s Galaxy S3 in the coming fourth quarter of 2012 and Apple should soon reclaim the title of the world’s most popular smartphone model,” he adds.

Cloning Endangered Animals

Brazil begins cloning endangered animals.Earth is running out of animals. Or rather, Earth is suffering from an overabundance of some animals (namely humans and cows) and a serious lack of others. Brazil is taking some initiative by starting a program to clone animals from species at risk of going extinct, including black lion tamarins, maned wolves, and jaguars.

World's First Solar-Powered Territory

Tiny Island Chain Becomes World's First Solar-Powered Territory

The remote islands of Tokelau have become the first territory in the world to be powered by the sun, officials say. The move is expected to save money and ease the environmental burden of relying on imported fossil fuels.

“The Tokelau Renewable Energy Project is a world first. Tokelau’s three main atolls now have enough solar capaci

ty, on average, to meet electricity needs,” said New Zealand’s foreign affairs minister Murray McCully in a statement. “Until now, Tokelau has been 100 percent dependent upon diesel for electricity generation, with heavy economic and environmental costs.”

The group of islands situated in the South Pacific between New Zealand and Hawaii are administered by New Zealand, which estimated the cost of the project to build three solar grids at around $7 million.

It is estimated that oil imports account for up to 30 percent of national income in some isolated parts of the Pacific, and the move to solar power could save Tokelau about $1 million per year.

Tokelau is comprised of three atolls Atafu, Nukunonu and Fakaofo, and has about 1,500 inhabitants.

The island nations of Samoa and Tuvalu are aiming to get all of their electricity from renewable sources by 2020. The Cook Islands plans to start converting to solar panels and wind turbines, while most houses in the South Pacific archipelago will begin to use solar water heaters.

East Timor's government has promised that no households in the capital, Dili, would be using firewood for cooking by 2015 and said 50 percent of the country's electricity would be from renewable sources by the end of the decade.

“Building on the success of clean and affordable energy solutions for Tokelau, Tonga, and the Cook Islands, New Zealand will co-host a Pacific energy summit in March next year,” said McCully.

Habitable Exoplanet

Astronomers Find Tantalizing Hints of a Potentially Habitable Exoplanet

Located 43 light-years away in the southern constellation Pictor, the orange-colored dwarf star HD 40307 has previously been found to hold three “super-Earth” exoplanets in close orbit. Now, a team of researchers poring over data from ESO’s HARPS planet-hunting instrument are suggesting that there are likely at least six super-Earth exoplanets orbiting HD 40307 — with one of them appearing to be tucked neatly into the star’s water-friendly “Goldilocks” zone.

HARPS (High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher) on ESO’s La Silla 3.6m telescope is a dedicated exoplanet hunter, able to detect the oh-so-slight wobble of a star caused by the gravitational tug of orbiting planets. Led by Mikko Tuomi of the UK’s University of Hertfordshire Centre for Astrophysics Research, a team of researchers reviewed publicly-available data from HARPS and has identified what seems to be three new exoplanets in the HD 40307 systems. The candidates, designated with the letters e, f, and g, all appear to be “super Earth” worlds… but the last one, HD 40307 g, is what’s getting people excited, as the team has calculated it to be orbiting well within the region where liquid water could exist on its surface — this particular star’s habitable zone.
In addition, HD 40307 g is located far enough away from its star to likely not be tidally locked, according to the team’s paper. This means it wouldn’t have one side subject to constant heat and radiation while its other “far side” remains cold and dark, thus avoiding the intense variations in global climate, weather and winds that would come as a result.
“The star HD 40307, is a perfectly quiet old dwarf star, so there is no reason why such a planet could not sustain an Earth-like climate.”– Guillem Anglada-Escudé, co-author.
“If the signal corresponding to HD 40307 g is a genuine Doppler signal of planetary origin, this candidate planet might be capable of supporting liquid water on its surface according to the current definition of the liquid water habitable zone around a star and is not likely to suffer from tidal locking.”

Human Barbie Is Real

Fashion Magazine Confirms Human Barbie Is A Real Person.Valeria Lukyonova became a viral sensation in the U.S. when Jezebel posted a video about the alleged surgery she underwent to look this way. V magazine managed to book the Ukrainian, who calls herself "the most famous Russian woman on the Russian-speaking internet" for a feature in the new "Girl Power" issue hitting newsstands November 15.

New smooth Suspension System

Bart Gysen, a researcher at Eindhoven University in the Netherlands made an active electromagnetic suspension system.Gysen's design is a simple one in appearance. Inside the suspension spring that keeps the car levitated is an aluminum cylinder containing high-powered magnets. The cylinder also acts as a passive suspension system as a safety backup. The active system uses only 75 watts of energy, about the amount needed to power a car's air conditioner. The cylinder also regenerates energy, using the bumps in the road to power itself. If Gysen, or an auto manufacturer, were willing to discard the passive portion of the system, the active suspension would power itself 100%.
There are three sensors on the front of the car that measure the wheels' movement in relation to the road and the body of the car. It takes only milliseconds for the information to be translated into a reactive force from the magnets. The result is a ride that cuts down on jolts by 60%.
That percentage would be even higher if the road and its undulations could be measured before they got to the wheels, perhaps with lasers that read the terrain in front of the car. Somehow, though, the system would have to know the material of the road, be it ice, pavement, wet leaves, or cream cheese. For now, Gysen is sticking with his trio of sensors.
An active suspension has other advantages in addition to comfort. Typically, a car taking a sharp turn (or even a dull one) has a weight shift from one side to the other. The two inner wheels end up taking the lion's share of the force and lose a percentage of their traction. This can result in a loss of control or worse, a tipping or flipping of the car. Gysen's system can keep the weight of the car evenly distributed over all four wheels, so that the vehicle remains parallel to the ground throughout a turn. "You can put the gravity back in the center of the car, and get a better grip on the road," says Gysen.

At the moment, the only prototype resides on the test vehicle, a BMW 530. While including the system on future vehicles might seem like a no-brain er, the automotive industry is currently guarding its coffers and is less than willing to lighten them for the research and development needed to put Gysen's invention on pavement.

Microsoft to Supplant the Messenger With Skype

Microsoft will phase out Windows Live Messenger, its consumer instant messaging platform, over the next several months as its users are moved to Skype, the company announced this week.

Microsoft hopes to smooth the transition to Skype for Live Messenger users by allowing them to log in to Skype with their Microsoft ID so that contacts in one program will automatically transfer to the other. funkyfriendzy.blogspot.in
The move to Skype will be beneficial to Live Messenger users, said Microsoft spokesperson Dani Reese. Bringing together Messenger and Skype contacts within Skype provides a richer and easier way for users to communicate and collaborate with those they care about the most.funkyfriendzy.blogspot.in

By moving to Skype, Live Messenger users will be able to avail themselves of a new set of robust features, such as the following:

• support for more devices;
• consolidation of functions -- video, land line and mobile calling -- into a single application;
• sharing of screens;
• video calling from mobile devices and through Facebook; and
• group video calling.             funkyfriendzy.blogspot.in                                 

Alia Bhatt second movie Confirmed!

Alia Bhatt

It has been confirmed that Alia Bhatt will play the lead in Karan Johar and Sajid Nadiadwala’s coproduction, 2 States. She will star opposite Arjun Kapoor, who recently made his debut in Ishaqzaade.
“Karan and Sajid have decided to rope in Alia. It is a big break for both the actors since two of India’s biggest production houses (Dharma Productions and Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment) are coming together for the first time. In fact, the final rounds of talks have already taken place,” says an insider close to Abhishek Verman, who makes his debut as a director with 2 States.
Abhishek has earlier worked as a creative director on Karan’s films like My Name Is Khan (2010) and Student Of The Year that, co-incidentally, had Alia as the female lead. “Karan, Sajid and Abhishek were looking for someone who could carry a girl-next-door look, yet was beautiful and had a charming personality. Alia fit the bill. Plus, she looks good with Arjun,” adds the insider.
The film, in all likelihood, will start shooting early next year after Arjun wraps up Atul Sabharwal’s Aurangzeb. “Karan and his team have been working closely with Alia to make sure she is completely into the character. And the final results have been stupendous,” adds the insider.
The film is based on author Chetan  Bhagat’s bestselling novel, 2 States. It is the love story of a girl from a Tamil family and a Punjabi boy, and the kind of obstacles they face before getting married. The film has been in the news for two years now. Sajid and Karan remained unavailable for comment.

Contact Lenses of the Future, 2020

? Low light and night time conversions.
? Facial recognition tracking.
? Thermal camera.
? Wireless connection to a computer device.
? Virtual reality.
? GPS locator.
? Cell phone.
? Weather forecasting.
? Internet.

Meanwhile, its focusing rings can allow the wearer to see much further than a person could normally.

Airless Bike Tires

A new system has been developed to eliminate the need of air in bike tires, while still preventing the common occurrence of punctures, tube replacements, even pressure checks. Designed by Colorado-based Brian Russell, this wheel uses rubber stretched over a series of carbon nano tube reinforced composite rods to provide its cushioning. these rods can be adjusted, changing the tension of the rubber to suit different types of terrain

Comparison of Smart Phones in OCTOBER 2012

An interesting comparison of major smart phones...Hardware-wise Apple is the last : But its first in the market.....isn't it a puzzle? Do we go too much by name rather than specs??

The secret behind the new iMac’s thinness-It’s all about the display

Apple (AAPL) unveiled a completely redesigned lineup of i Mac computers at its press event in San Francisco last week. In traditional fashion, the Cupertino-based company was able to cut the new i Mac size by 40%, making it the thinnest all-in-one PC in the world at just 5 millimeters thick. According to a recent report, the secret behind Apple’s new i Macs lies in the LCD display, which is 45% thinner than that of the previous generation.

“The i Mac display is really not getting the attention it deserves,” IHS analyst Vinita Jakhanwal told Wired. “If it’s anywhere close to OLED display thickness, that’s something really cool.”

In the past, OLED displays were known for being lighter and thinner than comparable LCD displays, however Apple seems to have found a way to change that. In a similar process that it uses for the new iPhone 5, Apple optically bonded the LCD panel to the glass and was able to remove the 2-millimeter air gap that was found in earlier models.

“Apple is using optical bonding (lamination) of the [LCD] panel to a sheet of strengthened cover glass,” said NPD Display Search analyst Paul Semenza. “This eliminates the air gap between the panel and the glass, which reduces overall thickness, and the optical bonding eliminates the reflections between the inside of the cover glass and the outside of the panel, which improves image quality.”

In addition to the thinner displays, Apple redesigned the i Mac’s case and used a process called friction stir welding (FSW) to bond the back and front plates together. The same process has previously been used on airplane wings, rocket booster tanks and various parts of space shuttles. Apple has licensed the unique manufacturing process from an independent U.K.-based research and technology company called TWI Ltd, and is the first consumer electronics company to do so.

AViiQ Portable Charging Station with Backup Battery

This is a multi functional portable charger that measures 11 x 5.125 x 1.75 inches and weights 1.55 lbs. As we can see from the images, all the accessories are placed in a premium case made of genuine leather along with a high quality zipper. Inside, there is an integrated charging station with four USB ports in order to charge up to four USB gadgets at the same time, while four detachable cable organizers prevent your cables from getting tangled. In addition to a detachable 15W wall charger, the charging station also features a built-in 5200mAh backup battery for charging on the go.

MonkeyLectric LED Wheel Light

The Monkey Light M210 is a rugged, practical, high performance bicycle light that keeps you visible in all weather conditions. The M210 straps to your spokes and displays brilliant patterns on your spinning bike wheel. Show your style with cutting edge themes designed by our electronic artists. The Monkey Light provides great front, rear and side visibility at any speed. It creates full color patterns on your spinning bike wheel at 15 to 65 km/h.