A Swiss entrepreneur says his thin-film solar panels will provide power more cheaply than fossil fules within five years: Even though solar technology has made significant gains since the 1970s when it cost $100 per watt (now it’s $3 to $4 per watt), that sweet spot of beating out fossil fuels is $1 per watt. …
According to a new study, group thinking clouds decision-making: People have a harder time coming up with alternative solutions to a problem when they are part of a group, new research suggests. I think every organization should seriously look into this problem, perhaps by striking a committee. Oh, wait…
Every year The Web Site @ the End of the Universe creates a free downloadable science fiction calendar. This year, it’s the swimsuit edition! (That’s Miss January at left.)
Monday was Family Day in Saskatchewan, and probably more than one family that got together that day set a dinner-time rule: “Don’t talk about politics.” Political disagreements, unlike run-of-the-mill disagreements, tend to turn hot very quickly. And that’s just one way they’re unusual, says Michael Huemer of the University of Colorado in Boulder. In “Why …
Here comes the bionic eye, the best hope yet of restoring sight to the blind: Profoundly blind people could get their best shot yet of restored vision with a more advanced “bionic eye”, researchers have announced. Trials of the new retinal prosthesis will begin shortly, following the success of a prototype that has enabled six …
Here’s the first review I’ve seen of Terry Gillam’s Tideland, shot in Saskatchewan (as you can see in the photo that accompanies the article, which was clearly taken in the Qu’Appelle Valley). In fact, a great deal of it was shot across the street from the condo we lived in until last October, at the …
…when you’ve got DNA? Japanese scientists say it might be possible to use DNA to store text, images, music and other digital data for thousands of years inside living organisms. Masaru Tomita and colleagues at Tokyo’s Keio University say data encoded in an organism’s DNA, and inherited by each new generation, could be safely archived …
Robert J. Sawyer, a friend and someone whose Writing With Style sessions on writing science fiction I’ve twice attended at the Banff Centre, has received the Toronto Public Library Celebrates Reading Award. Established in 2001, this is one of Canada’s top book-related honours. The award, which includes a cash prize of $2,500 and a crystal …
This morning I drove up to Lipton, about 90 km northeast of Regina, for two readings at Lipton School: one to Grades 5 to 8, and one to Grade 9 to 12. I read a little bit of Andy Nebula to the younger group and a bit of Jimi Hendrix: Kiss the Sky to the …
More photos here.
A staple of underwater adventure movies since at least the original Thunderball is now available for anyone who wants one…and can even be used in a pool. The Seadoo Sea Scooter Dolphin has handles and a propeller: you just hold on, and it pulls you through the water. It’s designed for use by anyone, in …
It’s not a cure, but scientists have discovered an unexpectedly effective way to treat the symptoms of tinnitus, at least in one patient. As I’ve mentioned before, my ears have been ringing for as long as I can remember. Mostly I ignored the problem; occasionally it annoys me, usually when I read something about tinnitus …
