For those who want to add fodder to the argument that US students are in a scientific and technology funk...this story shouldn't be part of it.
Many of the international schools build their entire academic curriculum around the contest. So, it isn't surprising to see lots of international schools doing very well. As for the US teams, most of the time the ACM teams formed are outside of class and sometimes with little or no interaction from the schools they represent.
Slashdot Mirror
...some device called the ThermaPAK. Founded recently and been using one. Uses phase change materials to absorb the excess heat from Powerbooks.
For those who want to add fodder to the argument that US students are in a scientific and technology funk...this story shouldn't be part of it. Many of the international schools build their entire academic curriculum around the contest. So, it isn't surprising to see lots of international schools doing very well. As for the US teams, most of the time the ACM teams formed are outside of class and sometimes with little or no interaction from the schools they represent.
This story reminds me of the robot fly created by Ron Fearing of UC Berkeley and Michael Dickinson of Caltech some years ago. Check it out: http://journalism.berkeley.edu/projects/mm/spingar nkoff/flyorama/robofly.html