Written on Sunday, June 15, 2008 by Gemini
Mexican researchers at the University of Nueva Leon have discovered a new way to make a type of synthetic diamond using ............. tequila!!!
The scientists found that when the potent Mexican spirit is heated under pressure, it produces diamond structures, which are able to conduct electricity. The crystals used to make diamond film have previously been made from a number of different chemicals, often including nitrogen. However, the experiment is believed to be the first time that researchers have proved that any type of alcohol can be used to produce synthetic diamond. Diamond film is tougher than silicon, so it could be useful for devices that must operate at high temperatures or under other harsh conditions. However, diamond films are expensive and difficult to make. Now, researchers from Mexico have shown that the crystals can be created by heating the country’s national drink.
For the experiment, the boffins heated 80 per cent proof ‘tequila blanco’ which has a short aging process and is bottled soon after distillation in a low-pressure chamber. The drink formed into crystals which tests later confirmed had a diamond structure and were able to conduct electricity. “Some kinds of tequila seem naturally to have the right mix of atoms (to create diamond),” lead author Javier Morales said. Experts think that the use of alcohol to create diamond could have potential. “The result is certainly funny, but the process seems reasonable. I don’t know of any previous attempts to make diamonds from drinks,” said Rudolf Pfeiffer, professor of Physics from the University of Vienna in Austria.
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Written on Thursday, May 29, 2008 by Gemini
In recent times, the world's leading technology universities are opting in for a different business model, for the sole need of survival. Earlier they were involved only in research & development, and were least focused on the business front. The things started changing when investors in these institutions reduced their investments and hence these R&D centers started looking concentrating on business as well. That's why you'll see many R&D institutes going out in the market selling their research. Many leading technology institutes are in this league. However, in my opinion, Yissum - the technology transfer services company of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem - is in the lead position through its highly appreciated university technology transfer programs. It is responsible for marketing the inventions and know-how generated by the University's renowned researchers and students.
It has expertise in diverse domain from nanotechnology to medicine and pharmaceuticals, agriculture and nutrition, water and environmental technologies to computer science to homeland security. Speaking in terms of numbers, Yissum has granted 400+ technology licenses and is responsible for commercializing products of over $1 billion in worldwide sales every year. Over the past 40 years, Yissum has churned out many popular products like Exelon, Doxil, Superior ceramic ink, UV pearls, Sumo - louse repellent, and Ram onion. There are many successful companies that are born at Yissum including Algen Biopharmaceuticals, Avian Tech, Ester Neurosciences, HumanEyes Technologies, and many more. Yissum has won many patents (and many more are pending) on various technologies namely Single Image Dehazing, Prevention of Age-Related Retinal Deterioration, New Biosensor for Nerve Gases, Drought-Tolerant Trees, and Process for Producing Organic Ultra Thin Films. I am mesmerized by the wide array of their research in technology field - Improved Cache Performance with Reduced Energy Consumption; Compiler Aided Ticket Scheduling; Markov Model Application for DNA-Arrays and Gene Identification just to name a few. If you want to involve yourself in the world's leading technology institution and contribute to the award winning technologies / products, I recommend Yissum - a true technology transfer company.
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Written on Wednesday, September 26, 2007 by Gemini
San Francisco: Apple Inc. said on Monday (Sept 24) that programs available on the Internet that allow the iPhone to be used with other service providers besides US’ AT&T’s network can irreparably damage the device.
Apple, which also makes the iMac computer and the iPod digital music player, said once an Apple-supplied software update is installed on the iPhone, it “will likely result in the modified iPhone becoming permanently inoperable.” “We are not doing anything proactively to disable iPhones that have been hacked or unlocked,” said Phil Schiller, Apple’s head of worldwide product marketing.
The California-based company also said an iPhone that fails to work because of the installation of the unlocking software is not covered under the warranty. Apple plans to release the next iPhone software update later this week, the company said in a statement. “Apple strongly discourages users from installing unauthorised unlocking programs on their iPhones,” the company said.
There are a number of unlocking software programs on the Internet, and, at least two of them, iUnlock and Anysim, can cause the iPhone to stop working once its software is updated, Schiller said. “There may be others, but we don’t know all of them,” he added.
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