warming

SunPower leaps past expectations

SunPower, which makes high-efficiency solar panels, continued its rapid expansion in the first quarter as revenue climbed to $142.3 million in the first quarter, while net income rose to $1.2 million.

When acquisition and other non-recurring costs (such as stock based compensation) are excluded, net income came to $23.3 million, or 29 cents a share. Gross margins, meanwhile, came in at 29 percent, in part because the average selling price of solar cells and panels rose three percent over the previous three months. Typically in most hardware industries, average selling prices decline.

The figures, which came out … Read more

Warm digits for digital happiness

Like many bloggers, some of our fellow Cravers are occasionally a tad more anxious than we prefer in sharing their personal issues. One such unnamed acquaintance (Caroline McCarthy) recently complained of poor circulation in her extremities, particularly the fingertips--a wicked chill that apparently is well beyond the capacity of over-the-counter devices like heated mice.

So after embarking on an exhaustive search, we came across a potential solution: the "iTWYF" gloves, which stands for "I Touch With Your Fingers," of course. Gearfuse says the secret to these $45 gloves are three "stylus pen point-like grasps" … Read more

Plug-in hybrids get test drive in state agency

The Sacramento Municipal Utility District, an agency that many young kids grow up dreaming about working for someday, is testing out a plug-in hybrid crafted by Valence Technology and Energy CS. The car is a 2005 Toyota Prius that contains a lithium-ion auto battery from Valence that essentially lets the car run mostly on electricity. The battery gets recharged through a wall socket.

Plug-ins get about 100 miles to the gallon, although the cost of the additional battery makes them a tough sell, concede plug-in proponents. The range is also limited, but that's not a big deal for fleet … Read more

Next alternative energy: the candle

Doyle Doss is out to popularize a source of energy that was big when the coal scuttle was fashionable and society debated whether children should spend ten hours a day, or just eight, on a factory loom.

It's the candle, and his product is the Kandle Heeter, a series of concentric ceramic pots held together by a steel bolt strung with washers. Basically, the Kandle Heeter is perched above a jar candle. The heat from the flame is absorbed by the steel and then radiated out by the ceramic pots.

Candles put out quite a bit of heat, Doss … Read more