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Hitachi Readies Fuel Cell for PDAs
Anuj Jain writes "The Register is reporting that Hitachi and Japanese cigarette lighter maker Tokai will ship a direct methanol fuel cell system for PDAs in 2005. The prototype has already been built. The two companies believe they can develop the prototype into a device the size of a AA battery. Hitachi first demonstrated its fuel cell system back in March. NEC is also known to be working on a similar system of its own, as is Toshiba. Unlike Hitachi, they are targeting the notebook computer market. In October, Toshiba showed off a PDA-sized version of its fuel system that can recharge a mobile phone. Another article here. Light on details, but cool photo in the Reg article!"
Yep, that'd be the hydrogen
Simon.
Physicists get Hadrons!
Also, the thought of a liquid methanol next to all those hot electronics make me wince.
Akmed to airport security: "I told you, I'm a laptop battery salesman..."
This is all the more reason for there to be a transparent case option for pda's. How cool would it be to see the board, plus a glow-in-the-dark mod'ed fuel cell? Sweet!
stuff |
If I am not mistaken, they currently give people much grief over taking a lighter aboard a plane. This would only aggrivate the situation.
I can just imagine a business traveler trying to argue his way into letting security let him take a 'recharge' of pure methanol onboard the plane.
there are four (yes, 4) links to theregister up there. the one with the pic is the first one.
Coming soon, the worlds first combination PDA-cigarette lighter!
There is also a competing technology being developed using sodium borohydride. You can read about it at Wired, at the following URL , http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,60305, 00.html
cool photo in the Reg article!
It's a computer generated image, but clearly it can fool a casual glance.
Ooh, a sarcasm detector. Oh, that's a real useful invention.
The PDA unfortunately has pop-ups that come up every 5 minutes telling you how smoking is good for you and increases your annual income.
PDA, Cellphone, radio, recording device, large file caddy, mp3 player, game system, mini-torch, cigarette lighter, sterilizer, and home blindness kit.
Ethanol stores more chemical energy, is easier to make, easier to come by in a pinch (cheap vodka anyone?), and is much less toxic than methanol. Why the hell aren't they using ethanol?
sufficient fuel to power a handheld device for six to eight hours.
That's meaningless! Give me some hard data! What's the voltage, the peak and average current ratings, the amp-hours? Can it blink a handheld LED for 6 hours, or run a 400Mhz ARM core with a backlit color display for 6 hours? Is the power density higher than an LiIon battery of the same size? How much does it cost? Can it be refilled in place without turning off the device?
Seems to me that if this was actually signifigant progress, they'd be telling us all this.
Well who knows, maybe one day they put little nuclear reactors in the PDA. The fun will be when one day these battery packs explodes. (its only bound to happen). Artcile previous on Slashdot about Batteries.
30% Troll, 50% Underrated, 10% Interesting
Score:5, Troll
I wonder how much methanol will be needed to keep modern laptops running? At 50 W power consumption, a laptop consumes about as much energy as half a person. With an energy content of 19.5 MJ/kg MeOH and assuming a 75% conversion efficiency, a laptop needs almost 100 gm of methanol for an 8 hour flight.
Something tells me that airlines and security people won't like the idea of people carrying 4 ounce cartridges of flammable pure methyl alcohol onboard flights. Even in a "secure" cartridge form factor, the liquid would seem to pose a hazard if a terrorist learns how to open the cartridge and set fire to the liquid.
Two wrongs don't make a right, but three lefts do.
Tech : No, sir. You should NOT try to recharge them like that...
Any sufficiently well-organized Government is indistinguishable from bullshit.
While this sounds cool I wonder how practical this will really be.. When I need PDA juice I just pop the thing in the wall and I'm charged. I don't think people will like having to buy methanol cartridges for $5 a shot in order to keep the thing running. To me it's more economical to operate it off the battery and pay the few cents it takes to charge it.
www.lonseidman.com
Therefore, we should ban forks from planes.
Let's be realistic -- there's only so much you can do.
(glugg, glugg) Help! I can't see my PDA!
To-do List: Receive telemarketing call during a tornado warning. Check.
This is a fine FYI general info PR type article, but it holds little substance. Real power examples would be helpful. 6-8 hour of PDA battery time really does not mean very much without more detailed battery output or PDA power requirement specs. A black and white palm zaire (sp?) takes much less power than a PocketPC device with a good sized color screen and Wi-Fi. Not to mention does it mean constant use, or average (1.5-2hr) use with 6hr standby?
Interesting none the less, but there wasn't much meat to this.
-Pete
Soccer Goal Plans
This will only catch on if "the price is right." To the average consumer it doesn't matter if it is better for the environment. The only thing most customers want out of this sort of technology is longer battery life, convenience, and price.
If the working concentration is 3 - 6%, why do they start at 20%? I can only assume they have a reaction area + methanol reservoir and the water from the actual reaction is used in the reaction area to dilute the stream of methanol from the reservoir.
I make my face look like this and concerned words come out.
Duno if it's in the article, but so far Hitachi have manage to produce a prototype with 20% methanol concentration. The proto can run a PDA for about 6-8 hours. They are planning to increase the methanol concentration however, something which should increase the power. The problem now however is what to do with the waste product of the batery, namly water. Not to cool having a leaking PDA in your pocket ;)
Can someone who knows more about this than me enlighten us on whether these things are rechargeable?
I have a hard time seeing these things catch on if they are one time use.
-Pete
Soccer Goal Plans
http://www.i4u.com/article940.html
Yes
Perhaps a 3-6% Ethanol/Water solution....I could use BEER to power my PDA, Cell, etc.
Could it have a battery in the same form factor? Then you could use the expensive, long-lasting fuel cell for the long trips away from the charger, and the cheaper battery for everyday use.
It's clear from all the mindless paranoia that we should just ban airlines.
Or we could all start thinking rationally.... Which one of those is more likely?
The reason they don't want to use ethanol is precisely BECAUSE it is the same as alcohol.
If they use ethanol, they have to treat the refills just as they would have to treat vodka - they cannot sell it to anybody under-age, they have to have a liquor license to sell it, they got to prison if they violate the rules.
That is why you don't see pure ethanol at the gas pump, that is why you won't see ethanol fuel for fuel cells.
Now, the COULD try to design the fuel cell to run on ethanol, as well, and leave the fact as a "back door" sort of issue, but any fuel they sell will have to be denatured in some form. The easiest way is to use methanol.
www.eFax.com are spammers
What the hell kind of laptop are you running that consumes 50W!?
I've a 47WHr battery and my laptop can last me 3 hours on a plane, easy; or roughly 16W is consumed by my laptop...
GPL Deconstructed
Remember what Smokey the Bear says. Only you can prevent your methanol based fuel cell system from starting a forest fire.
An Indian-American Hindu committed to non-violent thought/speech/action alarmed by the global explosion of radical Islam
How long have we been on the yellow/orange alert?
How long has the administration invaded our privacy on the grounds of "fighting the terrorists"?
How many American citizens are going to be deprived of their constitutional rights?
How many people in general are going to be subjected to delayed justice ("justice delayed is justice denied").
Fuck the war on terror! War is not Freedom! Vote out the warmongering moron-in-chief in 2004!
Something tells me that airlines and security people won't like the idea of people carrying 4 ounce cartridges of flammable pure methyl alcohol onboard flights. Even in a "secure" cartridge form factor, the liquid would seem to pose a hazard if a terrorist learns how to open the cartridge and set fire to the liquid.
I bet you read the 300 word article and just missed these 30 words:
The water produced by the electricity-generating chemical reaction is used to dilute the fuel down to the right concentration, 3-6 per cent, needed for the reaction to take place.
Let's see you ignite a 3-6% mixture of methanol in water.
Dewey, you fool! Your decimal system has played right into my hands!
The magnitude of risk doesn't seem to be the criteria being used these days, however. They're confiscating nail clippers for pete's sake. Can we really expect that they'll allow cannisters of a combustible fluid on board?
The idea of using a chemical fuel cell with flamable liquid fuel is insane! Lithium Polymer ion batteries are the future. The airlines will never permit passengers to carry "lighter" fluid with them!
Therefore, we should ban forks from planes.
I know you were joking, but they did. About 9 months ago, I was stopped by security when doing the pre-boarding check and given the third degree. It turns out that I had a fork in my backpack that I kept just in case and had forgotten about. They actually made me throw it away before I could get on the plane, and double checked everything I had to make sure I wasn't carrying anything else I could hijack the plane with. (Yeah, because there's no way you could ever fight off a scrawny computer geek if he were armed with tableware.)
- fader
We've been waiting for this since you first told us about it 6 years ago, folks. Hurry up and DO it already. It seems every time there is some article on this it's just to fuel some hype for a new round of investment or something. It's always been 'Next Year!!!" or something like that, but never "Look. Here is a cell phone running on a fuel cell. It cost us $100,000 to build this one, but we're ramping up for mass production and should be ready to start the robots up in 12 months." They always have some vague concept artwork and a giagantic prototype and this 'please give us money' verbiage.
As for the airplane problem, first, I don't think there will be any regulation or rules on this until it actually becomes a problem. I mean, they still let you carry a cigarette lighter and a bottle of booze onto a plane and that is no worse. The first second someone sets fire to the inside of a cabin, though, how long do you think before no liquor or fire-making devices are allowed as carry on's?
Now, follow this idea here -- If fuel cells actually exist and are cheap and great AND they have been around long enough and are ubiquitous enough that the airlines have a problem with them it would be highly likely that EVERYONE is walking around with one or more of these things in all manner of electronic gadget they posess. It's also likely that the gadgets have grown increasingly more demanding power wise after the dependence on batteries is freed. Thus, using batteries is really kind of a non option. In order to keep business, airlines would have to do something such as provide reliable and universal alternative power supplies on the airliners or lose business. It's not a problem I'm worrying about. I don't see why people feel the need to keep bringing it up. It's not like we'll even be flying around in planes anymore once these things come to market in about 200 years.
Nm is not "nautical miles", mmkay?
Therefore, we should ban forks from planes
Shows how long since you last flew; utensils ARE already banned.
Light on details, but cool photo in the Reg article!
It'd be a cooler photo if the dude spent an extra 15 minutes in 3DS Max. That is approximately the least realistic product pre-viz I've ever seen. I don't hold it against the Reg, because it probably never occured to them that someone would begin to think that it was supposed to be a photo.
Scuze me.
There are no trails. There are no trees out here.
Think these devices will be allowed on Airplanes?
Yes.
The fuel is non-flamable. It's 80% water.
it doesn't change the fact that conventional batteries will probably still be safer.
You are wrong. These are safer in every way. The real question is wether they hold enough power to be better than what we already use.
Great, another reason for airport security to steal my shit.
"Uh sorry sir this sweet, sweet laptop is terrorism... yoink!"
"Hey! that's my property!" *is shot eleven times*
Uhh...I think you mean liquor store. Now if anyone accuses you of being alchoholic, you can just say that the endless bottles of empty vodka bottles in your apartment was pda fuel.
I'd be more worried about them building a small thermite charge in the case of a large zippo lighter.
To say nothing of a more potent explosive.
I bet you read the 300 word article and just missed these 30 words:
"The water produced by the electricity-generating chemical reaction is used to dilute the fuel down to the right concentration, 3-6 per cent, needed for the reaction to take place."
Yes I did miss those 30 words, mea culpa, I should have RTFA more closely.
Yet dilution creates other problems. One of the articles suggests a 20% MeOH concentration. This suggests that with a 50 W device and a75% efficient fuel cell, the poor traveller would need to carry 1 pound of diluted fuel for every 8 hours of expected use. Since these fuel cells are not rechargable, the traveller would need to carry enough fuel to last an entire trip (at least until the cartridges become available in every over-priced hotel gift shop in the country).
Dilution solves the flammability threat, but creates usability issues.
Two wrongs don't make a right, but three lefts do.
"...last 6 to 8 hours...".
:-)].
Then what? Do I buy more cells? Can I plug them into the wall and recharge them?
At least with my AA's and my Laptop I can just charge them when they die. I've used my AA's [GP1600s] since May 2001 quite a bit and they're still going strong [I'd say they count as environmentally friendly considering if you estimate I would have gone through 4AAs a week for two years that's 416AA batteries or roughly 27lbs of waste].
Anyways make a "fuel cell" I can top off with tap water or by plugging into my wall and then maybe I'll consider it [a 1.5v/3Ah AA battery would be nice
Tom
Someday, I'll have a real sig.
Very good. Can you flesh this out into a 847 page novel? I think I can get you a movie deal. Maybe even a first post!
Should I explain that to you?
They pack fuel in a cell that will be used in PDA. In cooperation with a lighter-making company. In many respects the cell will resemble a gasoline lighter. Now you can laugh.
And oh, yeah, better pass over that remaining mod points and sit down, or you could hurt yourself.
Let's take an iBook for instance. 60WHr battery. It can probably last a few hours easy.
But then again, our laptops would seem a bit more efficient than the larger Dells and Gateways and what have you.
Oh for just one more point! You'd get a +1 Insight for sure! As it is, I spent the last one this morning...
GTRacer
- Parent makes sense
Defending IP by destroying access to it? That makes sense, RIAA/MPAA. Go to the corner until you can play nice!
...Why won't they make this with ethanol.
Don't you think it would be cool to take a sip from your PDA on cold days?
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What the hell kind of laptop are you running that consumes 50W!?
I agree that most current laptops don't consume 50W (your figure of 16 W is more representative). But it seems that laptop power consumption is on the rise, especially with the advent of "desktop replacement machines". It also seems that one rationale for fuel cells would be to provide larger power budgets for smaller devices (to support 64-bit processors, larger displays, and watt-guzzling graphics chips for gaming). Thus, the 50W is an extrapolation based on both the trend of increasing laptop power consumption and the seeming attractiveness of designing for increased laptop power budgets.
Fuel cells would seem to provide the power needed to bring near-desktop performance to the laptop. Only after the sale, would the poor consumer discover that they must buy and schlep fuel cartridges on every trip.
Two wrongs don't make a right, but three lefts do.
.....use a device they must inconvienently buy refil cartridges for instead of easily plugging it into the wall to recharge?
Or is the industry just ignoring that little question and is proceeding full steam ahead so the manufacturers can make a lot of money before people wake the fuck up?
Mac OS X and Windows XP working side by side to fight back the night.
Are you sure it's safe to have fuel cells available to the public? Have you seen what the fuel cells powering the T101 in Terminator 3 can do when not properly disposed of?
All I can think of is a PDA docking station with a 1 gallon can of methanol attached.
Imagine that bugger sitting on your desk. So much for small and compact.
-Pete
Soccer Goal Plans
...the bicycle-pedal powered laptop/PC! Environmentally friendly and provides exercize as well as free CPU cycles!
"Ask not what your country can do for you." --John F. Kennedy
While that is how it is designed, that doesn't mean that someone with nasty intentions couldn't fill them with 100% methanol (or something worse). Unless the TSA uses sensing equipment sensitive enough to tell what concentration of what chemical is in the fuel cells, it would provide good camouflage for the nasties. Of course, we are still talking about really small amounts of stuff, so I bet it would still be difficult for a terrorist to use it to bring down a jet.
i have a cell phone and a laptop. The batteries for these are expensive and difficult to dispose of properly. However:
I can recharge these batteries practically anywhere. I can plug them into my cigarette lighter in my car or into pretty much any wall socket.
With methanol batteries, i see two possibilities for recharging. One is that i simply don't recharge and swap the containers at the store for new ones, as i would with a propane tank or something similar. The other is that i would refill the "magazine" if you will with fresh methanol, much like a lighter or a gas tank.
neither of these is particularly appealing to me for obvious reasons. I'm simply not going to haul around a bottle of methanol with me everywhere i go.
Am i missing something?
** Chigusaaa!!! You're the coolest girl in the WORLD!!! **
TEN DAYS FROM NOW, NEWS -- Japan, Hitachi HQ -- Hitachi reports that its PDA's have run out of fuel and it's time for users to throw all of their PDA's at the Sun.
Hitachi president states, "just look up into the sky not directly at the sun!!! such action would surely detriment the eyeball. look askance the sun by degrees and mark its position well. we are now requesting all of our PDA users to toss their devices at the sun."
when asked why such action was necessary, Hitachi execs were incredulous at our gaijin inferior mentality.
"you're so damn stupid," said one hitachi CEO, "you don't know your pockets. let me tell you, warrior, press start now to save your scroll. thank you. if you have been reading the news, you know what we are up to. i suggest you talk to the boredoms."
boredoms were on hand to talk, yoko ono being very far away at the moment. what did they have to say? "VISION," said 'eye', the band's leader, "CREATION," chiimed in another member who was quickly followed up with "NEWSUN! YEAH!" by a third. they all chanted: "VISION! CREATION! NEWSUN! YEAH!" in unison for several hours in the coffee-room of Hitachi headquarters in Japan.
"we don't know why they are here is the official word, but since you're an american i know that you know that we all know what a conspiracy is," said one 'Mister Johnson' while sipping a vaguely Italian cappucino. "this is the dirt, sir. the dirt you seek here now. go-go. it's all here now, where the sun... the sun," but the young exec couldn't finish, he was too overwhelmed by the need to accomodate an interactive vending machined in providing much-needed soiled panties to the masses. "SCHOOLGIRLS," this reporter heard him scream, "SCHOOOL -- GIIIIIRRLLLSS!!!"
meanwhile, outside, i can see from this window the broken, scattered personal data assistant devices laying on the ground. many young japanese people must have actually tried forcing these devices to reach the sun once they ran out of fuel, in rememberance of the beautiful legendary japanese space probe which once upon a time lost the marathon to mars.
surrounding these devices were many small, bloodied bodies laying on the ground, all japanese school children with their bellies slashed open by their own hands. the juxtaposition of not only totally having to throw one's Hiatchi PDA into the sun but also that universal physics declared this impossible was too much strain for the young overachievers. they committed seppuku en masse, spontaneously and innocently like little geisha-doll-kabuki-samurai-ghosts.
"this is traditional," said one psychology ph.d. race-supremacist who demanded to be left anonymous on threat of burning down our village. "let sleeping dogs die!" he issued in courtly chinese.
much was pondered about the emergence of technology and magic, but Enix was not available for comment.
"Stratigraphically the origin of agriculture and thermonuclear destruction will appear essentially simultaneous" -- Lee
Won't that make flying a bit of a nightmare? Last September, I wasn't even allowed to bring my Zippo aboard. I doubt I'll ever see that lighter again.
I've been wanting to get my hands on one of the cell phone chargers (FreeCharge) units from FreePlay http://www.freeplay.net/website/product/freecharge .php
When you take that sat phone with you into the Congo, who wants to be bothered with carrying litle vials of fuel cell fuel.
Gives new life to the term "crank it up".
A good friend will help you move. A really good friend will help you move a body.
The companies that sell the ink-cartridge refilling kits?
Somehow I don't believe that these fuel-cells will be designed to be customer refillable. Following HP, Lexmark and other printer manufacturers, I would expect the fuel-cells to be designed for just one use (return to place of purchase and buy a factory new one).
Along with this, I'm sure there will be warnings/campaigns stating that home refilling solutions will be dangerous, ruin the fuel cell because of improper chemical ingrediants, have significantly less operating time, void your laptop/PDA's warranty or cause you to grow hair on the palms of your hands.
Most of the posts I've seen in this thread make the assumption that the cells can be refilled by the user. I would be very surprised if this was the case.
myke
Mimetics Inc. Twitter
Yes yes we can because the choices are in now way shape or form based on risk. They are based on what the airlines can do to look good while not putting out the people off of whom they make a large chunk of their bank. (business types) That is why they still allow laptops on. Think about it a laptop as a bludgeon is a a *far* greater risk than anything that is banned now that was not banned before 2001. So yes they will allow this through for a couple of reasons. One there is not enough of it to do any damage. And two if this becomes the in thing for business types to have not allowing it would put their income at risk and don't delude yourself it is all about income and perception and not in any way shape or form about security.
Cypherpunks: Civil Liberty Through Complex Mathematics. Those who live by the sword die by the arrow.
when it runs out of fuel you throw it at the sun, why cannot you learn this?@!@!#% gaijin---
"Stratigraphically the origin of agriculture and thermonuclear destruction will appear essentially simultaneous" -- Lee
To what should they change it?
Booze Battery?
Vodka Wattsa?
Gin-erator (or En-Gin)?
www.eFax.com are spammers
I wish they'd make it using ethyl alcohol (c2h5oh) so when society falls, i can still make some mash, distill it, and play quake.
Hollywood movies in which laptop computers crash off a cliff and explode into flames.
Drill baby drill - on Mars
20% methanol solution is NOT FLAMMABLE.
It's like a stronger wine or quite weak liquor. It just won't burn!
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Also, is it true that white people don't have souls?
White people don't have soul. Big difference.
they feel the need to tie battery technology into a specific application?
e w= item/cat=3/subcat=7/product=153
Is it that nobody cares about battery technology?
Look we have A,AA,AAA,C,D standardized batteries, why cant we do the same with this new technology? Really, the size and shape is just a form factor anyways. Buy mimicking the current standadized form factors wide scale adotion could happen fairly quick.
Maybe then they could actually advertise the milliamp/hour capacity of the battery instead of "this willl run x product for y hours".
What sets fuel cells appart is NOT the capacity to run an end product for extended periods before the cell runs out but rather, the instant charging abilities of the cell.
If they packaged it right a fuel cell could be designed so the cell is seperate from the fuel storage tank. This way you could interchange the tanks for different capacities.
Finaly, why is it that the cost is still so high for a fuel cell? They seem like they should be cheaper to produce than a regular batery!
http://www.fuelcellstore.com/cgi-bin/fuelweb/vi
0.6 volts @ 100 ma peak for $100 !!!
If it is methanol, then why not have the ability to refill it? I just hate the thought of the energy that went in to producing that item suddenly wasted when it runs out of the cheapest component (the fuel).
We need to start rethink about the resources we use, and this is an excellent place to start. Fuel cells could cut out batteries, which are notoriously hazardous and difficult to dispose.
And the ironic part is, you cal still bring on board duty free alcohol. Get some decent 151 proof, a pack a matches, a sock, and it's molotove time.
I had a pair of nail clippers and telescoping pointer with magnet confiscated last trip. They did let me through with 4 bottles of booze though (Goslings Black Seal Rum).
Also, the thought of a liquid methanol next to all those hot electronics make me wince.
I'm sure the though of having 10-20 gallons of GAS! just a yard away from your ass, and forcing the gas into cylinders where it will be mixed with air and EXPLODE thousands of times a second might also make you wince!
I guess I can cross of full cells for the Palm, and cars from your x-mas wish list. :)
The Real Problem is not the technology... But the availability of refilling the fuel cell much like a cigarette lighter and being easily able to find the fuel in stores everywhere.
If the fuel cell depletes after 6-8 hours and you can't find fuel cells or fuel then it's not gonna sell at all!
If the fuel cells cost more then a few cents then they won't sell either. I for one will not buy fuel cells for over $1 that only last 6-8 hours! Also there would need to be a recycling program for spent cells.
Otherwise, I will sacrifice portability and weight and go with a traditional recharge-able battery.
BTW, my Palm Vx may not be so flashy but it's got more then enough RAM and the rechargeable battery lasts many weeks before I need to recharge it. My earlier Palm III used two AA batteries and that lasted months so did an old PSION!
The battery life we have now is OK for most of the time. As mentioned long plane trips is where the biggest problems are. A better solution would for the aircraft manufactures to supply dc to each seat. The dc would need to be a standard voltage/watts/connector. That way everyone could carry the proper converter for each of their devices.
And thats why I have my own private, well lit padded room.
I don't know if the politically correct police told you or not, but you're not allowed to promote nuclear energy.
you're supposed to ignore the inescapeable pollution and toxins that fossil fuels and lead-acid batteries dump into our atmosphere, and forget that nuclear power provides at the very least the opportunity for sealed system waste.
nope, we'd rather be 100% certain that we're asphyxiating ourselves and the planet rather than run the risk of irradiating a designated part of it.
any talk of a nuclear reaction is only to be met with horror and outrage. you're not supposed to point out science can create reactors in which it is -impossible- for them to go critical.
no my friend, we are way more advanced a civilization than to think nuclear energy is plausible.
// "Can't clowns and pirates just -try- to get along?"
As much as progress may benefit from free markets, this is an area where it is being confined to increments just slightly better than currently available products in order to derive maximum profit. This is a revolution that is being constrained to an evolutionary time table.
Several interesting things to note.
Politicus
Yep, many bars won't let you have glass beer bottles because of the danger of using it as a weapon, and they don't even have metal detectors on the door, but on an aircraft, glass bottles are no problem.
Don't these guys watch movies?
Something tells me that airlines and security people won't like the idea of people carrying 4 ounce cartridges of flammable pure methyl alcohol onboard flights.
As opposed to bringing any flammable liquid onboard in a soda bottle? People should already realize that the "extra security" in airports an other public places is an absurd waste of travelers' and taxpayers' time and money. It is possible to kill another person with a simple towel after a few weeks training. Glass from picture frames or many other everyday items can be very deadly.
The only way to keep people safe from each other is to handcuff them to their seats, so let's bring an end to this nonsense already.
When men used to be men
They won't let matches onboard. They will, however, let butane lighters onboard no problem. Maybe I'm just bitter that they made me throw out a much loved and empty 30 dollar Zippo while they politely told someone who was on the other side of the security checkpoint to please extenguish his cigarette until he was on the plane.
It's amazing how fast a little safety can be sold for a lot of money.
The ______ Agenda
Depends on what flights, after the 2001 incident, most airlines replaced everything with plastic knives and plastic forks -- even though you could still probably kill someone with a plastic fork...
They brought them back after a lot of people bitched about it, but it's a moot point now. A lot of airlines are phasing out inflight meals now, so killing someone with a dull butter knife isn't even an option anymore. Ah, the good old days...
GodDAMN! Let's just do the calculations, there. I'll say thousands = 2000, for arguments' sake. 2000 of times a second for each cylinder firing. So, for a standard rice-burner, let's call it a 4-banger...at 7,000 RPMs, you're talking 14,000 explosions per minute.
Ok, so for 2000 explosions per second, you'd need at least...what? around 60,000 RPMs. (30,000 or so for a V-8)
You bet your ASS I'm going to "wince" at 60,000 RPMs.
Any sufficiently well-organized Government is indistinguishable from bullshit.
Nevertheless, you do have a point about being an early adopter. It's almost always a good idea to let someone else be the guinea pigs.
Si la vida me da palo, yo la voy a soportar Si la vida me da palo, yo la voy a espabilar
For methanol, the oxidation process occurs thus:
CH3OH-->CH2O (formaldehyde)-->CH2O2 (formic acid)-->CO2
For ethanol, the process would be a little different:
C2H6O-->C2H4O (acetaldehyde)-->C2H4O2 (acetic acid)--> . . . oxalic acid --> 2CO2
But to make that last step, from oxalic acid (the simplest diacid) to CO2 requires breaking a carbon-carbon bond. Not as easy as stripping hydrogens. Oh, and there are many other oxidative products from ethanol, such as ethylene glycol.
I think the tax on ethanol is less an issue than the chemistry--not that some better catalyst couldn't do the trick.
Si la vida me da palo, yo la voy a soportar Si la vida me da palo, yo la voy a espabilar
Wrong, pure methanol is stored and mixed with water produced by the fuel cell, otherwise the storage tank would be 5 times larger.
Nobody is going to carry around a jug of water with 20% methanol to run their PDA!
The idea of 'breathing' batteries is actualy not new at all. Eg, the Zinc-Air battery which is/was commonly used in hearing aids.
4. ???
5. Profit!
Depends on what flights, after the 2001 incident, most airlines replaced everything with plastic knives and plastic forks -- even though you could still probably kill someone with a plastic fork...
They brought them back after a lot of people bitched about it, but it's a moot point now. A lot of airlines are phasing out inflight meals now, so killing someone with a dull butter knife isn't even an option anymore. Ah, the good old days...
Hell, even before 9/11 it had gotten near impossible to get an inflight meal anymore. The airlines sux0r.
what I want to know if a fuel cell will be expensive, but have refills where it will have a universal adapter like a butane lighter does, where you can refill it with any brand, and since hydrogen would be so easily obtainable, if you could just get it from water and do it yourself. I'd like to see battery packs made for existing laptops that can have unlimited refills. (think: powerbook g4 fuel cell that goes where the battery does, like an upgrade thing for 1 or 2 hundred dollars, same with iPod ;))
Sig: I stole this sig.
cigarette lighter maker Tokai... ;P
If they make these fuel cells anything like they make their lighters we're all doomed!
>Also, the thought of a liquid methanol next to all those hot electronics make me wince.
But, curiously, the thought of a potentially explosive rechargeable lithium battery containing a metal that can spontaneously catch fire when exposed to air doesn't bother you. Funny world we live in, isn't it?
I just bought a 25 decibel PWU because I coudn't stand the noise, so imagine 60 at 100 feet!!!
'home blindness kit.' ??
When will people accept that porn viewing does not lead to blindness.