Electricity savings possible with wireless device

A U.S. company is planning to offer consumers a wireless device which will automatically turn off appliances when they're not in use. ThinkEco Inc. of New York said the "modlet" (or modern outlet) can save 10 per cent on an electricity bill, depending on the types of appliances and how much the modlets are used. "We’ve seen plenty of people who have been able to save more," the company said. The device, which looks like a wall socket, plugs into a regular socket and then consumers plug their appliances into the modlet. It monitors electricity use, then sends the consumer's computer a plan to turn off power to appliances which are not in use during certain hours.

This is a great idea for saving power as long as it is consumers that make the choice not the hydro company's dictating to us or taking control of our homes and businesses. A lot of devices use power when not in use just because there plugged in so I think this can be a big help and a successful business.

Disney's Tap Tap game reaches top

Disney's "Tapulous" mobile game division has knocked the popular Angry Birds off its perch on iTunes' free app store over the holidays. It's a sign that its purchase of game-maker Tapulous is paying dividends. The Walt Disney Co.says Tap Tap Revenge 4 was downloaded six million times in 22 days after its release on Dec. 20. Disney acquired Tapulous in July for an undisclosed amount. Although it's free, the company's game is a moneymaker because people buy songs they want to play. Disney says downloads of the newest version of the tap-along game have been proceeding at twice the pace of the 2009 release. To play, users tap the targets on the touchscreen to the beat of the music, scoring points for accuracy and timing.

I have not played this new Tap Tap game but I love Angry Birds. It must be a good game. I had no idea that Disney was in this kind of business. Six Million downloads is unbelievable.

Dental drill noise blocked by device

People who feel anxious about trips to the dentist because of the noise of drilling in their teeth may be helped by a new headphone device. British researchers have invented a prototype device that works like noise-cancelling headphones but is designed to block the high-pitched sound of the drill. Patients would simply unplug the regular headphones that come with their MP3 player or cellphone, plug in the new headphones, and then listen to their own music while blocking out the unpleasant sound of the drill and suction equipment. It would be fairly cost-effective for dentists to buy, and any patient with an MP3 player would be able to benefit from it.

This is a great idea but why wouldn't regular noise cancelling headphones work? Don't be a whimp. Noise isn't going to hurt you. Go get your teeth cleaned. It is now clear that dental hygiene is very important to oevr-all health

Leaks found in shale gas wells

Quebec's Ministry of Natural Resources has found leaks in more than half the shale gas wells it inspected, according to a report compiled for the province's environmental protection agency. Quebec has dozens of oil and gas companies exploratory permits to drill in the lowlands along the St. Lawrence River. Of 31 wells inspected, 19 showed "natural gas emissions. According to Article 60 of the Quebec Mining Act, "if a well is closed temporarily it must be left in a condition that will prevent a fluid or gas flow from the well." Quebec's Ministry of Natural Resources has found leaks in more than half the shale gas wells it inspected, according to a report compiled for the province's environmental protection agency. He believes the emissions are probably methane, which Belisle said are much more harmful to the environment than carbon dioxide. Belisle said the leaks are proof more scientific studies need to be done to assess the environmental impact of shale gas exploration in Quebec.

I believe that these kinds of things need to be avoided and prevented. Things like this are happening way too many times. Companies need to spend more money making their wells last longer and keep them maintained. No more then a few months ago bp had a huge oil leak and this killed many fish, coral and other animals in the Gulf. Bp is still not finished cleaning all of the mess up. All of this could be prevented if the companies just put more time into building their wells better.

Small earthquake hits western Quebec

A small earthquake measuring 3.1 in magnitude rumbled through western Quebec recently. The quake's epicentre was reported 38 kilometres northeast of Buckingham, Que. There were no reports of injuries or damage. Natural Resources Canada said this type of tremor is common in the so-called West Quebec seismic zone. That's a zone that goes from Temiscaming, along the Ottawa River, down to Montreal and past. It gets a lot of smaller tremors regularly. It was the second earthquake to hit the area in six months. In June 2010, a 5.0-magnitude earthquake hit the area, with tremors recorded across eastern and southern Ontario and the northeastern United States, including Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Vermont, New Jersey and New York. It caused extensive evacuations across Ontario, and damaged historic buildings close to the epicenter.

I never knew that there was a seismic zone in Quebec until the big tremmor last June. Hopefully we wont get a big one like the one in Haiti or even those experienced in California.

Teeth may be oldest evidence of human remains

Israeli archeologists may have found the earliest evidence yet for the existence of modern man, and if so, it could upset theories of the origin of humans. A Tel Aviv University team excavating a cave in central Israel said teeth found in the cave are about 400,000 years old and resemble those of other remains of modern man, known scientifically as Homo sapiens. The earliest Homo sapiens remains found until now are half as old. The team of archeologists examined the teeth with X-rays and CT scans and dated them according to the layers of earth where they were found. Further research is needed to solidify the claim. If it does, it changes the whole picture of evolution. The accepted scientific theory is that Homo sapiens originated in Africa and migrated out of the continent. Sir Paul Mellars, a prehistory expert at Cambridge University, said the study is reputable, and the find is "important" because remains from that critical time period are scarce, but it is premature to say the remains are human.

There seems to be some doubt that the remains are human but this is an interesting story. Because the remains were found in Israel doesn't mean that humans originated there, in my opinion.

Gulf beaches oil cleanup nears end

The unmistakable whiff of crude eight months after the BP spill is one of the last, reminders of the oil spill on the Gulf Coast. For months, in what BP calls Operation Deep Clean, crews have been scouring the Gulf Coast's sandy shores for oil — digging, scraping, tilling and sifting beach after beach. They will not get all of it by the time college students begin flocking to the Gulf Coast for spring break at the end of February, which is the Coast Guard's deadline for cleaning bathing beaches. Tar balls may be washing up for months, if not years. This is a long process. You clean them up, they come back, you clean them up. The Coast Guard says 1,500 kilometres of beach were fouled with oil and fewer than 50 kilometres are left to clean. In many places, tar balls and black sticky patties that once littered the shoreline are gone. The sand is no longer stained brown, and the surf is clear of crude. Beaches that once looked like excavation sites are back to normal.

What is amazing about this is that the beaches are almost completely cleaned up. Everyone thought that this was going to be an environmental disaster but it is pretty much all cleaned up and you do not here about it any more in the news.