matt, Author at Peak Geek - Page 99 of 108

With gas prices rising and expected to continue to do so for, well the rest of our existence, alternative forms of transportation are becoming more and more appealing. Electric bicycles are one option that offer some great functionality with few compromises. Towards the higher end of the spectrum is this $6k PiCycle Limited bicycle from Pi Mobility, which offers a 35-45 mile range at 30mph. Sure, it’s pricey for a bicycle, but when you view it as more of a replacement for a car, it becomes incredibly attractive, especially when you consider the very low maintenance cost and low energy costs.

They also made a cool commercial for this, check it out after the jump below.

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As a follow-up to the story about pink slime in school lunches, the USDA has essentially given it the green light. While officially it will be up to the individual schools to decide if they want to serve this to their kids or not, the reality is that with school budgets already incredibly reduced nationwide, they have no choice but to save a buck or two wherever they can. It’s what the taxpayers are asking for – increased efficiency in schools, reduced expenses, without really considering the consequences of that request. Sigh.

So, what can you do if this is something you care about as a parent? Well it’s simple – pack a lunch for your kid(s). Also face the reality, that while disgusting and potentially bacteria-laden (micro-biologists consider this a high risk food product), this pink slime is theoretically OK to eat and the real impact on a body is probably minimal, especially if ingested in moderation.

Ok, so some of you are reading this headline and are a bit confused, I realized. Pink slime? Yeah, it’s what passes for hamburger in our schools and fast food restaurants. Treehugger has a recent article about a whistleblower from this industry, check it out for all sorts of background info.

Anyway, there’s a petition at change.org to ask the USDA to stop the use of pink slime in the National School Lunch Program. They’re closing in on their goal of 300,000 signatures and need your help! You can find the petition here.

Hollow, one piece carbon fiber wheels? Cool use of technology here. With the only bit of metal being the filler valve, these wheels are incredibly light and strong, something you really do need on a car that’s expected to be capable of 270mph, the Koenigsegg Agera R. Designing a wheel for high speeds is no small task….the 253mph Bugatti Veyron, for examples, requires its wheels to be stress tested or replaced at every fourth tire change (at a cost of >$10k each!). Of course, carbon fiber wheels are relatively new to applications such as this, so owners may yet be stuck with comparable replacement costs.

Now, back to reality and perspective here. How does a 1140hp, 270mph car make any sense whatsoever? I love cars, really I do, but this is just a ridiculous machine that serves absolutely no purpose except to further enhance consumerism and deplete this planet’s natural resources. It’s a joke. A fast, impressive joke, but a joke nonetheless.

While there are many methods of converting heat energy into electrical energy, they’re typically inefficient (thermoelectric) or need to be done at a larger scale (steam turbines). Researchers at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University are showing promising results with a different approach. You see, the atoms in a liquid are in constant motion. They found that when copper ions collided with a strip of graphene immersed in a solution, the collision dislocated an electron out of the graphene, and it then traveled through the graphene strip, essentially replicating the function of a battery and illuminating an LED as a result.

As with any science, further tests are needed to verify the reaction and rule out secondary effects being responsible (such as chemical reactions). If validated, though, this has enormous potential, for it would enable the generation of electrical energy from any heat source (something planet has no shortage of). It’ll be interesting to see if this pans out.

Author: matt

PiCycle electric bikes

Pink Slime in School Lunches

Keep pink slime out of school lunches!

Aircore Carbon fiber wheels

Electricity From Ambient Heat