Apple’s Reno, Nevada data center might be a lot greener in the next few years — according to GigaOm , the company plans to build a 137 acre solar farm right next to it. The Nevada complex will reportedly generate between 18 and 20 megawatts of power similar to Apple’s two arrays in North Carolina , but GigaOm says it will use a different kind of technology. Instead of a standard farm of solar panels, it will include mirrors that concentrate the sun’s rays on each one up to seven times, increasing the amount of energy produced. In a statement sent to the publication, Cupertino revealed that the facility will not only provide electricity for the data center, but also supply energy to the local grid. Solar company SunPower will work on the array’s engineering and construction, but until it’s operational (which could be a while), Apple will depend on geothermal energy generated by local plants. [Image credit: Apple ] Filed under: Misc , Apple Comments Source: GigaOm

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Apple to build a 20-megawatt solar farm for its Reno, Nevada data center

Interested in upgrading your eyeballs? Well, a team of DARPA-funded researchers led by Joseph Ford of UC San Diego recently published a proposal for a new type of telescopic contact lens in Optics Express . Designed for people with age-related macular degeneration, the lenses are only 1.17mm thick and can magnify images up to 2.8 times. Their layered construction admits light near the outer edge of the lens, bouncing it across a series of tiny aluminum mirrors before transmitting it to the back of the retina, kind of like the origami-optics lens . Telescopic sight can be toggled on and off by using a pair of 3D glasses to switch the polarization of the central part of the lens. It sounds promising, but the lenses — pictured after the break — currently have some obstacles, like gas-impermeable materials unsuitable for long-term wear and sub-par image quality. Want to read more? Pop on your glasses and check out the full paper at the source link below. Filed under: Science , Alt Comments Via: Extreme Tech Source: Optics Express (PDF)

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Telescopic contact lenses magnify sight 2.8 times, turn wearer into cyborg

Here’s a nice little feature for those of us who love to post images on the internet. Bing has added the ability to refine image results by license. The addition’s simple enough to use — just do a search and pull the appropriate license from a drop down on the top of the results page, alongside options for date, size and color. Selections include public domain and options like “free to modify, share and use, ” based on the Creative Commons licensing system, so there’s no doubt as to precisely how you can incorporate them into your own posts. Google’s had a similar option on its own search engine for some time — albeit one’s that’s a bit less prominently displayed. Filed under: Internet , Software , Microsoft Comments Source: Bing Blog

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Bing adds licensing rights refinement to image search

Here’s a nice little feature for those of us who love to post images on the internet. Bing has added the ability to refine image results by license. The addition’s simple enough to use — just do a search and pull the appropriate license from a drop down on the top of the results page, alongside options for date, size and color. Selections include public domain and options like “free to modify, share and use, ” based on the Creative Commons licensing system, so there’s no doubt as to precisely how you can incorporate them into your own posts. Google’s had a similar option on its own search engine for some time — albeit one’s that’s a bit less prominently displayed. Filed under: Internet , Software , Microsoft Comments Source: Bing Blog

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Bing adds licensing rights refinement to image search