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[breyn-i-keyn] Brainstorming on a Higher Level

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Archive for September 10th, 2008

Akeena Solar Upgrades the Only Integrated Solar Panel - the Andalay

Image source: Akeena Solar
When Akeena Solar debuted their Andalay panels last year, it was already a break from the mold by offering the only solar panel that includes an integrated racking, wiring and grounding system. Most conventional systems have to be constructed on the roof and then panels are attached to the racking.
This year, […]

Infections linked to cot deaths

Some cases of cot death may actually be due to a bacterial infection, say researchers.

Bottled Water Scourge Countered by Manly Council’s Free Filtered Water

Photo by Peter Morris, from The Age
Australia’s Manly Council is striving to wean its residents and tourist visitors off bottled water. After Bondi Beach, Manly is possibly Australia’s most well known beach suburb and thus attracts a plethora of visitors who often cross Sydney Harbour by ferry to get there. However being such a drawcard […]

Lighter Roofs Could Save $1Billion USD Annually

Image Source: Cool Roof Contractor
In much the same way that more ice/snow reflects UV rays instead of absorbing the heat the way the oceans do (think: feedback loop that results from melting polar ice caps), cities are now giving white roofs a second look as a way to cool cities and fight climate change. The […]

New Algae-Based Aviation Fuel Passes Key ASTM Tests for Jet Fuel

photo: Dr Wendy T.L. via flickr
There are a number of companies trying to produce a biofuel alternative to petroleum-based aviation fuels, and a number of airlines have made biofuel test flights using various mixtures of biofuels, but none are yet available in commercial quantities. Another milemarker has been passed on the road to greener aviation […]

New Genetically Engineered Bacteria Could Make Cellulosic Ethanol Cheaper

photo: Andreas via flickr
It’s been a pretty long road to making cellulosic ethanol commercially viable. As it stands there is one demonstration-scale cellulosic ethanol plant in the United States, and the the first commercial-scale biorefinery recently received approval back in July. Suffice it to say, cellulosic ethanol holds promise but is a work in progress. […]

Better Biofuels Through Bacteria, Part Two: Compost Heap Bacteria Basis for Cheaper Cellulosic Ethanol

photo: Joi Ito
Sorry for the somewhat cryptic title, but with the recent announcement that researchers from Dartmouth College in New Hampshire have genetically engineered a bacteria that could aid in cellulosic ethanol production , and now this following announcement from the UK, it some seemed appropriate. Don’t know if there was any mental cross-pollination here, […]

Logging, Palm Oil and Human Rights in Borneo: Malaysian Government Pushes Ahead By Ousting Indigenous Leaders

Image: Assembly of Upper Baram headmen in 2006 (top left corner: the late Kelesa Naan, former headman of Long Kerong; top right corner: Bilong Oyoi, the deposed headman of Long Sait). Photo: The Bruno Manser Fund
In a move to seize control of land belonging to indigenous peoples who oppose logging in the Borneo rainforests, the […]

Automobile Farming: Making Cars From Soybeans

Henry Ford once said “I foresee the time when industry shall no longer denude the forests which require generations to mature, nor use up the mines which were ages in the making, but shall draw its raw material largely from the annual products of the fields”
Science and Mechanics explained how in 1936: …

The Triplex Outlet: Why Didn’t Someone Think of This Before?

Justin at Materialicious asks “How cool is this?” BoingBoing asks “Why didn’t somebody think of this before?! Was there some engineering issue that had to be overcome to allow such an elegant, ingenious and obvious design?”
I can think of a couple of reasons:
1) Nobody needed it when outlets weren’t grounded or we didn’t have […]