Food Force Fun

With no guns to fire and no cars to steal, you would think that Food Force wouldn’t be a very popular video game in today’s market. But after it launched on Yahoo Games last spring, it quickly became the most popular free game on the site, racking up 1 million downloads over the first two months.

Created by the United Nations World Food Programme, Food Force is made up of six stages, each one built around a certain aspect of the emergency food program’s operations.

Thanks, Justin!

Bermuda to Use Ocean Power

According to an article in the Royal Gazette, the island of Bermuda is set to sink a 150ft water turbine off its coast to supplement energy production. Belco, with help from U.S. firm Current to Current is heading up the project, which aims to initially provide 10% of the island nation’s electricity.

The generator has 4 propeller blades which will turn as the ocean currents pass over it, generating power. It is a much cleaner means of electricity generation than Belco’s Oil power plants

Ultimate Showdown of Solar Destiny

Every two years, international teams fight it out using computer models and engineering expertise at the Solar Decathlon, a kind of Olympics for solar-powered homes. Teams of students design, build and operate houses that are powered only by solar energy. The homes open to the public.

The teams work for two years to develop ways to reduce the cost of solar-powered homes and advance solar technology in general. This year’s competition is special since the US Department of Energy will provide $100,000 (US) to each participating team.

Nuclear Fusion on Your Table

A device that can fit on the top of a table can be used to create nuclear fusion! Researchers at The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have provided confirmation of an early attempt at room temperature fusion that came from UCLA, while making the design of the device better.

“The device, which uses two opposing crystals to generate a powerful electric field, could potentially lead to a portable, battery-operated neutron generator for a variety of applications, from non-destructive testing to detecting explosives and scanning luggage at airports.”

Thanks, Austin!