Monthly Archives: April 2007

Solar Boat plies the waters of Hyde Park – the Serpentine Solar Shuttle

UK’s SolarLab has developed a solar boat which is

[a]ble to run itself in all daylight conditions, the SolarShuttle has reserve power for night-time running and even generates surplus energy that can be fed back into the national grid. The Serpentine SolarShuttle’s maiden voyage triggered an unprecedented response among politicians, the media and the UK public, all of whom have been inspired by the future potential of solar transport.

Link  

(This is a Flash-heavy site – so the link’s to the main URL – then navigate via “Projects”) sol_launchparty-04.jpg

More demonstrative photograph coming shortly.

Why aren’t we using this technology to shuttle tourists to and from Liberty Island and Battery Park?

Why can't the English teach their children how to speak?

Apparently the British sailors captured by the Iranians don’t speak their native English too good. At perhaps there’s something about being captured by the Iranians and induced to “confess” and “apologize” that’s limiting their language skills.

Professor Mark Liberman of Penn makes a strong, detailed case that the that the statements were dictated by the Iranians. [And quotes Niall Ferguson, writing in The Telegraph, referring to the statements as being written in “Borat-ese,” a construction we’ll try to work into conversation.] As the child of non-native English speakers, we’re fond of English mildly mangled.

It’s the abuse of prisoners – by Iran and by coalition forces – which gives us pause.  Let’s hope that during a week in which at least two religions celebrate holidays which consider the plight of prisoners – things improve for all of them.

Innovative paramedic bags

Statpacks has made some of its packs and waistpacks with reflective material, and added the option of LED/fiber optic illumination. Here’s one of their models, the Manager.    We’ve seen other trauma bags with one or two strips of Scotchlite – but these are the first we’ve seen where virtually the entire outer surface is reflective.

They’re careful not to suggest that this would comply with ANSI Class III requirements – because a back or pack isn’t generally going to be visible 360 degrees around the person carrying it. We also don’t know whether they’re using  prismatic, higher-visibility reflective materials – like Reflexite – or not-as-reflective material like Scotchlite.

But this is an excellent design innovation. Anyone who’s watched news footage of EU member country emergency workers has seen pant legs and sleeves ringed with reflective material, on every hem and up, down, and around each garment component. Last night in Brooklyn, we saw a near-miss – a uniformed NYPD officer, trying to keep an intersection clear for ambulances and fire apparatus – nearly get hit by a marked NYPD car. Both cops – the one in the street and the driver – were doing their jobs right – but better “conspicuity” features on uniforms would reduce this risk. We would like to take credit for coining the term “conspicuity.” We wish we had.

Permeable sidewalks –

Permeable (that is, water-

permeable) sidewalks is an example of the confluence which is the principal principle (or conceit, if you like) of Popular Logistics. 

  There are at least two materials from which permeable sidewalks are made – a type of concrete and a hard rubber composite.

Here’s how it works: like a sidewalk. The weight of people and objects are borne by the sidewalk. But not liquid, which goes through.

Three welcome consequences:

  1. Trees planted near sidewalks get watered right through the sidewalk; their roots don’t need to keep travelling laterally to seek water, bursting through the sidewal. Tree gets to live; sidewalk doesn’t need to be replaced as often; tree continues its photosynthesis thing – and often cools the street and houses, making people more comfortable and reducing the need for air-conditioning. (We assume that all Popular Logistics readers are sufficiently caffeinated to make the next jump – that this creates a net reduction in energy consumption. Stay with me- this is only one immediate effect – and look at all these benefits.
  2. Water doesn’t pool on sidewalks, creating mosquito habitats.
  3. Water – once on the sidewalk – doesn’t evaporate – but can make it back into the water table, making more water available.
  4. During floods, the environment has additional capacity to absorb water – at least mitigating the effects of the flood.

The University of Alabama Cooperative Extension Service has a press release about their project – with an extensive set of links to information about permeable or “pervious” sidewalks. Given the sound of “pervious” – I think we’ll stick with “permeable” for the time being.

Link here. Tip of the hat – or the chapeau de fromage to IT goddess Lauren Dohr.