sundance

Green tech finds: from solar power to the Super Bowl

Super Bowl Sunday is coming up, and while I don’t pay enough attention to say whether it’ll be a good game, it will definitely be a green(er) game. That, plus cooler roofs for more efficient solar power, and a very quick look at over a century of global warming: your green tech finds for the week.

Buy renewable energy for your Volt: While the arguments about the energy sources for electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids are generally really overblown and oversimplified, many EV drivers do want the cleanest power they can get for their vehicles. So, GM is developing a system for its OnStar platform that would notify Volt drivers when there’s renewable energy available on the grid so they could plug in at the right time. (via Earth 911)

What does global warming look like? If you’re thinking big picture in response to that question, the folks at NASA have released a video that shows 131 years of global temperature fluctuations in 26 seconds. (via Climate Central and @NRDC)

Best of the Web: New apps, see India from outer space & how to become “The Human Slinky”

India from Outerspace: NASA’s mega-bright images of India went viral last week. Bloggers speculated that the different colored lights had something to do with the celebration of Diwali, the Festival of Light. Of course, like total buzz kills, NASA issued a statement soon after claiming that the colored lights actually indicate economic growth at different time periods. But whatever, we prefer to believe all of India got together to create a giant light spectacle visible only from outer space…

Our lives are spent trying to pixellate a fractal planet

I love the caption one Tumblr wrote to accompany this picture from a breathtaking Guardian series of NASA satellite images that “reveal the diversity of agricultural patterns as seen from space.” It’ll be your moment of meaningfulness today. As this photograph of a Dubai golf course being reclaimed by the dessert demonstrates: despite or in [...]

Time-Lapse auroras over Norway

The Aurora from Terje Sorgjerd on Vimeo. NASA’s feature for their daily “Astronomy Picture of the Day” today is breathtaking. Instead of a photograph, they posted this time lapse shot by Terje Sorgjerd “in and around Kirkenes and Pas National Park bordering Russia” during -25 degree Celsius (-13 degree Fahrenheit) temperatures. NASA explains: ….earlier this [...]

Earth gazing: best view of Earth ever

I love this photo posted at NASA’s Astronomy Photo of the Day of astronaut Tracy Caldwell Dyson gazing out the window from the International Space Station. I agree with Madeleine Robins that this picture is “the perfect cover for the perfect unwritten/unread SF novel I wanted to read when I was thirteen.” Also, is it [...]

Rolex presents THE YOUNG LAUREATES: Jacob Colker

Jacob Colker In 2008 Jacob Colker co-founded The Extraordinaries with a simple mission: making volunteerism less daunting to working people.  Colker understood that many people wanted to give their free time but were intimidated by the complexity of finding causes. And through his own experience, he knew that most nonprofits needed all the unpaid help [...]

Lets focus on the sun on Earth Day

Today is the 40th anniversary of “Earth Day” and I think it’s kind of crazy that we have to hold a global day in honor of the planet that keeps us, you know, alive. As a species, are humans so self-destructive that we need to have an actual holiday to celebrate and remind us to [...]

50 years of space exploration in a giant poster

National Geographic released an amazing gigantic online infographic depicting our humankind’s exploration of space over the past 50 years. The geekier corners of the Internet, including this one (being a geek is a badge of honor, friends! Or at least that’s what I told myself while growing up) went predictably agog over this. There have [...]

SUNfiltered music videos

1. Some big headed pint size kids spit lyrical fire in the music video for “Where You At” by Australian hip hop group Astronomy Class and featuring Vida-Sunshyne & Kween G (KillaQueenz).

Astronomy Class – Where You At? Featuring Vida-Sunshyne & Kween G from Elefanttraks on Vimeo.