from The Telegraph
It knows where you are...
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An update on a previous post on a location-based multi-media device which has been specifically designed for enhancing the visitor experience of outdoor heritage sites. The combination of right design and accessible yet challenging content would be quintessential.

from Open Source Energy Network
Cool Light on Hot Days: Fiber Optics Bring the Sun Indoors
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Fibre optics has been recognised and used as a safe light source for the display of cultural heritage artefacts. However, it's performance has been found lacking in the area of general room lighting. Now comes the possibility of using fibre optics for lighting up an entire room. However, the new technology is dependent on there being a sunny day outside. Nevertheless, a combination of this technology and conventional lighting could save museums (or any building, for that matter) major utility payments and being environment-friendly at the same time.

from WorldChanging
Dehumidification
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Some interesting takes on how building energy consumption can be reduced through the use of proper dehumidification as part of the air-conditioning system. This would also impact on the long-term cost and management of controlling a building's internal environment for the purpose of heritage artefact storage. Also see a previous post which highlighted other innovative ways of cooling buildings that might have relevance in the heritage sector.

from BBC News
Bidders to snap up mobile photos
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from Yahoo News
Nokia: Connect to Art!
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from Wired News
Cell Phones Work as Tour Guides
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The increasing prominence and use of the mobile phone in art- and heritage-related activities must definitely signal the coming of age of the mobile phone generation.

from Popular Science
The Enlux LED light
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from World Changing weblog
LED Light Bulbs Real Soon Now
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from Detroit Free Press
New light technology promises longer life and lower costs
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The technology of lighting is moving steadily towards the replacement of the incandescent and fluorescence light bulbs that we are familiar with today. Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs) are more energy efficient as the same level of brightness can be achieved using a lower energy level. And they outlasts light bulbs easily by a factor of 10. When LEDs become the de facto light source (in homes and in museums), would we, as conservators, know enough of this technology to have a ready answer as to the (positive or negative) effects that this light would have on materials?

from PC World
Could Your CD Contain Corn?
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from Yahoo! News
Eco-friendly disc to store data on corn
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First there was the paper DVD, now there is the corn disc - coming in the CD version, as well as the more advance Blu-Ray DVD version. What might pass off as novelty news items, should also point to an urgent need for digital preservation efforts to keep up with the larger technological strides made in the research and manufacture of digital storage devices and media.

from The New York Times
It's Just Daylight, but It Has Endless Shades
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Very often in the present-day context of museums, we tend to think of acceptable lighting as primarily artificial ones. However, there is a recent trend in museum design which looks back to the original way the interior of museums are illuminated - using daylight. It was also found that users react more favourbly to day-light in buildings, museums being no exception. And if it is the business of museums to reach as wide an audience as possible, could then the use of appropriate natural day-light in museum galleries be an important (human) consideration in "inducing" repeated visits, conservation concerns notwithstanding?

from node
The Node Explorer v.2
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An nifty device which combines a portable hand-held computer (designed for outdoor rugged use) coupled with wireless technology. The idea is to provide interactive content for users of historic trails and parks. This is already in place in city of Bristol in the UK and there is a web-based demonstration with some documented case studies of the technology at the above web-page.

from The Straits Times
Cleaning walls? No sweat - just add sunlight and rain
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This is an interesting development in Singapore for a coating technology which self-cleans by taking advantage of the chemical reaction on organic grime activated by ultra-violet radiation in sunlight and titanium dioxide. It might not be long before we actually see outdoor sculptures which require minimal maintenance here!

from New Scientist
First practical plastic magnets created
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If this technology advances and matures, then we might have a novel way of displaying paper artworks and textiles which are held onto a metallic wall by way of a single sheet of clear magnetised plastic - something akin to just having a piece of Perspex in front of the artefact without any frames or hanging implements. What's more interesting is that strength of the plastic magnet can be made to measure!

from BBC News
Museum has flush of inspiration
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This is a funny one. London's Science Museum is thinking of recycling toilet waste to generate power so as to help in the upkeep of the museum. Jon Tucker, the museum's owner, made this comment "Poo power is certainly something I would consider if it were practical." Mm...poo power, any other takers?

from The Observer
Mummy's mystery unravels in 3D
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from The Telegraph
Dodgy embalming in ancient Egypt
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Another example of how advance imaging technologies are helping towards a better understanding of heritage artefacts without causing further material damage. As the primary use of such technologies are not specifically geared towards use in heritage preservation, hence, it is necessary to actively seek out and be informed of new technological advances in imaging technology. And on the horizon, there is the next generation technology using tetrahertz radiation for detecting hidden objects.

from Science @ NASA
Bacterial Integrated Circuits
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go to technical paper (pdf format)

Indoor air pollution poses a real and harmful threat to heritage artefacts if left unchecked (see article by Morten Ryhl-Svendsen). The standard method of monitoring is to use the technique of sampling of the indoor air and having that sample analysed.

The new detection method being tested by NASA researchers would provide a real-time detection system, combining micro-biology and photo-electronics, called Bioluminescent Bioreporter Integrated Circuits (BBICs). Monitoring for pollutants would also be much cheaper and simpler than on-site chemical sampling methods that are currently possible.

These BBICs are useful on Earth, too. They can detect formaldehyde emitted by pressed wood furniture or hard-to-detect molds often implicated in sick building syndrome. "If this device works as planned, it could turn out to be a very inexpensive kind of monitoring system," says Sayler. "You could go to your corner drugstore, buy one of these, take it home and stick it up on your wall. It could tell you whether your carpets are degassing, or whether you've got problems like black mold."

The circuit chips can also be customised for the detection of different particulate, gaseous or biological pollutants - and even ultra-violet radiation! - depending on the type of microbe that is bio-engineered. The size of the chip is also extremely small and inconspicuous - 2 mm by 2mm - hence, perfect for museum display use.

from BBC news
Eco glass cleans itself with Sun
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Imagine a world where there will be no more cleaning of window glass panes! This is achieved by depositing an extremely thin coating of titanium oxide on the glass surface, which will react with the surface dirt in the presence of ultra-violet radiation (plentiful in sunlight). With the subsequent arrival of rain, the surface dirt is easily washed away in a uniform manner. Now imagine if this technology can be applied to outdoor sculptures or heritage structures!

from Xinhua Online
Digital tech in use to preserve Dunhuang
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This is yet another use of digital imaging technology to re-create a heritage site in order to "preserve" it. This recall similar attempts here, here and here. The need to re-create a virtual replica, however imperfection that solution might be, throws into sharp relief the 2 conflicting trends which plague most, if not all, successful historic and heritage sites.

On the one hand, with the spread of information about the site, visitors would arrive in increasing numbers. And in tandem, accelerated deterioration of the site would usually accompany this increase. Limiting access appears to be the preferred compromise. And with the help of present-day digital imaging technology, much can be achieved in terms of providing an accurate visual representation.

Although much welcomed, in terms of slowing deterioration, this digital act of copying also appears to contrast sharply with the way the act of copying is understood in the Chinese context in achieving a good level of "restoration". In particular:

"But copying is also learning. During the process of copying, one has to give inputs of research, grasp the laws and rhythms of the painting in question and perfect the technique. Only then can the reproduction capture the spirit of the original. Therefore the copiers should have a rich knowledge of the tradition as well as profound expertise and skill; otherwise the reproduction will not transpose both the visual and spiritual excellence of the originals." [see reference article here]

And with limited access, it remains unclear what ramifications that will have on such an approach to restoration work.

Another recent news item also confirms this trend towards restricted access (even for personnel working to conserve the site) as a means to slow deterioration of the Dunhuang site, especially the Mogao grottos or caves. Working together with the Getty Conservation Institute, the University of California has developed very tiny and inexpensive sensor chips - otherwise known as Smart Dust Motes - that can be scattered within the grottos. Using wireless technology, data from all the sensors are then be collected, thus providing a viable means of remote-sensing the real-time environment conditions of the entire space without having to step foot in it.

from New Scientist
Micro-sculptures give metal the Velcro touch
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An interesting method of joining different materials without the use of adhesive. This is achieved by etching the surfaces with a controlled electron beam which melts the surface. And in moving the beam in a very specific manner and speed, regular projections are left on the surface which acts as "hooks" for "adhesion" to take place between treated surfaces. See a close up graphics of the process here.

from Reuters News
Mini Airship Hovers Inside Ancient UK Cathedral
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A neat idea for photographing large structures in order to record actual condition without risking life and limb on scaffoldings! This would also be useful for extremely large or inaccessible outdoor sculptures. Adding a real-time video feed could also enable the ground-crew to focus in on certain problematic sections in greater detail instantaneously.

from Wired News
Warm Toes Are Happy Toes
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This new invention, which uses a blend of conductive and non-conductive fibers, could easily be modified to become a larger heating pad. Drawing electrical power from dry-cell batteries, this unique blend of inter-connected fibers can be heated in a uniform manner while being safe (due to the low voltage needed) and highly versatile. It could spell the end of the search for an affordable "hot table" for use in the conservation lining of paintings.

from BBC News
Paper DVDs on the horizon
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A curious convergence in the preservation of data - no longer will it solely be analogue (paper) versus digital, but a heady combination of both!

from The Boston Globe
Needham firm offers security in a tiny package
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An interesting use of wireless sensor technology - not only to secure artefacts, but also to track environmental conditions. But knowing that such a sensor uses wireless communication, wouldn't any thief or vandal worth his (or her salt) be using a jamming device to disable the wireless network before swinging into action? Maybe, nothing really beats walking around the galleries in the good old-fashion way.

from HandHeld History
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An example of the use of mobile phone technology to enliven the experience of history in the urban London context. Although it will not be difficult to emulate the technology, but it is the quality and presentation of the content that will ultimately determine the success of such a project.

from E Ink
go to press release

A development in the paper-thin display screen technology. This has been in the making for some time now and aims to eventually replace the use of paper as we know it (see here, here, and here). Will this spell the end of paper-based documents - hence bringing digital preservation onto centre stage? Or will paper still be very much a part of our daily lives?

from Wired News
Kissing a Mirror to Find a Frog
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Although the article is about an entirely different field of conservation, what could be potentially useful is the way that mirrors are used to simultaneously photograph 4 sides of a frog - which could easily be replaced with an artefact. Now, that would be a time-saver!

from The Jeffersonian
Measuring up, in 3-D
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Besides using laser scanning techniques for heritage and architectural sites, such technology has also been deployed to capture a digital imprint of smaller historical artefacts - with the intention of replicating them. Could this be one of the direction in preservation, where digitally scanned artefacts are replicated in time to come when the "original" has deteriorated beyond recognition? This option can be especially useful as another option in "preserving" plastics-based artefacts.

Another use of such a scanning technology is to serve as an additional tool in understanding the condition of artefacts. This is made possible with advancing computing power, as surface details are minutely captured, and visually rendered, with very high fidelity for an all-round view on a computer screen.

from BBC News
New life for old Elgin Marbles?
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How the Parthenon marbles are being reborn
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An update on the Parthenon Marbles with the latest attempt to find some closure and resolution to this long-drawn controversy by using advanced technology to create a virtual integration of all the disparate fragments. However, the issue of historical and geographical context will be left unresolved.

from Contra Costa Times
Laser scan captures heritage sites' every angle
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The process of 3-dimensional laser scanning may no longer be considered a novel technology today. However, the efforts in documenting and making publicly available the scanned information for each of the World Heritage Sites must surely be considered noble, worthwhile and path-breaking.

from The New York Times
'Nanograss' Turns Sticky to Slippery in an Instant
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An experimental technology which allows a material to change from an absorbent sheet to a non-absorbent one at the flick of a switch. This could certainly result in useful applications in conservation treatments. A few comes to mind: as a reservoir for moisture, solvents or adhesive that is triggered by time/heat/light; easier and more precise transfer of wet paper onto a lining; switching from being a release sheet to being a blotter sheet at will.

from Wired News
Gloves Put Death Grip on Germs
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A new type of germ-killing gloves that can potentially help conservators when handling artefacts or sticky traps with museum pests.

from Nature
Saving Venice
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The city of Venice faces the very real danger of sinking over the years. To counter that, scientists have proposed pumping carbon dioxide or water directly under the city itself.

from BBC News
Virtual reality brings past to life
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and
from The Guardian
Anger at invitation to contemporary artist
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Two contrasting responses to attempts at merging tradition with the contemporary.

from New Scientist
Smog-busting paint soaks up noxious gases
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This might have limited use inside museums, as the neutralising reaction is activated by ultra-violet radiation, which is close to non-existent within museums. One the other ahnd, if this paint is proven to be practical and effective, could it buttress the mentality that pollution is OK, since we have the paints in place to remove it?