pretty money

The UK-based low-carbon engineering and consultancy firm, XCO2, has brought visual art to wind-energy generation with a new vertical-axis wind turbine called quietrevolution.

quietrevolution is silent, vibration-free, and well-suited to both dense urban areas and open spaces. With a single moving part and a compact helical S-blade, the turbine makes wind power simple and durable.

via WorldChanging

urban trees at risk

Have you ever wondered what happens to beautiful old trees the are knocked down by tornados, high winds, hurricanes, cars or something else? Most often they are burned as firewood, chipped for mulch or simply dumped in a landfill. But what if we could use the trees once more before the wood is destroyed? CitiLog to the rescue!

corrugated cardboard at work

The itbed is a futon-stand made from folded cardboard stabilized with lengths of webbing. it folds flat, weighs almost nothing, and assembles in a hurry. Link (via Boing Boing via OhGizmo)

HOWTO sharpen a knife

Boing Boing points out " This tutorial on knife-sharpening in amazingly comprehensive":

Knife sharpening is not difficult. It is not shrouded in mystery. With a little knowledge, a little geometry, a couple of tricks and some inexpensive tools, knife sharpening can be fairly easy and extremely rewarding. At the very least it’s a great skill for the toolbox. You’ll come away from this clinic with a better understanding of edges, steel and how to maintain your knives yourself. Or, if you decide to send them out, you’ll know how to make sure you’re getting what you want – and what you pay for.

Link (via Megnut)

Flat PV concentrator

Gen 2 CPV (concentrator photo voltaic) — reduces the size of the CPV design into a smaller, thin, flat, molded glass tile and yields a more high-performance, cost-effective solution.

SolFocus exploits recent technology developments to provide the lowest cost solar electricity, measured both in capital costs as well as cost of ownership. Its unique reliance on glass and other easily sourced and formed materials permits manufacturability on a global basis.

SolFocus combines the record-setting efficiency of triple-junction solar cells with the tremendous power of tailored imaging optics, developed in conjunction with leading scientists in the field. The current designs of SolFocus promise to deliver the lowest cost per Watt of installed energy as well as the lowest cost per kW/h of any solar PV design for the foreseeable future.

SolFocus delivers electricity where and when it is needed most, at large commercial rooftops during peak energy demands. This minimizes transmission and other losses while rooftop systems can further reduce electrical demand up to 10% through shading. Alternatively, SolFocus systems may be deployed in large field or power plant applications, providing electricity at natural gas plant energy prices without the regulatory and site preparation obstacles they entail.

More at Xerox PARC

Making a minute

If you were to view the planet from the perspective of renewable energy sources; wind, solar, and hydroelectric (wave and all other forms of renewable energy excluded for the moment, please forgive our simplification here), you will quickly find that where hydro is so plentiful, solar is not, where solar is abundant, wind is not, and so on.

A pattern soon emerges to suggest that perhaps, our energy needs were met naturally all along.

If you map this further, and add population distribution, you will discover that much of the best solar locations coincide with the highest population densities.

via H2Go

U.S. is being left behind

"The U.S. is being left behind in the race to capitalize on the new intellectual property that will drive the new energy economy," Tim Flannery declared in an NPR interview last week. "That would be a tragedy for this country."

In the 1970s, the US was a world leader in wind and solar energy technology, explained Flannery. That lead has since been lost to Germany, Japan, Denmark and Britain. The world has recognized that it cannot go on generating greenhouse gases at the current pace. The U.S. and other non-Kyoto countries, such as Australia, are not investing in areas that will lead to new, low-emissions technology, and they are being left behind. By not backing its renewable power industry, the U.S. is missing opportunities to be the leader in these technologies -- and missing out on jobs and revenue from the energy tech sector.

Where the big advances are happening are in the renewables," he said. "Wind power, for example -- that industry is growing by 20 percent a year -- massive levels of growth. I just think we have to move forward to development of these new technologies and capitalize as much as we can on the intellectual property, because that's going to be the future." The Tim Flannery interview is available in podcast (search for NPR Environment in iTunes). An excerpt of Flannery's book is available on the Fresh Air web site.

via Energy Priorities

temperature differential

In the '70s I designed an energy efficient pre-fab 3BR home built in South Lake Tahoe using the entire south roof as a heat source -- so-called passive solar -- by elevating emerald colored metal cladding to form a massive duct to the ridge. During summer the temperature differential would accelerate heated air to the sky but capture heat within tons of low cost boulders dropped beneath the floor boards in the winter. For ingenuity, I wrapped bulk copper tubing into the kitchen and refrigerator heat sources to deliver to the interior heat sink - a glorious hot tub!

It was painful to measure temperature. I'd have had an orgasm if I could have had my hands on this:

Instant temperature readings at the touch of a button.

If you need to know the surface temperature of anything, the ThermoHawk 200 Touchless Infrared Thermometer ($59.95) gives you accurate readings between -27° and 230°F with a resolution of .5 degrees.

Intended for homeowners, computer users, fishermen, hobbyists, mechanics, gadget aficionados, or anyone who just wants to mess around with a fun gadget, the ThermoHawk offers impressive accuracy in a convenient form factor that's just 5 inches long, a half inch in diameter, and weighs 1.5 ounces. It's remarkable that you can carry around such a precise scientific instrument on your keyring. Read More »

Fluxitecture

Topotransegrity

Non-Linear Responsive Environments
Robert Neumayr

Topotransegrity is a kinetic structure...

The structure is capable of various transformations, which range from small-scale surface articulations to large surface deformations, which can generate temporary enclosures.

Options for an entirely new approach to getting squeezed out by your landlord. site

Concrete goes neon?

Chris Glaister, Afshin Mehin, and Tomas Rosen of the Royal College of Art Innovation Unit have developed embedded devices which allow graphics, words and numbers to be displayed through concrete.

Video

First, thermochromic ink is mixed with concrete. Second, nickel chromium wires, which heat up when electric current is passed through them, are set beneath the concrete surface. The area above the wire changes colour when a certain temperature is reached. The arrangement of these wires beneath the concrete allows the display of graphics and information.

Chronos Chromos Concrete

rapid manufacturing

Glue.

Imagine rapid-manufacturing machines that create a kind of glue on demand and use it to cement filler in progressive layers, much like how nature's own builders, termites, erect their amazingly resilient nests. Add to this what scientists are learning about one of nature's strongest materials, nacre, and we have the potential to radically redefine our material culture.

Imagine a cell phone as beautiful and strong as a sea shell. It's within reach. We just have to embrace possibilities and perhaps rediscover the things we thought we'd outgrown. Like glue.

Or try "selective laser melting":

A [world's first] new rapid tooling machine that for the first time makes it possible to produce 100% dense metal parts from metal powder.

Useful on the job

Genius Pads are fantastic presentation pads, teaching aids, school revision notes, drawing pads for artists, writers, planners and mad scientists!

Adults can use them as teaching aids and for presentations. You can leave messages for colleagues at work or for your family at home. Keep them by the phone!

It makes a great alternative to an office pad or sticky notes, and rather than sticking lots together, there's plenty of room on one sheet for all your information! It is so useful on a desk or by the telephone.

Useful. Not.

Shift designers
Richard Shed and Sam Johnson
created this tape roll for last year's London Design Festival.

Imagine tomorrow's boss or inspector wondering... ?

Cute.

via cool hunting

The Usable Home

Gina Trapani at lifeHacker writes:

As a computer programmer in a new apartment, I’ve taken the same approach to setting up my home as I would developing a software application: with a focus on usability. Like any good software package, my home should be a tool that helps me get things done, a space that’s a pleasure to be in and a launch pad for daily tasks as well as my life goals.

Whether the task at hand is to relax after work, phone a family member, or keep track of a dry cleaning receipt, there are lots of simple ways to create a living space that makes getting things done a breeze.

I’m no home organization expert, but here are a few tips I’ve gleaned over time that can help make your house a Usable Home.

needs further development

PixelRoller is a paint roller that paints text and images uploaded to the roller from a computer interface. Designed by Stuard Wood and Florian Ortkrass, the PixelRoller restricts the amount and location of the paint that's released, creating a line of text with every slash of the roller. Although they have also used the PixelRoller to create simple images (see below), they admit that it needs further development before it can be marketed. This seems like a quick and easy way to add another line of text to your card door or rear window. Remember, your car's speed is directly proportional to the number of times you've inappropriately plastered your car's brand name on your car.

Continue Reading "PixelRoller: Computer-Assisted Paint Roller"

Astoundingly wonderful

V8 Elevate

CarLoft Designs Apartments

Parking on Balcony.

Will you get rousted for sleeping in your car?

Scientific Principles of Concrete

The importance of concrete in modern society cannot be underestimated. Look around you and you will find concrete structures everywhere such as buildings, roads, bridges, and dams. There is no escaping the impact concrete makes on your everyday life. So what is it?

Flex-C Trac

Flex-Ability Concepts manufactures the Flex-C Trac system, which is a construction product used to build curved metal or wood structures. It can be used to frame curved walls, barrel ceilings, wavy ceilings, s-curves and columns.Architects like Flex-C Trac because the strength, quality and uniformity of the finished curves are superior. It can be hand shaped on site to make curves of varying radii, or to easily match existing curves. Contractors claim it saves 60 to 80% of the time required to build a curved structure compared to conventional methods and results in a better-finished product. [via the Flex-Ability Concepts website; suggested by Blair Satterfield, Houston

via Transmaterial]

Steel mosaic tiles

mosaic tiles in your kitchen that are a bit different, go check out these stainless mosaic tiles from called ‘Alchemy Stainless‘.

Alchemy Stainless [Mosaictilemarket.com]