Recent Comments:
New solar sail aims to not repeat recent history {Engadget}
Jul 4th 2008 5:32PM It's only news when they don't. There are thousands of sats up there running on solar that had perfect deployments.
Reflect table monitors conversations with LEDs, shows who's all talky {Engadget}
Jun 29th 2008 11:09AM Don't forget all the people who just talk all the time and just don't care.
Bill Gates: top ten greatest hits (and misses) - the Microsoft years {Engadget}
Jun 27th 2008 8:14PM What about just plain ol' MS Basic? It could be argued that Gates' Basic was better than Apple Basic (or at least more complete), and it established the idea of companies producing software for micro computers.
Heck, it even launched piracy:
http://www.blinkenlights.com/classiccmp/gateswhine.html
Volkswagen prepping a plug-in "Twin Drive" hybrid for 2010 {Engadget}
Jun 27th 2008 9:44AM Hmmm. Meant to reply to JZT.
Volkswagen prepping a plug-in "Twin Drive" hybrid for 2010 {Engadget}
Jun 27th 2008 9:43AM Well, there are more and more wind turbines going up, and 19% of the power in the US is generated by nuclear (higher percentage in the northeast and AZ), 7% hydroelectric, and the likelihood of you plugging in is greater at night (when most energy produced is from base load plants, such as nuclear and hydroelectric), so you should be producing less pollution than an ICE (26% renewable/non-CO2 producing -vs- 0%). And don't forget the large-scale solar plants that are proposed for the south west US. And please don't look at everything from a CO2 standpoint, either. There's a lot of compelling reasons to go with electric, even without considering the environmental impacts.
And since you can take your time charging the battery (8 hours or more, if you sleep), you won't be putting much of a strain on the power grid, if the charging system is properly designed. And you can charge at home, instead of having to drive to a gas station to refuel. Think about that the next time you're waiting in line on a Friday afternoon.
Now if we can get rid of the ICE when we're sure we don't need it (maybe mount it on a small trailer or something), we'll see even greater efficiency, and that space can be used for a larger battery pack, or just increased range through weight savings.
Video: Darth Vader and R2D2 hubs fulfill your dork destiny {Engadget}
Jun 27th 2008 8:11AM Yea, but all the geeky gals (and some of the geeky guys) out there can use the R2 unit to play out their SW fantasy by saying "Help me Obi-Wan, you're our only hope." prior to inserting the flash drive.
DeLorme Earthmate PN-40 GPS unit for those of you who go outside {Engadget}
Jun 25th 2008 11:27PM BT would be nice if you have your laptop with you and want a bigger screen (or to use google maps).
Enclosed electric motorcycle is green and ghastly {Engadget}
Jun 22nd 2008 9:59AM years ago I remember a debate in a bicycling newsgroup about traction and stability of bicycle tires in a rainstorm. There's this guy named Jobs Brandt who did his doctoral thesis (and later wrote a book) on the physics of bicycle wheels, who studied the effects of water on the tires and determined that due to the rounded shape, it was impossible for them to hydroplane, but hard cornering ability was greatly reduced. So as long as you take it easy in the turns, it shouldn't be a big deal.
ASUS gets official with Atom-powered Eee Box {Engadget}
Jun 20th 2008 2:57PM Well, there are plenty of uses for this machine. I'm looking at it for a cheap file server/gateway/vpn box to replace my Linksys NAS200 (junk) and my old gateway. I'd rather not use an old PC due to the noise and power consumption (right now my network is solar powered and I'd like to keep it that way). If it is cheap enough, that is. Anything less than $300 would be a great price, and I thought they already said they'd have a Linux version available.
MIT solar dish holds promise for low-cost energy production {Engadget}
Jun 20th 2008 9:18AM Because the heat generated would reduce the output, and it is likely if you can burn a 2X4, you would destroy the panels.
However, a lot of people are using small lenses on solar panels to get a slightly higher output.
