Hasta La Gadget!

If you’re out and about for the whole day and are relying on your smartphone for a handful of tasks, you may discover that the battery won’t last you the whole day, and what’s a person to do when their phone dies and you’re nowhere near an outlet? AT&T is looking to solve this problem

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Hot drinks that have gone cold are such a drag. Unfortunately, this happens more often than you’d like. Some emergency always seems to come up just as you’re about to take a sip from that cup of freshly-brewed coffee. By the time everything’s all in order, you come back to a drink that’s too tepid to enjoy.

Working with that in mind is Fan Wu, who came up with the Solar Glass.

It’s an insulated glass that has a structure that’s similar to a solar vacuum heat pipe. The outside of the glass has a coating that absorbs heat from the sun and surroundings, keeping the contents of the glass warm – just how you like it.

The Solar Glass is a 2013 iF Design award – concept design entry. While there’s no word on whether the Solar Glass will be produced, Bodum already produces similar glasses you can buy today.

[via Yanko Design]

Do you find yourself sitting in the dark, even if it’s bright and sunny outside? Well, speaking from experience, regular exposure to sunlight can really make you feel better both mentally and physically. But if the Sun isn’t hitting your windows you might be missing out on its radiant glow. With the help of this device, you can now automatically reflect the Sun into your rooms.

Designed by an engineer named “Mr. Lim” the Sunflower is a compact version of a heliostat you can place in your yard. It automatically follows the Sun throughout the day and reflects it into a location of your choice. It uses a solar panel along with a motorized array of mirrors to ensure the light is always reflected to a specific point you aim it at – like your living room window.

Each Sunflower is handmade in Concord, Massachusetts by One Sunny Home, and sells for $299(USD) over on their Etsy shop.

The Sun has emitted its first two X-class solar flares of 2013, the first having happened on Sunday May 12, and the second yesterday. Both were relatively small in size, neither coming close to the record breaking X-flares of 2011 and 2012, yet were still powerful and resulted in spectacular images. Unlike the coronal mass ejection that happened back on April 12, these two were not directed towards Earth.

The biggest difference between the coronal mass ejection unleashed last month and these two, however, is that April’s CME was an M-class, while these two are X-class. An X-class solar flare is approximately ten times more powerful than an M-class flare, obviously bringing with it potential for higher damages. The first flare, occurring on May 12, was an X1.7, while the second flare, occurring on May 13, was an X2.8, making it 2013′s strongest thus far. Both resulted in coronal mass ejections.

The X1.7 solar flare reached its peak at about 10PM at night, and earned the designation of 2013′s first X-class solar flare. The coronal mass ejection that followed was not directed towards Earth, but the radiation resulting from the flare did cause some radio blackouts, which have since been restored. According to NASA, this particular CME left the sun going 745 miles per hour.

A couple hours later, just after midnight, the X2.8 solar flare was unleashed, coming out twice as powerful as the first one and making it the biggest so far this year. The coronal mass ejection that followed was launched at 1200 miles per second and aimed towards NASA’s STEREO-B, Spitzer, and Messenger spacecrafts. While there was a risk of damage, the agency said the crafts could be switched into safe mode if necessary.

Solar flares are currently happening at a more rapid rate than typical because the sun’s activity cycle, which lasts 11 years, is nearing its solar maximum, which is slated to happen later this year. NASA assures readers that the solar flares are normal, and that these are the first this year of a cycle that began back in early 2011, with the one that happened on May 13, 2013 being the 15th in the cycle.

SOURCE: NASA

Sun emits 2013′s first two X-class solar flares is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
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While those of us living in developed countries are taking running water and stable electricity as a given, there are some countries in the world where having a steady and reliable power source is not as readily available. Panasonic is […]

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