A Dutch engineer has invented a collapsible plastic shipping container which, he hopes, will replace the steel ones. Because it is made of a fibreglass composite, it weighs only three-quarters as much as a standard container but—more importantly— when it is empty, it can be folded down to a quarter of its size.
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The success of the London Eye has reinvigorated demand for Ferris wheels, with new “observation wheels” recently opening or being built in Malaysia, Singapore, and Australia, with others planned for Berlin, Dubai, and Beijing. And like with skyscrapers, a heated competition is under way for the world’s tallest.
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What role does science fiction play on actual science and design? “I think you need a certain quirkiness of temperament to be a successful science fiction writer. It’s like having a nose for news that hasn’t happened yet.”
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Until now, the most prominent holder of MP3 patents has been the Fraunhofer Society of Germany. But other companies, including Thomson, Philips and Alcatel-Lucent, are increasingly being backed up by aggressive enforcement efforts.
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Maglev trains are expensive; buses are cheap. The Superbus, a high-tech road vehicle, is a compromise between the two. It is an electric bus designed to be able to switch seamlessly between ordinary roads and dedicated “supertracks”, on which it can reach speeds of 250kph.
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Mathematical models generally make more accurate predictions than humans do. Studies have shown that models can better predict, for example, the success or failure of a business start-up, the likelihood of recidivism and parole violation, and future performance in graduate school.
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The low-tech graveyards where ships are picked apart by hand could give way to a greener, more high-tech alternative.
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New moving walkways have been given a speed boost. But will pedestrians in airports and shopping centres be able to cope?
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Microdots are tiny polyester particles that can be sprayed on to valuable items such as car parts. Under ultraviolet light and a magnifying glass, any one of these dots can reveal the host vehicle’s unique identity number.
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Borrowing heavily from Woodstock, the three-day “What The Hack” convention is a self-styled computer-security conference dealing such issues as digital passports, biometrics and cryptography.
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