Energy is in high demand and the there are problems with every method of acquiring it. Most believe that oil is not the answer. Coal poses environmental problems. Nuclear has demonstrated potential for danger. Clean energy such as hydro, wind, and solar pose cost concerns. Many have pointed to natural gas as the middle ground, the compromise between clean and “dirty” energy sources that may be the direction to take. Is it safe enough? This graphic by our friends at 1bog asks the question and attempts to answer it. Note: 1bog clearly supports solar as the solution, so their views are biased, but the…

Proponents on both sides of the fence will argue feverishly about how the benefits of their chosen energy preference are better for the environment and the economy. Fukushima put a damper on the arguments for nuclear and the solar community is coming out full force to remind everyone about it. Case in point: this infographic by our friends at 1bog. In it, you’ll see some of key points that make their argument strong in a hypothetical format. Some may consider it unfair to look back with 20/20 hindsight and say “shouldacoulda” but one can’t help to wonder if the situation would be completely different…

Here at Techi, it’s no secret that we talk an awful, awful lot about Apple. But can you blame us? Between the iPhone 4 ballyhoo and Steve’s insistence on being so goddamn attractive in that sweater, there’s a lot to talk about. But what are other fine folks up to? Apparently, greening the piss out of the power source industry. Remember Brother? They make printers. And, had you gone the rest of today without reading this article, you’d have carried on your way content to continue assuming that’s all they make. But this is all sorts of deceitful falsehood – behold, the Vibration Energy Cell battery! Seriously,…

The green movement has stopped being just about saving our dying planet and has become the fashionable thing to do. I am not sure if this is a good or bad thing, as on one hand it gets a group who wouldn’t normally care to be pulled into the movement involved, but on the other we lose the reason and passion of what began the movement in the process. This new phone charger from Nokia looks as if it will walk the line between the two, balancing green power and posh-ness. Nokia has come up with a way to charge your phone using the static electricity created by your rotating tire on your bike, therefore charging…

Going green can be beautiful. By the time of the upcoming 2016 Olympics, being held in Rio de Janeiro, a man-made waterfall will be used to power the future Olympic village. The Swiss architectural office RAFAA is undergoing this unique project named the Solar City Tower. The artificial waterfall will flow down the side of a 105-meter high skyscraper doubling as a hydroelectric power plant for the games. It will house a small power plant that runs on solar energy in order to pump water to the 105-meter height. There will also be a observation deck located on the structure providing a variety of cafes…

Soon you too could be sending or receiving unsolicited messages via Bluetooth from up to 65-metres (200-feet) or more away, as the new Bluetooth 4.0 standard has been finalised. Now we know manufacturers haven’t exactly rushed to launch Bluetooth 3.0 devices, but the new standard may interest some, with its low-energy mode and boosted range, up from 30-feet to 200-feet. Realistically, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) maintain the new standard will be of use to manufacturers of small devices, such as watches or remote controls, and to those creating network equipment. “Bluetooth…

That headline up there may sound like Monty Python-esque absurdity, but it’s quite real. Or at least half of it is. At a farm in Northern Ireland, farmer William Taylor is putting his cows on treadmills – not to lose weight, but to generate electricity. Yes, really. The treadmills are placed at a slight incline, and to prevent themselves slowly sliding backwards, the cows have to walk, while a feed container gives them something to stay occupied. As they trudge along, the treadmill turns a crank which in turn spins a generator, and apparently, one cow walking produces enough power to run four milking…

Just in time for those frigid, icy summer days, designer Allan George has come up with a simply brilliant way to fend off August frostbite: the Alveo Heating Stone. In the interest of keeping you warm during that ghastly cold beach trip this August, the Alveo’s design uses friction of real stones to create and slowly dissipate heat. Could an idea like this have been touched upon sooner? Y’know, rubbing two rocks together to create warmth? Yeah, probably, but that’s the brilliant thing about good industrial design – the greatest, simplest ideas sometimes (read: almost always) get overlooked….

You thought the way the Solar Pebble slapped the sun around was pretty cool, right? Right? Here’s another great way we mancreatures are bringing the sun to its knees as a sustainable energy source. That is, sustainable until the sun explodes in like 5 billion years. But that’s irrelevant. Until then, we have the Sundolier! ‘Bah! I’ve seen this before,’ you say. You would. And, granted, from these photos, the Sundolier would appear at first to be a fairly typical skylight. But let’s not get our lines crossed here – first of all, this thing’s a freaking robot that sits on your roof. …Yeah,…

Remember when your parents always reminded you to turn off the lights when you were not using them? Seems logical enough, right? It helps the world and saves on the energy bill. But Ford must slept through that childhood, because the company has only recently become aware that they could save over a million dollars simply by shutting down their computers at night. Insane, right? Yes, our beloved American automaker is reporting that it plans to shut down or utilize power management functionality already built into computers and laptops to save the company an astounding $1.2 million per year. Could…