360 DEGREES Weblog

In the midst of overwhelming debate over climate change - an issue that seemingly paralyzes politicians - the Chinese government has announced its intention to construct a 2-gigawatt solar power plant in Ordos City, Inner Mongolia. Mike Ahearn, CEO of the Arizona-based company which will construct the plant, describes the unprecedented project as “an encouraging first step forward toward the mass-scale deployment of solar power worldwide to help mitigate climate change concerns.”

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Thanks Gizmag

The Kinesis K3 Charger is what’s known in the biz as a “tribrid”, a hybrid with three parts. It’s a solar charger, a wind generator and a plain battery charger. If the sun’s out, lie the K3 on it’s back and the solar cells will charge the internal battery, if it’s windy stand it up and let the wind generator do all the work. If it’s sunny and windy then you’re all set and both will do the recharging. If you’ve got AC or a PC, plug it into the mains or a USB port and recharge it the old fashioned way. A row of LEDs along the side will tell you how full the battery is.

When you’re out in the field, you can recharge most things via the swappable recharging tips which stow neatly into the base of the unit. The built-in battery can put out 5 Volts at 1 Amp and the battery has a massive 4,000 mAh rating which will recharge a mobile phone 10 times (apparently). And because it’s an emergency charger it will work from -20°C (-4°F) to 55°C (131°F). You can pick one up from here for US$99.95

We’ve all been there at one time or another–just as you’re on your daily walk in the park, your iPod goes dead, or your digital camera runs out of juice, or something you’re carrying just can’t work up enough spark to, you know, work.

Enter the Free Loader, a highly portable device that allows you to recharge any of your portable devices anywhere the sun happens to be shining.

The device works by continually absorbing charge in a set of small onboard batteries.  From there, you can tap into the device’s accumulated power at any time to recharge your portable devices.  While you’re enjoying the iPod sound or making your phone calls or what have you, the Free Loader is continually recharging its OWN batteries, and holding that charge for as long as three months before it loses the charge.

You can actually get one of these right now over at ThinkGeek.com for the low price of fifty bucks.  It’s actually a great idea when you think about it, and you’ll never be without juice again.

Barry Zekelman paid the full $1.55 million price up front on a 2009 Bugatti Veyron, but days after Bugatti told him they weren’t building one, he demanded a refund. Eight months later he’s filing suit to get his money back

After placing his deposit of $427,935 on the $1.55 million vehicle, he paid in full last December. A few days later he was sent an email by the selling agent in Troy, Michigan he would not be receiving his 2009 Bugatti Veyron in Italian red, ever, they weren’t making any more. To add insult to injury, Bugatti offered a 2008 model in place of his ordered 2009. At this point Zekelman decided he’d had enough and demanded his money back, and has gone on demanding for eight months with no satisfaction. He’s had to file a lawsuit naming Bugatti, who’s kept his cash in their coffers for the entire time, and is seeking a complete refund and all court and lawyer fees. This isn’t the kind of thing you ever expect to hear about the buying process of the most exclusive supercar in the world.

On Wednesday, Siemens, the electronics and electrical engineering global powerhouse, unveiled the Smart Chopper it commissioned from the renowned custom motorcycle outfit. Siemens claims the bike has a 60-mile range and a 100 mph top speed. An onboard charging unit can be plugged into any 110-volt socket to charge the bike in five hours, and Siemens says it’ll charge in as little as one hour when plugged into a higher-voltage station. A single-speed, clutch-less transmission delivers the power from a 27-hp electric motor.

The Smart Chopper joins the growing ranks of electric motorcycles, including the Brammo Enertia, Zero X and the Mission One.

Steve Conner, CFO of Siemens’ Energy Service Division, sees the venture as a way to showcase the company’s innovative and environmental awareness along with the current state of technology.

“We already have what we need to make it a reality,” Connor told Wired.com. “This isn’t Star Wars.”

Siemens CEO Daryl Dulaney with Paul Teutul, Sr. of Orange County Choppers. Teutul’s the guy with the tats.
Don’t worry about the bike lacking that distinctive OCC look and feel. The 350-pound bike is long and low, with an massive 300mm (10.5 inches) rear tire. With an outrageous 120-inch wheelbase and overall 45-degree raked front end, you’ll need four lanes to make a U-turn. Sounds like an OCC bike to us.

Of course, the entire bike is outfitted with LED lighting by OSRAM Sylvania, a Siemens subsidiary. Along with the lighting supplies, Siemens has also provided the electric motor, charging system, power management system and wind turbine blade fiberglass for the Teutuls to integrate into their design, in keeping with the family’s knack for tying form with function and theme.

Over the next year, the Smart Chopper will make a countrywide tour to promote sustainable and green technology. But if you want the Smart Chopper’s last tour stop to be your home garage, get your checkbook ready and cross your fingers that Jay Leno doesn’t show. This chopper hits the auction block in 2010 with all proceeds going to a yet to be determined charity.

From August 5 to September 30, the cutely nostalgic Fiat 500 C, unveiled in February, appears on Milan’s world-famous fashion street, Montenapoleone, in an unexpected role. Exactly 20 fiberglass replicas, precisely the same size and shape as the little Fiat, have become planters for real trees of various shapes. The happening, called “Per fare un albero” (Create a tree), is a cooperative effort between the City of Milan, Fiat, and artist-designer Fabio Novembre. In Novembre’s words, his solution to merge into one object trees and cars, two elements always vying for urban space, is a “symbol of a new way of living.” According to Fiat’s spokespeople, Fiat 500 C’s cheerful, friendly, innovative and eco-friendly character is a perfect fit for such an undertaking.

Now don’t get me wrong, solar rechargeable gadgets are a great idea if that gadget spends all day in the sun anyway. As for leaving your phone, camera or MP3 player lying around catching some rays? Not such a good idea. That’s why gadgets like the FreeLoader Pro are so brilliant. Basically it’s a pair of flip-out solar cells with a rechargeable battery all in one simple unit. It comes with most of the common phone (Nokia, iPhone, Samsung, LG, Sony) and small device DC adapters (iPod, DS, GPS) as well as mini USB so it can charge pretty much anything portable. It gets better though, the Freeloader doesn’t just charge your phone and your iPod, it charges pretty much anything. The rechargeable battery can put out 9.5 volts which puts it in the realm of power hungry devices like camcorder batteries, SLR batteries and media players. The best bit is the universal battery charger adapter which has configurable charging pins so you can charge any battery that will fit in it, and that’s an awful lot of batteries. The battery compatibility list must have 500 devices in it including what looks like every Canon and Nikon camera.

When you’re back near civilisation you can recharge the battery using USB instead of the sun. A full charge of the 1.6 Ah battery using the sun takes about 8 hours, via USB about 3 hours. It’s made from aluminium and it’s built tough, so if you’re heading bush, you definitely need one of these. £69.99 from Solar Technology.

Freeloader Pro is the ultimate solar charger capable of powering virtually every electrical device, anywhere in the world, whether on a beach, a mountain, jungle or the Polar ice cap. Freeloader Pro uses its high power solar panels or USB (cable supplied) to quickly charge its internal battery (7 – 9 hours in sunny conditions)

The M/V Auriga Leader is the world’s first solar powered cargo ship. Currently docked at the Port of Long Beach, California, the ship boasts an impressive array of 328 solar panels on its top deck. The Auriga Leader is the first ship to direct solar power into a ship’s main electrical grid.

This amazing craft is part of a demonstration project organized by the Port of Long Beach, Toyota and Tokyo-based shipping company, NYK Line, intended to reduce ships’ dependence on diesel fuel and significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions even while docked in port.

The solar panels will help power the ship’s thrusters, hydraulics and steering gear, providing up to 40 kilowatts of power, about 10 percent of the ship’s total electricity usage. Anchors away and green sailing!

Ever Green Bathroom Tissue takes sustainability seriously. They’re the first to eliminate traditional plastic wrap with their soft 100% recycled toilet tissue. And they take green a step further.

All their packaging - pallets, store displays and the box itself - is 100% recyclable too. Their cool looking 12-roll box is designed after a fridge-pack of soda, complete with a side panel for easy roll removal. There’s even a place to store empty roll cores. When the box is empty, crunch and toss into recycling. From beginning to end, nothing’s landfilled.

Digital publisher Zinio has teamed up with Starwood to offer guests free digital copies of their favourite magazines. As of last month, a variety of well-known titles can be downloaded at Starwood’s Element hotels, with Aloft and Four Points by Sheraton joining at the end of the year.

Zinio’s ‘digital newsstand’ can be accessed on guests’ laptops in their rooms, or via a kiosk in the lobby. After logging on to the Starwood portal and registering with Zinio, guests can select as many single titles as they wish, choosing from a wide range of popular publications like Caribbean Travel & Life, Destination Weddings & Honeymoons, Field & Stream and Ski Magazine. (Prices for magazines purchased through Zinio are normally similar to those paid for paper copies.)

With editions that can be read online or off—and that are identical to their printed brethren—travellers are freed from schlepping around a bag full of paper. Zinio gets the chance to demo its service to new users, and Starwood can offer its guests magazines they actually want to read, instead of a standard selection. And there’s an environmental benefit too, of course, which is fitting since Element is Starwood’s new ‘green’ brand.