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.

Apple's iPhone alarm glitch hits users

Many iPhone customers overslept to start the new year, due to a glitch in the gadget's alarm clock feature. Users who set their iPhone alarm for a single wake-up rather than recurring use found the alarm didn't go off with the year's arrival, Apple Inc. said Sunday. A fix is in the works, and all iPhone alarms will work properly starting Monday. The glitch affects iPhones using Apple's latest iOS 4.0 operating system, including earlier versions of the smartphone whose users have downloaded the latest software. It isn't clear what caused the alarm problem, or how many iPhone users were affected. The problem is the second in two months involving the iPhone's alarm clock. The company said in early November that the end of daylight time could cause problems for iPhone users.

Thankfully I do not use the apple I-phone alarm. I only use it on Chapel days but I still use a back up alarm clock just in case. I believe that people over reacted about this. I believe if you want an alarm to wake you up just buy an alarm clock that will never be incorrect.

Beaver dams a model for river restorers

River restorers can learn a lesson from the beaver that will produce a more natural ecosystem and save money, researchers say. Taking out old man-made mill dams on rivers and streams is a popular practice in New England and certain other states but the restorations are "done with blinders on with regard to the role of the beaver," one researcher said. They argues for maintaining dams in river restorations.
Engineers often start with the idea that rivers are naturally free-flowing, so when it comes to removing dams people built to provide water power for mills, they frequently take out the whole structure. That can involve the costly process of removing all the silt that has built up behind a one-or-two-metre dam since the 19th century. "Many of those streams, before humans built dams on them, were dammed by beavers," they said. "Why not mimic what they do?" That suggests restorers could cut a notch in the dam, releasing the water pressure but not letting the silt flow downstream. The ponds and wetlands that built up behind man-made dams resemble the area behind beaver dams.

This makes sense because there were beaver dams all over NA before the Europeans came. It also seams that it would be a cheaper solution but it also makes environmental sense. Thats a change :). This is a US study but hopefully Canadians are doing the same thing.

Facebook raises $500M from Goldman Sachs

Facebook has raised $500 million US from Goldman Sachs and a Russian investment firm in a deal that values the social networking site at $50 billion, the New York Times reported. Goldman invested $450 million and Digital Sky Technologies invested $50 million. Goldman has the right to sell part of its stake, up to $75 million, to the Russian firm. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)is reportedly looking into the booming trade in privately held shares of popular social networking sites. A big reason the SEC may be curious about the trading of these popular private startups' shares is because once a company hits 500 shareholders, it must disclose certain financial information to the public, even if it hasn't filed for an initial public offering.

Well i wish i was an investor in Facebook 10 years ago. But I do not want anyone getting an unfair advantage in any kind of trading like this. The SEC is a lot tougher now since the credit crises. Hopefully they are doing a good job. For capitalism to work investors need to be confident that there are rules and that they are enforced.

Bumblebee species 'in trouble': U.S. study

Four of the 50 species of bumblebees found in the U.S. are "significantly in trouble," a University of Illinois entomology professor said recently. The professor said the analysis only covered eight species, so "this could be the tip of the iceberg." The finding is similar to ones in other reports that documented huge declines in honeybee populations. Using historical records from the late 1800s, they found the relative abundance of the four species decreased by up to 96 per cent since that period, and their geographic range contracted by between 23 and 87 per cent.
The study said that the declining populations had higher infection levels of the pathogen Nosema bombi than unaffected populations. This is a parasite that can render bumblebees helpless and unable to function, and eventually kill them.

This is a huge decline over 200 years and I have even noticed fewer bees in my backyard over the last few years. I never liked bees after being stung by one in our garage attic but I know they are very important in pollination of our crops, flowers and trees. Scientists will have to study this pathogen very closely and develop some kind of a treatment or cure.

Toronto man who killed wife, 2 kids faces life term

The Crown is calling for a Toronto man who shot three members of his family and burned their bodies to be sentenced to life with no chance of parole for 22 years. Bao Mac pleaded guilty in a Newmarket, Ont., court to three counts of second-degree murder in the deaths of his wife, her 22-year-old daughter, Qian Jenny Zhao and his four-year-old daughter. The Crown Attorney told the judge at Mac's sentencing hearing Tuesday that Mac "brutally and ruthlessly murdered the three people who should have been able to trust him most." The only clue to a motive behind the killings is that Mac's wife wanted out of the marriage, and his stepdaughter wanted to live more independently. The Crown said: "The innocent were slaughtered and the coward spared himself." Mac has been in custody since a warrant for his arrest was executed on Nov. 4, 2007, following a lengthy hospital stay that included a drug-induced coma.

This guy deserves to rot in jail. Who in his right mind would kill their entire family and then try to burn them? Apparently he tried to kill himself but failed. The Crown said he was a coward and she was right. Now we have to pay for his jail term for the next 30 years.

U.S. military expert's body found in dump

A military expert who served three Republican presidents and helped get the Vietnam Veterans Memorial built was found dead in a Delaware landfill, and authorities are trying to piece together when he was last seen alive. The body of John Wheeler III, 66, was uncovered Friday when a garbage truck emptied its contents at a landfill in Wilmington, Del. The truck had collected the trash from around 10 commercial disposal bins in Newark, several kilometres from Wheeler's home. Police said they aren't sure which container his body came from. Friends say they traded emails with around Christmas. Wheeler also had been scheduled to take an Amtrak train from Washington to Wilmington on Dec. 28, but it's not clear if he ever made the trip, said investigators, who have labelled Wheeler's death a homicide.

The police have called it a homicide but the question is who did it and why? If he was a Republican he may have had some enemies. The first thing you think of when you hear of a murder in a dumpster is the Mafia. I will continue to watch this story to see if any new news breaks on this story.

China able to reprocess nuclear fuel

Chinese scientists have mastered the technology for reprocessing fuel from nuclear power plants, potentially boosting the supplies of carbon-free electricity to keep the country's economy booming. The breakthrough will extend by many times the amount of power that can be generated from China's nuclear plants as fissile and fertile materials are recovered to be new fuel. Several European countries, Russia, India and Japan already reprocess nuclear fuel the actual materials used to make nuclear energy to separate and recover the unused uranium and plutonium, and to reduce waste. China overtook the United States as the world's largest energy consumer in 2009, years before it was expected to do so. But it is heavily dependent on coal, a major pollutant it has 13 nuclear power plants.

Hopefully the Chinese will use this new technology for peaceful purposes. Secondly every picture I see of China it is so dirty and smoggy they need to get off the coal because it is polluting the entire country. Finally the Chinese are taking environmental issues seriously.