NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT

OK, so let's try something completely different for a change. A little break from the renewable energy posts we normally do... 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOBILE PHONE/CARPHONE/PORTABLE PHONE/CELL PHONE. WHAT IS NEXT? I SEE HAVING A CHIP OR SOMETHING PLACED INSIDE OF THE SKIN OF OUR EARS, NO MORE DEVICE REQUIRED. 

Mobile phone turns 40, with little fanfare

The mobile phone turned 40 on Wednesday with no fanfare to mark the occasion in a market which seemed focused on new smartphones like the iPhone and a possible Facebook-themed device.

The first mobile call was placed April 3, 1973, by Motorola engineer Martin Cooper, head of a team working on mobile communication technologies.

Cooper made the call on Sixth Avenue in New York, before going into a press conference using a Motorola DynaTAC -- a device that weighed one kilogram, (2.2 pounds) and had a battery life of 20 minutes, according to Motorola. It was nicknamed “ The Brick ”

Cooper told the technology website The Verge last year that he placed the first call to a rival, Joel Engel of Bell Labs.

In 40 years, the industry has come a long way. Research  predicts 900 million smartphones will be sold in 2013 -- along with roughly the same number of more basic feature phones.

And the phone has become a key advertising platform -- eMarketer said US mobile advertising spending grew 178 percent last year to $4.11 billion, and spending is expected to rise a further 77.3 percent to $7.29 billion in 2013.