Browsing Slate today, I came upon a link to an article describing a human-powered gym, just as I'd wondered about in my previous post. The energy produced by people working out is converted into lighting for the gym. (I still think powering fans would be also a good idea) Excess energy is stored in a battery. There's also one being developed in Seattle.
Then there's the Sustainable Dance Club, which generates electricity from the movements of dancing people. How cool is that?
And here's more on human-powered devices from the Wall Street Journal.
(OK, so the original article I was looking at in Slate was entitled "Harnessing the Untapped Power of Breast Motion." Uh-huh. It was a long article, and my eyes started to glaze over, but it did serve the purpose of leading me to the discoveries above.)
On a related note, I've always wondered why we don't harness the tons of energy generated by people using the stationary bikes, ellipticals, and rowing machines at gyms. At the very least, have the machines power attached fans so we don't sweat so much! My previous gym had fans built in to the treadmills, but they weren't foot-powered.
I also remember when I was growing up, an enterprising vendor would bike around town and sharpen tools and knives using a sharpening wheel connected to his bike's cycling mechanism. A low-tech but effective and elegant solution.
Love to read? Got a boring desk job and a nosy boss or coworkers? Here's the perfect thing for ya, found via Very Short List---a website that perfectly mimics a Windows desktop with all kinds of literature filed neatly in desktop folders. The reading material is disguised as PowerPoints, so it looks like you're working when you're actually reading F. Scott Fitzgerald! Go ahead--try it out. I won't tell anyone.
Giraffe gathers troops, leads great escape from circus
(CNN) -- Fifteen camels, several llamas and a potbellied pig broke out of a circus near Amsterdam on Monday. The ringleader? A giraffe who bolted, too.
Police said the giraffe kicked open a fence and walked out.
"The other animals walked out with him," said Amsterdam police spokesman Rob Van Der Veen.
The animals were part of a traveling circus that had set up its tents in the city of Amstelveen, six miles outside the Dutch capital.
They made their break about 5:45 a.m., wandering about a residential street and riling up a neighborhood dog, police said.
Officers and circus employees rounded them up before they could get too far and returned them to their pens.
"It
must have been a funny sight," Van Der Veen said. "Waking up in the
morning and looking out the window to see those animals walk through
the streets."
I think they were just trying to get to the Dutch Noah's Ark...
I know I'm late to this debate, but every time I come across a mention of it, it still gives me a conniption.
About a month ago, Dunkin' Donuts pulled one of its ads that featured celebrity chef Rachel Ray touting their coffee. Why did they pull it? Because conservative pundit (actually, nitwit is a better word) Michelle Malkin complained that Rachel's scarf in the ad looked like an Arab headdress, or keffiyeh--TERRORIST GARB! I saw Yasir Arafat wearing one too! Rachel Ray is therefore Muslim, and therefore a terrorist! She must be stopped! And let's boycott Dunkin' Donuts too! Brewed coffee is an Arab invention! Does Michelle Malkin drink coffee? If so, she must be a closet terrorist!!
Incidentally, the scarf in question was a black-and-white paisley design, so should we add paisley to our list of verboten terrorist fashion as well?
I wouldn't discount the possibility that Ms. Malkin was one of the geniuses responsible for the acts of violence targeted at Sikhs right after September 11, because they wore turbans.
It's so embarrassing that there are people in positions of influence who are so incredibly small-minded and ignorant. Not to mention that Dunkin' Donuts spinelessly kowtowed to them. Please; we're not ALL that stupid.
Even better than the original Rod Stewart version...
I have no sense of smell. Actually, I always had a fine sense of smell until about 10 or so years ago, when I realized I'd lost it. I think I was cooking with garlic or something, and realized I couldn't smell anything. I do taste flavors, though probably not as well as I used to. I still thoroughly enjoy food, but I guess I respond more to texture than actual flavor. Which is interesting, because in general I have become much more of a tactile person--really love soft sheets and towels, love crunchy broccoli. So perhaps my tactile/textural sense is much more keen now to make up for the loss of my ability to smell.
Having no sense of smell is not all bad. There have been many times when I haven't been affected by someone's heavy perfume in an elevator, or driving by a skunk battleground, or walking by garbage dumps. On the other hand, it is somewhat of a handicap, as when the oil furnace in my house malfunctioned and I had no idea that the entire house and surrounding area smelled of burnt oil (and was generating deadly carbon monoxide to boot). Or when I'm not sure if milk is still drinkable--I have to have someone smell it for me. A lot of cooking also relies on smell, and that's hard. I miss things like the smell of flowers in spring or freshly mowed grass.
I still wear my favorite colognes (which I apply sparingly since I can't use my nose to gauge what's too much), and use my favorite Crabtree & Evelyn jojoba oil soap. I use these based on what I remember they smelled like, which is quite a romantic notion. But I haven't bought any new scents, since I wouldn't know if I liked them or not.
It's certainly easier to deal with than being blind or deaf!
In recent days I've been reading about a new residential skyscraper being planned for Dubai that has individually rotating floors, each self-powered by the wind. It's architecturally and technically stunning, and would be beautiful to look at.
I would think that they would need to house the wiring and (flexible?) plumbing in the central, fixed "stem" of the building, and maybe the floors would rotate a maximum of 360 degrees and then reverse to make all that wiring functionally feasible.
Lots of potential hurdles...but still a neat concept.
American Airlines announced that it is introducing inflight Web access on its flights. So far, it looks like service will be limited to domestic flights, but the real plus will be when it is offered on long-haul international flights.
Virgin America (which I have yet to fly, but look forward to trying) is also planning to have Web access on its flights, but they're still testing.
If you ask me, it's a much better idea than allowing cell-phone use (unless just texting is allowed, no voice conversations)--you can get work done, be instantly connected and reachable, be productive, and be entertained, too, without bothering other people.
Recent Comments
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Geology Byotch said:
Very good, very interesting. I esp. like the treadmill one. Could they use this kind of technology in Home Depot... read more
on Pedal-powered phone calls and other ideas -
dewitte said:
[this is good]Let's get rid of EVOO, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, too. Since I think Rachel Ray LOVES it. It must be... read more
on Ignorant complaints and spineless coffee -
Geology Byotch said:
I love them. My son instroduced me to them. He got a free cd with a Sunday newpaper in London. read more
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Richard Ashby said:
[this is good]It is a very heart warming song Love it read more
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Very cool. I used to nap under my desk at lunchtime. Once two coworkers came in and had a chat... read more
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