Gearfuse

Word of MSI’s latest line of Wind netbooks has surfaced. Attempting to beat out its netbook competitors in battery life, MSI has unveiled the Wind U110, U115 and U120. The U110 and U115 stress battery longevity,  with a 6-cell battery that comes standard, an upgraded Intel Atom processor that uses 20% less power and a hybrid storage device that also uses less power, these latest netbooks hope to come close to a seven hour battery life.

As for the U120, it holds the same features as the original U100 except with 3G added in to the equation. Internet anytime, anywhere? So much for the competition.

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The holiday season is upon us and pretty soon, Black Friday is going to roll around. Why not convince your loved one to go wait overnight in a line for a deal on an MSI Wind? The ultra-hackable netbook is now on sale at Best Buy for just $350 and the specs are updated quite nicely. You’ll score a whopping 120GB hard drive and a 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor, as well as WiFi and a built-in 1.3-megapixel camera. 1GB of RAM tops it off. The 3-cell battery kind of sucks, but you can easily buy a bigger, longer battery for about $100.

It’s awesome that you can walk into a Best Buy and purchase a netbook, finally. Too bad it’s Best Buy.

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Even more architecture that resembles the “arcologies” of Sim City 2000 are sprouting up, this time in Singapore. Here, eco-minded architecture firm TR Hamzah & Yeang is designing this skyscraper it’s calling the EDITT (Ecological Design In The Tropics) Tower. This 26-story skyscraper will be constructed using various recycled and recyclable materials. Not only that, but the tower will include the most eco-friendly technologies ever to be incorporated into a high-rise building.

You name it, this thing’s got it. Besides the immense amount of solar panels that’ll generate 40% of the tower’s energy demands, this skyscraper will include an energy plant that will convert human sewage into biofuel, a rain water harvesting system and the ability to remove and add walls and floors just in case vegetation is growing out of hand. That’s every possible way to save our planet jam packed into one skyscraper. You’ll have to deal with a major case of bed bugs, but it’s a small price to pay for saving the planet.

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We’re digging this eco-friendly goodness from the folks at Windation Energy Systems. If you couldn’t guess by the name, they deal with organic means of producing wind energy. The developer of Windation’s latest wind turbine, Mark Sheikhrezai, was inspired by wind catchers used by the Persians to keep their interiors cool.

The concept is simple: wind blows into the top, then it’s directed downward where the wind turns a turbine that generates up to five kilowatts of electricity. That’s almost as good as saving the environment while working out, but even better because you can sit on your ass all day. We approve.

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I’m no stranger to furniture made from recyclables. After all, I write about it all the time and I just so happen to sit on my ass for the same duration. Upon seeing Ryan Frank’s design, pictured above, I immediately thought of how comfortable it would be to pass gas while sitting in it. Well, more comfortable than doing so in a chair made from a tire or a wooden stump.

I mean, this thing is made entirely of used plastic bags. The seat itself is made from recycled aluminum, but the plastic bags are what give the chair character. Break wind while sitting in this thing and you’ll float away in more ways than one.

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Netbooks are all the craze these days. Everyone is wondering if Apple is going to hop on the netbook bandwagon and produce a mini MacBook. As of now, no word from Apple regarding that. On the other hand, a member of a German MSI Wind forum just couldn’t wait on Apple. He used a Dremel and six white LCD lights to turn his MSI Wind netbook into a Mac look-a-like.

He even put together a mock commercial of his MacBook mini. You’d think it was an actual Apple product.

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Swedish company Home Energy has not forgotten about our energy independence even if our leaders of tomorrow have.  It’s made a wind turbine shaped as a sphere called the Energy Ball.  Home Energy claims that the shape allows for higher aerodynamic efficiency in comparison to traditional design as well as complete silence during operation.  The Energy Ball comes in two models: The 0.5 kW Energy Ball V100 has a price tag of $4,600 and the 2.5 kW Energy Ball V200 sells for $8,100. The prices might seem steep, but think of the energy you’ll be saving.

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Tuesday night at the National Clean Energy Summit, Mayor Bloomberg of New York City expressed his vision of a cleaner more green New York. He urged the need for energy-efficient design and proposed alternative methods of obtaining power, whether it be by wind or solar means. He goes as far as suggesting to add wind turbines to both the Brooklyn Bridge and Empire State Building, a move that would dramatically change the NYC skyline.

But with good intentions, Bloomberg hopes to cut greenhouse gas emissions in the city by 30% before 2030 making New York the cleanest air of any large American city.  Our hats are off to you Mr. Bloomberg, we wish more leaders cared about our well-being as much as you do.

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You won’t ever live to see this floating ecopolis. This concept, designed by Vincent Callebaut, is straight out a science-fiction film with its ability to float. Dubbed “Lilypad,” this amphibious city can hold around 50,000 people and protect them from floods and bizarre plate tectonics.

The city is designed to draw power from solar, wind and tidal means, which enables it to live in the depths of the ocean like that alien-race in The Abyss.  Concepts like these will hopefully evolve mankind into a half-fish half man species like Kevin Costner in Waterworld.

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Whether you’re trying to score green tax credits or just help the earth out a bit, the $5000 Windspire is definitely the way to go. Designed by Mariah Power, the Windspire comes with all the equipment you need to start generating power from the wind. Due to the vertical-axis the Windspire uses, people in tighter/urban areas will find it fits into tight space.

Though it seems like a great idea and a way to save the planet, it’s certainly not practical. The Windspire towers 30-foot high and has a 2-foot radius.

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