While perhaps a good start, ethanol is [most likely] not all its cracked up to be. But, don’t let us here at MNP tell you who’s who and what’s what [although you should]. Check it out yourself.
Cartoon & article via the Alternative Energy Blog
Monthly Archives: September 2006
Peace Ninja, I?m Audi 5 G?s
We here at the myninjaplease dojo love fast cars almost as much as (ok more than) social responsibility. In the past, these competing interests would have led to many a sleepless night as we tried to sort out right from wrong. Luckily for us, technological advances are making such decisions a thing of the past. myninjaplease has shown the battery-powered Wrightspeed X1 before, but little did we know that nothing was faster than it except for the Bugatti Veyron (thanks Cnet for the heads up) This zero-emission vehicle can go from zero to 100 back to zero in 11.2 secs, just about as long as it takes for a Prius to get to highway cruising speed. With statistics like that, who wouldn’t want to be an environmentalist?
Wrightspeed X1 via Cnet
Original myninjaplease post featuring the Wrightspeed X1 and the 640hp hybrid mini cooper
Turns out you can run a car on water – well, with boron too
Hydrogen fuel cells are great and all, but where are we getting the hydrogen from (right now its made from coal and natural gas – not exactly a clean energy source) and how are we transporting and storing it (that ish is flammable – i.e. the Hindenburg)? Well, why not forget about all that, and just create a way to produce hydrogen from water on the fly, right in your car, and with no tank full of compressed H2 gas?
Scientists in Israel think they have figured out a way to do just that. The idea is to use two separate storage containers, one for water, and one for boron – mix them in a controlled fashion, and voila, hydrogen for the engine.
Check out the article
[Ed: myninjaplease reported a similar idea a little while back – getting hydrogen from water using aluminum and sodium hydroxide]
Sunlight Collecting System
The Himawari Lighting System promises to make indoor sunbathing, horticulture, and general safe enjoyment of sunlight possible by using a system that stores sunlight and uses fiberoptic cables to beam it to the special light fixtures of a building. The light fixtures themselves filter the UV radiation out. The system works by using large dishlike collectors that actually pursue the sun’s angle as it crosses the sky. Check it out, it looks kinda tight. There are actually already several applications of said system operating in Japan.
Click below for a history of the Himawari System.
Monkeys are ninjas, too!
MACAQUE! Sorry, I just like shouting that word from time to time. Very staccato.
Aaanyways, this is not very surprising to me, but definitely very awesome and even a little cute, if I can get away with saying that. Some Italian ninja scientists have proven once and for all that monkeys are extremely intelligent by testing baby macaque monkeys.
From article:
Pier Ferrari at the University of Parma, Italy, and colleagues tested 21 newborn macaques by holding each in front of a researcher who made various facial expressions.
At one day old, none of the infants showed any imitation. By day three, however, infants started to copy the researchers’ expressions, including tongue protrusions, mouth opening and lip smacking – all typical macaque expressions.
via neatorama
This helmet will enhance your ninja powers!
Ferreal. This thing is supremely gangster. The Smart Helmet, designed by MIT scientist Ted Selker, has more features than a brand new Maybach!
From the article at CNET:
“It has a few tricks (and a PIC microprocessor) built in, including GPS so that you can record potholes and problems for future warnings; turn signals that activate by tilting your head; handsfree cell phone; fire siren detectors that mute the iPod and my favourite: If the wearer yells at an unruly motorist, the helmet will activate a horn at a higher decibel than the human noise. Selker said this feature helps keep him out of trouble with motorists.’As a bicyclist, people don’t like it when I yell’.â€
via treehugger
Kinda Makes Ya Wanna Ride the Train
Real ninjas combat global warming and urban congestion in style….via the metro
Check out these pics