Trees are aware of their neighbors and give them room
I could write about trees until I was green in the gills; and I do. And it's probable that every time I write about them, I slip into anthropomorphising them. Maybe they don't walk around and fly to the moon, but they are truly remarkable organisms with gifts and talents all their own. They are Read More...
South Australia to build world's largest single-tower solar thermal power plant
Just a month after the state government of South Australia announced a deal with Tesla to create the largest lithium-ion battery storage facility in the world, it has now revealed plans to build the biggest, single-tower solar thermal power plant on the planet with a proposed output of 150 Read More...
Rechargeable zinc-air batteries zero in on lithium
Zinc-air batteries are an enticing prospect thanks to their high energy density and the fact they're made with some of the most common materials on Earth. Unfortunately, those advantages are countered by how difficult it is to recharge these cells. Now, a team at the University of Sydney has Read More...
Tesla on “solar tiny house” roadshow in Australia
Tesla is on a roadshow in Australia to show off its solar house ambitions in the form of a fully-functional miniature house on wheels. The Tesla Tiny House is outfitted with a system of six solar panels and one of the company's Powerwall batteries for energy storage, making it 100 percent Read More...
Turning aluminum waste into biofuel catalyst saves money and the environment
Plenty of dirty aluminum foil ends up in landfills because recyclers don’t accept it. Now, a researcher has discovered a way to convert used aluminum foil into a biofuel catalyst. He has devised a method for obtaining pure crystals of aluminum salts from the used foil. These crystals are the Read More...
Authenticity reward: Doing business under your own name leads to higher profits
It may seem vanity but customers like it better: Entrepreneurs are more successful when they name their companies after themselves. A survey of two million companies over the period 2002-2012 shows that almost 20 percent of the firms were named after their founders. And, on average, they generated Read More...
Indian and Pakistani singers make peace singing national anthems together
India today, and Pakistan yesterday celebrate their 70th anniversary of their independence from Britain. The division of British India was a painful separation. The so-called “Partition” that displaced some 12 million people amidst large-scale violence that left hundreds of thousands of people Read More...
There’s a healthy way to compare yourself to other people
We seem unable to escape comparing ourselves with others. Envy and depression are often the outcomes. Mark Twain said: “comparison is the death of joy”. Is there a way to compare yourself in a healthy way? The objective may be to “compare wisely to become truly incomparable”. Compare to Read More...
GM expands its car sharing service for Uber and Lyft drivers
Maven Gig, the car-sharing service for gig economy workers owned by General Motors, is expanding to a few more cities. Starting today, the service is available in Los Angeles. Later this fall, it will launch in Boston, Phoenix, and Washington, DC. And Baltimore and Detroit will follow soon after. Read More...
Building with bamboo: beautiful and sustainable
Bamboo is a great construction material. It is tougher to pull apart than steel, resistant to earthquakes, has great flexibility and grows incredibly quickly. It can also be harvested without killing the plant, which means that it regenerates a lot faster than wood. And it allows for beautiful Read More...