Technabob » norway

The Hundehiet Is Like a Storage Locker – for Your Dogs

Hazel Chua — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 17:00:08 +0000

You’ve probably already seen those posters that warn you never to leave your dog alone in your car. The outside temperature may rise, or it may fall, but when your dog (or cat) is locked inside, well – I don’t even want to imagine what might happen to them. You probably don’t either. You can’t exactly just leave your dog outside either while you run your errands because someone might come and steal your pet away.

So what’s Norway’s solution to this? The Hundehiet, which translates to “Dog Den” in English. These are basically storage lockers where you can leave your dogs or cats in while you pick up some groceries. To rent out a space, it costs 10 Kroner (approximately $1.72), which is relatively cheap.

It’s better than leaving your pet in your car but I’m still not very comfortable with the storage lockers though, specially during the summer. But hey I suppose it’s better than nothing. Your dog, on the other hand, may have something different to say about it.

[via PSFK via Pop Up City]

Brown Energy: Buses in Oslo to be Fueled by Methane Fermented From Human Waste

Lambert Varias — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 11:30:40 +0000

Did you know that a year’s worth of human excrement is equivalent to 2.1 gallons of diesel? Well it is. So says Ole Jakob Johansen, an officer at Oslo, Norway’s city hall. And Johansen isn’t just spouting random, disgusting trivia: in 2010 Norway’s capital will start rolling out buses fueled with methane, which in turn will be extracted from sewage. Obviously 2.1 gallons of diesel a year is an insignificant amount, but if you consider the fact that there are hundreds of thousands of people pooping in big cities everyday, you will most likely vomit a little in your mouth. And then you’ll start to see that the Norwegians are on to something here.

For example, Johansen explains, if we multiplied the 2.1 gallons of fuel by 250,000 people, then the resulting amount would be “enough to operate 80 buses for 100,000 kilometres (62,000 miles) each.” The Agence France Presse article that talked about Oslo’s plan also adds: “In addition to being carbon neutral, it (biomethane) emits 78 percent less nitrogen oxide and 98 percent fewer fine particles — two causes of respiratory illnesses — and is 92 percent less noisy.” Producing biomethane from sewage is also cheaper than buying plain old diesel. But the project isn’t perfect: Anne-Merete Andersen of Ruter, the operator of Oslo’s public transport system, says that all in all the project will be 15% more expensive because of the cost of the new buses and their maintenance. Personally I think it’s worth it in the long run; having readily available biomethane will lessen Oslo’s dependency on fossil fuels and will lead to decreased pollution.

Will other cities emulate Oslo’s plans? Will pooping become a civic duty in the future? Is it appropriate to call poop power “clean energy”? Food for thought. Not really.

[via Slate]

The Touchless Touch Screen User Interface

Technabob — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 22:51:26 +0000

As much as I love my iPhone, I can’t stand getting fingerprints all over the phone’s beautiful glossy screen. So I was jazzed when the guys over at Norway’s Elliptic Labs let me know about their new touchless user interface technology.

The system is capable of detecting movements in 3-dimensions without ever having to put your fingers on the screen.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Their patented touchless interface doesn’t require that you wear any special sensors on your hand either. You just point at the screen (from as far as 5 feet away), and you can manipulate objects in 3D.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Elliptic says the technology is compact enough that it could eventually be embedded into mobile devices. Representatives of the company will be on hand at the upcoming GDC show in San Francisco this February to show off their system in person.

Action M25: World’s Smallest Full HD Projector

Technabob — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 03:16:28 +0000

Norwegian projector makers projectiondesign today announced their new Action! M25 DLP projector which claims the current title for the smallest full HD projector on the market.

Measuring just 3.7″ (h) x 9.2″ (d) x 10.8″ (w), the projector features full 1080p resolution. All those pixels come courtesy of a single Texas Instruments DLP chip. The projector is also one of the smallest that I’ve seen with TI’s BrilliantColor tech, which increases color gamut significantly over standard DLPs. Brightness is rated at a solid 1000 lumens, and the DLP’s 5x speed, 7-segment color wheel should reduce the likelihood of the dreaded “rainbow effect” common in many older DLP sets.

While it may be small, the projector comes with some serious home theater features, including compatibility with most digital home control systems using IP or RS232 control schemes. Each projector is also individually calibrated on the production line using projectiondesign’s RealColor suite, ensuring optimal image quality before the projector ever makes it to your home.

Pricing was not announced, but I’d expect to drop at least a couple of paychecks on this, given projectiondesign’s high-end track record.

[via ecoustics]