Engineering
Aviation Authorities Prepare for Space Tourism
Several private companies are planning to offer the public rides into space starting in the next two to five years. Aviation authorities are preparing for a future in which airplanes and spaceships will share the air.
Post on Sep 28, 2010 by Gabriela Quirós
Inside the Jejune Institute, SF's Most Popular Alternative Reality Game
In a nondescript building at the corner of California and Kearny, lies the office of the Jejune Institute. Enter their office and watch a short induction video and you will be immediately thrown in to a city-wide alternative reality, scavenger hunt that has participants hunt around the city for clues and objects that build upon a larger, mysterious narrative.
Post on Sep 28, 2010 by Laura Khalil
Scientists Manipulate Atoms in Real Time
Imagine a future where iPods are capable of storing hundreds of thousands or millions of songs, where smart phones could play back several hundred times more feature-length Hollywood films than is currently possible, and where solar powered cells become dramatically more efficient in converting light to electricity.
It’s a future that may be possible thanks to research being done by IBM scientists in San Jose who have developed a new technique to manipulate individual atoms and measure how long they can store information in real time, over just a few billionths of a second. Their work could radically shrink a computer’s hard drive, allowing data to be stored on it more efficiently.
Post on Sep 24, 2010 by Sheraz Sadiq
Scientists Work on New Artificial Kidney
A UCSF scientists is leading a team of nearly forty scientists across the nation to develop the world’s first artificial implantable kidney.
Post on Sep 21, 2010 by Sheraz Sadiq
Ham Radio: Helping to Build a Fast and Free Internet
Two members of San Francisco hackerspace, Noisebridge, are looking to make an alternative network that’s modeled after the Internet that provides high-speed connectivity for a fraction of the cost of traditional internet service.
Post on Sep 21, 2010 by Laura Khalil
40 Years of the Clean Air Act
In 1969, there were 65 days when Bay Area air quality exceeded federal health standards. Under those same standards, last year, there wasn’t a single day over the limit. On the 40th anniversary of the Clean Air Act, we examine the impacts that the law has had on public health, business, and environmental justice in the Bay Area and what still needs to be done to improve the quality of our air.
Post on Sep 14, 2010 by Amy Miller
Draw Dazzling Designs With The Egg-Bot Kit
A local electronics company has recently released the Egg-Bot, a machine that allows users to draw intricate designs on any spherical object.
Post on Sep 14, 2010 by Laura Khalil
Producer's Notes: Driverless Cars
Shelley doesn't use lasers to see the terrain like her predecessor, Junior. Instead, the car uses differential GPS to find its position on an internal map.
Post on Sep 07, 2010 by from QUEST Northern California
Kinetic Steam Works Rebuilds Steampunk Inspired Engines
Kinetic Steam Works is a Bay Area arts collective rebuilding steam engines for fun and art performance.
Post on Sep 07, 2010 by Laura Khalil
Science on the SPOT: Driverless Cars
Meet Shelley, a car that drives itself. Researchers at Stanford University have developed an autonomous race car and plan on taking it on one of the toughest courses in the country. First, the car is taking them for a test ride at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds.
Video on Sep 03, 2010 by Lauren Sommer from QUEST Northern California
6 DIY Activities For The Burning Man Blues
What to do when all your friends are at Burning Man? Here are six fun activities to inspire the Maker in you.
Post on Aug 31, 2010 by Laura Khalil
Kepler Scientists Find New Planetary System
A team of researchers, led by NASA scientists in Mountain View, announced on Thursday the discovery of at least two Saturn-sized planets outside of our solar system orbiting the same Sun-like star.
Post on Aug 26, 2010 by Sheraz Sadiq
Go Big Green: Stanford Lightens Its Carbon Load
A new generation of eco-centric builders and designers are embarking on a $250 million project to raise, retrofit and re-power buildings across the 8,000-acre campus, in the hopes of slashing Stanford’s greenhouse gas emissions to 20 percent below 1990 levels in just 10 years.
Post on Aug 24, 2010 by Sheraz Sadiq
Polishing Oakland's Crown Jewel: Lake Merritt Reborn
Oakland's Historic Lake Merritt is in the midst of a multimillion dollar face lift.
Post on Aug 20, 2010 by Amy Miller
Is the Climate Right for Efficiency in China?
Notes from Asilomar: The 15th Biannual Summer Study, Energy Use In Buildings, of the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (August 15–20, 2010).
Post on Aug 20, 2010 by Jim Gunshinan
Sunday Plenary – Efficiency is the Centerpiece: Where are We Going?
Notes from Asilomar: The 15th Biannual Summer Study, Energy Use In Buildings, of the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (August 15–20, 2010).
Post on Aug 18, 2010 by Jim Gunshinan
Programming for Poets and more at GAFFTA
Gray Area Foundation for the Arts offers a variety of classes to hone your DIY skills. Whether you're looking to program, take in some pilates or yoga or even build circuits into clothing (think light up' clothes), there's something for everyone.
Post on Aug 17, 2010 by Laura Khalil
Hardware Hacking is the New Black
I haven’t always been a solder wielding hardware nerd. In fact, merely a year ago I didn’t even know what solder was, or why it was useful. So what changed?
Post on Aug 10, 2010 by Laura Khalil
Bay Area Artists Create Fire-Breathing, Beat-Thumping Art Structure
Four Bay Area art groups have come together to build a 2.5 ton fire-breathing collaborative musical instrument. Syzygryd (pronounced Si-zee-grid) is a 2010 Burning Man art installation that will be assembled in Black Rock Desert later this August for the event.
Post on Aug 03, 2010 by Laura Khalil
Energy Storage: The Holy Grail
This week, we continue our series "33 by 20," a look at California's ambitious renewable energy goals. Solar and wind power are booming across the state. But renewables have a downside: there are times when the sun doesn't shine and the wind doesn't blow. California utilities are looking to smooth out those bumps with a new strategy: storing electricity.
Audio Report on Jul 30, 2010 by from QUEST Northern California
