The standby power generator is the latest must-have gizmo. Along the
Gulf Coast and beyond, weather-weary Americans are investing up to tens
of thousands of dollars in propane- or natural gas-run generators that
automatically click on when the power is out. The standby generator
industry grew five-fold between 2000 and 2005 to a more than $500
million industry.
Read (Christian Science Monitor)
The unexpected prime suspects for the corrosion that threatens to
cut off 8% of US oil production are bacteria that colonize the sludge
that collects in pipes. BP officials say the best guess so far is that
bacteria colonized part of the pipe and corroded the metal. A similar
problem probably led to a 750,000-litre oil spill in another part of
BPs Alaska pipeline in March 2006.
Read (New Scientist)
Last month, a Texas-Illinois pipeline built to bring oil north reversed direction to take Alberta oil south. More expensive to process than the light crude oil of the Middle East, Alberta’s [oil sands](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oilsands “Wikipedia: Tar sands, also referred to as oil sands or bituminous sands, are a combination of clay, sand, water, and bitumen.”) have long remained a largely untapped resource, but with oil at $70 a barrel, it has become economically feasible to extract the thick, sticky [bitumen](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bitumen “Wikipedia: Bitumen is a category of organic liquids that are highly viscous, black, sticky and wholly soluble in carbon disulfide. Asphalt and tar are the most common forms of bitumen.”) that in former years was used to seal native people’s canoes. Only Saudi Arabia, with 259 billion barrels, has larger oil reserves than the Florida-sized patch that surrounds this Canadian outpost.
[Read](http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0512/p04s01-woam.html) (Christian Science Monitor)
The migratory behavior of dragonflies is being studied with the use of tiny radio transmitters. Researchers have found that the dragonflies can fly up to 85 miles in one day, and their migration patterns are similar to song birds’.
[Read](http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/sci/tech/4759615.stm) (BBC)
Organic light-emitting diodes will revolutionize the way we use lighting, researchers say.
[Read](http://rss.csmonitor.com/feeds/scitech?m=59) (Christian Science Monitor)
A matchbox-sized robot that can infiltrate a pack of cockroaches and influence their collective behaviour has been developed by European scientists. The robot smells and acts just like a roach, fooling the real insects into accepting it as one of their own. Through its behaviour, the robot can persuade a group of cockroaches to venture out into the light despite their normal preference for the dark.
[Read](http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn9136&feedId=online-news_rss20) (New Scientist)
A typical infantry platoon needs to carry more than 150 pounds of batteries if it is going on a five-day mission. The batteries power devices like night vision devices, laser range finders, radios, GPS, laptops, etc.
The U.S. Army is working on replacing the batteries with fuel cells made from ethanol.
[Read and Listen](http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5386468) (NPR)
They can steal your smartcard, lift your passport, jack your car, even clone the chip in your arm. And you won’t feel a thing. 5 tales from the RFID-hacking underground.
[Read](http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/14.05/rfid.html) (Wired)
In creating its first gas-saving hybrid vehicle for the mass market, General Motors took the cheap way out. This time, it could prove to be a very smart move. The Saturn Vue Green Line hybrid SUV, coming out this summer, will cost about $2,000 more than a regular Saturn Vue. It’s sticker price will be about $23,000, making it the cheapest hybrid SUV you can buy.
The Vue Green Line uses a system that relies on lower voltage than other hybrids. That means, for one thing, that the Vue Green Line doesn’t need nearly as large of a battery pack. Batteries cost money and add weight. It also made the Vue’s hybrid system easier to integrate into a normal automotive electrical system which, again, means lower cost.
The VUE Green Line’s electric motor will not be powerful enough to actually power the vehicle, but the Green Line will still get about 20% better gas mileage than a regular 4-cylinder model. Its gas mileage will be slightly less than an Escape or Highlander, but it will cost thousands less than those models.
[Read](http://www.cnn.com/2006/AUTOS/04/17/saturn_vue_geenline/index.html?section=cnn_topstories) (CNN)
A device the size of a credit card could enable farmers to quickly and easily convert vegetable oil into alternative fuel.
[Read](http://www.wired.com/news/wireservice/0,70702-0.html?tw=rss.index) (AP via Wired)
As oil prices hit record highs, scientists have unveiled a technology that can turn coal, natural gas, and biomass into a fuel that burns cleaner than gasoline.
[Read](http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/04/0418_060418_coal_energy.html?source=rss) (National Geographic)
Multitasking drivers are three times as likely to be involved in a crash. Almost 80 percent of crashes and 65 percent of near-crashes happen within three seconds of some form of driver distraction, according to the report by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute.
[Read](http://www.cnn.com/rssclick/2006/US/04/20/driving.study/index.html?section=cnn_topstories) (CNN)
An invention from Philips prevents TV viewers from switching the channel during commercials or fast-forwarding past commercials when watching DVR content.
[Read](http://news.com.com/Philips+device+could+force+TV+viewers+to+watch+ads/2100-1041_3-6062861.html?tag=nefd.top) (Cnet)
They keep trying to make us watch the commercials. If it prevents you from switching channels during commercials, it would make it hard to channel surf, because every time you landed on a channel showing commercials, you would have to wait for the commercials to finish before moving on to the next channel. If DirecTV or Tivo implement this, it will be time to give up TV in my house.
In a major shift, the Web is surpassing television as the destination for original programming. Original shows are debuting on the Web, while existing ones find new life in video games and even blogs.
[Read](http://rss.csmonitor.com/feeds/scitech?m=29) (Christian Science Monitor)
Secretions and residues left in prints can reveal if a person is a smoker, uses particular drugs, and perhaps even which aftershave they wear.
[Read](http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn8938&feedId=online-news_rss20) (New Scientist)