The Geek Church

In this modern age, technology continues to become more portable for greater accessibility and effective use on the go. This applies not just for consumer products but also professional equipment and hardware for the military as well. The U.S. Armed Forces is currently looking for a better method of communication between soldiers during their operations in active duty. So, the mighty computer company Hewlett-Packard is in the process of developing watch computers for our nation’s troops.

They’ve named their concept the Dick Tracy watch. This device will utilize a flexible, wrist-mounted display designed to run on solar energy and plastic will be a major component in its creation. The purpose of this project is to create a versatile, communication device for use on the battlefield that won’t be hindered by a limited power source or possible malfunction.

Currently, there is no information about the military’s long-term plans for using the Dick Tracy watch. Personally, I wonder how realistic it is to actually make this technology in the real world since the concept itself is named after the tech of a comic book character. It seems that scientists, inventors and research companies like to draw their inspiration for new innovations directly from the literature and films of science fiction and fantasy.

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Hello again, dear readers. We’re currently in the last days of May, which means summer is just around the corner. Thus, temperatures are rising, sunny days are becoming more frequent and your house might be a simmering oven by the evening. Then you could find yourself struggling to fall sleep because you’re sweating in your bed on a hot night. Of course, the usual methods of beating the summer heat include opening bedroom windows, using personal fans and keeping your house’s air conditioning turned up most of the time. Unfortunately, open windows and fans often give limited comfort and using the A/C raises your energy bill. So, a company from the Netherlands called Evening Breeze has created an different form of air conditioner to solve the problem of hot nights and less sleep.

They call their new product the Canopi System. This air conditioner is a device that is mounted on the wall behind your bed’s headboard and it’s designed to provide cool air over the bed itself as you sleep. Furthermore, this special A/C unit uses less energy than a thermostat or conventional air conditioner since the device is only cooling a small part of your entire bedroom. Thus, the Canopi System is intended to give you a cool and comfortable night’s sleep without raising your energy bill.

However, this alternative air conditioner will strain your wallet considerably since it’s available at $4,500. With such a price, the Canopi System is probably more effective as a long-term investment instead of being an easy way to save money in the short-term. We might be better off just sticking with our fans and open windows to conserve our cash as we get through the summer.

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Yeah, it gets worse.

If you missed a chapter or two or three, then you should head to the ever-updating index here.

Anyway, the chapter is after the jump.

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