Here be a record of teachings I find to be worth repeating to the internet.
Yes, sober, serious information for the studious gentleman; it has solved many a world's problem and kicked many an ass. Courtesy of the professors and fellow students of EPFL, and many other people who are around.
More to follow
Photovoltaics
Photovoltaics Stop Press: Prof. Balliff returns from China! He reports a scene of carnage in the industry: The price war for solar cells are keeping prices artificially low, and crashing many a small company. The selling price is 57¢CHF/Wp, way below the production+sales cost of 75-80¢/Wp. This is good news for consumers i.e. electrical engineers but quite bad news for people who make these things i.e. materials engineers.
Today we were taught how to bend over backwards and make architects happy by turning solar cells a cheerful shade of orange to suit the (Swissy) houses, at a cost of energy efficiency.
Wood
So this is how a tree grows: from a layer under the bark, where there be stem cells that differentiate to become the sapwood or the bark. A tree grows layers and layers out of itself, each new layer heralded by the budding.
The budding just happened here (friggin' everywhere).
In the course of the year, there is a period for which the tree grows quickly, and a period for which the tree grows slowly. The wood that has grown during the lull makes a dark ring that is visible in the severed trunk. A hardwood that grows quickly is less dense than normal, while a softwood that grows quickly is more dense than normal, and is more valued for timber for a variety of reasons.
Wooden crates have doubtful standards of hygiene when used for food packaging, all things considered.
