Stanford

Stanford Researchers Make Batteries Out of Ink and Paper

Ariel Schwartz — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 12:38:04 -0500

We can already turn fish oil into biofuel, so is it any surprise that scientists have managed to turn simple office paper into batteries? Stanford researchers recently discovered that dipping ordinary office paper into carbon nanotube-infused ink creates an efficient, durable battery.

New Autonomous Audi Can Get Reckless Driving Tickets Without You

Chris Dannen — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 13:05:43 -0400

With geo-aware brains and no driver, this modified Audi TT-S experimental vehicle is built to drift around corners and then regain control of itself. It could be the forerunner of future handling systems that could allow drivers to avoid accidents.

Can We Switch to 100% Renewable Energy by 2030?

Ariel Schwartz — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 14:27:15 -0400

Ambitious clean energy goals abound--the Waxman-Markey climate change bill, for example, proposes the switch to 42% renewable energy in the U.S by 2030--but are we selling ourselves short? Stanford civil and environmental engineering professor Mark Jacobson and UC Davis researcher Mark Delucchi think we are. The pair has created a plan to power the planet using only wind, water, and solar energy by 2030.

Introducing Guest Blogger Dev Patnaik: Innovation Meets Empathy

Alissa Walker — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 09:22:44 -0400

If you should need any evidence that Dev Patnaik, the CEO and founder of Jump Associates, is marching to the beat of a different drummer, consider what he does when he's not in the office. Since 1999, Dev has been teaching a popular course at nearby Stanford University called Needfinding. In it, students draw upon methods from anthropology, design research and business planning to discover new insights about ordinary people and create new products for them.

Tesla CEO Sets the Record Straight on Lawsuit

Ariel Schwartz — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 15:16:54 -0400

Electric vehicle startup Tesla has dealt with its share of hurdles. Most recently, estranged founder Martin Eberhard filed a 146-page complaint against the company, claiming that Tesla CEO Elon Musk libeled and slandered him, broke agreements over severance, stock options and the purchase of a Roadster vehicle, and caused him emotional distress.

Tesla CEO Blogs-All on Eberhard Lawsuit

Ariel Schwartz — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 15:16:54 -0400

Electric vehicle startup Tesla has dealt with its share of hurdles--lawsuits, egos, and money problems, to name a few. Most recently, estranged founder Martin Eberhard filed a 146-page complaint against the company, claiming that Tesla CEO Elon Musk libeled and slandered him, broke agreements over severance, stock options, and the purchase of a Roadster vehicle, and caused him emotional distress.

Stanford's Visible Energy UFO Remote-Controls Your Wall Warts

Kit Eaton — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 07:23:08 -0400

Stanford's just demonstrated a stylish way of managing the various wall chargers dotted around your home--and simultaneously created a convenient way to both kill the vampire power they draw from your electrical supply and remote-control some of your appliances.

NEC Turns Your Power Consumption into an Online Game

Ariel Schwartz — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 15:50:54 -0400

If the idea of tracking and analyzing your power consumption via a chart makes you want to curl up and die, consider NEC's online energy games. The electronics company's program, currently undergoing a three-month trial in employees' homes, uses a WiFi-enabled device attached to your circuit breaker to keep track of power consumption.

Will Kids and MP3s "Ruin" Music Recording Quality?

Kit Eaton — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 11:05:21 -0400

A Stanford professor conducted research on perceptions of recorded audio, and he discovered that today's youth actually prefer the "imperfect" sound of a digitized MP3 recording over a more perfect audio reproduction of the same music.

Why Facebook Is Even Bigger than You Think

Kermit Pattison — Mon, 19 May 2008 09:45:18 -0400

And you thought Facebook was just for getting a date! Stanford Professor BJ Fogg, who is writing a book about the psychology of Facebook, believes the social networking platform is revolutionary because it takes the dynamics of one-to-one persuasion and scales it up to millions. He explains why this changes the whole game of politics and business, why marketing as we know it will cease to exist, and why the notion of a target market will become perpetually beta.