Attention cyclists across the US: the wait for decent biking directions is over! Google Maps users can finally get biking directions along with walking, driving, and public transportation directions. Best of all, the new feature takes into account hills, bike lanes, and even busy intersections when calculating routes.

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Google Maps Adds Biking Directions for 150 US Cities

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Most Americans would have a fit if their credit card or cell phone company sent a dollar amount at the end of the month with no itemized description to match. But we tolerate it from our utility companies with little complaint. If we’re going to change our energy habits, we’re going to need more information to do it. What kinds of information motivate consumers and what kinds irritate them? OPOWER, an energy efficiency software company, is betting that a new version of an old classic — the report card — will strike the right balance.

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Post tags: “energy efficiency”, energy report cards, green design, green graphic design, home energy monitor, home energy use, information design, opower, smart meter, sustainable design, utility

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OPOWER Encourages Efficiency With Energy Report Cards

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Photo: Jurvetson

Telecom giant Nokia recently filed a patent for a cell phone powered by kinetic energy (one of our favorite kinds of energy here at Inhabitat!). The conceived phone would charge via built-in piezoelectric generators that will convert the user’s motions into power. Now, we’ve seen a ton of kinetic gadget concepts, but the fact that Nokia is taking interest and has gone so far as to file a patent is significant evidence that we may soon be seeing these types of electronics hit the market.

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Nokia Files Patent for Kinetically Charged Cell Phone

Wait! Before you go to toss your old computer, cell phone, or other electronics out, take a look at our tips on how to discard of them in a way that has the least environmental impact. E-waste is a huge issue right now and your electronics could end up in landfills, with toxic chemicals seeping into our ecosystems and polluting our waterways. Why not avoid all that with these easy and creative ways to get your obsolete gadgets and gizmos out of your house the responsible way?

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Creative and Greener Ways to Get Rid of Old Electronics

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This ingenious White Goat machine, made by Japanese company Oriental, turns used office paper into toilet paper. Simply feed [...]
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White Goat – Office recycling with a twist

By Evan Ackerman

At the end of last month, Nokia filed a patent for a “piezoelectric kinetic energy harvester” for mobile phones. If they get it to work, it will enable mobile phones to charge themselves. Brillliant! Why didn’t I think of that?

I’ll tell you why I didn’t think of that. It’s because a “piezoelectric kinetic energy harvester” works by generating electricity from crystals which are compressed by movement. So, the catch is (of course there’s a catch), you have to be moving for the phone to charge. As in, not sedentary in front of the computer. This means that people like me will have dead cell phones 99% of the time, with the remaining 1% of uptime due to bedroom to bathroom transitions plus trips to the fridge. Maybe I’ll just strap it to my cat and bust out the laser pointer for a few hours, that should do the trick.

Cat or no cat, it’s always good to see big companies trying to innovate when it comes to green energy and infinite phone calls. Or at least, it’s good to see them take the first tentative steps in the form of a patent.

[ Nokia Patent ] VIA [ New Scientist ]

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Nokia Patents Self-Charging Phone, Won’t Work For Lazy People

The Joos Orange (geddit?) promises to take portable solar charging performance to a new level by delivering up to 30x more [...]
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Joos Orange – super solar charger promises 20 x more power for your gadgets

Filed under: Car Tech, Green Tech

We’ve told you about power plants that pull electricity from garbage. We’ve reported on a Formula 3 car that draws its power from chocolate. We even knew a guy that knew a guy, back in high school, who rigged his father’s riding lawnmower to run on his grandfather’s white lightning. Well, thanks to a few brainy Brits, we can now add coffee to the ever-growing list of funny fuels.

According to the Daily Mail, the Car-puccino, thanks to a gasification process that breaks the beans into hydrogen and carbon dioxide, runs, like the editors of Switched, entirely on ground coffee (and, thanks to its goofy name, proves we’ll never get British humor). The responsible engineers, who come from the BBC show ‘Bang Goes the Theory,’ claim that the 1988 Volkswagen Scirocco will get around three miles to the kilo (2.2 pounds). Apparently, that’s in the neighborhood of 56 espressos per mile.

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Car-puccino Cranks Up With Coffee, Chugs 56 Espressos-Per-Mile originally appeared on Switched on Mon, 08 Mar 2010 10:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Car-puccino Cranks Up With Coffee, Chugs 56 Espressos-Per-Mile

This is for all of you who dream of driving a supercar but end up opting for a hybrid [...]
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Ferrari 599 HY-KERS – A green supercar?

With March welcoming the first cloudless days of 2010, I can’t be the only one to notice certain people thinking that this warrants cracking out the shortest shorts and the tightest tanktops, despite the still freezing temperatures. With enough power…

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Catch the spring sun with solar powered gadgets