Need power to charge your camera, Ipod, Iphone or laptop on the road? Take your solar cells covered trolley or bag with you!
The over 75 years young German Company Picard Lederwaren has introduced a solar cell covered trolley and two solar cell covered bags: The Picard Solar Bag and the Picard Solar Messenger Bag.
Do you do snail mail? I still do!. And my first job today will be running to the Post Office to acquire a good stock of this new post stamp issued by Royal Dutch TNT Post in a series “Beautiful Netherlands” , which did a much better job than the The Hague Municipality itself when it launched its city marketing logo ( see my post Den Haag City Logo Launch).
Thanks AD
The Australian Panasonic World Solar Challenge is a bi annual 3000 km solar car race from Darwin to Adelaide in Australia since 1987, so this year it celebrates its 20ieth anniversary. The challenge is for student teams from universities and colleges to design and construct the fastest vehicle that is propelled on solar energy only and can endure the 3000 km distance. The 2007 challenge counts 45 entries from 21 countries.
I Love Nuna4
Along with other solar cars, Nuna4 will be competing under extreme weather conditions, having to navigate between other traffic on the road – with the notorious and dangerous Australian road trains – as well as avoiding kangaroos and other obstacles.
The competition will be fierce this year. The US team of the University of Michigan even managed to secure a very high budget for the construction of its solar car with the specific aim of dethroning the Dutch Nuna 4 team of students from the Delft University of Technology who won 3 prior editions of this race in 2001 (team Alpha Centauri and average speed of 91,8 km/h), 2003 (Nuon Solar Team with Nuna II and average speed of 97 km/h), 2005 (with Nuna 3 and average speed of 103 km/h) in a row. You can understand why I am proud to be a Dutchman with these results.
The team has successfully come through the wind tunnel testing sessions. Its top speed is reported to be over 140km/hr. It is a really professional operation!
Team Nuna4 consists of four Aerospace Engineering students: Susan Luijten, Hjalmar van Raemdonck, Oliver van der Meer and Demian de Ruijter. The Design Engineering Department is repreented by Joep Steenbeek, Tine Lavrysen and Ivo Hagemans. Mechanical engineer Rabih Alzaher and Electrical Engineering graduate Paul Beckers are also on board. Stefan Roest brings an unusual perspective to the project from his Shipbuilding studies and will be the team leader. The team members have either completed their Bachelor’s degree, or are about to do so in a short time.
Apparently Nuna4 is in the process of revamping its website. It is clear that the development of the car had their first priority.
Andrea Ragnetti and Magic Brush
(Photo: Capital Photos / Nils van Houts)
This post was an unattended UFO (Un Finished Object) for a long time.
Not many people realize Philips is one of the few remaining Dutch Multinational Companies. After reorganizing, reorganizing and again reorganizing the company is back to how it started, as a producer of electrical light bulbs.
Via Gizmodo I found the press page of the 2006 Philips Simplicity Event of London where Philips showed the road to future light projects they have in the pipeline.
The picture I choose is that of Andrea Ragnetti showing a wall you can write on with light. Its name Drag & Draw. The entire home becomes a virtual canvas for expression and play for young children, thanks to a magic brush, a magic eraser, a magic wand, and a laser projection bucket.
They forgot to mention that it is an ideal product to get rid of the overhead projectors…and especially the flip overs, the gadgets that hotels tend to overcharge when they rent you a meeting room.
