October 2014


EDITORIAL: Phonepocalypse

What you see above was Apple’s first mobile device, the Newton. It didn’t work very well and didn’t sell very well either but it was the basis of a whole generation of “personal digital assistants” that…


Building the city of the future

You read that right, Qatar is planning on building a multi-billion dollar city to host the 2022 World Cup. The city, Lusail, is set to be complete by 2020 which is a very short time…


Can an Alkaline Battery Be Recharged?

I’ve heard about this for years and always assumed that since the chemistry was not designed for recharging, any claim that this could be done was just so much hot air. A few months ago…


EDITORIAL: I hate microUSB

Despite the fact that I am an Apple user, I find myself overrun with microUSB cables and devices. It’s the go-to charging cable for just about everything in my life with the exception of those Apple…


The future of batteries

It’s no secret battery life is one of the limiting factors in smartphones and other hand-held devices. The current standard, lithium-ion, batteries have been in use for 25 years now and their lifespan is limited….


Are you using too much power on your desktop?

Electricity isn’t free… but chances are you knew that. All things considered, though, it’s not really that expensive either. We are lucky to live in an age full of electronic wonders, and although they are beholden…