Photo via the New Republic It's a widely held notion that politicians have long been in the pocket of Big Oil. And there's good reason for that perception: oil companies' huge campaign donations, vast lobbying power, and close ties to politicians have ensured that their taxes remain low , that hidden subsidies are around to provide extra funding, and that they receive preferential treatment in US energy policy. But there could be a new, ... View original post here: The Next Big Oil: Big Smart Grid?
So there really isn't anything that deep to this image. It's just a (more or less) life-sized blue whale eye. And on the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society site you can educate yourself/be mesmerized/ waste some time for a while staring at it while the entire life-sized animal scrolls across your browser window. Believe me, it's way cooler than you might think:... Read more from the original source: Ever See a Blue Whale Life-Sized on Your Computer? Now You Can
published April 22, 2010 and has No Comments
A reader writes: I have a loft with a southern exposure and only 2 1/2 windows, it is a long space extending back from the windows and the area farthest away can get quite dark, especially if the sun isn't shining. What can I do to get natural light deep into the space? This is not a new question; ...
Read more...published April 21, 2010 and has No Comments
Writer and designer Bart Hawkins Kreps of Port Hope, Ontario, is also a serious cyclist. Cyclicious points us to this video of Bart building a new sidewalk for his house, moving almost 4 tons of grani... Read the full story on TreeHugger Read the rest here: How To Build A Sidewalk - By Bike
Read more...published April 19, 2010 and has No Comments
Even with Steve Jobs laying claim to the word "Pad" and smartphones taking the place of the pocket notebook, there is still plenty of room for transferring thoughts to cellulose with an ink-filled pen or wooden pencil. People got a kick out of our roundup of Moleskine hacks , but for those seeking a more earth-amenable notebook, cast your ...
Read more...published April 5, 2010 and has No Comments
Photo via Treehugger editor Meaghan O'Neill, shown here busy being a DIY badass on her roof. She's tearing apart a chimney with such gusto that she broke the sledge hammer. The reason for ripping out the chimney was to make room for a pellet stove and a solar tube. And she kept the bricks for later reuse in the ...
Read more...published April 1, 2010 and has No Comments
Images via iFixIt Ever since seeing iFixIt Global Repair Community at Maker Faire last year, we've been infatuated. The team breaks down the latest electronics so we can get familiar with their insides, gain some familiarity with electronic components, and hopefully build up the confidence required to take a screwdriver to a broken device and fix it ourselves. The ...
Read more...published March 29, 2010 and has No Comments
Photo of tools via fotographix ; Image of book cover via Amazon . Do It Yourself. It's a phrase that's been snatched up by mainstream culture through televisions shows, best seller books, and craft store kits. But DIY, when you stop and consider it, mean so much more than just building your own set of book shelves or knitting ...
Read more...published February 1, 2010 and has No Comments
I grew up in California, so my family is familiar with earthquakes. However, I grew up in a coastal area that, while we felt the rattle when quakes hit north and south of us, we rarely experienced disastrous results. Even with that familiarity -- or perhaps because of it -- after I moved to San Francisco my family gave ...
Read more...published January 20, 2010 and has No Comments
Image credit: Good Good finishes its "Slow Issue" with a helpful guide to reducing the hectic pace of your life. "We are taught that we'll be judged by what we achieve," they explain, "but what does it mean to actually achieve?"... Read the full story on TreeHugger Read more: GOOD Tells Us How to Slow Down
Read more...published December 24, 2009 and has No Comments
Image via MAKE Opensource! We love this golden green idea because it encompasses the idea-sharing that is vital to DIY communities, which in turn are vital for sustainable living. And MAKE has put out one awesome opensource guide. Jam-packed with projects for the do-it-yourself community, it is "the definitive guide to open source hardware projects in 2009." And, even ...
Read more...published December 14, 2009 and has No Comments
Image via: remintola on Flickr.com We've mentioned the Akeena Solar Andalay PV (photovoltaic) panel previously for its near plug and play installation format. With almost all of the pieces integrated, installers simply install the base into the roof, set the panels down, plug them together and the rooftop installation is done. Now, for the first time, Lowe's sells all ...
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A Finnish designer has made a working surfboard from broken skateboards. Read the original here: Hollow Surfboard Is Made from Broken Skateboards
How to grow tastier tomatoes and how to make food taste sweeter without sugar: just two amazing discoveries from a study of the chemical interactions underlying tomato flavor preferences Read the rest here: The Secrets of Tasty Tomatoes Discovered - Can ...
