Tag Archives: energy

Scientists using NASA's orbital Fermi Gamma-ray Telescope find gamma rays and antimatter streaming out of thunderstorms into Earth's upper atmosphere.

We’ve seen solar-powered laptop cases and even a crazy Apple patent that suggested sun powered back lighting, but this is a concept that could change computing as we know it. The “IMEC meets Howest” is claimed to be the first laptop which relies completely on the power of the sun. Energized by two solar panels, no electricity source is needed ...

When you think about batteries, two things come to mind; sitting out in the cold, waiting for your car batteries to be jumped, and the clunky lithium-ion batteries we’ve come to know and love as the life force of our gadgets. Research funded by DARPA is pushing the limits of battery technology in an effort to create the smallest batteries ...

Set the lasers for consume. According to the Living Planet Report, if humans maintain their rate of resource consumption, we’ll need the capacity of two Earths by the year 2030. The report states that human demands on natural resources have doubled in under 50 years, far outpacing what the Earth can provide. In fact, if everyone on Earth today lived ...

Vienna designers Mischer�Traxler, also of Automatic Cake Decorator fame, used 700 used Nespresso coffee capsules, coffee grounds, strips of copper and salt water to create these coffee powered batteries. The batteries were used to power clocks at the 2010 Vienna Design Week. Six of the batteries connected together are enough to power a tiny clock. The whole collection of batteries ...

Wind turbines are a great and relatively cheap source of alternative energy, but some people are just not willing to give up their pristine landscape for a grid of wind turbines, even though I think they look pretty damn gorgeous personally. Others worry about the low-frequency vibrations the turbines emit. Whatever reasons wind turbines might negatively affect the populace, Atelier ...

NASA is more than a bunch of dorks launching satellites and Mars rovers. Now the government space agency is challenging Gatorade and Powerade by unveiling a new sports drink that’s appropriately titled “The Right Stuff.” It promises serious hydration, greater endurance and superior performance. Hey, it beats drinking recycled urine. Says NASA: The novel electrolyte formula contains a specific ratio ...

It’s late at night and your World of Warcraft raid just started. You’re tired and know the only way you’re getting those sweet, sweet epics is to gulp caffeine until your stomach hurts. Instead of reaching for the standard fare, like Red Bull, why not give Pepsi a try? I’m not talking about your standard Pepsi here, I’m talking about ...

That’s right. The next time you go to the bar and order a tall, cold Sierra Nevada (sponsor us!), drink it knowing that it’ll not only get you drunk but also that your efforts are not in vain. The California-based brewing company unveiled an initiative to convert beer waste into ethanol that can be used to power certain vehicles. Yeast, ...

So this isn’t really anything extravagant, but sometimes the best gadgets are the ones that operate in a simple fashion. This AM/FM radio has a bit of a DIY look with the old-school silver button on the top and the solar panel feeding it energy. There’s also a hand crank in case you live in Seattle or Alaska. It can’t ...