Gearfuse

NASA is more than a bunch of dorks launching satellites and Mars rovers. Now the government space agency is challenging Gatorade and Powerade by unveiling a new sports drink that’s appropriately titled “The Right Stuff.” It promises serious hydration, greater endurance and superior performance. Hey, it beats drinking recycled urine.

Says NASA:

The novel electrolyte formula contains a specific ratio of key ingredients, sodium chloride and sodium citrate, for rapid restoration of hydration. These electrolytes, dissolved in water, optimize the levels of sodium ions in the body. The beverage is an isotonic formulation that restores both intra- and extracellular body fluid volumes in dehydrated astronauts, athletes and others.

Simply put: It’ll rehydrate ya.

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It’s late at night and your World of Warcraft raid just started. You’re tired and know the only way you’re getting those sweet, sweet epics is to gulp caffeine until your stomach hurts. Instead of reaching for the standard fare, like Red Bull, why not give Pepsi a try? I’m not talking about your standard Pepsi here, I’m talking about Pepsi Natural.

Pepsi Natural is a new initiative from Pepsi that brings back the classic glass bottles that our parents often reminisce about. Additionally, ingredients include pure cane sugar, sparkling water and kola nut extract. No high-fructose corn syrup for us, thanks very much. It’s a different taste for sure, but one that most people will find surprisingly refreshing. Now all that’s left is to score a free case from Pepsi. Pepsi, are you listening? Send over some chips and a few bottles and we’ll be square.

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That’s right. The next time you go to the bar and order a tall, cold Sierra Nevada (sponsor us!), drink it knowing that it’ll not only get you drunk but also that your efforts are not in vain. The California-based brewing company unveiled an initiative to convert beer waste into ethanol that can be used to power certain vehicles. Yeast, sugar and water are used in conjunction with an EFuel 100 Microfueler. This ensures that nothing is wasted. Get it? Wasted? Just drink the damn beer and be happy.

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So this isn’t really anything extravagant, but sometimes the best gadgets are the ones that operate in a simple fashion. This AM/FM radio has a bit of a DIY look with the old-school silver button on the top and the solar panel feeding it energy. There’s also a hand crank in case you live in Seattle or Alaska. It can’t do anything special, it just cranks out some classic tunes from the radio. Perfect for listening to WHYY whilst working at your desk. At $25, it’s a nice little bargain and a fantastic gift idea.

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The LA Times is running a piece about how flat-screen televisions aren’t energy efficient and how California is going to impose rules on energy consumption and all that other hippie shit. I call bullshit. Know why? Because less than 5 years ago, no one had a flat-screen HDTV except the extremely wealthy. Everyone had those old, shitty, big ass CRT television sets. Using Google, I compared a 30-inch Samsung flat-screen display to a 32-inch Samsung CRT. Here’s what I found:

Samsung SyncMaster 305T – 30″ Display
Power Consumption Operational: 130 Watt
Source: http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=Samsung+SyncMaster+305T&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&cid=2349199014125518526&sa=X&oi=product_catalog_result&resnum=4&ct=result#ps-sellers

Samsung TXM3298HF – 32″ CRT
Power Consumption Operational: 190 Watt
Source: http://reviews.cnet.com/direct-view-tvs-crt/samsung-txm3298hf/4507-6481_7-20461179.html?tag=mncol;rnav

Now don’t get me wrong, there is a 2-inch margin of error here and a bunch of other shit you could throw at me, but it’s a general fact that those old CRTs are way less efficient than newer, thinner television sets. Perhaps California should try going with the flow instead of fighting the tide.

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Here’s an idea I seriously can’t believe hasn’t been implemented yet: generating electricity through solar cells on sunglasses. It makes sense. When it’s very sunny out, you pop on shades and you’re good to go. Why can’t we mount panels to them to generate small bits of energy? You could then use said energy to power an MP3 player or recharge a cellphone.

That’s the idea with these Self-Energy Converting Glasses from designers Hyun-Joong Jim and Kwang-Seok Jeong.

The dye solar cell is described by the designers of the SIG as “cheap organic dye [used with] nano technology [providing] cheap but high energy efficiency.” Inexpensive, light, and visible-ray penetrable. The lens turns sunlight rays, (rays that would otherwise harm the eye,) into electrical energy.

I think we’ll be there by 2010. What do you think?

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At Gearfuse, we’re all about world firsts. World’s first person to not shit after drinking a gallon of prune juice or world’s first ninja dog are the kinds of world firsts we’re used to seeing. How about the world’s first energy generating revolving door?

That’s the idea behind this revolving door built by Boon Edam. It harvests the kinetic energy of a crowd of people passing through a door. This simple action is expected to generate around 4600 KWH of energy each year, which is plenty of energy considering the source. Stick one of these doors in a Walmart during the Christmas season and you’ll generate enough energy to power the entire city of Los Angeles.

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Powering jet planes with eco-friendly biofuels such as algae has been done before and yet, I’m still being charged an arm and a leg by the airline companies who are still stuck in the past, burning up high emission jet fuels. Deep down in my heart I have always known that marijuana is not only a powerful medicine, but that hemp oil is also a useful and renewable energy source. Just ask DuPont.

Come early December, Air New Zealand will have a Boeing 747 fly off, powered by a new type of jet fuel made from marijuana. A mixture of both biofuel and conventional fuel will run one of the plane’s engines and the developers of the biofuel, UOP, are hoping it will cut down on carbon-dioxide emissions. They’re also hoping it will get everyone on board high as a kite.

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Anyone interested in DIY, energy or our ecosystem should most definitely check out the Alternative Energy Gift Guide from MAKE. They cover some key issues that we as Americans must confront head on, such as our dependence on foreign energy and oil. There’s a bunch of a kits you can browse through that will have you using the Sun as your new battery pack in no time.

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Here’s a device that’s shaped like a flower that you connect to your house via a wireless transmitter. It monitors the electricity consumed in your house in real time. Using too much energy will result in this flower’s demise, wilting at the first signs of wasted energy.

Designed by Carl Smith, the Wilting Flower will reward those who remain conscious of the amount of energy they use each day by standing tall, bright and blooming. Ideal for plant lovers and eco-nuts who need to be kept in check when it comes to their utility usage. A perfect match alongside the Water Watcher.

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