Beachcombing's Bizarre History Blog
The outlandish, the anomalous and the curious from the last five thousand years
29 Dec 2013
27 Dec 2013
Heiwa Motorcycle of Japan
Heiwa Motorcycle of Japan: The Mooneyes show is a Mecca for the custom scene in Japan. Held every year in Yokohama, it attracts fans and builders from all over the world. A few days ago, one of the stars of the 22nd show was Heiwa Motorcycle, the Hiroshima-based workshop that’s been building low-key, beautifully finished street bikes since 2005.
Heiwa are normally masters of understatement, but for their show entry, they pulled out all the stops. ‘T20 Derringer 200’ wowed the judges and took home the ‘Best Motorcycle – Europe’ trophy.
Heiwa are normally masters of understatement, but for their show entry, they pulled out all the stops. ‘T20 Derringer 200’ wowed the judges and took home the ‘Best Motorcycle – Europe’ trophy.
26 Dec 2013
New nano-material could boost solar panel efficiency as high as 80% | ExtremeTech
New nano-material could boost solar panel efficiency as high as 80% | ExtremeTech: Conventional solar cells based on photovoltaic technology have come a long way in recent years, but they’re still missing a big chunk of the electromagnetic spectrum. The silicon semiconductors in a solar cell are geared toward taking infrared light and converting it directly to electricity. Meanwhile, the visible spectrum is lost as heat and longer wavelengths pass through unexploited. A new nano-material being developed by a group of researchers spread across the country could act as a “thermal emitter,” making solar power significantly more efficient by scooping up more of that wasted energy.
Is this giant crystal ball the future of solar energy? - The Week
Is this giant crystal ball the future of solar energy? - The Week: t hasn't been easy to make solar energy competitive with traditional forms of energy. After all, solar panels can't turn all of the light that hits them into useable energy.
Currently, the best sunlight conversion rate is around 21.5 percent in commercial products, although scientists have already developed a solar cell with 44.7 percent efficiency, and some projects in the pipeline are aiming for conversion rates as high as 80 percent.
Currently, the best sunlight conversion rate is around 21.5 percent in commercial products, although scientists have already developed a solar cell with 44.7 percent efficiency, and some projects in the pipeline are aiming for conversion rates as high as 80 percent.
Computer scientist developing intersections of the future with fully autonomous vehicles
Computer scientist developing intersections of the future with fully autonomous vehicles: ntersections of the future will not need stop lights or stop signs, but will look like a somewhat chaotic flow of driverless, autonomous cars slipping past one another as they are managed by a virtual traffic controller, says computer scientist Peter Stone.
"A future where sitting in the backseat of the car reading our newspaper while it drives us effortlessly through city streets and intersections is not that far away," says Stone, a professor of computer science at The University of Texas at Austin.
Stone's research focuses on creating artificially intelligent (AI) computing systems, and he is developing some of the systems that are needed to make autonomous driving a reality.
For example, Stone and his students created an autonomous car, named Marvin, in cooperation with Austin Robot Technology that competed in the 2007 DARPA Urban Challenge competition.
This week, Stone presents his research on autonomous intersection management at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) annual meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia.
"Computers can already fly a passenger jet much like a trained human pilot, but people still face the dangerous task of driving automobiles," he says.
"A future where sitting in the backseat of the car reading our newspaper while it drives us effortlessly through city streets and intersections is not that far away," says Stone, a professor of computer science at The University of Texas at Austin.
Stone's research focuses on creating artificially intelligent (AI) computing systems, and he is developing some of the systems that are needed to make autonomous driving a reality.
For example, Stone and his students created an autonomous car, named Marvin, in cooperation with Austin Robot Technology that competed in the 2007 DARPA Urban Challenge competition.
This week, Stone presents his research on autonomous intersection management at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) annual meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia.
"Computers can already fly a passenger jet much like a trained human pilot, but people still face the dangerous task of driving automobiles," he says.
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