Monthly Archives: August 2009
The fun of hybrids
The image of a hybrid car has been defined by the Prius: you care about the environment if you drive a hybrid but the “petrol-heads” that love excitement and performance will laugh at you. Quite often people argue that hybrids … Continue reading
Solar Highway
Startup Solar Roadways has received $100,000 to further investigate an energy generating solar panel meant to replace asphalt on roadways and in parking places. Nice. Via inhabitat.com
Augmented Reality
Needed: a camera-phone with GPS, compass and high bandwith internet. What it gets you: point your camera at a street, object or in a direction and the phone will tell you, through an overlay on the camera-image where the nearest … Continue reading
Solar UFO
Osaka, Japan, initiates several projects to revitalize rivers and waterfronts. One of the projects of the event ‘Aqua metropolis Osaka’ will be a giant floating water cleaner running on solar power. “The disc-shaped machines — called “Solar UFOs” — weigh … Continue reading
Tech-support cheat sheet
xkcd.com once more has a funny one: a tech-cheat sheet that shows how we usually help our (grand)parents, neighbours, co-workers and other ‘non-computer people’. I find it to be very accurate! via boingboing.net
Once more: the solar-hydrogen economy
In times where all we hear is ‘going electric’, it is sometimes good to read the summary of an overview article written by Australion professor Abbott on invitation of the IEEE. The article still has to appear, but the highlights … Continue reading
Electric Garden
A while ago I wrote about electric pylons with an unusual design. In Austin, Texas solar flowers are used to generate shade during sunny days, power blue LED lights at night and the leftover power is sent to the grid. … Continue reading
OCC goes Electric
Electric cars and bikes are on the rise, but are they cool yet? This must be a positive sign: the guys from Orange County Choppers have built an electric chopper, in cooperation with Siemens. The Smart Chopper will make a … Continue reading
Biomimicry
Janine Benyus speaks in her TED talk about finding solutions by watching nature. How does a kingfisher dive without causing a splash in the water, how does a shark repel bacteria? Solutions, found in the organisms all around us, can … Continue reading
Hotspot
We take connectivity for granted in our daily lives. The point is driven home when it is absent, in a desert where only one oasis is available. Like the camping in Croatia where I am now with one (free) hotspot … Continue reading