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With Daniel Nocera's and Matthew Kanan's new catalyst, homeowners could use their solar panels during the day to power their home, while also using the energy to split water into hydrogen and oxygen for storage. At night, the stored hydrogen and oxygen could be recombined using a fuel cell to generate power while the solar panels are inactive.

Read more web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/oxygen-0731.html

The RFID-Zapper is a gadget to deactivate (i.e. destroy) passive RFID-Tags permanently. The development-team presently consists of two people (MiniMe and Mahajivana), who had some help from a friend (thanks for that). Goals are a proof-of-concept and the construction of at least one functioning and appealing prototype, as well as a documentation of the project so everyone can build an RFID-Zapper. Since the project found so much positive resonance, we probably are going to work on some other realizations of the concept, e.g. building an RFID-Zapper from scratch, without a single-use-camera. The RFID-Zapper.

A number of credit card companies now issue credit cards with embedded RFIDs (radio frequency ID tags), with promises of enhanced security and speedy transactions. But on today's episode of Boing Boing tv, hacker and inventor Pablos Holman shows Xeni how you can use about $8 worth of gear bought on eBay to read personal data from those credit cards -- cardholder name, credit card number, and whatever else your bank embeds in this manner. Fears over data leaks from RFID-enabled cards aren't new, and some argue they're overblown -- but this demo shows just how cheap and easy the "sniffing" can be. This episode is part of our ongoing series of interviews with some of the thinkers, hackers, and tinkerers at the O'Reilly Emerging Technology conference this year. [all via BoingBoing)

Censored content Wikileaks OysterCard, the smartcard used by the London Underground, has been cracked. London tube Cryptanalysis of Crypto-1 Mifare.Cryptanalysi

The RFID Guardian Project is a collaborative project focused upon providing security and privacy in Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) systems. See more RFID Guardian Project

The goals of our project are to:
Investigate the security and privacy threats faced by RFID systems
Design and implement real solutions against these threats
Investigate the associated technological and legal issues

The namesake of our project is the RFID Guardian: a mobile battery-powered device that offers personal RFID security and privacy management. One the focuses of our project is to build an RFID Guardian prototype.

SquidBee is a wireless sensing mote which measures temperature, relative humidity and intensity of light at the same time and wirelessly sends data to a central monitoring Gateway. This tutorial is intended to provide a quick assembly guide for those who want to build a SquidBee through easy construction steps.

In this article we are going to show how to improve a SquidBee mote adding GPS position using the GPS module from Libelium. To the three usual sensors (temperature, humidity and light) now we add the physical position as a sensor. With this improvement into the motes our sensor network is able to provide the coordinates of each node in real time.     www.sensor-networks.org/

Here we have the classic presence detector built in a SquidBee mote. We use a PIR sensor integrated with an on-board circuitry and a Fresnel lens, suitable for detecting presence from anything emitting infrared radiation up to a distance of 6m, and connect it to a wireless emitter in order to receive the corresponding alarm. The mote is also prepared to remain in a low-consumption state, making it suitable for battery-powered applications.

Le Corbusier had it all wrong. One billion people live in abject poverty. Four billion live in fragile but growing economies. One in seven people live in slum settlements. By 2020 it will be one in three. We don't need to choose between architecture or revolution. What we need is an architectural revolution. The U.N. Millennium Development Goals aim to "achieve improvement in the lives of 100 million slum dwellers by the year 2015." Reaching this goal will require a profoundly new approach to improving the built environment. The Open Architecture Network aims to be just such a catalyst for change.

What is the Open Architecture Network? The Open Architecture Network is an online, open source community dedicated to improving living conditions through innovative and sustainable design. Here designers of all persuasions can:

• Share their ideas, designs and plans
• View and review designs posted by others
• Collaborate with each other, people in other professions and community leaders to address specific design challenges
• Manage design projects from concept to implementation
• Communicate easily amongst team members
• Protect their intellectual property rights using the Creative Commons "some rights reserved" licensing system and be shielded from unwarranted liability
• Build a more sustainable future

Who is behind this? The Open Architecture Network is the brainchild of Architecture for Humanity and the designers who volunteer with us and through our local chapters. It grew out of our collective frustration in sharing ideas and trying to work together to address shelter needs after disaster, in informal settlements and in our own communities. Architecture for Humanity is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that seeks architectural solutions to humanitarian crises and brings design services to communities in need. To learn more about our work, please visit our website.

Who else is behind this? The Open Architecture Network is the result of a yearlong partnership that began in spring 2006 when Architecture for Humanity won the prestigious TED Prize. Each year the TED community honors three individuals who have positively impacted life on this planet. Recipients are granted one wish to change the world. Members of the TED community voluntarily contribute to granting the wish, by offering their resources and talent. Our wish: To build on our success creating opportunities for architects to help communities in crises. We envisioned a truly collaborative online community and gathering place for those dedicated to improving the built environment. Sun Microsystems, Hot Studio, Creative Commons, AMD and other partners joined Architecture for Humanity in realizing this ambitious undertaking, and at this year's TED conference, together we launched a beta version of the Open Architecture Network: the first site to offer open source architectural plans and blueprints on the web.

Who will the Open Architecture Network serve? Architects, designers, engineers and anyone else involved in the building trades is welcome to share their ideas on the network - but the network is not just for professionals. Community leaders, nonprofit groups, volunteer organizations, government agencies, technology partners, healthcare workers, educators and others are also invited to collaborate on projects and share their expertise. After all if we're to meaningfully address the challenges of building a sustainable future, we'll need (a lot of) help from people of all walks of life.

What is our goal? Far from replacing the traditional architect, the goal of the network is to allow designers to work together in a whole new way, a way that enables 5 billion potential clients to access their skills and expertise. The network has a simple mission: to generate not one idea but the hundreds of thousands of design ideas needed to improve living conditions for all.

Let the revolution begin.  See more www.openarchitecturenetwork.org/

Marmol Radziner Prefab combines the efficiency of factory-built homes with the benefits of custom residential design. Our green homes are not a kit of parts – we build the prefab modules in our own factory and ship them complete with your choice of pre-installed interior and exterior finishes, flooring, appliances, and more. We can oversee the entire process, from design to delivery and installation, so no additional contractor is required. We create our prefab homes with the environment in mind and have designed them to achieve LEED certification. For long-term sustainability, the module structures are made from recycled steel. The homes employ other green materials, including Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs), FSC-certified wood, low VOC Green Seal paint, solar panels, and more. Floor-to-ceiling windows capture natural light, while expansive decks provide shade for passive cooling and promote the best of indoor/outdoor living.Marmol Radziner Prefab specializes in custom floor plans and details to match your site and needs. Five standard models are also available. via Marmol site

see on www.marmolradzinerprefab.com/main.html

and www.marmolradzinerprefab.com/blog/index.php

see bungalowinabox.com/

Bungalow-in-a-box

Weathertight Panel-Frame Structures: Our component kits make durable cottage-camps, garages, home offices and studios. Our unique framing technique joins low-maintenance, natural materials to create beautiful structures that last. Prefabricated interlocking, exterior-finish panels assemble quickly with minimal on-site waste. A Bungalow-In-A-Box goes up on your foundation with a finished exterior appearance in in one or two days.

Mountain Retreat 12′x24′ with porch (above): $20,600

Pond-Side Studio 12′x16′ with entry (below): $13,700

see more on www.fabprefab.net/smf/index.php