Posts for Blog

A home under construction in Papamoa has just become the first in the country to achieve the highest possible rating of 10 Homestar. [..]While I always like great sustainable buildings, I am also very careful with achievements vs. cost. After all, economics are part of…

Again and again I am astonished as to how long it takes for a great idea for a design until it becomes mainstream. It likewise amazes me how we design things on a daily basis, the things that are not the great inventions but just…

Stories of drought-stricken California have become sadly common, with many citizens forced to slash their water use so severely they’ve let their gardens die. Luckily, innovative architecture is proving that a water-conscious lifestyle doesn’t necessitate giving up your green thumb. Students at the California Polytechnic…

In Silicon Valley and beyond, there are still many advocates of the idea that teams have to work in the same physical place to reach their fullest potential. Remember the uproar when Yahoo banned working from home? Well, I work with a distributed workforce of…

I sometimes do not agree with what Greenpeace are trying to do, like the one below:We petition the NZ Government to establish a feed-in tariff which power companies must pay for surplus power fed into the national grid by people with photo-voltaic panels or other…

A Swedish family has eaten only organic food for two weeks as part of a study conducted by The Swedish Environmental Research Institute. The study – commissioned by Swedish supermarket chain Coop – saw the family dramatically change its diet, with impressive results. A video…

We have always been very concerned about insect repellent and most lights and swirly smoky thingies do not seem to have much effect, particularly when windy. The contents of most insect repellents are scary – surely they will repel or kill insects but it would…

Some interesting thoughts about electronics and power consumption. But there is another side of electronics that is so often completely ignored or at least ignored in big parts: EMF.There’s rightfully much ado about the climate — from extreme weather events, severe droughts and water crises…

Maybe not that super practical, but a great gag idea for the teenagers…So you think it’s okay to continue with your 15-minute shower because you’ve got your super-efficient, on-demand water heater and extra-conservative shower head? Perhaps you’ve even gone as far as…Source: The Spiky shower…

Wireless charging isn’t a new concept at all, but to charge your devices you are still required to place your phone on the top of charging pad. Quite annoying sometimes when slightly misaligned of a device caused your phone not to charge.Now, imagine you never…