Edison's great-great grandson helps light display
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - Manhattan's Tavern on the Green hosted a special guest at its holiday tree lighting: the great-great grandson of Thomas Edison.
Eight-year-old Danny Eggemann helped Santa throw the switch on a burst of 2 million lights illuminating Central Park outside the famed restaurant on Manhattan's West Side.
Nearly 130 years after Edison pioneered electricity, the 21st century lights include strands of decorative lighting with the capacity to show text, animation, graphics and video.
The display was donated by Indiana-based Galaxia Lighting. Company President Lee Jorgenson said it was worth more than $40,000.
The animations include a snowfall and a shooting star.
The late-afternoon ceremony included a rendition of "Winter Wonderland" sung by William Michals, who stars in the musical "South Pacific" at the nearby Vivian Beaumont Theatre.
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'Electricity out of essentially nothing': Invention creates power from falling snow
TORONTO - Scientists from University of California, Los Angeles and McMaster University have invented a nanogenerator that creates electricity from falling snow.
Most Canadians have already seen a mini-version of this, McMaster Prof. Ravi Selvaganapathy told CTV’s Your Morning. “We find that we often get shocked in the winter when it’s dry when we come in into contact with a conductive surface like a doorknob.”
The thin device works by harnessing static electricity: positively-charged, falling snow collides with the negatively-charged silicone device, which produces a charge that’s captured by an electrode.
“You separate the charges and create electricity out of essentially nothing,” Richard…
