NASA researchers focusing on the difficulties of traveling into deep space have identified an unusual source for fuel that astronauts will be carrying with them anyway: trash. Scientists say there is a good chance that food wrappers, used clothing, scraps, tape, packaging and other garbage accumulated by a crew of four astronauts flying beyond low Earth orbit can be turned into valuable methane gas, oxygen and even water using processes and much smaller versions of devices that are already doing the same thing on Earth.
From Lifehacker: DIY Cryogenic Fluid Made from Dry Ice and Rubbing Alcohol Performs Most Liquid Nitrogen Demonstrations
If you’re a science hobbyist you probably don’t have access to actual liquid nitrogen (-320 degrees Fahrenheit) but you can make your own cryo-fluid from dry ice and rubbing alcohol that goes down to -110 degrees Fahrenheit, enough to instantly freeze flowers, cherries, and other popular liquid nitrogen demonstrations. More » 
from Lifehacker
From Coolest Gadgets: Hyundai Connectivity Concept turns smartphones into car keys
Now here is a novel idea – since “there is an app for everythingâ€, why not expand that horizon with the Hyundai Connectivity Concept? Imagine your smartphone doubling up as your vehicle’s key, now what would make one less thing to remember to bring with you wherever you go, don’t you think so? After all, vehicle manufacturers have been moving in a direction where content from your smartphone is being sent to your vehicle, and with a smartphone, you are able to access navigation, music, text messaging and other phone functions from the driver and/or passenger seat. With the Hyundai Connectivity Concept, the South Korean vehicle manufacturer intends to bring things up by another level, allowing you to transfer all of the phone’s content to the car’s touchscreen display wirelessly and throwing in other wireless functions to boot.
Hyundai has named it the Connectivity Concept, being a “technology study†and has a dream of it reaching production within the next three years. In fact, Hyundai has already equipped the conceptual system on a New Generation i30 as part of its demonstration purposes. The Connectivity Concept hardware will kick off before you even enter the car. Instead of a hard or electronic key, the Hyundai Connectivity Concept will rely on near-field communications (NFC) to pop the locks of the vehicle open, all you need to do is place the smartphone over an NFC tag on the door, and be prepared to enter.
When you have planted your rear end on the comfortable seat, the smartphone can then slide into a wireless dock that is located in the center console, where the entire slew of its content, ranging from music to phone contacts, and profile settings among others are then streamed to the car’s 7-inch touchscreen. The car’s infotainment system will resemble the look and function of the phone’s touchscreen, and a wireless charger is also thrown into the mix. This technology is expected to be commercialized in 2015.
[ Hyundai Connectivity Concept turns smartphones into car keys copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
from Coolest Gadgets
From Gizmodo: Oh God, Here Come the Private Security Drones
It was inevitable. Drones are in ever-wider use by the military, and some day they might deliver you food, but it looks like they’ll also be the private, flying-camera spies for private companies too. That’s what Japanese security company Secom is banking on with its new private security quadrotor. More » 
from Gizmodo
From Reviews Tom’s Hardware: ARM Vs. x86: The Secret Behind Intel Atom’s Efficiency
Intel recently shared very granular power measurements of its Atom SoC and Nvidia’s Tegra 3. If you previously believed ARM’s architecture to be inherently more efficient, perhaps you underestimated the benefit of Intel’s manufacturing and architecture.
From Autoblog: Report: Suzuki demand in US rises after bankruptcy
Filed under: Car Buying, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Suzuki
Following word that Suzuki is ceasing car sales in America, it appears that demand for the Japanese automaker’s wares have increased. According to The Detroit News, American Suzuki Motor Corp. will import an additional 2,500 vehicles to quench demand that has jumped since the company announced that it was filing for bankruptcy and ending sales in America.
Dealers recently informed their sales personnel that no more vehicles would be produced and that this was the final push. With heavy incentives and a seven-year warranty as value-adds, November sales for Suzuki rose in November some 22 percent, up to 2,224 vehicles. December sales also rose, but neither month’s gains outweigh the long-term losses for the automaker. While Suzuki will sell roughly 22,000 cars this year in the US, it was selling about 120,000 annually before 2008.
As it stands, Suzuki will sell off the rest of its vehicle inventory, including the 2,500 additional units, and dealers will continue to provide parts an warranty work. With all of this negative news for the automaker, it’s impressive to see an interest in Suzuki vehicles even with the imminent shuttering of its North American car sales.
Suzuki demand in US rises after bankruptcy originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 26 Dec 2012 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments
from Autoblog
From Autoblog: Report: New Vancouver bridge closed because design causes “ice bombs” to rain down on cars [w/video]
Filed under: Etc., Safety, Canada
Spanning 10 lanes of traffic, the Port Mann Bridge (shown in the rendering above) just outside of Vancouver, Canada is currently the widest bridge in the world. Unfortunately, it might also hold a new record for the shortest period of time a new bridge has remained open.
The cable-stayed bridge just opened to full traffic earlier this month, but on Wednesday it was shut down due to massive chunks of ice falling from the cables and striking vehicles, which sent at least two people to the hospital. According to CBC News, the bridge has since reopened to traffic, but apparently nothing has been done about the falling ice as the Vancouver area is slammed with a severe winter storm.
Construction of the bridge began back in 2009 at a cost of more than $3 billion, but it isn’t clear if any changes are needed to prevent this sort of damage from happening in the future. Images of vehicles posted on The Province show damage that ranges from shattered windows and windshields to some pretty intense body damage. Scroll down to watch a news report from CBC News as well as a time-lapse video of the bridge’s construction from August 2009 through January 2012.
New Vancouver bridge closed because design causes “ice bombs” to rain down on cars [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 22 Dec 2012 10:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments
from Autoblog