Monthly Archives: January 2009
Icecold statistics
Sometimes you wonder how it could take so long to discover something that seems so obvious. Scientists now have discovered that Antartica is warming. In the last fifty years temperature sensors on Antartica indicated that it was cooling down. This … Continue reading
Flow of money
During my visit in the Bavarian Alps (near the Czech border) I noticed the effect of the famous German law that regulates the amount that is paid for green energy delivered to the grid. It is known that is has … Continue reading
Proof
The recent study by TNO and SEO showing that filesharing increases (!) our wealth is only days old. And the next piece that shows that sharing increases value becomes available.. Mashable points out that the recent availability of many clips on … Continue reading
Confused
The possibilities created by hyperconnectivity and new tools confound our lawmakers. The High Court in Germany has asked the EU-court (search for “Google Bundesgerichtshof” ) in Luxembourg to rule on a quite interesting case. Google Ads is widely used tool. If … Continue reading
Simple
Part 2 of the famous humorous explanation of the credit crisis, by two comedians enacting a talkshow. Part 1 is over here. Very, very to the point.
Solid?
Germany has a reputation to lose: solidity en quality is expected. Therefore the latest revelation of Der Spiegel is sobering. All the country’s top commercial banks and the publicly owned regional banks known as Landesbanken took part in a survey which … Continue reading
Bots with tails
Seems like someone has made a big step towards real practical microbots, swimming in the bloodstream as they are guided towards problem areas through small arteries. The (silent) video shows a practical method to use piezo-electric propulsion, mimicking nature.
Penalty
Everyone in logistics is aware of the relatively low utilization rate of trucks. It is reportedly below 50 %, as many trucks bring a load to one place and return empty. Many other factors (like branded trucks: a Coca Cola … Continue reading
Logical
One strategy to use less (expensive) silicon in solar panels is by concentrating the sunlight with lenses on the solar cells. The drawback is the heat: silicon does not like to be overheated. So you see designs with elaborate cooling … Continue reading