How many of us have been at a grocery store and been disappointed with the variety and quality of produce? How many sandwiches or other dishes have been befouled with limp lettuce or a feeble yellow-green-pink tomato? It’s no wonder kids (and some adults) aren’t too keen on vegetables. What to do? One solution is [...]
Tesla Motors Fights to Sell and Service EVs in Texas
For the most part, I really love living in Austin. Like most university towns it is quirky and odd, and has the added spice that comes with being a state capital (for a state that, population-wise, is the second-biggest in the country). There’s an abundance of things to do, incredible live music, South by Southwest [...]
Have Electric Cars Become Practical Yet?
One of the things I have been thinking about since the eruption of the Tesla/New York Times feud, is whether electric cars are truly practical yet for the average family. I’m not talking about a $100,000 Tesla S, or taking a road trip up the Mid-Atlantic coast in the middle of a harsh winter; I’m talking [...]
Goal Zero’s Two New Solar Recharging Kits Shine at Outdoor Retailer
It seems like the recent coverage of “preppers” has brought alternative power sources into the mainstream. I have been extremely interested in solar power lately, but not because of some impending zombie apocalypse. With the upcoming hurricane season approaching, most gulf coast residents at least think of their plans if a storm does arrive. While [...]
Case-Mate Helps You Protect Your iPhone AND the Planet
For the last 2 years my synagogue has been part of an environmental awareness and commitment certification program. It’s a joint initiative between an organization called GreenFaith and our umbrella synagogue movement. I’m proud to say that we are the 1st congregation in the process to have successfully completed certification and, at our Annual Meeting [...]
Eton’s Solar-Powered Rukus Is Ready for the Pool
Warm weather is just about here, which means you’ll likely be spending more time outdoors — hopefully at the beach or pool! Assuming that you are careful about the obvious hazards such as water, sand, and too much sun, the next hurdle to outdoors musical enjoyment is finding a power source. Sun worshippers who have the [...]
New Epcot Center Exhibit, the Innovation Center VISION House
Despite the fact that the political world is still chock-full of “Drill baby, drill!” global climate change deniers, plenty of non-energy industries don’t want to get caught short and are innovating like mad on energy-efficient and green tech. In my neighborhood, for example, the family just two houses down had their (fairly attractive) house torn [...]
Do Movies Like Dr. Seuss’ ‘The Lorax’ and ‘Wall-E’ Make a Difference?
My family went to see The Lorax in 3D yesterday. It took a little bit of convincing for Kev’s almost-13-year-old to get into the spirit of seeing a “kid’s cartoon”, as she was much more interested in seeing Eddie Murphy’s 1000 Words [not happening], but the 9-year-old was eager enough. Mentioning that the movie was done by the creators [...]
iPhone 4 Gear Review: The Etón Mobius Rechargeable Battery Case with Solar Panel
Can you picture yourself out camping for a week? Your car is parked in a lot miles away, and you have been hiking for days. You’ve got everything you need in your backpack, and you’ve been eating those freeze-dried dinners that they sell at REI. Civilization is nowhere near, and you are looking forward to [...]
Changers System: Solar Charging and Social Networking that Helps the Planet
Imagine if you could charge your devices without having to add the to the world’s pollution. Now imagine if you could charge your devices without having to add the to the world’s pollution, AND you could encourage others to follow your lead? Think about the impact you could have by multiplying your green actions through [...]
Etón Introduces Mobius NSP300B, a Solar iPhone 4 Charging Solution
The name is a mouthful, unless you shorten it to Mobius, but the idea is simple: place a solar panel on the back of an iPhone 4, and you won’t ever need to worry about not being able to charge — assuming natural light is plentiful, of course. Differentiating itself from solar-charging solutions on the [...]
Gear Diary PSA: 10 Ways to Reduce Your Dependance on Foreign Oil
In a summer where ‘double dip’ refers to the economy as much as to an ice cream treat, and with gas prices at the pump only one of dozens of higher costs associated with increasing oil prices, the need to lessen our dependance on foreign oil is acute. To that end, the environmental group Environment [...]
Review: The Joy Factory Zip USB Touch-n-go Multi-Charging Station with ZipTail Receivers
Charging cables and cords… they’re everywhere. Literally everywhere. Have an iPhone? You need a 5W wall adapter and a USB cable. An iPad? You need a 10W wall adapter and a USB cable. Using a Samsung Galaxy Tab? You’ll need one of their proprietary chargers. Have a Blackberry or Android phone? Most likely you need [...]
Intel’s “Upgrade Your Life” Event
Along with 12 other site owners, I was invited to attend the Intel “Upgrade Your Life” experience in Santa Clara, California on July 13th. I went into this event with no itinerary and no idea of what we were going to see, but I figured it had to be more than “just” processor chips. Sure [...]
Forward with Ford: Safety, Innovation, & Being Green!
I recently joined a group of online and traditional media for the “Forward With Ford” event at Ford’s Dearborn facility for a multi-day event covering trends and technologies that Ford is addressing. Before attending, I was offered the choice of exploring three of the following sessions; I chose the ones with stars next to them. [...]






















