British student invents solar-powered fridge

Never let it be said that an Ivy League education is the only element to success. Consider a British student, who was refused a place in an engineering course at her college for lack of qualifications has invented a cheap, reliable, electricity-free refrigerator for the Third World, which is being eagerly embraced in Africa.

File this under "Brilliant or Evil Genius"

I am not quite sure what to make of this one.  Inspired by Johnny Appleseed, two design students have created an add-on to bikes designed to seed cityscapes with flowers.  The idea is a mixture of bubble solution and tiny flower seeds are put in, then the natural motion of the bicycle generates a wind thru the device which blows bubble filled with the seeds.  The bubble drift naturally thru the city streets and land in cracks and crevices where they sprout and produce impromptu gardens to delight the eyes.

Is this a genius idea? Yes.  But one must wonder if it is evil genius, since I am sure city planners will be worried about these impromptu gardens increasing erosion of sidewalks and streets, requiring more frequent repaving projects.  Then again, maybe I am looking a gift horse in the mouth. What do our readers think?

Posted via email from The Bike Nomad

Genius Bear in the ADK?

While my idea of "roughing it" is to stay in a hotel without internet access, Mod-Blog friend Bowhunter often regales us with tales of his hikes and explorations in the Adirondaks. One of his favorite things to talk about is the ever-present danger of bears amongst the many peaks. It is not that the bears themselves are often dangerous to people - they usually tend to be shy and dislike the smell and sounds that humans make. But they are dangerous to a hiker's food supplies, as they can smell food from miles away and can easily tear thru most of the standard coolers and backpacks in seconds. So-called "Bear Canisters" are now required gear for all hikers. These canisters are made to be very tough, and have complex locking mechanisms to make it nigh-impossible for a bear to break into. But apparently hikers are now reporting a genius bear who breaks into canisters that even humans have a hard time getting open. It's like the old Information Technology saying, "If you make your system idiot-proof, they'll simple make better idiots."

Why no birdfeeder is truly "Squirrel-Proof"