Ben & Jerry’s Factory to Convert Ice Cream Waste into Energy

Ben & Jerry's BIOPAQ AFR from Paques - 3D artist impression

Green Energy Never Seemed Sweeter.

Unilever is taking a Ben & Jerry’s factory in the Netherlands a green step forward: constructing a bio-digester that will convert the waste products from ice cream production and provide for 40 percent of the factory’s green energy requirements.

Made by Paques and expected to be operational a little later this year, the BIOPAQ®AFR is not like bio-digesters of old.

Paques describes:

After a successful test period, Unilever has opted for a new type of bio-digester from Paques, the BIOPAQ®AFR, in which natural micro-organisms (in this case more than 24 billiard (24•1015) little bugs!) ‘eat’ waste products and convert them into biogas. In this system, wastewater is purified by converting waste products from ice cream production such as milk, cream, proteins, syrups and pieces of fruit into biogas.

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Alcohol Placebos Can Impair Memory

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Even as you look at this picture you are getting forgetful.

It’s common knowledge that drinking alcohol can impair your memory but what about simply suggesting that you’ve drunk alcohol?

Turns out, alcohol placebos can also impair your memory and judgment…

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Panasonic Ships Snowman 5,314 Miles to the Desert in a Cardboard Box

snowman

A Bahraini girl named Amna al-Haddad, wanted her younger brother Saleh to see snow for the first time.

Using no refrigeration, a snowman made in Japan traveled 5,314 miles to the desert of Bahrain, surviving the journey in one piece. The feat was a nice test of Panasonic’s new vacuum insulation panels, called U-Vacua, and a clever stunt that produced squeals of joy from a bunch of Bahraini kids. (Video)

 

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Yahoo Installs Multiplayer Gaming at San Francisco Bus Stops

busssstopgame

Riders waiting for Muni buses at select stops in downtown will be passing the time playing video games, as well as the opportunity to win a concert by OK Go.

Yahoo recently installed huge poster-size touchscreens at 20 San Francisco bus stops, allowing commuters to play online games against people at other bus stops. Nothing brings out my allegiance to my neighborhood like some crazyass futuristic sports trivia.

 

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Circular Walking Bookshelf

Circular-Walking-Bookshelf

A new twist on circular reasoning?

DAVID GARCIA STUDIO is an experimental architectural platform and has put forth some pretty awesome and thought provoking creations including this circular walking book case. From the site:

The Archive Series are investigations on space and books, aiming to blur the borders between art and design. Clearly non functional, they aim to appeal to the senses, creating a narrative which more often than not, reaches the absurd…

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Collapse of the Honeybee Population Could be Linked to Pesticides

bees

Even tiny doses of ‘neonicotinoids’ made the insects more susceptible to disease.

Pesticides are making honey bees far more susceptible to disease, according to new research than links a new group of chemicals to the recent collapse in the bee population.   The US research, revealed in a new film about the disappearance of bees, found even tiny doses of ‘neonicotinoids’ made the insects more susceptible to disease.

Driving Three Hours at Night as Bad as Driving Drunk

car accident

Two hours of motorway driving in the dark can affect performance so severely it is the same as having a couple of drinks.

Just three hours behind the wheel at night can make motorists drive as badly as if they were drunk, according to scientists.  Driver tiredness after a few hours has the same effect as being over the drink-driving limit, a study has revealed.

 

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GM Hy-Wire – Hydrogen Car of the Future

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAIexlT-gkY&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

The General Motors Hy-wire hydrogen fuel cell vehicle has set the standard even among other futuristic hydrogen cars. Within its 11-inch thick skateboard chassis, the GM Hy-wire contains fuel cell (94 kw), electric motors and drive system that gives the most advanced design flexibility of any car to date. The weight from the drive components is also evenly distributed providing superior handling and resisting rollover forces.

 

 

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