Ian McFadyen Design

08/26/2025

California is transforming 4,000+ miles of canals into solar power plants producing clean energy, saving water, and fighting droughts, all without using extra land.

In California, necessity drives innovation through the world’s largest solar canal initiative, where over 4,000 miles of waterways are topped with solar panels.
This pioneering approach addresses two major issues simultaneously: producing renewable energy and preserving water. By shading the canals, the panels minimize evaporation in drought-stricken areas and help curb algae growth.

It’s a model of infrastructure designed for multiple benefits. Without consuming additional land, California is generating vast amounts of clean energy while safeguarding one of its most vital resources, water.

07/30/2025

In a bold leap forward, French scientists have developed a solid-state plasma propulsion engine that doesn’t rely on flames, fuel tanks, or even moving parts. Instead, it uses electromagnetic fields to accelerate plasma, creating continuous thrust in space. This next-gen system could reshape how we power satellites and spacecraft, offering quiet, durable, and ultra-efficient propulsion.

Unlike chemical rockets that rely on violent combustion, this engine manipulates superheated ionized gas using magnetic confinement and electric fields — making it ideal for long-duration missions like orbital adjustments, satellite repositioning, and even deep space travel. With over 1,000 hours of successful tests, this combustion-free technology isn’t science fiction — it's France's futuristic contribution to the space race.

07/01/2025

05/14/2025

Google is bringing Gemini, its generative AI, to all cars that support Android Auto in the next few months, the company announced at its Android Show ahead of the company’s 2025 I/O developer conference.

The company says adding Gemini functionality to Android Auto and, later this year, to cars that run Google’s built-in operating system, will make driving “more productive — and fun” in the blog post.

Read more from Sean O'Kane here: https://tcrn.ch/4keKIUt

05/12/2025

03/18/2025

Tech workers and professionals are preparing for the newest Web Summit hosted by the Dublin-based global technology events company in Vancouver from May 27-30.

03/12/2025

03/11/2025

01/30/2025

China’s Tiangong space station successfully conducted the world’s first in-orbit demonstration of artificial photosynthesis, producing oxygen and ingredients for rocket fuel. This innovation is significant for long-term space exploration, including a potential crewed moon landing before 2030.

The experiments used semiconductor catalysts to convert carbon dioxide and water into oxygen, while also generating ethylene, a hydrocarbon vital for rocket propellants, showing critical technologies for resource production and human survival in space.

Unlike the International Space Station, which relies on electrolysis for life support, Tiangong’s technology mimics natural photosynthesis, converting CO2 into oxygen and fuels, marking a significant leap in sustainable space exploration.

01/10/2025

Manmade canals transport water so it can be treated and used by cities and farmers. The challenge is the sun often evaporates significant percentages of the water as it travels. Researchers have suggested that shading these waterways with solar panels could save 63 billion gallons of water annually and generate 13 gigawatts of energy in the process.

A study from UC Merced and UC Santa Cruz explores this concept of "solar canals," where solar panels are suspended above more than 4,000 miles of California's water infrastructure. The impact? Dramatic reductions in water evaporation, enough to supply over 2 million people or irrigate 50,000 acres of farmland.

But the benefits don’t stop there. Shading canals could also reduce aquatic w**d growth, cutting down on maintenance costs, while avoiding the need to clear natural ecosystems for solar farms. This approach uses existing infrastructure to tackle two critical challenges: water conservation and energy generation.

While still in its early stages, this idea has already proven its potential in India, where solar canal projects are showing real-world success. It’s a reminder that innovative solutions often come from reimagining what we already have.

01/07/2025

Xing Mobility's immersion cooling wins CES 2025 innovation award. https://link.ie.social/lWuorE

12/25/2024

Google's new quantum computer chip solves problems in 5 minutes:

The same take would take even the fastest supercomputers 10 septillion years to complete — longer than the universe has existed.

The achievement, published in Nature, marks a major step forward for quantum computing, proving it can perform tasks beyond the capabilities of classical computers.

The chip is called "Willow."

This breakthrough centers on the random circuit sampling (RCS) benchmark, a complex statistical test used to assess computational randomness. Hartmut Neven, founder of Google Quantum AI, called Willow "the most convincing prototype" of a quantum computer to date, highlighting its potential to tackle real-world problems previously considered unsolvable.

Unlike traditional computers that process information as binary bits (ones and zeros), quantum computers use qubits, which can exist in multiple states simultaneously due to quantum superposition.

This allows them to exponentially increase computing power. However, qubits are notoriously fragile and prone to errors, a challenge Google claims to have overcome with Willow's built-in error suppression system.

Google now aims to leverage this progress to address real-world applications, such as advancements in medicine, nuclear fusion, and clean energy. Neven emphasized that quantum computing, alongside artificial intelligence, will drive transformational changes in technology, pushing humanity closer to solving otherwise insurmountable challenges.

Learn more: https://blog.google/.../research/google-willow-quantum-chip/

12/11/2024

Idemitsu Kosan has revolutionized racing with the world’s first plant-based engine oil! 🌱🏎️

Made from over 80% plant materials, this cutting-edge oil is API SP certified and 194% tougher than traditional options.

Tests show it reduces friction by 50% and cuts the carbon footprint by 82%, proving you can have top performance and protect the planet at the same time.

Media: Wealth

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