cities
The ventilation standards most building engineers follow were developed decades ago … long before up was the only way remaining to build in our cities. That means skyscrapers are not only vertically stretching office buildings, but sources of unplanned-for air pollution to their downwind neighbors. With the aid of new building
supercomputing
A technology first created for computer gaming is helping to launch a “new era of scientific supercomputing.” The US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has kicked off that era with Titan, a 20-petaflop supercomputer that can handle 20,000 trillion calculations per second. That level
innovation
A new Smarter Energy Research Institute aims to help energy and utility companies improve their services through faster innovation, predictive analytics and better integration of renewables into the power grid. IBM, the company behind the institute, says the organization is meant to offer a “new industrial research collaboration model” bringing
energy
Sometimes, keeping up with the Joneses can be a good thing … especially if the Joneses have just put up solar panels on their roof. Researchers from Yale and New York University have found that people are more likely to install solar panels after a few of their neighbors have done
sustainability
Are advances in science and technology the cure to the world’s many unsustainable habits? Some people are coming to the conclusion that the answer is no: know-how and hard facts aren’t enough to solve our problems. “Narratives, stories, music and images served to warn our early ancestors against
business
Innovations like cloud computing have made it easier than ever for small- and medium-sized businesses to offer advanced, IT-enabled services and support to their customers. But just because they can, does it mean they should? It’s become a given that people should be able to interact with companies in
transport
With US production booming and low prices, natural gas could be an appealing fuel for a growing number of motorists. However, finding ways to fill up aren’t always easy for individuals and fleet operators that already have vehicles that run on natural gas. GE and Peake Fuel Solutions, an
transport
Refueling a Navy vessel in the middle of the Pacific ocean isn’t like topping off the tank of your Hyundai: there are no filling stations right around the corner and nowhere to hike with a gas can if the needle hits “Empty”. That’s why scientists at the US
information technology
Could you imagine running your business today without internet access or mobile phones? For most mid-market companies, it’s unthinkable. How else could you reach tech support while you’re on the road? How else could a valued customer get in touch for a last-minute change in an order after
cities
Starting Sept. 29, members of the public will be able to visit what’s being billed as the “world’s largest exhibition dedicated to sustainable urban development.” The Crystal, located in London and built by Siemens, is also supposed to be “one of the world’s greenest buildings.” Under construction
innovation
The open-source software company Thingsquare has begun rolling out Thingsquare Mist, a platform designed to help developers of all things “smart” to quickly add internet connectivity to their devices. The standards-based mesh networking platform can be used to enable everything from smart lighting to smart homes to smart cities. “The
cities
The last 31 of 100 cities eligible for Smarter Cities Challenge grants from IBM have just been named. Among them: Belfast; Cape Town, South Africa; Christchurch, New Zealand; Foshan, China; Jeju, Korea; Lagos, Nigeria; Makati City, Philippines; Québec City, Canada; Reno, US; and Valparaiso, Chile. “This was a difficult decision