Using the power of crowds for bicycling and commuting

No hybrid will ever match the efficiency of a bike for getting around, I've been an avid cyclist since I was 13 or so. But finding good routes can be difficult. Bikely uses the power of crowds to develop a database of bicycle routes, with descriptions, that are mapped on Google maps. Pretty sweet.

Bikely

Recycle your electronics carefully

I'm a geek for shiny toys, and willing to admit it. I try and keep my consumption resonable, my laptop is approaching three years old, my desktop is an anchient box running Linux, and my Mac (for testing web designs) is an OLD G3. But right now, I can count 6 computers (I've got some "Make" style hacks intended for 2 of them) in my office. Three I use, and the others. I know there are at least 2 others in the house. Plus at least 3 old phones and misc other electronics.

Reading this amazing National Geographic article about the global environmental implications of electronic waste is sobering. Some numbers from the article.

"an estimated 30 to 40 million PCs will be ready for "end-of-life management" in each of the next few years."
" In the fashion-conscious mobile market, 98 million U.S. cell phones took their last call in 2005. All told, the EPA estimates that in the U.S. that year, between 1.5 and 1.9 million tons of computers, TVs, VCRs, monitors, cell phones, and other equipment were discarded. If all sources of electronic waste are tallied, it could total 50 million tons a year worldwide, according to the UN Environment Programme."

And what happens to that old gear is sometimes surprising and sickening. Much of it, even if you drop it off to be recycled, is sold to brokers who ship it to countries like China and Ghana, where the lack of regulation creates industries that pollute horribly and threaten the health and safety of their workers. Hardly a satisfying solution.

Some ideas-

Re-use is of course, always better than recycling.

• Is there someone in your life that could use that old computer? A student, a single mom, a charity? Even if it's old, you might be suprised at the very decent level of performance that a Linux operating system can extract from an old machine. And a linux installation like Ubuntu can be very user friendly, with tons of free software available. Ask your favorite geek for help if you need it. Or if you live near Berkeley, contact these guys. I've dropped stuff off there before. They use the rebuilding for job training, and donate the final products. Looks like the accept stuff from other places too, with shipping, or you can possibly find something similar closer to home.
  
• There are charities that take old cell phones and recycle them for various causes. Google has lots of options, including selling it, giving it to soldiers,and others.
  

Remember, that computer/cell phone/PDA still has value, and should be treated carefully. Don't toss them, and don't let them just collect dust. It's unlikely you'r ever going to use or need that 15 inch VGA monitor again, so dig it out of the closet and put it to good use.

Geoff

Networked GPS units. So cool. And good for the planet?

Real time traffic data is pretty neat. I call my wife sometimes and have her check Google Traffic before deciding which way to drive. That system relies on a very expensive system of embedded sensors, and as such, only has data for a limited amount of area. I also use a GPS frequently, an inexpensive Garmin I bought for my wife 2 years ago but now rely heavily upon. As I navigate the San Francisco bay area, I've often wondered about having real time data available on the GPS, and it looks like that is becoming a reality. Very cool.

TomTom is releasing next month a new unit that will record average speed from other TomTom units, and use that to calculate average speeds on roads at various times of the day or week. That is, it will learn that the 405 on a monday at 8 am is a parking lot, but at 4 am on Sunday, it's smooth sailing. And it will use real data, from real drivers and real cars, to learn this. With that knowledge, it can better calculate your best options.

The Dash Express appears to take this one step further. It not only uses the information collected to better determine averages, it operates in near real time. So if the Dash connected drivers ahead of you are are stuck in traffic, and the data gets sent to the server, that server will send the data to your Dash, and it will reroute you accordingly. If it works, you can imagine this having huge impacts. If everyone had this, it could make our entire highway system more efficient. That could have positive environmental benefits.

As a side note, I could imagine this becoming a business school example of the success or failure of a product dependent on the "Network Effect". Imagine being the first person to buy a fax machine. It doesn't become useful until several or many others have it. I wonder how many Dash users are needed before it becomes truly effective?

Climos - Using Technology to fight climate change

Climos is a recently funded startup, (one of their investors is Elon Musk), that aims to combat climate change through a controversial "geo-engineering" technique that seems remarkably simple at it's core. They plan to take iron, dump it into the ocean. Plankton grows well is iron rich environments, so it blossoms, dies and sinks to the bottom of the ocean. Since plankton consumes carbon and the carbon would be stored in the body of the plankton, you are sequestering carbon.

Seems simple. Almost rings of some kind of movie plot. If it works, and can be done safely, then I think it's really cool. I'll admit to having reservations though. How many times have we been told something is safe and foolproof? It's times like this I always remember the pictures of scientists and dignitaries watching the nuclear bomb tests, wearing dark sunglasses. I'm sure they were told it was safe, but human knowledge is not infallible. And when humans begin projects that are designed to tweak the delicate balance of the planet we live on, even well intentioned and seemingly reasonable, I get nervous.

Earth2Tech's article on 10 controversial geo-engineering projects.

Printers - Annoying and Wasteful.

I've got an idea. If you work from home, unplug your printer and hide it. Put it away. I've got a printer sitting under my desk, and I haven't used it in years. I bought it, but used it so infrequently the ink dried out, and I'm too frugal to replace the ink, only to have it dry out.

And it's rarely an issue. I save important stuff to PDF, and backup online. On the rare occasion I need something printed, I stop by a Kinkos or have my wife do it at work. Neither is an option I like using, so I only print when there is no good option. And that turns out to be remarkably rare.

This cuts down on paper use, and ink. Ink itself isn't so bad, but the method used to sell it is. The cartridges are tough to refill, and each takes plastics and energy to manufacture and ship.

If you do use a printer, then consider recycling and refilling.
http://www.thedailygreen.com/going-green/tips/2078?src=rss

Texas - An emerging wind superpower?

I live in California, but grew up and went to undergrad school in Texas. It's funny how people out here perceive Texas as being redneck and backwards.

Texas is a big state, about the size of France. It has nearly every type of ecosystem imaginable, and people as varied as any. It's interesting to note that Texas is one of the biggest producers of wind power in the country. I like the idea of wind power a lot, though I'm not without reservation.

But if people begin to see that Texas is more than oil wells and cattle, then that makes me pleased.
http://earth2tech.com/2008/02/25/texas-and-wind-wildcatting/

70+ MPG Volkswagon Diesel Hybrid

A few years back, a friend of mine had a VW Jetta Wagon, with a diesel engine. We used it for several kayaking trips, and I was impressed. Nice to drive, and 40+ MPG with kayaks on the roof rack. Of course, those diesels polluted, and you couldn't buy a new one in California.

Now, VW is promising a hybrid diesel Golf that gets 70+ MPG, and meets even california's strict emissions standards. Simply put, I want one. Maybe a Jetta version, I'd give up a few MPG for the added space.

Read More:
dailytech.com