“Engineers at Oregon State University have discovered a way for the first time to create successful “CIGS” solar devices with inkjet printing, in work that reduces raw material waste by 90 percent and will significantly lower the cost of producing solar energy cells with some very promising compounds.” via Science Daily

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via It’s Okay To Be Smart</ … Read More → "Inkjet printing could change the face of the solar energy industry"

“Canadian-based company UrtheCast has announced a project intended to let a wider audience view the earth from space. A pair of cameras will be installed on the International Space Station, recording videos and imagery of the planet. The project’s aim is to create an internet-based video streaming platform, thus allowing for online viewing of the footage being recorded in space. It’s “the world’s first and only near real time high definition video from space,” according to UrtheCast’s website.” via Gizmag

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“What if your pajamas could tell you how well you slept? That’s the dream of startup Nyx Devices, which has developed a nightshirt embedded with fabric electronics to monitor the wearer’s breathing patterns. A small chip worn in a pocket of the shirt processes that data to determine the phase of sleep, such as REM sleep (when we dream), light sleep, or deep sleep.” via technology review

… Read More → "These pajamas will monitor how well you sleep at night"

Sure, this book does technically encourage kids to play around with hydrogen sulfide, but it does at least include warnings only to do so outdoors, and to be careful not to breathe in the fumes. This book is out of print and difficult to find, but now, thanks to the internet, you check out the complete contents online here.

via Boing Boing 

Read More → "The Golden Book of Chemistry Experiments, available online"

Markus Kayser’s Solar Sinter Project is a 3D printer powered by the sun and it uses the sand as the medium to create the objects it prints.

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“The heat given off by electronics, automobile engines, factories and other sources is a potentially huge source of energy, and various technologies are being developed in order to capture that heat, and then convert it into electricity. Thanks to an alloy that was recently developed at the University of Minnesota, however, a step in that process could be saved – the new material is able to convert heat directly into electricity.” via Gizmag

Read more here</ … Read More → "New alloy converts heat directly into electricity"

“With young students and professionals in mind, the Float compact folding solar catamaran was designed to be an affordable, portable weekend water vessel. The craft is powered via the retractable solar cell roof that can be adjusted for maximum sun exposure or as a sun screen. Users steer the catamaran with a simple gyroscopic handle while they lean back and enjoy a comfy mesh hammock designed to recreate the feeling of lying on the sand. Best of all, the craft collapses to fit into a standard rooftop car carrier.” via … Read More → "Folding solar catamaran"

… Read More → "Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson thinks The Onion deserves a Pulitzer"

“Robots, nanotechnology and other manufacturing of the future can reposition the U.S. as a global technology leader and revitalize the nation’s flagging economy, President Obama said Friday morning. In a visit to Carnegie Mellon University, Obama announced a $500 million investment in advanced technologies, including $70 million for a national robotics initiative.” via PopSci

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I really love these. Andrea Petrachi has created a series of “cyber sculptures” using discarded electronics, gadgets and toys. via Technabob and Geekosystem

See more of Andrea’s work here

Read More → "Creepy, awesome toys made from recycled electronics"