Inhabitat’s Week in Green: biofuel, supersonic submarine and a 3D-printed home
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green.
Mobile technology continues to expand and evolve, but until we develop a way to charge our devices on the go, we'll continue to jockey for outlets at airports and coffee shops. Enter Angelo Casimiro, a 15-year-old who has developed a shoe that harnesses the power of footsteps to charge your phone. The youth of today continue to be at the forefront of renewable energy innovation; a 14-year-old named Gregory Martin recently made a major biofuel breakthrough with a technique that boosts the amount of lipids in algae by over 500 percent.
On the green transportation front, rumors are swirling that Ford and Hyundai are currently developing brand-new hybrid models that will compete with Toyota's top-selling Prius. Chinese scientists have drawn up plans for a supersonic submarine that could travel from Shanghai to San Francisco in just two hours. The submarine would be enveloped in an air bubble, thus cutting down on friction, enabling it to travel at a blistering 3,600MPH. An electrical engineer from Bangalore recently created a solar-powered tuk tuk, which he plans to drive from India to London to showcase the power of clean energy. School is now in session -- and to encourage students to have a green academic year, Inhabitat launched a contest where you can win a brand-new $574 Public Bike or one of three solar backpacks, worth $129 each!
The world's largest tidal energy project got an $83 million shot in the arm last week, as Atlantis Resources secured funding for a massive underwater energy plant off the coast of Scotland. Dubbed the MeyGen project, the tidal energy farm will produce enough juice to power 175,000 homes. In other clean energy news, scientists in India have figured out a way to generate energy from elements found in silk moth cocoons. And a Spanish design firm recently floated plans for an ambitious project that would create a vast hydroponic food belt spanning 1.5 million square miles of desert in the Arabian Peninsula.
It's said that 3D printing is the next frontier in architecture and design, and architect Adam Kushner is taking it to a whole new level by 3D printing an entire 2,400-square-foot home in Upstate New York. Kushner will use a large 3D printer that produces stone-like objects from sand or other materials mixed with a magnesium-based binder. In other green architecture news, Mexico-based Studio Cachoua Torres Camilletti recently designed a set of undulating skyscrapers that are topped with rice paddy terraces. The Australian design firm studio505 completed work on Phoenix Valley, a massive green-roofed arts complex that received China's highest sustainability rating. The Buckminster Fuller Institute announced its 20 semifinalists for the 2014 Buckminster Fuller Challenge, one of the world's top annual design contests, and Inhabitat rounded up some of its favorite entries. In wearable technology news Ralph Lauren launched a high-tech T-shirt that monitors its wearer's vitals, and a team of undergraduates invented a nail polish that detects date-rape drugs. And in sustainable food news, scientists have figured out a way to use yeast to create real cheese that is 100 percent vegan -- and they've just launched a fundraising campaign to bring it to market.
Article source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/08/31/inhabitats-week-in-green-biofuel-supersonic-submarine-and-a-3/?ncid=rss_truncated
Apple is reportedly teaming up with American Express on iPhone payments (update: MasterCard too)
Those longstanding rumors of Apple building a mobile payment service may be coming true sooner than you think. Recode's sources claim that the folks in Cupertino have struck a deal with American Express to work on an iPhone payment system, hot on the heels of The Information's report of a similar agreement with Visa. Details of the system aren't clear beyond a tie-in with the next iPhone (and likely your iTunes account), but Apple is supposedly ready to spill the beans at its September 9th event -- if the leak is accurate, you're going to get the full story pretty quickly.
We wouldn't bet on a launch when Apple is known to occasionally change its mind (or face delays) at the last minute. However, the payment tech would certainly make sense in light of many rumors that Apple is finally incorporating NFC into its devices. While you can use NFC for accessory pairing and local file transfers, it's more of a nice-to-have feature in those areas. It's more important when you're shopping, since tapping a payment terminal is typically easier and more secure than sending your banking details over Bluetooth or WiFi.
Update: Bloomberg says that there's also a deal in place with MasterCard.
[Image credit: The.Comedian, Flickr]
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Don’t forget to enter our Back to School 2014 sweepstakes!
Most college students are already settling into the fall semester, but it's not too late to nab some updated gear. Our Back to School 2014 guide has plenty of recommendations for laptops, tablets, accessories and more, and our giveaway rounds up some of our favorite tech for 15 lucky winners. Enter the raffle below for a chance to score a custom Timbuk2 bag packed with more than $3,000 worth of goodies. One raffle winner will be selected from each of 15 eligible posts -- to see the complete list, go here. Entries will close at 11:59PM ET on September 13th, so get to it!
Article source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/08/31/dont-forget-bts-giveaway/?ncid=rss_truncated
Homemade exoskeleton lets a man lift big cinder blocks with ease
Think you need the budget of the military or a megacorporation to make an exoskeleton for heavy lifting? Nope -- all you need is some standard parts and the know-how to put them together. James Hobson (aka The Hacksmith) has finished a homemade robotic suit whose pneumatic cylinders let him curl 171.5 pounds' worth of cinder blocks with relative ease. While it's not the most sophisticated setup, it's only running at half pressure and could potentially double the load with a compressor upgrade. There's a work log at the source link if you're eager to see how this project came to be. With that said, you'll want to be cautious about trying this yourself -- there aren't any leg supports so far, and those blocks aren't exactly harmless. If you're like me, you'll probably feel safer watching Hobson's demo video below.
Article source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/08/31/homemade-weightlifting-exoskeleton/?ncid=rss_truncated
Oregon Scientific BAR218HG
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Scientists discover why mozzarella is the ideal pizza cheese
Pizza is essentially the perfect food. Well, so long as you aren't lactose intolerant or have problems with gluten. We realize that those are pretty big caveats, but stay with us for a second -- it'll be worth it: NPR spotted a study of why different cheeses diverge in looks and taste when baked. Seriously. In a paper called "Quantification of Pizza Baking Properties of Different Cheeses, and Their Correlation with Cheese Functionality," researchers found that, among other things, the reason why mozzarella is so unique of a topping has to do with the way it's prepared. The cheese bubbles and browns because of its inherent elasticity due to stretching. In contrast, cheddar isn't as ideal because it isn't very elastic, thus it doesn't bubble as well. The same apparently goes for Edam and Gruyere, too.
Lest you think this paper was just an excuse for the scientists to eat lots of pizza (maybe it was), they claim that by understanding why foods behave in certain ways, they could unlock the knowledge needed to hack our grub. For example, developing a cheese that's healthier for us and that tastes just as good as the stuff likely to cause debilitating heart conditions could come from this. Pizza that's actually good for you? That's something we can get behind.
[Image credit: AFP/Getty Images]
Article source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/08/30/mozzarella-pizza-cheese/?ncid=rss_truncated
Feedback Loop: UI annoyances, remotes and speed-reading apps!
Happy Saturday! Welcome to another edition of Feedback Loop! This week we're talking about those minor user interface quirks that just really grind our gears. Once you're done letting the hate flow, find out whether or not speed-reading apps are worth your time and let people know if you actually use your smartphone as a remote. So get comfy and grab some coffee. Then tell us what works for you and get some advice from fellow readers.
What seemingly small UI design flaws bother you the most?
TgD is giving Windows Phone 8.1 a trial run and, while he's been enjoying it, he has one major annoyance: the messaging interface. He finds the placement of the send button "brutal," causing frequent interaction issues. It's driving him up a wall, and he's wondering if anyone else has hang-ups with the apps they use on a regular basis.
Have you replaced your remotes with a smartphone?
First Logitech started rolling out the Hub; then Samsung and HTC started bundling IR blasters into their phones. Now even Roku and Microsoft's Xbox team are making dedicated remote experiences. But here's the thing, I'm just not getting the point of it all. Losing physical buttons is my biggest concern. I feel like I'll always be looking down at my phone or tablet. I'm curious to know if anyone has given up their physical remote in favor of a virtual one. And if so, how is it working out?
How would you fix Swarm/Foursquare?
Kris has been a longtime user of Foursquare, and she's seriously annoyed with the recent unbundling of check-ins. She's expressed her own frustrations, but is looking to hear what others think. If you've made the move, what does Foursquare need to do keep you from jumping ship to Yelp!?
Are speed-reading apps all they're cracked up to be?
Everyone is making speed-reading apps. (Guess they're the new weather widget or to-do list.) They claim to improve memory retention and, of course, leave you with more free time. But, the question is, do they really work? We're curious to know if you've given any of them a shot and whether or not you've liked the experience.
Other discussions you may also like:
That's all this week! Want to talk about your favorite gadget or have a burning question about technology? Register for an Engadget account today, visit the Engadget forums and start a new discussion.
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Openmix: a tiny mobile accessory that lets you play pretend DJ
This teeny-tiny device called Openmix might be the solution you need for those times when you're raring to be the DJ of the party, but another aspiring disc jockey just won't back down (ugh!). It lets you mix tunes from several devices at once (whether it's an iPhone, an Android phone or tablet, a random media player or a laptop) and blast them out loud in real time by connecting speakers through one of its ports. Its tiny size has probably cued you in on its simplicity -- it can only really fade tracks for seamless transition. But, you can connect it to a device loaded with a third-party DJ app to add extra sound effects, if you're seriously into it. Since Openmix is a Kickstarter project, there's a chance you'll never actually see one. If you want take a chance, though, you'll have to pledge at least $29 to get a unit if it does come out in January 2015.
Article source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/08/30/openmix-kickstarter/?ncid=rss_truncated
Flaw lets hackers break your WiFi router’s security with one guess
Typically, attacks against your WiFi router require a lengthy attempt to guess any codes and passwords. Not if you use 0xcite's new technique, however; the research firm has detailed a flaw in some router chipsets that lets hackers bypass the push-button security of WiFi Protected Setup (WPS) almost instantly. Instead of trying to guess a hotspot's PIN code, which can take hours, you simply take a single shot based on a series of offline calculations. Once you're ready to attack, it takes roughly "one second" to get in.
The vulnerability isn't present in every router, but 0xcite believes that it's in relatively common chipsets from both Broadcom and another, unnamed company that's scrambling to implement a fix. The Wi-Fi Alliance, for its part, tells Ars Technica that the flaw likely stems from how companies implement wireless networking, rather than anything inherent to how the technology works. Whatever the root cause may be, the easiest way to protect against this exploit right now is to turn WPS off -- not a big problem if you're comfortable with a router setup page, but probably more of a hassle than you'd like.
Article source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/08/31/wifi-protected-setup-flaw/?ncid=rss_truncated