News and other tidbits that Chad Cloman finds interesting enough to share
Although it would be really nice if we could get rid of nuclear waste just by incinerating it, I think someone’s been watching a bit too much Lord of the Rings. Wonder what would’ve happened if the One Ring was made of Plutonium? Alternatively, sending the waste into the Sun would actually be an effective (but hideously expensive) solution.
Link: http://www.slate.com/…
(via digg)
Come 2012, US retailers will no longer be able to sell “normal” incandescent light bulbs. This means that either most people will have to switch to compact fluorescents (CFLs), or manufacturers will have to design incandescents that are more efficient. LED-based light bulbs are also a possibility. For me, first thing I did when I moved in was replace all my light bulbs with CFLs.
Link: http://www.nytimes.com/…
(via Engadget)
I like seeing this type of energy production. Hopefully it will gain popularity.
Link: http://www.news.com/…
(via Engadget)
Toshiba is creating micro nuclear reactors that are capable of powering a single building (or a city block). They’re self-contained and totally automatic, and last for about 40 years.
Link: http://www.nextenergynews.com/…
(via engadget)
A United Nations expert says that it’s a “crime against humanity” to create biofuels from food (such as sugar cane or corn). He has a point, but I think he’s abusing the term.
Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/…
When running on electric only, hybrid cars are silent. This turns out to be a safety problem for people (both blind and sighted) who use their ears to identify moving automobiles.
Link: http://ap.google.com/…
Chad’s News has previously discussed compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs). They last longer and use less energy than regular incandescent bulbs. Turns out, however, that CFLs also contain mercury, so when one finally burns out it’s important that it be properly disposed of. The linked article lists five ways to recycle a CFL.
Link: http://lighterfootstep.com/…
(via digg)
As a side-effect of global warming, the fabled Northwest Passage has opened up for the first time in recorded history. Wonder if anyone is actually going to use it for commercial shipping?
Link #1: http://www.esa.int/…
(via Slashdot)
Link #2: http://news.bbc.co.uk/…
For some time now I have been wondering why we can’t just directly create the stuff that we currently rely on nature to provide: oil, food, etc. These items are basically made from four very plentiful elements—carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen—and I see no reason why we can’t just combine the elements in the right manner to create what we need. A company named LS9 has made a step in the right direction. They have developed bacteria that take corn-based sugars and convert them to oil. (They hope to eventually use switchgrass instead of corn.) One neat thing is that gasoline created from this oil is free of contaminants, such as sulfur, that exist in natural oil.
Link: http://www.technologyreview.com/…
(via Slashdot)
A recent study has revealed that office printers release a significant amount of toner particulates into the air. Some printers were as bad as cigarettes in the amount of particles released. Printer manufacturer Hewlett-Packard, of course, was very quick to send out a press release denying the claims.
Link: http://arstechnica.com/…
No matter what you do, there always seems to be side effects.
The official mileage estimates for hybrid vehicles, long known to be too high, have been reduced. The Toyota Prius, for example, had its city mileage drop from 60 to 48 MPG.
Link: http://www.wired.com/…
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