Seaside Smell Can Now Be Bottled
April 5th, 2007 by EDBYou may have joked about it, wishing you could put the smell of the seaside in a bottle and opening it later at the office just so you could set your mind wandering. But that’s just a joke, right? Well, not anymore.
Dimethyl sulphide (DMS) is the gas that gives off that distinctive odor and though it doesn’t sound very romantic, DMS is the trigger that let’s you know the water is near. Scientists from the University of East Anglia made the discovery:
DMS is a little known but important gas. Across the world’s oceans, seas and coasts, tens of millions of tonnes of it are released by microbes that live near plankton and marine plants, including seaweeds and some salt-marsh plants. The gas plays an important role in the formation of cloud cover over the oceans, with major effects on climate. Indeed, the phenomenon was used by James Lovelock as a plank to underpin his ‘Gaia hypothesis’.
DMS is also a remarkably effective food marker for ocean-going birds such as shearwaters and petrels. It acts as a homing scent – like Brussels sprouts at the Christmas dinner table! - and the birds sniff out their plankton food in the lonely oceans at astonishingly low concentrations.
There has to be some huge commercial potential here, we’ll have to wait and see who comes up with something first. You know how those bakeries in the mall seed the air with the scent of freshly baked bread, how about a travel agency helping you plan your tropical getaway and discreetly adding a touch of DMS to the air? It’s bound to happen.
Link: Cloning the seaside
Kawasaki Ultra 250X - 250 hp Jet Ski
April 4th, 2007 by EDB
If you’re of the opinion there’s no such thing as too much horsepower, Kawasaki has something for you. You’ve probably seen their ads by now of the brand new Ultra 250X Jet Ski. The 250 in the name represents 250 horsepower from a supercharged and intercooled 1498cc inline 4 cylinder engine, which makes it the most powerful personal watercraft in the world.
Kawasaki must like using the term “most powerful” when describing their products because their new ZX-14 motorcycle is likewise the most powerful production motorcycle, you have to wonder what they have up their sleeves in the rest of their product lineup.
The 250X uses a Roots type supercharger with a maximum of 11.4 pounds of boost and an air to water intercooler. The new hull is 250mm longer and is designed for neutral handling, a confidence inspiring trait when wrestling with all of that power. There’s also a Smart Learning Operation (SLO)-Mode function which allows new riders to get comfortable before turning them loose on this beast under full power. Separate keys enable one mode or the other. A 20.6 gallon fuel tank means you won’t need frequent fill ups.
If horsepower is your pleasure, you might want to check this out.
Link: Kawasaki
High Speed Amphibians - Gibbs Technologies
April 3rd, 2007 by EDB
Amphibians always seem to be such a compromise, designed for two environments but performing well in neither, … that is, until now. Gibbs Technologies announced yesterday they are working with Lockheed Martin to produce military amphibians based on their prior work developing consumer based amphibious vehicles.
The Aquada, a 3 seat amphibious sports car, the Quadski, an amphibious ATV/personal watercraft and their Humdinga, a 5 person all wheel drive all terrain amphibious off road vehicle, all work well whether in the water or out. Transition time from land or water is about 5 seconds! Performance on land is more than adequate with speeds of 100 mph but in the water they can also reach speeds of 40 to 50 mph depending on the vehicle.
All of this is made possible by what Gibbs calls HSA (High Speed Amphibian) Technology. They have developed everything necessary from the drive system for water propulsion to the retractable wheels. The technology can be licensed to other manufacturers who wish to design their own vehicles using Gibbs technology. Gibbs has built pilot vehicles to prove the technology and tests to this point seem very impressive.
Link: Gibbs Technologies via HorsePowerSports
