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Iran fails to give an answer on a proposed deal for it to freeze its nuclear programme, the EU envoy says after talks in Geneva.
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19 July 2008 @ 02:38 pm
Foreign debate
19 July 2008 @ 04:00 am
The Car of Tomorrow Has an Extension Cord
Forget hydrogen. The car of the future has an extension cord and a great big laptop battery.
The next evolution of the automobile will be plug-in hybrids that get their juice from a household electrical outlet. They'll start rolling into showrooms within in 18 months. Experts say plug-in hybrids could account for about 20 percent of vehicle sales within a decade -- and half of all sales by 2050.
"It all boils down to the three ways electricity is better than gasoline," says Felix Kramer of Cal Cars, a plug-in advocacy group. "It's cleaner, it's cheaper and it's domestic."
Advocates say plug-in hybrids are the best chance to address global warming and wean the nation from oil. Consumers remain unsure about electric vehicles. Ethanol's a shaky proposition because of the food-for-fuel debate. And it'll be decades before hydrogen is a viable option. That, advocates say, leaves plug-ins as the best option. They'll go up to 40 miles on a charge; but they'll also have a gas engine to keep you going beyond that at 80 to 100 mpg or more.
People have been converting conventional hybrids to plug-ins for years, but the auto industry has been slow to catch on. Now the big automakers and start-ups like Fisker Automotive are scrambling to build them despite questions about their cost and long-term reliability. Those are just two of the issues that automakers, battery manufacturers and utility companies will discuss next week at the international Plug-In 2008 conference in San Jose.
"The discussion is no longer one of 'if,' but of 'when' and 'how,'" says Chelesa Sexton, executive director of the advocacy group Plug-In America. "This has moved beyond the grass-roots level into the policy and business arenas."
It all starts in 2010. General Motors promises to have the Chevrolet Volt rolling into showrooms by then. Toyota says it will roll out a small fleet of plug-in Prius hybrids to see how they do. Volkswagen has similar plans for its plug-in Golf. And Fisker hopes to have a few dozen pricey Karma sedans in driveways within 18 months. Ford and others are moving more slowly, aiming for 2012 and beyond.
Automakers know plug-in hybrids are their best shot at meeting tightening federal fuel-economy regulations, and California's zero-emissions-vehicle mandate requires them to put nearly 60,000 of them on the road in six years. They're also responding to a seismic change in the market as record-high gas prices have consumers, fed-up with paying through the nose for gasoline, joining environmentalists to demand fuel-efficient cars.
"For the longest time, this was seen as a crunchy environmental California movement," Sexton says. "It never was, but now there's a broad coalition of people sitting at the same table to demand these cars. There's a collective frustration with the status quo."
Critics note that most of our electricity is generated by coal or natural gas and say plug-ins don't reduce carbon dioxide, they just move it around.
Mark Duvall of the Electric Power Research Institute says they're wrong. His research shows widespread adoption of plug-in hybrids could cut greenhouse gas emissions by more than 450 million metric tons annually by 2050. That's the equivalent of removing 82.5 million gasoline vehicles from the road. "There's significant CO2 reduction with plug-in hybrids over conventional vehicles and hybrids, and that reduction increases over time," he says.
Duvall's research and a study by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory suggest that the grid could easily supply as many as 168 million plug-in vehicles.
"We can handle as many plug-in hybrids as the auto industry wants to provide and people want to drive," he says. "The supply of electricity is almost limitless."
All those plug-ins would cut petroleum consumption from 20.6 million barrels a day to 16 or 17 million. But the lithium-ion batteries that will store that electricity remain the cars' Achilles heel.
The long-term reliability of lithium-ion batteries remains unknown, and by some estimates they cost as much as $15,000. That'll make selling plug-ins at a price most people can afford a tough proposition until the cars are made in volume -- and the cost of batteries comes down. GM says it doesn't expect to turn a profit on the $40,000 Volt anytime soon.
Sales undoubtedly will start off slowly. Analysts don't expect GM to sell more than 30,000 Volts annually for the first couple of years. Other automakers will see similar sales figures until the cost of batteries comes down.
"We're looking at small volumes initially," says Mike Omotoso of J.D. Power & Associates. "But we could see critical mass by 2015."
Advocates say politicians and policymakers can help by creating tax breaks to make it easier for consumers to buy the cars and automakers to build them. Such incentives -- coupled with perks like carpool-lane access -- helped hybrids gain a foothold, they say, and could do the same for plug-ins.
The Department of Energy has handed out more than $60 million since 2006 to advance hybrid and battery technology and hopes to disburse another $62.3 million by the end of next year.
Both Barack Obama and John McCain have hailed plug-in hybrids in general -- and the Volt in particular -- in recent weeks and promised to spur development of such cars if elected. And Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, has called for Washington to go further by launching a "New Manhattan Project" that would include getting plug-in hybrids on the road in large numbers.
"We have the plug," he says. "The cars are coming. All we need is the cord."
19 July 2008 @ 04:00 am
Palatial Tent Proves Nearly Pitch Perfect
This ripstop outdoor shelter gets top marks for comfort. Checklist: quick setup, six gear pockets, dual vents, plenty of sleeping room.
18 July 2008 @ 10:59 pm
Human blood vessels grown in mice
Scientists have used human cells to grow new blood vessels in a mouse for the first time, a US journal reports.
19 July 2008 @ 04:12 am
Metal riches
19 July 2008 @ 01:30 pm
Report: FCC's Adelstein backs Sirius XM merger; who's #3?
Two FCC Commissioners now support the proposed merger of Sirius and XM radio. The agency just needs one more. Who could she be?
19 July 2008 @ 03:22 pm
Batman film takes a record $66.4m
The new Batman film The Dark Knight sets a box office record after taking £66.4m on its opening night in the US.
19 July 2008 @ 12:12 pm
US star McMahon sues LA hospital
Former NBC Tonight show sidekick Ed McMahon sues a US hospital, claiming its doctors failed to diagnose his broken neck.
19 July 2008 @ 11:54 am
Obama opens foreign tour in Kabul
US Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama arrives in Afghanistan, at the start of a campaign-season foreign tour.
19 July 2008 @ 07:19 am
Colombia rebels seize 10 hostages
The Farc rebel group in Colombia kidnaps 10 people travelling by boat on a river in the north-west of the country.
19 July 2008 @ 07:46 am
Tour pitfalls
19 July 2008 @ 06:22 am
McCain's 'whiner' adviser quits
Phil Gramm quits as a top adviser to presidential hopeful John McCain after calling the US a "nation of whiners".
19 July 2008 @ 05:02 am
Jupiter over Ephesus
19 July 2008 @ 10:42 am
US attends historic Iran meeting
The US joins a meeting of major powers and Iran for the first time, to discuss Tehran's controversial nuclear programme.
19 July 2008 @ 01:00 am
Gallery: From Tiny Machines to Security, the Future of Nano-Fabrication
: Photo: Dave Bullock/Wired.comLOS ANGELES -- As nanomachines move beyond just prototypes, a potential industry of microscopic mass production awaits its own Henry Ford to make it a reality.
In anticipation of this demand, researchers at a nanotech lab at UCLA are mass-producing billions of customizable microparticles using a machine normally found in the microchip fabrication industry. Lead by Dr. Thomas Mason, the team has created microscale letters to illustrate the possibilities of this new process.
"The idea is to make a powerful statement about a new class of materials that exist. Solid particles that have human-designed shapes. We can design millions of different kinds of shapes, highly uniform, highly precise," explains Mason.
Mason's ultimate goal is to quickly create large quantities of parts for complicated nanomachines. These parts would include nanogears, nanoengines and other small-scale parts that are currently created one at a time in an assembly line fashion. Click through the gallery to go behind the scenes of microfabrication.
Left: Billions of microscale letters on a silicon wafer reflect light like a diffraction grating.
: Photo: Thomas G. Mason and Carlos J. Hernandez Zoomed in, one can see the microscale alphabet soup and the potential for information and codes embedded in various substances. Though each letter is a few microns across, this new mass production technique will be able to produce objects on the scale of nanometers with upgraded equipment.
: Photo: Dave Bullock/Wired.comThis is the unglamorous beginning of nanoletter production.
The white box at left is the spin coater, which applies the nanoletter polymer on a silicon wafer (see first slide), like the kind used to make microprocessors. First, a drop of the polymer is placed on a silicon wafer. Then the wafer spins and the centrifugal force spreads the liquid evenly over the silicon.
The polymer is photosensitive and hardens under exposure to ultraviolet light. In the next steps, the UV light takes on the shape of the desired micro-object and exposes that exact design in the polymer. The unexposed polymer washes away, leaving the hardened shapes, in this case letters, behind -- almost like cutting cookies from a sheet of dough.
: Photo: Dave Bullock/Wired.comThis lamp enclosure emits strong UV light. The light bounces through a series of mirrors into the machine that exposes the nanoletters, called a stepper (shown in next slide).
: Photo: Dave Bullock/Wired.comUCLA nanotech professor Dr. Thomas G. Mason explains the basic operation of the stepper -- so named because it steps, or repeats, an image multiple times over the silicon wafer. The machine prints a microscopic version of the image at each step by shining UV light onto the photosensitive polymer, like the way positive film is exposed.
: Photo: Dave Bullock/Wired.comInside the stepper sits a 200-pound lens encased in stainless steel (center) which very accurately imprints a shrunken image onto the polymer. This lens is ground to an extremely high level of precision to avoid introducing errors into the image being exposed.
: Photo: Dave Bullock/Wired.comA robotic assembly inside the stepper grabs the silicon wafers and exposes it one section at a time. It exposes an entire wafer in roughly one minute, creating billions of micro-objects.
: Photo: Dave Bullock/Wired.comThe stepper rests on a pneumatic dampening system (black cylinders with blue tops) to virtually eliminate vibrations. Just as you don’t want your camera shaking when you take a photo, you don’t want your stepper shaking when you make billions of nanoletters.
A positioning platform (middle, illuminated in pink) precisely moves the wafers between exposures.
: Photo: Dave Bullock/Wired.comThis scrapped stepper system sits outside the clean room. It's now used for spare parts, just like that old car on cinder blocks in your front yard.
: Photo: Dave Bullock/Wired.comMason and Kun Zhao don gloves before entering the clean room where the Ultratech XLS stepper resides. Dust particles can ruin the nano and microscale patterns the stepper images on the silicon substrate.
18 July 2008 @ 10:25 pm
McCain Announces His Running Mate — The Chevy Volt
The Chevrolet Volt has become the most important political accessory since the flag lapel pin, and Sen. John McCain is all but promising to put one in your driveway.
19 July 2008 @ 12:23 am
Four killed in US crane collapse
Four people have been killed after a massive crane collapsed at an oil refinery in Houston, Texas.
18 July 2008 @ 10:00 pm
Pigeons: The Next Step in Local Eating (No, Really)
With global demand for meat threatening to topple the food system, it's time we put Pollan on steroids and remembered: pigeons are fowl.
18 July 2008 @ 11:33 pm
Mexican navy seizes cocaine sub
Mexico's navy seizes nearly six tonnes of cocaine from inside a makeshift submarine, after the US shares key intelligence.
18 July 2008 @ 11:03 pm
Users reporting failed Windows and Office validations (Updated)
We've received reports from users of troubles with Microsoft's Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) and Office Genuine Advantage (OGA), as the servers are currently down, according to Microsoft.
18 July 2008 @ 06:45 pm
The Bat-Pod Officially Has a Complex
It isn't the Bat-Pod, but the Icare concept from Enzyme Design is almost as cool -- even if it's got a stupid name.
18 July 2008 @ 09:15 pm
'The Dark Knight' -- 'Where Does He Get Those Wonderful Toys?'
Batman is just a gadget geek at heart. A very, very wealthy gadget geek. But until recently, he's employed some tech that's, well, pretty unbelievable. Ice skates popping out of boots? Come on!
Not in The Dark Knight. Director Christopher Nolan's version of Batman is an almost-believable early adopter, with every high tech gizmo at his disposal firmly grounded in real-world technology. To get the lowdown on the five coolest pieces of gear from the film, we sat down with the film's Oscar-nominated production designer, Nathan Crowley, to find out where the inspiration for each Bat-gadget came from.
Bat-Pod
After the Batmobile (aka the Tumbler) is destroyed, Batman is forced to continue his pursuit of the Joker on this machine-gunning, shoulder-navigated, gimbals-sporting two-wheeler. This is a vehicle made for multitasking, allowing Batman to fire its guns, steer hands-free and maneuver hard without much risk of a wipeout. Says Crowley, "If you go over on its side, it keeps you upright."
Real-World Counterpart: Dodge Tomahawk
The Bat-Pod most closely resembles the V-10, 500-horsepower Dodge Tomahawk concept vehicle. But designwise, Crowley says, the 'Pod draws most of its inspiration from the general design of the Tumbler itself. Just compare the front tires on the two vehicles: They're the same. "We didn't want it to be anything more than raw function, and that's why it looks like it does," says Crowley.
Cowl
Past Batmen have had a hard time turning their heads (paging Michael Keaton), because the cowl was a solid piece of rubber attached to the suit itself. Not this time. Able to move independently of the suit, Batman's new mask now allows him to crane his head up and down and side-to-side with ease.
Real-World Counterpart: Motorcycle Helmet
When racing a Hayabusa at 180 mph, visibility and flexibility are everything. That's why the independently pivoting design of a motorcycle helmet and racing suit served as the chief point of reference for Batman's cowl design.
The Batsuit
The new Batsuit is designed with mobility in mind. Batman can now turn his head up and down and side-to-side.
Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures/TM, © DC Comics
"We really wanted to change up the suit," Crowley admits. Adding more protection in addition to more flexibility (and less nipple) than previous versions, the armor worn by Batman comprises hundreds of interlocking plates that move independently of each other. The result? Batman is more mobile, can do more stunts, and can kick a lot more ass.
Real-World Counterpart: Samurai Armor
The interlocking plates of the Batsuit -- while made of modern materials like Nomex, titanium and Kevlar -- share their design with ancient armor once worn by Samurai warriors in feudal Japan. These lightweight, lacquered get-ups were strong, contained hundreds of interlocking pieces, and allowed their wearers a full range of motion.
Sticky-Bomb Gun
When Batman has to apprehend a villain in Hong Kong, he utilizes a weapon that fires sticky, orange bomb pellets that adhere to glass. The gun is collapsible, breaking down to small pieces that Batman can store on his belt. "It's more like a piece of origami than anything else," says Crowley.
Real-World Counterpart: Collapsible Rifle
The sticky-bomb gun owes its DNA to any collapsible weapon. Just have a look at the M-40 rifle (.pdf) favored by Marine Corps snipers: The gun can be broken down into multiple parts for easy transportation. The explosive, sticky ammo, though? That's 100 percent pure Crowley.
3-D Sonar System
Since the Joker does not have a lair or a base, Batman must track the constantly mobile madman through the streets of Gotham. To do this he uses a cowl-mounted sonar device that triangulates the baddies' cellphone signals and then renders the sound of their communication into a 3-D visual map.
Real-World Counterparts: Lidar and Sonar
Usually utilizing lasers, a Lidar system measures reflected light to find the range, dimensions and other properties of far-off objects. Sonar, of course, is the technology of bouncing sound waves off faraway objects to get a realistic picture of where those objects are. Combine the two, and you've got the 3-D system Batman uses to hunt his quarry.
18 July 2008 @ 09:06 pm
Gamemakers Hear the Music Loud and Clear at E3
With Rock Band and Guitar Hero revitalizing rock 'n' roll's moneymaking mojo, suddenly everybody's grooving on music games.
18 July 2008 @ 08:45 pm
Universal Says DMCA Takedown Notices Can Ignore 'Fair Use'
Universal Music told a federal judge that it need not consider "fair use" when it sends takedown notices to video-sharing sites like YouTube. The notices require automatic removal of the video. Fair use allows certain limited uses of content without a copyright holder's permission.
18 July 2008 @ 08:26 pm
Film and Geo-Tag Your Next Car Accident
The CarCam Voyager Pro not only records what happened, but where and when it happened. Just the thing for convincing your insurance agent you didn't cause that six-car pileup.
18 July 2008 @ 09:59 pm
Colombia's Uribe calls off vote
Colombia's leader Alvaro Uribe decides not to call a referendum to determine if there should be a new presidential poll.
19 July 2008 @ 02:27 pm
Barcelona buzz
18 July 2008 @ 07:36 pm
Opera Brings iPhone Experience to Windows Mobile
Software-maker Opera has released a new beta version of its popular mobile browser for Windows Mobile devices. Opera Mobile 9.5 is a vast improvement over Microsoft's standard Windows Mobile browser, and it even shows off some iPhone-like behaviors on touchscreen devices.
18 July 2008 @ 07:30 pm
iPsychedelia: Use Your iPhone to Take Bendy, Distorted Photos
The iPhone's camera has a bug, but it's a bug you can easily exploit to create stunningly warped photos. All it takes is a well-timed twist of the wrist. Learn more at Wired's How-To Wiki.
18 July 2008 @ 06:38 pm
There Are No Winners (or Losers) in the Amazon-Netflix War
By the looks of it, Amazon declared war with Netflix with the launch of a competitive, on-demand streaming-movie service. The thing is, there isn't much of a market to fight over yet.
18 July 2008 @ 03:35 pm
Five Things to Do With Your Old iPhone
So you've made the plunge to the iPhone 3G -- what about your old, first-generation iPhone or iPod Touch? Here are five ways to turn it from yesterday's news into something useful, from a multitouch controller for your Mac or Windows PC to a mini media server for your kitchen.
18 July 2008 @ 05:20 pm
Iraq Ops Update
Coalition forces detained five suspected militants and seized weapons caches in Baghdad
18 July 2008 @ 06:06 pm
Israel Arrests 6 Suspected of al-Qaida Links
Israeli intelligence says it has arrested six people suspected of links to al-Qaida, including one who allegedly inquired about shooting down a helicopter carrying U.S. President George Bush
18 July 2008 @ 05:20 pm
DoD Studies Troops Possibilities for Afghanistan
18 July 2008 @ 05:20 pm
Afghanistan Ops Update
Coalition and Afghan forces killed several militants and seized weapons in Afghanistan i
18 July 2008 @ 06:07 pm
Pakistan Army Reports 10 Militants Killed
18 July 2008 @ 05:15 pm
USAF service demographics offer snapshot of force
18 July 2008 @ 05:59 pm
Russia & US-Ukraine Black Sea exercises
18 July 2008 @ 06:32 pm
Production of First RAAF F/A 18F
18 July 2008 @ 05:59 pm
Lavrov & German plan for Abkhazia
18 July 2008 @ 06:00 pm
Sudan Envoy: ICC move on Bashir unlawful
18 July 2008 @ 06:08 pm
Abkhaz Separatists Reject Peace Plan
18 July 2008 @ 06:08 pm
Senegal's President & Sudan-Chad Ties
Senegal's president has convinced his Sudanese counterpart to reestablish diplomatic relations with Chad
18 July 2008 @ 06:07 pm
Iranian Foreign Minister Optimistic About Key Talks
18 July 2008 @ 06:00 pm
Iran hopes for constructive nuclear talks
18 July 2008 @ 05:33 pm
Mottaki optimistic with G5+1-Iran talks
18 July 2008 @ 05:14 pm
Firefighting mission takes C-130 to its limits
18 July 2008 @ 06:01 pm
Six-nation ministers to meet on N.Korea July 23
18 July 2008 @ 05:33 pm
Pakistan scientist, Afghanistan & nuclear waste
A top Pakistani scientist dismissed claims by Afghanistan that Pakistan had dumped nuclear waste in southern Afghanistan during Taliban rule.