Green architecture – Bastyr Student Village, Seattle

By Damir Beciri
20 December 2010

bastyr-student-village-1Bastyr’s Student Village is a reflection of the University’s vision to transform the health and well-being of the human community. The project has been awarded the 2010 LEED for Homes Project of the Year in the “Outstanding Multifamily” category by the USGBC. The 132-student residential village was designed by CollinsWoerman, Seattle’s company which specializes in… »

ETFE material research made plastic facades more practicable and affordable

By Rob Aid
20 December 2010

eden_projectThe plastic film of Ethylene tetraflourethylene (ETFE) is a growing trend in architecture these days because it enables new design options. The Eden Project in Southern England, the National Aquatics Center built for swimming events at the Olympics in Beijing and the Allianz Arena in Munich are only three examples of what you can make… »

Word Lens – augmented reality app able to translate foreign text around you

By Damir Beciri
3 Comments18 December 2010

word-lensHere is an article about an application that offers on-the-fly video translations or processing from the printed text it is able to recognize. Although the news about Word Lens from Quest Visual was viral a few days ago, we didn’t publish our article about it before we managed to get some additional information about the… »

LG released Optimus 2X – world’s first dual-core smartphone

By Damir Beciri
18 December 2010

lg-optimus-2xHere is a trend we’ll be seeing bloom over the high-end gadgets sphere, and that is adding more computing power to gadgets that can employ most of it. LG Electronics (LG) recently unveiled LG Optimus 2X – world’s first smartphone with a dual-core processor. Along with more powerful multimedia features, the LG Optimus 2X’s high-performance… »

Researchers managed to read data after storing it in atomic nuclei

By Damir Beciri
16 December 2010

atom-data-storage-christoph-boehmeUniversity of Utah physicists managed to store information for 112 seconds in what may become the world’s tiniest computer memory – magnetic “spins” in the centers or nuclei of atoms. Afterwards, they were able to retrieve and read the data electronically – a big step toward using the new kind of memory for both faster… »

Responsive protocells could be used to strengthen buildings

By Damir Beciri
14 December 2010

protocell-drivers-in-flaskResearchers from the University of Greenwich are using ethical synthetic biology to create “living” materials that could be used to clad buildings and absorb the CO2 from the air. In collaboration with an architectural practice and a building materials’ manufacturer, the idea is to use protocells – bubbles of oil in an aqueous fluid sensitive… »

Green architecture – Solera apartments, Denver

By Damir Beciri
13 December 2010

solera-1Solera, at 1956 Lawrence St., is projected to be the first LEED Gold Certified multi-family building in the Rocky Mountain Region. It is currently first of its kind in downtown Denver. Designed by Zocalo Community Development, the 11-story Solera has 120 units and almost 511 square meters (5,500 square-feet) of retail space in walking distance… »

A nanoscale insight on lithium batteries could increase battery durability

By Damir Beciri
One Comment12 December 2010

nano-battery-diagramBattery developers know that recharging and using lithium batteries over and over damages the electrode materials. Researchers at the DOE’s Environmental Molecular Sciences Lab on the Pacific Northwest National Lab (PNNL) grounds have been observing how nanowires composed of tin oxide rapidly change shape and deform when they are being charged. “Nanowires of tin oxide… »