Technology

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Norwegian Bus Fuel Going To Waste

[ Comments Off ]Posted on January 31, 2009 by admin in Clean & Green, Technology

Saturday, January 31st, 2009

Finally Citizens Are Giving A Doo-doo

We’ve touched on the environmental impact of cow farts and human waist as fuel before, but this time we’re going to talk about a new (ahem) movement in clean & green energy: biomethane as vehicle fuel. This is apparently a booming industry, but in Norway, where there’s such a firm commitment to clean and green policy that carmakers aren’t allowed to call their cars either, they’re taking this to a new level of efficiency by powering buses with biomethane produced from human waste. Presumably major energy producers will get in on the action; perhaps with BP making a big shift from investing in Europe to investing in the US, Exxon could step in and expand on last year’s record profits. The new division would also require only a subtle logo alteration (see image).

Obama On His Blackberry: Yes iCan

[ Comments Off ]Posted on January 22, 2009 by admin in Technology

Thursday, January 22nd, 2009

Barackberry Jams

Well, it’s been a bitter struggle, but it looks like Obama gets to keep his Blackberry. Sort of. For official purposes, he’ll be required to use the NSA-Certified Sectéra Edge. Which strikes me as a tiny bit odd, since the phone uses Windows as its OS. Isn’t Windows historically a frighteningly insecure operating system? Don’t they realize his enemies might be using an iSnipe? Besides, if he used an iPhone, he’d be able to enjoy an occasional iBeer when he sneaks an iPuff. In light of the seeming incongruency of Obama being kind of a “Windows guy”, maybe he should try the ZunePhone (which I’ve just now redubbed the whyPhone). Which reminds me of a horrible joke I made up recently when a friend dropped their Blackberry in the toilet… Q: What do you a call a Blackberry right before it falls into the toilet? A: A Blingleberry!

Solution To Auto Industry’s Cash Problems? Charge It!

[ Comments Off ]Posted on January 13, 2009 by admin in Clean & Green, Technology

Tuesday, January 13th, 2009

A Day Late And A Petrodollar Short

It’s a bit of shame that the American auto industry’s sudden excitement about electric cars comes across more as a knee-jerk reaction than an insightful foray into new technology. Someday American automakers may again be recognized as innovators in vehicle technology, but this year the Green Car of the Year award goes to the 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI, which is actually powered by “clean diesel”. Funny that the first electric car was built in the 1830′s and Detroit is still trying to figure things out.  If you haven’t been keeping up with what’s going on with EV’s, TreeHugger.com has a nice overview of 23 electric cars that are driving the revolution. By the way, if you’re intrigued by the stylish electric Cadillac Converj pictured here but intimidated by the likely price tag, don’t worry. It doesn’t really exist yet.

If Necessity Is The Mother Of Invention I’d Like To Meet The Father

[ Comments Off ]Posted on January 2, 2009 by admin in Technology

Friday, January 2nd, 2009

…and who are the siblings?

You’ve probably heard some variation of “Too many people spend money they haven’t earned, to buy things they don’t want, to impress people they don’t like.” Well, we’ve touched on technology you probably don’t need before, but in these troubled financial times, when some of us can’t even afford things we need, it’s nice to know there are lots of things out there you don’t even want. For instance, whether you’re a smoker or not, who would want to puff on an electronic cigarette? Well, maybe it would lend some cred to the same desperate nightclubber that would wear an “Iced Out” LED Belt Buckle. And while all attention is riveted on their midriff message that screams “I’m a dork!“, you might not even notice that you’re laying down a nice rhythm track on their Electronic Drum Kit Shirt while you beat them senseless. On the home office front, maybe you could use a USB Hamster Wheel as a motivator (YouTube clip here ) . The faster you type, the faster it runs. Or if you’ve ever gone into a panic when software tells to you to “press any key to continue” and couldn’t find the “any” key, we have the Panic Button and Any Key combo. And although rather limited in purpose, I can’t tell you how many times I would’ve been glad to have had a TV-B-Gone on my keychain. With 209 turn-off codes, it should shut down most TV’s within 20 to 50 feet. Handy for white trash family arguments and easing the stress of talking to Best Buy sales staff.

Reducing America’s Carbon Fatprint

[ 3 Comments ]Posted on December 23, 2008 by admin in Clean & Green, Technology

Tuesday, December 23rd, 2008

Would you like Lowfat or Thigh Octane?


The Ultimate In
Renewable Energy?

Apparently it’s occurred to more than one medical professional to reduce waist (that’s not a typo) while fueling our cars more efficiently. Recently Beverly Hills doctor Craig Alan Bittner fled the country after coming under investigation for allowing unlicensed staff to perform liposuction procedures, but prior to this was making quite a name for himself by fueling his SUV with biodiesel made from human fat. He wasn’t the first to have this idea. Although ultimately shown to be a hoax, it was widely reported by credible news sources in 2006 that Norwegian entrepeneur Lauri Venoy had a deal with an American hospital to do the same thing. It’s possible that this hoax was perpetrated by The Yes Men, who pulled a similar stunt at an oil industry convention in 2007. In spite of all the scandals and disinformation, fat-as-fuel is a viable alternative; researchers are making biodiesel from chicken fat (watch for the new “Chicken Coupe” at 2010 auto shows ), turning fat into jet fuel, and in the case of Earthrace biofuel promoter Peter Bethune, using human fat to set world speed records on the oceans. With over 600,000 liposuction procedures performed annually, I think this is a great idea; the only real problem (much like the the one faced by the makers of Soylent Green) is really all in the marketing. The ultimate in self-serve: “Would you like Lowfat or Thigh Octane?”

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