Augmented Reality [AR] game set in Melbourne

As a gamer and denizen of Melbourne [Australia], how could I resist this New Atlas article about an AR game set in the city I love?

‘The game is the first in the True Crime Mysteries series by indie studio 10Tickles, helmed by husband-and-wife team Andy Yong and Emma Ramsay. The couple are both fascinated by true crime, history and the city of Melbourne itself, and so set out to build an augmented reality experience that tapped into all three.’

You can read the entire article by clicking the link below:

https://newatlas.com/games/true-crime-augmented-reality-game-misadventure-little-lon/

cheers

Meeks

Generating power at night, the flip side to solar

Nuclear energy has been in the news lately, and its proponents have once again cited the intermittent nature of renewables as a compelling reason to embrace nuclear. They say that only nuclear can wean us off fossil fuels fast enough given the imminent climate crisis.

My argument has always been that renewable technology is still in its infancy and that the sector will explode with new tech in the near future. This post is about one such possible ‘new tech’ – thermoelectric generation.

I can’t explain the science, but I can say that this new direction in power generation would work at night, while solar is unavailable. You can read the complete article here:

https://newatlas.com/energy/thermoelectric-generator-renewable-energy-cold-space/

The amount of power generated was miniscule, but this experiment sought only to prove that the principle was sound. Scaling up the process and making it robust enough for commercial applications will take a while, but then so does setting up a nuclear power plant.

My money’s on the new tech rather than the old.

cheers

Meeks

 

A shed by any other name…?

This is a shed, a quirky shed, one of 23:

This Hobbit-hole type shed is featured in a fun article on New Atlas. With bad news at every turn, sometimes it’s nice to remember that we humans have some positive qualities as well. 🙂

cheers

Meeks

 

 

 

Autism – nature PLUS nurture?

‘A new study is offering a clue into the origins of the disorder by finding a single dysfunctional protein may be responsible for coordinating expression in all the genes that result in autism susceptibility.’

I took that quote from an article on autism research published by New Atlas. I strongly recommend reading the entire article but the gist is that:

1. Researchers have found hundreds of genes implicated in the Autism Disorder spectrum, not just one ‘master’ gene.
2. These genes are like switches that can be turned on or off.
3. While these genes are ‘off’, the person may have a tendency towards autism, but they will not be autistic – i.e. there will be no symptoms of autism.
4. There is a protein called CPEB4 which ‘…is vital in embryonic development, assisting with neuroplasticity and helping regulate the expression of certain genes during fetal brain development.’ In other words, this is a good protein.
5. In mouse models, not enough of this protein leads to brain structures and behaviours that are characteristic of autism. In other words, the lack of this protein causes those autism-related genes to be switched on and the result is Autism-like behaviour.

Now, mouse models are just an approximation of the human condition, but they do lend support to the idea that autism is not just a genetic condition/disorder. Instead, it may well be a case of environment acting on an underlying pre-disposition. And if that is the case, then maybe one day we’ll be able to keep those Autism related genes switched off.

Have a great weekend,

Meeks

 

Liquid water on #Mars

Okay, the liquid water is beneath 1.5 km of solid ice at the South Pole, but it is there!

It’s also incredibly salty [one reason why it isn’t frozen], but its discovery opens up huge new areas of research because it means that Mars really was much wetter in the past. I’m no geologist or climatologist, but I can’t help wondering what happened to Mars to turn it into the barren rock it is now. If there’s any chance that our own Earth can go the same way, we need to know.

Please visit the New Atlas website to read the whole story.

And finally, from me, an apology. I’m racing a July 31 deadline so this blog, and social media in general, have taken a huge back seat. I’ll be more sociable again once I. Get.This. Job. Done!

cheers

Meeks

Solar sunglasses…yes, please!

I don’t usually wear sunglasses, but I’d definitely wear these:

The frames are standard, but the lenses collect solar energy which is transferred to the electronic gadgetry hidden in the arms. That gadgetry could be enough to power small wearables such as hearing aids. For me though, the most exciting part is this:

‘Organic solar cells were chosen instead of more traditional silicon cells because they’re transparent, flexible, lightweight, and can be manufactured in a variety of shapes and colors. Each solar cell lens weighs about six grams, is 1.6 mm thick, and was made to fit into a set of commercially-produced sunglass frames.’

The blue highlights are mine, and they’re exciting because the same cells could also, in time, be used on windows. Imagine how much energy could be harvested if windows became solar panels as well as roofs? And think of all those huge skyscrapers – perfect realestate for solar farms. 🙂

You can read the complete article on NewAtlas. Just follow the link below:

http://newatlas.com/solar-lens-sunglasses/50732/?utm_source=Gizmag+Subscribers&utm_campaign=0033755d27-UA-2235360-4&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_65b67362bd-0033755d27-92416841

Happy Friday 🙂

Meeks