From the category archives:

Technology

Energy consumption monitors

May 17, 2008

Energy monitorMy electricity supplier actually wants us to use less energy rather than more, with the help of a free energy monitor that tracks your usage and costs. Watching it change as you switch lights on and off is proving strangely addictive.

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Slimmer, trimmer home wind turbines

February 18, 2008

Wind turbines generate more controversy than electricity. While recent research suggests that some generate less power in the course of a year than it would take to illuminate a lightbulb, your decision to erect one in the garden can have neighbours up in arms. Hopefully things should get easier as more efficient, smaller and quieter models are rolled out.

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The wind-powered iPod

February 6, 2008

Last week we highlighted five clockwork gadgets that were perfect for anyone chasing electrical self-sufficiency. Trouble is, while they’re all practical, none of them is particularly entertaining. Even the mobile phone charger needs an adaptor before it can talk to your iPod. That’s why the Hymini caught our eye. It’s a micro wind-power generator, small [...]

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Pedalites: The Review

January 2, 2008

Some time ago I wrote on here about Pedalites, the self-powered lights for the pedals on your bike. I ordered a set and promised to report back once they’d arrived, been fitted and tried out. That time is now. They’re about the same size as my old pedals, but much chunkier and a little heavier. [...]

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The view from space

February 25, 2007

Mac-using tree-huggers can download the very cool, and free OS X Planet, to keep an eye on what’s going on around the world. Even if you don’t believe that changing global weather patterns are influenced by human activities, there’s something quite hypnotic and addictive about having this running on your Mac desktop, where it displays [...]

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Money for mobiles

February 15, 2007

Like 10m other Brits did last year, I’ve just upgraded my phone. Partly it was because I wanted a new handset, but primarily it was because Orange was offering a better deal than Vodafone, and it would save me money to switch. In the end I stayed where I was, as they matched the deal, [...]

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Ethical shopping

February 7, 2007

Every now and then you stumble upon a “why didn’t I think of that” idea. Today it’s the Ethical Superstore. With so many fair trade and carbon-offset products on sale these days, there’s only one excuse for not buying ethical products. What reason is that? The fact it can sometimes be frustratingly difficult to find [...]

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Green tunes

February 6, 2007

Going green forces you to audit your life, for while there are some obvious things you can do to make a difference – walk rather than drive, recycle your papers, turn down the thermostat and so on – it’s the little things that you often miss out on. And so I’ve been thinking a lot [...]

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The true cost of upgrading your computer

February 5, 2007

I’ve always believed technology can do a lot to enable a greener lifestyle. Companies like Intel are forever developing more efficient, cooler chips, allowing our computers to run without consuming so much power. Software developers like the teams behind open-source OpenOffice and various flavours of Linux are helping us to securely and efficiently use old [...]

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Calling for free

January 29, 2007

I’ve previously been a bit sceptical about Skype, but in recent weeks have found myself using it more and more. Of course, it helps if you have someone you want to talk to on a frequent basis, as in the past my fairly well-stocked buddy list has remained open but unused most of the time. [...]

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