For those worried about frozen pipes, flooded basements or a teenage son or daughter sneaking out at night, get your hands on Twine, a Wi-Fi-connected sensor-laden rubber block that alerts you when things go awry.
You can also set it up to ping you when good ? or at least helpful ? things happen, such as when the clothes dryer stops or the mail is delivered.
The gizmo is the brainchild of MIT Media Lab graduates David Carr and John Kestner who raised over half a million dollars on the crowd funding site Kickstarter to turn their idea into reality. They started shipping products this week via their company Supermechanical.?
The 2.7-inch square block runs for months on a pair of AA batteries ? and it will email you when the batteries are running low. It comes loaded with temperature, vibration and orientation sensors. There?s an expansion connector so you can add additional sensors to track moisture or the opening of a door or window.
To make this wizardry useful, people decide what they want to monitor and, with a Web app, set up rules that trigger Twine to send an alert via text, tweet or email.
For example, put the Twine on a pipe and set it up to send an alert when the temperature drops below 40 degrees F, long enough to take action before the pipes freeze. Use the vibration sensor to send alerts when the clothes dryer stops spinning.
The gadget costs $99. For $134, you?ll get the magnetic door-and-window?sensor as well, which is helpful, for example, to pinpoint exactly?when your teen snuck in the back door after curfew.
John Roach is a contributing writer for NBC News Digital. To learn more about him, check out his website. For more of our Future of Technology series, watch the featured video below.
Ben-Gurion University develops side-illuminated ultra-efficient solar cell designs Public release date: 8-Nov-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Andrew Lavin andrewlavin@alavin.com 516-353-2505 American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
New cell architecture can exceed 40 percent conversion efficiency at intensities up to 10,000 suns
BEER-SHEVA, ISRAEL, November 8, 2012 -- Researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) have developed a radically new design for a concentrator solar cell that, when irradiated from the side, generates solar conversion efficiencies which rival, and may eventually surpass, the most ultra-efficient photovoltaics.
The new cell architecture developed at the David Ben-Gurion National Solar Research Center at BGU can exceed an ultra-efficient 40 percent conversion efficiency with intensities equal to 10,000 suns.
"Typically a concentrator solar cell comprises interdependent stacked materials connected in series, with significant associated fabrication difficulties and efficiency limitations," explains Prof. Jeffrey Gordon, a member of the Department of Solar Energy and Environmental Physics at BGU's Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research.
"Our new designs for concentrator photovoltaic cells comprise multiple tiers of semiconductor materials that are totally independent, and overcome numerous challenges in compiling the elements of even the most efficient solar cells," he says.
The BGU invention also demonstrates the distinctly new possibility of exploiting common materials, such as silicon, previously deemed unsuitable under highly concentrated solar radiation. Tailoring the cells to edge (side) illumination reduces the cell internal resistance to negligible levels. This increases the solar concentration levels at which cell efficiency peaks to up to 10,000 times ambient solar beam radiation, which is significantly higher than ever before.
"Our future depends on the development of alternative energies, and BGU is leading the way in this field," explains Doron Krakow, executive vice president of American Associates, Ben- Gurion University of the Negev (AABGU). "Prof. Gordon and his colleagues in BGU's Energy Initiative continue to bring new innovations that will impact our world for the better."
###
The new technology was recently detailed in a paper that appeared in Energy & Environmental Science.
American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev plays a vital role in sustaining David Ben-Gurion's vision, creating a world-class institution of education and research in the Israeli desert, nurturing the Negev community and sharing the University's expertise locally and around the globe. With some 20,000 students on campuses in Beer-Sheva, Sede Boqer and Eilat in Israel's southern desert, BGU is a university with a conscience, where the highest academic standards are integrated with community involvement, committed to sustainable development of the Negev. AABGU is headquartered in Manhattan and has nine regional offices throughout the U.S. For more information, visit www.aabgu.org.
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Ben-Gurion University develops side-illuminated ultra-efficient solar cell designs Public release date: 8-Nov-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Andrew Lavin andrewlavin@alavin.com 516-353-2505 American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
New cell architecture can exceed 40 percent conversion efficiency at intensities up to 10,000 suns
BEER-SHEVA, ISRAEL, November 8, 2012 -- Researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) have developed a radically new design for a concentrator solar cell that, when irradiated from the side, generates solar conversion efficiencies which rival, and may eventually surpass, the most ultra-efficient photovoltaics.
The new cell architecture developed at the David Ben-Gurion National Solar Research Center at BGU can exceed an ultra-efficient 40 percent conversion efficiency with intensities equal to 10,000 suns.
"Typically a concentrator solar cell comprises interdependent stacked materials connected in series, with significant associated fabrication difficulties and efficiency limitations," explains Prof. Jeffrey Gordon, a member of the Department of Solar Energy and Environmental Physics at BGU's Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research.
"Our new designs for concentrator photovoltaic cells comprise multiple tiers of semiconductor materials that are totally independent, and overcome numerous challenges in compiling the elements of even the most efficient solar cells," he says.
The BGU invention also demonstrates the distinctly new possibility of exploiting common materials, such as silicon, previously deemed unsuitable under highly concentrated solar radiation. Tailoring the cells to edge (side) illumination reduces the cell internal resistance to negligible levels. This increases the solar concentration levels at which cell efficiency peaks to up to 10,000 times ambient solar beam radiation, which is significantly higher than ever before.
"Our future depends on the development of alternative energies, and BGU is leading the way in this field," explains Doron Krakow, executive vice president of American Associates, Ben- Gurion University of the Negev (AABGU). "Prof. Gordon and his colleagues in BGU's Energy Initiative continue to bring new innovations that will impact our world for the better."
###
The new technology was recently detailed in a paper that appeared in Energy & Environmental Science.
American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev plays a vital role in sustaining David Ben-Gurion's vision, creating a world-class institution of education and research in the Israeli desert, nurturing the Negev community and sharing the University's expertise locally and around the globe. With some 20,000 students on campuses in Beer-Sheva, Sede Boqer and Eilat in Israel's southern desert, BGU is a university with a conscience, where the highest academic standards are integrated with community involvement, committed to sustainable development of the Negev. AABGU is headquartered in Manhattan and has nine regional offices throughout the U.S. For more information, visit www.aabgu.org.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
ASHEVILLE, N.C. /Music Industry Newswire/ ? Today, Moog Music officially announced their 10th anniversary special limited edition MOOG VOYAGER. According to the company, Moog created this 24 Karat gold Voyager with the finest materials, as a testament to American craftsmanship. The company is handcrafting 31 of these analog works of art, but only 30 are available for purchase worldwide.
As a thank you to its customers for making the Minimoog Voyager the best selling analog synthesizer of the last decade, Moog has set aside one of these rare and valuable instruments for one very lucky person to win- details for entry to be announced November 16th. As a specific thank you to Voyager owners, Moog will send ALL registered owners a small gift of gratitude for their amazing support.
?We are so thankful to the thousands of Minimoog Voyager customers for making the Minimoog the best selling analog synth of the last decade. Without them, we may not have been able to continue hand building instruments in downtown Asheville, North Carolina,? said Mike Adams, CEO Moog Music. ?Sending each and every one of them a small gift is a small gesture of our immense gratitude,? continued Adams.
MSRP $15,000.
To find out more about the 10th Anniversary Minimoog Voyager please go HERE: http://www.moogmusic.com/news/decade-thank-yous .
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About Christopher Laird Simmons
Christopher Simmons has been writing about music since 1984 when he sold his first feature to Polyphony (now Electronic Musician) magazine. He has composed music for two TV cable shows, is a member of ASCAP and PRSA, and is the managing editor for Music Industry Newswire(TM), as well as the CEO of Neotrope(R) Entertainment. His 80s music can be found on iTunes, Amazon, and CDBaby, among others. He played in several electronica bands in the '80s, and currently tries to find time to play with his studio gear. He is also an award winning graphic designer, photographer, author of one book "Fractopia," and has created digital art for numerous national magazines. ? Christopher Laird Simmons. More at: ChristopherSimmons.com .
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Primary Wave Media is another company powering mobile push messaging efforts. Its solution, called Intelligent Number, marries IVR with short code text messaging, and expands on the company?s traditional business of vanity business phone numbers.
Intelligent Number, explains Gregg Hamerschlag, CEO of Primary Wave Media, takes the vanity number and makes it relevant again. It does that by enabling both mobile and wireline customers to call into an 800 number and get coupons, request links be sent to their phones, and opt in to other company notices and opportunities. The service involves an up-front fee for the toll-free phone number and a package including 500 text messages, and the ability to buy additional text messages individually for 3 cents each or in bulk.
In addition to the digital marketing companies that use Intelligent Number to create solutions for their clients, Primary Wave Media is building its own brands based on Intelligent Number, Hamerschlag says. That includes 1-877-APPLIANCE, 1-800-NESTEGG, 1-855-NFL-MOBILE, 1-800-Prepare.com, 1-800-QUALITY, 1-855-ROMNEY-12 and 1-800-Wireless.
?By leveraging an Intelligent Number with existing voice services, organizations are able to provide prospective and potential customers with multiple options to ?hand raise? and receive customized marketing messages,? says Hamerschlag. ?The information is delivered directly to customers? handheld device via SMS, MMS, web or voicemail while the brand is able to seamlessly build a database of potential customers.?
ScienceDaily (Nov. 6, 2012) ? Heart failure patients with a condition called "heart block" derive significant benefit from cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT), according to the results of the Block HF clinical trial, presented November 6 at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2012 meeting in Los Angeles.
Anne B. Curtis, MD, Charles and Mary Bauer Professor and Chair of Medicine in the University at Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences and principal investigator of Block HF, presented results of the eight-year-long, national, multicenter, randomized clinical trial sponsored by Medtronic, Inc., which enrolled more than 900 patients.
"These findings confirm what some clinicians and researchers have hypothesized for some time -- that heart failure patients with heart block do better when both sides of the heart are resynchronized, called biventricular pacing, using a cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) device," she says. "The results of Block HF may lead to a reassessment of treatment guidelines for heart failure patients with heart block."
In the trial, 349 patients underwent biventricular pacing with a CRT device and 342 patients underwent the conventional right ventricular pacing. Patients who underwent biventricular pacing had a 26 percent reduction in the combined endpoint of mortality, heart-failure related urgent care and deterioration in heart function detected by echocardiography.
There also was a 27 percent relative risk reduction in the composite endpoint of heart failure urgent care and all-cause mortality.
The Block HF trial was designed to address the best way to treat atrioventricular block (AV block), a partial or complete block in the main "trunk" of the heart's electrical conduction system.
"AV block prevents electrical impulses from reaching the bottom chambers of the heart, which then beat very slowly or not at all," explains Curtis.
To treat AV block, many patients are implanted with a standard pacemaker with leads or pacing wires in the top chamber (right atrium) and the bottom chamber (right ventricle) of the heart. "But that fix can lead to other problems," Curtis says, "such as creating less synchrony between the left and right ventricles of the heart, making their heart failure symptoms even worse."
Researchers and clinicians have hypothesized that better outcomes might result from pacing both the left and right ventricles of the heart, called biventricular pacing, which involves implanting a cardiac resynchronization therapy device.
"Implanting these devices is more complicated than putting in a standard pacemaker, something clinicians don't want to put patients through without clear evidence of a benefit," says Curtis. "Today, we are announcing that Block HF does show that benefit."
Heart failure affects approximately 6 million people in the U.S. at a cost of somewhere between $20 and 56 billion/year. Of those, AV block affects more than 800,000 Americans and more than a million people worldwide.
Curtis, a UB faculty member since 2010, is one of the world's leading clinical cardiac electrophysiologists and an expert in cardiac arrhythmias. Her clinical research has significantly advanced knowledge of human cardiac electrophysiology and heart rhythm abnormalities.
Her research interests include clinical trials in implantable device therapy for prevention of sudden cardiac death and management of heart failure, as well as clinical trials in atrial fibrillation. She has been principal investigator, co-investigator, sponsor or steering committee member on 85 research studies and clinical trials and she has written more than 250 peer-reviewed manuscripts, book chapters, reviews and editorials. She also is author of a book on cardiac pacing.
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As millions of Americans head to the polls Tuesday, most of the attention will be on the tight presidential race, says the Hechinger Report. But there are a number of ballot initiatives across the country that could significantly impact state education systems. Here?s a look at how voters could change policies on school choice, merit pay and more:
Florida: A ballot initiative in Florida, if passed, will remove language from the state?s constitution that bans religious institutions from receiving taxpayer money. The measure does not explicitly reference education, but if it is successful, it will likely pave the way for private-school vouchers. While Florida currently has a voucher program for special education students and a tax credit scholarship program for low-income students, its statewide voucher program was ruled unconstitutional in 2006 because it gave taxpayer money to religious schools. If this language is removed, it seems likely vouchers could be reinstated?
Holidays are money-making bonanzas for online businesses.
Americans spent $6 billion on Halloween costumes, candy and decorations in 2012, according to an article on Mashable.com.
And retailers, including small business retailers, are predicting a robust Christmas season.
Manta?s Small Business Retailer Holiday Outlook survey predicts that this year?s holiday season will be especially good for online businesses. Online orders are expected to top 2011 holiday orders by 10 percent, compared to a 4.1 percent increase for brick and mortar small business retailers.
If you want to take advantage of the expected bonanza, consider these two make money online tips for keeping you and your customers happy.
1. Don?t Overstock
It?s easy to get caught up in the excitement of the holiday rush, particularly if you get a lot of pre-Thanksgiving orders.
But, just because you enjoyed great early sales, don?t rush to increase your inventory.
It?s better to sell out of something ? or a lot of things ? than to get stuck with merchandise that you?ve paid for but can?t sell.
This is especially true of holiday items ? you won?t sell leftover reindeer golf club cozies until next November, if ever. But even non-seasonal items can be difficult to sell in January, and you?ll have to offer them at greatly reduced prices.
Always keep stock as low as possible.
It?s better to sell out in early December than to be stuck with unsold merchandise in February or March.
2. Start a Business That Doesn?t Require Inventory
A simple solution to overstocking merchandise it to sell items that requires no stock at all.
Promote ? or create from scratch ? an online business that provides information people can download or otherwise obtain without any shipping, handling or inventory costs to you.
Let?s say you make excellent ? world class ? fruitcake.
Maybe your family has convinced you to start a fruitcake business and you think this would make a great online holiday money-maker.
Even if your family is right (and they?re not just trying to find polite ways to get rid of the fruitcake you bake for them) ?the costs of buying ingredients, storage containers and shipping supplies could cost several thousands of dollars before you sold your first fruitcake.
What if you sold your fruitcake recipe ? and an hour of your time to talk a novice baker through the instructions ? instead?
You could start your business with a free website and start making an instant profit.
Or you could set up your webcam and charge a fee for holiday cooking classes.
Consider other types of information you could sell online:? webinars for small business owners, white papers on ways to create wealth online or an ebook about how you started your online business.
Don?t spend thousands and thousands of dollars before you make your first sale.
Start earning money online right away and, when your cash flow improves, reinvest in the business.
Use your profits to buy yarn to knit golf club cozies or raisins for your fruitcakes.
But, until you start making money online, spend as little as necessary.
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Tagged as: holiday shopping, holidays, how to make money online, how to make money online for the holidays, making money online
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