Pep Sanchez
Me han robado mi BLUE TRIAD SL esta tarde en casa, Manlleu (Barcelona)
Hay unas 5 bicis como esta en toda España.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=197328127101112&set=a.100881996745726.2258.100004717770796&type=1&ref=nf
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Pedal-powered Tandem gives canoeists some face time
By Ben Coxworth July 29, 2013
While it can be fun canoeing with another person, there is one problem with the setup of a traditional canoe – the front passenger has to turn around in order to see the back passenger’s face. British engineer Joe Rutland decided to do something about that, so he designed the Tandem canoe. Not only do the two passengers sit facing each other, but instead of paddling the boat, they pedal it.
The Tandem canoe heading down the river Once at the water’s edge, the users install the Tandem's two adjustable seats, dual-crank ...Pedaling keeps the passengers' hands free to do other things
The Tandem has a fairly traditional hull, which can be transported on top of a car just like a conventional canoe. Once at the water’s edge, the users install its two adjustable seats, dual-crank drive unit, and rudder. This can reportedly be done in about five minutes, without tools.
From there, it sets off into the water, with both people pedaling and one also steering using a tiller-like handle. While there are no hard figures on exactly how fast it can go, it appears to be moving along at a fairly decent clip in the video at the bottom of the page. In its current prototype form, the Tandem weighs 60 kg (132 lb) and can carry up to 250 kg (551 lb).
Once at the water’s edge, the users install the Tandem's two adjustable seats, dual-crank ...
Rutland is currently raising production funds for his canoe, on Kickstarter. A pledge of £2,000 (about US$3,068) will get you a Tandem of your own, when and if they’re ready to go.
If you’re content with just having one passenger do the pedaling, and don’t feel any great need to sit face-to-face, you might also want to check out the H2Pro-Ped canoe. Should you be looking for the ultimate two-person pedal-powered watercraft, however, you may be interested in the one-of-a-kind WiTHiN super sea kayak ... just be prepared to write a big check.
Sources: Rutland Pedalcraft,http://pedalcraft.co.uk/
Kickstarter http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/381150420/the-tandem-a-two-person-pedal-powered-canoe?ref=category
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Upsalite absorb more moisture at low humidities than any other known material, one gram of material would cover 800 square meters
Scientists make "Impossible Material" ... by accident
By Lakshmi Sandhana July 30, 2013
In an effort to create a more viable material for drug delivery, a team of researchers has accidentally created an entirely new material thought for more than 100 years to be impossible to make. Upsalite is a new form of non-toxic magnesium carbonate with an extremely porous surface area which allows it to absorb more moisture at low humidities than any other known material. "The total area of the pore walls of one gram of material would cover 800 square meters (8611 sq ft) if you would 'roll them out'", Maria Strømme, Professor of Nanotechnology at the Uppsala University, Sweden tells Gizmag. That's roughly equal to the sail area of a megayacht. Aside from using substantially less energy to create drier environments for producing electronics, batteries and pharmaceuticals, Upsalite could also be used to clean up oil spills, toxic waste and residues.
Upsalite has a surface area of 800 square meters (8611 sq ft), the highest measured surfac...An image of Upsalite seen through an electron microscopeHigher magnification of a region showing the textural porosity of the materialRepresentative transmission electron microscope (TEM) image of Upsalite showing contrast c...View all
Scientists have long puzzled over this particular form of magnesium carbonate since it doesn't normally occur in nature and has defied synthesis in laboratories. Until now, its properties have remained a mystery. Strømme confesses that they didn't actually set out to create it. "We were really into making a porous calcium carbonate for drug delivery purposes and wanted to try to make a similarly porous magnesium carbonate since we knew that magnesium carbonate was non-toxic and already approved for drug delivery," she tells us. "We tried to use the same process as with the calcium carbonate, totally unaware of the fact that researchers had tried to make disordered magnesium carbonates for many decades using this route without succeeding."
The breakthrough came when they tweaked the process a little and accidentally left the material in the reaction chamber over a weekend. On their return they found a new gel in place. "We realized that the material we had made was one that had been claimed impossible to make," Strømme adds. A year spent refining the process gave them Upsalite.
While creating a theoretical material sounds like cause for celebration, Strømme says the major scientific breakthrough is to be found in its amazing properties. No other known carbonate has a surface area as large as 800 sq m per gram. Though scientists have created many new high surface area materials with nanotechnology, such as carbon nanotubes and zeolites, what makes Upsalite special is the minuteness of its nanopores.
Each nanopore is less than 10 nanometers in diameter which results in one gram of the material having a whopping 26 trillion nanopores. "If a material has many small pores," explains Strømme, "it gives the material a very large surface area per gram, which gives the material many reaction sites, i.e. sites that can react with the environment, with specific chemicals, or in the case of Upsalite, with moisture."
Upsalite's moisture absorption properties are striking. It was found to absorb 20 times more moisture than fumed silica, a material used for cat box fillers and as an anti-caking agent for moisture control during the transport of moisture sensitive goods. This means that you'd need 20 times less material to do the moisture control job.
Its unique pore structure also opens up new applications in drug delivery. The pores can host drugs that need protection from the environment before being delivered to the human body. It's also useful in thermal insulation, drying residues from oil and gas industries, and as a dessicant for humidity control. Potential applications are still being discovered as the material undergoes development for industrial use.
The team at Uppsala University is commercializing Upsalite through their spin-off company Disruptive Materials. An article describing the material and its properties can be found at PLOS ONE.
http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0068486
Source: Disruptive Materials http://www.disruptivematerials.com/
http://www.gizmag.com/upsalite-impossible-material/28393/
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PETS
Smart collars help keep an eye on your dog's health and location
By Colin Dunjohn July 29, 2013
Human beings aren’t the only ones donning ever-more powerful wearable electronic devices. Our four-legged friends have an increasing array of smart collars from which to choose. Two cases in point are the Whistle, an exercise tracker for your pooch, and Tagg, a GPS tracker designed to ensure your beloved pet doesn’t end up in the lost dogs’ home.
Statistics from the American Pet Products Association relating to pet ownership and spendi...The Whistle dog activity monitor Whistle paints a full picture of your pet's health and activity, tracking trends over timeWhistle shares trends and other valuable data with your vet, helping them predict or diagn...View all
According to the American Pet Products Association (APPA) there are approximately 80 million dogs in the US alone, with nearly 40 percent of households owning at least one dog. In fact, there are actually more households in America with dogs than households with kids, so it's no surprise that we're seeing a growing number of devices aimed at this market.
Whistle
The Whistle dog activity monitor
Whistle is a wireless based sensor device that attaches to your dog's collar and passively collects data about your pet’s activity and resting periods 24 hours a day using movement-sensing accelerometers. It doesn’t track steps or calories like human fitness trackers such as the Fitbit and Nike+ Fuel band, but instead measures time spent active. It then synchronizes that data wirelessly with a smartphone or computer via an app.
When the app is first installed, users must sync the Whistle device to their iOS device. Currently, Whistle is only compatible with iOS devices, however, the creators tell us that an Android app is on its way. When it is within 33 ft (10 m) of the tracker, the synced iOS device will commence downloading data that allows the dog's activity levels to be monitored over time.
The software compares dog activity data to norms based on factors such as breed, age, and weight, whilst also looking out for any deviations or anomalies. It contextualizes the data into activity patterns and plots them along graphs. It is able to distinguish between different types of activity using existing veterinary research to differentiate owner-instigated activity versus activity that happens when the dog is alone.
The tracker is useful in ascertaining things like how often a dog may have been walked while left in the care of someone else or if your pet is especially active when, for example, the mailman drops by. It could also pinpoint restlessness during a sleep cycle possibly caused by itching and scratching.
Whistle's creators are working directly with veterinarians and are planning on providing a portal for vets to see information about their patients. Additionally, owners will be able to create printable reports that can be brought along to their pets’ annual checkups.
The tracker weighs 16 g (0.5 oz) and measures 38 mm in diameter and 10 mm high. Battery life is around 10 days and an LED light will display when it needs topping up. This is accomplished by placing the device in a magnetic docking station.
The Whistle is now available for pre order retailing at $99.95 and there are no monthly subscription fees.
Tagg
Tagg pet locator
Tagg is a pet tracking device that uses advanced GPS, an accelerometer and cellular wireless technology to provide insight into pets’ day-to-day activities and whereabouts. It was first launched in September 2011 as a means to ascertain whether your pet strays from a pre-defined "Tagg zone" and email or text you if this happens. Additional activity tracking was added in October 2012 allowing you to monitor your pet’s daily runs, walks and sleep time much in the same way that Whistle does.
The tracker attaches to your pet’s existing collar and if your pet strays from the Tagg zone you can sign into the pet tracker system from your smartphone or computer and locate your pet.
To give a snapshot of a pets’ activity over a 24-hour period, the tracker assigns “Tagg Points” based on the intensity and duration of activity. Owners can set a benchmark for desired daily activity levels and review the Tagg Points to see if the dog is meeting its recommended daily activity level. In addition to charts that detail a pet’s activity level for each 10-minute period, owners can track their pet’s activity on a daily, weekly, monthly and 90-day timeline.
The Tagg Pet Tracker is available for $99.95, but also carries a monthly subscription fee of $7.95 for the location and activity tracking capabilities.
Other options
Other notable additions to the marketplace include the FitBark, which recently reached its funding goal on Kickstarter and is due to begin shipping before the end of the year. Similar to Whistle, it will monitor your dog’s activity levels over time, but is shaped like a bone.
There's also GEODOG and the less expensive SpotLite that track your pet wherever they go.
If you don't just want to see where your pets are, but what they're up to when you're away, Dogtek's Eyenimal might appeal. It is a wearable camera for cats and dogs that records their adventures.
Another recently launched product designed to help keep your dog active is iFetch, which is an automatic launcher for a smallish ball. If your dog can be trained to drop the ball back into the caddy after retrieval, the launch mechanism automatically engages thus offering endless fun and exercise for your dog even when you are not around.
The rapidly increasing market for pet-related products highlights the fact that owners consider their pets family members and won't hesitate to spend money on them, especially if it keeps household members healthy and happy.
The Whistle Activity Monitor and the Tagg Pet Tracker are detailed in the following videos.
Sources: Whistle, Tagg, APPA
http://www.gizmag.com/tagg-and-whistle-pet-products/27817/
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