Micro Fuel Cells, and other new tech stuff!

[tltrude]

I use to be an Aircraft Electrician in the US Air Force. I repaired generators, power inverters, battery systems, etc... . So, I like to keep up with new power tech stuff.

You have probably heard of "Hydogen Fuel Cells"--NASA uses them on the Space Shuttle. Well, there is a new type of "micro fuel cell" that will fit inside cell phones, laptops, ipods, and the like. I don't think it can replace the batteries, but it could recharge them for weeks! The first devices to use these will probably be out early next year.

Click the image below to read about them.

[Trash Can Man]

WOW!

[Jack Ruby]

Now thats cool technology.

Tom do you think we will ever have hydrogen fuel cells working well enough to do away with internal combustion engines?

I know we need oil for a million other uses than burning in our cars, plastics etc..

I would love fuel cells to come good, remove the wests reliance on the middle east for oil, improve the environment with highly reduced gas emissions,

I think we are in for a scary decade or more with global warming, gonna see huge changes, I am feeling that even the more scary predictions are probably short of whats gonna happen, the thing is no-one knows for sure.

I am feeling pretty pessimistic about the future, not my immediate future I still have to go to work and live and every day, but the chaos in the political world right now and the environmental threat, things are not looking so bright.

Sorry to bring doom and gloom to the forum

[Rookie One.pl]

But it's true, Jack. The changes are already in the making. All the tsunamis, typhoons, tornadoes, earthquakes, extreme weather - the nature pays us back.

[At0miC]

Sorry to bring doom and gloom to the forum

It's alright, people should talk and think a lot about this and take care about the future. We have to decrease emission as it's going very bad atm and we have to change over to alternative energy once as oil is running out quick.

What we did to our families car to take care about emissions and oil (its very expensive in europe & running out), we did a little adaptation. Removed the spare wheel and replaced it with a gastank. Driving on lpg now with just the same petrol engine, its very cheap fuel, the emission is very low and the car still got the same power, there is no difference. Only have to buy petrol once or twice a year for starting up the engine and it will change automaticly to lpg.
And it's no problem without a spare wheel, we got a sprayer with special foam. When u get a flat one just spray the foam into the wheel and you can drive again .

[Jack Ruby]

Rookie, the climate is scary because it seems to be humans that are effecting it,

the earthquakes and tsunamis, terrible as they might be, we have no control over, we also dont control the weather but I dont think with should be pulling so hard on the tigers tail, runaway global warming?

very scary times

[tltrude]

Everything I see, read, or hear these days says we are doomed. But, humans are adaptable to change. Technological changes flow from necessity, not fear. Planetary upheaval could be a good thing, because those who can not adapt will parish!

[Rookie One.pl]

the earthquakes and tsunamis, terrible as they might be, we have no control over, we also dont control the weather but I dont think with should be pulling so hard on the tigers tail, runaway global warming?

Well, true, we have no control over them, but I fear that were triggered them as well. We've deeply changed the geological structure of the planet, as well as influenced the magnetic field.

@Tom - that's true. And this might even be a good thing. The humans have denied the laws of evolution by protecting the weaker. In long term this might result in degeneration of the species, clearing the population up a bit, although inhumanitary, could have good results.

[Jack Ruby]

I still dont think we have any effect at all in relation to major earthquakes, I think we still dont have a long enough collective memory to see what the world can really throw at us, have a google for Tambora and Krakatoa. I see these as natural processes.

The climate though, man its scary, I never hear any news about the ozone hole anymore, did they fix it?

The flow of fresh water into the north atlantic from greenland has already slowed the gulf stream and about a week ago I read that the greenland ice sheets are melting way faster than predicted

I think I have to agree that some thinning of the population might not be a bad thing in the big scheme of things but I hope I am not one of the people that get culled.

[Rookie One.pl]

If we could control it there would be no disasters. Or, to the contrary - if someone thought they can use that as a weapon... *thrills* Have you seen the film 'The Core'?

I think of the planet as of an organism. The magnetic field, the atmosphere, the hydrosphere are just like systems. If one of them gets corrupt, it affects the others as well. I think we at least helped the Earth to unleash its deadly powers at us.

The ozone hole fixed? IMHO it can only get worse, unless they invent some way of synthesizing ozone. Maybe they don't want to spread panic?

The thing is that humans, unless they wipe out each other by wars, will survive, whereas animals and plants... I'm not so sure.

[tltrude]

North Pole Ice Pack Dwindles <-----watch the video on the page too.

Just found this story about the polar ice. It says, "One new study suggests that desperately needed storms will be steered away from the drought-plagued American west, drying it by as much as 30 percent more, and increasing the wildfire danger."

I live in the drought area and grass fires are becoming a big problem here. But, if the drought does get worse, as the artical says, there is going to be big problems with the world's food supplies. A lot of the wheat, corn, and cattle the world depends on comes from the western US.

All this ice melting is going to cause the ocean's water levels to rise. I predict that London will be hit by tidal flooding--this year! The rest of Europe will probably be hit by monsoon rains and floods too. So, as far a disasters go, we ain't seen nothin' yet!!!

[Devil_Dog]

Thats cool and all, but you know in a couple years they show them to cause cancer and you won't be able to use them around non-smokers.

Devil_Dog

[Mj]

I think the reason that we have stopped hearing about the ozone is that people have got bored of it, and the media has moved on to even less interesting topics

[Trash Can Man]

I think the public in general thinks the ozone problem might be all hype. I personally had my doubts but when I read that the glacier fields are melting at an alarming rate I bagan to wonder. I believe the whole world needs to cut back on fossil fuels and look to alternate fuels. Sometimes I wonder If oil is the only reason we are even in Iraq. I hate seeing on the news everyday of Americans dying over there. To me, we need to stop treating those people nicely and really start fighting like they do. Terrorist have no regard for human life, so let's just have a shoot first ask questions later policy for that country. At least if our soldiers get killed they will have died fighting. The U.S. is way too "gentle" in that region. Just my 2 cents.

[jv_map]

so let's just have a shoot first ask questions later policy for that country.

Ehh isn't that what's already happening?

for going off topic, let's talk about fuel cells again