The old English saying has a new ring of truth. A company in New Zealand has become the world’s first to make biodiesel from sewage pond algae. And best of all, the process helps purify the water even more than normal treatment methods.
All posts by Paul Raven
Two DVDs Per Second
Technology researchers have debuted a chip that can convert optical fiber signals into computer data at astonishing speeds; up to 107 gigabits per second. Should make the filesharing lobby quite cheerful, at least…
New Column: Armchair Anarchist on SF Conventions
I have been a science fiction reader from the age of nine. It eventually became my staple literary diet over the years, after a teenage phase of reading RPG spin-off novels. But it was only comparatively recently that I discovered the science fiction community – the world of ‘fandom’. Once I started reading SF magazines, and writing articles for SF publications (such as this esteemed website) I realised there was a lot more to it than just reading novels in the isolation of my flat. Late last year, I decided that it was time I attended my first convention.
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Solar Climate Change
According to the boffins at NASA, the Sun’s ‘Great Conveyer Belt’ (a massive circulating current of plasma) is running slower than ever before, at least since records were kept. This means we’re in for a weak solar cycle around 2020, which translates into an increased dose of cosmic rays.
Squelch Subway Shoulder-Surfers
Sick to the back teeth of your fellow travellers on public transport watching your mobile content? Indulge your privacy with a set of mobile-display glasses. Their manufacturers claim wearing them will be like viewing a 32 inch TV at a distance of two meters; headphones will shut out the background noise. How will you know when it’s your stop, though?