Tech icon Bill Gates talks about nuke plants, the shortcomings of ethanol and the futility of rooftop solar panels with Wired‘s Chris Anderson.

Wired Top Stories

By Andrew Liszewski

I’m going to assume this ethanol fueled rolling fireplace from Conmoto isn’t actually designed to be rolled while there’s a roaring fire inside. But even if someone does get the bright idea to send it sailing across a room while there’s a fire burning, a set of glass panels on either side will prevent the worst from happening should it topple over.

[ Conmoto ] VIA [ Trendir ]

Ethanol fuel was always a mystery to me. Really, I never took the time to learn about it until I watched this 3:31 video that shows how a Pennsylvania company, Coskata, converts anything that contains carbon into fuel. Yeah, it’s an infomercial for GM, but it always quickly explains the whole waste to fuel conversion process and so it might be worth your time.

Boozehounds and hobby alcoholics beware: A new technology developed by the Tokyo Medical and Dental University is able to analyze your breath odors and visualize their dispersal. But it’s not only good to detect alcohol in your breath but could also be used as an indicator for diseases in the future (sorry for the silly pic – the university doesn’t supply any).

The person to be tested has to stand in a dark room and speak into a microphone-like device whose mouthpiece is covered by a special enzyme-treated gauze. The enzymes interact with components in your breath, resulting in a chemical reaction that produces light. This light is then captured by a video camera, with the footage serving as the object for analysis.

The researchers say their system can accurately measure the amount of ethanol, methanethiol, or acetone in a person’s breath. It can be used as a breath analyzer for drinkers, but also to investigate the reasons for a person’s bad breath, to evaluate liver functions and possibly even to help in the analysis of serious diseases such as diabetes or cancer.

Via Nikkei [registration required, paid subscription]

Crude Oil prices appear to keep rising and it is getting much harder to save money on gas. On internet you can see a number of run your car on water kits in the market and many of them are scams. It is normal that under the conditions individuals are going for all kinds of kits which save gas save more some money. Fortunately there are some real simple, tasks that you can perform today to save your fuel costs. It is amazing how often we waste petrol without even finding out it.

Tires
My neighbor Dan who operates a water jet machines along with a metal stamping shop told me this tip. Verify your tires with a good tire pressure gauge. A decently inflated tire can save up to 10% of the fuel. It will also increase the life-time of the tires. Thus this will not only reduce your gasoline bills but will also save cash on to replace tires. That’s why I bought the digital tire pressure gauge from Amazon.

At the Gasoline station
Squeeze the gas pipe trigger softly. This will get you more petrol for your cash. Ordinarily we press the trigger as strong as we can and get out of the way as early as possible. Unfortunately, this fills your with largely fumes and that $50 does not last as long.

Driving
Avoid speeding and making quick stops. On the main highway try to keep the speed within 60 mph limit. Otherwise you are wasting more money.

Filters
Make sure that your Air filters are clean. filters consume more energy.

Regular Maintenance
Use the proper engine oil for your car. Especially ensure your engine is regularly tuned. Maintaining your car in good condition will ensure you make the most out of the petrol in your tank.

Besides the these tips to save gasoline, there are also technological options on the market now. Unconventional Fuels (such as ethanol) and hybrid cars are becoming more popular day by day and, even though they are currently quite high-priced, some day they will change the transport sector.

In the future it will be rather affordable to drive, with the innovation of the Salt Water Engine (which is being fine tuned right now) we will have a massive source of energy for us and it comes from the most plentiful thing on this planet. Water.
Meanwhile it is our duty to use common sense and secondary fuels. You can find lot more tips if you search on internet.. Numerous small business proprietors and inventors are trying to come up with affordable and easy to do conversions for individuals right now.