Really cool invention brings teens awards
Today, the young inventors say, U.S. drivers use about 7.9 billion gallons of fuel each year to run their air-conditioners, which draw power from the engine. By adopting their contraption - which taps into the electrical system, using fans to blow hot air through five Peltier chips and then releasing cold air - they say the country stands to save 3.9 billion gallons of fuel annually, or about $10 billion based on current gas prices.
Furthermore, the product would free drivers from Freon - which despite improvements, remains an ozone-depleting chemical in current air-conditioners. The Peltier chips, which they purchased on eBay for $9.99 each, have a life span of 20 to 30 years and an unfaltering cooling capacity. And like every component in the Space Beast, which can be minimized in size to about 2 inches in width, the chips are recyclable.
Wow. Way to go!
Thanks to spending my childhood summers in Destin, Florida — home of an annual “shark rodeo” (at least back then), and recently a fatal shark attack — I have actually seen more than a few extremely large sharks. While all of them were exceptionally impressive (especially the one that, in combination with a very large crowd, nearly brought down the weighing pier!), none looked quite as menacing as this thing caught near Martha’s Vineyard.
I actually think the perception is mostly based on the way the fish are handled. The boys running the shark rodeo in Destin were pure efficiency when it came to stringing even the most massive sharks onto the scales. Whereas, the folks in Oak Bluffs look like they have no effing clue what they are going to do next with their behemoth.
My college buddy, Chris Ring, just had a welcome addition to his family. In his words:
Shaela Marie Ring came into the world on 15 July at 10:38 AM. She was a bruiser at 8 lbs, 6 oz and 21 inches long. Mom and baby are doing great and we are having a lot of fun with the new addition.
Hopefully, we’ll be able to drop in on them in August.
On the way back to work from lunch at home, I saw something interesting in the construction site across the road from the office.
At first it seemed like one of those sun beams you see in the distance on a hazy day. Except I was driving right at it, so unless it was one of those signs from above, that could’t be it.
As I drew closer, I could see dirt swirling around inside what looked like a 100 foot tall, almost perfectly straight straw. Then when I was right next to it, basically disappeared.
This is the first time since we moved to the “West” that I’ve seen a genuine dest devil in person.
Pretty cool.
Jackasses, all of ‘em! (Except the rooster.)
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