Tag: ENERGY

No matter how hard we try, we can't hide all the cords that power the gadgets we love, so Connect Design suggests you keep your wires out in the open with its Multi Lines. The cord, which is an extension cord with multiple plugs spaced across its length, comes in three tasteful colors -- white, pink and blue -- and three different lengths -- 6.5 feet ($16.00), 9.8 feet ($18.00) and 16.4 feet ...

Cost efficiency has long stood in the way of alternative energy sources becoming a major competitor for coal power, but JoeBen Bevirt thinks he has a solution that could make wind stand up to coal. His company Joby Energy has designed and built wind turbines that hover in the air, rather than being mounted on the top of large towers. His hope is that the company will be able to launch these ...

In anticipation of a new law that will phase out incandescent light bulbs beginning next year, some shoppers are stockpiling large quantities of the bulbs for future use. According to USA Today, people aren't happy using the more energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs), which are cheaper than LEDs and use 75-percent less energy than incandescents. Some complain that CFLs aren't quite as ...

Technology and art have shared an intertwining and established relationship for over a century. Occasionally, uniquely intriguing pieces stand out from the monotonous crowd, and two German artists recently produced a particularly wondrous monument to technology. Well, perhaps it's more like an effigy or a funeral pyre -- without the blazing inferno. Created by Ralf Schmerberg and Esa Ott, the ...

Your hybrid car should help reduce your carbon footprint, but what about all the energy you waste when you come home and turn on the lights? Apparently, GE's new hybrid lightbulb can help control your energy usage, without sacrificing your late-night lighting. As Engadget explains, GE's forthcoming product is essentially two lightbulbs in one. At first glance, it looks like any other compact ...

They may be mild by Bostonian or New Yorker standards, but Parisian winters can still get pretty frigid. Residents at one old building near the Centre Pompidou, however, might have an easier time staying warm next winter, thanks to an environmentally friendly renovation that takes full advantage of one of the city's most elusive natural resources: humanity. Located at the edge of the Marais ...

Google already offers a free power-consumption meter, called Google Powermeter, that allows users to check their energy-usage levels from their phones or remote computers. Taking a page from Foursquare's location-based book, the company has now added a badge-oriented game for competitive energy consumers to play. The game, which you can find under 'Take Action' on your Powermeter page, offers ...

For island-dwellers, water is the most readily available natural resource, which is why a Scottish energy company sees fit to install a gigantic tidal turbine off its coast. According to BBC News, Atlantis Resources recently unveiled its AK-1000 turbine, which stands 73-feet tall, weighs 130 tons, and can generate enough electricity to power 1,000 homes. The 1-megawatt turbine has two giant ...

A U.K. industrial design student has discovered a way to harness energy each time a toilet is flushed or a bathtub is drained. According to Creative Boom, Tom Broadbent's HighDro Power works much like a miniature hydroelectric dam, inside your building's sewage pipes. When water drains from a toilet, tub, sink or any other appliance, it travels down the pipes, through the device and spins four ...

With so many geeks riding bicycles, it was only a matter of time until the two-wheeled mode of transportation would get wired. An Instructables.com user recently posted a set of DIY instructions that demonstrates how to rig a bike to power USB devices. The user took a regular USB car adapter, and connected it to a voltage regulator, which leads to a stepper motor mounted near the bike's rear ...

Have you ever wondered exactly how "healthy" a light bulb is for your energy bill? If so, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is here to help. According to an FTC press release, every light bulb manufactured after the halfway-point of 2011 will feature a "Lighting Facts" label on its packaging. This label, which is a clear nod to the Nutrition Facts label on food products, will provide information ...

We've gone on a wild goose chase in Iraq, we've spent countless hours worrying about Iran and North Korea, and, all this time, a rogue nuclear genius has been lurking in our own Brooklyn backyard. Mark Suppes, a 32-year-old New Yorker and Web developer for Gucci, recently became the 38th amateur physicist to build a reactor capable of conducting nuclear fusion. According to the Daily News, ...

As the world continues to partake in the effort to avoid environmental disaster, individual consumer behavior has become increasingly important -- especially when it comes to energy consumption. With this in mind, Belkin has just introduced a new line of gadgets to help you kilowatt-hour counters out there to be a little more vigilant about consumption. Included among the lineup of Belkin ...

A new line of 'green' windows could change the way architects design buildings and houses. According to Engadget, Hua Qin recently unveiled its Chin Hua solar glass window at Taipei's International Optoelectronics Week. The slightly opaque window shown in the picture above can generate about 2 watts of clean energy, which is apparently enough to power a mini-fan. But depending on how opaque you ...

Highlights from this morning's other big tech headlines.... The White House apparently harbors numerous, and already devoted, fans of the iPad, including Vice President Biden, economic adviser Larry Summers and several members of the press staff. They also all seem to be serious procrastinators, as 'Scrabble,' 'Lost' and 'Vanity Fair' rank among the assorted downloads. 'Vanity Fail?' ...