Science & Technology

Many electric companies are replacing conventional home meters with smart devices that can be read, as well as turned on and off from a remote location.  These devices can also tell customers how much power they’re using at different times of day, and since some companies charge higher rates during periods of peak demand, consumers can adjust their power use to save money.  Dominion Virginia Power has a pilot program that charges customers less for power during times when demand is low.  The firm e-mails prices the night before, but one consumer says Dominion needs to do more if it’s seriou

Electric companies across the state have been rolling out  new technology, installing home meters that monitor consumer use and send that information, automatically, to the company.  Smart meters also allow utilities to turn power on and off from a remote location.  Utilities say these hi-tech meters will help consumers reduce their electric bills, but one elected official is skeptical, and she’s leading a crusade against the devices.

Hate drones?  They may soon become a way of life in the Commonwealth.

The anticipated surge in unmanned aerial vehicles-or UAVs-won't only be as a result of their popularity with hobbyists, but because of their use by emergency responders, power companies, and other industries.

Even if they carry an American brand name like Dell or HP, most of the personal computers in this country are made elsewhere, but a Charlottesville computer consultant thinks American kids should know how to build a PC, and he’s offered a summer program where campers do just that.  

It’s taken nine years for the NASA spaceship New Horizons to travel nearly 3 billion miles – to a far corner of our solar system, but later this month, it will fulfill its mission.  

On July 14th, just before 8 a.m. New Horizons will begin a fly-by of Pluto, the dwarf planet named for the Roman god of the underworld.  The space craft has traveled faster than any other launched from Earth, but after nine years, it won’t be able to stop for a visit.