Monthly Archives: March 2009
Data mining or snafu?
People tend to rely too much on technology to produce perfect answers. Anybody who designs and engineers technology is aware of the opposite: only with a lot of work and sweat and inspiration we succeed in coercing nature to do … Continue reading
Ipod generation
Some time ago the online media were reporting on the Buma Stemra vs. Suplacon case. The company Suplacon was ordered to pay copyright fees for allowing employees to listen to radios at their workstation. Over the years it has been … Continue reading
Going electric, but when?
There seems to be somewhat of a race for who will deliver the first plug-in electric (or hybrid) car, both in Europe as in the US. In both regions the Chevrolet Volt (or Opel Ampera) was seen as the winner, but … Continue reading
Lessons from the past
Yes, one can always find someone who prediceted the future correctly in hindsight. But this one is impressive, especially the ten years estimate… Senator Byron L. Dorgan, Democrat of North Dakota said in 1999, after the Congress passed the bill to … Continue reading
Village for sale
Ever dreamt of owning a village? Now you can! The typical English village of Linkenholt is yours for only 22,5 million British Pounds. Among the properties included for sale are a cricket pitch and pavilion, which doubles as the village hall, … Continue reading
Boys will be boys
In a fully non-scientific study conducted among 150 high school students in Amsterdam a remarkable result was found. Research topic was why so few girls take technology courses. The question was whether students would be more inclined to take a … Continue reading
Unreal Estate
Entire districts in cities like Detroit are filled with cheap or empty houses. Down the drain, lost forever? Probably not. As always the artists and the enterpreneurial are the first to see the opportunities. And even architects from Amsterdam have … Continue reading
The stability of 3
The people of Aptera know how to create free publicity. Only a month after some questions were raised about the safety of the car, this video appears. A journalist is asked to drive around fast corners in the street, and … Continue reading
Parisian flair (2)
Paris appears to be determined to support electric propulsion. Not just for scooters, but also for cars. Look at the map on their city page with charging stations…. (Source : AutoBlogGreen) Où sont les bornes de recharge pour véhicules électriques? … Continue reading
End of pipe
Reuters report: Shipping contributes about four percent of global emissions from burning fossil fuels, about double the emissions from aviation. But the industry is less visible to most people than aviation and only very recently faced limits on some of … Continue reading