Goalie Equipment and More
Boston.com has an article that has some info on the goalie equipment changes for next year. Basically, the knee pads (the flap that extends up from the actual blocker part on the shin) will be trimmed to no more than 2.5 inches. For a butterfly-style goalie, that would mean it’s harder to block the five-hole. The clavicle guard will also be smaller. Our own Ryan Miller is on the “Goalie Equipment Working Group” that came up with all this.
Also mentioned is the Thermablade experiment from last year, which will be expanded to 100 players with an upgrade in equipment. Looks like Wayne made a good investment.
Delving even further into that Boston.com article, they also give a local perspective on the bonuses in the rookie contracts I mentioned the other day. Phil Kessel of the Bruins has yet to hit any of his bonuses, although he missed the goal mark by one single goal last season. We’ll have to see what Stamkos can do.
Tags: goalies, Hockey, kessel, NHL, Ryan Miller, stamkos, tech, thermablade
Nanosolar ‘Prints’ First Flexible Solar Panels
Dec 19, 2007 Sci/Tech
I first saw this tech at PopSci, and now Nanosolar has announced that they met their deadline and are shipping the first batch of the flexible, copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) based cells. It really seems like these guys are the real deal, and not one of the many ‘look at this cool tech!’ companies who gather interest (and investors) and disappear to the vaporware wastes with Duke Nukem 4ever and flying cars.
Tags: google, green, science, solar, solar power, tech, technology
Heated Skate Blades?
Could be the next big thing in hockey equipment, Therma Blade Inc. has developed skate blades with a battery-powered heater built in. By keeping the blades at 41 degrees, there is an increase in the thickness of the water layer between the blade and the ice, which reduces gliding friction and starting resistance. Wayne Gretzky liked them enough to invest in the company, but then again, he’s a gambler. ;) It sounds like a cool use of technology, but considering the last bit of futuristic tech in the NHL (the RBK EDGE sweaters) and how much the players are complaining about them, I would wait and see just how well they work. Players will be testing the thermablades in practice soon.
Tags: Hockey, NHL, tech, thermablade
First, take 10,000 gallons of water…
Sep 13, 2007 NHL
If you are like me, and wondered about the steps in the process to make the ice for a hockey rink, well, wonder no more. The assistant Chief Engineer at HSBC Arena gives a rundown on the process they are following this week while they prepare for training camp. Also mentioned is the fog game, one of the most famous hockey games in the history of the NHL.
Russia Builds ‘Most Powerful’ Non-Nuclear Bomb; Claims it Doesn’t Hurt Environment
Sep 12, 2007 Sci/Tech
The Russians claim it is equivalent to 44 tons of TNT, with a 990 foot blast radius. My favorite part of the article:
“The tests have shown that the new air-delivered ordnance is comparable to a nuclear weapon in its efficiency and capability,” said Col.-Gen. Alexander Rukshin, a deputy chief of the Russian military’s General Staff, said in televised remarks.
Unlike a nuclear weapon, the bomb doesn’t hurt the environment, he added.
I’m sure an 8-ton bomb is great for the environment…I mean, it removes all those pesky people who are mucking things up, right?
Like its U.S. predecessor, first tested in 2003, the Russian bomb is a “thermobaric” weapon that explodes in an intense fireball combined with a devastating blast. It explodes in a terrifying nuclear bomb-like mushroom cloud and wreaks destruction through a massive shock wave created by the air burst and high temperature.
…
The report showed the bomb dropped by parachute from a Tu-160 strategic bomber and exploding in a massive fireball. It featured the debris of apartment buildings and armored vehicles at a test range, as well as the scorched ground from a massive blast.
Emphasis mine. Now, I know what they mean, but this isn’t exactly ‘no impact to the environment’, here. Anyway, more fun stuff from our ‘friends’ in Moscow.
