Sunday, March 30, 2003

Tables Top Typical Bar Diversions. Interactive table tops at Tabu, a swank new nightclub in the MGM Grand Casino, wow patrons by flashing an array of images and light effects that react according to what happens above them. Is it the first step toward a truly interactive world? Steve Friess reports from Las Vegas. [Wired News] I am both wowed and scared at the same time.  The technology is SO cool, but using it for advertising is so disappointing.  I guess they have to pay for it somehow.  If you get a chance, follow the link from the article and watch the online demo. 9:59:26 AM    comment []

Changing World Technologies.  This company is about to open the doors on its first commercial plant.  It is working with ConAgra to turn turkey offal (a byproduct of Turkey processing) into light commercial quality oil, natural gas, purified water, and commercially valuable minerals (all at very high quality levels).  Amazingly, this same plant can process just about anything (from plastic bottles to sewage) and turn it into commerial materials without any nasty byproducts.  Economic analysis indicates that the plant will produce oil at an estimated price of $15 a barrel (which is commercially competitive).  The process involves changining the waste products at the molecular level.  This could mean that landfills may become valuable sources of raw materials for reprocessing and that recycling will become a thing of the past (no downcycling of plastics for example).  Very cool and seemingly credible.  If the claims are correct, we should see these plants become ubiquitous in the next ten years. [John Robb's Radio Weblog] This is one of the coolest things I've read about in a long time. 9:47:53 AM    comment []

© Copyright 2004 Tom Pierce.