Energy related developments

Battery swap boosts electric cars -
http://www.reuters.com/news/video?videoId=104645&videoChannel=6&refresh=true

Energy From Waste -
http://www.reuters.com/news/video?videoId=105347&videoChannel=6&refresh=true

inhabitat.com

(This is as great a find as Ted.com)

About Inhabitat.com -

Inhabitat.com is a weblog devoted to the future of design, tracking the innovations in technology, practices and materials that are pushing architecture and home design towards a smarter and more sustainable future.

Inhabitat was started by NYC designer Jill Fehrenbacher as a forum in which to investigate emerging trends in product, interior and architectural design.

Netherlands' fight with rising sea level; Solutions include Aquatecture, Extending the coast manually

I was watching New anthem of India and remembered this story we had in a English textbook about a boy who plugged a hole in a dyke (dam) with his finger and found the below links -
http://community.discovery.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/7501919888/m/4201996129
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/070318/26dike.htm

I also found the below link which is what the blog is about -
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7942169.stm

Excerpts:

Aquatecture -

One person with a vision of how the Dutch can adapt to the "living with water" lifestyle is architect Alexander Henny.

One solution is to build floating houses that rise and fall with the tide
He is one of the country's top designers of floating houses, and calls his practice "Aquatecture".
"There's a concrete foundation that floats, which is hard to understand for most people, but because it is hollow it is lighter than the water," he told the programme.
"In the lower part of the house, which is submerged, are the sleeping quarters. On the top is the living room and kitchen."

(The above statement is saying the bedroom is actually submerged. No better place to get a peaceful night's sleep.)

Extending the coast -

"The main area where this is feasible is coastal protection, dragging up sands from the North Sea and have the currents actually deposit sand to extend the coastline, broaden the beaches and offer major protection."

ted.com

ted.com hosts amazing presentations done at ted conferences. All sorts of subjects are covered.

Learn Electronics! with Make Magazine

http://www.youtube.com/user/makemagazine
E.g. - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HteDBfSJ9zo&NR=1

Comparison - Noise Cancellation Headphones

In the below video, you can actually hear how the different headphones reduce the noise -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQdbcDTiIas

Failures at Nasa

During my Masters at Univ of South Florida, Prof. Alarian had talked to us about a mirror failing (because of being installed backwards) on an important project.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article5799134.ece?token=null&offset=12&page=2

Nasa's problems

— The $1 billion Mars Observer was launched in 1992 to study the planet’s terrain and climate. Three days before its scheduled orbital entry, communications inexplicably and permanently stopped. Its current location is unknown

— In 1998 confused subcontracted engineers at Lockheed Martin used imperial units of measurement instead of the metric system Nasa intended, and sent the Mars Climate Orbiter vehicle, launched by a Delta rocket, right, into a low-altitude orbit, where it was torn apart by atmospheric stresses

— When Nasa’s Genesis capsule returned to Earth with samples of solar wind in 2004, its parachute failed to open and it crashed into the Utah desert. Investigators later found that its deceleration sensors were installed backwards

— In 1987 an Atlas-Centaur rocket was hit by lightning moments after launch. It spun out of control and had to be destroyed

— After nearly two decades of development, the Hubble Space Telescope was launched in 1990. Only then did scientists realise that its mirror was flawed. It was repaired in space in 1993

— Seven died in 1986 when a failed booster engine caused the Shuttle Challenger to break apart 73 seconds after launch

— In 1970 an explosion in Apollo 13’s fuel cells cut oxygen and water reserves to a critical level. A rescue mission brought Apollo 13 back to Earth three days later

Concept of Seasonal Depression

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/7858425.stm