Author Archives: matt
The case of the extra water
Over the past forty years or so (1961-2003), global sea levels have risen an average of .07″ per year. Global warming is largely the culprit here, but scientist have struggled to truly make that hypothesis work. You see, when you account for global warming’s effects on the oceans (slightly lower density at higher temperatures, and … Continue reading
Peak Metals
You’re reading this on a computer or other electronics device. Have you ever thought about what it took to build that device? Materials were dug up from the Earth and processed into this amazing form you’re staring at. Great, but this planet is finite in size…just how many more iPads can this planet provide the … Continue reading
BPS – the new BPA in plastics
We’ve all heard of the fuss regarding BPA in plastics. Perhaps a bit overblown, but a valid health concern nonetheless. The result is that it’s easy enough these days to find BPA-free plastics, but what does that really mean? In many products, BPA was replaced with BPS, and it’s really not that clear that BPS … Continue reading
Billions and billions of stars…
Sure, we know there are billions and billions of stars in the universe, but our species is not good at comprehending large numbers. What does ‘billions and billions’ actually look like? Astronomers compiled a giant image of a small slice of the night sky, and if you go to this website, you can click and … Continue reading
Genetically Engineered Crops
If you’re not sure what all the fuss is about genetically modified crops, you owe it to yourself to check out this quick (4 minute) video that does a great job of explaining the issue: I’m all for improving our lives through science, but GM foods is not about that…it’s about improving corporate profits through … Continue reading
Transparent aluminum
Trekkie of the world, rejoice! Transparent aluminum is moving ever closer to real, viable products. Under heat and pressure, aluminum oxynitride powder is fused into a clear (after polishing) material that proves more bullet resistant than laminate glass (a 1.6″ thick panel performed better than a 3.7″ piece of laminate glass). And impresses your friends. … Continue reading
84mpg VW Passat
With all the hype about hybrid vehicles these days, people tend to forget about efficient gas and especially diesel cars. VW is the leader in this with their TDI diesel, and just recently John and Helen Taylor set a new record for the longest distance driven on one tank of diesel – 1626 miles! That … Continue reading
Transform anything into a touch sensor
The Disney research lab in Pittsburgh released a cool demo video showing how any surface can be converted into a touch sensor. One of the coolest applications would be to use your skin to control an iPhone. Your body becomes the buttons…touch your palm with one finger for one action, two fingers for something different, … Continue reading
Eco-tip of the day – how to dry your hands with one paper towel
Here’s a quick TED video that shows how you can effectively dry your hands using only a single paper towel. Remember, every little bit counts! If enough people did this, we could save literally hundreds of millions of pounds of paper each year (plus all the energy that goes into producing and transporting that paper).
Solar powered boat completes round the world journey
I have mixed feelings about this one. PlanetSolar is less than one day from completing a circumnavigation using a boat powered only by the sun; it’s taken them about 600 days to do this. I’m not quite sure what they’re trying to prove here. If you want to go ‘green’ on your trip around the … Continue reading