Links from the Gregg Zone

1) As usual starting off with green, and when ever possible involving transportation, where it seems to me the action is. First an article that I found mildly enlightening in that it illustrates the crux of the problem we have had in the past. Seems with all of the whiz bang performance enhancements we have made in the last thirty years relating to fuel savings. We just used the added efficiency to create more gadgetry. If we had used the technology we created to save fuel, on saving fuel, it is estimated the average car in the U.S. would be getting over 38 mpg. We, as usual chased the short term goals of sales, and profit by going for more power, and bigger and heavier vehicles. According to the article where we can save the most the quickest is to reduce the way we perceive what we need in a vehicle. It all makes sense to me. Article here http://www.wheels.ca
2) Well that last one was a little depressing so let me offer something a little counteractive to sort of inject a little hope about our future. I just do not believe the answers will come from the big auto companies. They have grown so much red tape, stock holder worries,distractions into unproductive research, and government appeasing policies, in general they have got to big to be innovative. It seems to me they stifle productivity, by requiring everything to fit their current paradigm. Here is a web site that offers some hope, it is about a high school, the X-prize, and some serious possibilities talent wise. Click around the news links, what they have already done, and what they are doing, they seem to have a shot. http://www.evxteam.org
3) Okay this is a sort of update on several past links all wrapped up in one. Quite a while back I did some stuff on prototype inkjet style printers that could print up objects. Then there was the team that grew a human ear on the back of a mouse. Two weeks back the magic powder that could regenerate the growth of a human severed finger. Well here is a link that sort of brings those together. Seems a team in Sweden has found a way to use a 3D printer, to grow a human thumb bone, Looks like they can just grow whatever bone they want to replace. I am amazed more and more everyday, if we can keep the planet together there is no stopping us. http://www.newscientist.com
4) Now here is an interesting site for the camera buffs out there. I was just blown away by this. Of course I am easily impressed, but if you have not seen this take a look. Called gigapixel photography it is a commercial site offering this product which seems very cool to me. Take a look and play with the zooming in on details, I found the whole thing kind of surreal. http://gigapixelphotography.com
5) My geek link offering for the week also is an update on something I used several months back. That being the mind interface headsets. They are coming out very soon, and quite cheap. Soon we may not need a keyboard at all, seems some of them will soon allow you to type just by thinking. OMG where is all of this headed, I can’t wait to see the next decade, check the article here, lots of interesting video links. http://www.newscientist.com