Archive for January, 2008

Prince Charles made a big splash by attending the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi last week, in Greener fashion then most other attendees. He arrived by 3D Hologram.Amazing most attendees, the Prince appeared out of thin air, just like in the movies.The whole 6 minute clip was previously video taped in the United Kingdom. Part of the reason that the Prince decided to show up in his “Green Suit” was a response to British press criticism of his trip to the US last year to pick up an environmental award. By not appearing in person he avoided adding 20 tons of Carbon Dioxide into the atmosphere.

Musion Systems is the British company that provided this new technology, The Musion® Eyeliner™ is a high definition holographic video projection system allowing spectacular 3-dimensional moving images to appear within a live stage setting using Pepper’s Ghost technology. Eyeliner™ brings dramatic, previously unseen 21st century video film effects to live events, including audiovisual artistic performances, conference or trade show presentations, retail displays and large-scale digital signage.Unfortunately the technology is not at the point where it can deliver “Live Telepresence”, due to data flow constraints. (source: The New York Times)

But it’s coming…Until the technology catches up with Star trek, in the mean time we can take advantage of Broadband and use technologies like Skype and others like it to communicate with business partners and colleagues, without having to get in our cars or Jets.

Check out the Video…

 

abu dhabi Broadband environement hologram teleconfrencing World Future Energy Summit

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I don’t know about you but there are days when life just get’s to be too much. The stress of just everyday living needs to be toned down a notch. I usually don’t have time for a getaway to a Spa, but what I have found time for is to treat myself to a Body Wrap at home.

At the end of the week I look forward to treating myself to a couple of hours of peace and quite and a Seaweed Body Wrap. I’ve had one of these done at a Spa and came out feeling new. Now I can do the same in the comfort of my own home for half the price.

Now there are many claims that are made of these Seaweed Wraps. Some make claims that they can Detox your body, some say that they can help with weight loss, others claim to help firm your skin or get rid of the cellulite. With all the natural ingredients that are found in these wraps there has to be some kind of benefit. Some of the ingredients include, Dead Sea Clay, Blue Green Algae, Allantoin, Alfalfa Powder, Ginger Root Powder, Fennel Seed Powder, Stinging Nettles Powder, Dead Sea Salt, Peppermint Leaf, Seaweed Clay, Laonin Clay and the list goes on. But, the one good thing is that you can tell is that they are all natural ingredients, and that is important.

Personally, I find the wraps to be stimulating and relaxing at the same time, a gift I give to myself at the end of a hard working week. The other effects that come with the wraps are just the Cherry on top.

Seaweed Body Wrap

body wraps seaweed wraps

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If your considering going to the Beijing Summer Olympics starting 08/24/08, you may want to invest in a gas mask. Air quality concerns are still a high priority for Beijing’s Summer Olympics. According to CNN, the Mayor of Beijing was quoted last Sunday as saying that “Beijing will use the strictest standards to control emissions and curb pollution for the Summer Olympics but it will be an uphill task”.

In order to address the Olympics Air Quality concerns, Beijing will have to deal with gridlock and rampant pollution throughout the city. Part of the plan is to shut down blast furnaces in the city’s biggest steel company, convert some coal burning factories to gas, and some factories have been relocated outside the city. Already 78 miles of trees have been planted in a ring around the city, to hopefully take up some of the pollution, and 1/3 of Beijing’s 3.3 million cars will be banned from the city during the Olympics.

It is a tall order, but Beijing is committed to being ready by August.

The President of the International Olympic Committee, Jaques Rogge, said in an interview with CNN in 2007, that the Olympic Committee will put the health of the athletes first. If the Air Quality is poor for a particular event, that event would be postponed or canceled.

air quality beijing gas mask Olympics pollution

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I found this cool People Search site called Spock.com. You can search for friends, family members, long lost High School Sweethearts or just your favorite actor or pop singer. When you people search at Spock.com, the search engine goes out and gathers all the information that is out on the web about that particular person, location or even keyword and arranges it all neatly for you in one place. People can be searched by their name, e-mail, or Tags, which the person can add to their own profile or the Tags can be put on there by other members.

Spock.com - the best people search on the Web, whatever you are looking for you’ll find it there. For example if you are doing a research paper for college. Let say your paper will be on Leonardo Da Vinci, for an art class. So I type in artist and painter, Da Vinci, and I get a compilation of all sites that carry any information on Da Vinci. It’s great. Or maybe you, and the rest of the world, are interested in Britney Spears, when you search her name you’ll get, her statistic, how many boyfriends and husbands she’s had, who they are links to them etc., etc. Let’s say your interests are more Politically inclined, and you want to know which candidates are Pro Choice. Do a People Search and type in the keyword, Pro-choice, it will spit out a list of all candidates that are Pro-Choice, links to their profiles and their personal websites, and any and all news related to them.

Some of the other features at Spock.com include being able to add all your friends, family and co-workers from your address book and across social networks, you’ll be able to see your friends profiles in MySpace, LinkedIn, Blog, find info from Wikipedia and create your own Network. They have widgets with the information that you are searching for, which can be embedded into any website.

Check it out, it’s worth signing up and it’s free…
Spock.com - the best people search on the Web

people search spock.com

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What happens to all this High Tech Trash? Or as it is now known, E-Waste.

According to an article in Nat Geo, in the US the estimate is that 70-80% of Computers, Monitors and TV’s end up in the landfill every year. According to the the EPA 30-40 million PC’s will be ready for the dumpster in each of the next few years, and 98 million US Cell Phones were discarded out in 2005 and the trend will probably continue.

The main problem with this is not that we are running out of room in our landfills but that these products carry “Not Healthy ” amounts of Heavy Metals such as: Arsenic, Cadmium, Lead, Mercury, and Beryllium, and when they end up in the ground, they leech into the ground water, then back to us through the drinking water or our food.

Makes you wonder why Cancer has become the epidemic it is…

The following is a list of the long term effects of exposure to these metals:

• ARSENIC: Long term exposure to arsenic and its compounds can cause cancer. Inhalation can result in lung cancer. If swallowed, cancer is likely to develop in the bladder, kidneys, liver, and lungs. In large doses, arsenic and its compounds can cause death.
• CADMIUM: The effects of extensive cadmium exposure is not known, but are thought to include heart and kidney disease, high blood pressure, and cancer.
• LEAD: The lead in a person’s body can build up. This kind of lead poisoning can lead to nerve damage and problems with the gastrointestinal system (stomach and intestines). Over a long period of time, these children often suffer brain damage.
• MERCURY: Problems can include inflammation of the mouth and gums; loosening of the teeth; damage to the kidneys and muscles; shaking of the arms and legs; and depression, nervousness, and personality changes.
• BERYLLIUM: Chronic effects include diseases of the respiratory system (throat and lungs), such as bronchitis and lung cancer.

RECYCLE YOUR ELECTRONICS:

• There’s an easy way to recycle we just need to get on board. Collect your no longer used electronics, and make a drop off every six months. Make it a recycling project with friends or the whole neighborhood.
• The Consumer Electronics Assoc. created, mygreenelectronics.co to help you find a recycling resource in your area. It also provides a list of Eco-friendly electronics.

When you find the company that takes care of E-Waste in your area, ask them what they do with it. Taking it to a Recycler doesn’t guaranty that they will safely dispose of the E-Waste. Often times they sell the lots to E-waste Exporters that send the waste to developing countries where the labor is cheaper and the laws on disposal are not as strict. But that’s for another story. Make sure your Recycler is a responsible Recycler, if you’re not sure take it somewhere else.

electronics environment ewaste high tech trash recycle

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I got hurt at work almost three years ago and my life has not been the same since. I have a lower back strain that just won’t go away. It not only affected my professional life but also my life at home. One of my biggest passions is gardening, I could spend a whole day in the yard and not notice the time pass. Yard work is heavy work, a lot of bending, lifting, just physical work overall, which I have always loved to do. But, since my injury, I am lucky if I last an hour out there. And the funny part is that you would say, OK, so no more physical work, big deal, you can live with that. But, this Back Pain, comes even when I sit too long. Sitting at my desk doing bills or even at the Computer can only last like an hour, then I have to get up. Long Car trips are torture, and even sleeping has become a pain. I have to keep my sleep to no more than 6.5hrs or I pay for it for the rest of the day.

I have been through several doctors and always end up with a prescription in my hand for something to kill the pain, or the suggestion for some type of shots that would block the pain. Well, I have always tried to stay away from medicines and can not imagine being on pain killer for the rest of my life. I’ve been actively looking for pain relief through natural means. So when I came across this site http://www.losethebackpain.com , I was curious what they had to say. Well what I found is that they are a wealth of Info on Back Pain, Low Back Pain, and Sciatica. They have free Pain Relief Guides on any kind of back pain. Each guide covers information on the causes of Back Pain, why the usual treatment don’t always work, or work short term only, and how to make informative decisions on choosing the strategies that will keep you pain free.

Check out the site: http://www.losethebackpain.com, you’ll be glad you did.

back pain lose the back pain low back pain sciatica

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On Monday January 21st, the World Future Energy Summit was be held in Abu Dhabi, at which time the plan for Masdar City, the greenest city on earth was unveiled.

Masdar City will be the first carbon-neutral, waste-free, car-free city.

The city will consist of six-square kilometers (2.3 sq miles), that will eventually house about 50,000 residents and 1500 businesses. They will start construction in the first quarter of 2008, and will take approximately 10 years to complete, although it’s firsts residents will be able to move in by 2009.

No Pollution, No Waste… Now how will they accomplish this you ask? Here’s a list:

• ZERO CARBON: 100 per cent of energy supplied by renewable energy – Photovoltaics, concentrated solar power, wind, waste to energy and other technologies
• ZERO WASTE: 99 per cent diversion of waste from landfill (includes waste reduction measures, re-use of waste wherever possible, recycling, composting, waste to energy)
• SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT: Zero carbon emissions from transport within the city; implementation of measures to reduce the carbon cost of journeys to the city boundaries (through facilitating and encouraging the use of public transport, vehicle sharing, supporting low emissions vehicle initiatives)
• SUSTAINABLE MATERIALS: Specifying high recycled materials content within building products; tracking and encouraging the reduction of embodied energy within materials and throughout the construction process; specifying the use of sustainable materials such as Forest Stewardship Council certified timber, bamboo and other products
• SUSTAINABLE FOOD: Retail outlets to meet targets for supplying organic food and sustainable and or fair trade products
• SUSTAINABLE WATER: Per capita water consumption to be at least 50 per cent less than the national average; all waste water to be re-used
• HABITATS AND WILDLIFE: All valuable species to be conserved or relocated with positive mitigation targets
  
• CULTURE AND HERITAGE: Architecture to integrate local values.
• EQUITY AND FAIR TRADE: Fair wages and working conditions for all workers (including construction) as defined by international labour standards
• HEALTH AND HAPPINESS: Facilities and events for every demographic group
  

Source: The Masdar Initiative

C/Net News.com: Masdar City…

abu dhabi masdar city the greenist city on earth World Future Energy Summit

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Buying a car is difficult enough, but buying a Used Car can be even more stressful. Not only do you have worry about what kind of car you want to buy, now you have to worry about the condition of the car, how you will finance a used car, will you be able to insure it, the list goes on.

There is hope yet. Stumbling through the Internet, I found a site that is great. Netcars.co.uk - Used Cars, Insurance & Loans
There is so much to do when you have to buy a used car, that the effort can be exhausting. At Netcars, they make the endeavor easier to wade through.

On one website, they have consolidated all the key points that must be covered when buying a used car. Netcars offers all the motoring services that you could possibly think of. You can search through thousands of used cars according to type, year, price, and area closest to where you live. You can apply for car loans, and get car insurance quotes from over 50 Insurance companies. The site even has a Car Data Check Section, where you can check the History of the car, so you know you are not getting a Lemon.

Some of the other services available on the website are that you can list your old car for sale, upload Photos of your car and off you go. You can even get Personalized Numbered Plates right from the site and read all the latest motoring news!

Everything you need to buy a used car, sell your old car, get financing, get insurance, Plates, Data Check and the Latest Motoring News, all from the comfort of your home. Well, except for giving it a test drive.What else could you want.

Check it Out:Netcars

netcars.co.uk used car

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Half our family lives in Europe, some live in South America, the others live 500 miles away here in the US. Last week our son brought up the idea that it would be nice to have a centralized place where the whole family could share our pictures, our family trees, our stories, our lives. All would be saved for generations to come. In this day and age where families are spread out throughout the world, and all are not always able to get together or even have time share stories, Family Websites would be a perfect solution.

The same week we were talking about this, I came across a website, http://www.familycrossings.com that does just that. Just think about it one central website where all members of the family would have access to it. A Secure Family Network where you can chat with any family member, anytime, share photos and videos, there is also a Family Calendar, where you can share and remind each other of up and coming Family events.

There are two ways to join:

The Free Version comes with 5 Core features and 150mb of space, and is sponsored by ads.

The features include: Family News, Family Photos, Family Calendar, Family Address Book, Live Chat, Gift Center.

The Premium Version: You’ll find 15 features and 250mb of space. This Version is not Ad Sponsored.

The features include: All the features in the Free Version plus , Family History, Family Database, Family Wishes, Family Polls, Special Offers and Games.

And if we run out of room we have the option to add more storage place.

This sounds like the perfect solution for us. Can’t wait to get started.

Family Crossings.com

family crossings Family Website

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I came across a post on Ecoble.com, titled the World’s Coolest Solar Collecting Building, so I had to take a peak. Unbelievable, the building is spectacular. Take a look at the other pictures on the Ecoble.com.

Leave it to the Japanese to come up with a Solar Powered Building that not only gathers it’s power from the sun but, acts as an enormous Billboard, is an awesome architectural design, and includes a Solar Lab.

Built by Sanyo in Japan this beauty is built on a steel frame and solid trusses, with an overall length of 315m (945feet) and heights reaching 37.1m (111feet) on the ends. Earthquake resistant to a level 7 on the Japanese Scale.

But the most important point of this building is the power it can yield, solar power that is. It uses 5,046 panels made of Single-Crystal Silicon Solar Cells, capable of producing a Max load of 630Kw, that’s an annual electrical output of 530,000 KWh. This is a Fossil Fuel savings equivalent to 7,145 kerosene cans (128,610 liters) per year and a CO₂ reduction 95 t-C/year.

That’s pretty cool in itself.

ecoble.com environment Solar Ark solar power

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Browsing through You Tube, I found this unbelievable video of a product invented by a group of people interested in doing good for humanity, and the environment. They put together a pedal powered Mobile Filtration Vehicle called the “Aquaduct”, which transports and most importantly filters and safely stores water, while pedaling. This is ideal for developing countries where the infrastructure is not there yet and people often have to carry water for miles from watering holes, and where the risk of water contamination is high.

This vehicle won a contest called “Innovate or Die” put on by Google and Specialized. The challenge of the Contest was to come up with a pedal powered machine that would have an environmental impact.

See what else Google.org is doing for the environment…

I cannot imagine the impact this invention could have if it is widely distributed in the developing world.

Check out this video…

 

aquaduct clean water developing world environment innovate or die contest mobile filtration vehicle

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With the price of gas today its no wonder people are looking for ways out of the commute. If you cannot telecommute, a great way to get out struggling through the commute is to Ride Share. Besides the obvious advantages of saving you money at the gas pump, think about the good you’ll be doing the environment and the friends you’ll be making along the way.

Everyone talks about how it’s time we do something to clean up the environment, how we have to come up with alternative fuels and our Carbon Footprint and Greenhouse Emissions and Carbon Credits and how our Governments are not doing enough to secure our time here on earth. Well it’s time that we really take on some of that responsibility, yes, us, the individuals. We’ve gotten so used to riding around in our gas-guzzling behemoths that we only think about what they are doing to the environment, when it starts squeezing our pockets.

Just think, let’s say you have a car for 5 people and you agreed to carpool with another 4 people at or around your work. That would mean that it would take 4 other cars off the road, that savings in greenhouse emissions is immeasurable. It would cut your gas expenses by 80%, that means if you spend $60 dollars a week on gas commuting, you could cut your costs down to $12, that’s a saving of $48 a week/ $192 a month/ $2304 a year. Now that’s a chunk of change, and you’ll be doing Mother Nature a favor.

RideSearch.com Carpool is a new carpooling website designed for easy communication and searching between people who live near where you live and work.

Think about it, you’ll be helping yourself and our earth.

Well, maybe you don’t have to go this far…

carpooling rideshare.com

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Can you imagine a world without offices, a world where people don’t have to commute, where paper and plastics are not so readily consumed, where people did all their shopping from home. Well, there are studies going on to determine how that can come to be in the near future. Broadband, the Internet and Telecommunications will be a big part of a comprehensive energy policy, and may get us there sooner than you think. There is a worldwide push in the direction of expanding Broadband capabilities and other related technologies, to help countries throughout the world reach that lofty goal of lowering the greenhouse emissions before the point of no return.

Here’s a list of how the widespread use of broadband can help the environment:

• Business to Business and Business to Consumer E-Commerce: less energy use
• Telecommuting: less people driving, less construction, less energy use.
• Teleconferencing:less airline travel.
• Reduction in Mail Services: less energy use, less paper.
• Downloading of Music and Videos :Less Plastic consumption.
• Electronic Documents & E-mail: Reduction of Office Paper.
• Shifting of Newspaper & Magazine subscriptions to Online Media: reduction in paper consumption.

This list is only the beginning of the benefits that broadband can bring to the environment. We are lucky here in the U.S. that broadband is so widely available, and yet only 1 out of 2 homes have broadband. When we look into ways on how to reduce our carbon footprint, whether we are an individual, business or governmental entity, let’s not overlook the benefits that broadband can have on energy use and the environment.

Two very interesting articles on this subject :

Broadband Services: Economic and Environmental Benefits

Towards a High Bandwidth-Low carbon Future

 

Broadband carbon footprint environment greenhouse emmissions telecommuting teleconferencing

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Keep Warm This Winter Adding a sweater and keeping your thermostat set a couple degrees cooler are smart ways to save some energy. But there are many ways to save energy that will conserve energy resources and save you money. Install a programmable thermostat. Being able to turn down the heat for large chunks of time, such as at night or while at work, can make a difference in your overall energy consumption. Consider turning off the heat to rooms that are not heavily used.

Perform regular maintenance. If you have a forced air furnace, make sure to clean or change the furnace filter about once a month. Most furnaces will need to be professionally cleaned and tuned once a year. Insulate your home. The best way to quickly save energy is by installing good insulation. The U.S. Department of Energy recommends an R-49 rating for attics. Visit www.energy.gov to learn more about these ratings. Plug leaks and holes. In addition to insulating your attic and walls, another easy energy saving step is to add caulking and weather stripping. Feel for cool air around windows, electrical receptacles and pipe and wire entry points.

Cold Facts About Fireplaces

When you light a blazing fire on a cold winter day it looks and feels wonderful, but it can be an expensive and inefficient endeavor. A fireplace sends most of the heat in your house straight up the chimney. A fireplace can exhaust as much as 24,000 cubic feet of air per hour to the outside! But, there are ways you can limit the loss of heat when enjoying a quiet evening by the fire. * Reduce heat loss by opening dampers in the bottom of the firebox (if provided) or open the nearest window slightly - only about an inch - and close doors leading into the room. * Install tempered glass doors and a heat-air exchange system that blows warmed air back into the room. * Check the seal on the flue damper and make it as snug as possible. * Use grates made of C-shaped metal tubes to draw cool room air into the fireplace and circulate warm air back into the room. * When you aren’t using your fireplace, keep its damper closed! *If you are planning to install a new fireplace, consider a gas fireplace. These provide the enjoyment of looking at flames but can be 70% more efficient than regular fireplaces.Earth Share, a nationwide network of America’s leading nonprofit environmental and conservation charities, promotes environmental education and charitable giving in employee workplace giving campaigns. Click here to find out why hosting an Earth Share campaign is a good idea for your workplace and the world.

fireplaces insulation programmable thermostat

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