When the kind bods at Mitsubishi lent me one of their new electric cars for a weekend, at first I couldn’t help but worry “how do I charge it?” and “how far can I go with it?”. The answers turned out to be so straight forward I was sure they were pulling my leg – you charge it by plugging it into the mains and a full charge will take you quite a distance – roughly 80 miles. Perfect for staging a fun-filled, green weekend. So, we got some friends over and took a day trip in our new “space car”, as our intrigued pals called it. Getting four adults in this compact (electric) motor was no problem at all. It’s something of a tardis, with plenty of leg room all round and a boot that holds several bags of shopping or one fat dog very nicely.

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For the first time in U.K. history, an alien species (meaning one that is not native to the area) will be let loose in the kingdom to combat the growth of another species–also introduced. [More]

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Whereas most discarded plastic water and beverage bottles (those imprinted with a number 1 within a triangular arrow) can be recycled , the resulting second-generation plastic is generally unusable for making new plastic bottles. This is because the polyethylene terephthalate (PET) thermoplastic polymer used to make the original bottles is often made with the help of metal oxide or metal hydroxide catalysts that linger in the recycled material and weaken it over time. [More]

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The Nissan LEAF Zero-Emission Tour culminated today with an appearance in New York City. The three-month tour, which made 63 stops in 24 cities, offered the opportunity for interested drivers, media, civic partners, businesses and university students to learn more about the Nissan LEAF and the benefits of zero-emission driving.

The tour helped pave the way for the 2010 introduction of Nissan LEAF, the world’s first all-electric, zero-emission car designed for the mass market, and leads up to the start of the vehicle-purchase process. The Nissan LEAF will be available to consumers via lease or sale, in a single transaction that includes the battery. Steps to acquiring a Nissan LEAF are:

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Making aluminum requires a lot of electricity. That’s because the metal bonds tightly to oxygen and it takes a lot of energy to break that bond. In essence, the process of making aluminum is a giant battery with the silvery metal being reduced to purity at the cathode while oxygen bonds with the carbon anode to make, you guessed it, CO2. It takes roughly 15 kilowatt-hours of electricity to make just one kilogram of aluminum via electrolysis. [More]

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WASHINGTON–Every second, our bodies capture carbon dioxide in our tissues, transport it via the blood, and dump it in the lungs from where it is exhaled. This unconscious process is yet another way humans contribute to the accumulation of the greenhouse gas in the atmosphere–albeit in a minuscule volume compared with burning fossil fuels . The key to this metabolic process is an enzyme called carbonic anhydrase and it’s efficiency at capturing and releasing CO2 is what human engineers want to mimic at the power plant scale. [More]

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[ This special issue podcast is longer than the usual 60 seconds. ]

Last week, the new Advanced Research Projects Agency for energy held its inaugural conference in Washington, D.C.–a direct response to a growing sense that the U.S. is losing its technology lead when it comes to the race for cleaner ways to produce and use energy. "We have a Sputnik moment right now. We are losing our technology leadership and we are falling behind."

[More]

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Today Microsoft Hardware extends its award-winning line of BlueTrack Technology mouse products, debuting the advanced tracking technology at its lowest prices ever — under $30.1 Now people have the opportunity to track on virtually any surface2 at an affordable price with three new mice to choose from — the Wireless Mobile Mouse 3500, Wireless Mouse 2000 and Comfort Mouse 4500. The Wireless Mobile Mouse 3500 and Comfort Mouse 4500 will be available in bright colors just in time for spring so people can add a touch of personality to their computers.

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Bing, a new search decision experience, takes a new approach to helping customers use search to make better decisions, focusing initially on four key user tasks and related areas: making a purchase, planning a trip, researching a health condition or finding a local business.

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Blaise Aguera y Arcas, architect of Bing Maps, shares an inside look at the technology powering the new, multi-dimensional Bing Maps Streetside feature.

Bing, a new search decision experience, takes a new approach to helping customers use search to make better decisions, focusing initially on four key user tasks and related areas: making a purchase, planning a trip, researching a health condition or finding a local business.

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Courtesy of Adafruit Industries , comes this awesome steampunk
wheelchair, using their Arduino-based Waveshield for sound
effects.  The creator, Daniel Valdez, has a Web site
(http://www.smeeon.com ) with some issues, but he does have photos and
video on Flickr.  It is fully functional, using an 18…
By: kelseymh

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Prosthethic arms for land-mine victims, etc. War, land mines, and
natural disasters create far too many amputees each year, especially in
the developing world.  Worse, prosthetic limbs are expensive and
hard to come by.  The Center for International Rehabilitation ,
posting under Instructables use…
By: canida

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Can’t wait to jump into the “Halo: Reach” multiplayer beta on May 3? You’re in luck, because a thrilling first look video of “Halo: Reach” multiplayer action is now available. The “March Multiplayer Madness” video was captured from the game’s alpha build and offers a glimpse of…well, we don’t want to give away all the surprises do we?

Rest assured that more info is coming down the line as the launch of the public multiplayer beta nears. As a reminder, players will be able to access the beta, which launches in just two months, through “Halo 3: ODST.” Developed by acclaimed studio Bungie, “Halo: Reach” is being published by Microsoft and launches in autumn 2010 exclusively on Xbox 360.

The “March Multiplayer Madness” video is available now on Halo.Xbox.com, Bungie.net and Xbox LIVE.

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