| Environmentally friendly robots will feed the flowers they trample May 2nd 2012, 13:23  Dr Jonathan Rossiter, a senior lecturer at the University of Bristol's Department of Engineering and Mathematics, has snagged a two-year research grant of over £200,000 to develop robots that decompose once their mission if complete. This means instead of our automaton friends rusting away, devoid of purpose, they could return gracefully (and more importantly non-toxically) back to mother earth. Not only would this be a boon to the environment, but scientists would no longer need to track and retrieve their mechanical progeny once it reached the end of its usable life, further sparing resources and allowing mass deployment. At least we know, when the day comes, the planet won't be harmed. Environmentally friendly robots will feed the flowers they trample originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 May 2012 09:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink  PhysOrg |  University of Bristol | Email this | Comments | | Yes, people still read: e-book sales by UK publishers grew 54 percent in 2011 May 2nd 2012, 12:23  All hail the e-book! Seriously, if it weren't for this marvelous literary development, try saying with a straight face that you wouldn't at least take pause before adding a new title to your collection. Numbers are in from The Publisher's Association -- a group of 120 companies across the trade in the UK -- which reveals that e-book digital sales have increased 54 percent for the year 2011, and of that statistic, 13 percent of revenues came from academic and professional titles. As a sign of changing preferences, the total sales of both e-books and their traditional counterparts fell by two percent during the year -- and let's be honest, it's not hard to see which group fell short. Also reflective of the shift is the fact that average book prices fell by 1.3 percent during the year, which compares favorably to the UK's current inflation rate of 4.47 percent. Those interested in the full story will find the PR after the break. Continue reading Yes, people still read: e-book sales by UK publishers grew 54 percent in 2011 Yes, people still read: e-book sales by UK publishers grew 54 percent in 2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 May 2012 08:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | Browse John Peel's legendary record collection, travel back in time May 2nd 2012, 11:42  The Peel Sessions -- those are three blissful words to any music enthusiast. John Peel's BBC radio show was the stuff of legends. It launched entire careers and created a legacy of eclectic and intimate musical snapshots by our favorite artists. Can you imagine exploring his record collection? Well, now you can. The Space has created a wonderful site that lets you browse the late DJ's record archive one virtual shelf and album cover at a time -- complete with links to iTunes and Spotify. It looks and feels like the real thing, and provides a fantastic journey back in time. Only the letter A's been cataloged so far -- additional letters will be added (one each week) over the coming months. This is your chance to discover music curated by a man with impeccable musical taste over a period of four decades. Just follow the source links below. Browse John Peel's legendary record collection, travel back in time originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 May 2012 07:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Gizmodo | The Space (1), (2) | Email this | Comments | |
