GeekTastik

Looking for copies of "An Inconvenient Truth"?

2007-02-27T10:25:00.000-05:00

Ok. I am sometimes known as Captain Coupon, so here goes:

If you are a Columbiahouse.com member, they are currently offering 60% off DVDs when you buy one at regular price. I just purchased a handful of copies of "An Inconvenient Truth" on DVD for about $9 each. The cool thing is that I also earn something called FunCash which you can use to buy more DVDs. And, since An Inconvenient Truth won an oscar, for a short time, you actually earn "triple" fun cash on the purchase.

This will probably only last for a few more weeks, but if you were looking to buy some copies to donate to friends, businesses, or your local library, now would be a good time.

I spent a year dead for tax reasons...

2007-02-27T10:21:00.000-05:00

Ok. I'm not really that clever. I actually have just been overwhelmed with other things, and let this puppy fall to the wayside. Sorry.

Back to our regularly scheduled programming.

(For those of you that don't catch the tax reference: Hotblack Desiato.)

Blog Tip: Embedding RSS Feeds into Blogs and Web pages

2006-09-05T22:12:00.000-04:00

If you subscribe to any RSS feeds¹, there may come a time when you feel a need to embed some of your favorites in your blog. Here is a site that can help you with the technical aspects of embedding an RSS feed into your website or blog.

http://feed2js.org/

Here is an example:
I frequent the Engadget.com website, and like many of the headlines that they produce. Using the "wizard" interface on the Feed2js website, I can have it generate the necessary javascript to embed some of the Engadget headlines in my page.

If you look to the right, in the navigation section of my page, just under the archives, you will see an example of what the site can build for you. Blogspot does not allow javascript in your posts, but you can place the embedded RSS feed into your main blog template if you feel brave.

Other blog sites are less restrictive on Javascript, so depending on your provider, you may be able to use this feature in your posts, as well. Good luck.

¹ - In simple terms, an RSS feed is a way to subscribe to the content of a web page. Whenever the "feed" is updated, you will see the new content, without having to revisit the web page.

"Think about the Future..."

2006-09-05T20:38:00.000-04:00

Popular mechanics did a recent comparison of various automotive fuels. This comparison chart (in Adobe PDF format) provides a good side-by-side look at the current state of automotive technology. Worth a look.

Online family photo album

2006-09-05T20:25:00.000-04:00

There are many online photo sites available, but here is one that is centered around creating a family scrapbook. (via lifehacker.com) The interface is simple and easy to use, and makes the process of creating an online scrapbook fairly easy (even for the technologically challenged).

If you don't have a family you want to make a scrapbook about, don't worry. They have a sample family... :)

Book Pre-Review: The Ethical Travel Guide

2006-09-05T08:54:00.000-04:00

Well, I'm calling this a pre-review, because I have not read the book. So sue me! :)

This book, The Ethical Travel Guide (via treehugger.com), looks like a good read for travellers. I think the quote below sums up the reasons why the book would be useful:

"Warning: reading this travel guide will induce reactions such as cringeing, shame and embarrassment. Side effects include making many readers look back in horror at the destinations of some of their holidays and activities once there."

Green Credit Cards

2006-09-05T08:47:00.000-04:00

Treehugger.com has recently done some features on selecting Green credit cards. If you're shopping around for a new card or perhaps a better alternative to your current ~~stack~~ one, check out these two links.

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/05/green_credit_ca.php
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/08/triodos_eco_cre.php (Spain)

The Sierra club also has a credit card, but the site doesn't really mention what "green" benefits there are. (If any.)

365 ways to save the earth

2006-09-04T08:09:00.000-04:00

Looking for some quick tips on how to help the planet? Check out www.365earth.com, for a collection of tips to get you started.

http://www.365earth.com/

This site is actually based on a book that you can buy through their site. A percentage of each book purchased through the site goes to the The Stop Global Warming Virtual March on Washington. (check out www.stopglobalwarming.org for more info)

But does recycling plastic bottles actually do anything for the environment?

2006-08-29T13:24:00.000-04:00

Plastic bottles...

I have talked about them before. I use them, I recycle them, but where do they go? Should I feel only slightly bad or really bad for consuming items in plastic bottles?

Well, here are some outdoor products that are made from recycled plastic bottles. Until I/we can wean ourselves from plastic bottles, at least there are companies like these that are undoing the damage we have started... (via idealbite.com newsletter)

EcoSpun, Patagonia, and Polartec, take old plastic bottles and spin them into polyester for their clothing lines.
TEKO - performance socks made from recycled polyester and organic cotton and wool ($10 and up).
Blue Lotus Outdoor Blankets - made from 100% post consumer recycled plastic ($64).
La Original from EarthPak - backpacks made from seven 2-liter recycled bottles ($40).
Patagonia - check out their full line of eco-conscious men’s, women’s and children’s gear.
Lower Gear - rent what you need instead of buying, and keep your consumption (and budget) in check.

Why buy a hybrid?

2006-08-29T13:16:00.000-04:00

Depending on where you look online, and the political slant of the author, Hybrid cars are one of the better options (at the moment) for the planet, or they are the worst. *This assumes you have to drive a car.

This article gives you a little info that you may not know about hybrid technology, if you are thinking that you might or might not want a hybrid vehicle. Worth a look, at least until you can afford a Tesla Roadster:
http://www.hybridcarnews.org/entry/ten-good-reasons-to-buy-hybrid-cars/

Check out this artist/blogger.

2006-08-29T13:05:00.000-04:00

Here is a graphic artist that has some fun with her art. Her pictures make you stop and think.

*Ok... I am a guy, but I totally get where she is going with this picture.

There are a bunch more on her site: http://www.mikhaela.net/cgi-bin/mkpicpg.cgi?picdir=toons

She also has a blog that you might want to check out, too:
http://www.mikhaela.net/weblog/blogger.html

(Picture is copyright 2006 Mikhaela Reid)

All the inspiration I ever needed, came from Star Trek...

2006-08-29T10:46:00.000-04:00

Check out these inspirational posters:

http://echosphere.net/star_trek_insp/star_trek_insp.html

Blog Tip: Online Image Editors

2006-08-29T08:58:00.000-04:00

Here is a link to a great article on various online image editors(via downloadsquad.com). If you don't have a copy of Photoshop available, to take your friends head and paste it on that monkey's body, one of these online tools might offer up some help:
http://www.downloadsquad.com/2006/08/01/online-image-editors-compared/

Take those videos with you!

2006-08-29T08:45:00.000-04:00

If you've ever come across a video online and wanted to keep a copy of it, this site might be able to help you out: http://www.keepvid.com

Keepvid is designed to let you enter the URL of a video from some of the more popular video websites(YouTube, GoogleVideo, etc.) and then download a copy to your local system.

Then, depending on your needs, you can play it back later on your computer (to show your friend that embarrasing video of theirs you found online) or you can convert it to play on your portable video player (to show all of your friends that embarrasing video of your other friend, that you found online).

No Virginia, there is no global warming...

2006-08-29T08:41:00.000-04:00

This is from a newsletter called the Grist List that I subscribe to. (www.grist.org for more info):

Rock unsteady
Tourists -- up to 800 a day -- are flocking to a remote hostel in the Swiss Alps to gawk at a rock the size of two Empire State Buildings that may soon fall into a canyon below. The glacier holding it up is retreating, see. If there's any justice, when it happens, everyone will cry in unison, "Riii-co-laaa!" Except there isn't any justice, or the damn glacier wouldn't be melting.

Are you a freak magnet?

2006-08-29T08:11:00.000-04:00

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14124484/

Chad Vader -- Part 2

2006-08-29T08:07:00.000-04:00

I posted a link to the first episode of Chad Vader a while back. Here is Part 2:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPVlljVWqBg

It's like Easter every day of the year!!

2006-08-24T10:15:00.000-04:00

I wouldn't recommend anyone actually buy one of these, but I think it is kinda funny. It is a kitty litter box with "bonus features." (via gizmodo.com)

The Litter Robot turns kitty litter into EASTER EGGS!

Maaan! I want one of these cars! :)

2006-08-24T09:43:00.000-04:00

Check out this YouTube video of the unveiling of the Tesla Roadster. Sweet electric car!

One thing of note, the executive staff at Tesla does not get extra dividends from the company. The money goes back in to R&D as an effort to bring the cost of the car down to a more viable level, in the future.

Like sands through the hourglass...

2006-08-24T09:08:00.000-04:00

Someone is bound to take this guys idea and start mass-producing these things. It is called a time-fountain, and he gives you all the steps to make it yourself. (*Some electronics skills required.)

Like I don't already have enough unfinished projects!!

Well, I'll let everyone know how mine turns out. Until then, this guys video is pretty awesome.

Sometimes I get so mad!!!

2006-08-24T08:37:00.000-04:00

Actually, if you know me, I don't get mad. That actually frustrates some people. I'm originally from Montana, so being a midwest boy, I am supposed to bottle up all of my feelings. This place might still be fun though... Think of it as a stress relieving restaurant.

In addition to getting a drink, customers at the "Rising Sun Anger Release Bar" in Nanjing city are able to pay money to beat up staff, smash glasses, shout and scream, the China Daily said.

Beware of the house on the hill!

2006-08-24T08:28:00.000-04:00

I came across this great Photoshop tutorial for creating a matte painting effect from a photo. The author uses an image of a house and turns it into a haunted house. The tutorial is designed to be used with a graphics tablet, but with a little extra effort and care, it can also be done with the mouse. This effect does not necessarily have to create a dark, foreboding house. It could be used for all sorts of "painting" effects on photos.

He actually has 3 matte painting tutorials on his site, that are very well done. (http://www.seb4d.com/) The Tutorials are available in English or French.

We need more power, Scotty!

2006-08-24T08:12:00.000-04:00

The folks over at Tweak3d.net have a great (although long) tutorial on how to clean up the performance of your PC in 15 minutes. The tips are good for an older system, so you can gain back some of the speed lost to clutter. Clutter can include extraneous programs, junk in the registry, and miscellaneous unnecessary files. Worth a look.

You probably have a Windows XP Machine, though, so you might have better results using the Optimize XP website. This guy's tutorial might take longer than 15 minutes, but he has the whole gambit of tips and software to squeeze all sorts of performance out of a Windows XP System. Some of his tips are technical, but well worth the effort.

But if you don't have a home you can buy one there... IKEA!!

2006-08-23T15:14:00.000-04:00

I've mentioned it before... I love IKEA. I can always buy something there.

Here is a great song (MP3 format) by Jonathan Coulton that says it all!
Main page for song w/lyrics: http://www.jonathancoulton.com/lyrics/ikea
Direct link to the MP3 File: http://www.jonathancoulton.com/mp3/Ikea.mp3

Is it wierd that I'm thinking of putting this on my iPod? :)

Photo Tip #3: Taking Good Night Time Photos

2006-08-23T12:57:00.000-04:00

Night photos can be tricky, but have an interesting visual effect, when they turn out.

Here are some tips through lifehacker.com on how to take nighttime photos.

Here is a quote from the author, Andrew Malek:
"This first part of a three-part series on nighttime photography will cover tricks not necessarily related to digital camera settings, but tricks nonetheless that can result in better photographs or a more pleasing photo-taking experience."

Ever have too much free time?

2006-08-23T12:38:00.000-04:00

For those rare times when you have too much free time on your hands, to avoid getting yourself into trouble, you might just want to try some of these wierd flash games.

http://www.eyezmaze.com/

Otherwise, you might end up living in your parent's basement or becoming an internet cliche.

Life Tip #2: How to open a beer bottle with...

2006-08-23T12:05:00.000-04:00

Paper (video) Version 1 or Version 2: You're in the data center at work and you're handed a beer. No opener? No problem. Just grab some 8.5x11 paper and you're ready to down some brew!
Chopsticks (video): You're at your favorite sushi bar and they didn't open your Sapporo. Oh well. Just wipe off the salmon roe from your chopsticks and you're ready to go!
Lighter (html): Hey buddy got a light? I need to open my Miller light.
"The Scandinavian Way" - Basically you open the beer with another bottle.
This list could go on all day, so here are a few more tips over at MAXIM magazine.
http://www.maximonline.com/articles/index.aspx?a_id=2861

Beware of the Wrath of the Ancients!!!

2006-08-23T10:56:00.000-04:00

This is a pretty funny sign from a guy's image site. He takes pictures or links to pictures on other peoples' sites.

He has some other cool ones he links to, too. I thought this one was pretty wild.

Artist Highlight: Illustrators Leong Wan Kok and pH Khor

2006-08-23T10:44:00.000-04:00

Over at 1000Tentacles.com they have some very interesting illustrations with...

you guessed it...

Tentacles!

If you've ever been afraid of the creature in the closet, these guys might have an image of him/her/it.

(image copyright 1000tentacles.com)

Artist Highlight: Bruce Shapiro's Art Machines

2006-08-23T10:19:00.000-04:00

This guy makes various artistic machines that create some wicked-cool sand art.

Help me Obi-Wan you're my only hope.

2006-08-23T09:47:00.000-04:00

Check out this "heliodisplay". You can display images or video in the air. (via neatorama.com)

Ok... It costs about $20,000, but wouldn't it be cool! :)

Mmm.... dashboard cookies!

2006-08-23T09:42:00.000-04:00

Well, at least she is not using any electricity to bake these cookies. It's kinda like a solar cooker, but... is that Armour-all I taste?

At least her car smells like cookies.

Where plastic goes to die...

2006-08-23T09:07:00.000-04:00

Some people may not know of this phenomenon, so I figured I'd share this guy's movie.

"For the uninitiated, this 13-minute film was shot last summer in the middle of the North Pacific Ocean, in an area called the Eastern Garbage Patch. Due to currents and air pressure, most of the ocean debris coming from Asia accumulate in this endlessly circulating vortex. " (www.crypticmoth.com)

Here is a quick flash animation showing the Western and Eastern Garbage Patch. (latimes.com)

Hopefully people will think a little bit about where their trash might end up. Recycle and Reuse people! Recycle and reuse...

Thank You!

Who sells the electric car?

2006-08-23T08:50:00.000-04:00

Here is an article discussing one man's experience with his new all-electric car. The car is the ZAP Xebra and is actually a pretty cool commuter car for short distances. Plus it costs under $10,000.
I wouldn't recommend it in a head-to-head competition with a regular car, but it would be ok for "safer", slower-speed driving in neighborhoods or at city speeds. It only has a range of 40 miles, but for a short commute, it would work pretty good.

If I didn't drive on the insane Capital Beltway, I'd even consider getting one of these. My round-trip is over 60 miles, though, so I'd need to find a plugin at work.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/280067_tinycar04.html

(ZAP Cars: http://www.zapworld.com/)

Flickr Highlight #1: Otaku

2006-08-23T08:41:00.000-04:00

Otaku is the Japanese manga and anime-inspired geek subculture. If you've ever wondered what these japanese geeks are into buying, here are some photos from Akihabara, of what is popular, from a guys recent trip there. (Possibly Not Safe For Work.)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/telstar/sets/72157594219501297/

Low-Tech Refrigeration

2006-08-23T08:33:00.000-04:00

Check out what a little necessity will help invent. Actually the concept has been around for a LONG time, but it's a great use of a natural phenomenon.

Mohammed Bah Abba and his Pot-In-Pot. (treehugger.com)

The concept is a bit odd, but it works. You take two pots. You put a smaller pot inside of a bigger pot and then fill the space around the edges with moist sand. Then you just pour water on the sand. The natural flow of the water toward the outer pot, and the process of evaporation cause the temperature in the smaller pot to go down. The Nigerian teacher in the article, used this concept to help local families keep their food from spoiling for longer periods of time. For example, and eggplant will stay fresh for 27 days instead of the regular three!

Life Tip #1: How to build a sandcastle.

2006-08-23T08:23:00.000-04:00

Well, I'm sure there are all sorts of "methods" for making the perfect sand castle, so feel free to chime in with your comments. In the meantime, here are some handy tips to make that miniature replica of Tokyo, so you can go on your monster rampage. (via LifeHacker.com)

http://www.lifehacker.com/software/how-to/build-a-sand-castle-192365.php

It's time for a new look.

2006-08-23T08:21:00.000-04:00

Are you getting bored with how your Windows desktop looks? Hop on over to Studio28, and they can help you give yourself a makeover. They have new desktop themes, wallpapers, and icon collections, so you can make your system stand out from the rest.

http://studiotwentyeight.com/

Product Roundup #2

2006-08-23T08:10:00.000-04:00

More Wierd products from the internet...

Somebody's Knockin!
Check out this door knocker. Better pre-order one before Halloween.

Squeaky Clean!
Ok... this just looks like a squeegee, but I guess it would work. The Bodyflik.

Dive! Dive!
Check out these personal submarines! Looks like a fun time at the beach!

'Bout Two-fity
If you're looking for a new wallet, check these guys out. Might be a good conversation starter, at least.

Windows Tips

2006-08-22T14:52:00.000-04:00

Here is a new version of the Windows taskbar, from Microsoft. It has some cool and "different" features that you might want to try out. At least worth a look.
http://research.microsoft.com/vibe/groupbar.aspx

If you have seen the new Macintosh operating system, you may have seen the cool taskbar that zooms in and out. Visually it is just "fun." What you would expect from Apple, I guess. Anyway, here is a free toolbar for Windows that operates in a similar fashion.
http://www.punksoftware.com/rocketdock

Release the Hounds!!

2006-08-21T09:11:00.000-04:00

Ok... I have to apolgize for two things:

1) Not posting anything for over a week.
2) The huge flurry of posts that will be coming over the next few days.

The eye surgery went great, and all is well. I'm just a bit backlogged, because of some work I had to do on my house and because of a new dog in the family. Will post pictures soon.

A Walk in the PRK

2006-08-08T10:40:00.000-04:00

Well, Friday is the big day.
I am having a laser eye surgery this Friday called PRK (PhotoRefractive Keratectomy).

For those of you that aren't familiar with the process, here are some notes from LasikPlus.com:

PRK
PRK, or Photorefractive keratectomy, was one of the original "surface" laser applications with the excimer laser. During photorefractive keratectomy some of the surface cells of the cornea, called the corneal epithelium, are removed. This form of laser eye surgery is a form of bladeless vision correction, and like lasik it can correct nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. Some patients, due to individual variations in the eye's anatomy, may actually be more successful with PRK. These patients typically have a longer recovery time and may need pain medication for a few days. This is because most of the pain fibers in the cornea are located in the area affected by this type of surgery. Ultimately patients have the same success with this procedure as they do with traditional laser vision correction.

Not sure what I think about the "most of the pain fibers in the cornea are located in the area" statement, but I'm still going to go through with the process. :) A friend of mine suggested I ask for the "anxiety" medication when I get there, too. Hmm... free drugs to make me feel relaxed?... such a dilemma.

The eye doctor that I consulted with explained how I will have the surgery, then I will need to have someone drive me home. I will then have Four days of painkillers and sleeping pills. They want me to sleep for 4 days! (Kinda reminds me of when I was a teenager.)

There is a great article explaining the whole process on allaboutvision.com.

With this in mind, don't expect any major updates to the blog after Friday. At least not until the painkillers run out.

$600K per year from the Sun. Not Bad!

2006-08-07T14:19:00.000-04:00

This guy makes about $600,000 per year selling electricity from his solar farm in Germany. Not a bad income if you ask me. Just keep them running, keep the batteries in good shape, and you a pretty good business on your hands.

Ok... He still has to pay off the $15 million he borrowed to set things up, but if electricity prices start to go up, so does this guys income... with the same amount of effort. Plus, he's doing his part to remove approximately 1700 homes from the standard electrical grid. This lowers demand on coal and gas-driven generators, and helps to clean up the environment.

Way cool.

I have considered Solar a lot, but if I look at just the monetary return on investment, a $15000-$30000 system would only save me about $30-$50/month on electricity. If the U.S. government (IRS) and my state would offer some tax incentives, I'd switch to solar in an instant! (I doubt they're listening, though.)

Oh well.

Save the "friendly" bacteria!

2006-08-07T14:06:00.000-04:00

They don't have a voice of their own, so someone must take up the charge and defend the lowly sewage bacteria. Yes. Not all bacteria is bad. There are some that are used for good.

There are bacteria that are employed at sewage treatment plants that have a very important job to do, but they can't do this job without your help!

All soaps have a natural anti-bacterial property, but the true "Anti-Bacterial" soaps on the market are made of harsher stuff. This stuff then goes down the drain in your house and finds it's way to the sewage treatment plant, where it interferes with the good bacteria that is just trying to earn a modest living.

Because of the over-use of anti-bacterial soaps in the U.S. many sewage treatment plants have to put extra chemicals into their treatment process. A job that used to be performed by bacteria is now being outsourced to other chemicals.

These extra treatment chemicals are nasty things that could be avoided if we all just stepped back and let our immune system get a little exercise. Unless you actually work in a sewage treatment plant, you could probably get by with a good hand washing with 100% Natural soap and hot water.

The bacteria are asking you to do your part.
Use regular soap and don't go out of your way to add anti-bacterial chemicals to our water supply. Think about the small bacteria children... they need your help!

(Via Treehugger.com)

Be gone foul mosquitoes!

2006-08-07T13:39:00.000-04:00

Well, it is summertime, and everyone's favorite nibbling bugs are making their presence known. I personally am a big fan of DEET to repel those evil bugs. I know it supposedly damages brain cells or something... I forget.. but hey... there are plenty of things that hurt your brain thingys, so what harm can a little DEET do.

I'm kinda lucky, though, because mosquitoes don't normally hunt me down. I know many people that are immediately swarmed when they leave the house, so here is an interesing article about alternatives to DEET that might help you out if you have to venture into the wilderness.

Treehugger.com has an article discussing some alternatives to DEET, and they rank them based on effectiveness.

Some alternatives to DEET include: Oil of eucalyptus, Catnip Oil, and Neem Oil. (Supposedly Catnip oil is 10x more effective than DEET.)

Passing On: Lifehacker.com McGuyver Tip

2006-08-07T13:31:00.000-04:00

Passing on this tip from Lifehacker.com: How to repair a scratched DVD with Pledge.

I might have to try this on my IPOD Video screen, too. Supposedly the wax in the Pledge fills in minor scratches.

There is an actual IPOD product called IDrops ($14.95) that does the same sort of repair for the IPOD, but I'll try the Pledge thing first.

Anyone have any other tips out there for removing scratches from DVDs, CDs, Playstation game discs, etc?

More on Straight Vegetable Oil (SVO)

2006-08-05T14:35:00.000-04:00

I haven't had much time to continue my personal discussions of SVO and Diesel engines, but here is an interview with Robin Charron through Treehugger.com, where he discusses converting a vehicle to run on SVO.

Just to tide you over.

Photo Tip #2: Fix your photo's exposure.

2006-08-04T15:23:00.000-04:00

This comes through Lifehacker.com, and is a great article from Photojojo.com. (contains a Quicktime video tutorial)

Basically, we've all ended up with a picture that had bad exposure. It happens, especially when we take those quick shots.

Anyway, with a copy of Photoshop (any version) and five minutes time, you'll be surprised at the results.

Solar Powered compactors in Boston

2006-08-04T15:11:00.000-04:00

These are an interesting idea. A garbage bin that has a built-in sensor and a solar-powered compactor to avoid "overflowing" garbage cans in Boston. Nice concept, but maybe people should be looking more at how they can reduce what they throw out instead.

One thing to think about is that recyclable products that make it into the garbage, can sometimes be recovered be entrepreneurial young college students and hairy homeless guys. Once they are crushed into a 1 ton brick of garbage, they aren't coming back out. They are going to the landfill. Good luck finding your kid's retainer or your lost wallet now!

Maybe they should put together some compacting recycling containers, too. M used her trash compactor in her old apartment to just crush cans into a huge metal brick. Somewhat heavy, but it worked. Very compact.

Ethanol E85 in a non flexfuel car??

2006-08-04T14:57:00.000-04:00

Check this out.

It is an after-market conversion kit for standard unleaded cars that allows the burning of 85% (E85) Ethanol fuel, instead of the standard 10% (E10) fuel that most stations sell. (via treehugger.com)

I won't weigh in on the debate about whether Ethanol is actually better or worse than oil, but I thought I'd at least share this with all of you non-hybrid, worried-about-the-environment folks out there. (If you follow the two links above, for "better" and "worse", you might be surprised to see that both "studies" came from the same university. I believe the "better" study corrected incorrect assumptions in the "worse" study.)

Once you get the conversion, you might want to find an E85 Station:
http://www.eere.energy.gov/afdc/infrastructure/e85_stations.cgi

Think about the french fries...

2006-08-02T09:21:00.000-04:00

The next time you head to your favorite fast-food restaurant to taste those crisp, hot french fries, and that yummy greasy burger, you might want to think about this article first.(treehugger.com)

One point of note from the article:
"Cooking four normal sized hamburgers in a fast food joint emits the same amout of VOC's (volatile organic compounds) as driving a current model car for 1000 miles."

Fast food... why do you mock me so!

I love IKEA!

2006-08-02T09:15:00.000-04:00

I am a big fan of IKEA. I cannot walk through the place without buying something. When it comes to making use of limited space, the Swedes have got things figured out. Simple, minimal designs that are very functional. :)

I just came across this piece on Treehugger.com, and thought it would be a good thing to share. Check out another reason to like ~~love~~ IKEA.

Check out this artist.

2006-08-02T09:08:00.000-04:00

This isn't just one artist, but actually a collection of artists. It is a project where artists get to have their design on an interesting vodka bottle.

Check out the whole site to see some of the great artists.
http://spiritofthebrand.com/ (requires FLASH)

Oh No Mr. P!

2006-08-02T09:00:00.000-04:00

I seem to always be drawn to strange and weird products. Here is a funny product called Mr. P. It is meant to be a cord-minder, with a fun little twist.

If the idea of tying someone up doesn't interest you, you can always turn to voodoo. Check out the Voodoo knife display.

Craft Tip #1

2006-08-02T08:46:00.000-04:00

I do some crafts, but I do not knit.

I have actually thought I might want to learn to knit, because I think it is a great way to re-use plastic bags.

Anyway, here is a MAKE magazine article about LED Knitting needles, so you can see what you're doing, just about anywhere.

Greetings. The Master Control Program has chosen you to serve your system on the Game Grid.

2006-08-02T08:40:00.000-04:00

Check out this Jacket!

I came across the jacket in this entry on ProductDose.com.
http://www.productdose.com/article.php?article_id=4071

The Washington DC Green Festival

2006-08-02T08:34:00.000-04:00

This year's festival is on October 14th and 15th, 2006. If you're local to the area, it should be an interesting festival.

It will be held at the DC Convention Center, and here is a quick blurb from the Festival's site:

Tasty food, great music, and 300 green businesses as well as films, workshops, yoga and other types of movement class.
http://www.greenfestivals.org/content/view/10/33/

Interesting observations about waste...

2006-08-02T08:30:00.000-04:00

Over at The Green Geek, there is an interesting entry discussing the "7 Steps to a Zero Waste Society." Definitely worth a quick peek.

"7 Steps to a Zero Waste Society" - GreenGeek.ca

Photo Tip: Removing background people.

2006-08-01T13:56:00.000-04:00

We have all taken that photo of a landmark with our loved one or friend in the picture, and then discovered something unsightly in the background of the picture, right?

If you haven't, you eventually will, but never fear! You have a new tool in your arsenal:

http://www.snapmania.com/info/en/trm/

Snapmania has a utility that will compare multiple photos and remove information from the picture that has moved. So, the next time you take a picture of your friend or loved one, take about 5 pictures over the course of a few seconds. Then, this utility can yank the background people out of the picture. If you just want the actual landmark, that's even better. You can remove most of the people with this utility.

Trivia note: Back in the early days of photography (1800's or so) the cameras took so long to expose the film, that they couldn't capture the people because the people moved too fast.

In Australia, they're called Prawns. Introducing the Jumbo Shrimp!

2006-07-28T14:25:00.000-04:00

I just recently went on a sleep-over to the National Aquarium in Baltimore, MD. They had an Australia Dreaming event where you could visit the Australia exhibit and other areas of the aquarium, and then sleep over for the night. It was quite fun. One of the other attendees was from Australia, and at one point she made the comment that they actually call shrimp, "prawns" in Australia. So they don't offer to "throw another shrimp on the barbie" for ya. Sorry Outback Steakhouse!

Anyway, that whole paragraph was only to explain the headline. Oh well.

The actual point of this entry is a neat modification of a mini smartcar called the "Jumbo Shrimp." (via treehugger.com)

Say it ain't so Uncle... um... Credit Bags.

2006-07-28T14:15:00.000-04:00

Have you heard? The children of the world will no longer learn to count out change by playing Monopoly.

Hasbro is launching a new version of the popular game that uses credit cards and a card-reader (productdose.com), instead of cash!

What is happening to the world we knew???

A sad day, indeed.

(Visa... everywhere it can possibly be...)

The coincidences in our lives...

2006-07-28T13:52:00.000-04:00

Right after I posted about the humorous warning icons I found on my HP packaging, I came across this post on Neatorama.com.

http://www.neatorama.com/2006/07/27/weird-signs/

The post discusses a collection of weird signs and images that is maintained by Darren Barefoot.

Anyway, after perusing the various odd and funny signs on his site, I came across this one from a Dell package.

I guess I'm not the only one that found them humorous. Anyway, he has a bunch of great images on his site. I think this one is my favorite.

(and No! I wouldn't do this to a cat!... 15 minutes in a bag is hardly long enough.)

Check out this artist.

2006-07-28T13:45:00.000-04:00

From time to time, I come across an artists work that I find interesting, fun, or engaging. Here is one artist that is worth a look.

http://www.stellaimhultberg.com/

Hewlett Packard... You amuse me. :)

2006-07-27T20:37:00.000-04:00

I just recently received a new HP laptop.

In the box there were a couple of ziploc bags with manuals, cds, and warranty cards. Here is a picture of the icons on one of the bags. I actually had to stop unpacking the laptop and take this around my office so everyone could get a good laugh. Enjoy!

The guy on the left looks a little like StongSad.

No... Strongsad... keep away from that bag!

(http://www.homestarrunner.com)

Anyone that's into carpentry and vegetables? Check this out.

2006-07-27T13:48:00.000-04:00

Yep. It's a vegetable table-saw.
Tim "the toolman" Taylor would be proud of the spinning circular blade as it slices and dices those pansy vegetables. The blade uses "cast removal" technology, so it won't cut your fingers, but will cut harder materials. Ok. Well, I won't put it to the test. I'll just take their word for it.

Eco Roundup #1

2006-07-27T12:17:00.000-04:00

I'm going to keep the more eco-friendly products separate from my wierd product posts, to make things easier. Here is the first of (hopefully) many posts on some neat new eco-products that I've come across on the internet.

Mmm... soft, soft recycled plastic
Check out this rug made of recycled plastic.

Solar DeHumidifier. Cool.
Literally! This is a great idea to lower the humidity in your house. (greengeek.ca)

Lower your water consumption.
You see them almost everywhere now, so why not get one for your house. Auto-shutoff faucet. (greengeek.ca)

Enviro-friendly picnic plates
Here is some compostable dinnerware. If you have to discard your barbecue dishes, why not throw them in the composter, instead. (productdose.com)

Bio-Bags
Some PVC lunch bags can actually leech chemicals into your food. Yumm! If you don't like the thought of bonus chemicals, these are a nice alternative.

Where's the love people? :) j/k

2006-07-27T09:32:00.000-04:00

Since no one has offered me the 10 million dollars that I would need to buy my own GM Hy-Wire, I'm lowering my demands.
How about just $100,000?

See? I can be reasonable.

Only $100,000, so I can buy this baby, instead:
http://www.ecogeek.org/content/view/146/1/

It just launched, and will be available in late 2006/early 2007, the Tesla Roadster. I would love to drive up to a car "meet" and show off this sweet car. What? You want to look under the hood... um.. well, there's not an engine exactly... but look at all those batteries! :)

(Want to drag race later? Sure... let me just charge up first.)

Adopt your own olive tree.

2006-07-27T09:07:00.000-04:00

I've seen this over the past couple of years, and actually thought it would make a great gift. The idea is simple. You "adopt" an olive tree and then you get a "share" of the harvest from the tree. These types of offers usually include: olive oils and olive oil soap.

It is a way of supporting small-scale farmers.

(from treehugger.com)

Political Post: Deconstructing the GOP Logo

2006-07-27T09:01:00.000-04:00

Another artistic image with a political statement.

(http://www.thomasfuchs.com)

If you're looking for nice beachfront property near Ocean City, MD...

2006-07-27T09:00:00.000-04:00

...Make sure it's further inland and higher up! (If you want your grandkids to be able to use it.)

This is quite an article from the Baltimore City Paper (citypaper.com):

Three Feet Higher and Rising : http://www.citypaper.com/news/story.asp?id=12022

MST3K LIVES ON!! ... sort of

2006-07-27T07:33:00.000-04:00

For those of you who were fans of the Mystery Science Theater 3000 show, you might want to check out Rifftrax.com.

Mike Nelson, the hapless janitor, turned spacestation prisoner, from the later episodes of MST3K has launched a site where you can download audio files to your iPOD (or other mp3 player).
You then pop in the appropriate DVD and when Mike says "GO" on your mp3 player, press play on your dvd player. Rinse and then repeat.

The page is new and they want lots of feedback, but if you have a copy of Roadhouse lying around, Mike's got you covered. If you don't have Roadhouse, well...

It's my way or the highway.

That's the only one they currently have, but they are also working on The Fifth Element.

It is a pay service, however, but for $1.99, it should definitely be worth it.

Cartoonz

2006-07-26T19:04:00.000-04:00

I saw this cartoon on treehugger.com the other day. This is what many corporations end up doing when they jump on the environmental bandwagon without doing any research.

The other day I saw an article about a BioDiesel plant that is being built in corn country. Great for them!
Guess what? They actually discussed using COAL as their heat source for the conversion, at one point. HELLO?!? Coal??

You are here.

2006-07-26T14:10:00.000-04:00

The next time you head to Springfield, be sure you take this okely-dokely map with you, otherwise you'll be just be saying "Doh" when you get lost.

(click image for the full site and maps.)

http://www.mapofspringfield.com/

Bravo! These two are living off the grid!

2006-07-26T13:21:00.000-04:00

Ok. The great part is that this couple is living off the grid. The bad part is that they are getting in trouble for it.

http://www.indyweek.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A34436

I have to say that I applaud these two. Keep up the hope guys!

The picture in the article makes me sad for them, though. Jesse looks pretty disappointed. Why can't we all just get along?

They made something good, and were forced to move to a less than optimal location, most likely because of a jealous neighbors complaint.

Sucks if you ask me. If I had some land to share with them, I would.

Here is a link to their actual blog: http://www.thinkspaces.org/caravan
(Reading their blog makes me think I want to build one of these, too! Lots of great pictures.)

Here is a piece from their blog if you can help:
"If you own a secluded spot within six miles of downtown Durham and would be willing to let us park there for a while, please email jesse.crossen@gmail.com ."

Hello, my name is Craig, and I am a technology addict.

2006-07-26T13:14:00.000-04:00

Hello, Craig.

Yep. Even worse than my addiction to water bottles, I HAVE a NEED to buy new gadgets. The bad part is that I don't have an easy way to get rid of older out-dated gadgets, so the giant technological pile of parts in my basement is starting to re-wire itself and is on the verge of sentience. Can we say "Sky-Net" and terminator, people?

I fear for my life! If anyone wants to volunteer to sell all this excess stuff on EBay, I'll give them a cut of the take. ;)

Otherwise, I am looking for more info like this, so I can at least make sure this stuff doesn't come to life, or litter the landfill.

http://www.greengeek.ca/2006/07/09/computer-recycling-made-easy/

The Return of the Blob...

2006-07-26T12:02:00.000-04:00

Actually, just some more links to stuff from Blobfest 2006:

Here are some images of mine on Flickr. Many have captions.:
BlobFest 2006 Day 1
BlobFest 2006 Day 2

Here is a blog that is maintained by folks in Phoenixville (affilliated with the Colonial Theater):
http://blobosphere.blogspot.com

Product Roundup #1

2006-07-26T11:36:00.000-04:00

Ok, in order to cut on the flurry of posts I've been making today, I'm going to combine the product posts into one big post. Enjoy!

Stop the iNudity
Don't let your iPOD catch a cold. Dress it up in iAttire.
http://www.iattire.net/index.php

Shall we play a game...
For those moments when you just have to destroy the world. The Self-destruct button USB hub.

No more dead car batteries!
This should just be a built-in feature in cars, but until then...
This is an auto-shutoff for your battery, so if you leave a door slightly ajar or leave your lights on, you'll still be able to fire up the engine to escape the zombies or mass murderers. [Battery Brain] Mmm... brains.

Show me your DNA... I'll show you mine.
Here is a way to show your DNA to the world!

A New Barbeque. Cookin' with Gusto!
This baby has almost no smoke while it's cooking. And its' portable!

The perfect gift for the non-vegan in your life. :) IT'S BAAACON!

Can I buy these in America?

2006-07-24T15:22:00.000-04:00

I've seen this company before, but I just heard that they now have compostable plastic bottles for their water. WAY COOL!
http://www.belu.org/home.asp

I know buying plastic bottles of water is bad, but I end up doing it anyway. I keep them in my trunk for when I need them in an emergency for hikes or at kid's sporting events. I would be afraid of what might emerge from my trunk if I was reusing water in an older water bottle.

I read a number of articles and posts online about how it is actually unhealthy to re-use the plastic water bottles unless you properly clean them, so I end up just trucking the pile of plastic bottles to the curb every two weeks for recycling. I know... I know... bad ME!

I have tried to think of all sorts of ways to reduce the impact of buying them, but haven't come up with anything useful. (Here is a guy that played around with re-melting plastic bottles, but didn't have much reliable luck.)

Well, these would make ME feel better. I could just pop them in my composter and not have to send them to the landfill. (Actually they really wouldn't hurt the landfill, but my outdoor plants could use all the help they can get!)

Anyway, I know I'm not eco-perfect, but I do try. At least this would be a step in the right direction, until I could get some way to easily sterilize and seal some nalgene bottles to keep in my trunk.

If anyone knows where I can buy these in the U.S., let me know. I would be more than happy to buy them if I could find them.

Another political post.

2006-07-24T15:18:00.000-04:00

Sorry for the flurry of posts today. I just have a backlog of things I wanted to post about. Should calm down again shortly.

So, here is another "political" post. Sorry for two in one day, but I think this one speaks volumes about the state of things.

This is excerpted from the following site, and is dealing with the Middle East "crisis". Just be aware that it is an editorial: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=699486

The pictures say it all.

Who backs an immediate ceasefire?

The Gross-post

2006-07-24T14:56:00.000-04:00

This WILL NOT become a regular thing, but I have to get this one off my chest. It just bugs me.
Clicking any of these links in this particular post will probably gross you out, too, so you have been warned.
I am just posting this as some sort of "release" to get it out of my head.

Ok. This grosses me out almost more than tongue splitting*. Basically this is the story of a guys six day canoe trip and his discovery when he got back.
Well, maybe it doesn't really gross me out. I just think I would find this "discovery" very creepy and would initially freak out, I'm sure.

I won't post any pictures here, but you can see them on the guys blog.
http://www.coasttocoastam.com/gen/page666.html
My hope is that this is all fake, but man... disgusting!

*For more on tongue splitting or tongue bifurcation, visit Wikipedia.

Wait... did I miss something? A FINE for using SVO in your car?

2006-07-24T11:04:00.000-04:00

I was just browsing through the following post on Treehugger, about the experiences of New York Times' Jim Norman, using Vegetable oil in his diesel car.

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/07/converting_dies.php#perma

In the post, I caught a disturbing statement:
"... we should note that the US Environmental Protection Agency has declared the use of vegetable oil for motor fuel a violation of the Clean Air Act and violators could be subject to a fine of $2750."

What sort of "Clean Air Act" does the U.S. Government have in place?
Using Vegetable oil in a diesel engine has a lighter environmental footprint than regular diesel. How can this be something you get fined for??
Next we'll see electric cars are illegal because the batteries are the wrong color!

Do we have idiots running this country?!?... oh wait... never mind. :P

All I can say is WOW.

Here is Jim Norman's article on the experience.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/23/automobiles/23AUTO.html?ex=1153800000&en=d136891e9159166c&ei=5070

The Vader Sessions

2006-07-24T09:38:00.000-04:00

This has to be the best re-mix video of Star Wars I have seen yet. The author edited dialog from other James Earl Jones movies into Star Wars with some pretty hilarious results. Check this out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6A0rwG39Jzk
or
http://www.akjak.com/vader-sessions/ (requires Apple Quicktime)

This guy has a bunch of great videos that are just as good.
http://www.youtube.com/user/akjak

UPDATE: I also came across this link and figured I'd add it to this post. Also quite funny.
Chad Vader Day Shift Manager

A Scanner Darkly (2006)

2006-07-24T08:41:00.000-04:00

Some of you may have seen previews for A Scanner Darkly, but if not, here is your chance. It is a movie adaptation of a story by Phillip K. Dick. It has a number of well-known actors: Robert Downey Jr, Keeanu Reeves, Woody Harrelson, Winona Ryder, to name a few.

The directors use a roto-scoping effect to make the live action characters look animated. If you watch the preview, you'll get a better idea of what I mean.

First, check out the preview.

If you are interested in the movie, the studio has actually released some behind-the-scenes footage, and you can even watch the first 24 minutes of the movie. Definitely worth a watch!
http://media.filmforce.ign.com/media/670/670907/vids_1.html

They're INVADING!!!

2006-07-24T08:26:00.000-04:00

You all remember the early video game of Space Invaders, right?

Well, here are some people that are geekier than me.

Yes. They have waaaay too much free time.
Hilarious to watch, though.

http://www.gamevideos.com/video/id/4631

Alice in Wonderland

2006-07-24T08:19:00.000-04:00

Just a quick note on this one. I came across this "interactive" Alice in Wonderland FLASH file online. Actually quite interesting. The illustrator of this animation is the person that drew all of the artwork for Olive the Other Reindeer.

Think of it as a quick tour of the Alice story in a pop-up book style.

http://www.feelgoodanyway.com/interactive/Alice.swf (Requires FLASH)

The all-powerful OCTODOG!!

2006-07-24T08:10:00.000-04:00

Nope. It's not a super villian or hero, and it's not some sort of mutated animal.

It's actually the Octodog "Frankfurter Converter." :)

I found this online and actually thought it looked like a lot of fun. :D Everyone deserves to be entertained by their lunch!

http://www.baronbob.com/octodog.htm

Aren't they cute!

BlobFest 2006

2006-07-21T10:54:00.000-04:00

Ok. It took some time to get all of the pictures online, but I have them now. I will feature some here, and then just link to a Flickr album for the rest. Most of the pictures on Flickr have captions, and tell the story pretty well.

It took so much time to get them online, because the night I decided to join Flickr(and to actually buy the PRO account) their servers died. Ended up having to wait another day. Then it just took a little time to organize things and put some captions. Anyway, all is good now.

Here is what greeted us in Phoenixville, PA as we neared Blob Fest 2006:

The Second day, they had a blob emerging from the roof of the Colonial Theater.

The lobby had a number of great decorations. This was the best looking blob, I thought. (The frog thing in the background kinda reminded me of the purple frog guy from Greg the Bunny.)

This is Wes Shank, the current owner of the original blob material from the movie.

There was a costume contest on the second day. Lots of fun costumes. My favorites were the Yip Yips and a little headless character.

One of the restaurants served up a nice Brie Blob for the festival.

One of the pizza places made this blob for the festival.

During the running out, I was one of a couple of people that were tripped up by the very uneven curb and sidewalk out in front of the theater. Managed to roll with it, though. Ended up with only a slightly sore shoulder and barely skinned knee. (Thank you Aikido class in college.)
I was actually shooting video with my digital camera at the time, so I will see if I can grab some frames of the world spinning as I rolled. Luckily all came through intact. Camera was fine. My fake glasses flew off, but they were re-assembled without any problem. (Check out my lovely hairy legs. Try not to lose your lunch.)

One guy that saw the fall said I should check SportCenter to see if I end up as one of their highlights of the day.

I'll post more coherent text about the events and such, later, but this gives you a quick taste of things.

I survived the attack of the BLOB!!!

2006-07-18T12:50:00.000-04:00

Oh MAN! I just got back from Blobfest, and I have to say it was a total blast. I will be posting all sorts of photos and stuff about the whole adventure as time allows. Check back soon!!

From Soap to Nuts.

2006-07-13T13:47:00.000-04:00

Yeah... I have a habit of finding wierd things, but check these out.

They are called Soap nuts.

Here is a blurb about them from GroovyGreen.com:
"Soap Nuts are the shells of a seed from trees grown throughout India and Nepal. The shells contain saponin (a natural detergent) and when they come in contact with water they make mild suds. Soapnuts are a natural, organic, environmentally friendly alternative to soap, detergent and shampoo. About 1kg of the nuts can wash 100 loads."

So, I went and ordered a few. Might be fun to play with. You can use them as shampoo, or hand soap, and can even wash the car with them.

I'll let everyone know what I think of them after I get to play with them. If you want to buy some yourself, visit Zamuta.com.

Anyway, as a side note... if you care... the origin of the phrase "from SOUP to nuts" is:
At many meals, soup is often the first course and a dessert with nuts is sometimes the last. -(StraightDope.com)

Are you mocking me? Do you think I'm funny?

2006-07-12T15:25:00.000-04:00

For those of you that don't know me, I am a big fan of B-movies, bad jokes, puns, and parodies.

To that end, from time to time, you will see me highlighting weird or odd things on my blog. Ok... actually, just about every entry will be weird or odd. That's just me, I guess.

Anyway, here is an example of a good parody Movie that you might want to check out.
The Lost skeleton of Cadavra (Apple.com Movie Trailer)

This movie is actually available on
DVD at DeepDiscountDVD.com. (Buy Lost Skeleton.)

Some of you might recognize the above poster. It is actually modeled after this poster:

The folks that brought you The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra have a new film that is currently touring the independent film circuit. This one is a tribute to the 60's technicolor sci fi movies. Should be pretty fun!
The Trail of the Screaming Forehead. (- Movie homepage. Uses Flash.)

I can't wait for it to make it into my neighborhood!

Would you be willing to be "transported"?

2006-07-12T14:25:00.000-04:00

We all know that transporters can be an unstable way to get from one point to another.
If Star Trek - The Motion Picture or Galaxy Quest shows us anything, it's that you want to do a test run of the transporter with a non-living, test subject, before you have your particles scrambled.

There are numerous other instances where transporters have wreaked havoc on the unsuspecting traveller:

The Fly

...help me.... help meeee...

Spaceballs

"Why didn't somebody tell me
my butt was so big?"

...just to name a few. Anyways, I don't know how I would answer this question. I guess I'll just need to tackle that problem if it ever arises. In the meantime, here is a statue in Baltimore MD that always makes me stop and ponder this question.

This is on the corner of
Lexington Market and Liberty
streets, I think.

Here are some images from an artist in Washington, D.C. His work is really pretty funny.

He won't get shocked
because he's not grounded.

... another brick in the wall.

More of his work can be found here: http://www.xmarkjenkinsx.com/outside.html

It crawls... It creeps... It eats you alive!

2006-07-10T14:12:00.000-04:00

Only four days left until our trip to BLOB FEST!!! :)

M and I are really getting excited. Yeah, maybe it's a bit wierd to be excited by something like this, but hey.... we ARE wierd. :) Check out M's blog if you want to get further info.

http://martiniland.blogspot.com/2006/07/only-10-days-to-blob-fest.html

Here is a link to a site where you can make your own ~~slime~~ BLOB! Just remember that when it is small and fresh from space, it is actually clear. It will only turn red when you start to feed it local farmers and movie patrons. :)
http://www.madsci.org/experiments/archive/878680114.Ch.html

AAAHHH! The blob ate a whole smurf village and now it's got me!!

(NOTE: no smurfs were actually harmed in the making of this post.)

From Toys to Zombies... What's Next? SVO -- A primer

2006-07-10T10:10:00.000-04:00

Yep. SVO.

SVO stands for Straight Vegetable Oil.

No. It's not some sort of strange new fetish. (Although, a google search for "oil fetish" will probably yield a bunch of results... maybe 929 or so. But I personally would never do a search like that, so you will just have to find out for yourself. :) )

Actually, Straight Vegetable Oil (SVO) is what some people use to power their diesel engine vehicle. This is different than the process of creating Bio-Diesel from waste vegetable oil (WVO), because there is very little processing taking place.

With SVO you don't have to chemically treat the oil, you just have to make sure it is clean. You can't just pour it into your car though, there are some other factors involved.

M has been thinking of getting a diesel for her next car (unless I can convince her a smartcar or an electric car would work for her regular driving). She was hoping to go with SVO for her fuel, so I thought I'd put together a little info on what it involves. I'm not trying to talk her out of it, because <smug> anything is better than a low MPG, unleaded car </smug>.*

Throughout this entry there are some notes from a number of sites on using SVO. I'll put a links list together of some of the better sites, in case anyone is looking for more info, in a later post. I'll also continue this series with other info as time allows.

WHY?
Why should someone want to use something like SVO or BioDiesel? Well, there are some environmental factors, but the main reason is cost. Most of the time, these options are MUCH cheaper than current gas prices ($3.01 for regular Diesel in my neighborhood).

SVO is usually retrieved for very little expense. You can either buy bulk oil from a manufacturer, or, as many SVO-folks do, they get it for free or almost-free from restaurants.

How is it free? Well, most restaurants pay to have their waste oil hauled away. Many are more than happy to give you their oil if you make an arrangement with them.
(more info: Negotiating for Waste Veggie Oil)

HOW?
This is where the real questions come up. How can someone make this work? Once you have a source of oil, clean or waste, what do you do next?

Well, let's start with the waste oil.
You need to filter it properly, so that you aren't putting French Fry bits into your car. Cars can run on oil, but they can't run on chicken nuggets. (Sorry Perdue.)

The process is pretty simple and just requires a little time. Greasecar.com has a nice site that covers all the basics of using SVO. Here is a link to the page talking about different filtering methods. (http://www.greasecar.com/fuel.cfg?page=5)

Once you have clean oil, or filtered oil, how do you use it in a car? Well, that's where things get more complex. Stay tuned for Part 2. :)

* <smug> Tags are just a little shout out to the "smug"/Prius episode of SouthPark.

EcoZombies

2006-07-07T07:52:00.000-04:00

No, I am not talking about the lazy, only-when-its-convenient, type of environmentally conscious person, I'm talking about real zombies.

Think about it. They are really very eco-friendly.
pluses:
1) Zombies self-compost. (Composting is good right?)
2) If we were to outfit each zombie with a sealed suit, they could produce methane. Perhaps some sort of brains for methane exchange program could be setup, so that their fuel could be harvested.
3) Zombies are also a thriving ecosystem of their own. If they have progressed to a point where they have things living on their skin and crawling in and out of them. Truly natural.

Negatives:
1) They DO eat brains, so they are not vegetarians. A negative to the vegans, PETA, and of course the person whose brains are being eaten.
2) They don't have money, so they can't by carbon offsets for any excess emissions they create. (Although if they participate in the methane exchange above, they could earn the offsets.)

I think we should re-examine the zombie and see if there might be a potential energy source that is very eco-friendly. As long as the voodoo doctors use only earth-friendly ingredients in the creation of their zombies, we could create a very clean energy source .

WARNING: Because of their natural instincts, proper care should be taken to "contain" this army of zombies. I'm not saying we need to treat them like slaves or prisoners, we just need to properly educate the world on how to interact and work alongside a zombie.

Here are some useful tips on interacting with zombies:
http://www.lifehacker.com/software/how-to/geek-to-die-how-to-date-the-dead-164487.php

Some people might even be interested in becoming a zombie themselves. If you are not quite sure you want to donate your organs when you pass on, you can at least see about going on "living." There are some notable benefits:
http://www.gizmodo.com/gadgets/research/jetlagged-turn-into-a-zombie-164346.php

If, for some reason, we ever lose control of this zombie energy source, there are ways of controlling the situation:
http://www.gizmodo.com/gadgets/zombies/crowd-control-stihl-ht-100-pole-pruner-164480.php
http://www.gizmodo.com/gadgets/zombies/chomp-mds-silver-bullet-rock-bucket-164481.php

Ok... what does it say about me if I get a kick out of this site?

2006-07-07T07:31:00.000-04:00

http://stupidiotic.com

I was originally drawn to this site by an advertisement for these.

I originally thought it was a joke. (Still not entirely sure this is a real site, but all indications are YES.)

http://www.stupidiotic.com/information.php?info_id=14
My favorite part is the disclaimer at the bottom of the page. :)
"...Black Bars offer no promise of anonymity and may draw unwanted attention (may we suggest medical attention). It is possible (quite probable) these will make you appear ridiculous..."

Hmm... what else on this site calls out to my wierd nature... :D

They have a full line of T-Shirts. (I like that they are printed inside-out with the tag sticking out the back.) http://www.stupidiotic.com/product_info.php?cPath=7_8&products_id=65

I think it's a real site when I see this (which I have purchased elsewhere, before):
http://www.stupidiotic.com/product_info.php?cPath=9_12&products_id=95

But then I see this, and have to wonder. :)
http://www.stupidiotic.com/product_info.php?cPath=9_11&products_id=15

Ok.. well, if you buy anything, at least let me play with it. :D
...If the urge to purchase doesn't get to me first.

M is for Martini... A is for Army of Darkness... R is for Recycles... T is for Thrombosis... Y... because I love her.

2006-07-05T14:28:00.000-04:00

Blecch! So Sappy! I Feel like my teeth are going to fall out. :)

Ok... well, I have mentioned M before, and now I spell her out for you. :) (Yes... a sappy spelling that only means something to us, but it might earn me boyfriend points.)

I won't go into everything about her. You can find that out yourself if you find her blog some day. If she gives me permission, I might post a link to her blog here, but it's up to her.
I just wanted to make sure you knew about her, because she will appear from time to time in this bizarre geekblog. :)

She has bouts of eco-friendliness, like me, and someday we will live in the eco-geekiest house you have ever seen. All sorts of gadgets and eco-products.

In the meantime, she and I do all sorts of things together. We go to wine festivals, take trips to the beach, go to blob fest together... :)

Yep! That's right. We're going to blob fest next week, and it is going to be a blast. If you have ever thought it would be fun to visit the largest ball of twine in Cawker City, Kansas, you might know what I'm talking about.

Simply put, it's a town doing what it can to bring in some tourists. The Colonial Theater is in the original BLOB movie, and now, every year, they have a BlobFest to commemorate that fact. It's the kind of thing you probably only need to go to once, but should still be a good time. I will report on it when we get back. :)

http://www.thecolonialtheatre.com/html/BlobFest.html

My next car, or ... what I would do with 10 million dollars.

2006-07-05T13:18:00.000-04:00

I first saw this mentioned on a couple of the sites I frequent, a couple of days ago. It has to be the coolest concept car I have seen, yet. It looks like this car won't be a consumer reality for about 10 years, but waaaay cool!

It is called the Hy-Wire and it's something that GM is working on. (Yes... GM... can you believe it?)

EcoGeek.org has a great entry on the Hy-Wire, and a link to a video on YouTube that shows it in action: http://www.ecogeek.org/content/view/130/1/
To summarize, though. It is a hydrogen fuel cell car that could power your house. It has a minimum of actual moving parts, and no pedals. Watch the video, and you will see how you use the steering wheel for the accelleration and braking, too. (Coolest part is when the guy switches the steering wheel from one side of the car to the other. SWEET!)

Let's just hope it doesn't become a piece of scrap like the EV1 . (See: Who Killed the Electric Car?)

Ok... well, until someone finds a spare 10 million dollars so I can bribe GM to give me this one, I'll just have to settle for the next generation of the Toyota Prius. I'll be trading in my measly 60MPG model once these puppies come on the market. :)

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/06/new_prius_to_ge.php

"He could be the one--he drives a hybrid... but does he compost?"

2006-07-05T12:50:00.000-04:00

Why yes, Virginia, I do compost. :)

I decided to subscribe to Plenty Magazine just because of this cover. I try to do what I can for the environment, and this one just struck me as funny. M (who you will be hearing more about later) and I have frighteningly similar eco habits, brainwaves, and geekiness, and this picture just seemed to be a snapshot of a moment in our relationship.

Yes... I drive a 2001 Toyota Prius, and I compost. Control yourselves, ladies! :)

What's in a name?

2006-07-05T12:20:00.000-04:00

Ok... Before anyone asks, I thought I would go ahead and define the geektastik blog name.

Since you are reading this post, you would have asked, so, don't try to act all innocent! :D

First, a little history:
(You shouldn't have asked! Don't you wish you hadn't? :D )

A few summers ago, I was driving around Ocean City Maryland, and was astonished to find a sign at the local McDonald's where they were advertising the McCrabcake sandwich. Yes. That's right. McDonald's in Ocean City Maryland actually sells fast food crabcakes. For all of you who don't know what a crabcake is, google is your friend. For all of the rest of you knowlegable crab eaters, "good for you!" :)
Underneath the frightening announcement of this crabcake travesty, were the words "It's Crabtastik."

So, in an effort to humorize the situation and to get the disgusting thought of a crabcake deepfried and mutated into some vague resemblance to food, my friends and I decided to start naming all sorts of things "-tastic."
* Wow... that song was karaoke-tastic.
* Those shots of jagermeister were jagermeistertastic until those cigartastic smokes made them streettastic.
You get the idea!

Anyway, I wanted to put together a blog of the weird geeky stuff that seems to always draw me in, and since I try to be friendly to the environment, too, I thought I'd do a geek / eco website.
Since Ecogeek* was already taken I decided the next best name was GeekTastik. (Notice the clever omission of the 'c' to make my site all trendy and stuff. )

I guess I could have put an 'i' in front of things to make it even trendier! (iGeekTastik - your internet resource for all things geeky... um... "i-like" and um... tastik")

editors note: Ok... you were warned... I have caffeine and I'm not afraid to use it!

* Ecogeek is a great blog, by the way. You will most likely see some of their content duplicated here, from time to time. (ecogeek.org)

...kicking and screaming!

2006-07-05T12:10:00.000-04:00

Ok... not really. I don't have to be drug(dragged? druggen? draggerized?) into this era of blogging. I've always thought they were a useful medium for sharing your thoughts. I just didn't think I would ever have a need to share any of my wierd ramblings with the world. Well, that is about to change. Sorry, world! :D

Anyway, this is the one forum where I can say "FIRST POST!" Bwahaha! Noone can beat me! :)

Allright... I'll cut down the caffeine for now, but I can't guarantee that it will stay that way for long. Most of the things I buy are caffeinated, so you have been warned. ONWARD!!!