Your Tech Feed [Gizmag]

Internet could lower its cooling bills by using hot water

It’s easy to think of the Internet as something that’s just “out there” in cyberspace, that doesn’t effect the physical world in any tangible way. In 2009, however, it was estimated that Internet data centers worldwide consumed about 2% of global electricity production. Not only did most of that electricity undoubtedly come from non-green sources, but it also cost the global economy approximately 30 billion US dollars. Much of the electricity was needed to power the data centers’ forced air cooling systems, that keep the servers from overheating. Now, researchers from IBM Zurich and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH) have devised a much more efficient method for cooling the steamy Internet - they use hot water. Read More

Hyper-Sub: powerboat meets submarine

If you’re still a little strapped for cash and can’t afford a powerboat and a submarine, then you might want to consider this cross between the two - the Hyper-Sub. On top of the water it boasts speeds of 40 knots with a range of 500 surface miles thanks to twin 440 horsepower inboard Yanmar diesel engines and a 525-gallon fuel tank, while underwater it can dive to depths of 250 feet using an electric over hydraulic self-recharging dive system. Read More

Bang & Olufsen's innovative BeoLab-11 sub-woofer

Bang & Olufsen

has added some serious bottom-end to its speaker line-up with the BeoLab 11 subwoofer. Sporting a small footprint and typically slick design, the tulip-shaped BeoLab 11 unit uses two opposing drivers to take advantage of the "Acoustic Balance Principle" - a first for B&O in subwoofer design. Read More

New tech sniffs out foul chicken

We certainly like our chicken. According to USDA

statistics, Americans ate around 84 pounds of chicken each during 2008, triple the amount eaten in 1960

. Poultry production is clearly a huge industry, and one that's set to benefit from a new technology being developed at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST

) which detects minute traces of chemical compounds that indicate spoilage. The goal is to give industry a fast, cost effective method of identifying foul fowl without damaging the product itself... and ultimately keeping consumers safe. Read More

‘Shrink Wrap’ implant melts onto surface of the brain

The same team responsible for the development of a flexible silicon device

that wraps around a heart to record its electrical activity has now developed a brain implant that essentially melts into place, snugly fitting to the brain's surface. Such ultrathin flexible implants, made partly from silk, can record brain activity more faithfully than thicker implants embedded with similar electronics and could pave the way for better devices to monitor and control seizures, and to transmit signals from the brain past damaged parts of the spinal cord. Read More

Smart Energy Glass controls light on demand

While the idea of using photovoltaic technology in windows to harvest sunlight for conversion to energy is not new

, Smart Energy Glass (SEG) is taking a slightly different approach with a solar window that can be darkened or lightened for comfort and convenience. Read More

Hotel guests pedal for their supper

If you find yourself in an expensive hotel without the funds to cover that three-course seafood buffet you've just demolished, you may not be led to the back of the kitchen to scrub pots and pans after all... you could be off to the gym instead. Crowne Plaza Copenhagen Towers

has installed two electricity-producing bicycles which are connected to the hotel's main electricity supply. Guests who pedal hard enough not only get a dose of environmental feel-goodness, but can also score a complimentary meal. Read More

Carl Zeiss introduces dedicated cine lenses for Canon and Nikon DSLRs

With the trend for digital SLRs to include additional video capture it was only a matter of time before dedicated prime and zoom cine lenses were offered to hybrid photographers and videographers. At the NAB Show in Las Vegas this week, Carl Zeiss introduced an entire new range of cine lenses, set for launch in June. As well as being designed especially for DSLRs, all forthcoming lens models will be available with interchangeable Canon EF, Nikon F and Arri PL mounts. Read More

Breakthrough in using sunlight to split water

A team of MIT researchers has managed to mimic the photosynthetic process in plants by engineering M13, a simple and harmless virus, to help splitting water into its two atomic components, hydrogen and oxygen, using sunlight. The researchers hope this is the first step toward using sunlight to create hydrogen reserves that could then be used to generate electricity or even produce liquid fuels for transportation. Read More

ZEV comes out swinging: lays claim to world's fastest electric scooter

American manufacturer ZEV has issued a fairly blunt challenge to other electric motorcycle manufacturers such as Vectrix

, Zero Motorcycles

and Brammo

, by claiming to have the fastest and most powerful production electric scooter on the market in its US$7237 ZEV7000. "We tell them to bring their street legal production bike and to bring their betting money. There can be only one "fastest" street legal production electric motor scooter or bike in the world." Read More

Kisai Escape C - the Bluetooth 'fashion accessory'

Hands-free calling using Bluetooth earpieces has become - shall we say - controversial over the years, as we've all seen that annoying guy at Starbucks trying to close the deal as he orders his cappuccino. But the latest receiver from Tokyo Flash, the Kisai Escape C, might just have enough features to offset the Bluetooth douche-factor. Read More