MetaFilter posts tagged with efficiency

Urinal Protocol Vulnerability

Premeditated Symmetry Breaking — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 09:31:13 -0800

When a guy goes into the bathroom, which urinal does he pick?

Ideas for Environmentally Sustainable Living

netbros — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 22:20:51 -0800

Eartheasy is about sustainable living. It offers information, activities and ideas which help us live more simply, efficiently and with less impact on the environment. Enhance your backyard, create a fun project for the family and contribute to local wildlife conservation - develop your own Backyard Wildlife Habitat. Young children especially can learn the basics of nature appreciation through their own window into the natural world. "This victory alone is not the change we seek. It is only the chance for us to make that change." -- Barack Obama, Nov. 4, 2008. Here are six ways we can start building a sustainable future for ourselves and the world. Compost is the single most important supplement you can give your garden soil. Composting is a simple way to add nutrient-rich humus which fuels plant growth and restores vitality to depleted soil. One-pot cooking used to be the exclusive domain of bachelors, campers and college students just moved away from home. Here are a few variations on the "one-pot" theme, which broaden the possibilities for creative cuisine, while maintaining the simplicity and energy savings of one-pot cooking. The cost of clothing goes way beyond the price tag. The environment is impacted by the growing of fibers for textiles, the manufacture and distribution of clothing, and even the care and maintenance of garments. Here are some tips to help reduce the environmental costs of clothing. The World War II home front was the most important and broadly participatory green experiment in U.S. history. Is it a model we should use today? You can also visit the Eartheasy Shop to find products suitable for energy efficiency, water conservation, composting, gardening, food security, natural lawn care and pest control, and lighting.

Fuelly tracks your gas mileage.

goodnewsfortheinsane — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 19:26:58 -0800

Fuelly tracks your gas mileage over time, helping you save fuel and expenses as you drive.

Sustainability

homunculus — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 15:46:13 -0800

Our Decrepit Food Factories. Michael Pollan on what sustainability is really about. [Via Gristmill.]

Diesel-Driven Bee Slums and Impotent Turkeys

homunculus — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 12:15:20 -0800

The Case for Resilience. How Efficiency Maximizes Catastrophe.

Smallist: Better living through Smallistry

cortex — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 14:51:30 -0800

Better living through Smallistry at Smallist. Gadgets, spaces, beverages, fetishes: ultra-niche blogging at its finest. [via mefi projects]

YMMV

MetaMonkey — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 22:44:29 -0800

Wayne Gerdes, king of the hypermilers

Long live the Flusher King!

greatgefilte — Sun, 22 Oct 2006 14:54:25 -0800

Ever wonder how toilet efficiency is tested? With pictorial goodness of the, errr, test subjects. (mildy NSFW)

Beyond Sustainability

MetaMonkey — Wed, 26 Jul 2006 06:31:00 -0800

Designing the Next Industrial Revolution [google video], an inspiring talk by William McDonough on design and ecology, beyond sustainability. Starts a little slow, but builds a powerful vision of a possible future. [transcript, v i a, see also]

Wait, what's really more efficient?

driveler — Wed, 19 Apr 2006 16:26:19 -0800

A new study suggests that, over the course of its lifetime, a Hummer H3 has a lower energy cost per mile than all currently offered hybrid vehicles.

Good and Bad Procrastination

Chuckles — Sun, 25 Dec 2005 23:04:22 -0800

There are an infinite number of things you could be doing. No matter what you work on, you're not working on everything else. So the question is not how to avoid procrastination, but how to procrastinate well. (via slashdot)

Intelligent Design by Trial and Error

fatllama — Fri, 26 Aug 2005 09:41:21 -0800

A more efficient microbe genome. A more efficient sorting algorithm. A more efficient keyboard layout.

Drive ten thousand miles on a gallon of petrol?

SharQ — Sat, 25 Jun 2005 05:19:12 -0800

Shell Eco Marathon UK is coming up in England (6-7 july). It is a race not for the swift, but for those who can drive immense distances in super-efficient vehicles. Two years ago, the current world record of 10,706 MPG was set at one of these events. The lessons learned are useful in development in other fuel-efficient cars, such as the 100 MPG Honda Insight. Interesting in these times of high oil prices, then, when considering that despite tactical driving, normal petrol cars rarely get better than 45 MPG. Diesels are slightly better, as illustrated on BBC Top Gear, where Clarkson drives an Audi A8 from London to Edinburgh and back on a single tank of diesel. That's 800 miles.

The Future of the Car

Shanachie — Sun, 02 Jan 2005 11:01:34 -0800

Obsession: Mr. Singh’s Search for the Holy Grail American visionaries, cranks and con men have long sought the simple key to boosting the efficiency of the gasoline engine. Now a barefoot tinkerer in India believes he has unlocked the door. Is he for real?

Turn off the lights when you leave.

tcp — Sat, 24 Jul 2004 14:57:17 -0800

The end of the light bulb? E. Fred Schubert, a professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute "claims to have invented a 99-percent efficient reflector that promises to speed the replacement of light bulbs with LEDs." According to researchers, this could happen within the next five years. The current prototype is bankrolled by the ARPA and The National Science Foundation "recently award Schubert's team a $210,000 grant to create in three years a commercial version of his patented omnidirectional reflector."

"Schubert claimed that lighting accounts for 25 percent of U.S. electrical energy consumption. Since white LEDs emit more light per dollar and generate less unwanted heat, they are potentially a major energy saver." (see EE Times link)

Meanwhile, some of the oldtimers seem to be pretty refractory.

Hyper-efficient living space.

yoga — Mon, 05 Jul 2004 05:28:09 -0800

347 square feet? Hyper-efficient living space.

meta meta meta

luser — Thu, 03 Jun 2004 09:35:42 -0800

Gizmodo + Cool Tools + Whole Earth Catalog = Meta-efficient -a "guide to the most efficient things in the world."

crunchland — Tue, 01 May 2001 08:54:00 -0800

He gives a whole new meaning to the word "Conservation may be a sign of personal virtue, but it is not a sufficient basis for a sound, comprehensive energy policy." NY Times