1.) Geotagging: The recent advent of new GPS technologies that are integrated or compatible with consumer electronic devices makes geotagging a promising new technology and market. Simply put, geotagging is the process of adding geographical meta-data to pictures, videos, websites, and RSS feeds, etc. Integrating this service into cameras and video recorders would allow one to track exactly where pictures and videos were taken, all of which has been seamlessly integrated into the metadata inside image/video files. With the advent of this new technology, a door to a new market has been opened...and the prospect of keeping pictures and videos better organized AUTOMATICALLY is quite attractive to most!
2.) Amino acids on comets: This article is quite interesting. NASA's Stardust mission, (requiring tireless engineering and immense computing power), has recovered dust from a comet that contains amino acids, a building block of life. Although not involving computing directly, it does show us that technology is allowing us to push the boundaries of previous discoveries to new limits. The implications of this finding could be very real, as scientists are getting closer and closer to finding the ingredients needed for life to develop on Earth.
3.) Coal Power Gone Green?: Very recently, a discovery by a sizable electric company in Italy suggests that they have developed a new process for the creation of "green" electricity from coal. The process completely gets rid of all "ungreen" aspects of coal, and only leaves ash when the process is complete, which will be sold for use in concrete. The new green coal process is also more efficient than burning coal to create electricity, providing nearly double the electricity over traditional coal power plants. This new technology will be interesting to see in action as coal burning power plants provide a majority of the world's power. (The electric company is already building a demonstration plant for this new technology.) A move to a new green coal technology would be extremely beneficial to our planet and our health.
