Technology

Greener Chip Manufacturing Process

- Benny Powers

In a story that is making it’s way around the web, researchers at the University College London have devised a new way to produce computer chips.

computer chip

The production of computer chips currently takes a vast amount of energy to heat furnaces to 1000 degrees Celsius. The heat transforms silicon to silicon dioxide, a key ingredient of computer chips. The new process encourages this reaction using cool ultraviolet light instead of intense heat.

Computer manufacture is one of the most polluting industries out there. This is one step towards reversing that trend.

Canadians Re-grow Teeth

- Benny Powers 2 Comments

Canadian researchers at the University of Alberta have re-grown teeth and bone using a machine that emits low-intesity pulsed ultrasound.

Already several tests have been done on live patients. This is great news for anyone missing their pearly whites.

Computer Buyers Want Green

- Adam Clare 1 Comment

It looks like environmental awareness amongst consumers is growing based on a recent survey of PC buyers. People feel bad for producing so much waste from electronics, or e-trash. The BBC has a good article covering computers and waste.

“The nine-nation research found that UK computer users were willing to pay an extra £64 ($117), while people in China were prepared for spend up to £108 ($197) for a more environmentally sound PC.”

What’s more, some companies are responding to pressure.

“The environmental group has long campaigned for the sector to move to cleaner production methods.

Dell says it will eliminate the use of all brominated flame retardants (BFRs) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) in its products by 2009.”

LegalTorrents.com – Free Culture

- Benny Powers

LegalTorrents is a collection of Creative Commons-licensed, legally downloadable, freely distributable creator-approved files, from electronic/indie music to movies and books, which have been made available via BitTorrent.

The legaltorrents.com site is also hosting a ‘guaranteed’ high speed seed for them. Everyone that grabs the BitTorrent client and downloads helps contribute more bandwidth, because BitTorrent utilizes your unused upload bandwidth. All of the current torrents are made available under a Creative Commons license with the full permission of the rights holder.

They also have an RSS feed.

Bibendum Challenge

- Adam Clare

Wired has a nice article on a environmentally-friendly car competition called the Bibendum Challenge. Wired also has a photo gallery of some of the competitors.

“A group of researchers from the Darmstadt University of Technology in Germany developed this car prototype that can travel 63 miles on a battery charge and has a top speed of 81 mph. I was able to take it up to 63 mph before security stopped me for driving on the test track unaccompanied.”

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