Apologies for not writing another post for so long. I'm having a hard time figuring out what topics to write about, and with the school year starting once more, I'm having a hard time finding free time to write. I usually find my blog topics by perusing my Twitter Feed. (If you don't have a … Continue reading Fungi Creates Clouds
Category: Nature
Disney Creates Magic We Can Use
A while ago, I wrote a post about generating electricity through the use of trees. In the end, I imagined replacing our current wires-and-steel power plants with lush green forests. Well, apparently we are getting one step closer to replacing inanimate products with biological products. A research team at Disney (yes, Disney, I’m not sure … Continue reading Disney Creates Magic We Can Use
A Fresh Take on Environmentalism
I tend to stray away from using labels to describe myself; frankly I tend to avoid describing myself if at all possible. Call it a fear of commitment or conflict, or wishy-washiness, but I find that labels encourage limited thinking, it immediately boxes you in and generalizes you into a large group of supposedly like-minded … Continue reading A Fresh Take on Environmentalism
Modern-day Weather Machines
It’s certainly been a pretty hot summer this year. In fact, it’s been so hot, us Midwesterners are probably experiencing the worst drought in decades. Although it has rained a little bit these past few days, Summer 2012 has mostly been populated with +100 degree Fahrenheit days, cloudless skies and yellow grass. Crops are withering … Continue reading Modern-day Weather Machines
Art for Air
When I’m not on the computer researching my next blog post, watching Youtube videos, on Facebook or stumbling on Stumbleupon (which only happens when I am most desperate), I read the occasional webcomic. Funnily enough, I don’t normally read comics in print form (I’d rather read a good book), but something about the online platform … Continue reading Art for Air
The Perfect Tree-house
Bijan Haghnegahdar, a designer in New York City, came up with an interesting idea which he calls Being Nature. The idea was born out of the simple observation that we as humans like to keep the things that are necessary for our survival – mainly trees and plants – out of our habitats. It seems … Continue reading The Perfect Tree-house
Straight out of Fantasy: Firefly-inspired Lights
I thought I would write a short little post about a recent innovation that I came across. Scientists at Syracuse University have figured out a way to harness the bioluminescence of fireflies to produce energy-free lights. The process requires the use of nanorods and a technique known as Bioluminescence Resonance Energy Transfer (BRET). Research is … Continue reading Straight out of Fantasy: Firefly-inspired Lights
Benefits of Green Infrastructure
After finishing my last essay of the year, I have now completed my Freshman year at university. And just like so many other engineers, after I finish writing, I can’t help but use my free time to keep writing! (Which is, of course, a joke. Apparently engineers who actually like to write are few and … Continue reading Benefits of Green Infrastructure
Powered by Elec-tree-city
We get our energy from a variety of sources, some more environmentally harmful than others. There’s fossil fuels, natural gas, hydropower, geothermal, solar power, wind power, biomass, and I’m sure I’m forgetting some other commonly used forms of energy production. Energy is what keeps not only machines and technology running, it’s what keeps us living … Continue reading Powered by Elec-tree-city
Surrounded with Solutions
Despite being on this planet for roughly 200,000 years, we humans still know very little about Earth. Sure, we've discovered many governing principles of physics, biology and chemistry, but we still lack information on a lot of specifics regarding our lovely planet. Even though our population is growing rapidly, there are still many places on Earth that … Continue reading Surrounded with Solutions
Ethan Yen 