Goods packaging posed a weird attraction to me. Especially thinking on how to reduce it. Medication packages is king among the overpackaged goods. Two examples follow.
On the first example is a boxed set of tablets. On the first photos with the tablets stacked one on top of the other.
















while on the second photo the same number of tablets are stacked one inside the other. This way the box could have almost half the thickness. That amounts to 91 squared centimeters per box.





























the blue lines represent the height of the stacked tablets.















On the second example the same type of medication from a different manufacturer that uses a plastic container. This one contains 30 tablets as opposed to the previous one which contains 90 tablets. However 90% of the container is totally empty!


The container is 8 cm tall and 4,5 cm wide. Excluding the safety cap which is 2,5 cm tall and 1,5 cm for the height the tablets need at the bottom of the container, leaves 4 cm height or at least 63,6 cubic cm that is totally empty and useless except perhaps to provide information about the contents.


































The fact of the matter is that the 30 tablets can fit just inside the cap!!!
And in the end all of that goes to the garbage or sometimes for recycling.














Can't they just reduce the packaging and advertise the fact as more environmentally friendly?

Gizmodo =/= comment democracy

For whatever perverse reason Gizmodo.com has desided not to publish my comments. This time on an text with title: The Worst Oil Disaster in US History: How You Can Help

after a list of ways to help non of which really helps except volunteering for cleaning the oil spil, I simply proposed that they could "use the bus" instead of their facking huge american cars that eat gazoline like firebreathing Gozillas.

The reason is quite obvious and requires no real explanation than that by using the busses, they use less gazoline so there is less need for oil companies to extract oil from Mexico, Alaska, Canada Middle East etc. They could also ask for a US fast train network for the same reason. Instead of spending enless amounts of money in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere.

But of course the American way of living prevents them from publishing different or so called communist opinions.

Well I really hope they drown in oil.

How to minimize carbon footprint and save money in the process?

Things I am doing

1. I turn off TV, video, microwave and all standby appliances.
2. I unplug wall chargers.
3. I use sockets with switches to make the above actions easier.
4. I use a 30 year old bicycle for everyday commute.
5. I use high efficiency LED and CFL light bulbs
6. I use a pressure cooker.
7. I use as high efficiency appliances as possible.
8. I turn off the lights whenever not needed.
9. I live in a house with good insulation.
10. I do not buy extra food that eventually goes to trash.
11. I use a list when going for shopping, buying only what I need and not what they brainwash me to buy that eventually ends in trash.
12. I don't eat a lot of meat.
13. I use public transport when needed.
14. I don't own a car. If I buy one, will either be small and diesel or have a very high mpg. Probably though not hybrid, most probably second hand.
15. I find my furniture in the disposed furniture of others.
16. I use extensively www.freecycle.org
17. I buy and sell second hand of whatever shit I think I need or not need on ebay, gummtree, craigslist and elsewhere.
18. I recycle as much as possible.
19. I use reusable bags.
20. I buy organic fruits and vegetables.
21. I repair shit rather than just dispose them.
22. I take navy showers.
23. I use as less hot water as possible when using electrically or fossil fuel heated water.
24. I use high efficiency combi boiler or even better
25. Use solar water heater for hot water usage.
26. Reuse - Repurpose. Glass jars for example. Even if I do not need them, in Freecycle there is someone who does.
27. Refills. Instead of throwing away spray/soap/detergent bottles and buying new ones, keep the old and refill them with bulk refills. Same with printer cartridges. Refill them on my own.
28. Rechargeable batteries. Lots of them, for everything around the house that uses batteries. Cheaper in the long run, less waste in the longer run.
29. Use solar water heater for hot water usage.

Also Wired has an interesting article on using alternatives to common household chemicals.


Things I need to do:

Get an induction stove.
Get vacuum tubes to for space heating.
When I do replace my current appliances, get hot water fill washing machine and dishwasher.
(If I do get one, get a diesel car)

Global Warming will freeze us to death...

Newcastle and Moscow have approximately the same latitude: 55o North.











Although they share such an important weather factor, Moscow freezes each winter while Newcastle stays reasonably cool.
Why does that happens?

Due to the thermohaline effect.

















the north Atlantic ocean water stream also known as Gulf stream, transfers heat captured at the equator to the British Isles.

if that heat stream stops then the result will be the following:




















and whoever yells "Global warming my ass", mate that would be a consequence of global warming.