May 9, 2009

Seed Planting Cluster Bomb

Anti War activists hate cluster bombs – mostly because they can be used to deploy anti personnel mines which don’t get picked up long after the last bullet has been fired. And when they go off, even children are victims. But can the technology be harnessed for more constructive and green purposes? Designer Hwang Jin Wook seems to think so and as such, he came up with the “Seedbomb.”

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The concept is amazingly simple and represents the coolness of out of the box thinking. Instead of tiny bombs known as “bomblets” or anti personnel mines, the SeedBomb has Seed capsules aligned in a cluster configuration. Each cluster of capsules is packed into a single bomb with dozens of others and when the bomb reaches optimum altitude, the clusters are released to embed all around the impact area. Each capsule contains soil and seeds housed in a biodegradable plastic. The soil is packed with plant rich nutrients and moisture enough to allow the plant seed to germinate (the plastic canister acts as a defacto greenhouse) and grow until the plant can sustain itself. As the plant matures, the biodegradable plastic canister deteriorates until there’s nothing left.

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The idea is brilliant for deploying to areas stricken by desertification or deforestation. And It’s easy to see the Forestry department using them to reseed areas that have recently fallen victim to wildfires or bark beetle infestation. But can just planting plants change an environment? Not on it’s own, but if you consider that with all the golf courses it has, that the average temperature of Palm Springs has DROPPED 20 degrees in the last 25 years, it’s worth looking at.



GadgetFreak

May 7, 2009

Nokia E71x is now available via AT&T



The Nokia E71 is one great smartphone to own if you haven’t yet done so already, but just in case you’re thinking of upgrading to that model - hold your horses. Nokia has just made available the E71x, touted to be the slimmest smartphone on the market, via AT&T retail stores and online from this week onwards. This full QWERTY smartphone will retail for a mere $99.99, although that comes with a customary 2-year contract alongside a mail-in rebate. More on the Nokia E71x right after the jump as well as its capabilities and functions to cater for the road warrior in you.

GadgetFreak