All things green and planet saving.
There’s no question that power is getting more expensive by the day. We use an unbelievable amount of fuel of all sorts to generate vital electricity to power our lives, and the costs of supply are rising like a hot air balloon. Which is why the new invention of an enterprising young German could spell the beginning of a new era of ‘power piracy’.
Low-flow shower heads have almost become a staple here in the US. With water tables rapidly dropping and a devastating continued drought in the Midwest, conserving water is a must. But the downside of this is that showering is no longer a refuge for water pleasantly beating down on you. That’s something many of us miss. New Zealand company Felton, in collaboration with Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), has developed the Oxijet. The “air shower” showerhead uses…
Making hard boiled eggs has always taken plenty of time, lots of water and uses loads of energy. I’ve always wondered if someone could come up with a better, more efficient way of doing this. Someone has. Eggxactly, a cool little device designed by British inventor James Seddon, features two stretchable silicone heating elements – one on each side of the egg – that are said to transfer heat to the egg very efficiently. The soft elements reportedly conform…
Forget about all that electric scooter, Segway nonsense, what you really need to get around is a zero emission scooter that works by rock and roll power. Just think, no batteries to replace, ultra low maintenance and a nice compact folding format to carry anywhere.
I wish we had an ‘At Last’ category, because we’d definitely put this on top of the list. The Daily Telegraph in the UK recently snagged a real life, honest to goodness, test drive of the forthcoming Volkswagen XL1 Hybrid car and came out very impressed. Which is unusual for a motoring correspondent. Not a brodering in sight.
If you’ve been anywhere near Thailand, the Indian sub-continent or other parts of the Far East, you’ll recognize the distinctive Tuk Tuk (or auto rickshaw) shape when you see it. These cute little vehicles unfortunately have a pretty bad reputation in these places because of the typically high levels of noxious fumes they give out, even when converted to gas as is the case in parts of India.
Look around you right now. Chances are you’re within 20 paces of some form of waste cardboard…packaging, wrapping, boxes, containers, you name it. Despite the march of progress we seem to use as much, if not more, of the stuff. Maybe it’s all Amazon.com’s fault? Whatever the reason, there’s no need for us to make matters worse by just chucking it all onto landfill, as happens a lot. We should take inspiration from these people and try and work out…
Feeling the oil crunch yet? If not, you soon will, as supplies continue to dwindle. The one good thing about the remorseless rise in oil prices – if there can be a good thing – is the fact that it’s spurring development of alternatives. Most of the attention is currently focused on electrical power, but there are still ways in which we can use waste oil products more efficiently.
You’ve all probably heard about 3D printing by now, but just in case you haven’t, it’s likely to be a huge market in a few years time as the technology evolves. We first started raving about 3D printing four years ago, and the tech looks like it’s finally starting to come together. When you remember that most technologies take around 10 years to hit mainstream, we’re still on the right trajectory. The process basically involves using plastic string (or filament…
Looks like the Biolite people haven’t been sitting around twiddling their thumbs since their Biolite Camp Stove was released. We quite liked it, and now they’ve just announced a portable grill is in the works and soon to be released. It looks like just the ticket for grilling fish or sausages or even hamburgers. Now I might just have to do a Biolite cooking review. No more information except the above photo, so stay tuned! [Via Biolite]
There are times in your life when you need a little (or a lot) of power. That’s OK if you are near a power outlet, but often you can be off the grid, perhaps on a hiking trail, a beach, being chased by the CIA, or possibly Mars. No matter where, it’s possible you’re going to have to make a call, or watch a video, and you’ll need power.
![Gomadic SunVolt Solar Charger – become a sun loving power ranger [Review]](https://www.redferret.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/gomadicsunvoltsolarcharger2.jpg)
At this time of year you’ll find a whole bunch of elves running around, tying up parcels and helping out in the frozen North. But one elf you’ll find in warmer climes has very little to do with children’s toys and everything to do with making transport a more ecologically friendly affair.
You really know things are weird when life mimics art mimics tech. So someone creates a brilliant invention back in the day called a calculator, we love them, use them to bits and then along come alternatives in the shape of handheld computers, tablets and mobile phones with calculator apps, so we switch. All very reasonable.
The 2012 Chevy Volt is charging ahead in the electrifying battle to become the #1 plug in hybrid. OK, so how cheesy an opening is that, but the reality is that for the first time since the horse drawn carriage, gasoline is slowly becoming more of an optional part of the personal transportation equation. At least that’s the way it seems right now…gas powered skateboards may change the balance once again if they get popular. But I digress.
![9 Months, 9000 miles with a 2012 Chevy Volt – mythbusting the amazing GM eco car [Review]](https://www.redferret.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/chevyvolt3.jpg)
A huge part of this planet exists without access to reliable electricity, which doesn’t just mean no access to computers and other tools, but a lack of even the most basic of necessities such as cheap lighting. Most of these places still rely on kerosene lamps, which are smelly, polluting and expensive to run. There are some superb initiatives happening around the world at the moment to solve the problem, and we think this new project could be a real…
