Laptops and real viruses: A winning combination

[T]he same team used viruses to construct the negative electrode, or anode, of the battery. In the new work, the researchers engineered viruses for the positive electrode, or cathode. When the two are put together, the virus batteries should perform better than traditional lithium ion batteries and also be environmentally friendly, the team reports.

“Because the viruses are living organisms, we had to use only water-based solvents, no high pressures and no high temperatures,” says Angela Belcher, a materials scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge and a study coauthor.

Astronomy Picture of the Day

From the site:

Explanation: Two galaxies are squaring off in Virgo and here are the latest pictures. When two galaxies collide, the stars that compose them usually do not. This is because galaxies are mostly empty space and, however bright, stars only take up only a small fraction of that space. But during the collision, one galaxy can rip the other apart gravitationally, and dust and gas common to both galaxies does collide. If the two galaxies merge, black holes that likely resided in each galaxy center may eventually merge. Because the distances are so large, the whole thing takes place in slow motion -- over hundreds of millions of years. Besides the two large spiral galaxies, a smaller third galaxy is visible on the far left of the above image of Arp 274, also known as NGC 5679. Arp 274 spans about 200,000 light years across and lies about 400 million light years away toward the constellation of Virgo.

This is interesting, to me, for the following:

1. The collision is a "non-event." Sure, it'll happen but take almost forever to do so.
2. The collision will effect little: When it happens there is little actually colliding, just dust and gas. Yawn!
3. The galaxies seem to have spirals in the opposite sense: This actually is interesting. The middle galaxy is spinning clockwise while the galaxy on the right is spinning counter-clockwise. I find that pretty neat.

The Rest of the Story

Here's a story for your Sunday:

So, I'm riding my bike tonight, it's almost 6:30 p.m. now and I just got back. I'm still in my sweaty clothes, typing.

As I'm coming home, just two blocks from home, I'm in the street and riding about 16 mph. Cars parked on both sides, I'm on the right but in the street next to parked cars.

Ahead is a car coming straight for me, with a girl on a cell phone. I think she'll stop, she doesn't. I stop and almost hit the car. Well, not that close, but on a bike, you know what I mean.

Lo and behold, it's my daughter Shayna in MY car. She calls out "Dad, what are you doing?"

I turn around and pedal to her.

"Shayna, you almost hit me."
"I saw you, dad."
"You could have killed me."
"Dad, what are you doing in the street?"

(Think Lebowski, "his health is bad" scene...)

"Shayna, you almost killed your father! Shayna, you're killing your
father!" (I actually said this, too.)
"Dad, what are you doing in the street. Get out of the street."
"Shayna, you almost hit me. I could be dead."
"Dad, Get out of the street. Why are you in the street?"
"You're killing me. You know that? Shayna, where are you going?"
"Dad, go home" and, as she drives away I hear "and get out of the street!"

She's off and I go home.

Now, the "rest of the story:"

So, why was Shayna on her cell phone when she almost hit me? Because
her mother called her. That's right, I could be dead because my
daughter could have hit me while taking a call from her mother.

My son said to me: "So, if you got hit, you'd have to pay in some way. How's that make you feel?"

Being in the picture

Here's a jacket to lett you feel a movie. To wit:

The jacket contains 64 independently controlled actuators distributed across the arms and torso. The actuators are arrayed in 16 groups of four and linked along a serial bus; each group shares a microprocessor. The actuators draw so little current that the jacket could operate for an hour on its two AA batteries even if the system was continuously driving 20 of the motors simultaneously.

So what can the jacket make you feel? Can it cause a viewer to feel a blow to the ribs as he watches Bruce Lee take on a dozen thugs? No, says Lemmens. Although the garment can simulate outside forces, translating kicks and punches is not what the actuators are meant to do. The aim, he says, is investigating emotional immersion.

I love this! Movies have terrific visual effects, even 3-D. The sounds is awesome, too. Now, to be able to feel, to have your sense of touch, as part of the experience, that's just terrific. I hope these can be mass produced and that movie makers and theaters will cater to it.