Computer America

Show Notes 9 May 2025 Story 1: World’s first railway track-mounted solar plant open to rail traffic Source: PV Magazine Link:  https://www.pv-magazine-australia.com/2025/04/28/sun-ways-inaugurates-removable-pv-plant-on-railway-tracks/ See research paper here:  https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772671123001249#fig0002 See also:  https://www.sun-ways.ch/en Story 2: New electronic “...

Show Notes 2 May 2025 Story 1: US to unleash robot swarms to build smart aircraft with speed, precision, safety Source: Interesting Engineering Story by Jijo Malayil Link:  https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/robot-swarms-to-build-smart-aircraft?group=test_a See also:  https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2025/04/03/3055273/0/en/H2-Clipper-Transforms-Aviation-and-Aerospace-Manufact...

Popzara.com. Nathan Evans, Managing Editor. Throughout Popzara you’ll find views on gaming, movies, technology, cultural icons and so much more. Reviews and previews, in-depth analyses, opinion pieces, conversations, and a regularly updated Podcast  keep things interesting and always entertaining. Our diverse editorial staff is committed to bringing this cornucopia of editorial goodness in fair-mi...

Show Notes 25 April 2025 Story 1: Scientists turn gunshot residue into glowing semiconductors to crack shooting cases Source: Interesting Engineering Story by Aamir Khollam Link:  https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/forensic-tech-makes-gun-residue-glow See research paper here:  https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0379073825000532 Story 2: Lab-grown chicken nuggets have bee...

Show Notes 18 April 2025 Story 1: Kawasaki unveils hydrogen-powered robotic horse that you can ride Source: Robotics & Automation News, Story by David Edwards Link:  https://roboticsandautomationnews.com/2025/04/06/kawasaki-unveils-hydrogen-powered-robotic-horse-that-you-can-ride/89601/ See video here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQDhzbTz-9k&t=1s Story 2: Light-based computers are get...

Show Notes 11 April 2025 Story 1: A flexible robot can help emergency responders search through rubble Source: MIT News Link:  https://news.mit.edu/2025/sprout-flexible-robot-help-emergency-responders-search-rubble-0402 See video here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaMCTH4qZTE Story 2: Charging electric vehicles 5x faster in subfreezing temps Source: University of Michigan News Link:  https://n...

Show Notes 4 April 2025 Story 1: These smart contact lens prototypes could convince  future  me to ditch my glasses thanks to wireless power transfer and eye health biosensing Source: TechRadar.com Story by Stephen Warwick Link:  https://www.techradar.com/health-fitness/these-smart-contact-lens-prototypes-could-convince-future-me-to-ditch-my-glasses-thanks-to-wireless-power-transfer-and-eye-health...

Show Notes 28 March 2025 Story 1: Ultra-Accurate Optical Atomic Clocks Could Enable True Self-Driving Cars Source: TopSpeed.com Story by Craig Cole Link:  https://www.topspeed.com/ultra-accurate-optical-atomic-clocks-could-enable-true-self-driving-cars/ See Chalmers University of Technology news article here:  https://www.chalmers.se/en/current/news/mc2-microcomb-chips-help-pave-the-way-for-thousa...

Show Notes 21 March 2025 Story 1: Lithium needed for the battery revolution could be harvested from salt-lake brines or geothermal brine solutions Source: Imperial College announcement by Ian Mundell Link:  https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/261774/lithium-needed-battery-revolution-could-harvested/ See also:  https://techxplore.com/news/2025-03-lithium-battery-revolution-harvested-saltwater.html See...

Show Notes 14 March 2025 Story 1: No Fiber Needed: New Chip Uses Light to Beam 10Gig Speeds Through the Air Source: PC Magazine Story by Michael Kan Link:  https://www.pcmag.com/news/no-fiber-taara-chip-uses-light-to-beam-10gig-speeds-through-the-air See also:  https://www.wired.com/story/plaintext-google-taara-chip-internet-by-light/ Side note - for more about the Taara Project, see:  https://x.c...

Show Notes Story 1: US team creates ‘holey’ battery with 180-degree flexibility for wearables Source: InterestingEngineering.com Story by Christopher McFadden Link:  https://interestingengineering.com/energy/holey-battery-for-wearables Story 2: Stretchable, flexible, recyclable. This plastic is fantastic Source: Princeton Engineering Story by John Sullivan Link:  https://engineering.princeton.edu/...

Computer America Stories 02/28/2025 The next chapter: Skype Ends https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/blog/2025/02/28/the-next-chapter-moving-from-skype-to-microsoft-teams/   Microsoft launches native Mac app for Copilot https://www.engadget.com/ai/microsoft-launches-native-mac-app-for-copilot-235945829.html   Amazon’s subscription-based Alexa+ looks highly capable—and questionable https:...

Show Notes 28 February 2025 Story 1: This Chip Could Be the Massive Breakthrough We’ve Been Waiting for in Quantum Computing Source: Popular Mechanics Story by Darren Orf Link:  https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a63872181/majorana-1-topological-qubit/ See Microsoft’s official announcement here:  https://news.microsoft.com/source/features/innovation/microsofts-majorana-1-chip-carves-new-path...

Story 1: Scientists develop a compact camera that can identify objects at the speed of light Source: Digital Camera World Story by Leonie Helm Link:  https://www.digitalcameraworld.com/cameras/scientists-develop-a-compact-camera-that-can-identify-objects-at-the-speed-of-light See the research paper here:  https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adp0391 See video here:  https://www.youtube.com/w...

Show Notes 14 February 2025 Story 1: New fabric can heat up more than 50 degrees to keep people warm in ultracold weather Source: LiveScience.com Story by Victoria Atkinson Link:  https://www.livescience.com/chemistry/new-fabric-can-heat-up-almost-50-degrees-to-keep-people-warm-in-ultracold-weather See the team’s research paper here:  https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s42114-024-00994-4 St...

Show Notes 7 February 2025 Story 1: More Sustainable Tires in Sight as Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Bridgestone Team Up Source: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Story by JoAnna Wendel Link:  https://www.pnnl.gov/news-media/more-sustainable-tires-sight-pnnl-and-bridgestone-team Story 2: Scientists Develop Printable Droplet Laser Displays Source: Photonics Spectra Link:  https://ww...

Show Notes 31 January 2025 Story 1: Scientists use plasma to enable futuristic 3D-printed food — here's how it could revolutionize an industry Source: The Cool Down Story by Leslie Sattler Link: https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/nutrition/scientists-use-plasma-to-enable-futuristic-3d-printed-food-here-s-how-it-could-revolutionize-an-industry/ar-AA1wXca4 See also: https://phys.org/news/2024-12-3d-pe...

Show Notes 10 January 2025 Story 1: A new catalyst can turn methane into something useful - MIT chemical engineers have devised a way to capture methane, a potent greenhouse gas, and convert it into polymers. Source: MIT News Story by Anne Trafton Link: https://news.mit.edu/2024/new-catalyst-can-turn-methane-into-something-useful-1204 See the research paper here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s4...

Show Notes 3 January 2025 Story 1: Solar-powered plasma technology offers a sustainable solution for seed germination challenges Source: Phys.org Story by Frontiers Journals Link: https://phys.org/news/2024-12-solar-powered-plasma-technology-sustainable.html See also: https://journal.hep.com.cn/fase/EN/10.15302/J-FASE-2024573 Story 2: Circuit boards made from leaves could green up electronics’ act...

Computer America Stories 12/13/2024 Throughout Popzara you’ll find views on gaming, movies, technology, cultural icons and so much more. Reviews and previews, in-depth analyses, opinion pieces, conversations, and a regularly updated  Podcast  keep things interesting and always entertaining. Our diverse editorial staff is committed to bringing this cornucopia of editorial goodness in fair-minded an...

Show Notes 27 December 2024 Story 1: Google 'Willow' quantum chip has solved a problem the best supercomputer would have taken a quadrillion times the age of the universe to crack Source: LiveScience.com Story by Afifi-Sabet Link: https://www.livescience.com/technology/computing/google-willow-quantum-computing-chip-solved-a-problem-the-best-supercomputer-taken-a-quadrillion-times-age-of-the-univer...

Show Notes 20 December 2024 Story 1: Scientists and engineers produce world's first carbon-14 diamond battery with potential lifespan of thousands of years Source: University of Bristol News release Link: https://www.bristol.ac.uk/news/2024/december/diamond-battery-media-release.html See also: https://gizmodo.com/the-forever-battery-worlds-first-diamond-battery-promises-power-for-thousands-of-year...

Show Notes 13 December 2024 Story 1: Meet 'Blackbird': A flying taxi that spins and moves in any direction thanks to new propulsion system -- My add -- inspired by the kind of propulsion widely used on tugs and ferries Source: LiveScience.com Story by Rory Bathgate Link: https://www.livescience.com/technology/electric-vehicles/meet-blackbird-a-flying-taxi-that-spins-and-moves-in-any-direction-than...

Show Notes 6 December 2024 Story 1: Columbia Engineers Knit a “Blanket” of Sophisticated Radio-Frequency Antennas Source: Electronicsforu.com Story by Akanksha Gaur Link: https://www.electronicsforu.com/news/sophisticated-blanket-of-radio-frequency-antennas See also: https://www.engineering.columbia.edu/about/news/columbia-engineers-knit-blanket-sophisticated-radio-frequency-antennas See also: Fla...

Show Notes 29 November 2024 Story 1: Bye bye microplastics new plastic is ocean degradable and recyclable Source: SpaceDaily.com Story by Riko Seibo Link: https://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Bye_bye_microplastics_new_plastic_is_ocean_degradable_and_recyclable_999.html See also: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/microplastics-crisis-solved-scientists-create-plastic-that-vanishes-in-seawater/...