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Toyota experts refute sudden acceleration study, denounce author
Toyota experts refute sudden acceleration study, denounce author In a Webcast Monday, Exponent, a company hired by Toyota to investigate the engineering possibilities of unintended acceleration, clearly aimed to discredit the Congressional testimony of Dr. David K. Gilbert. A vehicle engineering professor at Southern Illinois University, Gilbert had said he could show how a malfunction in the electronic system could cause unintended acceleration without triggering the car's check-engine light. The fact that no trouble codes have been associated with unintended acceleration has been a sticking point in Toyota's investigation of the problem. The press conference included five different presenters, all of whom criticized Gilbert's experiment as "unrealistic." Over and over they said the professor had "rewired the circuit" to do what he wanted it to do, which was to produce full-throttle acceleration. In the words of Exponent principal Shukri Souri, "This was a careful and deliberate manipulation of the electrical circuit to achieve the desired result." The most important point: Exponent showed that the same result could be made on many other vehicles without a code.Demonstrating the connector that houses the wires where Gilbert produced two short circuits, they showed how it was unlikely such a scenario could occur in the real world. The connector contains six wires in a single row. To create the fault Gilbert demonstrated would require shorting the first wire to the fourth wire with a specific resistance, then shorting the third wire to the fourth wire, leaving the second wire and its insulation intact. It would be very difficult in the real world to duplicate the exact narrow range of resistance needed to avoid setting a code.However, once the wires exit the connector, they are bundled together in a round wiring harness and virtually all touch each other. Exponent engineers explained that a short in either the connector or the wiring harness, would leave physical evidence, such as corrosion or damaged wire insulation. They implied that Toyota has not seen evidence of this in the cars it has examined.The Webcast seemed carefully orchestrated to discredit Gilbert's report. At least two of the presenters noted that a specific resistance was needed to duplicate his results, not mentioning the range his report cites. Another presenter, however, noted the communications problems between Exponent's electrical engineers and the public. That was Dr. Chris Gerdes, a professor of automotive technology at Stanford University, which Toyota hired to provide independent support for Exponent's analysis. Dr. Gerdes said he thinks Congress, regulators, and the press are misinterpreting Gilbert's report. ABC News, for instance, used Gilbert and his methodology to recreate a frightening sudden-acceleration event. (See the ABC News video.) However, Gerdes noted that the Gilbert report does not claim to show unintended acceleration, only that the throttle control circuit can be manipulated without triggering a fault. In his Congressional testimony, Gilbert says this shows Toyota's system is not infallible. His primary conclusion is that his test should have triggered an error code. In his report, he does not claim his procedure explains how unintended acceleration occurs in the real world. Asked by a CBS reporter whether Exponent was claiming their analysis showed electronic throttles could not produce unintended acceleration, Gerdes noted another miscommunication: between engineers and journalists. Engineers, he said, are following professional ethical guidelines when they refuse to say categorically that they have ruled out a problem. They can't make conclusions that go beyond what their actual data shows. To journalists and the public, he says, this sounds like obfuscation. Indeed, questions about the causes of unintended acceleration can hinge on the definition of the term, as well as the data used in answering. In our studies, we have screened out complaints that clearly didn't involve unintended acceleration or clearly looked like driver error, such as misuse or accidental activation of the cruise control. The government, in its investigations, ruled out any event which lasted longer than three seconds or in which the driver reported stepping on the brakes. These different assumptions can make a huge difference both in the number of events considered and in the universe of potential causes being examined. Consumer Reports has recommended making entries in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's complaints database more uniform and easily understood. (Read: "Consumers Union calls for changes to strengthen U.S. car-safety net.")We're not in a position to say whether Dr. Gilbert's study is realistic or not, but it's clear that better communication, and agreement on just what constitutes unintended acceleration, would go a long way toward identifying possible causes.Exponent will continue to work with Toyota on investigating potential causes for unintended acceleration, and there is no deadline set for the completion of this work.?Eric EvartsBe sure to follow Consumer Reports Cars blog (RSS) and Twitter (@CRcars) to keep up with the latest information and advice, also see our unintended acceleration guide. Related: Consumers Union calls for changes to strengthen U.S. car-safety net Toyota reportedly worked with feds to save $100 million in recalls Eight things that can dramatically improve auto safetyFive key fixes automakers should make now to reduce unintended accelerationUnintended acceleration stories wantedHow to tell if your Toyota is affected by the recent recallsHow to stop a runaway car: Don?t pump the brakes Subscribe now! Subscribe to ConsumerReports.org for expert Ratings, buying advice and reliability on hundreds of products. Update your feed preferences
Keeping PACE: Town of Babylon helps homeowners pay for green improvements
Keeping PACE: Town of Babylon helps homeowners pay for green improvements Get money for green home improvements. Swapping out incandescent lightbulbs with the best compact fluorescent lightbulbs and replacing an old showerhead with a low-flow showerhead are easy, low-cost ways to lower your monthly utility bills. However, the up-front costs for some energy-efficiency-boosting projects can be substantial, such as installing new heating and cooling equipment and windows.In an effort to spur homeowners to make energy-efficient improvements, municipalities nationwide are turning to Property Assessed Clean Energy, or PACE, bonds. A town issues a PACE bond and uses that money to lend homeowners the money to undertake energy-saving upgrades; the homeowners pay back the loans via a surcharge on their property taxes. Read more about PACE bonds in "10 Questions for . . . Jack Hidary, Chairman of SmartTransportation.org."The Town of Babylon, on Long Island, New York, has implemented a PACE program, providing up to $12,000 per home for energy-saving improvements that are made based on an energy audit. It's one of eight municipalities participating in the Long Island Green Homes & Buildings Consortium. "The town was looking to reduce energy consumption," says Sammy Chu, program director for the Town of Babylon. "We decided to create a financial tool to address the up-front costs of making homes more energy efficient."In the Town of Babylon, homeowners arrange for a payback plan that calls for monthly payments less than the annual energy savings estimated by the energy audit. So a household with annual energy savings of $1,000 would make monthly payments of about $83, with an additional 3 percent administrative fee, until the loan is paid off. If a home is sold before the loan is paid off, the new owners assume the loan. So far, 450 of 60,000 households in the Town of Babylon have signed up for the program, and about half of those have completed their project.?Kimberly JanewayEssential information: Check out these simple ways to lower your energy costs. And learn more about other energy-saving incentive programs, including cash for appliances and cash for caulkers, or Homestar. Subscribe now! Subscribe to ConsumerReports.org for expert Ratings, buying advice and reliability on hundreds of products. Update your feed preferences
DIY: Creating music on your iPhone
DIY: Creating music on your iPhone BeatmakerSource: Intua.net In part one of this blog post, I said apps are integral to creating music or video on an iPhone. Here are the ones I used to create music: First, I downloaded Beatmaker, by Intua, $20, because it was one of the few that let me play the iPhone like an instrument and program what I wanted it to play. In this app, I mostly used the step and song sequencer features. In the step sequencer, I chose each instrument (such as a bass guitar), then painstakingly selected individual notes in a four-beat measure to make several different short-pattern sequences. Next, using the song sequencer part of the app, I strung a series of these short sequences together to produce a line of music, such as the bass line in a song. I programmed all the instrument patterns and, after several hours, produced a song with several instruments?drums, bass, guitar and two funky keyboard sounds?playing along with each other. To record a vocal track, I needed another app. So I downloaded GigDaddy, $3, an app that lets you record several simultaneous tracks, import music files and combine various tracks together. But I couldn't edit my piece with GigDaddy until I first exported my "instrumental" song as a .wav file from Beatmaker to my computer. (Check Beatmaker's site for details on this painstaking, intricate process). GigDaddy (click to enlarge)Source: Iometrics Then I imported my instrumental music into GigDaddy and created several vocal tracks by singing into the iPhone's mic. At the beginning of the song, I recorded my voice several times to create an a cappella sound clip, although most of the song has just two vocal tracks. Once I finished the vocals, I left one track open for additional sounds. At the end of the song [[link to MP3]], which got cut off in the video due to the video editor's limitations, I added keyboard effects created with synthPond and Argon synthesizer apps. Unfortunately, you can't use two iPhone apps at once, so I transferred the output from each app to my computer, then re-recorded it back to the open track on the iPhone, through the built-in mic. This was one of several workarounds I used in this project. Next, I mixed down the song, converting this multitrack file into a .WAV file by exporting it to my computer. GigDaddy requires a wireless transfer (since Apple limits your ability to access any of the iPhone's internal file structure). Luckily, I had a wireless router that let me transfer the file. I also needed to export the file to my computer yet again because the video editor couldn't import it directly from within my iPhone. But I'll get into this in my next post. To hear the finished song, follow the link below: Hey Ma I know that there are lots of hardware and software that are better and easier to use than the iPhone to create music. Still, I was impressed that the technology let me create a complex music composition using several apps, right on my iPhone. In my next blog post, I'll describe what apps I used to capture still images and video for the music video. ?Terry Sullivan Next Steps Cell Phone Buying Advice: Types of Cell Phones | Cell Phone Features | Cell Phone Brands All Cell Phone Ratings Subscribers can view and compare all Cell Phone Ratings. Recommended Cell Phones Look at the ones that we chose as the best of the best. Subscribe now! Subscribe to ConsumerReports.org for expert Ratings, buying advice and reliability on hundreds of products. Update your feed preferences
GM reinstates 661 dealerships
GM reinstates 661 dealerships General Motors has agreed to reinstate about one-third of the dealerships that it planned to close during bankruptcy last year, as the automaker struggled to reinvent itself through the 2009 auto crisis. About 1,100 of the dealerships had sought arbitration to be reinstated. In addition, GM also shut down or shed almost 900 dealerships that only sold brands that the company eliminated: Hummer, Pontiac, Saab, and Saturn. In a notice dated March 5th, the company said it planned to send Letters of Intent to 661 of the dealers, essentially reinstating them. Trade publication Automotive News says anecdotally by talking to dealers, most of the outlets that were reinstated were rural stores and Cadillac dealerships. Changes in GM?s management have brought in aggressive changes, and the company?s new CEO, Ed Whitacre, is reportedly unwilling to wait for sales to improve. Adding back the dealerships may be one way to boost sales. The parties faced a Jun 14 deadline from Congress to complete arbitration, and dealers who were rejected in that process would go out of business by October, 2010. National Automobile Dealers? Association Chairman Ed Tonkin called the letters ?a significant move forward in advancing the state of dealer relations.? GM and the other Detroit automakers have traditionally had more dealers and fewer sales per dealership than import brands such as Honda and Toyota. The move will save much-needed jobs, boost local car-sales competition, and provide more convenient access to sales and service. All good things. ?Eric Evarts Subscribe now! Subscribe to ConsumerReports.org for expert Ratings, buying advice and reliability on hundreds of products. Update your feed preferences
Daily electronics deals
Daily electronics deals Today's electronics deals, courtesy of The Consumerist: Dell Home: Dell Inspiron 15 Intel Dual Core Laptop $399 + free shipping OfficeMax: HP Pavilion dv4 14-inch Laptop $549.99 + free shipping Logitech.com: Logitech Z-5 USB Omnidirectional Stereo Speakers $44.99 + free shipping Best Buy : Lexmark Multifunction Wireless InkJet Printer for $59.99 + $3.99 Shipping Buy.com : Gyration Air Music Remote for PC for $59.99 w/ Free shipping Dell : Vizio 55" LCD 1080p HDTV for $1749 w/ Free Shipping Newegg: Seagate Expansion 750GB Portable External Hard Drive + $20 Gift Card $109.99 Free Ship Walmart: SHIPPING NOW - Final Fantasy XIII Game (Xbox 360, PS3) w/ $10 Gift Card $59.96 Superbiiz.com (eWiz.com): Western Digital Caviar Green 2TB Internal SATA Hard Drive $144.99 Free Ship Amazon : Mass Effect 2 for PC for $29.99 w/ Free Shipping Meritline : Classic Style Controller for Nintendo Wii for $9.99 w/ Free Shipping Related: Computer Ratings and buying tips; TV Ratings and buying tips; Video game console buying tips video: "Choosing a video game system"; Printer Ratings and buying tips; Speaker Ratings and buying tips.Neither Consumer Reports nor The Consumerist receive anything in exchange for featuring these deals; the posts are intended to be purely informational. These deals are often fleeting, with prices changing or products becoming unavailable as the day progresses. These posts are not an endorsement of the featured products or the Web sites that sell them?though some of the sites may be included, and recommended, in our Ratings of retailers for computers and other major electronics (both available to subscribers). Price shouldn't be your only criterion. Be wary of lower-priced deals that seem too good to be true, and check return policies for restocking fees and other gotchas. For general buying advice for many of the products on sale above, check out our free Buying Guides. and Subscribe now! Subscribe to ConsumerReports.org for expert Ratings, buying advice and reliability on hundreds of products. Update your feed preferences
Online quiz, or deceptive advertising?
Online quiz, or deceptive advertising? We all know there is suspect information floating around the Internet. But when you look for medical information from a major health website, you expect it to be above board, don?t you? Unfortunately, that may not always be true. Take the case of a recent WebMD depression quiz. The business site, BNET, noticed recently that no matter how you answered a 10 question quiz on depression, you?d be told you ?may be at risk for major depression? ? even if you answered ?no? to each of the screening questions. The quiz is funded by Eli Lilly (and was clearly marked as such), and along side it ran an advertisement promoting Lilly?s drug Cymbalta, which, you guessed it, is approved to treat depression. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) also noticed the quiz and sent a letter (via Pharmalot) to Web MD saying that the quiz raised concerns ?about the independence between WebMD and industry since many people access WebMD seeing it as an independent, objective medical resource.? The Senator requested information about the development of the quiz and WebMD?s ties to the drug industry.Since these questions emerged, WebMD has changed the quiz, according to BNET. Now, if you answer ?no? to each of the ten screening questions it tells you that you are at a ?lower risk? for depression. Our medical experts are scratching their heads trying to figure out how 10 negative answers enables any kind of statement to be made about a potentially serious mental health problem. The WebMD example raises questions about the value of online quizzes in general. They can be an effective way to engage readers and communicate information. However they can also be structured to guide consumers to specific products and services. For example, we recently looked into a quiz designed to help consumers determine when they should see a medical specialist. We discovered that only a perfectly healthy person, who answered every question ?no,? would be instructed to see their primary care doctor?not surprisingly, the quiz was on the website of a specialty trade association. Here at Consumer Reports, we design quizzes to help our readers understand a topic or to better communicate the results of a survey. These quizzes might ask you a question, then show how others answered it for perspective, like in these quizzes about sleep, and sex. Our Patient Power Toolkit for diabetes (subscribers only) has quizzes based on rich survey data to help you see what treatment options might work for you.Quizzes that try to diagnose a disease or identify risk factors are more problematic, though, and should be used with caution. Our quiz on hearing aids takes this approach, but we typically avoid this type of quiz for complicated medical conditions. When you use online health quizzes, be cautious and look for: Clear wording. The quiz should provide clear and concise wording on what the results mean and put them in perspective for you. Reputable sources. A quiz should provide a guide to where the information comes from. The best sources are government health agencies, or trustworthy independent sources, such as the Mayo Clinic or the Cleveland Clinic. Realistic claims. A good quiz will tell you its results are not a diagnosis, and that you should discuss any health condition with a doctor. Other quizzes may say it?s for educational purposes only, or even for entertainment. Don?t take these very seriously. If a quiz purports to estimate your risk for a disease or health condition be wary unless you know you can trust the source, and don?t rely on the numbers to guide your treatment until you verify their accuracy. It may be worth discussing with your doctor, but don?t make health-care decisions based on the results of an online quiz. Advertising or sponsors. If there?s an ad for a drug next to a quiz for a health condition, that?s an immediate warning sign. By putting a quiz or a calculator between you and an ad, the advertiser hopes you ultimately forget who is actually providing the advice. These are like Venus flytraps designed to lure you in and then ensnare you. You?ll never see an advertisement on a Consumer Reports quiz, because we don?t take ads from anyone. And you can be certain that when we use a quiz to communicate information the answers are backed up by solid information. ?John Santa, M.D., M.P.H., Director, Consumer Reports Health Ratings CenterFor more on this subject, see: How useful are online health quizzes? Subscribe now! Subscribe to ConsumerReports.org for expert Ratings, buying advice and reliability on hundreds of products. Update your feed preferences
CR Index: Slow job creation stalls economic recovery
CR Index: Slow job creation stalls economic recovery The findings in this month?s Consumer Reports Index show that although the tide of job losses has been stemmed, the level of job creation needed to fuel a consumer recovery has not developed. Consumer Reports Employment Index stands at 48.7 for March, unchanged from February. Over the past several months the proportion of Americans who reported losing their job in the past 30-days has been on a decline, and is now stabilized at 6.0 percent, versus 5.7 percent in February. But behind this positive finding a significant trend is emerging. In recent months the proportion of Americans starting a new job in the past 30 days has also dropped, declining to 3.5 percent in February from a recent high of 6.2 percent in September. As a result, though the index remains unchanged, there is a deepening problem in getting the unemployed back to work. The Consumer Reports Past 30-Day Retail Index for March, which reflects the purchases consumers made in February, is at 11.1, virtually unchanged from the prior month (10.9). This number stands firmly at pre-holiday levels, indicating that consumers are hesitant to do any spending in this uncertain job market. Of all the categories that comprise the Past 30-Day Retail Index, only spending on major appliances and personal electronics showed modest gains. The Next 30-Day Retail Index, which reflects the purchases consumers plan to make in March, is at 7.3, which is below pre-holiday levels and marks the lowest levels tracked since August 2009 (7.5). However, we have seen some improvements in the other three indices that make up the overall index. The Consumer Reports Trouble Tracker has shown improvement over the past several months. This measure of financial difficulties faced by consumers declined to 52.3 in March from 53.4 in February, continuing a downward trend from September 2009 (68.7). The top issue faced by consumers in March was being unable to afford medical bills or medications (14.3%), unchanged from February. The other leading issue, negative changes in the terms of credit cards, continues to be an important component affecting consumers (10.1%), though it?s down from its November high of 15.1%.Consumer sentiment is up from a year ago versus today, but the overall gain has been modest (41.9 versus 44.8, respectively). The level of stress consumers feel they are under is down compared to prior months. The Consumer Reports Stress Index is now at 57.7, down from 59.9 in February and 63 in December. ?We believe that improvements in both the Employment Index and a return to solid, sustained improvement in the retail indices, along with a continued decline in the economic difficulties faced by consumers will signal the start of the consumer recovery,? says Ed Farrell, a director of the Consumer Reports National Research Center.The Consumer Reports Index, conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center, is a monthly telephone and cell phone poll of a nationally representative probability sample of American adults. A total of 1,258 interviews were completed (1,008 landline phones, 250 cell phones) among adults aged 18+. Interviewing took place between February 25-28, 2010. The margin of error is +/- 2.8 points at a 95% confidence level.?Mandy Walker Subscribe now! Subscribe to ConsumerReports.org for expert Ratings, buying advice and reliability on hundreds of products. Update your feed preferences
Q&A: Self-exams for testicular cancer?
Q&A: Self-exams for testicular cancer? I?ve heard that regularly examining my testicles is a good way to check for cancer. How often should I do that, and what?s the proper technique? ?E.H., Burlington, Vt. Monthly self-exams are an easy way to help men spot cancer and other testicular disorders early, when they?re most treatable. That?s particularly important for men at high risk of that otherwise uncommon cancer because of a family history of the disease. The best time for the exam is during or after a shower or bath. One at a time, gently but firmly roll each testicle between the thumbs and fingers of both hands, feeling its entire surface through the skin of the scrotum. Normal testicles should generally feel firm but not hard, and they?ll have some minor irregularities. Contact your doctor if you feel pain, tenderness, or swelling, which may signal infection or fluid buildup, or any hard lumps, which may indicate a cyst or cancer. Testicular cancer is rare?about 8,250 in the U.S. men get testicular cancer each year. Read more about what happens when you have testicular cancer and find out which treatments work best (subscribers only). Subscribe now! Subscribe to ConsumerReports.org for expert Ratings, buying advice and reliability on hundreds of products. Update your feed preferences
Consumers can't wait any longer for health reform
Consumers can't wait any longer for health reform More than 70 years ago, Consumers Union, the independent nonprofit organization that publishes Consumer Reports, called for affordable, reliable health care for all Americans.Today?after decades of failed proposals, broken promises, and political rancor?our nation is the closest it has ever been to answering that call. Reform proposals have passed both chambers of Congress by a majority vote; now they effectively await final passage. Reform will make sure you can get reliable, affordable health coverage if you?re sick, lose your job, or hit a rough financial patch. It will provide much-needed oversight of the insurance industry, spur competition, and change the way insurance companies do business. It won?t add to our deficit and will help cut wasteful spending in the health-care industry.A lot of people, especially those who already have good insurance, are unsure how the agreed-upon proposals in Congress would benefit them. The package of reform proposals isn't perfect and it won't solve all the problems in our nation's broken health-care system. But the reforms under consideration would go a long way toward achieving the goal of affordable, reliable health care for all Americans. So let me identify the key benefits consumers would get from health-reform legislation passed to date: No company could deny you health insurance for a pre-existing condition, or drop your coverage if you get sick. Insurance companies wouldn?t be able to cap the amount of care you may need for a serious illness, or stop paying your claims and leave you with devastating medical bills. All your recommended preventive care would be completely covered without any deductibles ? colonoscopies, mammograms, etc. If you buy on your own, you would get the same choice of coverage that members of Congress get. If you have decent coverage now through your job, you keep it. But if your employer drops your health insurance, or makes you pay more than 8 percent of your income on your premium, you could get help to buy your own policy in an insurance "shopping mall," or "exchange." If you hit a rough financial patch?a layoff or dramatic drop in your income?you could get help to buy your own policy through tax credits. The less money you have coming in, the cheaper the policy. Kids could stay on their parents' policies until they turned 26. Small businesses would get tax credits for up to 50 percent of their cost of providing coverage to their workers. Seniors in Medicare will get all their preventive care covered at 100 percent; proposals would cover more prescription drug costs by shrinking the infamous "doughnut hole" and shore up the financial stability of the program.It?s also vital that we get control of spiraling health costs. Over the past 10 years, most families? health insurance bills have more than doubled?and if nothing is done to rein in costs, your premiums will double again in another 10 years. To address this there are a host of new efforts designed to improve health-care quality, improve care coordination, and provide incentives for hospitals to reduce health-care-associated infections. There are new incentives for hospitals and doctors to come together to form organizations that can offer "soup to nuts" integrated care. In time, these efforts to improve health-care quality should also lower the underlying cost of health care.We have to make sure that we can control what we pay, how we pay it, and what we get for it. Reform would hold insurance companies accountable when it comes to what they charge consumers for coverage, and how they do business: Insurers would have to spend 85 percent of your premium dollar on your health care (80 percent if you buy your policy on your own or are in a small group) or they would have to refund you the difference. That means more of what you pay would actually go for medical care, not to CEO salaries and overhead. Insurance companies would have to describe their policies in plain language, clearly listing what they charge, and what they?ll cover, so you can easily comparison shop on the Internet. And they would have to be upfront about how they?ll treat you if there?s a dispute, including clearly explaining your rights. These and other numerous benefits are needed if Americans are to finally have some peace of mind about their health care. After a year of open and public debate, and numerous hearings, bills, and votes, the time to give Americans better, fairer, and more affordable health care is now.Consumers simply can?t wait another 70 years. ?Jim Guest, president, Consumers Union Subscribe now! Subscribe to ConsumerReports.org for expert Ratings, buying advice and reliability on hundreds of products. Update your feed preferences
Daily Dispatch: Google animates public data; Survey calls Web access a fundamental right
Daily Dispatch: Google animates public data; Survey calls Web access a fundamental right Combing through hundreds of blog posts and news articles daily, Dirk Klingner, our technology-trend watcher, sifts through the noise to bring you the tech news most important to consumers. If you have a tip on a story you want to share, leave a comment below. Four in five believe Web access a fundamental right (Reuters) Respondents in the United States were above the average in believing the Internet was a source for greater freedom and they were also more confident than most in expressing their opinions online...Of the 27,000 surveyed, more than half agreed that the "Internet should never be regulated by any level of government anywhere." Best Buy turning hundreds of stores into 3D TV meccas this month (ZDnet) Two hundred and fifty Best Buys will get things started with demos of the Panasonic TC-P50VT20 plasma 3D HDTV and DMP-BD350 3D Blu-ray player, which will show a disc of 3D content Panasonic has pulled together. By March 21 there will be over 900 locations that will display Samsung 3D sets and Blu-ray players. Google Stats Get Animated with Public Data Explorer (PCMag) Google on Monday launched a new Labs feature that will let average users turn complex data sets into intuitive, animated charts...Google Public Data Explorer is an experimental feature that will allow people to explore various data sets ? from unemployment in the U.S. to education statistics in California. MIT Researchers Discover New Electricity Production Method (Daily Tech) >Now, a team of researchers at MIT have announced that they have made a new breakthrough for producing electricity with carbon nanotubes. The discovery may one day lead to a myriad of new devices such as sensors the size of dust that can be dispersed in air to monitor the environment or the tech might lead to implantable devices that produce their own power. The researchers discovered a phenomenon that was previously unknown that produces powerful waved of energy that shoots though carbon nanotubes, producing electricity. Subscribe now! Subscribe to ConsumerReports.org for expert Ratings, buying advice and reliability on hundreds of products. Update your feed preferences
