Historians agree the bicycle was most likely invented in the 1860’s by French carriage makers Pierre and Ernest Michaux. Early bicycles were made out of iron but today’s modern bicycles are made from light weight metals such as titanium, aluminum and composite materials such as carbon fiber. In the near future integration of both power assist and intelligence could become standard features of a new bicycle.
One such innovative technology is the Copenhagen Wheel designed by researchers at MIT’s Senseable City Lab. The Copenhagen Wheel uses a Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) to store energy in a self-contained unit that can be easily retrofitted for use with a standard bicycle. Kinetic energy is captured when braking or pedaling and stored for use by the device’s electric motor. The electric motor provides cyclist assistance when climbing hills or can add a boost of acceleration when needed. How long the battery lasts depends on your weight, the terrain travelled and how often the battery assist function is used. The developers calculate if you weigh about 150 lbs. and use half battery power over moderate hills the wheel charge will last approximately 5 hours. The batteries can also be charged in a household wall socket. Intelligence built into the wheel allows synchronization with a Bluetooth enabled smartphone. The wheel can capture pedaling effort, road conditions and even carbon monoxide levels in the environment. The embedded video offers a preview of the Copenhagen Wheel.
-Endure
The critical role bees play in maintaining our food supply is well known. Bees are primary pollinators of crops and a steady decline in their numbers worldwide is alarming scientists. Studies have attempted to determine if viral infections, parasites or pesticides are killing the bees. A January 2012 
After the November 2012 election there should be significantly more attention given to what some believe is a looming triple threat to the US economy. On December 31st the Bush-era tax rates will expire followed shortly thereafter by another vote to raise the debt-ceiling and topping it off, automatic across the board spending cuts.
If there is a short supply of a product high demand for it will increase the selling price. This is a basic economics law. A speculator will buy large quantities of a product perhaps enhancing the perception of a shortage driving the price even higher. The speculators goal is to sell the product for a profit. There is nothing illegal or wrong about this activity however our current government leading all the way up to the President believe speculators artificially manipulate oil markets for private gain and hurt the average person. Government reform intends to prevent price volatility and speculation by limiting electronic or overseas markets trading and ensuring traders can cover margin calls which means they must have funds to cover the trades. These are reasonable steps to ensure fairness in our free market economy. However, others believe speculators have nothing to do with the increase in gas prices. They cite supply and demand. 
The US Military consumes over 12 million gallons of gas each day costing US taxpayers approximately $11 billion each year. In conflict zones such as Afghanistan delivering fuel to the front-line endangers troops so the Department of Defense in its forward looking efforts to reduce costs and protect troops is going green. For years the military has developed alternative energy projects and programs including solar and geo-thermal power plants, plant-derived jet fuel, and even lead free “
Bluetooth devices such as headsets for cellular phones provide convenience allowing hands-free operation and in many states are required when driving an automobile. Millions of these devices are sold each year and do not provide methods to strongly authenticate a device during the pairing process. For example the default security settings (0000) is well known and could be exploited by a hacker. Bluetooth attacks could involve unauthorized device control, location tracking, denial of service, and compromise of personal data such as email, calendar, contacts, remotely forcing the phone to dial a number and even eavesdropping. There are military grade headsets available that do not use the default setting or just exercise good judgment when using your Bluetooth headset.
What are Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO’s) and does eating them or the animals that consume them pose a health risk to you? GMO’s are 
Science and historical evidence is suggesting eight hours of sleep may be abnormal. The hypothesis stems from the idea that sleeping patterns are a part of human evolutionary history. Researchers believe the introduction of artificial light and the acceptance of night time activities disrupted a pattern where our first sleep occurs about two hours after dusk followed by waking period of one or two hours and then a second sleep. The article from the BBC linked 
At the end March President Obama announced his support for fast track approval of the southern section of the Keystone XL pipeline. The pipeline developer, TransCanada has indicated it will apply for a permit for the northern section of the pipeline crossing a smaller and less environmentally sensitive portion of the route. The pipeline is controversial positioning Republicans against Democrats and Unions against Environmentalists.
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