Archive for the ‘Mobile Electronics’ Category

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Poison Garbage

Tuesday, June 19th, 2007
In today’s world, using a battery takes about the same amount of brain power as is does to eat a meal. It is something you don’t even think about anymore. You learned when you were a baby that you take your fork, plunge it into your carrots, raise the fork to your mouth, place the carrots in your mouth, remove the fork, chew and swallow. 

But just as you don’t want to think about what happens to your food after the “swallow” step, we tend to forget what happens when our batteries go dead and we throw them away. With the increased need for batteries in our cell phones, iPods, and future products that do not even exist yet, there is an increasing problem with disposal of batteries. Some of the main chemicals you may have heard of such as mercury, lithium, cadmium, and silver. All of these chemicals leak into the ground and poison drinking water. 

Luckily all hope is not lost! There are centers that will help you recycle your batteries and keep the environment happy. Battery Recycling will allow you to send your batteries to them and they charge 85 cents per pound, plus whatever shipping costs will be. Another place you can go is Lamp Recycling, which allows you to purchase a bucket that you can place up to 55 pounds of batteries in. With this purchase it covers shipping and recycling charges and a cool bucket. I have not tried the methods above so use at your own risk. Sometimes you may also find that if you have a recycle pickup at your house along with the garbage that they may offer this service. 

Other recycling options may be found if you do a quick search. But as you know, here at Greener Thinking we try to save money along with saving the environment. What actually inspired me to write this article was a trip to Ikea. I have known for quite sometime that there were ways to recycle batteries but I have always found them to be expensive. So when I finally found my way out of the Ikea maze, at the exit there were several bins which you could place your recyclables. One of those bins, which is open to the public, was labeled “Batteries.” Just make sure if you are going to just do your part for the environment that you go in through the “Out” door because other wise you will be stuck in the store for hours. For those not familiar, Ikea purposely builds mazes in their stores that forces you to go through the entire store before exiting.

–Links– 
Battery Recycling 
Lamp Recycling 
battery recycling search on Google Maps 
Ikea

Posted in Home Electronics, Mobile Electronics, Recycling | No Comments »

Wireless Power Breakthrough

Tuesday, June 12th, 2007
      Though already a concept of Nikola Tesla in the 1890’s, wireless power is rearing itself into a possibility once again. MIT researchers were recently able to wirelessly light a light bulb from close to two meters away. They believe within a year that the same feat could be accomplished on a scale large enough to power cell phones, PDA’s, laptops, MP3 players, etc. perhaps even on a world-wide scale.

Since was forced to abandon his project of free power to the world, electricity has become confined mainly to copper wires. Today however, the number of portable devices has grown to outsstanding proportions and the wide-spread need to eliminate wires as a power necessity has most definitely been realized in the eyes of the public.

Using electromagnetic induction a company named Splashpower created a way to do just that in 2006. The only problem was, the device and power supply needed to be very close to one another. Fueled by the frenzy, professors from MIT began work on the problem. Taking two copper coils and placing them apart, one was connected to a power source, the other to a lightbulb. When the power source was turned on, the electricity became attracter to the second coil and lit the bulb via a magnetic field!

Two meters is a decent start, not to mention a 45% power ttransfer, but if this great force is to pass the critics, then much work is to be done. Some say the new source may cause health problems as well. Though MIT stands its ground touting that magnetic fields have very little effect on the human body.

A power of this sort; one which can be transmitted throughout the world could be both a magnificient and dangerous thing. Perhaps with proper care and new developments, wireless power will actually be ready within the next year or two. Though the entire world-changing event could just as easily be swept away with mere words, much the way it was from Tesla. “If the power is free to everyone, then where can I put the meter?!” ~J.P. Morgan

-LINKS-

Nikola Tesla
light bulb
Splashpower

Posted in Mobile Electronics | No Comments »

Plug Your Phone Into The Sun

Wednesday, May 16th, 2007

Did you ever wonder what it would be like to be doing some rustic camping and have your cell phone available to talk whenever you want? Well that is if you can get a signal where you are at. Quite possibly you are actually out there to get away from the world of cell phones… 

A company called “Hi-Tech Wealth” is making this possible for you. With the estimated price of around $510 it is still a bit expensive but, as you know with all things electronic, it will become cheep enough for the casual consumer soon enough. 

For the entire article check out Huliq

Posted in Mobile Electronics, Solar | No Comments »

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