The Friendly Manual » Green Tech http://www.thefriendlymanual.com Technology for the Rest of Us Sun, 28 Jun 2009 21:10:34 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 City Dwellers: Your Folding Electric Bike Awaits! http://www.thefriendlymanual.com/2009/04/10/city-dwellers-your-folding-electric-bike-awaits/ http://www.thefriendlymanual.com/2009/04/10/city-dwellers-your-folding-electric-bike-awaits/#comments Fri, 10 Apr 2009 19:39:32 +0000 Joe Rybicki http://www.thefriendlymanual.com/?p=166 gocycle_1239392119033-200As nifty and futuristic as the Segway may be, it’s not exactly the most practical of personal transportation devices. Nevermind the fact that in many cities it’s considered not big enough to be streetworthy, yet too powerful to be safe for sidewalks; the bigger problem is that it’s, well, big. Heavy. Bulky.

No, the world clearly isn’t ready for a revolution in personal transport. But taking established technology and making it work better — yeah, there’s always a market for that.

Enter the Gocycle, an electric bicycle that can supposedly travel 20 miles on a charge, power up fully in only three hours via a normal household outlet, and fold into a space about two feet on a side, and about a foot deep.

The catch? It’s very expensive, and currently available only in the U.K. and Europe. But devices like these are sure to become more popular as the price of gas continues to rise, and when that happens the prices are sure to come down.

[Read - via Gizmodo]

]]> http://www.thefriendlymanual.com/2009/04/10/city-dwellers-your-folding-electric-bike-awaits/feed/ 0 What to Do With Old Electronics http://www.thefriendlymanual.com/2009/02/25/what-to-do-with-old-electronics/ http://www.thefriendlymanual.com/2009/02/25/what-to-do-with-old-electronics/#comments Wed, 25 Feb 2009 19:29:33 +0000 Joe Rybicki http://www.thefriendlymanual.com/?p=115 best_buy_logo_3-150Got some old electronics you’re looking to get rid of but don’t want to pollute your local landfill with all that silicon? You’ve got plenty of options: If it’s in reasonably decent shape, you could try selling it on eBay. If just getting rid of it is more important, you can donate it to Goodwill or a similar charity and get a tax deduction for the depreciated value next April. If it’s not worth even taking it down to Goodwill, you could list it on Freecycle and let someone else come take it off your hands.

But if none of these options work for you, Lifehacker reports that electronics giant Best Buy is now accepting recycling of just about any old electronics at all of its U.S. stores.

This certainly isn’t the most idea option, but in many metropolitan areas Best Buys are more convenient than any of the other options, and the important thing is that these mountains of disposable electronics are properly taken care of.

[Read] (And if you’re looking for more ideas for how to get rid of stuff, Unclutterer has some great suggestions.)

]]> http://www.thefriendlymanual.com/2009/02/25/what-to-do-with-old-electronics/feed/ 0