Ah, Silent and friend saving…
If you’ve ever lived with college roommates then you know that one of the most frustrating and yet fundamental aspects of college life is the alarm clock. There’s the early riser, the incessant snoozer (that guy that hits the snooze button for 10 consecutive times every morning, completely ignorant of those around him that are being awoken every 9 minutes for the next hour, you know who you are). And then there’s my personal favourite; the weekend traveller; that guy that goes home every weekend, locks his door, and forgets to turn off his alarm. Hours, upon hours, of blaring bleeps until you just want to…get the Silent Alarm. Though at just the concept stage, designer Johan Brengesjo has put together an alarm system that uses a wireless rubber ring that generates a vibration every time the alarm goes off, making it a very effective, not to mention quiet, tactile alarm. Snoozing would be controlled by shaking your hand and then each successive snooze would require increased movement, to help you get up and going.
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The Solar Highway
First there was the highway, then the super highway, the the information suprhighway and now…the Solar Highway! The state of Oregon is set to build the world’s first photovoltaic solar highway system. The project will cover 8,000 square feet at the Interstate 5 and Interstate 205 interchange at Tualatin where it will produce 112,000 kilowatt hours per year. All said and done, the project is expected to cost about $1.3 million and has a completion date of December…of this year! With that kind of turn around time and relatively low cost, Oregon just might be setting the precedent for future green shifts but only time will tell how viable this method will be. We’ll keep you posted.
And in Bigfoot news
Finally, in order to keep up to date on the elusive furry fellow, here’s your weekend roundup on the Bigfoot press conference that took place on the weekend. In case you missed it, last week some amateurish folks claimed to have bagged the real Bigfoot and after releasing a ‘scientist’s’ opinion on the findings, it was later revealed that the man in the lab coat was in fact merely the brother of one of the captors. Combined, those captors are Matthew Whitton (aka Gary Parker) and Rick Dyer and together, they are two of the most tenacious business men outside of fast-food chains. For while their press conference, carried live on CNN, offered no real evidence of the deceased man-beast, it did reveal the shallow business tactics of two promoters out to make as much money off a self generated sensation as possible. Both men wore hats promoting searchingforbigfoot.com (the website where you can buy even more gear regarding the Yeti of the West). And when probed as to whether they’re going to milk this for what it’s worth; the answer was a resounding yes.
Well the alarm seems pretty cool. I’m not sure how well it will work, though.