sundance

Green tech finds: Wildlife goes virtual, Farmville gets real

Assembly lines rolling out the Focus Electric: Think Nissan’s the only game in town for a true electric vehicle? Not anymore: Ford’s started production of its 2012 Focus Electric in Michigan. (via @edbegleyjr)

Ranger Rick comes to the iPhone: Your kids bug you to play games on your smartphone? The National Wildlife Federation has created a way to make sure they’re learning something. The new Ranger Rick mobile apps provide games for kids as young as 2 (yes, 2!) to sharpen their knowledge about wild animals.

Green tech finds (5/5/11)

Blimps, chicken feathers, and viruses… your green tech finds for the week.

• The 10,000 year heat pump: Heat pumps aren’t sexy; they are, however, an incredibly efficient technology means of heating and cooling buildings. Researchers in Norway are experimenting with a new, more simple design framework that they think will create a heat pump with a “dramatically longer life.” (via @adamwerbach)
  
  
• Tracking e-waste: Where do your old electronics end up? The basement? The trash? Or in a developing country for “recycling?” The UN’s StEP project wants to find out, and the US EPA has provided them with $2.5 million to track US electronic waste. (via @TerracomChicago)
  
  

Nervous 23-year-old Steve Jobs prepping for first National TV appearance

The Internet time capsule unearthed this old video of a young hirsute 23-year-old Steve Jobs nervously prepping and getting miked up for his first national TV appearance. Clearly the Apple grasshopper grew up to be master of media appearances and control.

Geekiest marriage proposal ever

Warning: only hardcore nerds — or those with a soft spot for hardcore nerds — will find this YouTube footage touching. It goes on for a while, you can’t quite see what’s going on, and there’s no climactic applause and shouts of congratulations at the end. But with a little background info, it becomes more [...]

Green tech finds (3/11/10)

Homes wired for electric vehicles, artificial islands, and floating power plants… here are your green tech finds for this week.

• Dell’s new Optiplex — most efficient desktop ever? According to Jaymi Heimbach at Treehugger, the new 980 model is, as it features a 90% efficient power supply, meets ENERGY STAR 5.0 standards, and has earned an EPEAT Gold rating.
  
  
• No more downcycling for plastic? That’s what researchers at IBM and Stanford claim their new development in plastic production does: the material can be continuously recycled. See the video above… (via Green Inc.)
  
  

Green tech finds (10/1/09)

Where do climate change and Sudoku come together? At your weekly green tech finds, of course… What’s the best computer out there for a student in Cambodia? One that sips energy… and the Open Institute has installed 400 such computers for Cambodian students and teachers. Water heats and cools new classroom building: Michigan’s Saginaw Valley [...]

Green tech finds (8/20/09)

From recycled plastic plywood to giraffe poop in your tank, it’s a green tech-a-palooza… here are this week’s finds:

• Don’t have an iPhone? Not to worry… 3rdWhale’s comprehensive green information app is now available for open-source mobile platform Android, and a Blackberry Storm version is on the way.
  
  
• Don’t want an iPhone? Samsung’s new Reclaim boasts a casing made from 40% bioplastic, outer packaging made from 70% recycled materials, very few nasty chemicals, and a very efficient charger.

Green tech finds (7/30/09)

From Spain to Toledo, green tech stories are popping up everywhere. Here’s your round-up for the week.

• Electric vehicles are winners on CO2 emissions: DVICE crunches the numbers, and finds that, even when electricity comes from coal-fired power plants, EVs produce less CO2 than gas-powered cars. (via AutoBlog Green)
  
  
• Solar Mudhens: Rust-belt poster child Toledo, OH, is on its way to reinventing itself as a hub of solar manufacturing.