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DIY "James Bond" laser gun won't make you anything like James Bond
Well this is a nice little project for a lazy Sunday. The folks over at Instructables have given us the step-by-step how-to on making a James Bond style "laser weapon" -- though it's not actually a gun for killing people (thankfully), and it's not really very much like 007's weapon, either. Using a CO2 pistol, a laser guide, an Xbox 360 HD DVD drive, a housing for the laser and a circuit board, you too can build a blue laser gun that'll do things like light matches and pop balloons. Like we said, it's not going to help you achieve your goal of taking out all those who've wronged you, and it probably won't get you a date with Strawberry Fields, but you might impress your friend(s). Incredibly smooth video of the project after the break.
Green Freedom turns the air's CO2 into auto-powering fuel
Tired of the air not doing enough for you? Well, a new project called Green Freedom -- headed up by researchers at the Los Alamos National Laboratory -- seeks to improve air's contribution to our planet. The new technology would provide a method of extracting CO2 from the air and then converting the gas into fuel for cars or airplanes -- thus creating a renewable energy source. The process uses a form of electrochemical separation to siphon juice out of the typically non-partying carbon dioxide, yet has a low environmental impact with a small waste-stream output. The plan calls for the use of existing plants, which will stem the need to build new facilities, enabling the environmental footprint to remain relatively small. Clearly, it's not being put into general practice yet, but it's a hopeful taste of things to come.[Via Inhabitat]
Vodafone Germany rolls out Ericsson's eco-friendly cell equipment
For Ericsson and for the world at large, the company's new Base Transceiver Station Standby feature means a possible reduction of 1 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions if the software upgrade were to be rolled out globally. For Vodafone Germany, it represents a power savings of 10 to 20 percent -- and therefore an energy bill 10 to 20 percent lower -- and while we reckon that's not quite as scrupulous a reason, it's still a win / win situation as far as we're concerned. The so-called BTS Standby upgrade is compatible with Ericsson tower equipment manufactured since 1995, giving hope that it could end up seeing fairly rapid and widespread acceptance across the world's GSM carriers, inching us toward Ericsson's lofty CO2 emission reduction claim. Don't suppose Vodafone would want to go with some of those tower tubes while they're at it, would they?
San Diegans convert carbon dioxide to fuel via solar energy
Being Earth Week and all, it's not too surprising to hear of San Diegans stretching their mental might and figuring out an effective way to convert carbon dioxide to fuel, but according to the University of California, San Diego, that's precisely what they've done. Clifford Kubiak and Aaron Sathrum have reportedly developed a prototype device "that can capture energy from the sun, convert it to electrical energy, and split carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide and oxygen." Interestingly, this concept produces more than just an alternate source of fuel, as CO2 splitting also creates a "useful industrial chemical" in CO, and furthermore, helps reduce a greenhouse gas. Currently, they are building the device using a gallium-phosphide semiconductor, and while the existing rendition still requires "additional energy" outside of sheer sunlight for the process to work, they're hoping that the American Chemical Society will warm up to the idea and give 'em a helping hand.[Via Physorg, thanks Richard N.]
Joystiq readers are environmentally friendly
Claims that the majority of Joystiq readers are harmful to the planet's health have been disproved, as the results from our do you leave your console on standby? poll proves. Out of the 8,500+ respondents that took part in the poll, 53% make a conscious effort to turn off their consoles once they're finished with another 10% occasionally forgetting to do so. We can only assume that the remaining 36% who leave their consoles on standby all the time are part of the North American SUV drivers for simultaneous use of air conditioning and heating lobby group. The comments thread provided some excellent commentary on the responsibility we have to conserve our energy so we've highlighted some of the most interesting ones after the jump.