Since I’m very interested in the logistics field and this blog is about technology, I would try to blend the best of both words in five core issues, the first of these issues is Customer Relationship Management (CRM).
Micron technologies released its new technology for digital cameras, a 8 megapixel image sensor in a ½.5 inch optical format using a 1.75 micron pixel design. This new sensor features high definition (HD) video capture (11 inch by 14 inch) or can be used to zoom in and print just a portion of the image without distorting the image quality. Additionally the sensor is capable of bursting more than 10 pictures a second at full 8 megapixel resolution and 30 pictures a second at 2 megapixel resolution.
NTT Basic Research Laboratories from Japan, has developed a new ultraviolet LED technology. This is the first light emitting diode capable of producing deep ultraviolet light. The commercial applications of this new development can be focused in the optical data storage industry challenging the DVD, Blu-ray and HD-DVD standards (yep, another player in this crowded market).
The light emitted will have 210nm wavelength. The UV LEDs were created by doping Aluminium Nitride with silicon. The narrow wavelength allows big optical storage capacity due to pits packed much closer to each other.
There is a new memory technology that is going to compete whith the volatile memory that is used in the market nowadays. A volatile memory loses its stored information when the power is shut off. Some examples of volatile memory are SRAM, DRAM and MOSFET.
The new technology is from the non-volatile memory kind and its called Magnetoresistive Random Access Memory (MRAM). Soon the computer industry will enjoy a dense, fast and non-volatile memory.
The other day I heard somebody talking about biodegradable packaging materials, despite this is not a new idea, I got pretty impressed when I saw a chocolate box inner package (those little trays that companies use to put their fancy chocolates in boxes) melts in the water in less than 15 minutes.
Nowadays, that we are looking for environmental friendly technologies, I want to go a step forward and ask for a packaging material that at the end could be used to feed our pets…imagine a pizza box that can be transformed in food for your fish…of course you will have fish food for several months but the idea is still good.
GPS technology is more than an aid for clueless drivers or customers trying to find their freight. The department of corrections and rehabilitation from California announced that its parole agents will begin using GPS technology to monitor the home position of 1800 high risk sex offenders in relation of school and residences.
In the past the agents used to drive the streets and measure the distance by themselves, a work that doesn’t add any value and is not as accurate as the GPS technology.
At the end of this year we will have the answer to this question. The price strategy of the biggest game console makers couldn’t be more different. Sony with its PS3 varying from $500 US dollars and $600 US dollars it’s the most expensive. Microsoft’s console the Xbox 360 is around $300 US dollars and finally the Wii from Nintendo that is about $200 US dollars. The matter here is wether or not we are talking about the same product, It seems to me that in the case of the PS3 we are being witnesses of the birth of a new kind of device….here we are not just talking about a game console but an integrated home entertainment system.
Gamers around all over the world are trying to decide if it is a good investment in the case of the PS3 to drop $600 US. Spending this kind of money is not a bad idea if you think that you won’t need the following arrangement: xbox360 blue ray player internet subscription. Yes, the PS3 comes with an online back end completely free.
Imagine a 70 teraflops computer…….well a supercomputing centre is being built by IBM and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in New York. This supercomputer centre is university based and will be shared between RPI's Troy campus and the Rensselaer Technology Park in North Greenbush and will utilize the Internet 2 backbone for communication between the two nodes.
The centre will be amongst the top ten supercomputing centres in the world and will be based on the blue gene technology of IBM. The supercomputing centre is going to be used for nanotechnology and biotechnology research.
Well, it looks that everybody will have its enriched uranium. Getting enriched uranium isn’t as easy as it sounds; the Navy Technological Center from Brazil had to spend US$48.5 million to develop this technology. The process of getting enriched uranium is based on the use of ultracentrifuges which are high-speeding rotating devices that separate particles according to their molecular weights. The process separates uranium 235 from uranium 238. The uranium 235 is fissionable.
Brazil’s uranium reserves are the sixth largest in the world and with the development of this technology Brazil becomes one of the seven countries that have mastered the technology of producing enriched uranium.
In an earlier blog I talked about Hybrid engines, now its time for another rising technology for vehicles, the Hydrogen fuel cell. A Hydrogen fuel cell roughly works as follows; to produce electricity the fuel cell separates the fuel (hydrogen) via a catalyst. The protons flow through a membrane and combine with oxygen to form water. The electrons flow from the anode to the cathode to create electricity
The use of cab extenders and other aerodynamic devices. This can reduce fuel consumption by at least 600 gallons and eliminate over six metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year compared to a typical classic profile tractor.
As technology advances it improves communications amongst the supply chain members and a strong relationship can be developed bringing more interdependence. Since standards like ISO 14001 evolve in the logistics context, advances in environmental strategies can migrate from company to company as they are required by any participant at the end of the chain or by the market itself.
Initiatives like the SmartWaySM partnership, developed in the U.S. by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Business for Social Responsibility, the American Trucking Associations, and the freight industry, are the latest efforts in the logistics field to reduce its environmental impact. By 2012, this initiative aims to reduce between 33 - 66 million metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and up to 200,000 tons of nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions per year. At the same time, the initiative will result in fuel savings of up to 150 million barrels of oil annually. According to SmartWaySM under this partnership shippers will use carriers from the Partnership with reduced emissions at their docking facilities. Carriers are encouraged to develop innovative environmental strategies and environmentally friendly technologies such as tire-inflation systems, super single tires, low-viscosity engine lubricants, idling reduction equipment/policies and speed management practices into their fleet operations.
Since RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tags have gain many adepts, it is crucial to develop some mechanism that assures the security of the buyers when they have left the store. Due to the fact that tags can be read from 30 feet away, the security threat is high.
A massive download speed of 20 Mb/sec is projected by T-Mobile in the UK, The technology that will make this possible in 2010 is called 3G LTE. The speed will be achieved with the aid of HSDPA, or the High-Speed Downlink Packet Access protocol.
The company strategy involves using HSDPA to improve the data transfer rates of its 3G service from the current 384kbps to 1.8Mbps in 2006, and then onto 20Mbps by 2010.
Google's new dilemma is called Internet Explorer 7. The new Microsoft's web browser released in april has presented a challenge to Google because its default is set to Microsoft’s MSN. The war between the two giants have forced Microsoft to add 2 billion dollars to its next year budget. The deal for Microsoft is to gain market share in the market of Internet services and software, where Google is the leader.
The green roof movement is growing in strength around the world. This architecture resource born in Germany is gaining adepts, perhaps because of the pressure of the environmental issues. In North America, green roof space grew 80 percent last year.