cooling

Ever wondered about the source of that humming sound coming from your computer? It's most likely the fan that tries to ventilate the internal components. That's a typical cooling system.

I am not a rocket scientist, but generally speaking, as electronic components get tinier and more powerful, the amount of heat they generate gets proportionately higher. This is due to the simple fact that there's just not enough surface for the heat to dissipate quickly enough. That's why all computers' processors and high-end video cards come with a heat sink with a fan on top. Take this heat sink away and you'd fry the component in a matter of seconds.

Now bring these little advanced devices into space, where there's no air or moisture to help conduct the heat, and you'll have an even bigger challenge. And that's exactly what NASA has been facing.

According to NASA's Jeff Didion, a thermal engineer at the Goddard Space Flight Center, in the world of electronics, thermal control is always one of the limiting factors. He has been collaborating with Jamal Seyed-Yagoobi, a professor at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, to partner with the U.S. Air Force and National Renewable Energy Laboratory to find ways to push the envelope of thermal-control barriers.

The result is the new electrohydrodynamic (EHD)-based thermal control technology, unveiled yesterday, that promises to make it easier and more efficient to remove heat from small spaces. This solution is meant to address a particular challenge for engineers building advanced space instruments and microprocessors that could fail if the heat they generate is not removed.… Read more

When turned on, the Cool Leaf touch-panel keyboard from Japan-based Minebe displays a backlit keyboard interface. When switched off, the keyboard looks like a common household mirror.

Designed by Dr. Kazuo Kawasaki, the mirror-like touch-panel surface of the keyboard doesn't contain any holes for dirt to fall in. Hence, it can be easily cleaned with a damp cloth. As such, the keyboard is expected to be used in areas that place a priority on cleanliness such as medical treatment sites and food plants.

For the time being, the keyboard is only compatible with Windows. Apple users won't have to miss out on this product, though, as a Mac version has also been announced.

The Cool Leaf will be available in Japan on May 13 for 26,000 yen ($316). The English, German, French, and Italian versions are scheduled to be released in July.

(Source: Crave Asia) … Read more

When it comes to being a leader in the tech industry, how important is the "coolness" factor? Clearly, the iPhone and the iPad are cool products, therefore making Apple a cool company. Android's coolness factor is also on the rise--scoring a few extra points on the coolness scale for Google, as well.

But can HP--an old school tech company right up there with IBM--score some coolness points to drive its popularity among consumers? New CEO Leo Apotheker is pretty sure it can. And to do so, the company is getting ready to generate some buzz with a … Read more

A new type of solar thermal system for homes that can provide heat, hot water, and electricity is being tested in Boulder, Colo., over the next few months.

Cool Energy says its SlowFlow system could provide the average U.S. home with 80 percent of its heat, 100 of its hot water, and 60 percent of its electricity needs.

It's being developed with help from the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, and electricity and natural gas giant Xcel Energy.

The system consists of solar collectors, a Stirling engine, a hot water heater, a space heater, an insulated … Read more

What's light green, sprayed on top of asphalt, and lowers the temperature of parking lots by 30 degrees? If you went to school at Robert L. Duffy school in Phoenix, you'd know the answer.

Late last month, the charter school became the testing ground for "green asphalt," a concrete-based reflective covering designed to make asphalt surfaces cooler and more durable.

Phoenix-based Emerald Cities installed the coating at the school to demonstrate the viability of the technology to city leaders and contractors, company CEO Sheri Roese said yesterday.

As part of its efforts to be carbon neutral, … Read more

It's always great to save money on gadgets, but even better when that gadget helps you save even more money.

For example, the Black & Decker Thermal Leak Detector helps you locate hidden energy leaks in your home. Patch 'em up and you could save a small fortune on heating and cooling.

The gizmo has a list price of $60, but Lowe's has the Thermal Leak Detector for $29 (plus sales tax). The only hitch is that you have to pick it up in-store. (Truck delivery is laughably expensive.)

Update: Apparently this was a regional deal. Although it … Read more

Check it out. Nokia did something cool with a touch screen. I did not see that coming.

We're not sure why researchers from the phone maker would do what they did (other than that they were probably going stir crazy during the long Nordic winter), but they did. So this exists: possibly the world's biggest touch screen, which is made of ice.

The Fins stacked ice blocks together and fused them with a heat gun to make an ice wall. That itself isn't that awesome, but then they added a projector behind it that shot the back of the ice wall with infrared light.

When people touch the wall--which is about 6.5 feet long, 5 feet tall, and 10 inches thick--their hands reflect the infrared light back, and a sensor feeds the data into a computer, which in turns projects visible light in response to the users' touches. Thus it becomes a giant touch screen.

Right now all the chilly ice screen does is make an interactive light display, which is fun. But I want to play Angry Birds on a wall. Nokia, can we make that happen? Check out the New Scientist video below.… Read more

GE subsidiary GE Energy Financial Services and North Bridge Venture Partners will invest $8 million in a company developing a biofuel production process coupled with the production of biochar.

Cool Planet Biofuels converts cellulosic byproducts like plant waste and woodchips into biofuel that can be used in vehicles.

The company's byproduct from the process is biochar, or manmade coal as some call it, which just like conventional charcoal can be burned for fuel. It's something the company says qualifies its biofuel process as being carbon neutral.

The biochar can also be buried in the ground serving as both … Read more

Dustin Drury of the comedy group DrCoolSEx joins the show today to talk about their latest viral video about one of our favorite childhood shows, "Doug," on Nickelodeon. Joining us as well is Scott Stein and Angela Inferrera. Where is Justin? A couple of a printer reviews needed to take priority...

You may only remember Doug, if you're in your mid-20s, but it was certainly a childhood favorite of ours. If not, YouTube it! While you're at it, check out DrCoolSex's parody trailer of a grown-up Doug. You might remember them from the viral movie trailer about Mario Kart.

DrCoolSex videos seem to be out of the ordinary on YouTube these days. Especially given the recent news that every single minute, users upload 35 hours of video! The Internet certainly allows users to take away the power from publishers, but to be frank, a lot of it seems to be crap.

We get to one voice mail about show segments. If you haven't noticed, we're not exactly the most reliable people on pretty much anything. But we are trying! Maybe if someone wants to be an intern? Finally, we get to a story about Facebook possibly offering e-mail to all of its users on Monday. Most of us agree that Gmail works great for us, but I'm thinking that every tween out there is pretty much going to think I'm lame if I don't use Facebook e-mail.