Algae photosynthesis lamp

Mike Thompson, the arts graduate from Design Academy in Eindhoven now introduces a seemingly unheard of algae powered lamp, which he names Latro Algae Lamp. He takes inspiration from the findings of a research conducted by Yansei and Stanford University scientists that concluded that algal cells can draw electrical current through photosynthesis. The lamp, basically, draws its energy from a glass chamber of algae.

Via Green Diary

July 2010

Canadian penny

• The pennies produced each year by the Royal Canadian Mint, when laid end-to-end, would go from St. John’s, N.L., to Victoria and back.
• Producing those pennies — necessary after people tuck them away in the piggy bank — is estimated to cost $130 million a year.
• Pennies cost retail businesses about $60 million a year to record, store and transport, plus time spent by cashiers per transaction.
• The penny buys 1/20th what it bought in 1908.
• Until 1996, pennies were anywhere from 95 to 98 per cent copper. They are now 94 per cent steel, 1.5 per cent nickel, and 4.5 per cent copper-plated zinc.
• From 1876 to 1920, Canadian pennies were 25.4 mm in diameter and weighed 5.67 g; current pennies weigh 2.35 g and are 19.05 mm round.
• Thirty-seven per cent of Canadians say they regularly use pennies to pay for goods.
• If all the pennies minted since 1908 were stacked on top of each other, they would go 49,000 kilometres into space.

Via Vancouver Sun

May 2010

Changing prices of food

Change in price of items since 1978, relative to overall inflation, as measured by the Consumer Price Index. The price of carbonated drinks, for example, has fallen 34 percent relative to all other prices.

Via NY Times

May 2010

Welcome to the aging world

In 19 countries, from Singapore to Iceland, people have a life expectancy of about 80 years. Of all the people in human history who ever reached the age of 65, half are alive now. Meanwhile, women around the world have half as many children as their mothers. And if Japan is the model, their daughters may have half as many as they do.

Read more in the Scientific American

April 2010

Canadian Internet usage surpasses TV

An interesting piece of research came out this morning about habits of Canadian media users:

The average Canadian now spends more time on the Internet than watching television, according to a new survey from Ipsos Reid, a shift in digital habits that reflects the increasing prevalence of computers in our lives.

The findings in this study reinforce my previous calls for investment in better Internet access for Canadian users. Not only that, but this study really brings to light the inequality in traditional vs. digital media spending on behalf of advertisers and marketers. I don’t believe that traditional media is dead. However, this new data should pave the way for better and fair funding of commercial and non-profit initiatives online.

Canadians now spend more than 18 hours a week online, compared to just under 17 hours watching television.

Although those aged 55 and over were still more likely to spend a longer time watching TV than younger generations, Canadians as a whole were spending more time online for the first time, Ipsos said.

Read the rest of the article in the Globe and Mail

March 2010