For everything from family to computers…
As you stretch a rubber band, it heats up. But as it cools down it actually loses some of the energy it stored when it was stretched. That means the longer a slingshot is left loaded, the less powerful it becomes. Unless you’re Joerg Sprave, the internet’s resident master of slingshot design, who discovered that simply reheating a stretched elastic band can restore up to 40 percent of its original powuh. More »
from Gizmodo
Krispy Kreme (of all companies) created a similar kind of sandal as part of a promotion a few years ago, but Kusa’s grass flip flops have two distinct differences. They’re made with artificial turf, and you can actually buy them. More »
from Gizmodo
Until now, there hasn’t been an all-electric car fit for road-tripping. But Tesla’s Model S, due out late in 2012, is made for extended drives. Its battery goes up to 300 miles on a charge. Its cabin is spacious enough for seven passengers. And it can get up to cruising speed fast-the Model S accelerates from 0 to 60 in 5.6 seconds.
At 85 kilowatt-hours, the Model S boasts more than triple the battery capacity of the Nissan Leaf. Its thousands of lithium-ion cells use a new electrode chemistry from Panasonic, which could allow them to store more power than other comparably sized cells.
Tesla plans to install proprietary 440-volt charging stations (first along the I-5 Corridor between Los Angeles and San Francisco) built to match up with the Model S’s circuitry. They will provide a full charge in an hour. Standard chargers will require a full night.
To protect the motor, circuitry and battery from heat, channels filled with liquid coolant run through the components. Pumps cycle coolant through a front radiator and a pair of A/C condensers. This helps the motor deliver twice the power of its Roadster predecessor.
To increase the sedan’s range, the designers of the Model S kept its weight low with a body constructed from 97 percent aluminum. They added heavier structural steel only where necessary for safety: in central supports and front-end crash zones.
The Model S’s batteries sit beneath the floor in a large flat pack that spreads the width of the car and about two thirds of its length. This arrangement leaves ample space in the trunk for cargo or two backward-facing jump seats. The main interior holds five adults.
Top Speed:130 mph
Range: 300 miles
Seats: Five adults, two children
Price: $77,400
from Popular Science – New Technology, Science News, The Future Now
Just a few days after announcing that production of its Model B Linux computer is underway, Raspberry Pi has now unveiled a preview of what its single board device can do when combined with AirPlay. In a video published this week, a Raspberry Pi developer demonstrated how to stream content from an iPad to the ARM-based Model B, using only an HDMI-equipped TV and an AirPlay app. It’s as seamless as dancing cows are beautiful. Still no word yet on when this $35 will begin shipping, but in the meantime, be sure to check out the demo video, after the break.
Continue reading Raspberry Pi demos Model B computer’s AirPlay capabilities (video)
from Engadget
Continue reading BASF, Philips team up to create transparent OLED car roof
from Engadget
You might’ve noticed that the other Mat and I talk a lot about coffee and coffee gear, and occasionally we say some things that sound crazy, like the French Press is the most brutal “French” invention since the guillotine, or that we’d sooner drink water from a muddy elephant footprint pressed into a swamp fed by nightsoil runoff than anything that comes out of a Keurig. We’re not trying to be jerks, really. Honest. Mostly. More »
from Gizmodo
