Peter's Quasi-Daily Blah-g

There’s “green energy” and then there’s truly GREEN energy, or rather, blue-green energy. A colorful colony of photosynthetic cyanobacteria, known as blue-green algae, have successfully powered a computer microprocessor for longer than six months, according to a study published Thursday in the journal Energy & Environmental Science.

The little bio-based battery-alternative could serve as a way to power small electronics without rare earth elements and lithium, materials in short supply and under growing demand, according to the study researchers. Plus, the system could also help bridge the electricity divide, providing another power supply for people in rural areas or low income countries, said senior author Chris Howe, a biochemist at Cambridge University, in a press statement.

During a pandemic lockdown, the algae-computer system was placed in a the window of scientist, Paolo Bombelli’s, home. It sat there from February to August 2021, and all the while it was working, according to reporting from New Scientist. In the additional months since Bombelli and his colleagues ended the first round of testing, the scientists say the algal device and computer have kept running. To which Gizmodo says: Way to go microbes!

Cyanobacteria harvest energy from sunlight and make it into food for themselves. For this study, the researchers put the power-providing microorganisms (specifically, Synechocystis sp.) into a plastic and steel enclosure, about the size of an AA battery, along with an aluminum anode.

Throughout the experiment, the connected microprocessor was programmed to do a bunch of a calculations, and then check its own work. It did this in 45 minute increments, followed by 15 minutes of standby, continuously for months with the cyanobacteria unit as its only power source.

The researchers offered two hypotheses for how their system created current. In the so-called “electrochemical” model, the microbes simply produced the right conditions for the aluminum anode to oxidize—or release electrons, which then create an electrical output. In the “bio-electrochemical” model, the cyanobacteria themselves generated electrons which transferred across bacterial membranes to the aluminum anode, making a current. Because the aluminum anode didn’t seem to degrade much over time, the scientists think the latter explanation is more likely than the former.

Even though the algae rely on a light source to feed, the bio-system continued to produce enough power to run the microprocessor in the dark. The scientists basically attributed this phenomenon to leftovers. When there was light, the cyanobacteria cooked up an over-abundance of food, and when it was dark the microorganisms kept munching on the extras.

The computer, a microprocessor called the Arm Cortex-M0+, drew an average 1.05 microwatts, and an electrical current of 1.4 microamps, with a voltage of 0.72 V from the cyano-cube over the course of the experiment. For comparison, a standard AA battery starts out its life with 1.5V, that lessens with usage.

Though the experiment’s results are promising, it’s important to keep in mind that the computer processor tested uses very little energy—requiring only 0.3 microwatts to run. For context, even an energy efficient, LED lightbulb uses about 10 watts. More research is needed to know exactly how much the tiny AA battery sized-device could scale up, Howe told New Scientist. “Putting one on your roof isn’t going to provide the power supply for your house at this stage.”

Lego has partnered with yet another popular franchise, recreating its IP with little plastic bricks. This time, it’s Transformers, the 1980s toy line of robots that change into vehicles and vice versa. The first set to emerge is none other than series hero Optimus Prime, leader of the good-guy Autobots. Incredibly, like the original toy, the Lego robot also transforms into the tractor half of a semi truck.

The Lego Optimus Prime is comprised of 1,508 pieces and stands 13.5 inches tall in robot form. Thankfully, it’s the original 1980s depiction rather than the needlessly complex version from the Michael Bay reboot movies. In robot mode, it has 19 points of articulation, which is probably more than what the original toy had.

In addition, Optimus comes with a ion blaster gun, an “energon” battle axe, and jetpack. It also comes with a (the?) Matrix, an orb that bestows leadership upon the holder according to series lore, and an energon cube, the glowing Clif Bars digested by the inhabitants of the Transformers universe.

In truck mode, the original Optimus was based on a Freightliner FL86. The Lego kit isn’t an exact match for it, but gets the COE form generally correct. In vehicle mode the Lego version measures 10.5 inches long. There’s no trailer like the original toy had, not even one you can buy separately. It’s probably just as well, because its appearance and disappearance in the cartoon was so nonsensical that fans have had to conjure an entire backstory to explain it.

Lego is certainly plumbing the depths of 1980s nostalgia, with kits for the Ghostbusters Ecto-1, and the Back to the Future DeLorean time machine comprising other recent releases. The Lego Optimus Prime will cost $169.99 when it goes on sale June 1.

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I don’t know about you, but my favorite demonstrations at the electronics store back in my childhood were the TVs up on the wall showcasing their picture-in-picture abilities. Being able to tune into two TV shows simultaneously on two different channels felt like such a futuristic idea. The dream of the ‘90s lives on in the next version of Google TV. The Android 13 Beta for TVs launched days before Google I/O kicked off this week. Google used the second day of its developer conference to offer more insight into what’s coming to Google TV and Android TV OS later this summer.

Picture-in-picture has been available on Android smartphones for many years, beginning with Android 8. Google is only now fully extending the ability to Android’s TV interface. Just like on an Android phone or tablet, you’ll be able to use two separate apps at the same time: one that takes up most of the screen, and a second one available in the corner. Google encourages developers to use its keep-clear API to avoid overlaying critical parts of the interface that you need to navigate the screen.

The speckling of other new features in the Android 13 Beta for TVs is mostly minor. For one, you’ll be able to use the Google TV app on your smartphone to start casting from a particular app, so you don’t have to even bother with the TV remote to find something to watch. The beta also includes a new API called AudioManager, which developers can implement so that devices like your Chromecast with Google TV or Android TV can identify different audio sources. It’s an extension of an existing API that Google added to the Android 13 Beta on phones, just as picture-in-picture is an extension of a smartphone-first feature.

If you often fall asleep with the TV on (that’s me every night!), Google has introduced a new API called MediaSession. Developers can implement this into their Google TV apps to better react to HDMI state changes. Once you turn off the TV (or it shuts off automatically after you’ve been zonked out too long), your Google TV-enabled device recognizes there’s no screen to cast to, so it shuts off, too.

For folks who rely on differing input methods to access their TVs, Android 13 Beta for TVs supports different keyboard layouts as part of the InputDevice API. Game developers can use this feature to swap between QWERTY and AZERTY keyboards. And for those with accessibility needs, Google TV will enable audio descriptions across apps and the interface.

These changes aren’t live in Google TV yet, but they are a glimpse at what’s to come later this year when the company finalizes the next version of Android.