6 Myths About the Smart Grid

July 14, 2009

This week, I have a ton of articles, video, blogs, opinions, podcasts, etc related to the Smart Grid. But here's one thing I don't have: Top 6 Myths About the Smart Grid. Michael Kanellos at GreenTechMedia has a nice, digestible piece laying out some of the assumptions people are making about the future of power in our country and then giving us reasons why those assumptions are wrong. For example, some folks think a smarter grid won't save money or reduce energy use, or that consumers are c ontrol freak and won't want smart appliances automatically turning off during peak times.

If you're more interested in the business end of things, there's also a piece about the top 10 companies expected to be leaders in the smart grid industry.

Smart Grid FAQs and As

July 10, 2009

We're focusing on the smart grid this week with lots of articles, interviews, podcasts and blogs. There's a ton of stuff out there on this topic. I have my Google Alert set to "smart grid," and my mail box is inundated with news and stories daily. It's a bit overwhelming. There are so many components, including hardware, software, infrastructure, standards, protocols, etc. Hardly any of it has been implemented, but the country seems to charging forward and most of us are sitting around thinking, "What the heck does it mean for me?"

One of the stories that popped up in my in box today helps answer that question and others about the smart grid with a short Q&A. It's from CNET and it answers the following seven questions:

1. What is the smart grid?
2. What would a smart grid be able to do that today's not-so-smart grid can't?
3. What are some examples?
4. Who are the companies participating in the smart grid?
5. OK, so the smart grid is supposed to reduce wasted energy, give consumers better information, and allow the grid to use more solar and wind power. What's the hold-up?
6. Is the smart grid more secure?
7. So when will I have my smart grid?

It's a short article and worth reading to get a solid understanding of what this is all about.

Expert Comments on Our Fascination with 123456789

July 09, 2009

Yesterday I posted a blog about how the time and date was 123456789.  While I writing the blog, I also emailed a math expert at Harvard, Oliver Knill, and asked him why humans are so fascinated by numerical sequences such as this. Here is his reply:

This type of numerology is not so much done by professional mathematicians, more by amateurs, but that does not diminish its surprise.

Mathematicians look at it rather as a curiosity. But there an be some interesting combinatorial problems as you mention like how many times do such situations occur in dates. One also bent the rule a bit in this case: the date 12:34:56.7.8.9 certainly occurred in 1909 and will again in 2109. To make the date surprising, we have taken the centuries out when counting the years.

123456789

July 08, 2009

When I was a kid, I wished that my phone number was 123-456-7890. I would remember it much better than my real number and even though the sequence is so common, having a phone number with those digits seemed totally off the way.

I thought it was just a kid thing. But apparently, even adults are fascinated with this sequence of numbers. There's all kinds of chatter about today's digital date, which at 12:34:56 (this morning and this afternoon), the day was 12:34:56 07/08/09. And at 4:56 this afternoon, the digital date will be 4:56 07/08/09.

But it's not just the appearance of this sequence in the date that gets people al goose-bumpy. This person is impressed with a car's odometer that has reached 123456789.

These people seem freaked out by the fact that this number shows up on their caller ID.

This guy has figured out a mathematical calculation that produces a sum of 100.
It's this: 1/2*3/4*56+7+8*9

And these people have a web site devoted to it.

Why are we so obsessed with this sequence?
I called 1-234-567-8900 just now to see if anyone would pick up and explain it to me. But the line was busy.

Photo: iStockPhoto

Hey Power Grid: Smarten Up!

July 06, 2009

On February 17, 2009, President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act into law. Of the $787 billion intended to stimulate the economy, $43 billion will be spent directly on energy-related matters. And a big piece of the energy pie will be devoted to the the power grid, which works about the same way it did when Thomas Edison conceived of it. Find out what needs fixing and why in this Wide Angle series: The Smart Grid.

• News: Community Genome Could Produce Biofuels
  The genomes of 17 different ants, fungi and bacteria that eat through hundreds of pounds of leaf matter a year could give scientists new clues to how a 50 million-year-old bioreactor operates.

• Puzzle: Plugging Into the Smart Grid
  Spend some time piecing together the power grid.

• Blog: Micro-Curtailment to Curb AC Use
  This is a story about how you can curtail people's air-conditioning use without them noticing, and the big opportunity this represents to do a little micro-curtailing.

• HowStuffWorks: How Living Off the Grid Works
  For most people, paying utility bills is a tiresome and frustrating task. What if there was a way to get out from under the thumb of public utilities and produce your own sustainable energy?

Photo: iStockPhoto

Sudoku Game Inspires Gene Sequencing Solution

July 01, 2009

Sudoku, logic puzzle that folks are addicted to, is not just for passing the time. It's helping to speed up genetic sequencing.

Geneticists from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory have a found a way to use Sudoku to sequence more than a hundred thousand DNA samples.

Until now, only a single DNA sample could be sequenced at a time.

Not only does the new method save time and improve efficiency, but it dramatically cuts cost. A sequencing project that uses conventional methods can cost $10 million. But that figure can be cut to $80,000 or less by using the Soduku method.

You can read the original paper, which was published in Genome Research here.

Michael Jackson Had a Patent

June 26, 2009

The news of Michael Jackson's death yesterday threw me off. At first I thought it was a rumor. But alas, no. I grew up with his music and have many favorite songs. Indeed, I consider him the King of Pop. His death was a big surprise, but then this morning, another surprise: Jackson had a patent.

The title: Method and means for creating anti-gravity illusion.

It's a system that consists of a special shoe that has a hitch designed to attach to a projection in a stage. When the shoe engages with the component in the stage, the performer can lean forward beyond his or her center of gravity.

Why did he invent it? According to the patent, he had dance steps in his video performances where he and members of his dance crew would appear to lean forward beyond the center of gravity. This illusion was achieved by using cables attached to each dancer's waist. But the set up required stage hands to help out and was too clumsy for use during live performances.

The solution: The shoes. The video shows the anti-gravity shoes in action, live:

What an amazing performer. A genius musician and this idea shows that his intelligence and creativity went beyond music.

Video Sums Up Cool Tech Jobs Wide Angle

June 25, 2009

Look Who's Hiring

June 24, 2009

This week on Discovery Tech, I'm featuring a lot of interesting people who have unique, ultra cool tech jobs. My hope is that you might be inspired. Many of you are laid off and perhaps rethinking your career path. If you can glimpse the possiblities, you might ignite a smoldering dream.

But I also understand that some of you just simply need a damn job. In that light, here's some solid, useful information from CNET's Rafe Needleman's blog. It's a spreadsheet listing Web 2.0 job openings. It was first posted in January, but it's done with Google docs and there's a note that says it updates every 5 minutes.

My favorite opening is for an "Interface Rockstar." Hey, who knows, you might be on your way to fame and fortune.

Get Your Cool Tech Jobs Here!

June 22, 2009

Not all of us love our jobs. (Some people don't even have a job!) But a fortunate few have carved out unique, exciting, challenging careers in the area of technology, and all of them say they love their jobs. Find out what they do each day, why they like going to work, how they found their calling and what advice they have for you with this Wide Angle series: Cool Tech Jobs.

• Profile: Chasing the Sun
  Philippe Lauper and his team are building a plane that will circle the globe on sunlight alone.

• Q&A: User Experience Researcher
  Masuma Henry's passion is to help bring technology to underserved places like South Africa and Brazil. Find out why she loves her job at Microsoft.

• Q&A: Hacker/Consultant/Garbage Man
  Josh Klein is a self-described cross-discipline mad scientist who stirs up trouble and creates the impossible while solving real problems.