Google Earth Live: Helping Students

For most people Google Earth is just a fun gadget to hunt out your house or go and view the roofs of Taxi’s in the Big Apple, and maybe then use Google Street view to spy on people who were unexpectedly caught in odd situations by the Google Street View camera car, but it seems that this fantastic piece of software could actually be used for something much more worthwhile. Read more

Solar Powered Phone From Kenya’s Safaricom

A new eco friendly mobile phone is now available on by Kenya’s largest mobile operator Safaricom, the handset was developed by ZTE and Invitation and is made from recycled parts, not only this but it is also has a built-solar charger.

If you want to get hold of the handset it is currently selling for Ksh2,999 (Kenyan Shilling), what this is in USD is hard to say, however the main reason we are reporting the news is that this solar panel may be seen in more widely used handsets soon. Read more

Mercedes-Benz F-Cell Concept Roadster is the future

If you were asked what kind of vehicles we would be driving in the future, we all seem to have the same ideas, not so with Daimler’s trainees. They were asked to design a vehicle for the future, and the result is this Mercedes-Benz F-Cell Concept Roadster. Read more

ScottishPower tidal energy farm to power 40,000 homes

Global warming is a subject that is on all of our minds, and it is out constant hunger for electricity that is a major factor. The most common way for generating electricity is by burning coal at a power station, and as you know that releases harmful gases which causes global warming. Read more

Toyota plans solar-powered air conditioning in Prius hybrid

Back in May we reported that the Toyota Prius Hybrid had achieved over one million car sales, this was great news for global warming and today we have heard some more news about Toyota’s efforts in this area.

Toyota are planning to put solar-powered air conditioning in high-end Prius hybrid models, this new feature will show that the Prius is a car that wants to be good for the environment.

The third-generation Toyota Prius will launch in 2009 and Kyocera solar panels will be used to generate between two and five kilowatts of electricity.

While Toyota has not commented officially on this news, it is believed to be a solid rumor.

With oil prices rising we will all have to look towards cars that use less oil and give more kilometers per gallon, this is one reason why the sales of Prius have been increasing.

How have oil prices affected you and will you be looking towards hybrid cars in the near future?

Source: Read

Toyota Prius Hybrid Car sales hit over 1 million: Surely this eases global warming

The demand for hybrid cars are increasing worldwide and with the Toyota Prius gasoline/hybrid car hitting sales of over I million worldwide this surely has to ease global warming. The Toyota Prius Hybrid is definitely a winner and we can see sales keep on going, Toyota have said the figure of Prius sales so far is 1,028,000 last month when their sales rocked 67 percent amid record gas prices and that also claims that the cars have eased global warming by producing around about 4.5 million tons less C02 when compared with gasoline-powered vehicles in the same class.

Even though Toyota have impressive sales figures it is said that Hybrids are still pretty low at 2.3 percent of the U.S market, we all know that in time people will dump their high guzzling gas motors for hybrids, hybrid sales have in fact at the moment rose 38 percent last year even as overall vehicle sales fell and we know with gas prices rising to very high costs Toyota are indeed having troubles keeping up with demands for the Prius.

Buyers are in fact paying much more for the Toyota Prius because they are hard to get a hold of and are getting much harder to find in showrooms, John Hanson a spokesman for Toyota said “Right now, U.S. customers can get a Prius. Next month or the month after that, it’s tough to say.”

With supplies falling and high demands from customers Toyota has cut incentives and raised prices (Now we knew that was coming) and the Toyota Prius on an average costs $25,274 which has risen $869 from a year ago. It seems that the Prius is in high demand and that is without a doubt because it is an eco-friendly vehicle and we all know that customers are going down the Hybrid road, Toyota has expanded their line to include the Highlander and Camry. Toyota are going to unveil the next generation model of the Prius at the Detroit auto show in January and it will apparently be cleaner, bigger and much more fuel efficient, they are also developing a plug-in version that could be in showrooms by 2010. Oh just so you know they are going down the convertible line as well, but no word on this yet.

Source

Hydrogen Cars 40 Year Wait: President Bush and Arnold Schwarzenegger’s views

Both Arnold Schwarzenegger and President George W. Bush have something in common with some of the biggest automakers, they feel that the future is with hydrogen-powered fuel cell technology, as this kind of fuel produces zero emissions. However; with all things there is always a downside to something that looks to benefit and that is the fact many experts in the field believe that it will be more than 40 years before vehicles that run on hydrogen has a meaningful impact on the fight against global warming.

This does worry me as we just can’t wait that long as our environment needs to see changes long before that. The funny thing is Arnold Schwarzenegger backs hydrogen-powered fuel cell technology, but he still insists in driving around in a big Hummer, and then there is George Bush who did not want to sign up to the kyoto agreement. One why doesn’t Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger get himself a family salon that runs on clean diesel or a hybrid, and as for President Bush, it just seems too little too late.

I am all up for Hydrogen vehicles, but this kind of technology is seen as a long term solutions, there is so much more we can do that will see more instant results. One of the easiest ways to see quick results is by changing your driving styles, so no driving fast and breaking hard, and too make sure that you have the correct amount of air in your tires.

Source - Wired

How can we help the world water shortage, is the water really drying up?

Many people always ask “What is the key to world water shortage? “How can we help the world water shortage? And of course “Is the water really drying up?

These questions obviously are concerns all over the world and need answering, the main concerns of the world’s supply of precious drinking water is something we should be thinking about and that could technology really hold the key for solving this crisis.

With the population increasing and climate change and even waste in many developed countries is a proportion of what could cause concern for drinking water being limited, many countries have had the nightmare of flooding but this in fact does not mean we have more drinking water.

Technology could be a good start as part of a solution such as desalination plants, desalination plants would indeed take the sea water and then process it to remove the salt which we cannot obviously drink, and this is one idea that could help the water crisis. The only downside to this is that a lot of energy goes into this process plus the major factor being that is could be expensive and possibly even leading to further global warming.

We found this news via Sky News and after reading about it, got me thinking very hard about the future of our kids, I mean we probably will not get a major crisis for quite some time, but it will happen and that is fact unless something is done about it before it happens.

Another solution put forward is farmers should reduce the amount of water they use in farming, if crops were genetically modified this could indeed use less water.

There are indeed hi-tech solutions that we could put in our homes to reduce personal water consumption such as aerated shower heads, shower timers, fill the kettle with water for each cup only, low-flush toilets, all of these is a small proportion of what could help.

We would like everyone to have a read of WaterAid’s website because they and their partners use practical solutions to provide safe water, effective sanitation and hygiene education to the world’s poorest people and so much more.

So please answer these questions –
• Is the water really drying up?
• How can we help the world water shortage?

WaterAid is a site that we recommend everyone read

Source

Dirt Devil and Energy Star Partner: AccuCharge hand and stick vacuums

A label that consumers have come to trust when they look for major appliances, office equipment, home and commercial lighting products, home electronics, new homes and commercial industrial buildings now makes its debut in the vacuum cleaner aisle, thanks to Dirt Devil®. The first cordless vacuums to receive the ENERGY STAR® label are the Dirt Devil AccuCharge™ hand and stick vacuums.

Dirt Devil’s exclusive AccuCharge technology is featured in the company’s new hand and stick vac. Both products charge twice as fast, use 70 percent less energy and have extended battery life. All of this has earned them the coveted ENERGY STAR approval rating.

According to Doug Sandler, director of product development, the AccuCharge battery was designed around one simple concept – efficiency.

“Combining a high-efficiency power supply with an intelligent charger enabled us to achieve the 70 percent reduction in energy consumption. The AccuCharge battery features a charging adaptor that more efficiently converts AC power to the DC batteries. Its special circuitry constantly monitors the battery charge until the maximum voltage is reached so no power is wasted. When the battery is fully charged, the power is reduced to a trickle mode to maintain the vacuum’s charge and readiness.”

The combination of a high-efficiency power supply and an intelligent charger enables AccuCharge technology to preserve the life of the battery over time. With no constant flow of power, the battery does not degrade like it does in typical rechargeable products so the suction power and effective running time lasts longer.

Dirt Devil’s AccuCharge Cordless 15.6 Volt Hand Vac has a three year warranty and a Quick Flip® crevice tool on board for tight spots. The AccuCharge Cordless Hand Vac will be introduced to consumers in April with a suggested retail price of $44.99 at retailers nationwide.

Dirt Devil’s AccuCharge Cordless 15.6 Volt Stick Vac is designed for all surface cleaning. It features a rotating brush for carpet and a brushroll shut-off for safe bare floor cleaning. The stick vac is easy to maneuver and has a low profile nozzle for cleaning under furniture. The fold-away handle and charging stand makes it easy to store. The AccuCharge Cordless Stick Vac has a two year warranty. It will be introduced to consumers in June with a suggested retail price of $59.99 at retailers nationwide.

“With energy costs and global warming top-of-mind for consumers, Dirt Devil is committed to offering solutions that help consumers conserve energy, improve the quality of our environment while saving money and improving performance,” said Sandler. “Dirt Devil is proud to be the first in the floor care industry to have developed products that meet the selective requirements of the ENERGY STAR label.”

For more information or to purchase any of these products consumers can visit dirtdevil.com

The Delta 7 Sports Arantix Mountain Bike

With global warming and traffic on the increase, it may be worthwhile to think about purchasing a bike. Thinking that a Bike will be too heavy to carry around? Think again. The new Delta 7 Sports Arantix Mountain Bike has looked to Ancient Egypt in search for the answer to the extremely stong, light-weight mountain bike. Read more

Increased role Second Life is playing for governments worldwide

It’s really interesting to see the increased role Second Life is playing for governments worldwide, and here is another story that involves US Representative Edward Markey who was not able to attend the Bali United Nations climate change summit.

So he had a Second Life avatar modeled after him, Mashable reported Edward Markey told the audience “I have teleported here over the Internet” Read more

Santa Claus bored with reindeers: Now BMW 1-Series coupe is pulling his sleigh

Holidays are coming and it seems as if Santa Claus is moving with the times, as you can see by this advert Saint Nick has ditched his Read more

Richard Branson announces Virgin Atlantic to test biofuel on a 747 in 2008

Sir Richard Branson has announced that in 2007 he will use a Boeing 747 from his Virgin Atlantic fleet, to try out biofuel. The British billionaire hopes that his whole fleet will be using biofuels by the next Read more

Al Gore Has Won A Nobel Peace Prize

Al Gore, the former US Vice President turned environmental campaigner has won the Nobel Peace Prize. Gore was named joint winner of the coveted prize at a ceremony in Norway with the UN climate channel. Read more

Truck Driver Takes UK Government To Court Over ‘An Inconvenient Truth’

A truck driver has taken the British Government to court over a decision to send copies of former U.S Vice President Al Gore’s global warming film to secondary schools as part of its climate change campaign. Read more

Global Warming U.N. Meeting: world leaders, Schwarzenegger & former Vice President Gore

In my opinion global warming is happening and I find it hard to believe many people these days can deny this, and this Monday the world leaders are coming together in a U.N. meeting on global warming.

Former Vice President Al Gore and California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will be joining the world leaders Read more

Global Warming Alert: Arctic Sea Passage Melted

According to the European Space Agency, the route between Europe and Asia, that being the Arctic’s Northwest passage has opened up fully because of the Read more

Environment News: World may exceed dangerous global warming limit

On Tuesday there was a presentation of a new 5 year research program from the scientists at Britain’s MetOffice Hadley Centre saying that the world could possibly exceed a global warming limit which where the European Union calls it dangerous. Of course some are Read more

Fuel efficiency to be main focus at Frankfurt Motor Show

As we gear up for next week’s Frankfurt Motor Show, one of the main areas that will be focused on will be fuel efficiency. You will notice this as vehicles are getting Read more

Safeway Homes: Get Protection From Hurricanes

With global warming and climate change set to increase the number of tropical storms, and the severity of such storms, companies like Safeway Homes are a set ahead of the game by building houses that can withstand hurricane force winds.

Take a look at some of the special features that Safeway Homes can offer you in their houses Read more

Next Page »