Please hold...

While I expressed my disdain for link-to-link-to-link posts in a previous post, this is only a double-link post.

I guess I won't bounce myself out of the bar.

J-Walk Blog has always been a fun little link. It's basically like BoingBoing and Neatorama...the only difference being that John Walkenbach posts stuff long before its made the Digg front page (no offense to Neatorama since they're not bad about their linkage, but BoingBoing editors are slacking on surfing due to private/global [ad]ventures. Am I jealous? You bet your ass...Xeni's trips between Tibet and Guatamala beat my lifetime accumulation of frequent flier miles. Kiribati included).

Recently, J-Walk made me think about something I encounter almost daily. I can't count the number of times I've mentally griped about cell phone messaging systems. We all know to "press 1" on certain systems to go straight to messaging, but how much time does that annoying little message waste?

This much.

How long do tech prompts/designs last before they're adopted culturally?

What else grinds your gears?

When it works, it blows...

Wind-generated turbine technology has come a long way since the days of yore (sorry, I'm fascinated with the word "yore").

The last two decades have seen numerous advances in tech design, increased turbine size and manufacturing improvements...all of which have reduced the cost of wind power during the last 20 years to just 3 to 7 cents (on average) per kilowatt hour for utility-scale project sites. Turbines have even moved to the sea, generating energy from the waves and tides.

While that information sounds nifty (sorry about "nifty," too), those turbines have nothing on their vertical axis brethren. Take the windmill pictured above, flip it on its back, wrap two blades around each other, and let it rip. Something just got a whole lot sexier.

"Small wind" is the new big oil (only it doesn't use its powers for evil).

So why is the spiral blade design effective, given its smaller stature and relative efficiency?

First and foremost, they're like Cheney on a pheasant hunt...they don't need to aim at anything! With the rotor shaft running vertically and the spiral blades seizing wind form every direction, they can be mounted virtually anywhere. Check out the numerous applications offered by companies like Windside.

Pictured below: The closely-related Savonius Wind Turbine.

Still not sexy enough for you? Try the old-tech Darrieus wind turbine. Patented in 1927, these "giromills" have been around for quite a while, but continue to thrive in areas where the wind is consistently strong. The problem is, they basically need to be push started to get them going.

[Click on pic for larger]

Still not sexy enough? You little wind energy pervert.

Try award-winning hybrid Quietrevolution on for size.


Founded in 2000 by Robert Webb and Richard Cochrane, Quietrevolution is making the world take notice. They're taking a century old technology and morphing its DNA into an efficient, productive little energy machine.

So why vertical? You sure do ask a lot of questions.

Vertical axis wind technology has numerous advantages. Point-free directional capabilities not included, these units have their generators and gearboxes at ground-level, allowing acrophobic service staff to rest easy. And due to their compact design, models like the Quietrevolution QR5 can also be placed close to buildings and on top of towers.

Cost? The £25,000 sticker takes only 15 years to pay for itself.

Too much for your rooftop? Take it to tax dollars.

Why not line the center dividers of the freeway with thousands of these guys? Use the gas we guzzle to power our own greedy selves?

You know what it's like to almost be blown off the freeway by an 18 wheeler, so you know the power is there.

Still not enough? Time for craziness.

Take the whole vertical axis turbine concept and stick it on magnets (thanks, China).


Yep...magnets. Why not.

Maglev, a loudly lauded company with a now-defunct website (largely in part due to heavy Digging), is trying take friction out of the equation by borrowing from the high-speed train industry. The turbines are now floating.

Similar claims from other companies are heavily saturated in "could be" sponge water, but the concept itself makes want to open up my Hover Rink Rollerama.

Househacker has the best analysis on the claims I've seen thus far . Check out their updated analysis for a whole bunch of numbers/statistic talk I'll never understand.

Craziness.

Would body paint make me a robot?

What advancements have there been in the field of solar nanotechnology?

I'm glad you asked. You're so inquisitive.

Well, what would you say if I told you that you could paint on solar paneling?

That's right, it's solar paint!

From the website:

The secret is "quantum dots," particles made from semiconductor crystals. They can be tuned to absorb particular colors of light, dots so tiny they can be dispersed in a solvent and then painted onto something else - a house, a car, even a sweater.

Hybrid Solar Lighting

Fiber optics meet Mother Nature, Mother Nature I'd like to introduce you to fiber optics.

Hybrid Solar Technology is an idea long past due, basically concentrating the sun's rays into bendable, flexible tubing that can stretch the length of your home or office, adding natural light throughout.

I first reported on this in-house in late May, but have since been hoping that further technological advancements would be made. Alas, while the system is still winning awards, their only video looks about as modern as an episode of Mr. Wizard's World (RIP).


From the website:

HSL technology uses rooftop, 4-ft-wide mirrored dishes that track the sun with the help of a GPS receiver. The collector focuses the sunlight onto 127 optical fibers. The fibers, which can be thought of as flexible light pipes, are connected to hybrid light fixtures that have special diffusion rods that spread out the light in all directions. One collector powers about eight hybrid light fixtures—which can illuminate about 1,000 square feet.





So what if it's dark out, you say? The end-source of the light tubes are mounted to fixtures that also contain electric lamps so you can combine the usage with fluorescent tubes and other various lighting sources, and I'll admit that while there's a long road to haul for commercial applications, I'd take this system over track lighting any day.

You can also catch a 12 minute podcast from Marilyn Brown's Earth & Sky radio show.