Transparent material developed that’s twice as strong as Kevlar, infinitely weirder
October 29, 2010 No Comment
Scientists in Israel have developed a transparent material with “the hardest organic nanostructure known to man,” according to Discovery News . Based on artificial proteins similar to (and simpler than) the beta-amlyoid proteins that have been linked to Alzheimer’s disease, and covered with transparent nanospheres, the new material is very, very strong: in order to cut it, a diamond-tipped probe would have to apply twice the pressure it would take to cut Kevlar . Researchers see it being used for anything from bulletproof armor to reinforced steel — but don’t throw out your old body armor yet! It could be years (if not decades) before this comes to market. Transparent material developed that’s twice as strong as Kevlar, infinitely weirder originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Oct 2010 15:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …
Photo: Rosalind Jackson, Vote Solar The World Series & Prop 23: Giants vs. Rangers, CA vs. Texas Oil? This year’s World Series, as you’re likely aware, features a showdown between the San Francisco Giants and the Texas Rangers. It’s an interesting matchup — neither team has made it this far in years, and the Rangers never have. The last time the Giants won a World Series was over 50 years ago — before they moved to SF from New York. But there’s another reason folks are excited about the series: Clean energy activists have honed in the event to draw a parallel between Texas-based oil c… Read the full story on TreeHugger
Continue reading …
Authorities on three continents are investigating whether suspicious packages shipped to the United States aboard cargo planes could be part of a terrorist plot. (Oct. 29)
Continue reading …Osama bin Laden is doing his part for the midterm election.
Continue reading …This is kind of surprising: Hispanics are growing more divided about how they view illegal immigration, and native-born Hispanics aren’t as convinced of the contributions of illegal immigrants as they used to be, according to a study released Thursday. Hispanics are split when asked to assess the effect of illegal immigration on Hispanics living in the United States: 29% say it has had a positive impact, 31% negative and 30% believe it made no difference, according to the study by the non-partisan Pew Hispanic Center. That is a sharp decline from a 2007 survey, when 50% of Hispanics said illegal immigrants were having a positive impact. If anyone was counting on this issue to help swing Hispanics to Democrats they may have miscalculated. It could be backfiring on them.
Continue reading …
AP Television has obtained exclusive access to dramatic video of the moment the tsunami struck Indonesia, filmed by a Chilean surfer who was on North Pagai in the Mentawai island chain on Monday when the wall of water slammed ashore. (Oct. 29)
Continue reading …New York’s Fresh Bodegas Program Brings Farmers’ Market Produce to Inner City Food Desert
October 29, 2010 No Comment
In wealthier NYC neighborhoods, bodegas often stock a wide range of healthy produce, but in poorer areas your options are generally limited to four food groups: Sugary, highly processed, alcohol and tobacco. Photo: Paul Lowry / Creative Commons . The phenomenon of healthy food deserts existing in America’s poor communities is well documented. In New York City, Grow… Read the full story on TreeHugger
Continue reading …Sony earnings call entertains PlayStation Phone, reveals tablets are on the radar
October 29, 2010 No Comment
Earnings calls aren’t usually that interesting, and that’s doubly true when trying to listen via official translators. Still, we couldn’t help but give an ear to Sony’s fiscals, and sure enough, someone asked about our ( still real ) PlayStation Phone leak . We’re not sure who answered since it’s through interpreter, either Executive VP / CFO Masaru Kato or Senior General Manager of Investor Relations Division Gen Tsuchikawa (we’re assuming the former). Citing the aforementioned device, the curious party asked if such a product would come out of Sony or of Sony Ericsson, and no, it wasn’t a complete denial. Instead, we’re told just how such a device would happen, that a gaming phone would be planned and prototyped under the ( recently restructured ) Network Services umbrella. We’re also told how SCE’s move to Sony City headquarters now puts them closer to the planning and engineering group, meaning the company “can better incorporate all these capabilities better… so when the timing is right we can probably announce to you the new product we have.” Ericsson is later cited as a resource “on smartphone and for the games devices,” although this might be something peculiar with translation. Again, that’s far from a confirmation, but they’re certainly entertaining the notion in a very, very detailed response. But that’s not all; there’s also apparently a tablet brewing in the background, one that would obviously fall somewhere in between PC and Sony Ericsson’s efforts. There isn’t much else said, but if you’re up for psychoanalyzing executive commentary, we’ve transcribed and placed the full quote after the break. Continue reading Sony earnings call entertains PlayStation Phone, reveals tablets are on the radar Sony earnings call entertains PlayStation Phone, reveals tablets are on the radar originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Oct 2010 14:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Verizon’s new rebate form shows two Droid 2 Globals, Samsung Continuum, and more
October 29, 2010 No Comment
Carrier rebate forms have a fun tendency to reveal unannounced hardware, since they cover several upcoming weeks when they’re published — and Verizon’s latest for the month of November is a particularly juicy one. Here’s what we’ve got: There are two SKUs listed for the Droid 2 Global , but only one for the Droid Pro , leading us to wonder whether it’ll actually be the Global that’s getting a cameraless version . Speaking of Motorola, the WX445 Citrus is in the mix for the first time. The Pre 2 is in the system with a $100 rebate. There are two new SKUs for the Bold 9650 , possibly indicating the release of new versions with BlackBerry 6 pre-installed. The LG Cosmos Touch is in here, which we imagine will be a touchscreen successor to the Cosmos . There’s a Samsung Zeal listed with a $50 rebate, but we’re not sure what it is — we know that Sammy has a number of Android phones in the pipe for Verizon, and we suppose this could be one of ‘em (likely low-end considering it’s not a $100 rebate). More interestingly, the Samsung Continuum is in here, suggesting that the November 8 event could be for this dual-screened (and Galaxy S-branded) beast. $100 rebate here. Of course, November is a time when retailers of all types and sizes bring out new products in time for the holidays, so we’re not surprised to see the mother lode here. Who’s excited? Verizon’s new rebate form shows two Droid 2 Globals, Samsung Continuum, and more originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Oct 2010 13:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …
The AP’s Jason Bronis takes a look at what happens with a bank foreclosure on an elderly homeowner. Georgia homeowner Patricia Fuller is fighting her foreclosure claiming that the bank violated a homeowner’s assistance agreement. (Oct. 29)
Continue reading …