Sunday, May 23, 2010

Hewlett Packard Moots Using Cowdung to Power Warehouses

I remember the 1970s when India tried promoting "Gobar Gas" plants for farms in the country, in one of very few socialist exercises that were positive in any way. the experiment failed, however, and all was conveniently forgotten since. This blog has looked at examples of western businesses - mostly farms - which have been using methane to power themselves. This new Hewlett Packard initiative, Link however, is a very positive one because you have a prominent high tech business looking at using methane from dairy and meat farms to power its warehouses. As the Times article points out, other companies are looking at using this power to run data centers. Is there a hint in this for the many software technology parks being set up in India at the moment? Even if they are not looking at them at the moment, they should. India has a huge population of cattle which are left abandoned and suffering on its streets. At the very least, these could be cared for for their dung and it could be used to produce power, something that the country is desperately in short supply of.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Electric Watercraft - Via Gizmag

While I am old fashioned and would not go into a river / lake on powered motorcraft, preferring a scull or an outrigger instead, there are many who do not have my patience. And these people often use gasoline powered individual watercraft which not only pollute the air, they also send in pollutants into delicate marine environments. Gizmag reports a new personal electric craft being developed by the Ohio based Silveira Group Link here While this is not yet available from what I understand, I personally feel that it can't arrive soon enough! Here's keeping my fingers crossed in the hope that I will be able to see one of these soon at Cabelas or Basspro, or even at my local Costco which has begun to sell watercraft of all kinds.

Behind the Wheel of the Audi e-tron Electric Sports Car

Behind the Wheel of the Audi e-tron Electric Sports Car

There have been all kinds of reports slamming electric cars as "soul-less" and worse in the motoring media. Both ordinary transportation as represented by quadricycles like the REVA and high performance sportsters like the Tesla Roadster have found themselves criticized along this vein. Perhaps, the scribes and television hosts who rushed into judgment were a little too quick off the mark. There were early fossil fuel cars that were not particularly enjoyable to drive and I recall my own Premier Padmini and Maruti van in India - both utter pigs to drive and will all the sophistication of a rusted hammer and anvil set, and with filthy exhausts to boot. Now, with the Audi e-Tron sportscar, we have a journalist from Robb Report, a magazine for wealthy buyers of very high grade products, come away impressed. Remember that this is a magazine for people who would otherwise buy Lamborghinis or Aston Martins, and you have to sit up and take note.

Hopefully, this is a trend that will accelerate in the future. You'll see this blog follow these trends!