Hyundai’s Blue2 Fuel Cell Concept Is What A Future Car Should Be

Hyundai plans to reveal their rather fetching Blue2 (pronounced “Blue square”) hydrogen fuel cell concept later this week at the Seoul Motor Show. We haven’t been seeing many hydrogen-powered cars lately — most of the ongoing eco-craze involves electric cars. Nonetheless, hydrogen-powered cars are considered to be the industry’s endgame, and the “liberator” for polluting vehicles. Exciting stuff.

Blue2′s powertrain delivers a stack power of about 120 hp while managing to get about 82 mpg. Also, like the Volt and Prius, the Blue2 was designed to have an extremely aerodynamic shape and low-rolling-resistance tires to reduce wind and road friction.

Inside the cabin, the Blue2 has some pretty high-tech features. You see those iPads? This Hyundai has tablet mounts in the rear — not just for iPads either. That is exactly how it should be. (None of that proprietary automaker infotainment tech in this concept.) It may be hopeless to ask, but it would be really, really nice if Hyundai followed through with this concept in less than 20 years.

iPhone 5: Five Reasons Why It Won't (and Why It Will) Arrive in June

Apple greeted the final week of March with an announcement that the 2011 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) will take over Moscone West in San Francisco from June 6-10, with developer tickets selling out the same day at $1,599 each. At the same time, pundits began spreading the doom and gloom that there would be no June iPhone refresh this year… but is it fact or fiction?

If you’re a die-hard iPhone fan, you were probably there from the very beginning in 2007, lined up outside your local Apple or AT&T retail outlet for hours to get your hands on Cupertino’s latest and greatest. But after four years in a row of fevered anticipation for the latest slab of glass and silicon, Apple pundits are predicting that the company will have no hardware to show off at this year’s WWDC when it kicks off on June 6.

A world without a new iPhone in early summer? Could such a thing really happen? Apparently it’s possible, with those in the know suggesting that Apple may prefer to move the whole dog and pony show to the pre-holiday season instead, presumably in September -- perhaps replacing the annual iPod media event, seeing how the iPhone is chipping away at the iconic media player’s market share with each passing year.

We decided to play devil’s advocate and come up with a handful of reasons why there doesn’t need to be an iPhone 5 in June -- and just as many reasons why we don’t want to wait until later in the year.

Wait! There’s Nothing Wrong with iPhone 4

Or more to the point, there’s nothing wrong with the iPhone 4 that software couldn’t fix. Thanks to the faster A4 processor and the dual cameras, the iPhone 4 is easily the best model that Apple has made to date, and it’s hard to imagine them topping it again this year. Sure, we all survived that silly “death grip/Antennagate” nonsense while a few of us got clumsy and shattered our glass casing, but the majority of us love the iPhone 4 and consider it The Best Cell Phone Ever Made™. Aside from more storage and maybe a dedicated camera shutter button, what can Apple do to make it better?

Need It Now! Spec Bump Ahoy?

Oh yeah, about that storage space -- count us among the disappointed when the device was announced last year with the same 16GB and 32GB configurations, while iPod touch and iPad users get to enjoy a roomy 64GB of available storage. Did Apple really think that even 32GB was going to be enough for most of us after they introduced iMovie for iPhone at the same time? That kind of stuff just encourages people to fill up every scrap of available space with videos of their kid or pet doing goofy stuff. With a white iPhone 4 finally arriving this spring, Apple could easily bump up the available storage at the same time -- but that won’t help existing users much since their hands are already tied with a two-year contract.

Wait! Better Stuff is Coming

The rumor mill has been ripe with hardware-oriented changes for the iPhone 5, including a near-field communication (NFC) chip for contactless payment, a speed bump via the same A5 processor introduced with the iPad 2 and even faster graphics for our Retina Displays -- not to mention more memory so we can have more apps open at the same time, bigger and better games and all the rest. And yes, a 64GB iPhone 5 should be a given since they skipped it with the iPhone 4. Add a dedicated camera shutter button for one-touch photography and we’ll be happy (okay, make that satisfied) to wait for September.

Need It Now! Competition Is Growing

Perfect though it may be, each month the iPhone 4 grows older and faces more competition for buyers’ smartphone dollars. It often feels like there are five or 10 new Android-based handsets released each month, not to mention new webOS devices coming from Palm and Nokia getting back in the game later this year with Windows Phone. While it’s impressive that Apple has managed to keep these competitors at bay with one new device each year, the time may be coming soon where we’ll need to see more than one new iPhone each year.

Wait! 4G LTE Isn’t Quite Ready Yet

Maybe a few months won’t make a difference, but if Apple releases a new iPhone 5 in June, it’s unlikely to tap into the burgeoning 4G LTE market being built by Verizon Wireless, AT&T and others. With devices like the HTC Thunderbolt storming onto the scene, we can’t imagine that Apple will want to want to wait a whole year to introduce LTE into an iPhone 6 -- so maybe the presumed “delay” for an iPhone 5 will introduce a welcome speed infusion, at least for Verizon Wireless customers.

Need It Now! Especially in White

Apple has already confirmed the long-awaited white iPhone 4 is coming in the spring, which is practically here (never mind the fact that it’s snowing right now in our particular corner of the world). There are probably two or three people still holding out for a white iPhone 4 -- meanwhile, the rest of us are looking ahead to the white iPhone 5, seeing how there’s no reason to sign a two-year contract for a device that’s almost 10 months old (an eternity in cell phone years). Apple can’t seriously expect us to wait until the last quarter of this year to finally get our hands on a white iPhone, can they? That would be just… cruel.

Wait! iOS 5 Won’t Be Ready Yet

WWDC 2011 promises to show “the future of iOS and Mac OS,” which has lead many to believe that the annual springtime iOS preview is being tossed aside in favor of the early June developer event, where we’ll likely get our first peek at iOS 5. That also means, instead of launching alongside new hardware, iOS 5 will continue baking over the summer and come out of the oven, hot and fresh for an iPhone 5 in the fall. Assuming that Apple wants to take their time and get it right, it makes sense to skip the annual June/July timeframe.

Need It Now! What About iOS 4.5?

Okay, so maybe iOS 5 is taking longer than we’d like, but that doesn’t mean Apple couldn’t release an iPhone 5 in early summer anyway, packing a more modest update we’ll call iOS 4.5. Instead of introducing revolutionary new features that would require major updates from third-party developers, Apple could refresh a few nagging issues like push email and those much-maligned push notifications -- or just incorporate the new MobileMe cloud-based features that are rumored to debut in April, maybe.

Wait! It Will Confuse the Enemy

If there’s one group who’s waiting to see what Apple’s next move is more than we are, it’s the competition. Google, Microsoft, HP, RIM and others are likely wringing their hands in anticipation of Apple’s next chess move with the iPhone, if for no other reason than to see how crappy the rest of their year is likely to be. While they may cheer a delay in the short term, in the end it will likely temporarily blind and confuse them -- which is probably just what Cupertino wants. You know, get all nice and comfortable with an annual iPhone refresh schedule, then upend the apple cart (get it?), break off a shiv and use it to gut your competition. We’re down with that.

Need It Now! What Else Do I Have to Look Forward To?

Let’s just get this out in the open: We like having a new iPhone to look forward to each summer. It’s become a ritual of sorts, even though Apple has made it easier to get our hands on one by ordering online and having FedEx do the heavy lifting to bring it to our doorstep. (Waiting in line all day for the first two models was quite enough.) While we won’t exactly die if we don’t have an iPhone 5 in June, some of us will be wearing frowny faces all summer just the same.

Only Apple knows for sure if the iPhone 5 is coming in summer or fall -- but one thing’s for sure, those reports of a “delay” can’t be true when the company hasn’t announced the product to begin with. Stay strong, fellow would-be iPhone 5 buyers!

Follow this article’s author, J.R. Bookwalter on Twitter

Ionizing Radiation and Humans – The Basics

A recently introduced ionizing radiation symbol and the traditional radiation symbol.

Most people fear ionizing radiation. Certainly it can cause death if we are exposed to too much, and the most recent symbol for it makes it clear to stay away from it. However, ionizing radiation, like many things, isn’t bad unless a living organism is exposed to too much of it.

Alpha decay: a nucleus ejects an alpha particle which is identical to an ionized helium nucleus.

Beta minus decay happens when a neutron within an atom's nucleus transforms into a proton and an electron and an antineutrino are ejected out of the nucleus of an atom. For a beta plus decay a proton transforms to a neutron and a positron (similar to an electron but with a positive charge) and a neutrino are ejected out of the nucleus.

Ionizing radiation is any type of particle or electromagnetic wave that carries enough energy to ionize or remove electrons from an atom. There are two types of electromagnetic waves that can ionize atoms: X-rays and gamma-rays, and sometimes they have the same energy. Gamma radiation is produced by interactions within the nucleus, while X-rays are produced outside of the nucleus by electrons. There are three types of ionizing radiation that are energetic particles emitted during an interaction within the nucleus. The alpha particle is composed of two protons and two neutrons, or a helium nucleus . The beta particle is either a positron or an electron. In some nuclear decay processes a neutron is ejected out of the nucleus.

Why is ionizing radiation dangerous? When atoms in living cells become ionized one of three things usually happen – the cell dies, the cell repairs itself, or the cell mutates incorrectly and can become cancerous. Not all cells are affected by ionizing radiation in the same way. The cells that reproduce the most and are the least specialized are the most likely to be affected by ionizing radiation, for example those in a forming fetus.¹

Radiation is effective as a cancer treatment because it can kill the cancer cells, however it can also kill or damage nearby cells. When radiation is used to treat cancer it must be pinpointed very carefully. New technologies, similar to imaging techniques used in CT scans, called TomoTherapy help pinpoint radiation treatment.²TomoTherapy allows radiologists to apply the ionizing energy directly to the perimeter and within the tumor while avoiding the healthy cells surrounding it. Some aggressive cancers, such as liver cancer, are being treated with a new internal method or radiation therapy. Sent through an artery that feeds the liver,microscopic encapsulated spheres containing radioactive isotopes get directly embedded into the liver and destroy cancer cells.³Even though this type of treatment is new, internal radiation treatment is not new. Internal radiation treatment is called brachytherapy.⁴ The National Cancer Institute, has a plethora of information on radiation treatments of cancer, and other cancer treatments.

There is background radiation all around us. Many radioactive substances exist naturally and are within Earth’s rocks and soil. Most cement, stoneware, and granite contain some radioactive particles, but the levels are not so high. Nuclear power plants utilize Earth’s natural resources. The fuel rods in a nuclear reactor are made of zirconium and pellets of naturally occurring uranium that has been processed by humans so that it contains a higher percentage of the uranium 235 isotope. This isotope occurs naturally and its nuclear decay process emits more energy. These fuel rods are placed in water and the water heats up due to the ionizing energy emitted by the nuclear decay processes that occur in the fuel rods. The heated water creates very hot (550˚F) steam. The steam pushes on a turbine, causing it to turn and as it turns electricity is generated.⁵ To learn more about nuclear power click this link.⁶

Design of a nuclear power plant with pressurized water reactor (PWR):

1. reactor block 2. cooling tower 3. reactor 4. control rod 5. support for pressure 6. steam generator 7. fuel element 8. turbine 9. generator 10. transformer 11. condenser 12. gaseous 13. liquid 14. air 15. air (humid) 16. river 17. cooling-water circulation 18. primary circuit 19. secondary circuit 20. water vapor 21. pump

When living organisms are exposed to the low amounts of background radiation there is very little affect overall on the organism. When radiation exposure of larger amounts occurs, even if it is for a short time, damage, radiation poisoning, and even death can occur. The scientific community has not reached consensus⁷ on the effects of very low doses of radiation (less than 10 rem) as is described by Radiation Answers Organization, a website created by the Health Physics Society consisting of experts in this field. However, scientists are in complete agreement that doses greater than 50 rem cause observable health effects. The unit “rem” is the amount or dose of radiation someone receives. The Radiation Answers Organization has a table describing the effects of radiation on humans at the Radiation Answers Organization website. Many questions of concern about issues from irradiating our food to the effects of granite countertops⁸ (all safe don’t worry!) are addressed at the Health Physics Society’s fact sheets web site, and their frequently asked questions web site.

The experts have determined that exposure to doses of 10-50 rem may increase your chances of cancer, and will have observable short-term effects on blood cells. Doses between 50-100 rem over a short time have observable affects, and over a long time will increase your chances of cancer. Above 100 rem, if you receive the dose in a short amount of time you might experience nausea and would require medical attention. Above 500 rem in a short amount of time may cause death within a few days.

We’re radioactive

If you eat a banana a day for a year you are exposing yourself to about 3.6 mrem because of the potassium in the banana, but don't worry it's not enough to harm you.

In our everyday lives we are exposed to 5 mrem of radiation each time we fly roundtrip across the United States. A reasonable average amount of radiation in our homes from the production of radon gas (occurring naturally) is about 200 mrem per year. Even our own bodies have radioactive isotopes! Potassium-40 is a naturally occurring radioactive isotope, and although it is not a high percentage of all of the potassium in the world, it does account for 0.012% of the entire world’s potassium. We require potassium to survive and 0.012% of our body’s potassium is radioactive. We expose ourselves to 40 mrem each year due to the decay of naturally occurring radioactive isotopes in our bodies! Bananas are loaded with potassium; kitty litter, and plant fertilizer contains it too. If you eat a banana a day for a year you are exposing yourself to about 3.6 mrem.9 Cigarettes are very dangerous, besides all the other bad things in cigarettes they may contain polonium. Smoking a half a pack of cigarettes per day adds 500 mrem each day. The average person in the United States receives between 100 and 400 mrem each year depending on where they live. There is a form from the American Nuclear Society, which you can fill out to determine your approximate dose of radiation each year.¹⁰

References

1. Princeton’s Open Source Radiation Safety Training, Module 3: Biological Effects

2. http://www.cancercenter.com/conventional-cancer-treatment/radiation-therapy.cfm?source=GOOGLEWE&channel=paid%20search&c=paid%20search:google:Google%20-%20Southern%20CA%20Core%20Terms:Procedures:%20Radiation%20Therapy:radiation%20treatment:Exact&ef_id=MDJNCWOIAwAAADQ:20110315182959:s

3. http://www.cancercenter.com/conventional-cancer-treatment/radiation-therapy/therasphere.cfm

4. The National Cancer Institute, http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Therapy/radiation

5. Cassleman, B, Smith, R., How Nuclear Reactors Work…And the Dangers When they Don’t, Wall Street Journal, 15 March, 2011, http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704893604576200982857244782.html; Interactive, A Visual Guide Inside Japan’s Reactors; NPR, 14 March 2011 http://www.npr.org/2011/03/15/134545461/interactive-inside-japans-nuclear-reactors

6. How Stuff Work; http://www.howstuffworks.com/nuclear-power.htm

7. Radiation Answers Organization; http://www.radiationanswers.org/

8. Health Physics Society, http://www.hps.org/

9. Banana Equivalent Dose, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banana_equivalent_dose

10. American Nuclear Society; http://www.new.ans.org/