Independent, Austin-based inventor Mike Brickley set out to create an engine that connects the pistons to each other and the crankshaft in a more efficient manner. He claims that the friction reduction gained by his design improves fuel efficiency by 15-20 percent and reduces CO2 emissions by 15-20 percent. Overall engine friction is reduced by as much as 35 percent. With this loss in friction, Brickley says his engine turns "energy normally lost in heat into useful work. With petroleum prices increasing and global warming on the rise, there is an urgent need for us to provide a more efficient, less polluting internal combustion engine."
I don't know: To my eyes, I see plenty of friction and heat going on, if you know what I mean. But perhaps I'm just deeply perverted...yes, yes I am.
Photo by David Baker, BakerDavid@gmail.com cc DavidBaker
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, the Sunday after Thanksgiving is the most traveled day of the year. Accident fatalities spike during the days around Thanksgiving—and a disproportionate number happen on rural roads.
How about watching a gaggle of driverless cars meander through a fake city?
The selection process for DARPA’s third Grand Challenge is almost over, and the final race begins bright and early on Saturday. So if you’re anywhere near Victorville, California, grab a cup of coffee and go watch autonomous robots careen wildly through the streets, jump curbs and morph into giant aliens that, as it turns out, are fighting a civil war that began in a galaxy far, far away…
Well, we can only hope that they’re not going to jump any curbs. The selected vehicles are driverless, and they are robots, and they have to follow laws and drive judiciously as they navigate through a simulated city scene. Why? For the thrill of the ride, of course, and the Department of Defense would like to use them on the battlefields of the future. The event is open to the public; you can look at the schedule here.
Rising gas prices are biting everyone in the ass — I initially tried to save costs by diluting my gas with chocolate milk, but my well-tested hypothesis (if: chocolate milk makes me happy, then: chocolate milk makes cars happy) didn't work out so well in the real world.
Luckily, Slate's Brendan I. Koerner explains in his column "The Green Lantern" how a diligent stick-shift driver can improve gas mileage and reduce their carbon footprint by as much as 15 percent. These techniques are collectively called hypermiling, a term which I plan to now sprinkle liberally throughout my cocktail-party conversations because it sounds ultra-cool.
Rising gas prices are biting everyone in the ass — I initially tried to save costs by diluting my gas with chocolate milk, but my well-tested hypothesis (if: chocolate milk makes me happy, then: chocolate milk makes cars happy) didn't work out so well in the real world.
