Hey, Things Are Good people. Earl Pickens here. I’m a singer/songwriter/unicyclist from Central Pennsylvania.
I’m writing to see if you might be interested in my unicycle music video. I made it to go with a song I wrote for my wife. It’s been on YouTube for about a month and a half and it’s gotten thousands of plays in that time, and seems to be spreading warm, fuzzy feelings wherever it goes. Thought you might enjoy it:
Hopefully you like unicycles.
Cheers,
Earl
Google’s Solar Energy Output
In the last 24 hours, Google produced 9,949 kilowatt-hours of electricity from the sun.
Google’s solar panels are up and running! In fine Google fashion, you can see how much energy the panels create each and every day. They also make it easy to understand, for example, 9,949 KW is equal to 6,215 dishwasher cycles.
Tidal Power for San Francisco
Readers of this site may remember that San Francisco spent some money investigating the feasibility of tidal power for the city last September. Well, things are definitely going good with that study has it’s entered a new phase. The San Francisco, Pacific Gas & Electric Co. and Golden Gate Energy Co. have agreed to further the study and invest $1.8 million into it. If this next phase goes well it may open up more opportunities for tidal power generation as the San Francisco project will have to take into consideration many factors that may deter other cities from trying such an initiative.
The $1.8 million study would seek to determine how much electricity could be generated, what kind of technology would work best and whether the project makes sense economically. It would also examine the project’s possible impacts on marine life and the environment.
Echinacea Prevents colds
Echinacea is a good herb to use to fight off colds, it’s remarkably successful at prevention according to new research. The herb apparently improves the body’s immune system, but researchers don’t know exactly how it works yet. Echinacea can reduce incidences of colds by 65%, even more powerful when taken vitamin C!
Researchers, led by Dr Craig Coleman from the University of Connecticut School of Pharmacy, combined the results of 14 different studies on Echinacea’s anti-cold properties.
In one of the 14 studies the researchers reviewed, echinacea was taken alongside vitamin C. This combination reduced cold incidence by 86%.
Sustainable Energy in Developing Nations Rewarded
Sustainability is really neat, so it’s nice to see that the Ashden Awards for Sustainable Energy exist and they recently awarded some top-notch and innovative projects happening in the developing world. The winners receive a cash prize to continue their great work.
Projects ranged from solar-powered home systems and mini-hydropower plants for remote villages, to food waste and dung biogas plants for urban areas.
One of the first-prize winners, the Beijing Shenzhou Daxu Bio-energy Technology Company from China, has developed a new biomass stove that burns agricultural waste and wood instead of coal.