A while back I wrote about fuel cell cars that run on hydrogen rather than ye olde fossil fuels. But I wanted to know how these fuel cells actually work? The hydrogen, presumably, isn’t being “burned” in the normal sense, so what’s going on?

Let’s take a look at that most common of electrical sources, the battery. Batteries usually consist of two metal “poles”, with an acid or salt solution sandwiched between them. The chemical reaction of these components makes electrons collect on the negative (-) terminal of the battery and, when an electrical item is attached to the battery, these electrons are used for power. At the same time, though, the chemical reaction within the battery is continuing, which eventually reduces the difference in charge between the positive (cathode) and negative (anode) poles… and the battery stops producing power.

How about a fuel cell? There are a number of different types of fuel cell, but we’ll look at hydrogen cells here. Fuel cells still work by transferring electrons, but the source of those electrons is different: the electrons are stripped from the hydrogen fuel itself. The fuel cell consists of two catalyst-coated electrodes, separated by a membrane which only allows charged particles to pass through. The two electrodes are also connected to an electrical load, such as a car’s motor. Hydrogen is fed into the cell at one end, where the catalyst prompts the Hydrogen to become positively charged H+. The dropped electron from the Hydrogen is picked up by the electrode (which becomes the negative anode), and used to power the load (i.e. the car). Meanwhile, the positively charged H+ passes through the membrane to the other electrode (the cathode), where it is combined with oxygen from the air, and the returning electrons, to become water.

Fuel-cell flow diagram - click on the image to enlarge

I did wonder what happens when the catalysts are used up, but then I remembered that catalysts, while playing a part in aiding chemical reactions, are not actually used up in them. So the catalysts just sit there, merrily helping to convert the hydrogen to H+, and then into water.

What amazes me about this setup is how none of the components of the fuel cell are used up in the reaction - as long new fuel is fed in, the cell will never go flat!

This type of fuel cell produces a small amount of Direct Current, so several fuel cells are stacked together to get enough power to run something like a car. It obviously works, with the Honda FCX boasting a generating capacity of 100kw.

So the technology works, and it actually seems quite elegant. It is much more efficient than combustion, and much better for the environment. Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe, and even if we did somehow run out, we could always find a way to extract more from water or hydrocarbons. Not bad, really.

Addemdum: A number of people have pointed out that the hydrogen would take energy to produce, and so the claim that it is good for the environment is debatable. I’ve left the post as was for posterity, but the big challenge for hydrogen cars will be how to create hydrogen cleanly. Perhaps solar power and electrolysis will help… we wait in anticipation.

PGR4’s take on realistic car graphics

I remember years ago looking at a racing game demo running in Dixons. I forget what the game was, or even what console it was running on, but I remember thinking, “Wow, those look like real cars!” Years later I look back and think I must have been pretty naive. I wish I could see that demo again, but somehow I doubt it looked all that realistic.

Jump forward to Project Gotham 3, and I said the same thing, “Wow, this looks so real!” - until Project Gotham 4 came out. Fortunately, I’ve given up on thinking that the latest generation of game is as “real” as it’s going to get. But it did get me thinking…

Games designers are constantly searching for a way to make their graphics look as realistic as possible. Clever shading, volumetric lighting, bump-mapping, ragdoll physics, internal skeletons, and advanced AI are just some of the tricks available. I really want to think about the graphics today, though, and ask the question, “are designers trying too hard to attain realism?”

It’s the little details that make something look realistic, but getting a natural look is very difficult. Designers can end up adding textures to clothing, or even walls, that you wouldn’t really notice if you saw a similar object in the real world. But, because you can see it in the game, it looks forced. When I look at my living room wall I don’t see the texture of the wallpaper because it’s pretty subtle, but there’s a good chance that someone building an in-game model of my house would want to make the texture obvious so that viewers would know it was there and, supposedly, that it was highly realistic. Movement can be another tricky area, where a designer tries to mimic every little nuance of someone’s movements but actually ends up making them look like a puppet on a string.

Perhaps this is a problem with the whole format though. Obviously textures, patterns and nuances are there in real-life, but maybe it’s just that we don’t look at them. Or rather, we do look at them, but we pay them no attention. I mean, when was the last time you checked the grain on the bannister of your stairs? When we load up a game, however, we do become much more likely to check out the realism of otherwise insignificant things. Maybe designers have to put effort into making the details obvious because we expect to see them when, really, we ignore most of the detail around us and focus on the one thing we’re actually doing.

So what do you think? Is there too much detail in video games to make them realistic? Is there not enough? Or should we just forget about the whole realism thing and realise what we’re never going to get a perfect representation of the world in a game?

Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

photo credit: magic_quote

I don’t know if it’s the iconic status of Star Wars or just because they’re cool, but lightsabers seem to hold a special place in the minds of children (both in terms of their age and even the overgrown variety). Give someone a coloured stick, or even a light-tube, and there’s a good chance they’ll swing it making a swooshing sound… even if only in private!

You have no doubt seen the toy lightsabers available in shops with the flick-out blade and light-up action, but what if you want something a little more “authentic”? Something you could really battle the Sith with? One option is the Handmade Custom Saber offered by ThinkGeek. This comes in two hilt styles and three blade colours, allowing you to choose the combination you want. The great thing is that the polycarbonate blades are tough enough to withstand “moderate fencing”. That’s a bit of a step forward from the Argon tube I once had that didn’t even survive the post! The custom sabers cost $139.99 for the hilt, and another $139.99 for a blade. ThinkGeek also point out that these particular sabers do not make a noise, so you’ll have to do that yourself.

So what if you don’t want to make the noise yourself and, perhaps more importantly, aren’t really up for paying $260 for a toy (albeit a very cool one). Firebox stock the Force FX Lightsaber: a replica of the film sabers (though it looks like they only have Darth Vader’s one in stock at the moment). These have digitally recorded sound effects, and accelerometers give the correct sound as you swing for your enemy. One of the sensors is even designed to pick up blade impacts, meaning careful duelling is possible with these as well. And you won’t have to argue about whether a move was a “hit” or not, as you’ll hear it! The Force FX Lightsaber costs £59.95 or $94.30 (at time of writing).

Right, so all that’s great and you can pick up a pretty good lightsaber without spending too much cash. But you know what would be great? A custom-designed saber… every Jedi had their own design. The story goes that each Jedi built their own saber, so each was unique. If you’re serious about geeking-out on Star Wars you’re going to need your own design too. Let me introduce JQ Lightsabers, a UK company specialising in replica and custom sabers. Many of their designs use polycarbonate blades, making them tough enough to whack your friends with (can you tell I think being able to use your lightsaber is important?) but it’s the hilts that really take the breath away. Their apprentice sabers are a simple chrome handle that will get you up and running for a mere £46, unless you want a double-saber in which case you’d pay £79. They also produce replica movie sabers (£210 and £230 for the ones currently on offer) and shadow sabers; shorter sabers for “two-handed combat” or “suitable for juniors” (would those be younglings? The icing on the cake, though, is their custom-built section. A combination of parts, light-up switches, machined sections etc. allows you to have that unique design you will need to convince your friends you are a true jedi. The path to enlightenment doesn’t come cheap though: custom sabers start at £165 and the price will vary depending on what you want done.

So, if you’re after that genuine lightsaber feel there are plenty of options depending on your budget and requirements. Question is, which would you pick?

This post contains affiliate links: if you purchase the FX lightsaber from Firebox we will receive commission on your order

Think back to your childhood… I’ll give you a moment :) Were there computer games then? When I do this I think of my old Commodore 64, the Pac-Man coffee-table arcade machine, or my friend’s Spectrum and Amstrad. Moving on a bit, though, the first console I ever owned was a Sega Megradrive (or Genesis, as it was also known). Ah the joy of swapping cartridges with friends, knowing that when you died that was it (very few games had a save facility, which we always called a “battery backup”).

I’ve recently been reliving some of those Megadrive games with the help of Genesis Plus, an emulator I downloaded from The Emulator Zone. For the uninitiated, an emulator is a piece of software that creates a software version of another computer so that you can run programs designed for one machine on the one you actually have. In effect, I’m running a software-only Megadrive on my Mac.

So, if you want to relive some of your old gaming memories, just Google an emulator for the machine you want to resurrect - I’ve used Commodore 64, Megadrive, and SNES (Super Famicom) emulators all with acceptable results (I’ll say a bit more about that in a moment). Once you have your emulator installed, you need to search for the correct ROMs - the “programs” your emulator will run. Again, Google is your friend here and I picked up a few from ROM Nation that fit the bill nicely. The next step will vary from emulator to emulator, but you need to load the ROM into the emulator and away you go.

And about those “acceptable” results? The machines of yesteryear ran on televisions. Low-resolution was the norm. Add in a liberal dose of rose-tinted specs and you’ll no doubt be remembering your old games as looking awesome whilst having a full orchestral score. Loading them up in an emulator on a high-resolution monitor can be a slightly disappointing experience at times, especially when the emulator may mangle the sound a little and/or be a bit jerky. But despite all that, it’s still fun to play Sonic 3 again or to sit in front of that Commodore blue screen typing in simple BASIC commands. Get past the rose-tinted specs and you might just rediscover your childlike inner gamer.

OK whilst I’m not the biggest fan of Windows Mobile… I am mighty impressed with the Xperia. Sony Ericsson’s first Windows Mobile phone.

I haven’t had a play with it… so I can’t talk about the user experience. The thing that excites me is the panels option. The phone has space for 9 different panels on its desktop… with panels available from providers such as Google, Microsoft and Sony Ericsson themselves.

What I especially like is that Sony Ericsson have opened up their code to developers so that people with the know-how and willingness to try something new can develop their own pages.

Cool Hunting… one of my fave blogs and a go-to site for the best in design… has created a panel specifically for their website.  I respect their proactivity here.

This proactivity has manifest itself previously with their iPhone/iPod Touch-specific mobile website. There’s is the kind of forethought that I love as a consumer of meaningful content… and is the kind of thing that keeps me going back for more.

I really like this DECT phone from designers Tej and Sach Chauhan for SunCorp.  Its different from the current brace of DECT phones on the market.  I think it has something special about it… a tactileness that is beguiling.

They have deliberately gone for a design that seeks to re-establish the relationship between the earpiece and the mouthpiece… and I get it.

It is available at Colloco in white and orange… although they appear to be in high demand and are experiencing Nintendo-esque stock shortages.  Although, me thinks they will be worth the wait… as my folks said when they finally got their paws on a Wii Fit.

£39.95 each or dual for £59.95 (P&P free over £50)

I like to surf the app store to check out the new free apps… I tend to keep most of the ones I try and, on the odd occasion, do upgrade from a lite version to a full fat app.

A couple of nights ago I checked out Fring because it looked promising… with the potential to bring VoIP (voice over IP aka using your data connection to transmit your voice) to my iPhone. I run a podcast with a good friend in Texas and we use Skype and Twitter to make it happen.

Fring gives you access to MSN, Gtalk, AIM and Yahoo Messenger as well as the ubiquitous Twitter and Skype… via your iPhone or iPod Touch. It also provides access to other less well known VoIP too (to me anyway) such as SIPNET, EuteliaVoIP, VoIPVoIP and VoIPTalk… which is cool.

The messengers and Twitter only need a data connection… whereas it needs wifi for Skype and the VoIPs to work… but still… it looks awesome… and brings to the iPhone some long requested functionality.

So far I have conducted a gtalk IM conversation with Chris (see pic) and a Skype call via my iPhone… again with Chris.

The IM conversation was sweet… clear and concise onscreen with an unique “ring” when the message arrived.

The Skype call was good too… albeit there was a satellite delay.  I put this down to the difference between London (where Chris is just now) and Motherwell where I am based… afterall London is so far ahead of everywhere :-)

What gets me about Fring is the number of devices it supports… it isn’t an iPhone only deal… in fact, they have established themselves prior to creating their iPhone app.

In addition to the iPhone app, they support Symbian 8 and 9, Windows Mobile, and UIQ. They also have a “mini” version for J2ME phones and support Linux too.  Their support for Nokia and Sony-Ericsson phones (including my old phone… the fab K800) is pretty extensive, which significantly extends their userbase… although they don’t appear to support the Crackberry… which leaves a gap, I suppose.

They also provide functionality that isn’t included with the iPhone app - Facebook… vTap… Orkut… and a Gmail notifier - for the other devices.  Personally, I think we’ll see great things from Fring when the Gphone is finally in the open.

Well worth checking out.

Xbox vs Playstation…
Linux vs Windows…
Mac vs PC…
There are so many battles going on in geekland that it’s hard to keep up! Fanboys abound on all sides, and if you spend long in any forum devoted to a particular make of equipment, you’ll soon find someone pointing out that it “sux” and that “xyz” is the only way to go. I once read a quote, though, that made me laugh. It was just before the xbox360 came out (and I’m paraphrasing, because I can’t remember it exactly):

Let’s forget all the rubbish about which will be better: xbox360 or Playstation3, because we all know that if you had the money, you’d buy both of them!

So, with that attitude in mind, I want to tell about when I switched from PC to Mac, what I like about the Mac, and what I miss from my PC days.

I switched about two years ago because I’m attracted to shiny things. Oh, and because my PC was dying… I bought a Mac-Mini for £500 and I love it. It’s so small and quiet (my PC sounded like an aircraft was trying to take off under my desk). So what do I really like about being a Mac user?

• Visuals: The computer itself is a delightful white box, about the size of a box of hankies. It just looks nice. But when I switched it on the visual treat continued. Shiny menus… the dock… even the desktop wallpaper all had a lovely clean look to them that sucked me right in. I’ve done a bit of study on NLP, and found that I’m a very visual person, so it’s no surprise that the visual niceties of MAC OS X and of the computer itself had such an effect on me. I know that I could have re-skinned Windows XP (and I did that a few times), but I liked MAC OS X’s look better!
• Security - some say this is because nobody would bother writing a virus for a computer with such a small user-base. I don’t care, there aren’t many viruses for Macs and I don’t mind why that is! There have been some recent cases of Mac viruses being discovered, but they aren’t widespread. Still, it pays to be careful, so I have Clam AV on my Mac and I use the built-in firewall.
• Simplicity - I used to call Macs, “PCs for people who don’t want to think”. Admittedly, not a very catchy put-down, but I honestly thought that’s all Macs were. I actually value the simplicity, though, because it means that many of the programs living on my computer work the same way… that’s not brain-dead, it’s good interface design! I’m also impressed that the OS does a good job of hiding many of the tasks and processes pretty well, so you only need to dive into the complex stuff if you really want to.
• Simplicity again - I couldn’t think of a better title for this one… when you buy a Mac, you know you’re getting standardised hardware. Everything comes ready to go, and you know you won’t have any driver issues due to non-compliant hardware being installed in the base-unit. There’s a trade-off there, though.
• Cheap software - iWork and MAC OS X itself are pretty cheap compared to MS Office and Windows. For a Scot like me, that’s important! No, seriously, I was surprised to discover that iWork was so cheap, especially given that it’s a great piece of software. I realise that high-end pieces of software like Aperture and Final Cut Pro are still exceptionally expensive, but for a home-user like me (who will never use those applications) the apps I want represent pretty good value.

Now… what do I miss from my PC days?

• Cheap hardware! - There’s no denying that Macs are expensive. I know Apple say that they’re no more expensive than a high-end PC but, come on, for £500 I could have got a desktop PC with a 3d graphics card and a bit more memory than my Mac-Mini. Actually, yesterday, I saw a Vista laptop for under £500 with 3d graphics…
• Easy upgrades - in the olden days, I would regularly open up my PC and swap out a component with a new item. That’s not so easy now, because the Mac-Mini is essentially a sealed unit. I realise you can upgrade the high-end Macs (like the pro), but I couldn’t afford one!
  A small update to this one - I did upgrade the memory in my Mac-Mini, but it wasn’t exactly easy. It involved popping the case open and dismantling the computer’s innards to gain access to the memory slots… it’s definitely easier to do this with a PC!
• Software - Actually, this one is becoming less and less of an issue as time goes on. When I first switched, I struggled to find software for many of the tasks I’d been able to do on my PC. It’s still the case that I have to search a bit more for Mac programs, but they are there… it’s just that many more programs are written for PC than for Mac (supply and demand, though, isn’t it? There are more PC users so there will be more stuff written for them). My main bug-bear is that my dad has a more advanced version of Skype than me, simply because the PC version is further on than the Mac one.
• Understanding - I used to understand the inner workings of the PC and Windows pretty well, while I find that I’ve never even seen the insides of my Mac and I’m having to re-learn about Unix while learning about Mac OS X. I could just let Mac OS take care of everything for me and I wouldn’t have to touch Unix, but I really want to know how things work under the hood so I couldn’t go down that route :)

The thing is, there are pros and cons to both platforms (and I could have thought of more for each). I’m happy with my decision to switch, but there are things I’m having to get used to, and things I miss about my PC. I guess it’s like anything else, really, there are always gains and losses in each decision (man, that’s getting a bit deep!).

Have you switched from one OS to another lately? What did you think? I’ve completely missed out Linux because I don’t have much experience of it… any Linux users out there want to chip in?

Image by audreym, used under Creative Commons License.

Image by Elsie esq.

Global oil prices are up. Electricity and gas companies are hiking their prices. And all the while, people are wondering what to do about their energy bills.

We’re going to take a look at some methods that are available to generate your own energy and power/heat your house. Remember that there are a load of methods you can use to minimise energy loss at home (loft insulation, double-glazing, switching appliances off at the wall), but that’s not a topic for today. Today we’re looking at generation, not conservation.

Use the sun!

Probably the greatest source of energy available isn’t even on the planet… the sun. We all know it warms the Earth, and no doubt you know its energy can be harnessed. So what tech can you use to enlist the sun’s help in powering or heating your home?

Solar Panels

Dead obvious, this one :) Solar panels! Those shiny sheets that power the International Space Station and a multitude of eco-friendly concept cars. There are two types of solar panels that concern us here, photovoltaic (electricity generating) or water heating panels.

Photovoltaic panels generate electricity from the sun’s energy, which can be used to fulfil some or all of your home’s electricity needs. It’s even possible to put your house ‘on-grid’ and sell any surplus energy you generate back to the National Grid. From what I hear, though, you will get the lowest price possible for your electricity in the UK, while the prices are a bit more favourable in other countries.

Water heating panels pass cold water through the panel, which is then (obviously) heated by the sun. This heated water is then delivered either to a pre-heat water tank or directly to the hot water tank, depending on the type of system. Even if the water that’s returned from the solar panels isn’t hot enough to take a bath in, it still represents an energy saving as it has been part-heated for you.

Ground Source Heat Pumps

The sun isn’t just heating your roof, though: it’s also heating the ground around your house. Ground source heat pumps are a way of extracting ground heat and using that to heat your water up. If you have ever touched the grille at the back of a refrigerator you will realise that it’s warm. That’s because the refrigerator is transferring heat from inside the fridge to the grille, where it radiates away. Ground source heat pumps do pretty much the same, but they transfer heat from the ground into your house. Heat is collected by laying pipes in your garden - either in a trench or, if you don’t have enough room, in a deep bore-hole. You’ll have a unit in the house that transfers heat from the water in the pipes to your heating system, so you don’t need to worry if the garden’s not roasting hot! :)

What about wind?

Another renewable energy source is all around us - wind. You’ve seen those wind farms, right? The groups of massive windmills? Well what about having one all of your very own? Not a whole wind farm, obviously, but you can have a small turbine generating electricity for your house.

The technology here is just the same as on the larger turbines - the wind turns the blades and a generator converts that motion into electricity. Add a power-shaper to iron out any spikes or dips and you’re good to go. You can even to ‘on-grid’ with this as well and sell any excess power back to the National Grid.

Be warned though: wind turbines will usually require planning permission (in the UK), and to be really worth it you should have a survey carried out to ensure that there’s enough wind in your chosen location (apparently the average windspeed can be worked out for where you are).

And the downside?

The big downside with these systems is the installation cost. Domestic solar panels can range from a few thousand pounds up into tens of thousands, whilst the cheapest domestic wind turbine I could find was £1898. I was unable to get a price for ground source heat pumps without having someone come out and do a survey of my garden!

These are all pretty hefty methods of reducing your energy bills, and they certainly aren’t a quick fix. You won’t recoup your money in a single winter, or anything like that, but if you’re going to be staying in the same house for a long time and are serious about reducing your reliance on the utility companies, they are certainly worth thinking about.

Have you tried any of these methods of generating energy? Got a wind turbine in your garden? Solar panels? Have you any experience of Ground Source Heat Pumps? Let us know how well they work and if you’re seeing any savings in the comments.

Image by billaday

They say school days are the best days of your life… I used to think “they” were crazy!

When I was at university, you very rarely saw anyone with a laptop in a lecture, and if they did have one you could be pretty sure they weren’t paying attention to the lecturer! Nowadays, though, personal technology is so pervasive that it would be unusual to attend a lecture and not see at least one laptop on a desk.

EDUChoices, a website dedicated to helping people make the right educational choices, lists ten cool gadgets for the keen student, ranging from the obviously useful pen-top computer to the more abstractly thought out hot-dog toaster! The list actually contains some great tech, so check it out… And if you’re not a student? What the heck - you might see something you like anyway! Personally, I’m rather taken with the pen-top computer!

EDUChoice’s 10 Awesome Gadgets That Even College Students Can Afford