The business of architecture
What follows is a presentation we made this morning to the Australian Institute of Architect's Small Practice Forum, providing an introduction to cloud computing and argument for its benefits to small architecture practice. All characters appearing in this presentation are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. An overview of... Continue Reading →
Cathy Hutchinson controls a robotic arm and takes a sip of coffee. She is directing the arm via signals transmitted directly from the motor cortex section of her brain What is it? A team at Brown University in the United States, led by Professor John Donoghue, has developed an electronic device, called BrainGate, that is surgically... Continue Reading →
What is it? Once upon a time, there was a dedicated team of medical researchers developing a new drug. To make sure the drug cured what it was supposed to cure, and was safe while doing so, the team subjected it to a battery of tests, first on animals then on humans. After many years,... Continue Reading →
What is it? Australia's first volume production all-electric vehicle, with zero drive time emissions (depending on how its owners source their electricity, potentially zero emissions, period). First seen on a billboard hovering over the CityLink tollway. The i-MiEV (which we presume stands for the obligatory "i" followed by Mitsubishi Electric Vehicle) is powered by an... Continue Reading →
What is it? Currently a one-off prototype, the 102EX Experimental Electric is making the rounds of stronghold Rolls-Royce markets to determine potential customer interest in the car. Based on the top-of-the-range Phantom, it does away with a thirsty 6.75 litre V12 petrol engine in favour of a bank of 96 batteries under the bonnet and... Continue Reading →
What is it? Running since 1981, NASA's shuttle program will come to an end in just 12 days. On the 21st of July, space shuttle Atlantis will return from its 135th and final mission to the international space station and the United States of America will lose its ability to send men and women into... Continue Reading →
What is it? Otherwise known as the flipback book or dwarsligger in the original Dutch, it is a lightweight, small-format book invented in 2009 by Dutch publisher, Jongbloed. The book is designed to be read in one hand, is printed on super-thin onion skin paper, measures 120 x 80mm and weighs slightly more than an iPhone.... Continue Reading →
Who is he? Professor of Cybernetics at the University of Reading, England, where he carries out research in artificial intelligence, robotics and biomedical engineering. His most important contribution to date has been in the study of neural-electronic interfaces. In March 2002, Warwick underwent voluntary surgery to have an electrode array implanted into the median nerve... Continue Reading →
Monologue (n): One person speaking to another person or to many. Dialogue (n): Two people speaking to one another. Polylogue (n): One person speaking to many {use - Facebook, Twitter, blogging}. Fact: 9 out of 10 people believe their thoughts, ideas and opinions are interesting to others - this is one of the fundamental truths... Continue Reading →
What is it? An automotive petrol mix that includes 10% ethanol and offers the benefits of reduced fossil fuel consumption, lower greenhouse gas emissions, an improved octane rating, cleaner engine operation and better mileage. It also usually carries the bonus of a slightly cheaper pricetag over standard petrol, in the realm of 2 - 4c... Continue Reading →