Solar-powered wifi

A company called Meraki is selling a variety of solar-powered Wifi options that may make sense for public entities, businesses or even some consumers.

It's pricey to install ($1,300+), but over the long haul this sort of device may pay off. Not only would there be financial benefits, but there would be good public relations to be had. Imagine an airport being able to say "Our free wifi is brought to you by the power of the sun."

For businesses, it would be an easy way to reduce your carbon footprint, which is a marketable concept. If you're an owner of an appartment complex, imagine being able to say that you'll throw in free, solar-powered Wifi as part of the rent.

It would have good applications at parks, fairgrounds and more. See Meraki's Web site for more details.

Fuel from artificial photosynthesis - Steven Chu discusses

Steven Chu, President-elect Obama's nomination as energy secretary, gave this speech in September 2007 about using the natural chemical process of photosynthesis to create fuel.

It's an interesting concept, although one that would require using plants for fuel, not food. Today, that may or may not be a good use of arable land. In the future, that is likely to be less and less viable. Still, it's good to know Obama wants to tap such an innovative thinker as Chu, a 1997 Nobel prize winner for his research into laser cooling.

Here's a video excerpt from his speech.



You can see the full video at FORA.tv.

Saving the news - the most troublesome bailout idea yet

The Bristol Press, a newspaper in Connecticut, may fold very soon.

That possibility has some lawmakers so worried they are considering offering incentives to potential buyers of that newspaper and others, according to this article. This is a very bad idea. How can a news organization be an effective watchdog of the government when it owes its financial existence to said government? That's a sure way to get the press to rubber-stamp any and every stupid idea from the governor or state house.

Connecticut's economic development agency has already been trying to find a buyer for The Bristol Press and 10 other newspapers in the state, according to this Bristol Press article. That simple act alone could compromise the integrity of any or all of these news organizations.

On a side note, this bailout trend has taken on a troubling life of its own. Any business that is falling on hard times seems to be a candidate. This has to stop, or we'll all be working for the government before long.

Solar chimneys - hot air that cools

Reader Mike Pulskamp left a comment on a recent blog about the concept of passive housing. He noted that the sealed envelope method of this housing can pose some problems for air quality.

He said that solar chimneys are a great option for green home builders. I've read about solar chimneys but never seen one in action. The basic concept is that a solar chimney absorbs heat, pulling cool air through a structure and up into the chimney (see image). That simple act of ventilation helps cool a home. These have been in use around the world for centuries. In hot windless areas, solar chimneys are sometimes the only source of ventilation.

I'm no home builder, but one day I'd love to build a house that is off the grid - or at least nearly so. It's so great to continue to learn how old concepts can be put to use in modern forms.

Here's another variation on the concept that's actually in use at Zion National Park's visitor center. This variation is a passive, evaporative downdraft cool tower.

Another retail gimmick

Taking a cue from the success of various state sales tax "holidays," now retailers are trying to edge in on President-elect Obama's forthcoming stimulus package. See this Wall Street Journal story.

The National Retail Federation is calling for three 10-day stints of sales tax-free shopping, in March, July and October 2009.

Their proposal would have the federal government reimburse states for lost sales tax revenue during those times. Gee, wonder who will pay for that?

We don't need this sort of circuitous nonsense. What we need are industries that employ people. We need clean tech industries that wean us off foreign energy, thus freeing up our need to deploy troops in far flung areas. Thus reducing our defense expenditures. We need new thinking.

If we want to stimulate consumer spending, give a 50-100% tax credit toward purchases of green items like wind turbines, solar panels and more. This will decrease energy expenses, individually and for the nation as a whole. And it will free up checkbooks for other consumer goods.

Sales tax holidays are a dying idea anyway. Of the 17 states that have had such consumer holidays so far, some are considering doing away with them because of the coming state budget crises.

If retailers want to propose a holiday, how about pushing that all Americans get their birthday off as an official holiday. I might go spend some money on my birthday. And the sales tax would be spent as it should be, not in some end-around where we taxpayers foot the bill in the end anyway.

Is the music industry finally ready to embrace the Internet?

This vague news report would suggest that the music recording titans are gathering energies to exploit the Internet.

Will they create their own portal? Will they partner with Hulu? Will the deal with youtube be expanded or modified? Warner, EMI and Universal are reporting growth of 29-39% in their digital sales over the past year. Clearly, they have to view that as progress.

Who knows how all this will play out, except for that CD sales will continue to decline. I only bought a few in 2008. And I have so many CDs downloaded to my iPod that I can't really get excited about paying to download a song or album online.

Really, I have more than 600 artists on a device, with more than 53 days worth of music.

What I'm really excited about is this handy device that will allow me to transfer my significant vinyl collection to my iPod. Sorry, music industry. That's a whole lotta love for my iPod that is already bought and paid for, collecting dust on a shelf. Can't wait to get to it (it should arrive today, courtesy of my wife for Christmas/anniversary). I think I'll be starting with my Dylan records first.

Tweet, tweet, I'm on twitter now

Good thing I joined before the end of 2008. I would hate to have done something in 2009 that was SO 2008. Look me up by real name or as thisismyusa, and see the twitter widget (twidget?) on the right side of this blog.

America - the world's wind leader

Great news! The United States is now the leading producer of power from wind.

According to this article on Cleantechnica, America has surpassed Germany in this regard. The U.S. now produces enough wind power to offset the burning of 91 million barrels of oil a year.

U.S. wind power produces more than 21,000 megawatts annually, or enough to power about 5.5 million households.

Read more good news on wind power from the American Wind Energy Association.

"Whoo-hoo for wind," you say, "But how can I get in on the game?"

Well, you don't have to own acres of prairie to harness the wind, as this video shows.

Go to Seth's blog

Seriously. I'm glad you're reading this, but if you've never been to Seth's blog, you owe yourself the treat.

Seth Godin is one of the most influential new media thinkers around. He wrote "Unleashing the Ideavirus," an ebook that remains available for free online (link here) despite the fact he is selling the actual book. He has lots of great ideas on media and marketing, choosing a satisfying career, making money. He also knows a bit about being a good person ... life in general.

This is a great post because it's his top-10 posts of 2008, as judged by the number of visits each page got. So there it is, Seth's best work of the year, as chosen by the people who matter.

Passive houses - another innovation from the Germans

I saw this interesting headline on NYTimes.com about passive houses.

This is a new concept to me, and probably to most Americans. Such houses "get all the heat and hot water they need from the amount of energy that would be needed to run a hair dryer," according to the article.

"Using ultrathick insulation and complex doors and windows, the architect engineers a home encased in an airtight shell, so that barely any heat escapes and barely any cold seeps in. That means a passive house can be warmed not only by the sun, but also by the heat from appliances and even from occupants’ bodies," the article continues.

The idea was pioneered in Darmstadt, Germany, a city of 140,000 outside of Frankfurt.

So far the idea has not gained much traction in the United States. One is being built in California, but most of the materials needed for this unique kind of construction must be imported, making it a costly endeavor. Passive houses cost only about 5-7% more than conventional housing in Germany, where the materials are increasingly available off the shelf.

The other challenge for adopting this housing style - at least for most of America - is that no one has figured out how to turn the warmth generated by the house into coolness. The concept is great for mostly cold areas that do not require air conditioning. In the Midwest, where summers get hot and humid, we need our creature comforts.

A final obstacle to adoption here is America's addiction to personal space. Passive houses work best when limited to about 500 square feet per occupant. That doesn't jibe with a McMansion culture.

Obstacles aside, passive housing strikes me as an innovation worth pursuing. I'm sure some bright minds can find a way to keep passive houses cool as well as warm.

If the idea can be melded with straw-bale construction, we'd have a very green new home movement waiting in the wings.

So much for generating power

Two nights ago I wrote about a man who used his Prius as a generator.

Who would believe that just six hours after writing the post, I would need a generator. Strange storms passed through Kansas City, drenching the city in rain and pounding us with gale-force winds. We were under a tornado watch - in December!!!

Around 5 a.m., we lost power. We still don't have it back (I'm typing this at Panera. Thank you Panera for free wifi.).

We waited out yesterday hoping that Kansas City Power & Light would restore power. Around 5 p.m., we realized that probably wasn't going to happen, so I broke out the new-in-the-box Honda generator, filled it with oil and gas, and pulled the cord. And pulled. And pulled. It never started.

So our house got colder and colder. Our poor tropical fish are beginning to ponder climate change in their little world.

If practical, I would have tried running a DC inverter through the Prius. Unfortunately, providence was not on my side. I asked my brother in St. Louis to get on the Internet and look up locations where I could purchase an inverter. There were numerous kinds available, for purchase online only. The only kind available in a physical store would generate only 350 watts, not enough to run very much.

Oh, the irony. I had a brand new generator that wouldn't start. The night before I stumbled upon the brilliant notion of using the Prius as a generator. But the inverter was available only online, and I couldn't go online at the time. And even if I could, it would take days to deliver one.

So I went to a friend's house. He was having a party and he had a warm fireplace. That was nice for a few hours. Then it was back to my cold house, where my wife and I succumbed to EWM - electricity withdrawal madness. Literally, we were getting mad at each other over a situation we couldn't control. I'll quit rambling now and drink my coffee.

Addendum: As for the fish, I boiled some water, put a hot/cold pack in there for a few minutes, put the pack in a freezer bag and put that in the fish tank. I'm about to go home and repeat the process. I'll keep this up until we get power back.

Addendum II: Power was restored at 12:10 p.m. CST. My wife became very excited. Me too. Damn we are weak.