World's Smallest Radio Fits in the Palm of the Hand . . . of an Ant

Single carbon nanotube is fully functional radio, receiving music over standard radio bandwidth

Harnessing the electrical and mechanical properties of the carbon nanotube, a team of researchers has crafted a working radio from a single fiber of that material.

Fixed between two electrodes, the vibrating tube successfully performed the four critical roles of a radio--antenna, tunable filter, amplifier and demodulator--to tune in a radio signal generated in the room and play it back through an attached speaker.

Functional across a bandwidth widely used for commercial radio, the tiny device could have applications far beyond novelty, from radio-controlled devices that could flow in the human bloodstream to highly efficient, miniscule, cell phone devices.

"This breakthrough is a perfect example of how the unique behavior of matter in the nanoworld enables startling new technologies," says Bruce Kramer, a senior advisor for engineering at NSF and the officer overseeing the center's work. "The key functions of a radio, the quintessential device that heralded the electronic age, have now been radically miniaturized using the mechanical vibration of a single carbon nanotube."

The source content for the first laboratory test of the radio was "Layla," by Derek and the Dominos, followed soon after by "Good Vibrations" by the Beach Boys.

BINGHAM CANYON COPPER MINE, UT, USA

Located near Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, Bingham Canyon celebrated its 100th anniversary in June 2003. The Bingham Canyon mine, Copperton concentrator and Garfield smelter comprise one of the largest and most up-to-date integrated copper operations in the world: major investments during the past 15 years have ensured economically and environmentally sound operation. Cumulative copper output is now about 15Mt, more than any other mine.

For much of its life, Bingham Canyon was owned by Kennecott Copper Corp. However, during the post-1973 oil crisis shake-out, the company was acquired by British Petroleum, then sold on to Rio Tinto, which operates Bingham Canyon through its 100% subsidiary, Kennecott Utah Copper Corp. The facilities employ about 1,400 people.

In early 2005, Rio Tinto committed $170 million to the East 1 pushback project, which will extend the life of the open pit at Bingham Canyon until 2017. Various open-pit and underground alternatives will also be considered in relation to development of the mine after that.

Source : http://www.mining-technology.com/projects/bingham/

Second Life founder steps down from CEO postion

Some interesting news, the founder of Second Life, Philip Rosedale [wikipedia], stepped down from the role of CEO and will become Chairman of the Board at Lindin Labs.

Second Life is a virtual world where people interact, chat, and create. It's not generally considered a game. As there's no specific goal and no dragons to fight, it's really just a place to explore and meet people. The Second Life website has an article describing what it is. You may also find this video helpful in describing SL.

Here at Voluntary Planning we've been keeping an eye on Second Life. We've considered using it to host an online virtual meeting. We always strive to reach as many citizens as we can when we're working on a project. Hosting a meeting in Second Life may help us tap into an audience that we might not otherwise see in real world meetings. SL continues to be an interesting place and with a change in CEO it will be interesting to see where it goes.