Tesla said today it has started building the Model S with a titanium underbody shield to prevent battery fires like the two that occurred in the United States last year when Model S drivers struck road debris.
via NHTSA closes Tesla fire inquiry as Model S gets new battery shield.
IBM News room – 2014-01-23 Lenovo Plans to Acquire IBM’s x86 Server Business – United States.
Lenovo and IBM have entered into a definitive agreement in which Lenovo plans to acquire IBM’s x86 server business. This includes System x, BladeCenter and Flex System blade servers and switches, x86-based Flex integrated systems, NeXtScale and iDataPlex servers and associated software, blade networking and maintenance operations. The purchase price is approximately US$2.3 billion, approximately two billion of which will be paid in cash and the balance in Lenovo stock.
IBM will retain its System z mainframes, Power Systems, Storage Systems, Power-based Flex servers, and PureApplication and PureData appliances.
The agreement builds upon a longstanding collaboration that began in 2005 when Lenovo acquired IBM’s PC business, which included the ThinkPad line of PCs. In the period since the companies have continued to collaborate in many areas.
IBM will continue to develop and evolve its Windows and Linux software portfolio for the x86 platform. IBM is a leading developer of software products for x86 servers with thousands of products and tens of thousands of software developer and services professionals who build software for x86 systems.
Roughly around 2007, reports started to surface saying that hard disk drives HDDs were damaged during gas discharges from IGFSSs (inert gas fire suppression systems). Since then there has been significant speculation and misinformation as to what the cause of failure is…
via Inert Gas Data Center Fire Protection and Hard Disk Drive Damage – The Data Center Journal.
A Victorian man who became wedged naked in his washing machine during a prank says his freeing by rescue workers with the use of olive oil was “like a birthing”.
Flow batteries, a type of rechargeable fuel cell using chemical compounds dissolved in liquids, have seen some of the biggest advances …
The (new) research holds the promise of sharply reduced costs, with … the family of molecules used – known as quinones – were sourced from crude oil, the material could as easily have been sourced from rhubarb or most other green plants, Professor Aziz said.
Unlike lithium, for instance, there is little chance the batteries will ignite. “Our molecules are deliberately dissolved in water, so they don’t catch fire,” he said.
The work, funded by the US government, is likely to result in a three-year extension to develop a commercial technology. The aim is to produce a battery capable of storing 24 kilowatt-hours of energy – the equivalent output of a typical roof-top solar photovoltaic array over 8 hours – before scaling up to much larger units.
From the Preface:
The Australian Energy Regulator’s seventh State of the energy market report comes at a time of changing dynamics in the energy industry. Declining electricity demand has led to surplus generation capacity in most regions and has delayed the need to invest in electricity networks. Additionally, greater stability in global financial markets has eased finance costs for energy businesses. In 2013, these developments translated into more stable retail electricity prices in most jurisdictions.
Reforms to the energy rules announced in November 2012 aim to deliver future decisions on network revenues and investment that are in the long term interests of consumers. In 2013 the AER published guidelines under the Better Regulation program on implementing the rules. The guidelines will apply first to regulatory determinations taking effect in 2015.
In retail, the transition to national regulation is continuing,with New South Wales on 1 July 2013 becoming the fourth jurisdiction following South Australia, Tasmania and the ACT to implement the National Energy Retail Law. Consumers in those jurisdictions now enjoy access to the AER’s price comparator, http://www.energymadeeasy.gov.au.
Dynamics in the eastern gas market differ from those in electricity. While domestic demand has weakened, international demand for liquefied natural gas LNG exports from Queensland scheduled to commence in 2014–15 is exerting pressure on gas prices. Policy makers are introducing reforms to help alleviate pressures in the eastern gas market.
This edition of State of the energy market explores conditions in energy markets over the past 12–18 months in those jurisdictions in which the AER has regulatory responsibilities. The report consists of a market overview, supported by five chapters on the electricity and gas sectors. As usual, it employs accessible language to reach a wide audience. I hope this year’s report is a valuable resource for policy makers, consumers, industry and the media.
Andrew Reeves
Chairman
December 2013
Minister for Fair Trading Stuart Ayres and NSW Energy & Water Ombudsman (EWON) Clare Petre today issued a joint warning to all consumers to be on the look-out for cold callers and online traders claiming to sell energy saving devices for domestic use.
Mr Ayres said NSW Fair Trading had investigated a number of consumer complaints about the devices, which can cost up to $2,000 each.
“We have proved under stringent testing conditions that these devices are a complete con,” he said.
To watch a video of the power saving devices being tested, go to Fair Trading’s YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ky1MotsVLGU
The “firefighting trap” is a term often used by business managers to describe a shortsighted cycle of problem-solving: dealing with “fires,” or problems, as they arise, but failing to address the underlying cause, thereby increasing the chance that the same problem will crop up in the future.
via Study: More spending on fire suppression may lead to bigger fires.
Dell offers to fix laptops that smell like cat pee.
Everyone knows the internet is all about cats, but Dell may have taken that too literally with one of its new computers. The company this week issued one of the funniest customer service notes in the world of tech when it offered to replace a part in laptops that smell like cat urine.
See Dell’s post here
William Lowe pushed IBM to create its first PC in a single year. The man who pushed IBM to create its first PC has died at the age of 72.
via Vale William Lowe: the man behind the IBM PC – PC & Tech Authority.
Link to IEC_Counterfeiting_brochure_LR.pdf
YouTube videos featuring some of Australia’s best-known disability advocates talking about the technologies and apps that have changed their lives as well as their daily frustrations of dealing with websites and apps that haven’t been made accessible to people with disability
via Australian Communications Consumer Action Network – Why access matters.
Modeling The Lithium-Ion Battery.
“Lithium-ion batteries have become the most common
rechargeable batteries for consumer electronics,
due to their high energy densities, relatively high cell
voltages and low weight to volume ratios. They are
also predicted to become commonplace for industrial,
transportation and power-storage applications, even if
they tend to be more expensive than equivalent battery
technologies with aqueous electrolytes.
Modeling and simulations are necessary tools for accelerated
understanding, design optimization, and design
of automatic control of batteries and battery systems. “
paulspiece.com 
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