Hope everyone is keeping warm and dry this winter. I'm not a winter person
myself, even though I must confess that it hasn't really gotten very cold in my area yet. Nevertheless, I'm still dreaming of the summer.
Before getting into all the "electrical stuff" I'd like to mention something that
even though it doesn't really have that much to do with electricity, I think that it is
fascinating, and I would like to just mention it here
briefly.
Drinking water from the air... I'm sure that many of you
read about it in the Jerusalem Post last month (
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1195546765100&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
).
Actually, when I first thought about it, the idea wasn't all that
remarkable. After all, don't A/C units inadvertently do the same thing, by dripping water out of the back? What's remarkable
about this, is the development and that the actual products
are available in Israel TODAY. Small units, for residential use, can be bought for your home, that need no water hook-up, and will supply clean drinking water for under 12ag. a liter. There are also very large units
which can supply clean drinking water to a whole village or town. Some of these machines can be run on solar energy as well as electricity.
Of course, like most other new innovations, these water makers are still quite expensive (around NIS5000 to buy a small home unit), but I'm sure that once they start coming into use the prices will start to
plunge to the affordable level.
There seems to be a few companies selling this technology. For those interested, here are some more links:
http://www.aquamaker.com/http://www.air2water.net/index.html
http://www.watermastertech.com/
I
also wanted to let you know about a new section on Jacob
Richman's site (www.jr.co.il),
that includes YouTube videos about all sorts of new
technology in Israel. This particular web page is at:
http://www.jr.co.il/videos/israel-videos.htm
Have a good day.
JZK
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Winter Safety
Statistically speaking, consumers seem to buy more electrical appliances during the winter than they do during the rest of the year. "Electrical Safety For The Winter Season" gives valuable safety advice specifically for this time of year, so that you and your family can get through the winter months safely.
Read more...
http://www.megavolt.co.il/Tips_and_info/winterElecSafety.html
Standby Power
Are you wasting money and power without even being aware of it? Many consumers are unaware that most of their appliances are actually consuming power while they are switched 'off'. "Standby Power" explains what devices are drawing power from your system and what to do about it.
Read more...
http://www.megavolt.co.il/Tips_and_info/standby.html
A New Light Source Material That Lasts For 12 Years
MPK CO. has developed a remarkable substance that not only gives off light
equivalent to a 20W incandescent light bulb, but never needs to be exposed to the sun or any other energy, and lasts for over 12 years. Interested? See Litroenergy - New Light Source Material that lasts for 12 years
http://www.megavolt.co.il/articles/litroenergy.html
Israel Is Up There With The Rest Of Them
The Jerusalem based company, Orionsolar, has developed nanotechnology based solar power cells that could have a big impact on energy conservation, global warming, and your home electric bill. Unlike conventional systems which consist of large photovoltaic solar panels on rooftops, Orionsolar system
utilizes nano-sized cells, coated with an organic dye which produces energy more efficiently, effectively, and cheaply, than current solar systems. Read more...
http://www.megavolt.co.il/articles/Orionsolar2.html
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HOT OFF THE PRESS
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Remote Control Color Changing LED
Light bulb
I'm not sure how many practical uses this device has, but it's a cute idea. It's a multi-color LED bulb that fits into any regular
light bulb socket,
but instead of just emitting super bright LED light you can change it’s color via the included remote. The bulb also offers various transition effects
(flash, strobe, fade and smooth) and you can adjust the brightness level (not something you normally see with LED bulbs).
http://www.coolest-gadgets.com/20071102/remote-control-color-changing-led-lightbulb/
Charge Cell Phone And Other Devices Via Solar Power
There is nothing like a bit of sunshine to recharge your batteries, and that's exactly what the Scotty Pro does. Pop this little solar charging
beauty in direct sunlight for a few hours and it will charge up its rechargeable AA Batteries enabling it to power up your mobile phone, games console,
MP3 player, digital camera or any other USB powered device, and it will run for up to 12 hours.
http://www.iwantoneofthose.com/new-arrivals/scotty-pro/index.html
Solar Powered Headset
To my knowledge, this is the first solar-powered Bluetooth headset on the market. Since many people use their headsets while in the car (where there is plenty of sunlight), this seems like the perfect solution. The headset is outfitted with a small solar panel which covers most of the unit. While in direct sunlight you can talk as long as you like without recharging. In indirect sunlight you’ll get an impressive 12 hours and in darkness you’ll still get 9 hours of talking out of it.
http://www.coolest-gadgets.com/20071119/solar-powered-headset-lets-you-talk-indefinitely-in-direct-sunlight/
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TIP OF THE MONTH
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Try to stay away from buying halogen light fixtures
where the bulb is totally closed in, not permitting the
heat of the bulb to disperse. This is especially true
for those flush mounted ceiling fixtures. In most cases
not only will the bulb burn out more quickly in such a
fixture, but will usually burn up the ceiling, and wires
to boot. If you like halogen lighting, try the
semi-flush mounting.
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