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I wish there was a science magazine that would let me follow particular advancements to know when they announce additional results, begin manufacturing, etc. I

by cheriot 12y ago

I wish there was a science magazine that would let me follow particular advancements to know when they announce additional results, begin manufacturing, etc. I keep seeing optimistic articles on battery tech and I have know idea if the ideas fizzle out or just are not sexy enough for continued coverage.

lotsofmangos 12y ago
You want to follow more of the engineering side than the lab stuff then. These guys are pretty good - http://www.claverton-energy.com/ http://www.claverton-energy.com/ As far as something new in chemical storage that is likely to appear commercially within a reasonable time, the Ryden battery is probably the most promising thing that I have heard of on that score as they apparently are already producing them as a factory process, not just a lab experiment - http://powerjapanplus.com/battery/ http://powerjapanplus.com/battery/
saidajigumi 12y ago
Outstanding idea. Imagine a UI like Touch Arcade's "Watch App" switch, "Watch Technology/Company/etc." I've done this "the hard way" in specific fields at various times, but it's a fair bit of work to comb through enough sources regularly enough to get a good sense of a field's evolution. Another upside to this would be a (hopefully) increased number of folks who gain some perspective on how the science and technology pipelines really work. The real question in my mind is could it be made to pay well enough to support the labor that goes into providing the content? Usually we associate that with greater contextual value add provided either at sites like Ars Technica or by domain-specific independents (say Horace Dediu or Ben Thompson).
pixelcort 12y ago
Not quite the same but something like https://www.reddit.com/r/shutupandtakemymoney https://www.reddit.com/r/shutupandtakemymoney comes close. Basically only items that can actually be purchased.
- sosborn 12y ago
  That sub is the modern version of the comic book back pages.
omgitstom 12y ago
Best thing you may get is a scientific journal. These are expensive though. If you are affiliated with a university you can check their catalog.
ars 12y ago
Create a google news alert for "nanopore battery". Just click this: https://www.google.com/alerts?q=nanopore+battery https://www.google.com/alerts?q=nanopore+battery
Xcelerate 12y ago
I do battery research and even I don't know what happens to most of these things. I suppose the funding ends and no one continues working on it.
- rdtsc 12y ago
  Battery research has been a constant "just around the corner" thing. Sure there have been advancements but not the level of expected advancement if you just read news releases of "breakthrough battery" technologies. I would guess this is a mix of it being hard to get from a concept to mass production, i.e. easy prototypes but lots of walls come up when trying to mass produce it.
teddyh 12y ago
The ideas that are unworkable are ignored, the working ones are patented, the patents are sold to the incumbent companies in the field, who then sit on them for the duration of the patent since they have no need to disrupt the status quo. When the patent expires, 20 years later, there is suddenly an explosion of commercial application. This is my pet theory, anyway.

by cheriot 12y ago

lotsofmangos 12y ago

You want to follow more of the engineering side than the lab stuff then. These guys are pretty good - http://www.claverton-energy.com/ http://www.claverton-energy.com/ As far as something new in chemical storage that is likely to appear commercially within a reasonable time, the Ryden battery is probably the most promising thing that I have heard of on that score as they apparently are already producing them as a factory process, not just a lab experiment - http://powerjapanplus.com/battery/ http://powerjapanplus.com/battery/

saidajigumi 12y ago

Outstanding idea. Imagine a UI like Touch Arcade's "Watch App" switch, "Watch Technology/Company/etc." I've done this "the hard way" in specific fields at various times, but it's a fair bit of work to comb through enough sources regularly enough to get a good sense of a field's evolution. Another upside to this would be a (hopefully) increased number of folks who gain some perspective on how the science and technology pipelines really work. The real question in my mind is could it be made to pay well enough to support the labor that goes into providing the content? Usually we associate that with greater contextual value add provided either at sites like Ars Technica or by domain-specific independents (say Horace Dediu or Ben Thompson).

pixelcort 12y ago

Not quite the same but something like https://www.reddit.com/r/shutupandtakemymoney https://www.reddit.com/r/shutupandtakemymoney comes close. Basically only items that can actually be purchased.

sosborn 12y ago
That sub is the modern version of the comic book back pages.

omgitstom 12y ago

Best thing you may get is a scientific journal. These are expensive though. If you are affiliated with a university you can check their catalog.

ars 12y ago

Create a google news alert for "nanopore battery". Just click this: https://www.google.com/alerts?q=nanopore+battery https://www.google.com/alerts?q=nanopore+battery

Xcelerate 12y ago

I do battery research and even I don't know what happens to most of these things. I suppose the funding ends and no one continues working on it.

rdtsc 12y ago
Battery research has been a constant "just around the corner" thing. Sure there have been advancements but not the level of expected advancement if you just read news releases of "breakthrough battery" technologies. I would guess this is a mix of it being hard to get from a concept to mass production, i.e. easy prototypes but lots of walls come up when trying to mass produce it.

teddyh 12y ago

The ideas that are unworkable are ignored, the working ones are patented, the patents are sold to the incumbent companies in the field, who then sit on them for the duration of the patent since they have no need to disrupt the status quo. When the patent expires, 20 years later, there is suddenly an explosion of commercial application. This is my pet theory, anyway.