Other than coming in a "recyclable" package, there is nothing eco-friendly about this product that I can discern, yet it was sent to us, so I will review it.
On the plane, in the car, at the gym, in the kitchen, on the stroller... ANYWHERE!
Expands to fit iPhone, iPod touch, Droids and ALL OTHER SMARTPHONES
100% MONEY-BACK GUARANTEE! Made of 100% super strong Polycarbonate.
Folds up to fit into any small pocket... be entertained anywhere. Have fun!
I could see this being useful in the kitchen, as I often look up recipes on the Epicurious app.
Disclosure: The products described above were sent to us as free samples. Prior assurances as to the nature of the reviews, whether positive or negative, were not given. No financial payments were accepted in exchange for the reviews. The reviews reflect our honest, authentic opinions.
National Geographic Books Make Great Gifts: The Big Idea
National Geographic books are always well done, and of course, the imagery is spectacular. The Big Idea: How Breakthroughs of the Past Shape the Future is set up in a timeline to show the progression of "Big Ideas" through time and beyond.
The Big Ideas are:
Information & Communication
Health & Medicine
Physics & the Cosmos
Chemistry & Materials
Biology & Environment
Transportation & Space Exploration
From the Pythagorean theorem to DNA's double helix, from the discovery of microscopic life-forms to the theory of relativity--the big ideas of science and technology shape an era's worldview. Open this book, grasp the newest ideas from thought leaders of today, then spring off from them to move back through the past, one big idea at a time. Meet the people who gave birth to these ideas--and those who fought against them. Meet the MIT electrical engineer currently developing a way to turn on the lights cordlessly, then move back through Nikola Tesla's visionary concept of the wireless transfer of energy, Thomas Edison's groundbreaking work in developing a nationwide electrical grid, Ben Franklin's experiments to capture electricity, all the way back to ancient Greece, where Thales of Miletus described static electricity as a property of naturally occurring amber.
As with other National Geographic books we have reviewed, there is nothing eco-friendly about this book other than the work National Geographic does as a society. I would really like to see the company move towards using recycled materials in their books.
Disclosure: The products described above were sent to us as free samples. Prior assurances as to the nature of the reviews, whether positive or negative, were not given. No financial payments were accepted in exchange for the reviews. The reviews reflect our honest, authentic opinions.
GE: Energy Smart Lightbulbs from a Company Making Record Profits and Not Paying Taxes
We've come a long way when it comes to the energy we consume to light our homes. GE has been the leader in home appliances from the beginning. From Thomas Edison's first light bulb to today's CFLs and LEDs, GE is paving the way.
GE Lighting 74437 15-Watt energy smart CFL all glass light bulb, 60-Watt output, 1-Pack This bulb was made to look like a regular incandescent light, but uses a fraction of the electricity. Our compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs bring all the advantages of fluorescent lighting to regular incandescent sockets. They use up to 75-Percent less energy and last up to 10 times longer. This bulb has the same look and size as a standard incandescent light bulb, but has GE spiral bulb on the inside. The instant on feature allows it to perform similar to an incandescent. It is energy star compliant and RoHS compliant requiring it to contain lower mercury than before. It uses 73-Percent to 78-Percent less energy! This bulb will pay for itself with energy savings. It provides the same warm soft-white light and lasts 5 years (8,000 hours), 8 times longer than the standard incandescent equivalent.
This 9-watt GE energy smart LED is an A19 General Purpose Bulb. A19 is a Shape of light bulb that you see in most homes also known as a "Household light bulb". They're the most common bulbs in the world and never before has an LED A19 existed that actually sends light out in all directions. We have the solution! This bulb uses fantastic LED technology to ensure it will last longer than other bulbs you've seen. this bulb specifically will last 22 years based on normal 3/hour per day usage. Its rated at 25,000 hours and puts out 450 lumens. The instant full brightness doesn't need to warm up and makes you feel like you have a normal bulb in the socket. It has omni-directional light distribution. Color temperature of 3000K. RoHS compliant with a 10-year warranty.
I think the future of light bulbs are LEDs. Sure they cost a lot more now ($42 a bulb!), but the technology has really improved. The LED bulb we were sent is fabulous, lighting up in all directions as promised.
For those unaccustomed to the loopholes and shelters of the corporate tax code, GE's success at avoiding taxes is nothing short of extraordinary. The company, led by Immelt, earned $14.2 billion in profits in 2010, but it paid not a penny in taxes because the bulk of those profits, some $9 billion, were offshore. In fact, GE got a $3.2 billion tax benefit.
Disclosure: I was sent free samples of these products to review. No prior assurances were given as to whether the review be positive or negative.
If you have an Apple iPad 2 or iPhone, tree identification just got a lot easier. Developed by the University of Maryland, the Smithsonian Institution, and Columbia University, LeafSnap is quite handy if you are like me and are always trying to learn more about the plants that surround you. The Huffington Post reports:
Scientists have developed the first mobile app to identify plants by simply photographing a leaf. The free iPhone and iPad app, called Leafsnap, instantly searches a growing library of leaf images amassed by the Smithsonian Institution. In seconds, it returns a likely species name, high-resolution photographs and information on the tree's flowers, fruit, seeds and bark.
Users make the final identification and share their findings with the app's growing database to help map the population of trees one mobile phone at a time.
This app is an incredible resource that will continue to expand its database to all of North America!
Last year for Christmas, my daughter received a Barnes and Noble NOOK eBook Reader. She has read over a hundred books on her Nook. I wish I could say this has been a trouble free experience, but NOOK is not worth the money.
Ebook readers certainly are environmentally-friendly when you consider how much paper is saved; however, the electronic components and energy used in production do not balance out saved paper if the device is buggy and ultimately fails.
Our first Nook was a constant source of frustration. Regularly books would not open and have to be sideloaded. A few times the device simply got stuck and had to be restored to factory defaults. Software updates are usually buggy and do not solve the problems. Then after eight months, our Nook got a crack in the outer bevel case. Barnes and Noble shipped us a new one. Five months later, the e-ink screen has failed on the replacement device.
Our warranty has expired just days ago, and Barnes and Noble will do nothing for us. We are left with a worthless device. It has been nothing but trouble from the beginning, when you had to go to a store to actually register and use the device. I am extremely disappointed with Nook and Barnes and Noble. I will no longer support this bookstore chain. A little bit of internet research and you will discover how buggy these devices are.
I will not be buying a replacement device. The Nook is slow, and even though you get used to sideloading, it isn't always possible when traveling. Looks like a Kindle is in our future, now that we are hooked on eReaders.
Wooden iPhone and iPod Accessories from Renewable Materials
Modern culture is addicted to their electronic gizmos that are upgraded often and accessorized with products made from non-renewables. iWave Audio has created a Grass Roots Collection made from renewable materials like recycled wood.
I've been enviously looking at wooden iPhone cases, but I questioned their durability. Unfortunately, my concerns were valid when testing out iWave's wooden case. When placed on my phone, I noticed there was a little crack that had formed on the top of the case. When I tried removing the case, the whole thing broke into three pieces. I was sorely disappointed. Other wooded iPhone cases may be stronger, but I am not tempted to waste money and try one after this experience. I truly am saddened, as I liked the way my phone looked in the case.
Streetcars Make a Come Back and Put Americans Back to Work
Once upon a time, every major American city had streetcars. As American's love of the automobile blossomed and families moved to suburbs, cities pulled up streetcar tracks to make room for cars. Fortunately, streetcars are making a comeback, and one American company is leading the way.
The Apollo Alliance has identified United Streetcar, the only manufacturer of modern streetcars in the United States, as a having the "Right Stuff":
Chandra Brown, the president of United Streetcar, literally brought back the streetcar industry to the United States after a hiatus of more than 58 years. Streetcars are now being made in America again, by union workers, and are providing a clean transportation alternative to automobiles in more and more U.S. cities. United Streetcar exceeds federal "Buy America" requirements, with 70 percent of component parts coming from more than 20 different states. At the Monday night event, Brown said that her company is competing against European companies for a contract to build streetcars for Washington, DC, and that there is currently no incentive for our nation's capital to select a company that employs American workers.
Research Develop Microscopic Solar Cells Can Self Repair
I always like it when things fix themselves. From my internet to my car, I am always hoping that when things go wrong, they will simply correct themselves. Now, scientists have developed a tiny solar cell that can do just that.
iPhone App Drip Detective Helps You Calculate Water Waste From Drips and Leaks
Ever wonder how much water you are really wasting from the leaky faucet? Drip Detective is a new iPhone or iPod touch that lets you calculate exactly how much water is wasted. Calculations are made by either measuring volume or tapping the screen each time a drip falls from your leak.
Leaks are extremely annoying and usually fixed on the indoors, but outdoor water fixtures are a different story. We have a leaky one, and even though it is minor, it is amazing to see how much water is wasted over a day, week, month, or year.
Disclosure: I was sent free samples of these products to review. No prior assurances were given as to whether the review be positive or negative.
Biofuels have been criticized for taking away agricultural food production land, but Scottish researchers have found one solution using the by-products of whiskey. Care2 reports:
Scotland produces large quantities of whisky, enough that there are 1,600 million liters of pot ale and 187,000 tons of draff left over. These waste products can now be used to create biobutanol, which is said to produce 30 percent more power than ethanol. The university has filed a patent for the new biofuel and envisions a commercial operation to produce and sell it. Biobutanol can be used in ordinary cars, and requires no adaptions. The plan is to have the new biofuel available at petrol pumps already in use. Presumably it would be blended with conventional petroleum fuel to reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. It could also be offered in a pure form.
neato provides a simple yet effective solution for display cleaning. neato does not require the use of any solvents that could potentially damage the screen's anti-reflective coating. Its effectiveness lies in the fact that Neato is comprised of Terahedron, known for its superior cleaning capabilities and microfiber filaments that will not scratch your display. The other component of neato is GeckoPad, a patented elastomer that can adhere to a wide variety of surfaces. Since GeckoPad is not a glue, neato can be attached and removed repeatedly without leaving any residue. This comes in handy for sticking neato to the sides or back of the display for convenient access. Both components of neato are hand-washable and renewable. With proper care, neato can be reused countless number of times, making it the most effective and eco-friendly screen cleaner on the market today.
The grey pad is used for wiping dust particles off your screen, then the black one removes smudges. The grey pad worked well, but the black one did not get all of the marks off of the screen, although it got the majority of them.
Moshi uses soy inks on its packaging and all of the materials are recyclable. It would be better if the packaging was made from recycled materials.
Lemur Vehicle Monitors EconoDriver is a wireless vehicle monitor that provides real-time driving feedback to help drivers save money spent on fuel. Reports cost per trip in dollars and cents. Reports distance traveled. Reports wasted fuel in dollars and cents. Provides a green rating based on your style of driving, the more leaves you get the better driver you are. Also displays your fuel economy in miles per dollar so you know how far you can drive on one dollar. Plus more cool features. Simple self install. Plug and play on any vehicle made since 1996.
I have not personally tried this gadget, but it sounds really cool. You could learn a lot from your keychain that could change your driving habits to be more fuel efficient...just don't get into an accident because you are staring at it!
Have you ever dreamed of having your own personal satellite orbiting the earth? Now's your chance. For $8000, Interorbital will sell you:
A TubeSat is designed to function as a Basic Satellite Bus or as a simple stand-alone satellite. Each TubeSat kit includes the satellite's structural components, printed circuit board (PCB) Gerber Files, electronic components, solar cells, batteries, transceiver, antennas, microcomputer, and the required programming tools. With these components alone, the builder can construct a satellite that puts out enough power to be picked up on the ground by a hand-held amateur radio receiver. Simple applications include broadcasting a repeating message from orbit or programming the satellite to function as a private orbital amateur radio relay station. These are just two examples. The TubeSat also allows the builder to add his or her own experiment or function to the basic TubeSat Kit. Examples of add-on experiments or applications include the following:
▼ Earth-from-space video imaging
▼ Earth magnetic field measurement
▼ Satellite orientation detection (horizon sensor, gyros, accelerometers, etc.)
▼ Orbital environment measurements (temperature, pressure, radiation, etc.)
▼ On-orbit hardware and software component testing (microprocessors, etc.)
▼ Tracking migratory animals from orbit
▼ Testing satellite stabilization methods
▼ Biological experiments
▼ On-orbit advertising
▼ Private e-mail
▼ Space art
▼ Space burials
Do we really need more space junk? Already, old satellites have turned into debris that is "dangerous" and could potentially impact other satellites. Do we really need a bunch of small personal satellites in outer space too?
So far, most interest in the personal satellites has come from universities and hobbyists.
Zhip: Hands Free Stand for Your iPhone
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