Tag Archives: copper

Big Mac Gives the Finger to Molten Copper

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I used to get so excited growing up when we were going out to McDonalds. It was really all about the fries and the playground for me. Today going to McDonalds means that I’m broke and in need of a cheap hamburger to avoid eating that crappy turkey sandwich I packed for lunch. I’ve always wondered exactly what was in the food at McDonalds that has made it so consistent over the years. One dude came up with the random idea of pouring molten copper on a Big Mac to see what might happen to its two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun.

big-mac-copperzoom in

As it turns out it is rather hard to destroy a Big Mac with molten copper. The Mac has to be taken apart before it really starts to give in to the copper.

This seems like a waste of some copper that has to be worth a good bit of money to me. The video is fun to watch, at least if you can see through the smoke.

[via Sploid]

Empire Steampunk Speakers: For Dapper Audiophiles Only

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There’s something that continues to intrigue me about Steampunk style. I think it’s the idea that technology could be driven by steam power instead of electricity. And while these speakers aren’t actually driven by steam, they’re still pretty amazing.

steampunk speakers 1

This pair of Empire Steam speakers was handmade by Airhammer Industries. Each octagonal cabinet is made from MDF with a copper veneer, copper edging, and brass and bronze details. They’re extremely substantial, as is evidenced by the large 1.5″ thick granite top on each one, and an approximate weight of 125 pounds per speaker.

steampunk speakers 2

Inside of each 36-inch-tall speaker is a pair of Vifa 1″ silk dome tweeters, a 5″ Pyle midrange, and a 15″ Goldwood downward-firing subwoofer for cranking out the bass while you watch The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen on your steam-powered television. Maximum power per speaker is 400 Watts RMS @ 8 ohms.

steampunk speakers 3

While these speakers are glorious, they’re not exactly cheap. All of this craftsmanship and audio tech will set you back a whopping $12,600 (USD) for the pair. I wonder how much they would have cost back in the 19th century?

Dollar Coin Guitar Pick

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dollar coin guitar pick Dollar Coin Guitar Pick
This guitar pick is pure money- quite literally. The Dollar Coin Guitar pick is actually made from a $1 Sacagawea coin. Each guitar pick coin is cut and polished down into the teardrop shape needed to strum those strings. The coin looks like gold but it’s actually a manganese brass finish over a copper core. Don’t hate the guitar player, hate the game. I don’t know what that means either.

buy now Dollar Coin Guitar Pick

Dollar Coin Guitar Pick

LG Chem develops very flexible cable batteries, may leave mobile devices tied up in knots

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LG Chem develops cableshaped flexible batteries, may leave mobile devices tied up in knots

The world is no stranger to flexible batteries, but they've almost always had to be made in thin sheets -- that doesn't amount to a long running time if you're powering anything more than a watch. LG Chem has developed a flexible lithium-ion battery that's not just better-suited to our bigger gadgets but could out-do previous bendable energy packs. Researchers found that coating copper wires with nickel-tin and coiling them briefly around a rod results in a hollow anode that behaves like a very strong spring; mating that anode with a lithium-ion cell leads to a battery that works even when it's twisted up in knots. Join multiple packs together, and devices could have lithium-ion batteries that fit many shapes without compromising on their maximum deliverable power. Some hurdles remain to creating a production-grade battery, such as a tendency for the pack to shed a small amount of capacity whenever it's put under enough stress. LG Chem is fully set on turning these cable batteries into shippable technology, however, and could ultimately produce mobile devices and wearables that really do bend to their owners' every whim.

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LG Chem develops very flexible cable batteries, may leave mobile devices tied up in knots originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 02 Sep 2012 16:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourcePhys.org  | Email this | Comments

IBM alliance sets efficiency record for solar power cells using common materials

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IBM alliance sets efficiency record for solar power cells using common materials

There have been more than a few solar power efficiency records set in the past few months, let alone years. What makes IBM, DelSolar, Solar Frontier and Tokyo Ohka Kogyo think they can just waltz in and claim a record of their own? By using more commonplace elements in the periodic table, that's how. The partnership's new photovoltaic cell based on copper, zinc and tin (CZTS for short) can convert light rays to electric power with a 11.1 percent efficiency rate -- still nothing to upset traditional silicon power, but a large 10 percent more efficient than anything else in the class. In its early form, CZTS can already be manufactured through ink printing and could be produced in quantities equivalent to about 500 gigawatts of power per year, or five times more than some of the next-closest alternatives. The group wants to improve CZTS' efficiency over the course of the next several years, ideally reaching the point where it's useful as a truly cheap, ubiquitous source of power. We're looking forward to the day when there's a little slice of solar energy in just about everything, hopefully including a few more hybrid cars and private aircraft.

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IBM alliance sets efficiency record for solar power cells using common materials originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Aug 2012 15:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink MIT Technology Review  |  sourceIBM Research  | Email this | Comments

Liberty DNA: The Watch Made out of Bits from the Statue of Liberty

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There are watches and there are timepieces, and this has to be one of the most unique watches that I’ve every seen. This Romain Jerome watch isn’t the first watch that uses something famous in its makeup, their Iceland Volcano watch among others, but it’s definitely an interesting way to showcase your national pride.

romain jerome liberty dna watch

Romain Jerome has used many exotic materials in its expensive watches. They’ve used volcanic ash, metal from the Titanic, and ever dinosaur bones. The Liberty-DNA watch uses particles from the actual Statue of Liberty, making it extremely limited. The watch also uses design elements to commemorate Lady Liberty, such as the face that’s reminiscent of her 12-pointed crown.

romain jerome liberty dna watch close

In celebration of the 125th anniversary of the Statue of Liberty, ther are only 125 of these watches being made, and if you have to ask the price, you probably can’t afford it.

[via Born Rich]


Copper-nickel nanowires from Duke University could make ubiquitous printable circuits

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Nanowires

Nanowires, although they're building steam, still have to overcome the not-so-small problem of cost -- they often have to use indium tin oxide that's not just expensive, but fragile. Duke University has developed copper-nanowire films that could remedy this in style. The choice of material is both a hundred times less expensive to make than indium and is much more durable. It's flexible, too: if layered on as a coating, the nanowires would make for considerably more viable wearable electronics that won't snap under heavy stress. The catch, as you might suspect, stems from the copper itself, which doesn't conduct as much electricity as indium. The nickel will keep your copper electronics from oxidizing faster than the Statue of Liberty, however. Any practical use could be years away, but further successes from Duke could quickly see printable electronics hit the mainstream power and power our dreams of flexible displays.

Copper-nickel nanowires from Duke University could make ubiquitous printable circuits originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 31 May 2012 04:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink PhysOrg  |  sourceACS Publications  | Email this | Comments

Dell begins test deployment of ARM-based Copper servers

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Dell begins test deployment of ARM-based Copper servers

Back in February, Dell revealed its intentions to enter the ARM server field. Today, the company announced that it is shipping ARM-based Copper servers to a limited number of customers. Copper is lower power than x86 servers, and Dell thinks this makes it a good fit for energy-intensive platforms such as Hadoop. In that same vein, the company views Copper as a cost-effective option that can be used for light workloads and for testing performance. In addition to deploying its new servers to select clients, Dell will be looking to the open source community for help in further developing its ARM system (the platform currently runs Linux). No word on when Copper will move beyond the testing phase.

Dell begins test deployment of ARM-based Copper servers originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 May 2012 15:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink TechEye  |  sourceThe Official Dell Corporate Blog  | Email this | Comments

The NOFAN CR-95C: a fanless copper CPU cooler for your next-gen build

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The NOFAN CR-95C: a fanless copper CPU cooler for your next-gen build

Interesting times to be shopping around for a processor, but what about a new cooler to go with it? This unassuming little work of art is the copper special edition of the NOFAN CR-95C, which is rated to cool CPUs of up to 100W TDP without the need for a fan. Judging from all the Intel and AMD leaks, that level efficiency ought to have you covered regardless of whether you opt for Ivy Bridge or Trinity -- so long as you don't mind hanging around until June, because FanlessTech reckons we won't see it go on sale any sooner.

The NOFAN CR-95C: a fanless copper CPU cooler for your next-gen build originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Apr 2012 11:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceFanlessTech  | Email this | Comments

NC State researcher finds more efficient way to cool devices, looks to cut costs too

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NC State researcher finds more efficient way to cool devices, looks to cut costs too
Does your electronic device have you a bit hot under the collar these days? A researcher at NC State has developed a faster and less expensive method for cooling gadgets -- especially those that tend to crank the heat up. Dr. Jag Kasichainula, an Associate Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, authored a paper on the research that implements a "heat spreader' composed of a copper-graphene composite and an indium-graphene interface film to cool devices. Because the two materials exhibit a high thermal conductivity, they allow the device to cool more efficiently while distributing said heat -- 25 percent quicker than the pure copper in many pieces of tech. And if that wasn't enough, the research also details the process for creating the composite using electrochemical deposition. "Copper is expensive, so replacing some of the copper with graphene actually lowers the overall cost.," Kasichainula notes. If you're itching to read a full rundown of the findings, the full text can be accessed via the source link below.

NC State researcher finds more efficient way to cool devices, looks to cut costs too originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 09 Apr 2012 17:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink NC State University  |  sourceSpringerLink (Full text)  | Email this | Comments