Len Rosen's blog

This week's five stories look at:

• New 3D Display Represents Advance in Augmented Reality;
• More Evidence that Fracking Causes Earthquakes;
• Seeding the Ocean to Sequester Carbon a Non-Starter;
• New Microscale Actuator Provides Engine for Micro Robots;

Sometimes you come across a technology concept that just sounds like a bad idea. I'm not sure if this one is or isn't but but a proof-of-concept is getting funded by a well known serial entrepreneur.

In the last week four reports have made the headlines with human induced climate change playing a principal role in each.

Today's EVs require the purchaser to find places to recharge their vehicles. The problem -- there is little in the way of infrastructure out there, at least nothing even close to what is available for diesel or gasoline-fueled vehicles. That means EV purchasers must install special recharging stations in their home garages.

Harvesting algae cost-effectively has been a real challenge for those who are seeking alternative sources for biofuel production. Identified challenges include:

1. The volume of water required to get harvestable algae. Conventional methods for getting the water out of the biomass are energy intensive and usually involve chemical additives.

This week's five stories look at:

• Tripling the Efficiency of Organic Solar Cells;
• New Technology to Fight Coastal Flooding Using Irregular Concrete Blocks;
• Long Duration Human Space Flight Being Tested on the ISS;
• Pacific Island Entrepreneurs Receive Award for Green Initiatives;
• Delivering Wind and Solar Power Over Long Distances Possible with New HVDC Circuit Breaker.

You are probably wondering what the heck I am talking about....a carbon bubble? What's that?In the 1970s we were "conditioned" to believe that the world would run out of fossil fuel resources early in the 21st century. Remember the term "peak oil?" Much policy and financial forecasting by government and business was predicated on the peak oil forecasts. Turned out the forecast was wrong.

The age of the textbook as I remember it is truly coming to an end. Educational publishers can feel the heat if they are not already out of business. That's because educational publishers have never adapted to the way learning has changed because knowledge delivered is no longer the way young people learn.

In previous postings on this blog site I have described the changing face of our world cities both in the Developed and Developing World. Much of human population growth is in urban centres. In the Developing World, A mass migration from rural to urban settings is creating a housing and infrastructure crisis that desparatelyneeds solutions. So when I read about Synergy Thrislington, and InstaBuild, a ultra-fast building technology, I was intrigued.

This week's five stories look at:
1.Shocking Alzheimer's Brains Helps Patients in Clinical Trial;
2. New Breast Cancer Screening Technology Wins Sanofi-Pasteur Prize;
3. Transformers - They're Real and They're Tiny;
4. Taikonauts Plan to Grow Vegetables on the Moon in Closed Ecosystems;
5. Electrochromic Windows Coming to Homes and Buildings in the Near Future.