The Xeno Files

The Flexible Printed Paper Battery

2007-08-17T18:21:00.000-07:00

It seems these days that nothing is technologically impossible. Gadgets keep getting smaller, more paper thin and flexible. Take for instance the new paper battery that the researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have developed.

"Another key feature is the capability to use human blood or sweat to help power the battery."

Wait... did I read that correctly!? "...use human blood or sweat to help power the battery"!

The possibilities for this technology are endless. For example imagine combining this battery with the latest paper-thin flexible solar cells, the ultra-thin OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) display technology, and the latest multi-touch tech.

Extreme Virtual Reality

2007-08-17T16:38:00.000-07:00

The iPlane™ is an omni-directional treadmill (ODT) which can be used as a gaming and internet communication appliance.

"Combining the infinite plane of the ODT with an immersive virtual reality system permits an immersant to walk or run freely through the digital landscape. Navigation is transparent and natural. Immersion is total."

"The ODT surface is flat and continuous. It is not a bowl or made of discrete plates. The infinite surface is motion-slaved to the user’s motion with tight control and no inertial residue. Belts that comprise the surface are substantially similar to those used in conventional treadmills."

"This physical interface is the final link in the convergence of fast computers, low cost graphics, and broadband infrastructure. It is the literal next-step in the evolution of human-computer interfaces. It is the step that takes us fully into cyberspace."

You have to see it to believe it - check out the video.

Nano Magnet Microchips

2006-02-14T17:17:00.000-08:00

An interesting article on wired reveals a new microchip technology and working prototype created by a group of electical engineers at the University of Notre Dame.

Also known as "magnetic quantum cellular automata", these chips are comprised of arrays of separate nano-scale magnetic "islands", each of which maintains its own magnetic field. These magnetic "islands" are created via a process called magnetic patterning, and are only 110 nanometers wide. The chips do not contain transistors or wires, and because of this there is the promise of much lower power consumption / heat and much higher speeds than currently availble.

The magnetic technology is radiation-hard, which means that it will be able to tolerate the environment in space, something regular DRAM cannot do.

Anti-Gravity?

2006-02-11T14:36:00.000-08:00

It used to be common knowledge that the world was flat. Didn't agree? You were nuts. Later it was that the sun and stars revolved around the Earth, which was the center of the universe. Anybody saying different was crazy, even persecuted. Physicists now agree that because gravity is a basic force of nature, that an anti-gravity machine is theoretically impossible... But is it?

I was watching a show on The History Cannel the other night which reminded me of very interesting article I read on the Popular Mechanics web site back in 1999 about a break through in the research of gravity manipulation. The show had a demonstration of a super-cooled HTSD disc floating above a magnetic track.

One of the world's leading scientists, Dr. Ning Li (pictured left, in th center), predicted in the 1980s that when a time-varying magnetic field is applied to superconductor ions trapped in a lattice structure, the ions would absorb enormous amounts of energy and the ions would begin to rapidly spin creating a gravitational field. Li began working on a device that would prove this. Li's device utilizes a 12-inch diameter high-temperature superconducting disc (HTSD). Li claimed that, once finished, her device would neutralize gravity above a 1-foot diameter region extending from the surface of the planet to outer space. To me, this sounded very similar to the experiments done by Eugene Podkletnov, where he noted 2% gravity reduction above a rotating superconducting disk.

Because the article stated that an operational device is about 5 years in the future, which is right around the time of this posting, I tried to find a recent article on Li. The only article I was able to find stated that Li had been missing for some time and is now working on this technology for the Department of Defense (DOD), although this is probably a conspiracy theory.

What really gets me is the implications of this technology. This means that the arguments of all the scepital scientists about the physics of UFOs not being possible were obviously narrow-sighted and ignorant to the fact that technology does advance. If we truly can manipulate gravity, a force we have yet to understand, then the possiblities are endless.

Does any one have any information as to Li's current whereabouts? Please post a comment!

Super Vision

2006-02-08T12:40:00.000-08:00

According to this article at wired.com, PixelOptics, Inc. has developed a technology for eyeglasses which uses an aberrometer, a device which measures aberrations that can impede vision, and then manipulates pixels that are embedded into the lens of the glasses to correct the irregularities. The wearer of these glasses should be able to see clearly for twice the distance they normally can.

I want super vision! Is there a trial study program I can sign up for?

Directed Energy Weapons

2006-02-07T16:52:00.000-08:00

In the article Beam weapons almost ready for battle, it states that "directed-energy weapons take the form of lasers, high-powered microwaves and particle beams".

When Nostradamus predicted a "rain of fire" in the end times, this is probably what he was philosophizin' about.

Coanda Principle

2006-02-07T16:35:00.000-08:00

The GFS UAV is pretty amazing. It can take off vertically, has controlled flight, hover and land on a specified point. The GFS UAV uses the Coanda principle for lift, has almost no downwash and is aerodynamically stable. This thing has NO exposed rotating parts.

Supposedly this craft will be used in urban environments for "close quarter surveillance" and "intelligence gathering". Hmmm....

Storing Data on a Laser in a Crystal

2006-02-07T13:55:00.000-08:00

Back in October of 2005 I read an article on wired.com which stated that scientists have discovered a way to store data encoded onto a laser in a crystal. The article was removed and is not available in their archive, but I was able to find the cached version via Google. The article is back online here.

The laser is slowed down using a silicate crystal doped with a rare-earth element - slow enough to map data onto the laser using photons, which is then stored in a crystal for later retrieval. The laser would normally be absorbed and not pass through the crystal, but when shining a secondary laser at the crystal it becomes transparent, making way for the first laser with the data. When the laser with data enters the crystal, the secondary laser is turned off which traps the first laser inside. When the secondary laser is then turned on again, the first laser (with data) is released.

What I want to know is how these scientists came up with the original concept.

Pistol Shrimp

2006-02-07T08:53:00.000-08:00

A mysterious shrimp that can generate an imploding bubble as hot as the surface of the sun and is so loud that a submarine can hide from sonar in its' precense? Sound like fiction? Think again.

I recently learned about the Pistol Shrimp. This is a fascinating creature that has an amazing ability. It can snap shut its' one over sized claw so fast that a bubble forms in the wake of the water jet which gets forced out. This bubble immediately implodes which generates light (sonoluminescence) and a heat that can reach temperatures as hot as the surface of the sun (18,000 degrees Fahrenheit), killing prey within six feet. Pretty friggin' cool!!!