Old laptop batteries could power slums, IBM says
An IBM study analysed a sample of
discarded batteries and found 70% had
enough power to keep an LED light on
more than four hours a day for a year.
Researchers said using discarded batteries
is cheaper than existing power options, and
also helps deal with the mounting e-waste
problem.
The concept was trialled in the Indian city
of Bangalore this year.
The adapted power packs are expected to
prove popular with street vendors, who
are not on the electric grid, as well as
poor families living in slums.
The research, which comes from IBM's
India-based research team, will be
discussed at a conference in San Jose,
California, according to Technology
Review from the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology.
Cheap
The IBM team created what they called an
UrJar - a device that uses lithium-ion cells
from the old batteries to power low-
energy DC devices, such as a light.
The researchers are aiming to help the
approximately 400 million people in India
who are off grid.
The UrJar uses lithium-ion cells from the
old batteries to power low-energy DC
devices
Options such as solar power are
considerably more expensive and
logistically more cumbersome at the
moment.
If the UrJar, which would last a year, is
made in sufficiently large volume,
researchers estimate the price per unit at
just 600 rupees (about £7).
They conclude: "UrJar has the potential to
channel e-waste towards the alleviation of
energy poverty, thus simultaneously
providing a sustainable solution for both
problems."
Feedback from the trial was positive, the
team said. Among the improvements
suggested by users was a call for rat-
resistant wires.
Urgent
E-waste is a major problem, particularly in
the developing world, where the majority
of the West's unwanted technology ends
up.
IBM's research said 142,000 computers
are thrown away in the US daily - around
50 million a year.
India's predicament is particularly urgent.
Not only does the country receive a lot of
e-waste from other countries, but with a
booming IT market it is also generating
huge amounts of its own - around 32
tonnes a day, according to one
estimate.
Computer Aid, a UK-based charity that
redistributes unwanted old technology,
welcomed the initiative.
"We think that this is an excellent initiative
as it is in line with our practice of reusing
and refurbishing rather than recycling,"
said Keith Sonnet, its chief executive.
"Refurbishing has definitely a more positive
impact on the environment and we should
encourage more companies to adopt this
practice."
On 12/7/14, ogunlowo joseph <ogunlowojoseph@gmail.com> wrote:
> Gangnam Style hit music video by
> South Korean singer, PSY, has exceeded
> YouTube's view limit, prompting
> YouTube to upgrade its counter.
> The video which was released in 2012,
> was announced to be its most watched
> ever and has been viewed more than
> 2,147,483,647 times. YouTube has now
> changed the maximum view limit to
> 9,223,372,036,854,775,808, or more
> than nine quintillion.
> On December 1, YouTube posted a
> statement saying: "We never thought a
> video would be watched in numbers
> greater than a 32-bit integer… but
> that was before we met Psy."
> Meanwhile, how do you say
> 9,223,372,036,854,775,808? That's
> over a quadrillion, over a trillion, and
> over a billion.
>
>
> On 12/4/14, Joseph Ogunlowo <ogunlowojoseph@gmail.com> wrote:
>> Kim K has been named the "Most Searched
>> Person of 2014″, beating last year's winner,
>> Beyonce. 2014 was definitely the year of the 34
>> year old reality star with buzz-worthy events like
>> her wedding to Kanye, her Vogue cover and
>> most recently her 'break the internet' naked pics
>> for Paper magazine.
>> Beyonce comes second, while Miley Cyrus and
>> Katy Perry come 3rd and 4th respectively. See
>> the top ten most searched personalities of 2014
>> after the cut...
>> 1. Kim Kardashian
>> 2. Beyonce Knowles
>> 3. Miley Cyrus
>> 4. Katy Perry
>> 5. Justin Bieber
>> 6. Joan Rivers
>> 7. Jennifer Lopez
>> 8. Kendall Jenner
>> 9. Kaley Cuoco
>> 10. Robin Williams
>
>
>> On 12/3/14, Joseph Ogunlowo <ogunlowojoseph@gmail.com> wrote:
>>> At the Pioneers Festival in Vienna, a
>>> Slovakian startup called AeroMobil unveiled
>>> the thing that we have all been dreaming
>>> about since we saw that first episode of the
>>> Jetsons while still wearing diapers: The first
>>> flying car. It's here. It's real. And it's
>>> spectacular.
>>> According to Venturebeat, the company
>>> took the wraps off AeroMobil 3.0, the latest
>>> iteration of its flying car that has been in
>>> development for almost 25 years.
>>> "We believe personal transportation is about
>>> to change forever," said AeroMobil chief
>>> executive Juraj Vaculik at a press
>>> conference. "We think it's time to make
>>> transportation more emotional and more
>>> personal."
>>> The car was designed by Stefan Klein,
>>> founder and head of the Department of
>>> Transport Design at the Academy of Fine
>>> Arts in Slovakia. Klein had been tinkering
>>> with the concept as far back as 1989.
>>> Image
>>> The car needs very little runway to take off,
>>> and it can be refueled at any standard gas
>>> station when the wings are retracted.
>>> AeroMobil believes it will be attractive for
>>> countries that don't have billions of dollars
>>> to spend building a modern transportation
>>> infrastructure.
>>> The body is built from advanced composite
>>> materials that keep it lightweight but also
>>> durable. Under the hood, it has autopilot
>>> and an advanced parachute deployment
>>> system. The cockpit can carry two people,
>>> and in the air the flying car can reach top
>>> speeds of 200 km/h. It has a 27-foot
>>> wingspan and is 19.7 feet long.
>>> No word on the price tag.
>
>>> On 12/3/14, ogunlowo joseph <ogunlowojoseph@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>> According to reports Angelina Jolie's black
>>>> SUV car slipped on a wet road, slid into the
>>>> curb with extreme force, popping two tires,
>>>> almost causing the driver to lose control of
>>>> the vehicle.
>>>> The actress was heading home in a
>>>> chauffeured black SUV from Writers' Guild
>>>> Theater, when the car hit the curb.
>>>> According to an eyewitness (who spoke ti
>>>> X17 Online): "The car slammed into the
>>>> curb at a significant speed. Angelina must
>>>> have wondered if they hit another car. It
>>>> was pretty bad -- the tire exploded and it's
>>>> amazing nothing worse happened to the
>>>> car. I wouldn't be surprised if she has
>>>> whiplash."
>>>> Angelina reportedly stayed in the car after
>>>> the incident and was later picked up, not
>>>> by Brad pitt, but by another driver from the
>>>> same car service.
>
>>>> --
>>>> Posted By ogunlowo joseph to entertainment,investing,education on
>>>> 12/03/2014 10:47:00 am
>
>
>
>
> --
> Posted By ogunlowo joseph to entertainment,investing,education on
> 12/07/2014 01:50:00 am
>
discarded batteries and found 70% had
enough power to keep an LED light on
more than four hours a day for a year.
Researchers said using discarded batteries
is cheaper than existing power options, and
also helps deal with the mounting e-waste
problem.
The concept was trialled in the Indian city
of Bangalore this year.
The adapted power packs are expected to
prove popular with street vendors, who
are not on the electric grid, as well as
poor families living in slums.
The research, which comes from IBM's
India-based research team, will be
discussed at a conference in San Jose,
California, according to Technology
Review from the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology.
Cheap
The IBM team created what they called an
UrJar - a device that uses lithium-ion cells
from the old batteries to power low-
energy DC devices, such as a light.
The researchers are aiming to help the
approximately 400 million people in India
who are off grid.
The UrJar uses lithium-ion cells from the
old batteries to power low-energy DC
devices
Options such as solar power are
considerably more expensive and
logistically more cumbersome at the
moment.
If the UrJar, which would last a year, is
made in sufficiently large volume,
researchers estimate the price per unit at
just 600 rupees (about £7).
They conclude: "UrJar has the potential to
channel e-waste towards the alleviation of
energy poverty, thus simultaneously
providing a sustainable solution for both
problems."
Feedback from the trial was positive, the
team said. Among the improvements
suggested by users was a call for rat-
resistant wires.
Urgent
E-waste is a major problem, particularly in
the developing world, where the majority
of the West's unwanted technology ends
up.
IBM's research said 142,000 computers
are thrown away in the US daily - around
50 million a year.
India's predicament is particularly urgent.
Not only does the country receive a lot of
e-waste from other countries, but with a
booming IT market it is also generating
huge amounts of its own - around 32
tonnes a day, according to one
estimate.
Computer Aid, a UK-based charity that
redistributes unwanted old technology,
welcomed the initiative.
"We think that this is an excellent initiative
as it is in line with our practice of reusing
and refurbishing rather than recycling,"
said Keith Sonnet, its chief executive.
"Refurbishing has definitely a more positive
impact on the environment and we should
encourage more companies to adopt this
practice."
On 12/7/14, ogunlowo joseph <ogunlowojoseph@gmail.com> wrote:
> Gangnam Style hit music video by
> South Korean singer, PSY, has exceeded
> YouTube's view limit, prompting
> YouTube to upgrade its counter.
> The video which was released in 2012,
> was announced to be its most watched
> ever and has been viewed more than
> 2,147,483,647 times. YouTube has now
> changed the maximum view limit to
> 9,223,372,036,854,775,808, or more
> than nine quintillion.
> On December 1, YouTube posted a
> statement saying: "We never thought a
> video would be watched in numbers
> greater than a 32-bit integer… but
> that was before we met Psy."
> Meanwhile, how do you say
> 9,223,372,036,854,775,808? That's
> over a quadrillion, over a trillion, and
> over a billion.
>
>
> On 12/4/14, Joseph Ogunlowo <ogunlowojoseph@gmail.com> wrote:
>> Kim K has been named the "Most Searched
>> Person of 2014″, beating last year's winner,
>> Beyonce. 2014 was definitely the year of the 34
>> year old reality star with buzz-worthy events like
>> her wedding to Kanye, her Vogue cover and
>> most recently her 'break the internet' naked pics
>> for Paper magazine.
>> Beyonce comes second, while Miley Cyrus and
>> Katy Perry come 3rd and 4th respectively. See
>> the top ten most searched personalities of 2014
>> after the cut...
>> 1. Kim Kardashian
>> 2. Beyonce Knowles
>> 3. Miley Cyrus
>> 4. Katy Perry
>> 5. Justin Bieber
>> 6. Joan Rivers
>> 7. Jennifer Lopez
>> 8. Kendall Jenner
>> 9. Kaley Cuoco
>> 10. Robin Williams
>
>
>> On 12/3/14, Joseph Ogunlowo <ogunlowojoseph@gmail.com> wrote:
>>> At the Pioneers Festival in Vienna, a
>>> Slovakian startup called AeroMobil unveiled
>>> the thing that we have all been dreaming
>>> about since we saw that first episode of the
>>> Jetsons while still wearing diapers: The first
>>> flying car. It's here. It's real. And it's
>>> spectacular.
>>> According to Venturebeat, the company
>>> took the wraps off AeroMobil 3.0, the latest
>>> iteration of its flying car that has been in
>>> development for almost 25 years.
>>> "We believe personal transportation is about
>>> to change forever," said AeroMobil chief
>>> executive Juraj Vaculik at a press
>>> conference. "We think it's time to make
>>> transportation more emotional and more
>>> personal."
>>> The car was designed by Stefan Klein,
>>> founder and head of the Department of
>>> Transport Design at the Academy of Fine
>>> Arts in Slovakia. Klein had been tinkering
>>> with the concept as far back as 1989.
>>> Image
>>> The car needs very little runway to take off,
>>> and it can be refueled at any standard gas
>>> station when the wings are retracted.
>>> AeroMobil believes it will be attractive for
>>> countries that don't have billions of dollars
>>> to spend building a modern transportation
>>> infrastructure.
>>> The body is built from advanced composite
>>> materials that keep it lightweight but also
>>> durable. Under the hood, it has autopilot
>>> and an advanced parachute deployment
>>> system. The cockpit can carry two people,
>>> and in the air the flying car can reach top
>>> speeds of 200 km/h. It has a 27-foot
>>> wingspan and is 19.7 feet long.
>>> No word on the price tag.
>
>>> On 12/3/14, ogunlowo joseph <ogunlowojoseph@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>> According to reports Angelina Jolie's black
>>>> SUV car slipped on a wet road, slid into the
>>>> curb with extreme force, popping two tires,
>>>> almost causing the driver to lose control of
>>>> the vehicle.
>>>> The actress was heading home in a
>>>> chauffeured black SUV from Writers' Guild
>>>> Theater, when the car hit the curb.
>>>> According to an eyewitness (who spoke ti
>>>> X17 Online): "The car slammed into the
>>>> curb at a significant speed. Angelina must
>>>> have wondered if they hit another car. It
>>>> was pretty bad -- the tire exploded and it's
>>>> amazing nothing worse happened to the
>>>> car. I wouldn't be surprised if she has
>>>> whiplash."
>>>> Angelina reportedly stayed in the car after
>>>> the incident and was later picked up, not
>>>> by Brad pitt, but by another driver from the
>>>> same car service.
>
>>>> --
>>>> Posted By ogunlowo joseph to entertainment,investing,education on
>>>> 12/03/2014 10:47:00 am
>
>
>
>
> --
> Posted By ogunlowo joseph to entertainment,investing,education on
> 12/07/2014 01:50:00 am
>
No comments