Era un periodo della mia vita in cui mi ero detto “scappa dall’Italia” ed ero scappato, a New York, Manhattan, dove ho vissuto per parecchi mesi. Pensavo che una volta arrivato dall’altra parte del mondo il libro della mia vita si sarebbe concluso con un “e visse per sempre felice e contento”. Ma quando fui là, ero ancora io. Erano cambiati i posti, le persone, le storie e anche i problemi, ma questo non vuol dire che fossero migliori, erano solo diversi.
Quel giorno, non ricordo bene se sulla 4a o la 5a avenue, passai davanti a un negozio con una bella insegna “Italian Light Design”.
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A new light experience to enjoy and undestand the preciousness of the light and the value of its power.
MPK, a company that has made a name producing glow-in-the-dark paint, has developed self-luminous micro particles called Litrospheres. The new material is said to be inexpensive (35 cents to light up a 8 ½ x 11 piece of plastic that is 1/8″ thick), non-toxic, and capable of staying constantly lit for over 12 years thanks to a betavoltaic technology that uses a radioactive gas.
Fortunately, the gas is involves a “soft” emission of electrons that cannot penetrate the glass or polymer wall of the microspheres. So theoretically, you don’t have to worry about brain tumors or taking on super powers when using it.
The Litrospheres, which can be injected molded or added to paint, are not affected by the heat or cold and they can withstand up to 350 atmosphere of pressure. They can also give off light that is equivalent of a 20-watt incandescent bulb in almost any color imaginable. As you might expect, the first applications of the technology will most likely involve safety equipment—or the clothing and accessories of frequent clubgoers.
(by Edward de Bono)
There is someone who designs the car. There is someone who drives the car. There is someone who builds the roads. There is someone who embellishes the destinations. There is someone who chooses where to go.
At a recent TED conference in New York, there was an impressive display of technology which could be used in education. The technology was there – but what the technology was being used for remained rather old-fashioned. New technology can create new concepts, but rarely does so by itself.
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OK, I know the credit crunch is flustering the banks, and everyone’s very upset about it. But I cannot see how this excuses the way the press has let pass largely without comment what strikes me as one of the biggest stories of the year. Europe is banning the lightbulb. In two years, no less.
On October 10, the European Union’s 27 energy ministers called for a law banning incandescent bulbs from 2010. That’s your ordinary bog-standard bulb-shaped bulb, the kind cartoonists draw over people’s heads when they have a bright idea.
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The first full-colour display made from a single material could turn the market for flat and flexible displays on its head. Commercial screens based on the technology could be available on the high street in as little as two years, says the Canadian team who built the device.
The pixels in the device are made from photonic crystals similar in structure to the natural gemstone opal. Each crystal is made from silica microspheres in a repeating 3D pattern which blocks certain wavelengths of light, or colours, while reflecting others. Altering the colour of the pixel is simply a matter of changing the spacing between the microspheres, which is achieved by stretching the material.