Technology Madness

Earth hour day is here. Ideas in the Dark: March 28, 2009

Tomorrow (March 28,2009) is an earth hour day. People all over the world have been switching off lights for an hour to show concern at global warming. Earth Hour occurs at 8:30 pm on the last Saturday in March of every year. For Earth Hour 2009, 750 cities in 80 countries and counting have pledged to participate. Clearly the symbolic act of turning off our lights to show concern for our environment resonates deeply with people across the globe. Yet turning off our lights for one hour a year does not even put a dent in our energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. What is needed is a real, sustained change in the way that we live our life.

What I can do about it?

You can do something to reduce the energy consumption of your home PC by joining the Climate Savers Computing Initiative. Also, turn off your (non-emergency) home lights at 8.PM for 1 hour.

Suggestion to Google.com/Yahoo.com/AOL.com/Live.com:

Google.com/AOL.com or such major traffic website should blackout their home page everyday around 5.00 PM (office leaving time) for few minutes to remind people to turn off their office light and computer before they go home. Small things make a big difference.

Earth hour day video:

More information:

Climate Savers Computing Initiative
Earth Hour
Earth hour day wikipedia.org page
Follow Earth day Twitter message
WWF earth day information
Earth day Canada
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Earth Hour video
Take earth hour to earth day challenge

Earth Hour Global Social Media Profiles:
YouTube
MySpace
Twitter
Facebook Group
Facebook Fan Page
Flickr Fan Page
Bebo

Via [Official Google Blog: An hour for the Earth and Earth hour comes to America and Yahoo earth hour day news]

Architectural wonders: New view every day, Eco-friendly rotating Residential-Commercial tower

United Arab Emirate is gaining widespread global attention: Dubai is experiencing a construction boom, with new buildings going up at a pace that rivals China’s development. Dubai’s growth is exponentially impressive in last few years and its going to supply Architectural wonders in coming years. See Dubai’s wonders here and here.

However, growth and new construction comes with the side effect of pollution and carbon foot prints. But now things are changing, not only they construct with environmental friendly martial and follow safe-eco-practice in construction but continue to contribute the same forever (for building itself and the neighborhood.) Yes, there is new news from Fisher’s Dynamic Architecture firm. New build is going to be energy self-sufficient by sun and wind powered design.

The tower is going to be twirling around the tall shaft. Rotation of each building block around the shaft is going to contribute in energy production for the building and neighbors. Its construction is set to begin this month! The Dynamic Architecture building has been appropriately named Rotating Tower as the floors would be rotating around an inner-tall shaft. It will be continually in motion, changing shape and giving residents the ability to choose a new view at the touch of a button. Beyond doubt, every day is a new day! Guaranteed! The external view of the building would constantly change as each floor rotates separately giving a new view of the building as it turns. According to architect, David Fisher, the building is going to be strong and flexible enough to disaster like, earthquakes as each floor rotates separately.

Must see Youtube video: The first World Dynamic Architecture in DuBai project

Via [bdonline and AnkitSruti blog] and huffingtonpost.com at Dubai’s Skyscraper and 2Modern.com

Extra reading:
Architect David Fisher profile: here

Dubious Dubai Museum

Japan’s Plan For World’s Tallest Building

End of one more boring task - inflate your car tire

Tiers commonly leak slowly and unnoticeably. It’s very boring to visit gas station, almost every month, to inflate your car tire. Its also time consuming if you want to find a gas station which offers free compressed air to their customer. It is important to have your car tier inflated up to tire manufacturer’s recommendations. It improves gas mileage and tire longevity. Poor tire pressure costs the US an extra $3.7 billion in fuel annually. (source here: http://www.selfinflatingtire.com/index.html)

Latest automobile technology has an answer for the problem. Technology called “SIT” Self-inflating Tires.  SIT is a newly developed, very simple, inexpensive and reliable system for Self-inflating Tires.  SIT consisting of just two components: a peristaltic pump and a stop-valve that stops over-inflation. However, it is not as simple as it sounds. Brilliant design  of CODA DEVELOPMENT, Czech Republic works behind this break-through innovation.  

How it works:
SIT is an integral tire component that uses atmospheric air to automatically inflate the tire. As a main source of energy it uses only wheel rotation, so there is no compressor or similar additional device needed. The inflation capability doesn’t depend on the speed of the vehicle. It can be inflated with any speed. However, it can not inflate when car is not in motion. Principally, a round tube embedded in the tire’s sidewall is squeezed together at the bottom as the tire rolls, forcing air into the tire. Once it’s inflated to the stop value stops pressure - which can be mechanical — shuts off. That’s it.

Currently SIT is not in commercially production but they demonstrated SIT technology at SAE World Congress in April 2008.

Via [Code developmant]

Extra reading:

• Run-flat tire on Wikipedia
• Pirelli SWS
• Tweel on Wikipedia
• Tire inflation systems
• Peristaltic pump on Wikipedia
• Goodyear. “Running a tire 20 percent under inflated - only 5 to 7 pounds per square inch (psi) - can increase fuel consumption by 10 percent.”

Technorati Tags: Inflation, Peristaltic, Peristaltic Pump, Self Inflating TIRE, SIT, Tire, Automotive, Road Safety  

Del.icio.us Tags: Inflation, Peristaltic, Peristaltic Pump, Self Inflating TIRE, SIT, Tire, Automotive, Road Safety

Update (Aug 5, 2008): With reference to Obama and Mccain’s latest tug of war about tire pressure issue, (and read this too!) Obama or Maccain should include automatic self inflating tire technology in their energy plan and should promise to offer tax credit for installing SIT (self inflating tire) in your car tire. What do you think about it?

Conference Bike turns corporate meetings into a funride

I have seen many companies trying may weird type of things for team building events, ranging from group cooking class to wine/beer testing events. Recently I was in one of the boring party at local brewery. I also notice that less people are attending such company wide meeting at some boring place. Employee with children will attend if picnic is set up at corn field or apple picking farm.

To add a twist in the long conference party ideas, Conference Bike is nice idea for arranging conference. Especially when team members like to sweat a bit. The Dutch Bicycle Company has created a Conference Bike, which promises to be the sure-fire ice-breaker in corporate and/or social environment. (and corporate bosses and executive look like children in a park) CoBi-7 retails for $12,750 in the States while the 5-seater model sells for $8,750. The 400lb bike measures 2.5m L x 1.8m W x 1.4m H and can run upto 1o mph speed.

In case you’re wondering how this bike would be useful in scenarios other than a corporate set up, let me tell you, the two models of the bike, CoBi-5 (good for 5 persons) and CoBi-7 (good for 7 persons) are already being used to employees on the Amazon.com campus in California, Google.com campus in Mountain View CA, as a tour bike in Berlin, and as a corporate team-building tool in London and other major cities.

You tube video about Conference Bike:

Google Employee Riding Conference bike:

Via [Conference Bike and Seven-Person Conference Bicycle and cobi and trend watch and beyondsatire.us]

Extra reading: A Tasty Team Building Exercise

Technorati Tags: Conference Bike, CoBi-5 and CoBi-7, Eric Staller, environmentally-friendly vehicles, Lifestyle

Del.icio.us Tags: Conference Bike, CoBi-5 and CoBi-7, Eric Staller, environmentally-friendly vehicles, Lifestyle

Similar reading:

• BBQ-Donut: Innovative eco-friendly leisure water craft
• Topless meetings for team focus?
• 9 tips for running more productive meetings
• Email and meetings
• More Meeting Effectiveness Ideas
• Ultimate Meeting/Convention Knowledge/Tactics

Apple Macbook air - La-la-la-la-la-la-la- Yael Naim

You might have seen latest “Apple Macbook air” commercial. It seems “Macbook air” is less popular than its commercial. According to Yahoo buzz news, her (Yaël Naïm) buzz has scaled up 550% in the past week. Yaël Naïm, Israeli singer is the latest to sing sweet song for the company’s newest product – Apple Macbook air. The tune itself, “New Soul,” has hit the top 50,000 in Buzz terms, and more people are still seeking out what that “macbook air commercial song” (+117%) is. It seems New Soul created more buzz than product itself. No matter what, song is really sweet and beautiful. All credit goes to David Donatien, Yael Naim and band- http://yaelweb.com/ (and Apple too!)

Via [Yahoo buzz]

Links:
New Soul lyrics by Yael Naim

Yael Naim Band website Yael Naim On Wiki

Yael Naim On Myspace

New Soul CD on Amazon.com (opens in a new window)

Apple MacBook Air commercial

Introduction of the Apple MacBook Air (MacWorld 2008) - Part 1

Introduction of the Apple MacBook Air (MacWorld 2008) - Part 2

Just in case if you are interested, here is Walt Mossberg’s First Impressions of Apple’s MacBookAir: Link

Unboxing a MacBook Air

Related tags: mac apple osx software howto news ipod video design apple mac macbook macbookair laptop air hardware design review technology

Technorati Tags: mac, apple, osx, software, howto, news, ipod, video, design, apple, mac, macbook, macbookair, laptop air, hardware, design, review, technology  

Add to: | Technorati | Digg | del.icio.us | Yahoo | BlinkList | Spurl | reddit | Furl |

Handpresso - real coffee during your next excursion

Handpresso is your own handy/portable manual espresso maker that’ll press out some energy boosting brew in no time flat. Just add a finely ground coffee bean pod and hot water and in no time, enjoy fresh espresso coffee.

How does it work? Nothing is easier! Just pump the machine, add hot water from a kettle or a thermo insulated bottle and a coffee pod. Then, serve a coffee in your cup by pushing the button. Enjoy!

The video explains it all. A bit expensive though

iPhone - Pocket guitar

I just came across the iphone guitar and I think its cool! I don’t have iPhone yet but If you have an iPhone you can find out more on this here.

Here is someone playing it

Via [gizmodo] 

Asus Eee PC 701 News Video

the Asus Eee PC was one of a handful of small, inexpensive PCs that had tech types buzzing with anticipation. Here is the video review.

Video #1

Video #2

Via [ NotebookReview]

Apple leopard line is ridiculous

Drove by the Apple flag ship store on 5th Avenue in NYC last night.  At 8.00 PM there were still about 50 to 100 people on line in the pouring rain.  A little crazy but I guess some people have to be the first to get Leopard.

Video: In line to buy Leopard at the Roseville Apple store

Video: The Mac faithful line up for the official kick-off of the new Mac OS at the Apple Store in Northbrook, Illinois on Friday, October 26th, 2007.

Video:

This is the line right before 6 at the Apple Store in Columbia, MD

Video: This was the line for the release of Leopard at the Apple Store in Bluewater Shopping in the UK.

The week dollar must make it really, really cheap for Europeans and Brits to buy computers here, unpack them for the trip home, so they don’t have to claim them on customs forms, and claim they had them already when entering the USA if ever stopped at customs.

Via [Google Finance- AAPL and YouTube]

Smart Car by GmbH - DaimlerChrysler

The Smart car, manufactured by smart GmbH, a division of DaimlerChrysler, is the most fuel-efficient gas powered car on the road today, and is the third-most fuel efficient vehicle in the U.S, with hybrid vehicles holding the first two spots.  The smart car gets an estimated 40 - 50 miles per gallon, and is powered by a 3-cylinder gas engine.  The gas tank holds 8.67 gallons, and the vehicle possesses both an automatic or manual mode of operation.  At only 8.2 feet long, and weighing in at just 1,588 pounds, it is the smallest vehicle on the road today.  The vehicle comes with air, power windows, and driver and passenger airbags.

The Smart car is made out of a titanium egg shell that is designed to protect the passengers inside.  Still, it can be intimidating when moving at 70 miles an hour down the expressway.  Watch this (below) Smart Car crash test video and judge for yourself! This car coming to the U.S. early next year.

Smart Crash Test - video powered by Metacafe

via [here]