Photo via: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory A new laser currently being tested at the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has caught the imagination of many scientists and critics. For one, it is one of the largest lasers ever to be developed. It takes up the space of a standard-sized stadium, housing 192 individual beams, each combining into one ultimate beam that is said to have the equivalent intensity and heat energy as the sun itself ….

Read more here: 
New Laser Burns Hot as the Sun with Potential to Blast a Nation off the Map… or Power it Indefinitely!

Photo via: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory A new laser currently being tested at the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Livermoore National Laboratory has caught the imagination of many scientists and critics. For one, it is one of the largest lasers ever to be developed. It takes up the space of a standard-sized stadium, housing 192 individual beams, each combining into one ultimate beam that is said to have the equivalent intensity and heat energy as the sun itself….

Read the original here:
New Laser Burns Hot as the Sun, One Day to Create Fusion Energy

The Smallest House in Great Britain, photo by ChicagoGeek When was the last time you really thought about how much space you really need to be comfortable? 250… 500… 1,000… 2,000… 3,000 square feet. While many people are concerned about their lifestyle, what they eat, what they drive, some never even consider the wasteful space accompanied by their home….

See the rest here: 
Downsizing Your Home: How Much Space Do You Really Need?

Photo from City Coach How would you react if you lost your mother to breast cancer ? If you are Jonathan Cane , you’d organize a virtual-cross-country bicycle race in the storefront on one of Manhattan’s busiest streets . …

Read more: 
Riding in Place to Fight Breast Cancer

The Clinton Climate Initiative, which works with 40 of the world’s biggest cities to reduce greenhouse emissions, is expanding. Working in partnership with the US Green Building Council , local governm…

Read more:
Clinton Climate Initiative & US Green Building Council Unveil "Climate Positive" Cities Initiative

San Francisco’s Center for the Book brought some of the old school printing know how to Maker Faire 09 to remind us all that while e-readers might be the buzz word, books are not dead. And with art like this behind them, they never will be….

Here is the original:
Maker Faire 09: Books Are Not Dead

Photo: Tostie14 Via Flickr If you would have told me three months ago that a robot turkey was a worthwhile invention, I would have argued with you. “No,” I would have said. “I’m not quite sure what turkeys do with their time, but I’m pretty sure that we don’t need to replicate it mechanically.” But I would have been wrong, wrong about the turkeys. Game and Fish Departments across the United States have been using mechanical animals to snare poachers . Thousands of arrests are made each year with the help of robotic decoys…

Read the rest here: 
Mechanical Animals to Terminate Poaching

(images via SF Citizen , Daily Mail and Miheco ) Everyone has seen their share of once-domestic cats who have left the litter-box behind in favor of an outdoor life.  Feral cats have made the transition easily.  They are natural predators and able to fend for themselves.  Other domesticated species seem, at first, to be less able to make it in the big, bad world.  But pet birds, farm animals, and even aquarium fish have been able to thrive in the wild in certain situations.  Here are some examples of domestic species that have unexpectedly made a life for themselves outside the cage. Australia’s Feral Camels (images via anra.com.au and jjron ) Camels were imported to Australia to help with the exploration and settlement of the Outback.  Their use declined with the advent of railways and automobiles, but the camels continued to thrive in the harsh environment.  Some estimates claim that there are nearly 0ne million humped creatures on the continent.  Because of their rapidly increasing numbers, hunting and eating camels is encouraged. Feral Parakeets (images via Chicago wilderness mag and Japan Times ) The hardy monk parakeets, also called Quaker parrots or Quaker parakeets, have become famous residents of urban areas like Chicago’s Hyde Park.  These wild parakeets are descended from pets and have somehow managed to adapt to the conditions and thrive in the city. They are larger and louder than common budgies. Feral Honey Bees (image via Brisbane Insects ) Most bees were born in the wild.  However, some, like the one in Southeastern Australia in the picture, were actually descended from domesticated honey bees.  In the wind, they continue their hive lifestyle, creating honey that will never find its way into a jar. Thailand’s Soi Dogs (images via Thai Dogs ) A Bangkok alleyway ( soi ) is bound to have a few rather mangy residents.  Feral soi dogs are sometimes fed by compassionate residents and sometimes able to scrounge food from trash or roadkill.  They are as much a part of the city’s personality as its markets and temples. Aquarium Fish in the Wild (images via bestfriendsnetwork , Kalamunda Reporter , and pigsofdarkness ) Most of the tropical fish species that you’d find in a pet store are bred specifically for the tank environment.  Hardy fish like koi and common goldfish are able to survive is most freshwater environments even if they were born in a tank.  For other fish, like the Pearl Cichlids that wreak havoc in Northern Australian streams, a more specific settings is needed to survive. Wild Parrots (image via hylobatidae.org ) Perhaps the most famous animals on this list are wild parrots.  The red-masked parrots who starred in the documentary The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill are the poster children of the wild parrot population in the US.  In fact, there are communities of parrots all along the West Coast that are equally welcomed by residents. Feral Farm Animals (images via Queensland government , truestitches , and trailcenter.org ) It would seem that most farm animals are ill-equipped to survive in the wild.  What would a pig used to feeding at the trough do outside of its pen?  But feral pigs and sheep are commonplace in rural areas around the world, especially in agricultural areas in the US.  Some are hunted like wild animals and others are considered a nuisance, eating crops and forever altering eco-systems. Feral Cows of Hong Kong (image via HKoutdoors ) It is a common sight worldwide: cows sitting lazily in fields, chomping on grass.  It is the same on Lantau, a sparsely inhabited island in the territory of Hong Kong.  The difference is that these cattle do not belong to a dairy or beef farm.  They are feral, but that doesn’t seem to have changed their lifestyle much. Hawaii’s Feral Mouflon (image via rarehawaii ) Hawaii’s countryside is  being eaten by the  rapidly expanding populations of feral sheep and European mouflon.  Mouflon are thought to be the forefather’s of domestic sheep.  Their appetites mean that they can mow through vegetation quickly.  With no natural predators besides humans, populations are difficult to control. Bali’s Tame/Wild Monkeys (images via D.Meutia and the Shopping Sherpa ) Though they are not, and were never, domesticated, it would be easy to mistake the Crab-eating Macaques at Ubud Monkey Park on Bali for trained pets.  They pester visitors for hand-outs and some are able to turn on the charm the way a clever dog who wants a treat might.  According to Balinese lore, the monkeys are protectors of the area’s Hindu temples. Feral Guinea Pigs (images via wildlife ranger , U of Hawaii , and behav.org ) Last year, people began seeing a strange rodent on the Hawaiian Island of Oahu.  It’s not that guinea pigs are a rare animal; it’s just that they are usually found in cages with wheels and water-bottles (or as the main course of an Andean meal).  The large litters that these rodents can have makes them a danger to any natural environment into which they are introduced.  Some speculate that the original 40 sightings of feral guinea pigs last year where the result of one pregnant female being released.

Read the original here:
Wild Pets: The World’s Strangest Feral Animals

Wandering through the textiles section of Maker Faire 09 , I saw a booth with bins of junk and a sign that said “Scrap.” Turns out they weren’t talking about the junk in the bins, but rather an operation that takes the trash from manufacturers and puts it back into the consumer stream via craftsters. …

Original post: 
Maker Faire 09: SCRAP Puts Junk Back Into Craftster Consumer Stream

The Maker Shed at Maker Faire 09 had loads of very cool books, kits and gadgets, including quite a few green-themed items. Despite the fact that it would have been really fun to load up one of the cardboard shopping baskets and bring home solar gadget kits and geeky books, I reminded myself that I don’t actually need any of these things and managed to resist. Instead, I took photos so that I could share them with you, because, well, maybe you need them! Check out my wish list of cool green stuff from Maker Shed. …

Read the original post: 
Maker Faire 09: Green Stuff I Wanted to Buy at Maker Shed