SCiB Battery Technology

I really like the idea of electric cars. However, the current lack of support in the form of charging stations the poor performance in regards to range and recharge time is something that makes me wonder if the electric car is just a pipe dream in terms of usability. That is where Toshiba’s SCiB battery technology comes in to smash any predetermined doubts you had regarding the electric car being unfeasible as a means of transport. Traditionally, it took electric car batteries over thirty minutes to charge (give or take a few minutes). The SCiB battery can recharge to ninety percent capacity in five minutes.
The buck does not stop there. The battery is touted to last ten years. That is not how long a single charge lasts – but how long the battery itself lasts before it will need to be replaced. This is good news for people who are ecologically minded. A battery can contain all manner of nasty materials that can do some serious damage to the environment. This is likely to be the battery that will finally make electronic cars possible and help reduce our need for (overpriced) petrol. It may also help companies finally start investing in electronic charging stations for vehicles.
There is no word on when this is likely to become available to consumers. However, it seems like it is something that it will not take long for companies who manufacture electric vehicles to start using in their production lines. It is something that will ensure that electric cars get the research that then need in order to make the technology feasible for the masses. I had some trouble finding out how far a single charge will carry the vehicle – if it is similar to that of the current electric vehicles that have been released then it may just be a winner.

USB power outlet concept

Universal Serial Bus, better known as the USB, has been present for many years in computer history. Today we couldn’t imagine our computers and devices without USB support, and when USB was invented, its creators had no clue that it would become such a hit in the future. Recently we got an interesting concept that might enhance and change the way in which standard USB works.

As you know, USB was created in 1995 and over the years we got three versions of it that have provided us with different transfer speeds. The USB port is now widely used for transferring files from your USB device to the PC and vice versa. Besides that, the USB port is also used for recharging portable devices such as phones, cameras and media players. I suppose the only flaw of this method is that you’ll have to keep your computer turned on in order to recharge your devices.
However, if you want to recharge your device without your PC, this interesting concept might be the right thing for you. Designed by Lv Jianhua, He Dawei, Zhou Hanxiao and Xu Yao, this is a power outlet that has USB ports on it that will allow you to recharge all your USB devices with ease.

This looks like an interesting concept but so far its just an early concept. Who knows, we might actually see USB power outlets someday when we check into a hotel in the future.

To compete with Facebook Google acquires Metaweb.

Google today made the competition even tougher for the social networking site Facebook the search engine has announced that it has acquired Metabeb that works on packaging information on the Internet.

Metaweb is a company that keeps an open database of the events and happenings of the world. Now Google wants to make the search even richer by adding more and more information to the web search page so that it is more meaningful for the users. By acquiring the company, Google has thus challenged Facebook which works on the same principal of dealing in the information.
Now if you type any word for instance barak obama birthday in the search box, you will see the answer right at the top of the page and specific events and dates will also appear. Earlier, Facebook had announced its Open Graph initiative to make the Web more meaningful.

Making melting pots: NITs asked to draw foreign students

HRD ministry officials feel there might be something, after all, to the ‘melting pot’ — the metaphor used by colleges in the US to describe diversity on campus. Now, they want a similar thing in India. In a March 4, 2010, circular to the National Institutes of Technology (formerly Regional Engineering Colleges), the ministry has asked them to go all out to attract foreign students. Not just non-resident Indians or people of Indian origin (PIO), but students from the US, UK and Australia as well. As officials see it, building diversity on campus is just a step away from preparing students to subsequently deal with increasing diversity at the workplace.

“Our curriculum is at par with international levels. What we lack is branding, and this will happen only when more foreign students apply to India,” says MHRD deputy advisor N Mohan Das. In the letter, the MHRD entrusts the National Institute of Technology Karnataka (NITK) with the responsibility to “evolve a framework for publicising schemes” by creating “a web-portal for application, submissions and the entire admissions process”.



The reason for roping in NITs is that while these institutes are second-rung in India after the IITs, they are not recognised abroad. At the same time, the meltdown has made students look at relatively cheaper options in Asian countries, for both study and work, making it the right time to go international. Currently, the 15% quota reserved for foreign students is filled by NRIs and PIOs from the Gulf. “We do not get quality students due to a lack of information,” says Prof Sunil Sarangi, director of NIT Rourkela, Orissa. “Most people look at the US or UK, unaware of the facilities available here.” In its first year, the programme will focus on publicising Indian tech institutions in places with a substantial Indian population, like Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi. Later, the aim will be to target students from countries known to provide quality education, like the US, UK, France and Australia. NIT alumnus, home on vacation and teachers on official visits abroad, are expected to organise popularisation drives.



Even though the institutes are wooing foreign students, they are quite clear there will be strict norms for admissions. While the MHRD wants to make the admissions process under the direct admission of studies abroad scheme more user-friendly, Indian institutions say they will only accept “quality” students. “We are modelling the system along the lines of those in the UK and US,” says Prof Sandeep Sancheti of NITK Surathkal, mentor-director of NIT Goa. Entrance to foreign students from this year will be based on their scores from international admissions tests like the SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) unlike earlier, when their school-leaving marksheets would suffice.



That doesn’t deter people like Catherine Nalubega of Ukraine, who is currently doing her second year civil engineering at NITK and plans to live on in India. Nalubega picked NITK over options in Russia and China, and feels the Indian government’s scholarship schemes, if promoted better, will attract more foreign students. Having more foreign students will also bring in foreign exchange; especially when the recession has made people look at value-for-money, cost-effective education options. It’s a win-win for everyone.