Recent Comments:
Spirit Avert looking to raise $152 million to build mindset EV {Autoblog Green}
May 28th 2009 9:45PM I know I like the engineering in this car.
I'm not sure why I like this car's styling (sort of the unholy offspring of a DeLorean, a Lotus Europa and a Karmann Ghia), but I do.
Now they just need to make it affordable. Please make it affordable.
'Dry Water' methane hydrates convert natural gas to dust {Autoblog Green}
Dec 12th 2008 9:02AM Isn't methane hydrate the stuff that's supposed to be sitting at the bottom of the ocean, waiting to kill us all when the temperature climbs?
I've thought that it would be great if cars had some sort of canister that filled up with soot as they were driven - if people had to empty something like that every 500 km, they'd probably drive less just to avoid the mess.
Maybe we can have methane powered cars that need their "silica bins" emptied every once in a while.
The Dagne: Video game on three wheels {Autoblog Green}
Oct 11th 2008 11:02AM Saab experimented with a drive-by-wire joystick for their cars, but they never put one into production. I believe Saabs reasons for shelving the idea had to do with arm fatigue on longer drives (A joystick offers fewer alternative grip positions for the hand, and requires smaller, more precise movements than a steering wheel) and a lack of haptic feedback in the drive-by-wire system.
I can see advantages - the driver "envelope" can be smaller and still feel more "open" without a wheel, there's no steering wheel to bang into in a collision, etc.
My biggest objection to this vehicle is where (and from whom) they got the name.
Cyclists: Range Rover drivers worst on the road {Autoblog Green}
Sep 3rd 2008 9:57PM Chrysler Intrepids seem to be driven by people who do not shoulder-check before changing lanes.
Whether that's because they appeal to the stiff-necked seniors set or because the large rear pillars make shoulder-checks useless, I've nearly been trashed by them so often that I automatically slow down when I see one.
Lamborghini flown from Qatar to London and back... for an oil change {Autoblog Green}
Jul 31st 2008 7:48PM On the one hand, I do try and support the idea that a person should be able to spend their own money however they wish.
On the other hand, this person is spending his money to ruin the environment, which is a common property. I'd think there might be grounds to curtail this sort of behaviour under some laws protecting the commons from such wasteful misuse.
I think the only hope is for this sort of behaviour to be met with disgust by members of polite society -- like discovering that the person has an extensive collection of scatalogical pornography or enjoys torturing small animals. Hopefully, shame and the condemnation of one's peers can act to eliminate this kind of wanton disregard for environmental effect.
One God Jewelry {Luxist}
Jun 29th 2008 12:49PM So why associate reasonable goals like reducing poverty and suffering with references to a short list of cultural myths & traditions that still manages to exclude more than half the population of the planet (who don't practice any of those particular religions)? Especially since the three mentioned are participating in maintaining (or at least serve to motivate the maintenance of) those conditions worldwide. Especially since the "God of the Old Testament" is a right bastard whose agenda rarely promoted peace or a general lack of suffering.
Also, are those diamonds verified conflict-free? What about the precious metals? Are they fair trade? Mined by ecologically sensitive means? Hand-made by whom? For what rate of pay? It would be kind of ironic if pendants intended to reduce global hardship were funding some warlord's slave-camp mining efforts or displacing subsistence farmers who had the misfortune to be farming over (exportable) silver deposits.
A lofty goal marred by sloppy thinking.
"One People" or "All Are One" would have been better, more inclusive sentiments.
Oh, wait -- is the jewellery supposed to be ironic?
Get gum out of your carpet with peanut butter {DIY Life}
Jan 7th 2008 1:10PM If you don't enjoy the prospect of getting peanut-butter out of your carpet, you can use this slightly geekier method - Canned Air.
Those cans of "air" used to blast dust off your electronics are actually full of a fluid with a very high vapour pressure. If you invert a can of this product, it will spray an icy stream of this fluid out of the nozzle. The liquid gets so cold as it evaporates that it will burn skin like dry-ice.
If you spray the wad of gum with this fluid, it will freeze as hard as a rock. You can then whack the gum (with a hammer, stapler or whatever) and it will shatter off the carpet fibres. While it's still frozen, you can easily vacuum or sweep the little bits of gum "gravel" up.
Be gone you nasty stickiness! {DIY Life}
Nov 21st 2007 8:42PM If the item you're de-labelling is made of glass, swabbing the sticker with Xylene makes it slide right off.
Of course, Xylene stinks like hells own rubber cement and isn't good to get on your skin, so you'll need to do this outside while wearing gloves.
Cookie Tip: Use the back of your cookie sheet {Slashfood}
Oct 12th 2007 5:28PM If your cookie "sheet" has edges, it's actually a pan.
It's probably a sponge-cake pan, in fact. For making the flat, thin cake that gets rolled into a jam-roll.
The best cookie sheets I've ever used were the double-walled type - no edges and an air-space between the top & bottom. Never scorched the bottom of a cookie.
As for what difference the edges make in cooking - none, really. The flat sheets are much easier to clean afterwards, though, since they don't have any inside corners.
Philadelphia chefs fight back in foie gras fight {Slashfood}
Sep 28th 2007 4:02PM I wondered the same thing. I think they must be a little confused. Here's a tip that I hope will clear everything up:
Geese are not Puppies.
