Crave

(Credit: Peking University and Tsinghua University)

That tiny, plastic-looking black cube up there can absorb up to 180 times its own weight in toxic waste without absorbing any water. How? As with just about every amazing and/or inexplicable scientific breakthrough nowadays, the answer is spelled N-A-N-O.

Researchers at Peking and Tsinghua universities, both in Beijing, have adapted carbon nanotubes into a sponge-like material that can be squeezed dry, which sounds like extremely exciting news for the infomercial cleaning product industry. One minor detail:

Since carbon nanotubes are hydrophobic, there's no modification required to make them not absorb water.

For the record, that includes mysteriously blue infomercial demo water, so there goes that. If not absorbing 20 times as much water as its leading competitor, what exactly is this new type of sponge good for? Environmental cleanup, evidently. See, instead of just dropping dispersants into the middle of an oil or chemical spill--which forces the spill to simply absorb into the water--these light and porous nanosponges could float in water and be used to sop up the spill, after which they could theoretically be wrung dry and reused, like so:

The scientists detail their findings in Advanced Materials. It's an amazing idea, but I get the feeling that carbon nanotube sponges, riskily abbreviated as CNT sponges, won't exactly be cheap.

This story originally appeared on Gizmodo.

You've probably heard of or even owned a computer that automatically turns off its hard drive when it senses shock or heavy vibrations. That is an example of sensitive human-machine intimacy. Another example I like is tilting the iPhone to use it as the driving bar for my racing games. Well, that nifty human-to-computer interaction is about to go to whole new level.

HP announced Thursday a new inertial-sensing technology that enables the development of digital micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) accelerometers that are up to 1,000 times more sensitive than those in high-volume products currently available.

A MEMS accelerometer is a sensor that can be used to measure vibration, shock, or change in velocity. When implemented, this allows the device to "feel" the environment it is in.

According to HP, the new sensing technology--the result of HP's 25 years of nano-sensing research--includes multiple detectors as part of a complete sensor network and therefore is capable of real-time data collection, management evaluation, and analysis. This information enables users to make better, faster decisions, and take subsequent action to improve safety, security, and sustainability.

The Touch Wood mockup (top) and prototype based on the SH-04A model (bottom).

(Credit: NTT DoCoMo)

If you don't think plastic is fantastic, here's some good news: Japanese carrier NTT DoCoMo has created a new prototype cell phone made from cypress wood.

The Touch Wood handset is crafted from surplus wood culled during forest maintenance work.

DoCoMo teamed up with Sharp and Olympus to create the prototype (seen bottom right, with an ergonomic mockup above). More Trees, a reforestation group supported by musician and actor Ryuichi Sakamoto, was also involved.

Olympus contributed "three-dimensional compression molding" that made the wood usable for phones, according to DoCoMo. The molding also made the cypress shiny and resistant to insects, mildew, and water.

The prototype's GUI features graphics based on the work of photographer Mikiya Takimoto.

The Touch Wood phones will be shown off next month at ITU Telecom World 2009 and Ceatec Japan 2009.

From the copier to the can.

(Credit: Nakabayashi)

Never thought I'd see the day when I would be wiping my rear with used copier paper straight from an office machine. Butt seriously, thanks to Japanese ingenuity, this could soon be smart waste management, employed in corporate buildings to recycle all that paper we're guilty of overusing into toilet paper.

There's just one wee catch. Nakabayashi's pricey $95,000 office machine requires a whopping 72kg of discarded paper (159 pounds, or about 1,800 A4 sheets) to churn into just two rolls of (hopefully pliable) loo paper. At least you can now say you've cleaned your behind with your boss' memo.

(Source: Crave Asia via CrunchGear)

Each time you buy a computer monitor from Dell's Web site, you have to pay between $8 and $25 for a "State Environmental Fee."

I always wondered how that fee would be spent. After all, last time I was in Vietnam, I spotted many used and dated computers and monitors from Dell and HP in Internet cafes and online gaming centers. There are also shops in Hanoi specializing in gathering broken computers from these brands to sell parts.

A store full of e-waste in India.

(Credit: TreeHugger)

But that's going to change, slightly. On Tuesday, Dell, with its new Electronics Disposition Policy (PDF), officially banned the export of electronic waste to developing countries.

This e-waste includes broken computers, monitors, and computer parts. This is a great move by the company, as once exported, this equipment will probably end up being dumped like regular trash or recycled in informal and often hazardous ways such as smashing and burning in open air.

The scope of the new policy applies to all Dell employees, consultants, independent contractors, outsource service providers, and general services suppliers, and also Dell environmental partners. Compliance is mandatory.

While this is great news, personally I think it would be more helpful if Dell also included dated computer equipment in the list of e-waste. Dated and used computer equipment in working condition can become waste by the time it arrives at its destination, or shortly thereafter.

Nonetheless, Dell's new standard will hopefully raise the bar for other electronics makers in regard to keeping the environment safe from electronic waste.

It's important to note that in the States, Dell has been very active in recycling by partnering with Staples to offer free recycling for its equipment.

When young we learn at an astonishing rate. Soon after we learn about Mother's Day, we learn about Father's Day. The next logical thought in the process is to ask when "Kid's Day" is. The answer I always got was short, simple, and true: "Every day is Kid's Day." The recent Earth Day makes me think of this answer, and the realization that truly every day is Earth Day.

Perfect for storing wet items.

(Credit: BreezeDry)

Here's a concept I really like: a self-enclosed drying cabinet for clothes right out of the wash. The BreezeDry ambient drying cabinet is a built-in fixture designed to remove the need for an energy-hungry traditional clothes dryer. Pulling in air from the outside, the cabinet circulates the air to dry a full load of laundry. Completely enclosed, laundry can be safely stored away as it dries. The whole process only takes a couple of hours.

Lots of products are called "green" nowadays, but few are able to transform daily chores to the extent the BreezeDry accomplishes. Operating at a fraction of the energy usage of a conventional dryer (yes, it does still use electricity), the BreezeDry looks to change the way we think about the common task of doing laundry. With the recent trend of green appliances, it's nice to see one that takes the next step and embraces the approach that every day is a good day to consider the environment.

(Via Appliancist)

Greenpeace's green meter for March 2009

(Credit: Greenpeace)

Struggling with the economic downturn, the biggest names in PC makers seem to lag on staying clean.

In the March issue of the Guide to Greener Electronics, released Tuesday, Greenpeace decided to knock a point off of Dell's, HP's, and Lenovo's green scores for procrastinating their commitment to eliminate toxic substances from their products by the end of 2009.

The toxic substances in question include vinyl plastic (widely known as PVC) and brominated flame retardants (BFRs). Lenovo has delayed its deadline by one year, while HP and Dell have yet to set a new timeline.

The NGO praised Apple and Acer for being the only ones firmly committed to phase out these substances. Apple has already met its commitment to have all of its products free of PVC and BFRs by the end of 2008. This is with one exception, which is a technical challenge: getting certified PVC-free power cords.

To Greenpeace, Apple is now the example for other PC makers to follow. "If Apple can find the solutions, there should be no reason why the other leading PC companies cannot," said Casey Harrell, Greenpeace International toxics campaigner. "All of them should have at least one toxic-free line of products on the market by the end of this year."

(Credit: Cool Hunting)

That hat you see to the right is smokin'. No, it literally is. Chilean fashion designer Alexandra Guerrero made it from recycled cigarette butts.

Through her new company, Mantis, Guerrero combines purified smokes with natural wool to form a raw, textured material that can be woven into garments with a surprisingly appealing modern macrame flair.

Of course, as cute as the finished products may be, it's hard to imagine nonsmokers wearing Guerrero's creations without experiencing a significant ick factor. Still, you have to applaud the designer's creative contribution to the everyday-objects-from-recycled goods oeuvre.

"This project began as an idea for my thesis," she told the blog Cool Hunting. "We always wanted to do sustainable design but we didn't want to do something that was already seen, so we started thinking of a waste that was unnoticed and then we thought of cigarette butts."

The clothes can be purchased via e-mail from the Mantis Web site and range in price from $50 for a hat to $125 for a sweater. Hey, you'd probably pay more for a sweater at Bloomingdales or BCBG. And you wouldn't be helping to clean up the streets.

(Credit: Cool Hunting)

Proper recycling of computer and electronic equipment is a pain. Not only do you have to carry it to a special place, you often also have to pay $10 or so per item. For this reason, I've seen a lot of people just leave their computer on the sidewalk and hope it will somehow disappear.

This is not how you recycle a computer.

(Credit: holamun2.com)

To ease this pain and boost environmental consciousness, according to the Associated Press, Dell and Staples announced Wednesday that you can recycle any Dell computer equipment for free at Staples.

This equipment includes any amount of Dell-branded PCs, monitors, keyboards, printers, mice, and other accessories. They will be accepted for recycling at any of the 1,500 Staples stores in the U.S., without a fee.

Staples logs the incoming equipment, then hands it off to Eco International, which will take care of the actual recycling work.

Other than Dell's products, Staples also offers free cell phone recycling and charges $10 per piece to accept computers, printers, and other PC-related items.

It's probably time you properly got rid of that old Dell computer in the basement. Just make sure you wipe the hard drive clean before handing it out to anyone.