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Manuel said: "This is great news! I hope all cities pass this into law.The practice of using plastic bags just to quickly dispose of them has been going on far t..." [read]

Jay Knecht said: "What are the performance stats for the Son of Max? ..." [read]

gazelle said: "@ Dallas: The book, and the supplementary videos in the "How It All Ends" youtube series, address this in detail, but I'll try to paraphrase:..." [read]

Barry said: "Kofi Annan has about as much of a clue about electric cars and developing countries as Ann Ann the Panda. He underestimates the ingenuity o..." [read]

JJ said: "Very cool. I didn't thought that biodesel might be our future fuel...." [read]

Derek said: ""I guarantee you this will spark huge debates around the world," she said. "We have to delve into this in a way that hasn't been done in a long tim..." [read]

Hand-Held Printer Only Needs You to Wave It Over The Paper (Video)

by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 11. 5.09
Science & Technology

printbrush handheld printer image

Printers can be big, clunky machines that spit out more pages than you intended to print. So what if you had a tiny hand-held printer that only put down ink where you waved your hand? For a society going increasingly paperless, a little printer that can handle the rare print job like concert tickets or boarding passes, or a quick document in a notebook sounds ideal. The PrintBrush claims to be just such a solution.

Article continues: Hand-Held Printer Only Needs You to Wave It Over The Paper (Video)

How Insects Do Graphic Design

by Petz Scholtus, Barcelona, Spain on 11. 5.09
Science & Technology

Bits n Pieces DEBUG in NYC

Yesterday the exhibition Bits 'n Pieces launched at Material Connexion in New York, a dialogue between the analog and the digital technologies within design in a post-digital era. What grabbed our attention in the busy space during the opening, were the insects doing graphic design! A sophisticated machine transformed the movements of a few bugs into beautiful patterns and logos and printed them out as fast as the insects performed.

Article continues: How Insects Do Graphic Design

US Government Officials Ask Electronics Industry to Take Back NYC Law Suit, and Take Back Gadgets

by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 11. 5.09
Science & Technology

free tv on street photo
Photo via Jaymi Heimbuch

For years, New York City has been working to toughen up electronics recycling laws, and for years the electronics industry has been less than thrilled. The city has gone forward with a plan that requires electronics manufacturers to offer free door-to-door pick-up service of used devices. However, electronics companies say this too expensive, too labor intensive, and too annoying - so they sued. Now, government officials from across the nation are asking the electronics industry to drop the suit, saying that it's not about a troublesome e-cycling regulation, it's about trying to take power away from the states to regulate e-waste.

Article continues: US Government Officials Ask Electronics Industry to Take Back NYC Law Suit, and Take Back Gadgets

Just What We Needed Dept: Musiphones for Winter

by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 11. 3.09
Science & Technology

musiphones headphones image
Image via Akihabara News

Cold weather is rolling in and we're all starting to think about how to keep warm while walking down the street - but without giving up the ability to listen to music, right? MusiPhones offers a solution - headphones built into ear muffs. We have another solution...

Article continues: Just What We Needed Dept: Musiphones for Winter

Your Treat: Save Money by Slaying Energy Vampires

by Greg Haegele of Sierra Club on 10.31.09
Science & Technology

vampire power image Energy vampire. Image credit:PeopleJam

I'm not one to dress up for Halloween, but I like to find creative ways to get on board with the spooky spirit of the holiday. If you're an energy activist like me, I think you'll enjoy these ideas:

Energy Vampires
When you sleep, when you eat, while you're hard at work, vampires lurk in the depths of your home. From morning to night they are sucking you dry. It is called vampire power and to you it is wasted money. Energy vampires are the devices that use electricity even when they are turned off - like your home entertainment system, which can cost you up to $75 per year in vampire energy. Together energy vampires can account for up to 20 percent of your electric bill.

Give your neighbors a treat this Halloween and let them know they can improve their home's energy savings by identifying and unplugging energy vampires. Just download this PDF, print copies, and include them with the treats you hand out, or place them strategically (in the bathroom, maybe?) at any Halloween parties you choose to haunt.

Article continues: Your Treat: Save Money by Slaying Energy Vampires

A Scary Halloween Treat - Cards Packed with Candy and e-Waste

by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 10.31.09
Science & Technology

Halloween card with e-waste photo

My aunt takes good care of me - sending me little treats in the mail all the time. Yesterday I got a Halloween package in a cute little envelope. When I opened it, it proceeded to howl and cackle at me - a little recorded sound track that played every time you flexed the envelope open. On the one hand, I had to laugh, thinking about how she put thought into picking out this admittedly adorable envelope. On the other hand, I had to suppress anger that this stuff is made in the first place. Exactly what are we expecting will happen to these envelopes?

Article continues: A Scary Halloween Treat - Cards Packed with Candy and e-Waste

LG First Electronics Manufacturer to Get Thumbs Up From UL Environment

by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 10.29.09
Science & Technology

lg products certified by ULE image
Images via LG

After the embarrassment of being stripped of its Energy Star labels for refrigerator models last year, LG gets vetted by UL Environment for a SteamWasher and an LCD television set. LG is one of the first companies to have its products tested and vouched for by Underwriters Laboratories' new environmental arm. It's a strong move for both, since UL Environment is fairly new and needs to put it's stamp on products in the market place, and since LG needs the backing of a solid third party evaluator.

Article continues: LG First Electronics Manufacturer to Get Thumbs Up From UL Environment

YoYo Charger Gives Gadgets Zing With Pull of a String, While Pedal Laptop Charger Idea Has Legs

by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 10.29.09
Science & Technology

yogen chargers image
Images via Easy Energy

Feel like getting a little workout with your off-grid charging? The YoGen will strengthen up your forearms, charge your gadgets, and perhaps test your patience - all at once! The latest in hand-powered chargers, the YoGen generates electricity with the pull of a string. Or rather, a lot of pulls of a string. That might seem like a whole lot of fun all on its own, but the company has something even more exciting in the pipe. They're bringing on a pedal-powered laptop charger. You'll feel like a one-man-orchestra in no time!

Article continues: YoYo Charger Gives Gadgets Zing With Pull of a String, While Pedal Laptop Charger Idea Has Legs
We'll be working on better category archives soon. In the meantime, take a look at the weekly archive if you really want to dig around, or use the search box at the top of the page.

TreeHugger breaks it down for you in a series of in depth how-to articles that will help you green your life. No time like the present!

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