Mobile Devices, Social Networking and Facebook’s Privacy Snafu

When I read that Apple iPad reaches 1 million sales faster than the iPhone, I guess the world is more than ready for mobile devices. You may know that tablet computing is not exactly a new technology. Microsoft have tried in the past and failed, but somehow the people at Apple has got it right.

Besides the technology and design of the iPad could factors such as the emergence on social networks have an influence to make it a winning formula? Or could saving the environment and convenience that it provide has something to do with it? I sure would love to read my ebooks and newspapers on the iPad if I have the choice. It is a lot easier than flipping through the morning papers in the subway without hitting someone in the face.

Because iPhone screen may not be big enough and it may not always be convenient to boot up a notebook (I know I have been in that situation many times), mobile device like this can make it easier to be constantly connected to catch up with the most up-to-date news in Twitter or Facebook. The latest stock market news or development of the oil spill, because BP turns to Twitter and Facebook, are literally at your fingertips. All these while chatting with friends on Facebook or running through emails.

Talking about Facebook, their privacy issue may still need more tweaking especially when it exposed users chats briefly. You can read about it more at Facebook privacy snafu exposed users chats.

Businesses Emit More Greenhouse Gases

This is not good. A lot of companies are talking about going green and their “green” movements. Looks like in reality, everything has gone the opposite direction. What has gone wrong?

More at Businesses Emit More Greenhouse Gases

kiwis go eco-friendly on Air New Zealand – itsReal

Air New Zealand and Boeing [NYSE: BA] today announced Dec. 3 as the date for the airline’s sustainable biofuels flight from Auckland using a 747-400 jetliner. Conducted in partnership with Rolls-Royce and UOP, a Honeywell company, one of the airplane’s four Rolls-Royce RB211 engines will be powered in part using advanced generation biofuels derived from jatropha. Air New Zealand now becomes the first airline to use a commercially viable biofuel sourced using sustainability best practices.

Boeing, Air New Zealand and UOP have worked diligently with growers and project developer Terasol Energy to identify sustainable jatropha in adequate quantities to conduct thorough preflight testing. Using proprietary UOP fuel processing technology, the jatropha crude oil was successfully converted to biojet fuel, marking the world’s first large-scale production run of a commercially viable and sustainable biofuel for aviation use.

“This flight strongly supports our efforts to be the world’s most environmentally responsible airline,” said Air New Zealand Chief Executive Officer Rob Fyfe. “We recently demonstrated the fuel and environmental gains that can be achieved through advanced operational procedures using Boeing 777s. We’re also modernizing our fleet as we await our Trent 1000-powered 787-9 Dreamliners, which will burn 20 percent less fuel than the planes they replace. Introducing a new generation of sustainable fuels is the next logical step in our efforts to further save fuel and reduce aircraft emissions.”

As part of the fuel verification process, UK-based engine maker Rolls-Royce’s technical team conducted extensive laboratory testing to ensure compatibility with today’s jet engine components and to validate the fuel meets stringent performance criteria for aviation fuel.

“In preparation for Air New Zealand’s test flight we achieved our near-term goal – identifying and sourcing the first large-scale run of sustainable biofuel for commercial aviation,” said Boeing Commercial Airplane’s Managing Director of Environmental Strategy Billy Glover. “The processing technology exists today, and based on results we’ve seen, it’s highly encouraging that this fuel not only met but exceeded three key criteria for the next generation of jet fuel: higher than expected jet fuel yields, very low freeze point and good energy density,” Glover explained. “That tells us we’re on the right path to certification and commercial availability.”

Because of the unique environment in which aviation operates, stringent criteria are in place to ensure that any alternative fuel meets or exceeds current jet fuel requirements. Advance testing for the Air New Zealand flight showed that the jatropha-based biofuel met all critical specifications, including a freeze point at -53 degrees Fahrenheit (-47 degrees Celsius) and a flash point at 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius).

“Laboratory testing showed the final blend had excellent properties, meeting and in many cases exceeding the stringent technical requirements for fuels used in civil and defense aircraft,” said Chris Lewis, Rolls-Royce company specialist for fuels. “The blended fuel therefore meets the essential requirement of being a ‘drop-in’ fuel, meaning its properties will be virtually indistinguishable from conventional fuel, Jet A1, which is used in commercial aviation today.”

To process the jatropha crude, the team relied on UOP’s green jet fuel processing technology based on hydroprocessing methodologies that are commonly used to produce transportation fuels. During processing, hydrogen is added to remove oxygen from the biomass, resulting in a bio-derived jet fuel that can be used as a petroleum replacement for commercial aviation. Boeing is working with airlines and engine manufacturers to gather biofuel performance data as part of the industry’s efforts to revise the current American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards to include fuels from sustainable plant sources. Jatropha, which can be grown in a broad range of conditions, produces seeds that contain inedible lipid oil that is extracted and used to produce fuel. Each seed produces 30 to 40 percent of its mass in oil. Plant oil used to create the fuel for the Air New Zealand flight was sourced from nonarable lands in India and Southeastern Africa (Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania).

Air New Zealand is one of several air carriers working to diversify and secure its energy future through participation in the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Users Group. That effort includes a commitment to sustainability criteria for fuel sourcing and commercializing plant-based fuels that perform as well as, or better than, kerosene-based fuel but with a smaller carbon lifecycle. The goal is to create a portfolio of next-generation biofuels that can be blended with traditional kerosene fuel (Jet A) to improve environmental performance.

Additional flight specifics will be announced closer to the actual flight date.

more info: Boeing http://www.boeing.com/news/releases/2008/q4/081111c_nr.html

Virtual Hype Will Lead to Immersive Internet – Direct2Dell

Awesome article on Virtual Worlds and 3D online Worlds – they report that their are now 173.6m registered users of virtual places. The increasing awareness of environmental issues will also generate greater opportunities to collaborate online in an immersive environment  – itsReal

Exert “As the users of these worlds mature, they will come to expect to interact with friends, brands, employers and coworkers in immersive 3D environments. And, even before they are old enough to purchase real goods through virtual worlds, they will have spent an enormous amount of real money on virtual goods.

The conference was not all about kid-focused worlds, however. Collaboration was a word heard over and over from panelists, speakers and in hallway conversations. With the rising costs of business travel and a desire for corporations to reduce their impact on the environment, the promise of collaboration within virtual worlds will entice more users. With a Digital Nomad workforce, successful companies will need to find new ways to motivate and coordinate their employees”

Virtual Hype Will Lead to Immersive Internet – Direct2Dell.