Category: News

Geothermal energy production goes greener, with the use of a novel drill recently developed. Funded by Google.org, Potter Drill is busy developing the technology required to produce geothermal energy, harvested by capturing energy from hot rocks deep in the earth. Water is pumped deep into the earth, causing rock fractures, heating up the water, which is then pumped up and powers up turbines.

The drill is inspired by a jet engine, using super heated water to carve into rock, making harvesting geothermal energy a tad cleaner. Environmentalists have also been eagerly awaiting the harvest and use of geothermal energy on a larger scale than it is today. A clean and carbon free way to energy production, geothermal energy can help satisfy the power needs of the world today to quite an extent. Projects like these have already sprung up in Austria, Iceland and Germany, and are generating a whole load of green energy, from the earth’s core. Our planet earth does have a green heart after all!

[Guardian]

Na última quarta-feira, dia 19, a Honda demonstrou ainda não estar confiante quanto ao sucesso dos carros elétricos, que estão começando a invadir o mercado automotivo cada vez mais. Especialmente depois de ter encerrado as vendas do EV Plus, que era um carro elétrico. O chefe de pesquisas da empresa, Tomohiko Kawanabe, diz o seguinte:

“Ainda não temos confiança o suficiente neste tipo de veículo. Não sabemos se os consumidores vão aceitar as desvantagens de ter uma baixa autonomia e o tempo necessário para recarregar as baterias”.

Outras montadoras concorrentes, como a Nissan, já não se mostram tão pessimistas a respeito. A empresa acredita que os carros elétricos representem 10% do mercado mundial de automóveis novos até o ano de 2020. Kawanabe, porém, diz que a Honda está realizando várias pesquisas com carros elétricos, mas que informações não podem ser reveladas.

Via | Quatro Rodas

The Atlantic hurricane season begins June 1, and forecasts suggest an above average year. And as we all know, Atlantic hurricanes are deadliest when they get into the warm Gulf of Mexico. It is almost like a hurricane jumping on a trampoline. They can go from Category 1 to Category 5 in 24 hours in such a favorable environment. But this year, as we also know, there is something different about the Gulf. It is full of oil. What are the implications of this fact for hurricanes? And conversely, what might a powerful hurricane do to the oil spill if it were to run across it? This is a topic I’ve been thinking about, and I don’t have definitive answers yet. I’d like to do more research and interview some experts–but for now, let’s take a rough and dirty approach to the issue, based on what is already out there. And let’s tackle the first question first: What would an oil slick do to a hurricane? According to storm ace Jeff Masters, the answer is not very much. Here’s what Masters is thinking. It’s certainly true that oil on the surface of the ocean could inhibit a hurricane’s access to its fuel source–the warm seawater …

Baby sandwich.

Eco Factor: Sustainable house design with solar canopy to power a series of desalination fields

American firm Zellnerplus’ ingenious and futuristic thinking showed it the way to bagging the second spot at the Fort Tilden Field House Competition. The concept proposal for the Fort Tilden Field House located on a former military site in New York is an exploration of the unformulated edge between landscape urbanism and ecological conservation. The idea is to power a series of desalination fields using a huge solar field.

(more…)

HP has never really thought of cow manure and their data centers at the same time before. The guys there came up with now to combine manure and the heat produced by data centers to create an economically and environmentally sustainable operation. 10,000 dairy cows in a farm, answering natures call, could help fulfill the power requirements of a 1-megawatt (MW) data center, with additional power to use on the farm too. The heat produced by the data centers can then be used to help with the anaerobic digestion of animal waste. A process like this produces methane, which can then be used to power up the data center.

A cow produces 20 metric tons of manure per year, and 55 kg in a day, enough to generate 3.0 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electrical energy. A farm with 10,000 cows producing manure is sure to power up a data center in future.

[HP]

Solar power is slowly but surely invading our lives, for a better future. It’s now toys that go solar powered, instead of draining batteries. The sun is ever generous and has been shining down on us for as long as humankind can remember. It was until a few decades ago that we learnt the use of solar power. And it’s time that we use it to power up our lives. Your kid will grow up to be a solar powered genius using toys like the T3 robot at a tender age. Get a hold of this. This solar robot is super cool and is something no kid, no matter how demanding, would ever get bored of. The robot can transform into two more shapes, a tank and a scorpion, and then back on its two feet.

Also, to put it together, no glue is required, keeping sticking problems at bay. And just incase the sun doesn’t show, you can simply expose it to a 50 halogen bulb to power up. Your child can learn the green way for just £13 ($18.6).

[Red5]

So famous cyclist Floyd Landis admints that he has been using performance enhancing drugs.

After winning the 2006 Tour de France he now is also accusing his team mate Lance Armstrong to also have used performance enhancing drugs to win his seven titles in Tour de France. Landis admitted to ESPN to have used EPO, accompanied with blood transfusions with female hormones, his performance levels greatly improved.

Floyed Landis has been sending a range of e-mails to cycling officials explaining the drug use, together with some other news outlets. “I want to clear my conscience,” Landis told ESPN.

“I don’t want to be part of the problem anymore.”

“I don’t feel guilty at all about having doped. “I did what I did because that’s what we (cyclists) did and it was a choice I had to make after 10 years or 12 years of hard work to get there; and that was a decision I had to make to make the next step. My choices were, do it and see if I can win, or don’t do it and I tell people I just don’t want to do that, and I decided to do it.”

On the other hand Landis told ESPN that he had no evidence to prove most of what he is claiming.

Related posts:

1. Floyd Landis admitted doping and accuses Armstrong
2. Rookie Of The Year Brian Cushing Positive For Performance Enhancing Drugs
3. Say goodbye now to Insomnia!

Responding to the Conservative/Liberal Democrat coalition’s Programme for Government, Kirsty Hughes, Oxfam Head of Policy, said:

Robin Hood Tax 

“The promise to tax banks is welcome. But the new government has not yet caught up with the public’s desire to see banks pay back the true cost of the economic crisis and protect poor people at home and abroad.

“A levy is not a Robin Hood tax – it is not even as ambitious as the IMF’s proposal for a FAT tax on banks. With the new government strapped for cash, a Robin Hood Tax could help prevent damaging spending cuts and provide much needed funds to tackle climate change.”

Climate change

“Oxfam welcomes the new government’s commitment to tackling global warming, but the fight against climate change is one that the UK cannot win alone. A global deal needs to be fair if it is to be workable.

“David Cameron and Nick Clegg should take the earliest opportunity to make clear that funds provided by the UK to help poor counties cope with climate change will be additional to aid promises.”

Aid

“David Cameron and Nick Clegg pledge to enshrine the UK’s aid promises in law shows the UK’s commitment to helping the world’s poorest in difficult economic times.

“Oxfam is delighted that the Department for International Development will remain independent. Keeping poverty reduction as its primary focus – rather than national security or short term national interest – is the best way to achieve value for money for the British taxpayer.”

Online store to purchase applications for Apple’s iPad is already on outside of the United States. Members from United Kingdom, Belgium, Spain, Israel, France, Germany and New Zealand can buy directly applications for their iPad using their iTunes account. Apple is advancing to the international launch of the Apple Tablet is going to be available in Europe starting 28 May.

Apple has begun to turn on the access to iPad App Store from outside the United States, for owners of one of these Tablet PCs, which although it has not officially released in other areas it has managed to cross the border.

Still lack access to the purchase of iBooks and iWorks applications, but it seems that everything will be ready for the International iPad release (it is official), which in Europe is scheduled for May 28.

Related posts:

1. Apple iPad: Demand Exceeds Supply
2. First day iPad sales exceed 300.000
3. A million iPads: Sold!

It won’t be long before BBGeeks turns three years old. In those three years we’ve changed a lot, but all along the way we’ve shared tips and tricks for better using your BlackBerry. In the coming weeks and months we plan to revisit a number of tips from our fledgling days. Instead of just reprinting them, though, we’ll expand on them a bit. For instance, take this quick tip from back in 2008: BlackBerry browser shortcuts. We’ve done a number of shortcuts quick tips, and this was among the first. The full list after the jump, with a bonus section: how to view and copy web addresses in your browser.

(more…)

Valerie Bertinelli is engaged! The former One Day at a Time star, now 50, and her boyfriend of nearly six years — Tom Vitale — will be married in a ceremony set for later this year.

“After Ed (ex-husband Eddie Van Halen) and I separated, I thought, ‘I’ll finish raising my son, and I’ll go away, have about 40 cats, and just get nice and fat.’ I thought I would be alone for the rest of my life, because I didn’t want the responsibility. Relationships are too hard.”

“We’d talked about getting married,” Bertinelli tells the July/August issue of AARP The Magazine. “But I was still shocked. It was sweet when he asked me, because he was so scared. I was like, ‘Are you kidding me?’”

The slimmed-down Jenny Craig spokesmodel is letting Tom plan the nuptials, which are set for this fall.

“He already knows the different kinds of bells he wants to go off during the ceremony,” she says.
There’s more on Val’s upcoming wedding in the new issue of AARP The Magazine, on newsstands May 24.

Check out Valerie on the new TV Land sitcom Hot In Cleveland, premiering next month.

Castor beans and solar panels have had nothing to do with each other, until now. A firm known as BioSolar from California decided to unite the two for saving costs. Using a protective back-sheet for the solar panels, the installation costs of solar panels dropped low, taken that the sheet was made mainly from castor bean resin and is cheaper than the usual back-sheets. The ingredient, known as polyamide resin is made from castor beans.

A whole lot of companies out there are working on increasing efficiency of solar panels and solar technology. The cost too is increasing gradually. Companies like BioSolar discreetly are coming up with ways to help lower the costs of installing solar technology in our homes and the place we work, for a greener future with easy access to green energy.

[Cleantechnica]

GM’s new electric car, Chevy Volt’s OnStar system is in the works to get several Android Apps infused. GM is negotiating a telematics system with Google that will do things like allows owners to open, start and/or adjust their cars and trucks, get electric charge levels; plus locate their vehicle via phone. More is to be revealed this week at Google I/O developers conference.

Mid Europa Partners is considering other investments in east European solar and wind companies, Stefan Tzvetkov, a  London-based director with the private equity fund, tells G.E.R.

With the European Union seeking to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 20 percent over the next decade from 1990 levels, (there’s even talk to cut emissions by 30 percent), demand for green power in eastern Europe is poised for growth.

Tzvetkov declined to say how much his firm could invest in greentech over the next three – to – five years,  but highlights that Mid Europa investments typically average  €100 – to – €120 million, ($127 million – to – $152.3 million),  slightly higher than what it put into Czech solar power developer Energy 21. There are no plans to raise a dedicated green fund, adds Tzvetkov.

Earlier this week Mid Europa invested €60 million in Czech solar power developer Energy 21. Tzvetkov says its equity stake in the company is “substantive enough for us to have a say in the company’s short, medium and long-term strategy.” Given certain project development deadlines are met, Mid Europa could increase its equity stake in the company.

Confirming what was probably the least-well-kept secret in Detroit, General Motors said today that it plans to produce a high-performance version of the Regal GS. The Regal GS unveiled earlier this year at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit was labeled a concept car – but the extensive engineering that went into it clearly indicated GM’s plans for official production.

GM vice chairman Tom Stephens confirmed to the Detroit News that the Regal GS has been green lighted for production, although he didn’t give an anticipated on sale date or any hint about volume.

Stephens also did not indicate which features of the virtually production-ready Regal GS concept would make production.

Leftlane reported late last year that there was a possibility of a high-performance Buick Regal coming for U.S. consumption, and now it appears that Buick is very close to making that a reality. Although based heavily on the Opel Insignia OPC, the Regal GS features a unique powertrain tailored to the North American market.

The Buick Regal GS concept car features a 255 horsepower, 295 lb-ft. of torque, direct-injected, turbocharged 2.0-liter Ecotec engine mated to a six-speed manual transmission that distributes its power to all four wheels through an adaptive all-wheel-drive system. If that wasn’t enough, the GS also features an electronic limited-slip rear differential, a lowered suspension, 20-inch forged aluminum wheels, performance tires, massive Brembo brakes, sport steering wheel and pedals and Recaro racing-style seats.

“We designed the Regal GS to explore the appeal of a high-performance variant of the Regal,” said Craig Bierley, product marketing director for Buick. “Like the Regal, the Regal GS is based on the award-winning Opel Insignia, and we believe it will reinvigorate Buick’s storied Gran Sport legacy.”

Inside, the Regal GS varies from the standard Regal by featuring a completely jet black interior extending all the way up the pillars and into the headliner. There is also a sport shifter for the six-speed manual transmission and a suede-covered, flat-bottom steering wheel like those used in international racing series. The instrument panel displays in ice blue whenever the driver engages the sport mode of the Interactive Drive Control System (IDCS).

“The idea behind the Regal GS was taking the production model in a more aggressive direction to appeal to performance enthusiasts,” said John Cafaro, Buick design director. “But along with its aggressive stance, there’s sophisticated style in the design that complements the driving experience.”

The Buick Regal GS is expected to accelerate from 0-60 mph in under six seconds.

References
1.’GM to make…’ view

   

Source: Leftlane

A few months back, President Obama publicly stood behind ACTA despite tons of concerns about it from the public. It’s disappointing that as more and more concerns and problems with ACTA have been highlighted, Obama has not reconsidered. He still seems to be taking the position that “more copyright must be good, and ACTA therefore is good.” That’s a naive position. The group Open ACTA points us to a statement made by Obama in Mexico, concerning better trade relations with Mexico, where he again insists that ACTA is a key part of better trade relations:

Innovation and investment in technology and human capital are keys to sustained economic growth and competitiveness in both Mexico and the United States. The protection of intellectual property rights is essential to promote such innovation and investment. With this in mind, the Presidents charged their administrations to work together to formalize and expand the efforts of the existing bilateral Intellectual Property Rights Working Group. These efforts will include industry training (including of small and medium size enterprises); work between Mexican Institute of Industrial Property (IMPI) and the United States Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) to streamline patent reviews; and collaboration, training and increased intelligence sharing among law enforcement agencies to enforce intellectual property rights more effectively. The Presidents also reaffirmed their commitment to the negotiation of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement and charged their administrations to conclude these negotiations soon.

But, this blind assertion that stricter copyright enforcement without key exceptions and consumer protections that actually contribute more value to the economy than copyright restrictions, isn’t just wrong, it goes against the very purpose of copyright law.

Hephaestus points us to a submission to the Australian government, by the Australian Digital Alliance, that does a great job highlighting the negative impact of ACTA (pdf) and how it goes against basic copyright law:

“The text of ACTA does not reflect one of the most important objectives of copyright — to ensure access to information for the benefit of society. Protecting creators to encourage continued innovation is only one half of the copyright equation, ACTA fails to recognise the dual purpose of copyright.”

The whole submission is worth reading, as it highlights all sorts of serious issues with ACTA and the impact it would have:

ACTA might have a negative impact on individuals as Internet citizens and as consumers of digital
technologies because some of its requirements go beyond Australian law. ACTA will facilitate
excessive damages payouts by mandating the controversial ‘lost sale analysis’ for the assessment
of damages and encouraging punitive style statutory damages that set arbitrary amounts for
infringement. ACTA will also broaden the scope of commercial scale infringement to criminalise
purely private acts that occur in the homes of some Australians….

ACTA might have a negative impact on intermediaries that will damage Australia’s digital economy
by diminishing Internet innovation, the free flow of information and legitimate commerce. ACTA
provides for the unqualified award of injunctions against intermediaries, which creates new rights
with significant potential for abuse and cost implications for ISPs. ACTA defines where third party
liability will be imposed, which is a highly controversial issue that requires the flexibility of being
dealt with at a domestic level. ACTA will burden intermediaries with more onerous requirements for
safe harbour protection that may encourage three strikes.

What’s most frustrating about all of this is that it really does appear that many ACTA supporters are simply going by the boilerplate myth that “stronger copyright protection” is “good for society,” without ever once bothering to understand the details and why such a statement isn’t just wrong, but dangerous.

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You might have noticed your little goldfish, swimming round in endless circles, all day long. Schooling fish in the ocean do just the same, but a few hundreds do the rounds together. So what has a few hundred schooling fish moving round in circles and wind energy have in common? A motion that could enable us to harvest 10 times more energy using wind turbines. Researches at California Institute of Technology (CalTech) have realized that the motion of schooling fish if used in vertical axis wind turbines could increase energy production, 10 times more, in the same amount of space taken. Wind farms are space hungry, and a lack of space proves to be a huge hurdle.

Turbines placed too close lose efficiency because of the vortexes created by the turning blades. So, vertical axis turbines prove to be a much better alternative to the wind turbines we have today. Who knew fish moving round in circles could inspire with energy production!

[Treehugger]

Thurs May 20th 2010
3:15am

We left the hotel in Dubai at 12am local time to catch our 3:30am flight to Kabul.

Looking around the gate, the people waiting to board reminded me of the crowd I’d gotten used to seeing on the flight from Amman to Baghdad: about half locals… the rest western journalists, contractors and private security.

On the bus that took us to our plane, a young woman struck up a conversation with me.

“First time to Kabul?” she asked, and guessed I was “with the news.”

31-year-old Rona is an Afghanistan native who is now living in Sydney, Australia. She and her mother, who spoke no English but flashed me wide smiles, told me they were eager to see their family, especially after the car bomb that killed 18 people in Kabul just a couple of days ago.

On the plane, Rona came to visit me at my seat, and told me more about her past, present, and hopes for the future.

Her family fled Kabul in 1998 because of the Taliban.
She told me about the day her mother and father packed up their nine children and ran from the country, taking the family first to Iran.

Rona left Kabul with just the clothes on her back. Her parents locked up the house with everything they owned inside. Rona says her mother cried as they shut the door, and didn’t stop crying for their first six months in Tehran. The family moved to Australia 5 years ago after the Red Cross helped them get visas.

Rona and her family have come back to Afghanistan to visit several times since leaving 12 years ago. Rona remarked upon how dangerous her home country is right now, saying she expects it to become more dangerous over the next year. But she’s not sticking around to find out.

After this brief visit, Rona is going back to Australia where her fiance will soon join her.

Her fiance is her 20-year-old first cousin, but the marriage was not arranged. He pursued her on one of her previous visits home. But Rona fears all he wants is an Australian visa. She has friends who she says were wooed into marriage, only to be left by their husbands a few days after the wedding. Despite this, Rona did her hair and make-up on the plane in preparation of seeing her fiance at the airport. Her family is encouraging her to marry him because it would get another member of the family out of Afghanistan. In Australia, Rona is studying to be a nurse but isn’t sure if she will ever work as one. She mainly hopes to settle down with her husband and start a family.

On the ground, I saw several men approach Rona and her mother, but I couldn’t tell which one was her fiance.

I caught Rona’s eye so I walked over, hugged her and gave her my email. As I was walking away, I heard her yell something about two weddings and coming to Australia. I think I might just get an invitation.

Tuesday, May 19th 2010
6:30am local Dubai
11:30pm eastern

I’ve been traveling 12 hours so far. But the journey has just begun.

It could take us 4 days to get to final destination: a forward operating base outside a Taliban held town in the southern part of Helmand Province.

That’s where the marines we met at Twenty-nine Palms, the 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion are set up.

Right now I am flying from JFK to Dubai, experiencing a sort a decadence I don’t experience in my day to day life and certainly will not experience once on the ground in Afghanistan.

We have hot food, fruit, champagne and coffee… And widescreen TVs overloaded with movies, music and television choices. I’m listening to calming sounds of whales and dolphins as I read up on the situation in Afghanistan.

Only days to go and the next American Idol will be crowned next week – battle between Lee DeWyze and Cystal Bowersox. While it is just the beginning of an Idol’s dream, it is Simon Cowell’s time to leave American Idol. Cowell, who is known for his often straighforward and nasty remarks, will bid farewell to the show next week. His take on Lee Dewyze’s performance of Hallelujah shows how much he can influence the talents and the American audience for that matter in choosing the next big winner.

“Going back to Hollywood week, he ripped me apart. I took everything he said into consideration as time went by. I’m glad he sees a genuine person in me,” remarked Dewyze. Cowell showed his side of being able to put across what Idol talents are made of.

His leaving meant a lot. “Simon’s departure is the end of an era on ‘Idol.’ Everybody knows the show is going to lose something big and irreplaceable when he goes,” commented Todd Gold.

Karen DioGuardi described him to have a lot of conviction and does not care what other people say besides the British accent and expressions his known for.

It may be necessary that Cowell be replaced in the Idol but it will be difficult to find someone of equal caliber.

Cowell is listed as the most influential person in reality television in 2009.

Related posts:

1. Say ‘Hallelujah’ to Lee Dewyze
2. Thoughts On Aaron Kelly Being Eliminated On American Idol
3. Watch Lee Dewyze “Hallelujah” video