This week at TreeHugger: You might have been following the recent debate about surfing a black web; in spite of all the recent press, mysteries and myths still abound. We explore five of the most common.
The Toshiba Portégé R500 hitting stores this month boasts a battery that lasts eight hours, but that trick isn’t because of the battery. The machine has no hard drive, relying on the same memory technology that all those USB sticks work. Electric car company ZAP has a new trick up its sleeve: the Alias will be a zoomy two-seater with two wheels in front and one in back, and will top out at 100 mph and get 100 miles per charge. Lastly, why can’t more products be readily hacked? We can think of a couple that would really make things easier if we could just reprogram them to work right.
TreeHugger has seen Blackle and claims about the black web before, and whether or not it actually does any good has become quite the debate. In spite of all the recent press, mysteries and myths still abound about how and if it actually works, so we took a peek at five of the most common myths of the black web. Included in the list is the myth (or is it?) that each CRT monitor saves 15 watts per page load, that LCD monitors use less energy loading white screens (or do they?) and that it works universally, on every site in the universe (or does it)? Perhaps now the world can rest with the knowledge that one is better than the other (or is it?).
The new Toshiba Portégé R500, which hits shelves later this month, boasts battery life of about eight hours, which is pretty damn good, but this isn’t because it’s got more or even better batteries than any other new laptop. The machine has no hard drive, relying on the same memory technology that makes every USB stick work. In addition to being less susceptible to shocks and temperature swings, the no-moving-parts technology uses half as much power as a traditional hard drive. And with 64 gigabytes of memory, the technology is not a total compromise on storage capacity. If you have to beat the Joneses to it, remember that vanity has a price; be ready to shell out $550 to swap in the newfangled SSD.
In the hopes not to get left eating Tesla’s electro-dust, electric car company ZAP has taken the wraps off a new concept. The Alias will be a zoomy two-seater with two wheels in front and one in back. Expected to go 100 miles to a charge with a top speed of 100 mph, the Alias will cost $30,000 or less. Of particular importance is the battery chemistry—lithium polymer—whose nano-particles significantly increase the surface area within cells, have faster charge and discharge times, and are claimed to be more stable and safe. Because it is a three-wheeler, the Alias bypasses many of the DOT regulatory hurdles (read: safety mumbo-jumbo) that apply to a full-fledged car.
Lastly, why, oh why, can’t we citizen programmers get our hands on things that desperately need reprogramming, or could be improved over factory settings, like a clothes washer that isn’t working properly? The new program could be distributed via the ‘net, folks could upload it into their machines, and billions of gallons of water could be saved worldwide. Turns out, some products have already implemented the concept. The Roomba is one. It has a fully documented Open Inferface that explains what is going on inside its, er, head. Developers can write code against this interface, and make their Roomba do all sorts of crazy things, like respond to cellphone controls and sing Christmas carols. If we could get it to wash our clothes, perhaps we’d be getting somewhere.
TreeHugger’s EcoModo column appears every Tuesday on Gizmodo.
