Animals lost to the severe cold Spring 2010.

The Goldcrest (Cíorbhuí)
The Goldcrest is Ireland’s and Europe’s smallest bird, less than 10 cm. long and weighs about 5 grams. Most people think the smallest bird is the wren, as you will see it more often, but it is not, it’s the goldcrest.
LINK

Goldcrest

Goldcrests are all-year visitors to our garden. In early April their song can be a regular feature. But often the songsters can be difficult to locate as they flit restlessly in the foliage of a windbreak of lofty cypresses.

The song is high-pitched, so high that the frequency may be above that perceivable by the ageing human eardrum. This fact creates problems in plotting the distribution of a species otherwise rather inconspicuous in the very tops of lofty conifers and where recognition by song is most useful.

A pair of goldcrests has spent much time in a towering Norwegian spruce close to the house windows. We have enjoyed watching them hanging upside down before flitting from spray to spray, each craning its neck and carefully examining every needle, but spending only a moment at each.

In close view and against a dark background we can appreciate the great attraction of this smallest of European birds. Moss green above and creamy-white below, the plumage is set-off by two features: a double whitish wing-bar and the crest. In both sexes the crests takes the form of a ‘parting’ down the centre of the crown. Displaying to the hen, the flame and gold crest features of the male are fully exposed. At the same time wings are drooped and body plumage puffed-out.

Nesting commences in late April. If we are fortunate the intricate hammock-like structure will be visible to us. This wonderfully complex structure may take almost a fortnight to complete.

For a bird that rarely seems to fly any distance when under observation, and for its size, the goldcrest migrations are very impressive. In the autumn of 1993 the arrival of these ‘woodcock pilots’ along the north Norfolk coast was on a massive scale. Many hundreds arrived especially during mid-October.

One tiny traveller was so hungry it engaged a large dragonfly in the air. It was then towed by the insect before releasing it undamaged!

The tiny bundles of feathers (each about half the weight of a blue tit) were much in evidence as they squeaked their way inland through hundreds of gardens.
.By Michael J Seago

Regulus regulus

Common widespread resident and passage migrant.

Shows a strong preference for conifers. Found in conifer and mixed woods and gardens with conifers. Outside breeding season, also found more in deciduous trees.

Smallest bird of the region (with same sized Firecrest). The orange (male) or yellow (female) crown stripes are not always easy to see. Very active and tit-like. High, thin song and calls’. 9cm (3.5″)

Firecrest. The Firecrest (R. ignicapillus) is the same size as the Goldcrest, but more brightly coloured: starkly contrasting white supercilium above black eyestripe, yellow-orange stripe on crown which is bordered by black stripes. Upperparts are lime-green, and shoulders are bronze coloured. The Firecrest has grey ear coverts making the eye indistinct. Usually feeds at the ends of branches, fluttering almost hummingbird-like.

Fracking – a new term to frighten.

Burning Tap Water: GASLAND Exposes the Natural Gas Industry: treehugger.com

In 2008, Josh Fox received a letter from a natural gas company. They were interested in leasing land owned by his family to do natural gas drilling. The offer was for $100,000, but instead of taking the money, Josh decided to do some research on the natural gas industry and ended up making a documentary called GASLAND.

What the frack?
It focuses on the impact that modern natural gas extraction, which primarly uses hydraulic fracturing( aka “fracking”), has on communities and the environment. Check out the trailer, it’s pretty good.

How to keep your garden watered – whether you’re there or not !

Intro

How to Install Drip Irrigation
TIME> 2 hours
COST> Starts at $40/€60
DIFFICULTY> Easy

You don’t need a sophisticated irrigation network to supply micro irrigation—a spigot for a hose will do. Setting up a system to feed a backyard’s worth of plant beds, shrubs, and trees takes just a few minutes of designing and a couple of hours of connecting the various components. Then before you can pop open a cold one and admire your handiwork, your garden will be thanking you for its own liquid refreshment. __This Old House

step 1 Do Your Homework
Most of micro irrigation is drip tubing, ¼-inch or ½-inch hose fitted with tiny plastic nubs, called emitters, that allow water to drip out at a regulated pace without clogging. The tubing snakes around and among plants and trees to get water into the soil at the roots. You can buy that tubing either pre-punched, with emitters factory-installed under the surface every 18 inches, or un-perforated, which requires you to punch the holes and attach the emitters to the outside of the tubing yourself. Un-perforated tubing can be used to customize a system to an unusual layout or to connect sections of tubing where you don’t need water. Some companies also sell soaker hose, laser-perforated rubber that weeps water into the soil without emitters.

MORE: Water-Saving Hose Nozzles

All manufacturers have accessories that are specialized for different types of plants—sprays for ground cover, foggers for hanging containers, and single emitters for reaching plants off the grid. But few offer a kit with everything included. You will need to draw a plan of your garden — because micro irrigation requires so much tubing, it is not appropriate for lawns—and map out a configuration of the tubing and accessories, then buy some parts separately. Or contact the drip kit’s manufacturer; many will take your garden plans and provide you with an efficient design and materials list free of charge.

step 2 Connect to an Outdoor Faucet
Screw the vacuum breaker to the pressure regulator, if your hose bib doesn’t already have its own vacuum breaker. This part will prevent contaminated hose water from backwashing into the house’s supply lines.

MORE: How to Install a Freezeproof Faucet

Attach the filter to the pressure regulator. Connect the hose swivel to the threaded opening jutting out from the side of the filter. This has a barbed end to accept the cut end of the tubing and hold it tight. Screw the entire assemblage to the hose bib.

step 3 Lay Out the Tubing

Attach a length of un-perforated tubing or garden hose to the hose bib, long enough to reach from the bib to the plant beds.

Using barbed connectors, attach the roll of ½-inch tubing with emitters to the un-perforated tubing at the edge of the plant bed.

MORE: Water-Saving Yard & Garden Gear

Snake the tubing with emitters around the plants, near their roots. Keep the lines of tubing about 12 inches/30cm apart.

step 4 Install Ground Stakes
Once you’ve got the tubing in position, use plastic ground stakes to hold it down. Be sure the hook at the top of the stakes fits over the tubing.

Wherever the tubing has to turn at a sharp angle or branch out to another section, cut it and reattach it with tee or elbow connectors. Cut the end of the tubing when you are finished; leave it open so you can flush it with water later.

MORE: Water the Lawn With Your Saturday Night Bath

step 5 Lay Tubing Around Shrubs and Trees
Position loops of ¼-inch tubing around the trees and shrubs.

Use a hole punch to pierce the ½-inch/12mm tubing where the loop will begin. Insert a small tee connector into the hole.

MORE: 9 Steps to a Lush Lawn

Attach one end of ¼-inch tubing with emitters to one side of the tee. Now make a lasso shape around the trunk of the tree. The loop should be big enough to extend halfway out to the edge of the tree’s canopy.

Cut the tubing and attach the end to the other side of the tee.

step 6 Position Sprayers for Ground Cover
Where the plantings are so dense it’s difficult to snake tubing at the roots, branch out with micro sprayers.

Pierce the ½-inch tubing with a hole punch, then insert a small straight connector. Attach a length of unperforated ¼-inch tubing long enough to reach the location of the micro sprayer. Connect the other end of the ¼-inch / 6mm tubing to the micro sprayer.

MORE: How to Install In-Ground Sprinklers

Clip the sprayer to a stake and position it in the ground cover.

Use a similar method to branch out with single emitters (to rose bushes, for example), foggers, or other specialized drip heads.

MORE: How to Repair a Leaking Sprinkler (VIDEO)

step 7 Close Off the Tubing’s End

N.B. REALLY important: Once all the tubing and attachments are placed, turn on the water for a minute to flush dirt out of the tubing.

Turn off the water. Slide a ½-inch end clamp onto the open end of the tubing. Fold the end, then slide the other loop of the end clamp over the folded piece to hold it in its crimped position.

MORE: How to Maintain a Lawn Organically (VIDEO)

step 8 Cover the Tubing With Mulch

Clean up around all the tubing and make sure all connections are tight and no emitters are blocked or clogged. Turn on the water and check for leaks or bad connections.

MORE: How to Mulch Plant Beds (VIDEO)

To keep the water from evaporating before it reaches the plant roots and to give the garden a manicured appearance, cover all the exposed tubing with about two inches/5cm of mulch.

Always remember to stop, sit, enjoy your garden.
Years ago when I was learning boat-building I was told to make a chair first. To sit sometimes rest and think of the next step.

Solar Power reaches 24.2%

SunPower Sets Solar Cell Efficiency Record at 24.2%
Published: June 24, 2010
California, United States — SunPower Corp. has produced a full-scale solar cell with a sunlight to electricity conversion efficiency of 24.2 percent at its manufacturing plant in the Philippines. This is a new world record for large area silicon wafers, and has been confirmed by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL).

SunPower also announced that has reached a deal with French retailer Casino Group for the supply of 20 megawatts (MW) of solar photovoltaic panels for solar power installations on Casino Group properties in mainland France.

“This new world record demonstrates SunPower’s ability to extend our lead in manufacturing the world’s highest efficiency solar cells,” said Bill Mulligan, vice president of technology and development for SunPower. “Our patented and proprietary, high-efficiency solar cell technology drives down the cost of solar energy by increasing the energy production from each solar panel.”

Improved cell efficiency reduces the levelized cost of energy by increasing the energy production from each wafer manufactured into a SunPower solar cell. For the same reason, increased efficiency reduces the cost per watt and cost per kilowatt-hour for feedstock and materials, depreciation and other manufacturing expenses, installation time, land and system operations, and related maintenance.

SunPower also announced that has reached a deal with French retailer Casino Group for the supply of 20 megawatts (MW) of solar photovoltaic panels for solar power installations on Casino Group properties in mainland France. The agreement, which builds on a similar 15-MW agreement between the two companies last year, will enable Casino Group to turn under-utilized roof space and parking area into power plants to produce renewable electricity and reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

“We are delighted to partner with Casino to further expand their use of solar power in France, increasing their total commitment to more than 35 megawatts. We are confident that, with SunPower’s proven performance and reliability, Casino and GreenYellow will continue to achieve considerable return on investment over the 25-to-30-year lifetime of the solar panels,” said Howard Wenger, president, utility and power plants, for SunPower.

SunPower will supply Casino with its SunPower E19 Series solar panels. The combined 35 megawatt agreement will result in solar power systems at 18 of the company’s properties, on rooftops and parking lots. Casino Group includes 11,000 stores in 9 countries making it one of the largest French retail networks, and consists of more than 20 different brands of stores.

Dried Fruit Rolls

Dried Fruit Rolls from Instructables website. More photos and comments there.

This project would be very “green” if a solar box oven were used to dry the fruit. Most homemade solar box ovens can reach 250 degrees. Cook between 10 am and 2 pm for best temperature. May take longer to cook but no hot kitchen in the summer.

intro

Dried Fruit Rolls

A nice tasty treat. Fruit rolls are fun to eat, and not too hard to make. Inspired by Fruit Rollups, and Fruit Leather here’s a fresh variation with no sugar added.

With most families allergies, sack lunches were almost always in order. But what to pack? These are cute and healthy options that will last a little over a month.
(But not if the kids can get them !! 🙂 )

step 1. Ingredients
You will need fruit, pick your favourite. You can use anything from frozen, to fresh from the garden! For this I used two mangos, a half a bag of fresh cherries, and a lemon.

As for tools/appliances, you will need a cutting bored, a knife, a blender, a pot and stove, something to mix with, a cooking sheet, and an oven.

step 2. Prep
Preheat your oven to 95C/200ºF, if you have a convection oven I recommend using it, if not a regular bake will do.

Next blend your fruit together. No need to add any sweetener. I do strongly recommend using lemon juice though, just as much as you can get out of a single lemon. Blend until smooth.
N.B.
Make sure you are not getting any pits or seeds from the lemon in it, I did the first time, it isn’t something you want to run into while eating this.

step 3. Pour
Next, you want to pour it in a pot and bring it to a boil, I put it on medium high heat. Once it starts to simmer, make sure that you keep it in motion. It does not need to be in constant motion, but the bottom needs to keep from burning.

It should get fairly thick. You want it to be boiling for a few minutes. The goal is, to get it thick enough to the point it will not spread too much when you pour it on a flat surface. You will notice that it is slower to fill the space when you move it, and will all fall in clumps.

step 4. Bake
Pour your fruit on a baking sheet (I used parchment paper, just because I use it with everything I put on a baking sheet, but it should not stick to much if you rather not use it) it does not need to still be boiling, but it shouldn’t be too cold either. Smooth it out*, and pop it in the oven that has already been preheated to 200°F. Leave it for at least an hour. You will know it is done when you can touch it, without any coming off on your fingers.

*Make sure that it is very smooth and even. Other wise it will not cook evenly.

step 5. Serve
My favorite way to serve these fruity snacks is to cut them into long strips, roll them up, and place a cute sticker on them. You could also use a cookie cutter to make them fun shapes though!

A little lemon powder (citrus) has pectin in it. Cooking extracts the pectin and it acts as the gelatin agent.
It must be said that this can be done raw(er) . Boiling is not necessary I’d say . A cheap dehydrator or a sunny day will keep the high nutrient value. And it taste better. Furthermore one can use carrots, beets and herbs etc are actually a great idea . Old timers call this “fruit leather” before a company rolled it up and marketed it.

How green is my electric car

Once the embodiment of a seemingly far-fetched future, electric cars are on the brink of becoming a mainstream reality. However, as their turn in the spotlight moves closer, questions continue to surround their impact on the environment.
Arguably the main reason electric cars have gained momentum in recent years is that they are seen as a green solution – a way of not only reducing our dependency on oil, but a way of driving down carbon dioxide (CO2) and other harmful emissions. However, now reports suggest electric vehicles are unlikely to ever offer a viable alternative.

Bad news electric car fans, one respected industry publication thinks we’re all barking up the wrong tree.

An investigation by E&T Magazine suggests that long-term limitations in battery technology could restrict electric cars to under a 100-mile range-while rapid charging could limit the battery life to two years.
Published by the Institution of Engineering and Technology, this month’s issue of E&T magazine features the details of the institute’s investigation, which it says raises serious questions about the viability of investing into the production of EV batteries using lithium-ion or any other current technology. The Institute is concerned that the millions required to build supporting infrastructure for electric cars would also be a poor investment, suggesting that the Government would be better placed to encourage the development of high efficiency diesel models and hybrids.
With other studies hinting that consumers may resist switching to electric cars until their overall performance more closely matches conventional models, limits in battery technology are forcing manufacturers to restrict plans for electric car models- with no solution apparently on the horizon.

So are electric cars the future or not? Our verdict
While the points raised in the E&T article are valid, in our opinion they fail to take into account the bigger picture.
Electric cars are not the fundamental solution for all environmental issues. Costs, initially, are likely to be prohibitive, as is the lack of charging infrastructure, and yes, the limitations of battery performance and range. There’s no denying too that despite being marketed as zero emission vehicles, electric cars will harm the environment if the electricity they use is sourced from non-renewable energy – although whether this surpasses the impact of even the cleanest petrol and diesel cars is open for debate.
Nevertheless, what electric cars do represent is part of the short term solution and potentially a much larger part of the long term solution to our environmental and transport needs. Over the next five years chances are that uptake will be relatively slow but electric cars with a 100mile range, or even much less, will offer a desirable alternative and a vastly cheaper recharge cost for the sort of short journeys that are covered by the majority of the population.
In the long term, prices for electric cars and their batteries should fall as the technology becomes more widely available. Similarly, greater investments are being made in renewable energy – and as wind, solar and biomass is used to generate power, the negative impact of electric cars will be greatly reduced making them significantly more environmentally friendly than even the cleanest internal combustion engines.
Unfortunately, the E&T article wields the sword on electric cars based on how they appear today and ignores their potential in the future. Technology will progress; and with some electric cars already achieving a range in the region of 250miles (such as the Tesla Roadster), governments pouring funds into battery research and renewable energy becoming more widely available, electric cars should prove to be a viable and desirable alternative.

A London hotel is set to offer electric cars for hire to its guests free of charge.

Base2Stay in Kensington is to offer its customers up to four hours of free hire of an Citroen EV’ie throughout the summer, Travelmole.com reports.

The car, supplied by rental firm, Move About, will then be hire out for out at £4 per hour, £20 for a half-day or £30 a day from October 1, 2010 when the hotel ends its freebie offer. Even so, this apparently works out cheaper than bike hire for the family.

The car can be re-charged for free at the hotel too.The EV’ie is based on the Citroen C1 and seats up to five people. It has a 60-75-mile range, a top speed of 60mph and a full charge time of six to seven hours.

The car is also exempt from the city’s congestion charge and qualifies for free parking in many areas.

Eco-Art – on a beach

Jim Denevan

Some pretty impressive art-work on a beach – but I bet his back was killing him afterwards. Just pictures – no words.

See more on his own site.

A Green Piece Column

Is Ford now the green car leader? The Green Piece

Tuesday 29 June 2010. The Green Piece Column
Think green cars, and much like The Vapors 30 years ago, you’re probably “turning Japanese”. From Toyota’s groundbreaking Prius, to Honda’s wealth of hybrids, Mitsubishi’s innovative i-MiEV and Nissan’s plans to be the first to mass produce an electric car with the LEAF, it seems that the rest of the world is simply playing catch up.
However, now one of the most renowned names in motoring appears to be making up for lost time in the form of American car making giant, Ford.
Putting the ECO into driving
Ford first made its mark in the green car sector with a number of flex-fuel vehicles that offered customers the chance to drive cars with bio-ethanol blends ranging from 15-85 per cent. From there, in 2007, it introduced the ECOnetic range of vehicles with the aim of providing drivers who value low emission vehicles with an easy reference point.
The ECOnetic range takes traditional internal combustion engine Ford vehicles and packs them with a host of environmentally friendly features – from low-resistance tyres to aerodynamics kits, and from auto stop-start to smart regenerative braking. The Ford Focus ECOnetic is one of the most notable success stories in the range, offering efficiency up to 74.2mpg and CO2 emissions as low as 99g/km. Similarly, Ford has introduced ECOnetic versions of the Fiesta (76.3mpg, 98g/km); the Mondeo (53.3mpg, 139g/km); the Ford Transit (39.2mpg, 189g/km); and the Ford Fiesta Van (76.4mpg, 98g/km).
Ford goes electric
Though initially pouring its expertise into creating some of the cleanest cars with traditional combustion engines, Ford has recently embraced electrification revealing plans for an array of new battery powered vehicles.

In Europe, Ford will introduce five full electric or hybrid vehicles by 2013 (see article) including a Ford Transit Connect electric vehicle, a Ford Focus Electric and two additional next generation hybrids and a plug-in hybrid car. It has also stepped up its support for electric car infrastructure by forming a consortium with Strathclyde University and Scottish & Southern Energy (SSE) in the UK to introduce a fleet of Ford Focus electric vehicle prototypes; while in Germany it has participated in the Cologne-Mobil project to research the impact of electric cars. Its efforts were even been backed by the previous UK Government with £360million to be provided in loan guarantees to support the development of electrified Ford vehicles in the UK (see article).
In the US, Ford is already selling hybrid versions of the Fusion and the Escape and also has plans to introduce a Lincoln MKZ Hybrid (see article). It has further announced an investment of $135million into the development of next generation hybrid electric vehicles (see article) and has declared the launch of five new full electric or hybrid vehicles in the compact, midsize and light commercial segments in the North American market by 2012. This line-up includes: a Transit Connect electric light commercial vehicle in North America later this year; a Focus electric in 2011; the Lincoln MKZ hybrid, available this autumn; as well as a next-generation hybrid electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicle based on Ford’s global C-car platform in 2012.
In fact, Ford is now hoping that 10-25 per cent of its vehicle line-up will be powered in some way by electricity by 2020 (see article); and it has recently awarded a major contract to Toshiba (see article) to supply its electric drive motors.
One step beyond…
You might think that while Ford’s efforts are to be applauded it is only in keeping with the moves being made by the bulk of the auto industry. However, where Ford appears to have gone the extra mile is by not only focusing on making the fuel used to power its vehicles as green as possible – but by also making the vehicles themselves green too.

Just last week it was revealed that the 2011 Ford Explorer would use soy foam in its seat cushions and seat backs (see article) with Ford now featuring bio foam in more of its vehicles than any other manufacturer. Indeed Ford has made a commitment to using recycled and eco-friendly materials (see article) including recycled resins for underbody systems; recycled yarn for seat fabrics; wheat straw reinforced plastic for third row storage bins; and repurposed nylon carpeting.
It has also vowed to increase its use of recycled paper (see article) and has joined a water conservation project to reduce global water use (see article).
Our verdict
It’s not often we devote a Green Piece Column to a single auto manufacturer, but Ford’s recent efforts to go green are worthy of high praise.
The company has enjoyed massive hybrid sales gains in the US, is well positioned to be among the early pace setters in the electric car sector and its extra efforts to use green materials and to embrace other environmental campaigns are commendable. It may still be trailing its Japanese rivals on name value in the green car sector, but Ford’s staunch commitment to this new era suggests that one of the oldest names in the auto industry is going to be at the front of the pack for a long time to come.
Faye Sunderland

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Car Manufacturers fall in love for a greener future. The Green Piece

Tuesday 15 June. The Green Piece Column.
The highly competitive world of car manufacturing isn’t exactly the environment in which you’d expect relationships to be formed. However, since car making has gone green it seems manufacturers are lining up to be each other’s BFF.
Last week, Swedish manufacturer Saab declared its intention to find a ‘partner’ to help develop a new premium small car (see article) expected to be a throwback to the original Saab 92 launched in 1949. Ford too has indicated that it would be open to considering green car partnerships (see article). However, while Saab and Ford may have only just posted their lonely hearts ads, there are a host of manufacturers that have already declared their love for one another with green cars being the aphrodisiac that’s igniting these new romances.
Here we take a look at the industry’s hottest couples… LINK

Saab seeks partner to build new small car

Saab’s new owners are planning to produce a new small, green car, according to news agency Headlineauto.
The Swedish firm’s new boss, Victor Muller told the agency in an interview that he was looking for a new partner to help develop a new premium small car for the brand.
Muller wants to put the new model, known as the Saab 92, into production in 2013 but to make the project viable the company needs a partner to share engines, platforms, technologies and even electric vehicle and hybrid expertise. The new model could help to widen the brand’s appeal and make it more competitive in a market increasingly focused on reducing emissions.
A number of potential partners have been looked at, but the Saab chief said that one had “identified us”.
Speaking to the Fleet Street Motoring Group at a lunch in London, Muller did not reveal the identity of the partner but said it was important that “they can deliver what we need rather than Saab having to use what it’s given. Every decision is now taken on the basis of how best it serves us.”
In terms of design the car will not be a throwback to the original 92 launched in 1949. “It will never be retro, that just demonstrates a lack of imagination, but it will embody all that was good in the original – an upmarket, premium small car,” he said.
Muller has already come up with his own design vision for the new 92 but he insists that he is not a car designer.
“I’m a lawyer turned crazy who likes to design my own cars and have some sort of influence.”
Saab was sold by General Motors (GM) to sports carmaker Spyker back in February, 2010. Since then, the firm’s new management led by Spyker’s CEO, Mr Muller has been planning a future for the Swedish brand, known for its large, premium vehicles.

Ford: open to considering green partnerships

Ford is open to considering a green tie-up after Renault-Nissan and Daimler announced a partnership to develop greener cars last week, it has been revealed.
In an exclusive interview with Reuters news agency, Executive Chairman, Bill Ford Jnr, said the carmaker was cautiously open to the idea of making a similar deal.
He told the news agency at the sidelines of Fortune Brainstorm Green conference: “We are always open to it but I think we will be careful before we jump,” adding “You always go into the joint venture with the premise that you will save money and save manpower, and our experience often has been that it does neither.”
The agency speculate on Ford’s reason for caution; believing that the recent sale of Volvo to China’s Geely for $1.8 billion may have something to do with it. The carmaker made a huge loss on the sale having paid nearly $6.5 billion for the Volvo back in 1999.
Ford is still engaged heavily in developing electric vehicles but according to Reuters, its Executive Chairman is not yet convinced that battery-powered vehicles will be the dominant response to tougher fuel efficiency and emission standards.
“It’s too early to declare the winners and losers,” he told reporters. “Certainly, we are betting heavily on electrics.”
Adding: “I am really energized by the fact that we are really at the dawn on a new age in the auto industry.”
Read the full article on Reuters.com
The Renault-Nissan Alliance and Daimler announced last week they would exchange company stakes and collaborate to share development costs and technologies in producing new alternative fuel cars and fuel efficient fossil-fuelled cars (see story).

Renault-Nissan bids to take over another automake

The Renault-Nissan Alliance is already making significant in-roads into the electric vehicle market – and now it may be about to become an even greater force in the market.
The company has submitted a letter of intent to acquire South Korean automaker Ssangyong Motor Company with a Renault spokesman informing Dow Jones newswires that its bid is one of six that have been shortlisted by the company. Ssangyong selected six bidders to conduct due diligence so they can decide whether to submit binding bids next month.
A senior Nissan official commented that Ssangyong has the industrial capacity that could be used by the Alliance to feed the strong demand in South Korea and other fast growing markets in South East Asia despite the fact that it has been under court-led bankruptcy protection since early 2009 after suffering cashflow problems.
Ssangyong Motor is currently South Korea’s fourth largest car maker.

Quick and dirty USB wifi dongle waveguide

Quick and dirty USB wifi dongle waveguide
/

Dongle Broadband-receiver

This is a five minute fix to stealing neighbour net, it’s not that pretty but it’s simple and rather effective, plus it’s fully adjustable for angles of up and down, not just side to side.

I haven’t bothered with Db gains because if you’re serious enough to care about them then you’ve got the wrong waveguide, this will however take a just out of reach network and make a decent connection possible.
NB: Sharp edges.
Tips: For the edges of the can, one can get some model airplane clear fuel tubing, (or similar 1/8″ or 3/16″ diameter rubber tubing), slit it on one side and glue it over the rough edges. Also a slit can be cut in the bottom and the usb adapter slid to various distances from the apex to fiddle with the sensitivity and power. Also, a ‘square can’ offers a wider aperture and may pull in more signal strength.
use an adapter, (or a 14 dB antenna), free standing on a flat surface and then fold foil maybe 2′ x 1′. I fold the edges over in 2 1/2” folds on all 4 sides for rigidity, and then fold it vertically in the middle of the long side and set it on the surface. I use about a 135 degree opening and can just slide the foil to adjust the gap. I have also glued foil to, (for example), the cardboard back of a desk calendar and bent it to 135 degrees. I can aim these easily and fudge the adapter/antenna location easily. I also used a gorilla tripod and the lid of a large coffee can for a surface and worked off that. I like your can idea as it is rigid and stronger. Right now I have internal laptop wifi and don’t need the adapter, so I am not using reflectors. If you haven’t, check out http://www.seattle-wireless.com for wifi antenna and reflector ideas. Also google or . I have never seen an arrangement like yours, so it is very creative and unique to me. By the way, Engenius and Ubiquity have infinitely stronger wifi adapters and they are not too expensive. I get a huge signal gain with engenius. The power is very high for pc or laptop, and reflectors make it all the stronger

For how/why reflectors work; http://farside.ph.utexas.edu/teaching/316/lectures/node136.html

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Unit in Jalalabad that allows one(??) to pick up radio and broadband signals

http://cellar.org/showthread.php?t=22228

Build a wind-generator from scrap.

For full instructable page go to –LINK There are a few more photos.

Building-a-Lenz2-turbine-from-recyled-materials

step 1 Building the base and bearings
The base is made from 2×6 and the bike hub. I marked out a square piece of the 2×6 and marked the centre. Drill a hole in the centre the same size as your the middle part of your hub.
Then cut the block, it’s cut in half too, so that it can clamp around the bearings.

To stop the wood splitting I used a piece of mild steel. Cut it to length and drill two holes either side. Countersink the holes, if you are using counter sunk screws.

After that I screwed two “legs” to either side. They are about a foot long. These are screwed onto a piece of plywood later on, to give the base some stability for testing.

step 2 Making the blade skeleton
The blades are made from the metal from the oil tin shaped around plywood cutouts with a dowel rod through the centre. I made a template from cardboard and traced this onto the plywood. You need 9 ribs like this. I cut slightly around the outside of the lines and sanded them down to the right shape.

When you’ve cut and sanded the shapes out, you can drill a hole the same size as your wooden dowel. This hole should be in the centre, and about 1.5 cm away from the curve.

Measure the useful height of the your oil drum, and cut 3 pieces of dowel to this height. By useful height I mean the metal the will be left over after you’ve cut the top and bottom off the drum.

The blade shapes are screwed onto the dowel. Mark the centre of the dowels to align the central rib. With the ribs aligned you can screw them in place. Make sure you drill pilot holes for the screw in the dowels, and drill the hole in the ribs slightly larger then the screw. Countersink the holes to stop the ply splitting and don’t over tighten them.

Blades 1

Blades 2

Blades 3

Blades 4

Blades 5

Blades 6

step 3 Cut and fit the skin for the blades
The skin of the blades is the oil drums sheet metal. You need to procure the metal from the drum by cutting the top and bottom off and cutting down the welded seam.

Once you have your metal, cut it into three pieces. You’ll need to measure around the wings to get the right sizes. It’s a good idea to fold the ends over so that there are no sharp edges, I didn’t do this, but if you do make sure to add some extra material for that.

With the three sheets ready, I marked a line in the centre for the centre rib screws. Then I drilled holes about 30mm from the edges for the first set of screws. After those are fitted, just continue drilling and screwing the metal at 30 – 40mm intervals.

Cut-and-fit-the-skin-for-the-blades 1

Cut-and-fit-the-skin-for-the-blades 2

step 4 The central spinning arms
The centre frame with the three arms is cut from the ply wood. I marked three legs at 120* apart and a centre circle of about 140mm. The arms are 40mm wide, and the ends are cut at a 9* angle.
When you’ve cut the shape out, you can drill a hole in the centre the same size as the shaft of the bike hub. You’ll need two washers to clamp the wood to the bike shaft, I made mine out of some thick sheet metal….

The-central-spinning-arms 1

The-central-spinning-arms 2

The-central-spinning-arms 3

step 5 Fitting the blades
The blades are screwed onto the arms, but first you have to cut a slot in the sheet metal. Measure and mark two lines 1.5cm from the dowel then 4 cm from there. This is to mark the width of the slot for the arms.

I used a stanley knife to cut this slot. Make sure that you cut the slots on the right side of the rib! I cut one on the wrong side… I screwed the arms onto the blades using two 1″ wood screws.

It’s done now! All you have to do is bolt the blade assembly onto the bike hub.
You’ll see in the finished photo that it has a plywood base, I just screwed the left over ply onto the base to stabilize it.

Fitting the blades

Fitting the blades 2

Fitting the blades 3

Fitting the blades 4

Fitting the blades 5

Video: Building-a-Lenz2-turbine-from-recyled-materials.