Current Events #3

For current events I researched the article, Electric Imp Will Connect Everything to the Internet. This invention can make literally anything connect to the internet including a fridge, lamp, garden-watering system, and hail/rain/snow detecter to know if it will rain or not. People are really excited for this new cool invention because they are saying it will make their lives a whole lot easier. The Electric Imp well actually came out on May 16th, 2012 according to the posting day. The Imp works by connecting to basically anything then these circuit boards inside of the Imp start up therefore creating internet. Apparently the company is also working on native Imp slots. However there have been some other companies making a device that can connect anything to the internet such as IBM's Mote Runner but it needs wires to be plugged into an outlet. That is why the Imp is better because it doesn't need any outlets to be plugged into and it doesn't need any hardware or software at all. However there is a little bit of software required but it is very simple, using drag-and-drop graphics to set up commands. The Imp is also easily programmed and users will be able to visit a hub to share ideas that they found. A team can immediately set up the device for you to watch something that you need to watch when you are not there. A developer bundle is expected to be released next month. For the Imp cards cost $25 and circuit boards cost between $10 and $25 depending on how many bells or whistles that you would want. If I had this special Imp I would use it for many thing in my life. I could use this Imp whenever we go out to dinner to watch my dog and my house just in case someone breaks in or my dog decides to go to the bathroom on the rug. I really do wish that I had the Electric Imp it will make my life and the lives of others much, much  easier. http://www.popsci.com/diy/article/2012-05/new-electric-imp-build-your-own-internet-things

Current Events #2

For current events I researched the article, Using Magnetic Bacteria to Construct the Biocomputer of the Future. Researching this article made me more aware of the science of technology. During this article I learned that computers are becoming more and more difficult to make. Therefore researchers from the UK and Tokyo are developing ways to make computers to run on magnetic bacteria. They have already made little computer components with this bacteria similar to the conventional computers. The bacteria that they use is called Magnetospirillum magneticum which is a naturally occurring microorganism that lives in under water environments. When the bacteria eats some iron then it produces tiny crystals of mineral magnetite within itself. They think by giving them iron they can help run the future minuscule hard drives. However it is challenging to make these kinds of things like churning it out into regular shaped blocks of it. Basically they are trying to make things that produce electricity through cell membrane. They are more like nano scale tubes that are highly biocompatible. This however opens doors to knew ideas including health medicines for diseases. It also can aid in the biocompatible computers to help perform surgery. Someone said maybe they can make a bacterium that could be integrated into a spinning ferrofluid to store   information like the neutral network we use.

http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2012-05/using-magnetic-bacteria-builders-researchers-could-construct-biocomputer-future