By R.J. Huneke | Feb 4, 2012
The Changers Starter Kit provides technophiles with every possible connection to charge super gadgets galore via the sun!
The camping trip always looms large as a battery-sucking deterrent. I’ve personally had friends running parked cars for hours just to keep their phones alive and stay on the connected Facebook grid.
A responsible human being will no doubt already have jumped on board with eco-friendly products and companies, like Apple – which went from being notoriously bad to one of the greenest and conscientious producers of electronics in the twenty-first century, and all of their batteries last a heck of a lot longer than anyone’s.
What else can the consumer do to enjoy the perks of reading the next Neil Gaiman page-turner on their Nook tablet, no matter the circumstance and lack of a wall outlet?
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By Jasmine | Jan 26, 2012
One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. This statement is the basis of Nemo Gould‘s various kinetic sculptures. He is able to create amazing sculptures and scenery by collecting found materials.
The sculptures bring together tossed items that most of us might not glance at twice and creates something entirely new and entertaining. While much of Gould’s sculptures don’t move, there are some that incorporate the use of motors to create a very cool diorama.
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SolarFocus, makers of flexible solar chargers for mobile devices of all types, will be debuting the first solar powered Kindle cover at CES this week.
The SolarKindle cover takes the already paperless green nature of the Kindle to the next level by providing up to 3 months of unplugged use with just a “normal sunlight environment.”
Charging times do vary depending on the weather but, the guys at SolarFocus say one hour of charge time in direct sunlight can provide almost three days of reading time.
After charging the on-board e-reader, the SolarKindle automatically switches over to charge a built-in 1500 mA battery used to power the swing out LED reading light and provide extra power for the Kindle.
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By Jasmine | Dec 29, 2011
The idea of creating a solar-powered car is nothing new, though much of what is holding back adoption of this technology is practicality. Can these cars cover long distances solely on the sun? How fast can they go? If you don’t plan on driving on highways and would much rather amble along a country road, there may just be a car for you yet.
The company Sunn has created an easy to build and use solar powered car, perfect for small country roads and drives around campgrounds. While the “car” appears more like a cart than anything else, it certainly works and is pretty cheap considering all those solar photovoltaic cells. All in all, the cost of the kit comes to about $6,500 (batteries not included… seriously).
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By R.J. Huneke | Nov 2, 2011
Energy is something that everyone has to struggle to think about daily, because of wasted fuel and high costs, but what if it did not have to be that way? What if the heating and cooling brain in the consumer’s living space, the thermostat, could program itself?
Welcome warmly, or coolly depending on the weather, the Nest Lab’s newest creation: the Nest!
The new company from Tony Fadell, the designer for eighteen iPods at Apple, launches the sexy wall item, the Nest Learning Thermostat, in November for $249.
The Nest, for all intensive purposes, thinks about how the user likes their temperature. All that is required is for the energy-minded to continue to turn the thermostat up and down according to when they leave the home, or go to sleep, or the seething summer heat requires A/C, or the frigid pre-November snow asks for more warmth ASAP.
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By R.J. Huneke | Jul 11, 2011
Imagine my surprise when I sifted through an “all green” shop and found The Seven Year Pen. The pen’s name speaks for itself: it lasts for seven years!
Now it is true that the sleek and fun designs caught my eye, and my writer’s heart leaped at the sight of one pen in particular, the shiny black and silver surface donning three white skull and cross-bones and there in bold print the words: NEED COFFEE.
The sexy look, the innovative presentation sets The Seven Year Pen apart in and of it’s own right. But then I read about the pen’s purpose.
The Seven Year Pen is made by the Swiss and offered by a Brooklyn based company called Seltzer Goods who sell recycled and environmentally friendly products.
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By R.J. Huneke | Jul 5, 2011
The geniuses over at ThermaCELL have come up with an amazing device that lights the way (pun intended here, people) toward a fun outdoor experience: the Mosquito Repelling Outdoor Lantern scares away the bugs!
This incredibly small and light lantern’s base fits in the palm of the hand, yet provides enormously bright LED-powered light while it deters insects for a 15 x 15 foot radius.
Does it work? Well, yes it does!
This lantern is small, gives off a good amount of light on my deck but is not overbearing and is the best thing that I have ever witnessed for getting rid of the vampire-sickly mosquitoes and their friends.
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By R.J. Huneke | May 16, 2011
This App of a friend is actually a network of confidants that make up the GasBuddy.com community and work together to note every gas station’s price as they are viewed.
The skeptic might chime in and say that a web site or App cannot be updated frequently enough to help out a cruising two or four wheeled consumer. But the “GasBuddy” App is that kind of a friend, and your “GasBuddy” is exceptionally helpful and kick-ass! I will now define this “kick-ass” bud further.
You see, some friends will give you the shirt off their back, and some friends will laugh on as you fall up a large flight of stairs moving a ridiculously heavy recliner-couch, while they sip cold beverages from tin cans in their underwear. The “GasBuddy” App is a story about one of the shirt-off-the-back friends.
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By Jasmine | Jan 13, 2011
GE might make the big turbines, but there’s something to be said about having a smaller and user-friendly version for homes and small businesses. Enter Southwest Windpower. While the company had already created a mini-turbine called the Skystream 3.7, they just unveiled the newer more efficient Skystream 600.
Unlike the original, the 600 version has larger blades, enhanced software and an improved integrated inverter. According to a press release, the turbine will also be the first to fully integrate into the smart-grid. These improvements will produce 74 percent more energy for commercial and residential use than the 3.7 and provide an average of 7,400 kWh of clean energy. Of course this is averaging 12mph winds and depending on the consistency of the wind, could provide up to 60 percent of the necessary energy for average households.
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By Jasmine | Jan 10, 2011
The “green-thumb” flash USB drive comes at the advent of a lot of other cardboard technology, like the cardboard computer. Developed by Colin Garceau-Tremblay for his design class, the idea behind using cardboard was due to the frequency at which these drives were lost. It’s no surprise either, these drives are quite small and often fall out of the user’s backpack or pockets never to be found again.
Besides being lost, many people often put aside their old USB flash drives when a newer and larger version appears. The problem with simply tossing the old USB drive in the trash is that most casings are generally made of either plastic or metal to withstand both heat and water damage. Unfortunately, what makes these materials appealing to customers and creators of these USB drives also makes them detrimental to the environment.
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