Rogue Links

Pedal/Electric Hybrid

2008-06-06T19:00:00.002-05:00

Steve acquainted me with this little gadget. Pretty dang cool.

Ride it on the bike trails or cruise along with traffic using no gas.

Thwarted... at least for a day

2008-06-05T09:48:00.002-05:00

On my ride home yesterday I seem to have lost my bike lock. A key requirement to be able to ride into work and leave my bike sitting outside since I haven't managed to convince my employer to let me bring it in yet.

Doing something

2008-06-04T08:29:00.003-05:00

I've been on the fence for some time. I keep looking at things going on and trying to figure out where to start trying to make a difference. My wife and I already don't really waste too much. But we have made a decision to try to avoid the use of plastic bags. (Things like bread and purchases where the plastic bag is inside the box and not evident are an exception, but Sustainable Dave has some ideas about the bread issue. Perhaps if I can find a local bakery that is willing to work with us that might be a solution.)

In addition to that with our income tax refund I purchased a commuter bike. I haven't been the most faithful about riding it. It seems like I get going good then have some minor injury or an appointment immediately after work or some other what have you. But I'm determined to keep trying and I figure eventually it'll take hold and will become my primary means of getting to/from work. I started this google spreadsheet to keep track of the amount spent on it and the amount I'm saving in fuel costs. If I can make it to the point that I'm truly saving money I'll be pleased. I'd like to figure out the production impact of the bike so I can tell when I'm having a positive impact on the environment by having purchased the bike, but I'm not even sure where to start on that. Anyone have any ideas?

I also figured that if I put it out there where anyone can see my progress I'm more likely to stick to it. So lambaste me if I start to slack off again!

Self Destructing DVDs

2008-06-04T08:06:00.002-05:00

This article outlines a plan for Staples to pickup a product line of DVDs that render themselves useless after 48 hours of breaking the seal on the package. Who knows what chemicals are required to do that and what effect they'll have on us. Plus add in some extra packaging to protect it so you don't lose your money on it and you have a good recipe for a disastrous product. This web-page appears to be the means of contacting Staples. Contact them and let them know what a bad idea it is to carry such an obviously wasteful product.

Don't just close this window, click that link and take a couple minutes to do something good for the world we live in. Useless, and potentially damaging products should not be allowed to run rampant and unchallenged.

Plastic Bottles

2008-06-04T08:05:00.003-05:00

I think Dave's comments say it all about as plainly as it can be said. So take a moment and see what he has to say, then do something.

News on the solar front

2008-05-27T07:20:00.002-05:00

This article shows how a new material could change the typical output of solar cells from 15% to an amazing 44%.

Our old friend the light switch

2008-03-27T11:52:00.002-05:00

Which is better, turning off the fluorescents or leaving them on? this article addresses that very question. It turns out that hitting the switch is actually the better option.

Regrow tissues

2008-03-26T07:51:00.001-05:00

This article tells the story of the beginning steps of the field of regenerative medicine.

An update on the sail powered cargo ship

2008-03-19T16:37:00.002-05:00

This article details the results of a 2 month voyage. The ship saved 20% or 2.5 tons of fuel! 2 . 5 TONS! But old technology is never good technology...

from the depths

2008-03-11T08:46:00.000-05:00

Scientific American has a great article on the new projects that aim towards using the oceans to produce renewable energy.

Ethanol a "corny" solution?

2008-02-08T07:34:00.000-06:00

My wife found this article that sheds some needed light on ethanol production and the effects of expanding production to meet global needs.

walking energy

2008-02-07T14:29:00.000-06:00

Read about a knee brace that can power all your gadgets here.

20 snacks to make you more productive

2008-01-24T11:27:00.000-06:00

Lifehack.org has the list.

The Green House?

2008-01-10T09:19:00.000-06:00

The White House gets with the green craze according to this article.

2008-01-09T09:59:00.000-06:00

This site lets you recycle hair into oil spill cleanup tools! They are targeting salons, but individuals are ok too. AND they can use pet hair. It's not as good as human hair, but it still works.

Skip the corn and move to grass

2008-01-09T09:39:00.000-06:00

This article provides some information about the experiments that are being done to try to use switch grass as ethanol. Didn't say much about the waste from the refining process or anything about potential risks of nitrogen fertilization. If those risks aren't bad it might just be a viable option to get us to the point we are using vehicles that don't depend on liquid fuels.

Make a battery from grass clippings

2008-01-02T09:15:00.000-06:00

A relatively straight forward how to for creating a battery using grass clippings.

Make me Sustainable

2007-12-27T08:03:00.000-06:00

I just ran across this while doing some research this morning. Looks interesting and worth some time. Check it out.

Medicinal Honey

2007-12-27T07:19:00.000-06:00

According to this article there is a type of honey that is a rather potent natural antibiotic.

Education w/out the high dollar attached to it

2007-12-21T14:18:00.002-06:00

Just check this out.

Say goodbye to fossil fuels

2007-12-21T14:07:00.000-06:00

A California company upstart backed in part by Google seems to have figured out a way to make affordable solar panels. A few more details are available in this article.

Worth the read! Solar plan for the future

2007-12-19T15:33:00.000-06:00

Here's the link. It's worth the time to read and to spread the information.

Coal ash is more radioactive than nuclear waste

2007-12-18T16:25:00.000-06:00

This article gives the figures for radiation risk, but points out that the greater risk of coal is the carbon emissions. It also brings up the risks involved with nuclear.

Who knew that using the wind to sail could be profitable?

2007-12-18T08:51:00.000-06:00

This article is about new kite technology being added to commercial ships. It's expected to reduce shipping fuel costs by at least 20% and emissions by a similarly large number. Once again proving that wind power could be the key. It's just a matter of finding all the potential applications.

Need a reason to shut off your TV?

2007-12-06T15:08:00.000-06:00

This article touches on the results of a study of the effect of watching violence.

The Fertility Diet

2007-12-05T12:18:00.000-06:00

This article I found takes an interesting look at diet and fertility. Once again, all that we've been told is good for us may not be true. Or worse what we've been told is bad for us may actually be good.

This is a MUST see!

2007-12-05T08:14:00.000-06:00

The Story of Stuff is a VERY illuminating presentation of the cycle of goods. The site is also home to a host of ideas on how you can be part of the solution and how you can get involved.

Again the site is http://www.storyofstuff.com/

Revisiting Stem Cells

2007-12-05T08:07:00.000-06:00

I had posted earlier about an article on how a couple of groups had created stem cells from skin cells in this post.

Now there's an update. One scientist has figured out how to do this without using a cancer causing gene. The article can be found here.

Staying married is the new green goal!

2007-12-04T13:44:00.000-06:00

According to this article divorce is driving up resource use. If you want to be green stay married (or at least take up room mates).

The earth wins again

2007-12-03T08:06:00.000-06:00

This article foretells of the coming of geothermal technologies to the united states as a piece in the green energy puzzle.

How do you view intelligence?

2007-11-29T08:45:00.000-06:00

A very intersting article on how to instill the best learning practices in children. A good read even just for self evaluation.

Worried about Diabetes or Alzheimer's?

2007-11-28T14:16:00.000-06:00

Perhaps you need to "Retune the Body with a Partial Fast".

This article touches on the potential benefits of "water only" fasting about one day a week. Sounds interesting. If you figure you'd be cutting out the average 2000 calories of one day per week it could have some serious affects on weight. I didn't see a warning on there, but I'd throw in a disclaimer about the potential risks of not eating especially for a pregnant or nursing woman.

If all else fails colonize!

2007-11-28T10:54:00.001-06:00

BBC News details the plans for a manned trip to mars in this article. It seems that they are devising means of sustaining life outside of safe atmospheres and plan to use the moon as an R&D lab. Oddly no details for the return trip from Mars to Earth...

The internet is no longer for porn

2007-11-28T10:10:00.000-06:00

...It's for terrorism. All I can say is WOW. Found this over on slashdot and looked up the full text of the bill.

I know! I know! Let's trounce our rights to express ourselves to protect ourselves.... wait wasn't that the patriot act?

Goods for Children

2007-11-28T08:59:00.000-06:00

This site offers a sharing system that leaves the users paying only shipping for goods they need for their children. I plan on looking into it to see what it's all about. I'll edit this when I do.

Buy One, Get One

2007-11-27T11:18:00.000-06:00

This is pretty cool. Buy a laptop for $399 and another one goes to a child in a developing country.

Nirak did.

Nano-Trouble?

2007-11-26T16:30:00.000-06:00

Could the public health be at risk with the adoption of nanotechnology? The short answer seems to be, we don't know. According to this report it seems the long range effects of nanotech hasn't been tested.

Perhaps it's time that the public, instead of reacting to what's been forced on them by industrial progress, grabbed the bull by the horns as it were and demand that due caution and care be exhibited even on a scale as small as nanotechnology.

The controversial STEM-CELLS

2007-11-20T18:04:00.000-06:00

Looks like some scientists have found a potential way to work around the ethical road blocks of using embryonic stem-cells using skin cells and a chemical compound to inject genes into the cells to produce stem-cell like cells.

The unfortunate part is that it looks like viral activity, so there are potential issues that have to be researched before mass adoption.

Diet

2007-11-20T17:43:00.000-06:00

As someone who was encouraged to eat a low-fat, low carb diet I find this article VERY interesting

In fact it makes me down right mad. I am currently sitting at 206 lbs after having made a decline down to 160 lbs. Yeah the weight loss was there, but the model to maintain apparently wasn't. Perhaps there's some ideas in this. Now to find a glycemic index and see where I might have been going way wrong previously, that may have lent itself to my ravenous appetite.

Edit: 6:01 PM
With a quick Google Search I found this site http://www.glycemicindex.com/. It appears to have lots of useful information and a searchable database.