What Will They Think Of Next?
By combining images taken by infrared cameras onboard the Hubble Space Telescope and the Spitzer Space Telescope, scientists created a composite picture of the Milky Way. The high-resolution panorama is the sharpest image produced yet. Because the infrared light could penetrate the dust clouds usually hiding the galaxy's core, the pictures revealed a new population of massive stars inside it. Because these stars aren't confined to three well-known clusters of stars in the galaxy's center, they were either formed in isolation or were pulled from the clusters. This is the kind of discovery that makes scientists starry-eyed.
An engineering scientist who had designed computers for the first NASA rockets brought his work down to earth. He designed a $100 stove to replace the dangerous and inefficient open fires used in villages worldwide. Made of local materials ' fired clay for the combustion chamber, poured concrete blocks for the structure and tin for the chimney ' this stove requires 70% less wood than open fires, thus saving both labor and deforestation. Although the stove is sold in El Salvador, Guatemala and Mexico, the inventor gave away the design without making a penny. Instead, he's making a water filtration system to further improve rural life.
BYD (Build Your Dream) is a Chinese car manufacturer that hopes to improve life by having been the first manufacturer to build a mass-produced, plug-in, hybrid car. The F3DM, a $22,000 midsize sedan, has a gasoline engine that kicks in at 37 mph. Until then, it runs completely on electricity. The F3DM produces 160 to 180 horsepower and travels up to 60 miles on a fully charged lithium ion battery before reverting to the gasoline engine. Unlike the Prius, this hybrid can be charged from an ordinary wall socket. The charge takes 9 hours; but if charged at bedtime, you can 'Build Your Dreams'.
For 18 months a British inventor built his dream ' a biofuel flying car. The 'Skycar' is a road-legal, all-terrain, two-passenger buggy with a huge propeller and a flexible fabric wing that folds into the back of the car ready for immediate deployment. When the wing is deployed, the Skycar has a takeoff speed of 45 mph and requires less than 220 yards to be airborne. Although the inventor admits there's difficulty flying in high winds, there's a ballistic reserve parachute for emergencies. The Skycar also has headlights in case it's a fly by night idea.
About the Author:
Knight Pierce Hirst has written for television, newspapers and greeting cards. Now she writes a 400-word blog three times a week. KNIGHT WATCH, a second look at what makes life interesting, takes only seconds to read at http://knightwatch.typepad.com