Surge's Up!

Look Ma! No Wires!

Something I have just come across on the technology news is something demonstrated by Intel -- a wireless power system!

Their demonstration involved a stand with a 60-Watt light bulb powered by their magnetic resonance technique. This technique uses a tuned coil to resonate with the same frequency as that of the oscillating magnetic field in the power source. (image to left -- image from Daily Tech¹)

Intel demonstrated the system August 22, 2008² with the 60-Watt bulb possibly because it "...uses more power than a typical laptop computer."² While transmitting power has been possible with different technologies since the times of Nikola Tesla -- back before power-lines crossed the countryside. ...Tesla came up with the technique of AC power.

Nikola Tesla was looking for ways to transmit power over long distances; thinking that nobody would be interested in laying grids of power lines across city and countryside. Of course we now now different with our cities and countrysides criss-crossed with networks of powerlines carrying Tesla's multi-phased AC current. Image to right of Nikola Tesla demostrating wireless power transmission. (image to right -- image from Serbia the Golden Apple³)

The Intel demonstration however was of shorter range and not intended for sending power across the city, rather its intent is to power devices within the home or office without wires. It might only mean not having to plug in your cell phone, but it charging whenever at home or in the office -- or perhaps being able to use your notebook computer anywhere in the house or office without draining the battery and without needing to plug in... ever.

Another area is peripherals for the computer. Consider wireless keyboard and mouse which will never need you to replace or recharge a battery. I have been writing about cell phones and computer stuff -- perhaps focusing on it because I am writing this article on a computer and that was what they talked about in the article. Perhaps this is also because Intel is aiming in this direction. There are likely many other applications that you and I can discover.

I wonder if there are medical possibilities for keeping artificial hearts and other devices charged and running? The main power-source kept outside transmitting power to the device - magnetically coupled to the source outside?

MIT team and their setup to power 60 Watt bulb. (image to left - image from MIT News Officeª)

The efficiency of the demonstration system with the light bulb was only 75% efficiency at around a metre distance so you might not want to think about tossing away every power-cord. On the other hand, you might be able to have power stations for certain tasks... like for instance your desk might have one and all the computer equipment and peripherals might be powered by a local station in the desk. That might include charging your PDA, cellphone, mp3 player, notebook computer, portable hard drive and similar equipment as well as powering the mouse, keyboard, and other equipment without any cords crisscrossing the desk.

Still I think you might have some resonant frequencies for the desk, kitchen, entertainment unit, and...

Of course... there are always the spectres of health issues. They say that the interaction at the frequencies used with biological materials is minimal... but how minimal is minimal and what effects might there be? People are starting to consider the growing background of microwave radiation we are being bathed with even if we don't use cellphones, cordless phones, or wireless networking. Perhaps those people who line their hats with tin foil might have a good idea.

Later!
~ Darrell

125.

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¹ "Intel Demos Bizarre Tesla-esque Wireless Power Transmission System" Jason Mick (blog) August 22, 2008 - Daily Tech.

² "Intel demos wireless power system" AFP August 22, 2008 - Canada.com.

³ "Genius From Smiljan" Serbia the Golden Apple - Nikola Tesla (Serbia).

ª "Goodbye Wires... - MIT News Office" MIT news.

Other links: "Travelling magnetic field for homogeneous wireless power transmission"; "Technology Review: TR10: Wireless Power".

Boys are from Earth, Girls are from Earth

Girls Can Do Math Just As Well As Boys

As a adult it always seemed strange to me when I heard that girls fell behind boys in school when it came to math and science. When I was in school I always thought of girls as the better students. I know there were always guys who did well, and when I was in Computer Club -- at a time before there were programming or computer courses in secondary schools -- there were only one or two girls in it for the dozen or so members we had. But the lab assistants seemed to be at least as many girls as boys and I recall perhaps more.

The girls always seemed the more studious and diligent with their schoolwork. Perhaps though I am remembering the earlier grades to grade 9? Perhaps at the time the girls tended to behave more politely and the teachers thought better of them as many of the boys were rough and tumble? I am not sure but I got that impression of girls being more scholastic than boys so it came as a surprise to me that they were falling behind in the maths and sciences -- especially calculus and physics -- in high school.

Now it seems that girls have caught up to boys in the standardized tests for Math*. They are discovering that there are fewer differences between how boy's brains and girl's brains are wired. The working theory has been that boys were expected to be going into occupations that would require the maths and physics and so took more of those courses so that when it came time for the standardized exams, they did better. The girls did not have the practise and so could not preform as well on those tests of academic ability.

There still are differences, but they are becoming smaller and smaller to the point of not being statistically relevant. More important though is the difference in performance between children in richer and poorer communities. Children in underprivileged settings are falling behind in their education.

I think that can be said regardless of race, creed, or background.

Later!
~ Darrell

100.

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* "Girls close math gap" Tom Spears -- Canwest News Sevice July 24, 2008, Ottawa Citizen.

geology.com - Dig It

Dig It - More Than Dirt

There is a wealth of information on "Geology.com - Earth Science News, Maps, Dictionary, Artcles, Jobs". I wasn't sure what to expect from "geology.com" I have always been interested in geology and earth science with plate tectonics and continental drift; the stratigraphy of the Earth's crust; polished stones, crystals, and geodes; erosion; volcanoes; and mountain building - but I had forgotten about the celestial angle which comes into play as well with the geology of extraterrestrial bodies and even it seems galaxies in collision.

There are many gems on that page - and I mean gems of information and links to even more. There is a link to a page in geology.com on Galaxies in Collision which is a very visual article on galaxies colliding. I also like the article on Mapping Dark Matter in a Galaxy Supercluster. Again it is a very visual article - perhaps not everyone's cup of black coffee, but I know some of the physics-ly minded will appreciate it.

Putting our feet a bit firmer on terra firma, there is a link to a page with Igneous Rock Photos and there is an article on a special type of quartz crystal called a Herkimer Diamond which is a quartz crystal with a point on both ends named for Herkimer county, New York.

Perhaps you have to be a bit of a science fan like me to appreciate the page, but you might be surprised if you have a look.

Later!
~ Later