An energy-generating rocking chair is among this year’s 18 Greener Gadgets Design Competition finalists.
Perfect for on-the-go travelers at airports or cafes, the Empower chair harnesses kinetic energy from its gliding swing and makes it available via USB or standard outlet so you can power your computers, iPods and iPhones while you rock.
(READ more in Inhabitat.com)
Speedskater Apolo Anton Ohno anchored the winning US team in the 5,000-meter relay race to claim a bronze medal, giving him his eighth career medal and making him America’s most decorated Winter Olympian.
It was Ohno’s third medal of these games, to go with a silver and another bronze He already has the most short track medals of any skater.
(READ more from AP at NPR.org)
A strong-willed dog has returned to its owner after surviving 40 days in the freezing wilderness of the Santa Cruz Mountains without food.
Buck, a black lab, got lost near his home on January 6th. His owner assumed he’d been swept up in a swollen river during a rain storm, but on February 16th, his neighbor heard whimpering while hiking in the mountains and found the weak, emaciated dog stranded on a patch of dry river bed.
Buck lost 50 pounds as he lay in the cold without food for more than a month.
(READ the good news story from CBS via Heavenly Creatures))
Martin Aircraft of New Zealand is going to start selling commercial jetpacks for about $75,000.
The brainchild of inventor Glenn Martin who unveiled his machine last July, the jetpack is capable of travelling 30 miles in 30 minutes on a full tank of fuel.
Because it weighs less than 254 pounds (115kg) the jet pack does not require a pilot’s licence.
READ More in the UK Telegraph)
A man toting 120 books while riding a stubborn donkey is a thrilling sight for hundreds of children in the rural villages of Colombia. Luis Soriano is a man with a mission to save rural children from illiteracy.
A primary school teacher, Soriano, 38, spends his free time operating a “biblioburro,” his mobile library-on-a-donkey that has served 4,000 people in what he describes as “abandoned regions” in the state of Magdalena.
He was nominated as a CNN HERO. Watch the video below, or at CNN.
Treo, a black lab trained by the British Army has earned top military honors for his bomb-sniffing duty in Afghanistan. For 8 years, the dog located scores of bombs concealed by the Taliban, saving countless lives. Treo now gets to retire and live a comfortable life.
Watch the video below, or at MSNBC…
Treo, a black lab trained by the British Army has earned top military honors for his bomb-sniffing duty in Afghanistan. For 8 years, the dog located scores of bombs concealed by the Taliban, saving countless lives. Treo now gets to retire and live a comfortable life.
Watch the video below, or at MSNBC…
Members of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe were overwhelmed by the humanitarian response from viewers of an MSNBC-TV news program after a dangerous snow and ice storm knocked down hundreds of power lines and electricity to thousands of homes for 15 days.
After the state of North Dakota would only allocate $8,000 in January for repairs, and thousands remained stranded, Keith Olbermann highlighted the plight of the tribal members, and within 48 hours more than $250,000 had been raised.
Watch the inspiring update below, or at MSNBC…
An increasing number of correctional facilities in the United States and in other countries are turning to wind power to supply energy to their 24-hour operations.
With the rising cost of fossil fuels, governments are finding that investing in wind energy at correctional facilities makes sense.
The first wind turbine at an American prison (right) has helped offset energy costs at the federal prison in Victorville, Calif., since its installation in 2005.
(READ More at CS Monitor)
The search is finally over for Abel Madariaga, whose pregnant wife was taken by Argentine security forces 33 years ago. After decades of doubt and loneliness, Madariaga has found his son.
“I never stopped thinking I would find him,” the 59-year-old father said, squeezing his son’s arm during a packed news conference Tuesday.
(READ More in the Toronto Star)
As tax deadlines approach, college students and their parents take note: new tax rules may help you keep more money in your pocket. Taxpayers who paid college tuition or interest on student loans for themselves or their children should ensure they are taking advantage of tax savings, says Sallie Mae, the nation’s leading saving, planning and paying for education company.
IRS changes enacted as part of last year’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act economic stimulus package may help make the investment in higher education more affordable for tax year 2009.
(READ the article at Market Watch.com)
Salman Khan is a math and science whiz kid, and a natural-born teacher, who is now devoting his life to tutoring people around the world using YouTube videos.
He left his job as a hedge fund analyst in Boston three years ago. His YouTube channel, called Khan Academy, now has 1000+ videos covering everything from basic arithmetic and algebra to differential equations, physics, chemistry, biology and high finance — all of which were recorded by the affable Khan.
It started as an online tutoring session for his cousin to help her gain pre-algebra admission, and led to a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to the mission of providing a high quality education to anyone, anywhere.
“With so little effort on my own part, I can empower an unlimited number of people for all time,” Mr. Khan told the San Francisco Chronicle. “I can’t imagine a better use of my time.”
The entire video library is listed online and offers instruction for free with just a click of the mouse at www.khanacademy.org. Subscribe to his videos at YouTube, here.
(WATCH how it all started below)
Salman Khan is a math and science whiz kid, and a natural-born teacher, who is now devoting his life to tutoring people around the world using YouTube videos.
He left his job as a hedge fund analyst in Boston three years ago. His YouTube channel, called Khan Academy, now has 1000+ videos covering everything from basic arithmetic and algebra to differential equations, physics, chemistry, biology and high finance — all of which were recorded by the affable Khan.
It started as an online tutoring session for his cousin to help her gain pre-algebra admission, and led to a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to the mission of providing a high quality education to anyone, anywhere.
Ranchers in central Texas aren’t known for their fondness for government regulation or the Endangered Species Act. But one rancher — a fried chicken tycoon — has become a champion of land stewardship and habitat restoration. And it’s rubbing off on his fellow ranchers.
David Bamberger converted 5,500 acres of some of the most badly damaged and overgrazed hill country in Texas into a showpiece of environmental restoration.
(READ the story, or listen, at National Public Radio)
The growth of large-scale wind developments in Indiana was second highest among states last year, according to the American Wind Energy Association, second only to Texas.
The Hoosier state ranked at the top in 2008 and its leadership continues thanks to the state’s low cost, ease of regulation- and business-friendly environment, say Indiana officials.
Indiana’s 2009 installation of wind capacity, almost ten percent of the total national output, could generate electricity for at least 271,500 homes.
(READ More in the North-West Indiana Times)
Frito Lay will roll out the world’s first 100% compostable chip bag in Canadian retail outlets beginning in March.
The new SunChips packaging will be made from more than 90% renewable, plant-based materials, and as a result, the bag will completely break down into compost in a hot, active compost pile in approximately 14 weeks.
Frito Lay is planning to launch its new 90% plant-based, 100% compostable bag in the U.S. to coincide with Earth Day 2010.
Frito Lay will roll out the world’s first 100% compostable chip bag in Canadian retail outlets beginning in March.
The new SunChips packaging will be made from more than 90% renewable, plant-based materials, and as a result, the bag will completely break down into compost in a hot, active compost pile in approximately 14 weeks.
Frito Lay is planning to launch its new 90% plant-based, 100% compostable bag in the U.S. to coincide with Earth Day 2010.
Naps make you smarter and boost your ability to learn, say researchers at the University of California, Berkeley. In fact, they’re the brain’s way of making room for new information.
Just 60 minutes of shut-eye can boost learning ability significantly, says Matthew Walker, a Berkeley professor of psychology and lead investigator of the study.
(Continue reading in USA Today)
Back in 2007, Northwestern neuroscientist Nina Kraus led a team of researchers that showed that training in music as a youngster helps boost speech and reading abilities—since the same pathways used for mastering music are used for language.
Research shows music training leads to better brain function, so schools should make sure that they keep offering music programs.
(READ more at Good.is)
Mingling good-naturedly among camera-toting tourists in Bangkok, three elephants carried around white baskets painted with red crosses soliciting donations for Haiti earthquake victims. The threesome raised 700,000 baht — more than $21,000 (US) — for the Thai Red Cross Society’s Haiti Relief Fund, surpassing the Thai government’s donation.
(Continue reading, with photo, in the CS Monitor)
