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Technology
Coral Reef Sr. High
Fall 2010
5
Jellyfish smoothies
Using jellyfish to solve the energy crisis
GIOVANNI ARCE
Staff Writer
It’s energy efficient and cost
effective; it’s the new Jelly Shake! Yes,
mankind has finally gained an appetite for
freshly blended jellyfishes at the small cost
of the life of a jellyfish! Smoothie King is
preparing to bar its doors and receive a
couple of class action lawsuits from P.E.T.A
and other jellyfish rights activist marching
down the front gates of the Smoothie King
kingdom.
The truth is that through scientific
research scientists have figured out a way
to grind the innocent Aequorea Victoria and
utilize the green fluorescent protein (GFP)
that it contains to create miniature fuel cells.
These miniature fuel cells are designed for
the purpose of nanotechnology.
The Eco-friendly scientist that has
developed this ingenious method -Zackary
Chiragwandi - discussed generating power
at a nano-level by administrating a droplet
of jellyfish-type GFP onto aluminum
electrodes and exposing it to ultraviolet
light. Nano technology is still in its early
years of life and has yet to meet its full
capacity. This leads to the fact that nanotechnology
does not sound massive in size
but it can lead to groundbreaking advances
in the efficiency of solar energy.
This new form of solar cells is
more secure than already existing forms of
solar cells. “Gratzel cells” The creator of
the Gratzel cell was a swiss scientist named
Micheal Gratzel who made this solar cell
with commonly found titanium elements.
These solar cells are acclaimed to mimic a
plant’s ability to perform photosynthesis.
At first, these solar cells seemed
very effective due to its low cost in creation
and that it can be available in multiple
countries with a variety of economic states.
These cells however are only effective
with their main ingredient, which is light.
These new solar cells are said to be
completely self sufficient, creating their
own source of light. With the self-efficient
characteristics of these biophotovoltaic
nano devices, this can lead the way
for new diagnostic, medical or even
communication devices that can reside in
a living organism without the need of an
external power source.
Other than grinding jellyfish, another
organism that can possibly save the
jellyfish is sea algae. Scientist Paolo
Bombelli explains how it could be
possible for people to hack into the
power released by photosynthesis using
specially designed transparent electrodes.
At this moment scientists managed only
to generate enough energy to run a digital
clock. Which does not sound like much
but give this a couple of years and a lot
more resources, photovoltaic solar cells
can become the most cost effective and
energy efficient solar cells ever created.
The P.E.T.A organization has not
called any course of action against the
grinding of these defenseless jellyfishes,
which shows that even animal lovers love
the fact that jellyfishes could possibly solve
some of our energy problems. Almost like a
miracle of life Scientists have just recently
discovered a way to grow their own green
fluorescent protein using bacteria, which
takes jellyfishes out of grind time, and
back into the safe haven of the deep blue
sea.
Be on the lookout for
these new products
New 4G phones and tablets hit the market
ANDREW LANSER
Staff Writer
Blackberry 4G- With the majority of major cell phone manufacturers
coming out with 4G devices, it is no surprise that Blackberry is trying
to get ahead of the game and stay on top of the market. Rumored to be
called the Blackberry “Triton”, many loyal Blackberry users are hoping
for faster web browsing, dual cameras, and an HD video camera.
White iPhone 4- The release of the iPhone 4 sparked a fire in many
apple users who were tired of the look of the past iPhone’s, whose
appearance had not changed in a while. Following the path of the
iPhone 3G, Apple is planning the release of a white iPhone 4 with all of
the same features. Apple founder Steve Jobs has recently been hinting
the release and shipment of the device, for those who decide to preorder,
before Christmas. Just in time for the parents of anxious teenagers
to buy one in time for the holidays.
Dell Streak- The iPad caught the attention of countless numbers of
techies who were anxious for an innovative tablet, and with all the
media attention and users pleased with the idea of a tablet that can do
more than just read books to you, it is safe to say that laptop and cell
phone makers are quickly releasing future plans for their own tablets.
Contrary to the structure of other tablets on the market, the Dell Streak
features only a 5 inch screen. The Dell Streak has now created a
category of its own, the “Mini Tablet.”
Blackberry Playbook- the interesting name of this device quickly
catches the attention of many sports fanatics alike and possibly
increasing their sales. Many blackberry lovers are excited for the new
blackberry technology it features, individual to this device. Another
appealing feature is the size of it. Although larger than the Dell Streak, it
is much easier and smaller than the iPad.
Chatroulette craze: why has it been successful?
The new internet sensation has caused major controversy among teens and adults alike
MICHELLE CARRERA
Staff Writer
Chatroulette originated from a
17 year-old Russian teenager’s bedroom
simply as an experiment. Now it’s one of
the newest and most distinct anonymous
video chat services around that has started
a new craze among high school students
and internet users in general.
The concept revolves around
pairing users with random chat partners
from all over the globe via webcam and
allowing people to meet others they would
have normally never encountered. After its
launch in November 2009, Chatroulette
had little more than 500 visitors a day, a
number that grew exponentially to reach
the current estimated 1.7 million users.
One of the benefits of Chatroulette
is that creating an account is not necessary
and there is no login information to
remember. A user can simply connect
their webcam, press “Play” and connect
instantly to a stranger.
The U.S. has the highest number
of participants with 47%, followed by
France with 15% and other countries
such as Canada and Turkey that make
up less than 10% of users, according
to CNBC. Members are predominantly
male, occupying 89% of users, while
PHOTO CREDIT: MICHELLE CARRERA
Michael Klugerman, Ag, 12, and Daniel Annone VPA, 12 enjoy playing
Chatroulette
only 11% were female. Chatters can end
a conversation by simply clicking ‘Next,’
and proceed through a series of chat
partners.
But user beware, Chatroulette
has been seen as both an example of
how Generation Y is progressing into a
new “digital world” and as a tasteless
site overflowing with explicit content.
Undoubtedly many of the benefits of
Chatroulette are overshadowed horror
stories of those who use the site for
unintended purposes. The site is infamous
for the uncensored nudity that will
frequently be either shown or requested by
the anonymous chat partner, a complaint
that plagues the unsophisticated technology
the website uses. According to web
research firm RJMetrics, 1 in 8 “spins,” or
video sessions, yields content R-rated or
worse.
“I’ve seen on TV that people
flash and it’s really disgusting,” said VPA
freshman Gabriela Millan.
Other students also express
anxiety about connecting onto the website,
among them IB sophomore Carolina Otero,
“You don’t know who’s out there [or] if
they could be videotaping you. It could be
a one time thing but it’s not.”
Chatroulette has also spawned
internet viral sensations of users engaged
in humorous activities. A simple Google
search will conjure hundreds of screen caps
that range from a man in a leopard suit, a
Lady Gaga parody and a mock conversation
between Obama and Batman among
other less benign images. With the main
demographic of the website being young
adults below the age of 30, companies have
also started to use the emerging website as
a platform for business. Travelocity and
Dr. Pepper are some of the first to market
their products and service with this method
and recently independent film distributor
Lionsgate also launched a viral campaign
to promote the new horror film The Last
Exorcism. The video campaign starts with
what seems like an average female chat
partner, however her eyes then proceed
to roll back and her face transforms into
a demon’s, after a few seconds the screen
goes black leaving only the movie website
visible.
Chatroulette reflects both the
progressive and adverse aspects of the
modern social network.