Monthly Archives: September 2013

Can aquaponics feed the German Capital? | Smart Planet

Posted on September 29, 2013 by wbaltzley

BERLIN — At the furthest end of a century-old beer brewery yard in Berlin, a shipping container with a greenhouse on top hums with the gentle sound of pumping water. Inside the container are two large vats and a fish … Continue reading →

Posted in Aquaponics | Comments Off on Can aquaponics feed the German Capital? | Smart Planet

CONCEPT: Plasmonic Solar Cells | Kurzweil AI

Posted on September 12, 2013 by wbaltzley

[+]Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania have demonstrated a new mechanism for extracting energy from light, a finding that could improve technologies for generating electricity from solar energy and lead to more efficient optoelectronic devices used in communications. The research centers on … Continue reading →

Posted in Solar | Comments Off on CONCEPT: Plasmonic Solar Cells | Kurzweil AI

Designing amazingly strong materials from the bottom up | Kurzweil AI

Posted on September 12, 2013 by wbaltzley

Why do the lightweight skeletons of organisms such as sea sponges display a strength that far exceeds that of man-made products constructed from similar materials? Scientists have long suspected that the difference has to do with the hierarchical architecture of … Continue reading →

Posted in Super Materials | Comments Off on Designing amazingly strong materials from the bottom up | Kurzweil AI

My Response to “The 21st Century Population Crash” | Walter I Baltzley

Posted on September 4, 2013 by wbaltzley

Smart Planet recently published an article titled “The 21st Century Population Crash” by Chris Nelder.  In it he paints a doomsday scenario in which “peak oil” causes drastic shortages, resulting in a catastrophic decline in population by 2050.  In good … Continue reading →

Posted in DEBATE | 1 Comment

Improved thermoelectric materials may give a push to Moore’s law | Kurzweil AI

Posted on September 3, 2013 by wbaltzley

Heat build up in computer chips is a key factor leading to progress in chips hitting the “power wall” — blocking  increases in chip speed and slowing down the doubling of chip-transistor density (Moore’s law). One solution is thermoelectric materials, … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy Harvesting | Comments Off on Improved thermoelectric materials may give a push to Moore’s law | Kurzweil AI