A bed fan to snuggle up to

With Earth Day 2008 just past (April 22), here's a gizmo to help you reduce your carbon footprint somewhat; the key word being "somewhat" since this still sucks power. However, for those of us in the humid tropics who can't do without air-conditioning, the Bed Fan (US$79.95) sounds like a decent proposal to give up your AC unit. That is if you don't mind a rack-like contraption poking its head between your sheets. Believe us, there are less desirable things snuggling under your Sheridan.

At least this one hits the hot spot with a cool breeze that "travels between your top sheet and bottom sheet and bathes sleepers in a stream of cool, comforting air". Airflow volume can be controlled via a separate speed-control dial that can be placed on your side table or under the pillow, letting you create your own microclimate. Better yet, with rising utilities costs raising temperatures in homes, the more energy-efficient Bed Fan could well stem that bleeding household budget nicely!

Via New Launches | Photo credit: Brooke Stone

Some scary water stats from an expert

How much water does it take to make a pair of leather shoes? 8,000 liters.

That's from Hans Enggrob, head of innovation at the DHI Water Group, a research and consulting firm, speaking at the Nordic Green conference taking place this week at SRI International's offices.

It takes 2,000 liters to make a cotton T-shirt, 2,400 liters to make a hamburger, and 1,200 liters to produce a gallon of ethanol, he said.

But beer drinkers should rejoice. It only takes 75l for a glass of beer and 140l for a cup of coffee, he added. Much of the water in these products goes toward irrigating crops used to make these products.

Enggrob, like many others, points out that the world is facing a pending water crisis. Several startups concentrating on water purification and desalination have received funding in recent years and large giants such as General Motors have put more emphasis on water. Still, demand is growing faster than supply. China, Australia, and several African nations are already grappling with water shortages. In the US, some believe Lake Mead could run dry by 2021.
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Arm wrestling + Tetris = Tresling

First, the movie. Now, the arena? This one, however, is more real than reel since there's even an official Web site with video to promote the idea of Tresling, a game combining arm wrestling with a board game setup and the puzzle game Tetris. Lockjaw concentration and grunts optional. To play, each hook, toproll and press equates to a turn of a block. Clearly, wimps need not apply, since failure to maintain your position will send your blocks tumbling all over the place. Talk about a bashup of a mashup.

Via Engadget | Photo credit: TomGerhardt.com

Take back your yard like Dirty Harry

Let's say you have a backyard rodent issue. A big one. So big that you can't watch Caddyshack anymore without getting a tic.

The Mega-Sonic Scatter-Cat device supposedly "repels dog, cats, squirrels and other nuisance animals without harming them", according to Pocket-lint, using sonic and ultrasonic waves instead of buckshot. But who are we kidding here? Rather than something like the passively situated Solar Chaser, the real reason to get one of these is to pretend you're aiming Harry Callahan's .44-magnum at the dastardly four-legged vermin up to 65ft away.

In a perfect world, perhaps this technology will be developed for bi-pedal pests as well.

Via Crave CNET

Cool your house with chemical reactions

Solid, meet liquid.

Acvio, a company out of Finland showcasing its technology at the Nordic Green conference this week at SRI International in Menlo Park, says it has come up with an air conditioning system that consumes 60 percent to 70 percent less power than conventional systems.

The energy savings comes because Acvio's system doesn't require an air compressor to make cool air, the traditional engine inside air conditioners. The system relies upon the energy released when a solid becomes a liquid. It works like this: Warm air from the outside is collected and funneled toward a solid. The heat melts the solid and the melting process takes heat out of the air. That cooler air is then cycled inside to cool down the inside of a home or office. You can also use it in server rooms. Half the electricity in today's data centers gets used to power the air conditioners. (And you thought it was to run the machines in the snack room.)

"Instead of a compressor, we use hot and humid air," said CEO Kari Moilala, during a meeting. "The energy is taken out of hot air."

Acvio's system does require fans, but these can be run by solar panels, Moilala said.

The system can also be used to heat a building by running the process in reverse, but it works better as an air conditioner.

Moilala wouldn't say what the material is that goes from solid to liquid, but it isn't water. A few U.S. companies like Ice Energy are cooling buildings by converting ice to water.

Heat exchange systems--those that shuttle heat and cold back and forth like this-- have been around for a while but are improving in the face of increasing electricity prices. Another one to check out is Hallowell International, which has an air conditioner that also works as a heater in cooler climates.

Via CNET News blogs

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