Good news! The latest (November 29) false-color view of total ozone* over the Antarctic pole doesn't look so bad. The picture displays areas with the least amount of ozone in purple and blue colors, and displays areas with more ozone in yellow and red colors. We jest, of course. The ozone hole is as big as ever, as detailed in 2014 Antarctic Ozone Hole Holds Steady: The … [Read more...]
An E-bike Made Of Wood
German company Aceteam is producing an e-bike made of ash wood. The bike should reach the market by spring 2015, and you can get one for about 5,000 USD. Not sure about the look of this one—it has a wide frame for starters, and how does it handle a crash? It's difficult to have faith in those handlebars. See more at The Globe and Mail and the Aceteam website. … [Read more...]
Deep-sea Anglerfish Caught On Video
This is possibly the first video to capture the seldom observed deep-sea anglerfish, also known as the Black Seadevil. This angler is named Melanocetus and is about 9 cm long. On Monday, November 17, MBARI Senior Scientist Bruce Robison was leading a dive using the remotely operated vehicle Doc Ricketts in Monterey Bay when he came across this amazing deep-sea anglerfish … [Read more...]
The comet of the hour: Rosetta
These are so great. See them all at: Rosetta - an album on Flickr. … [Read more...]
USA to earn $5 billion from renewable energy loan program
There's some story about a tortoise and a hare that comes to mind here. Instant gratification is not always available when developing renewable energy. The U.S. government expects to earn $5 billion to $6 billion from the renewable-energy loan program that funded flops including Solyndra LLC, supporting President Barack Obama’s decision to back low-carbon technologies. The … [Read more...]
Fruity planets
The relative sizes of the planets in our solar system as represented by fruit. No room for the sun – we're going to need some bigger fruit. Fruitnets | Flickr - Photo Sharing!. … [Read more...]
They call it “The Pod” – a small house in Australia
I'm not sure if this qualifies as a sustainable home, but it could be – and it certainly looks like a good place to live. This project dubbed 'The Pod' by its owners, is a modern interpretation of the traditional timber framed fibro granny flat. It helps a family of four plus grandparents from overseas, who come to stay with the family over summer, meet their unique needs with … [Read more...]
The Toyota Camatte electric concept car
Here's a fun concept car you'll probably never see in real life, but that's how it goes in the auto industry. This car is a little different than normal concept cars, however – it's a toy, albeit life-size: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIwwECJF5b0&w=750&h=422&rel=0] This model was first presented at the 2012 Tokyo Toy Show, and the idea is to get kids … [Read more...]
An animated chart of 42 North American butterflies
These science-based infographics from Tabletop Whale are terrific. The author is a designer and molecular biology major and composer of interesting animated gifs. She posts a new one every couple weeks. Bookmarked. … [Read more...]
The Tesla taxi
In USA, a taxi is sometimes (often?) a Crown Vic or other, less glamorous vehicle. In Europe, taxis are nicer–and now you can even ride in a Tesla. See more: Tesla Model S Electric Car: Simply The Worlds Coolest Taxi. … [Read more...]