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Airbitat's Compact Cooler promises 'deeply cooled' energy-efficient AC
You might not think of your air conditioner (AC) as contributing to climate change, but typical AC units use quite a bit of power, which leads to higher greenhouse gas emissions. In a vicious global warming cycle, as the planet gets hotter, more people will turn to air conditioning. So, companies like Airbitat are working on more efficient cooling methods, like the Airbitat Compact Cooler, which just won a CES 2020 Climate Change Innovator Award.
Fisker Karma battery poses 'potential safety issue' for about 50 autos, fix already in tow
Fisker has seen its fair share of delays on its Karma EV in the past, and now ''fewer than 50" of the vehicles -- which if you'll recall, cost over $100K -- are at risk for battery malfunction. According to Bloomberg Businessweek, A123 (the company which supplies the car's power pack) has issued a memo to customers and stakeholders, noting that "in rare circumstances" the car's batts could short-circuit due to coolant leakage from "misaligned hose clamps." A123 further explained that's already begun repairing the Karma's in question, and doesn't expect to experience to strain its relationship with Fisker due to the problem. Notably, Bloomberg also reports that 25 of the automobiles get assembled daily, with about 225 currently en-route to showroom floors -- a far cry from the company's earlier estimates for the 2011 production year. You'll find A123's full PDF memo at the source link below.
Researchers develop air conditioning that's 90 percent more efficient, bone chilling
Everybody loves maxing out in the sweet chill of their air conditioning in the hot summer months, but it's inefficient, expensive, and extremely unfriendly to the environment. The good news today, however, is that researchers have developed an air conditioning system that could be up to 90 percent more efficient than standard setups. How so, you ask? The new tech, called DEVap, uses liquid desiccants to make dry air using heat and evaporative coolers take dry air and make cold air, making it far easier to cool already dry climates. Additionally, DEVap uses salt solutions in place of environmentally naughty refrigerants, CFCs, and HCFCs -- the main contributors to global warming. The tech is still in the lab, so until then you'll just have to keep fanning yourself off (or having your friend do that for you).
Liquid cooled Power Macs are leaking
Imagine waking up one morning to find that a glowing green goo was dripping from the cheese-grater bottom of your shiny Power Mac. Horrible even to imagine, I know. Unfortunately, this has become a reality for some owners of recent liquid cooled Power Macs. According to reports, the leaks stem from malfunctioning Delphi radiators that shipped in early versions of the systems. If you have an early 2.5 GHz liquid cooled machine, it might be worth sliding off the side panel to check for leaks. Naturally, if you do come across a bit of Macintosh incontinence, stop using the machine right away, and schedule an appointment at the nearest genius bar. As is always the case with product failures and Apple, there is discussion about weather whether the issue will be covered by some sort of extended repair program for machines out of warranty. For now at least, it seems Apple is choosing to fix most machines that come in with the problem.
