Hubrismachine

ETA

hubricant — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 19:38:37 +0000

My project this weekend

hubricant — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 13:10:24 +0000

… is to build a nuclear reactor in my back garden. I chose a french design because if they can successfully blow up atolls and still have the shortest work-week in the world, they must be doing something right. And they make nice cheese.

A comment on the life of Things

hubricant — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 13:02:36 +0000

A recurring theme on this blog could be said to be anti-consumerism. If you have a few minutes, have a look at the contribution to this conversation from a NY chair manufacturer.

Portable power: it’s big in Japan

hubricant — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 13:43:35 +0000

Well, it perhaps isn’t. However I do think that this technology is going to take the western markets by storm. Perhaps not for a few years though. Its exceedingly unlikely fuel cells will become cheap enough for the “developing” world market, but sooner or later the greenvangelists are going to wake up and smell the fair-trade coffee… the total “environmental” cost of solar power is not zero. True, solar power is has a lower environmental cost per kilowatt than fossil-fuel derived power, but when one takes various real-world factors into account (short lifespans of low-quality panels, resource-hungry accessories, non-recycled panels, low efficiency in low-light areas etc) the comparison is not as favourable. Of course I am too lazy to cite facts that could back this up, but having used solar power for almost a decade on a daily basis I am very interested in the direction Toshiba is going with this product. It apparently costs about 275 clam shells, then another 30 for the cartridge.

Eritrea soccer team to only play away-games in future

hubricant — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 13:24:42 +0000

A story on the Reuters africa wire caught my attention. Apparently the entire Eritrean national soccer team has not returned to Eritrea after a match in Kenya. Curious about why an entire team would decide not to return home, I looked up some background to the state of the Eritrean nation, and found a precis of a Reuters interview held in October with president Isaias Afwerki. Take a look at the article for more from the ever so eloquent and diplomatic leader of Eritrea, Isaias Afwerki. This is my favourite quote (on the thousands fleeing Eritrea):

“They will come back. They are going for a picnic. They will come back one day.”

Bionic hand

hubricant — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 12:39:52 +0000

There have been some impressive technological advances in the technology of artifical limbs. Have a look at the BBC report: