Tech Universe: Wednesday 26 January

So many cyclists are injured or killed on the roads. Fluorescent clothing might help make them visible, but how about a jacket that includes flashing turn signals? Photo / Thinkstock

BIKE A LIGHT: So many cyclists are injured or killed on the roads. Fluorescent clothing might help make them visible, but how about a jacket that includes flashing turn signals? Give your own washable jacket turn arrows with the instructions at Instructables and a few Arduino parts. Why stop at arrows? I'm sure it'd be easy to add some 'cautionary' short messages too. More at Instructables and video on YouTube.

SUNNY SIDE UP: The US Marines are cashing in on the sun in Afghanistan. An experiment with flexible solar panels cut diesel consumption to 10% on one operation. Less diesel also meant fewer supply convoys with less exposure to attack. When in sunshine, go solar. More at NPR.

COFFEE BARRED: Starbucks in the US has a new smartphone app that displays a barcode. Show the barcode to a reader to pay for your drinks. Charge up your smartphone's app with a credit card or Paypal. Just wait till customers see how much they're spending on coffee. More at Gigaom.

INTERNET STARTER KIT: The UK government hopes to get some of the 9.2 million adults who aren't yet online to buy cheap computers. A community organisation will refurbish PCs, equip them with open source software and sell them with subsidised Internet connections for as little as £98. Research has shown that going online can save people around £560 a year and open up jobs advertised nowhere else. We've come a long way in 20 years. More at TechSpot.

SAHARA GREEN: The Sahara: a desert full of sand and not much else, you'd think. The Sahara Forest Project cleverly combines solar thermal power, biomass production and a Seawater Greenhouse to create
sustainable agriculture in the Sahara, some distance from the coast. Catching and using wind, sun and evaporated water will allow crops to grow in the desert. This looks like an intelligent and exciting project. More at SaharaForestProject.

- Miraz Jordan knowit.co.nz