Photos: Panorama of Victoria Crater on Mars

Panoramic image of Victoria Crater on Mars, courtesy of the Mars rover Opportunity.

Tech: Canadian company makes nanowire solar cells

Researchers at McMaster University claim to have developed a method for converting solar energy into electricity more cheaply and with greater efficiency than current methods. They grow nanowires on a semiconductor that collect and convert solar energy, resulting in the black appearance on the material shown in this picture. They haven't released estimates of cost per unit energy or conversion efficiency, but are  now working with a local company to commercialize the product.

News: Canadian science advisor to the PM to be phased out

The Canadian government announced that the position of national science adviser would be phased out when Arthur Carty retires on 31 March of this year. Carty has held the position since 2004 and is a past president of the National Research Council of Canada.  Industry Canada had decided to phase out the position after the formation of the Science, Technology, and Innovation Council in May 2007. Found on Island of Doubt, courtesy of ScienceBlogs

Another update

It is now confirmed, I'm going to Victoria in May to present at the Instrumentation and Measurement conference. The reviews came back with high marks in all categories.

Amusing: Amateur detective work finds camera's owner

Click on the picture to go to a Globe and Mail story about how a law student was able reunite a camera with its owners using only the pictures and videos the camera contained. Brian Ascher was a 26 year-old law student who was handed a camera by his fiance who had found it on a taxi in New York City. Ascher studied the 350 pictures and 2 video and, with the help of his mother and sister, eventually cracked the mystery.