Ferrofluid

Haikal_Baik
Internet is a powerful tool in order to know about some stuff. Yesterday, when i browsed through youtube, i found this video. 


The video is about how to make a magnetic fluid, that is the fluid that will response to the magnetic field placed near to the magnetic fluid. This fluid, or its other name, ferrofluid, is created by mixing a nano size iron particle that can suspend in the mixing or the carrier fluid, oftenly organic solvent or water. To prevent clumping, each of these tiny iron particles are coated with surfactant but in the video above, i don't think the person put a surfactant inside the toner to prevent clumping. 


Ferrofluid is able to react with the magnetic field because of its small size iron particle that is small enough for slight thermal agitation to disperse them evenly in the carrier fluid. The dispersion of the iron particles in the carrier fluid caused the mixture to be in colloidal suspension, a system that consists two or more phases of matter. When evenly dispersed, all these iron particles are contributing to the overall magnetic response of the fluid. 

Some might ask what does this ferrofluid do. We can see ferrofluid's application in first electronic device such as hard drive. The ferrofluid will be placed between a magnet and the shaft that hold the discs. The ferrofluid will create a barrier and prevent any debris from entering the interior side of your hard drive to make it function smoothly. Ferrofluid can also be used as a contrast material to detect cancer through magnetic resonance imaging. This fluid also has a friction-reducing capabilities and is used in mechanical engineering to glide a magnet across a smooth surface with a minimal resistance. 

Source:
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3D Printer

Haikal_Baik
Imagine if you could duplicate a material by using just a printer. Well, see the video to find out.


This printing device is very cool for modelling and creating stuff. And from my reading, there are even a bunch of guys try to print a human body parts such as kidney. If this thing is successful, i believe the medical world would spend billions to get a hand of this device. But of course, everything that the group worked up to now is just a theory and yet to be a working prototype. But it is nice to hope. 
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Self Powered Device

Haikal_Baik
In recent years, many advancement in wireless technology have been made. Among the advancement includes the wireless electricity. And last month, Apple Inc, a giant in computer industry applied a pattern for wireless charger. Today, we were amazed by achievement made by Professor Manos Tentzeris and his research team about a device that can harvest the random electromagnetic waves around us.

Professor Manoz Tentzaris with sensors and spiral antenna for
energy scavenging applications.

What Prof Manos and his team did was they used inkjet printers to combine sensors, antennas, and energy scavenging capability on a paper or flexible polymers. By using this scavenging devices, the team managed to capture energy transmitted by various communication devices such as mobile phone or or radio frequency. The energy captured will be converted to DC from AC and is stored in capacitors. As for now, the device is believed to be able to capture a wide range of frequency ranging from 100 MegaHertz to 15 GigaHertz.
( From an FM radio frequency to radar frequency).

Radio Frequency Infra Red - a device that could very much use
the energy-scavenging application.

Combination of this device with a so called "super capacitors", the team tried to power up a device using energy gained from various frequencies, stored them in the capacitors and eventually the power will be used and utilized by the device. As for now, this team has successfully operated a sensor using electromagnetic power given by a television station located half a kilometer from the device. One more good thing from this energy-scavenging device is that if the frequency range fades, the system in the device will exploit other frequencies for its own use.

Prof Manoz and his team hoped that with the creation of energy scavenging device, many other self powered and wireless based device can be made. So far this device can be used in creating a sensor in tight security area such as airport where the multiple sensors are used to identify potential threat. Hopefully, a more sophisticated device can be made by harvesting all the energy around us.

Imagine having a smaller and tighter security system in places
like airport would be very much helpful.
Source:
 http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-07-ambient-electromagnetic-energy-harnessed-small.html
 http://www.scimag.com/news-ambient-electromagnetic-energy-harnessed-for-small-070611.aspx
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Next Generation Video Game

Haikal_Baik
Video game sales have gone down for almost 13% for the past three years. This loses is govern by the fact that people tend to focus more on new invention such as Ipad rather than the application inside the invention. Now, game makers need to invent a new way of playing video games, more advance and complex story line, and goes way beyond the usual video games, which is leveling up and weapon equipped. 

The upcoming game - Bioshock Infinite 

The next generation video game - Star Wars the Old Republic
In recent news (read here), the game makers now will create game that allows the player to create their own story line based on the decision that they've made while playing the game. Unlike conventional story line in which we have to choose the correct decision, this new generation video game will cause the story line to change for every decision that we've made. 

Below is the rough figure of how the new game will come out.

"In the past, games mostly sandwiched so-called theatrical "cut scenes" between bouts of trigger-finger action. In "Grand Theft Auto IV," for instance, players are given missions on a roughly linear progression as other hoodlums call by cellphone and recruit them to participate in crimes that will elevate the player in rank. Players can follow along or ignore the story lines in favor of other pursuits, such as discovering hidden details like the giant, chained heart inside the Statue of Liberty lookalike.

Gradually, non-action scenes are becoming more central to games and the story is the focus. "Grand Theft" was a start in that direction, with two different endings depending on player choices. The new "Star Wars" game will have about 20 different endings and a billion ways to get there."

I think it is nice for video game company to come out with more exciting games, especially the one involving the story line, character leveling and mission to be completed. 

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Away For 3 More Days

Haikal_Baik
I'm sorry for the inconvenience. I'll definitely back with more useful information for you. Just keep updated!!

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Brain Teaser

Haikal_Baik
Below are a few questions that you can use to test your friend's intelligence.


1. A bear walks south for one kilometer, then it walks west for one kilometer, then it walks north for one kilometer and ends up at the same point from which it started. What color was the bear?


2. A chicken farmer also has some cows for a total of 30 animals, and the animals have 74 legs in all. How many chickens does the farmer have?


3. Three students checked into a hotel and paid the clerk $30 for a room ($10 each). When the hotel manager returned, he noticed that the clerk had incorrectly charged $30 instead of $25 for the room. The manager told the clerk to return $5 to the students. The clerk, knowing that the students would not be able to divide $5 evenly, decided to keep $2 and to give them only $3.
The students were very happy because they paid only $27 for the room ($9 each). However, if they paid $27 and the clerk kept $2, that adds up to $29. What happened to the other Dollar?


4. You start walking north and you walk in a straight line for two kilometers. When you look at the map, you discover that you actually walked one kilometer north and one kilometer south. How is this possible?

5. At a party, everyone shook hands with everybody else. There were 66 handshakes. How many people were at the party?


6. The grandson is about as many days old as the son is in weeks. The grandson is approximately as many months old as the father is in years. The ages of the grandson, the son, and the father add up to 120 years. What are their ages in years?

7. You have to measure exactly 4 liters of water, but you only have a 3-liter bottle and a 5-liter bottle. How do you do it?

8. The government pays farmers a specific fee for each row of four trees that they plant. An enterprising, but dishonest farmer found a way of planting five rows of four trees using only ten trees. How did he do it?

See all the answers and also some other question here.
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Batman and Robin

Haikal_Baik
For someone whose age goes way beyond the 60s and 70s, Brian Vann and Alan Holden sure have have a passion and mind of a teenager. For one thing, Brian Vann, a 74 years old retired construction worker, managed to change his old electric scooter to what we can say a pretty good batmobile. 


Brian created this mobile after deciding to join the Cancer Research relay race which he did it in the memory of his wife. It took only four weeks to finish and Brian now is very happy as his creation was praised and make people smile.

'People drive past in their cars and stop when they see me, get out, and ask for a photo. I've had loads of people tell me how much they like the scooter.

'I feel like a bit of a celebrity - I know how the Beckhams must feel when I go out in my Batmobile.


'It's a bit of a laugh and if it brings a smile to people's faces, then it's done the job.'



Even better, if Brian is the Batman, the sidekick, Robin was taken by Alan Holding, Brian's friend. You can see the pictures of Brian and his sidekick here. Watching this grandfather of 5 really makes me wonder, at what age must we stop having passion? The answer is none. We must never stop and pursue our dreams no matter at what age we start. It is never too late. =)

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2008318/Holy-Smokes-Batman-A-great-granddad-transformed-mobility-scooter-Batmobile.html?ITO=1490
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