12v Pizza Oven

Anything that runs off of 12V is of interest if your main power source is a solar system. I am not sure if this little pizza oven would be of much use, but it could at least serve a dual purpose for when you are travelling by car...

(Source:Cnet)

For all you jungle pilots out there....

Check out the VirtualHUD! It is a heads up display that uses the propeller on a single engine aircraft to display information. It is like a little projector that beams onto the prop. Pretty cool!

The VirtualHUD is a simple bolt-on system for any plane with a nose propeller that takes a readout from almost any avionics package or flight GPS system and projects it onto the back of the spinning prop, overlaying information, graphics, warning and waypoints directly over the pilot's view from the cockpit.

It is readable pretty much from idle and, best of all, because it's just a simple projector system, there's no reason why you couldn't use it to show your own in-flight movies too. No more long and boring flights with just the roar of the enginge to accompany you!

Solar Cap

How about using this cap on your next survey trip? Or when you need to work on your generator at one in the morning?

New Zealand-based company 2C is selling a range of solar powered LED caps that charge up during the day to provide light at night. All the energy gathering, light-emitting technology is located in the semi-flexible pre-bent beak of the caps including the solar panel and the NiMH battery used to store it.

The cap initially takes about three days of daylight to reach a full charge, after which one day should be enough. A full charge will provide five hours of use on full beam or 36 hours on low beam.

The Solar Light Cap is available in a range of styles and colors, ranging in price from USD$39.90 to $44.90.

Battery-free LED Flash Light

Flashlights are a basic necessity when the nearest street light is a full 8-hour hike away. Here is on that grabbed my attention:



"Light for Life recharges in just 90 seconds and shines at 90 lumens for 90 minutes per charge. The flashlight has three modes: bright (270 peak lumens), standard (90 lumens), and strobe, which is good for dance parties or scaring the neighbors' dog and kids (OK, I'm kidding, but you get the picture).

According to 5.11 Tactical, the 50,000-hour LEDs never have to be replaced and the flashlight is engineered to "offer 10 years of maintenance-free service under typical conditions." (You can recharge it up 50,000 times or one time a day for 135 years.)"

(From Cnet.com)

More info: http://www.ivusenergy.com/technology.htm

I need my coffee!!!!

*** UPDATE***

If you live in the Philippines I have some good news for you. A very observant reader has reported that this coffee maker is for sale at Greenhills, in the computer department of all places. If you have been in the Philippines this will not really surprice you though. Price? PHP1,900. Not bad! And, no, it is not a pirated version, it's the real thing. Thanks for the tip Paulie!

Does living in the jungle mean that I can't have good coffee??? A lot of people use a french press/plunger for their coffee, since that is a power saving option. But, if you are like me it just doesn't quite cut it. That's why I was excited to present this bit of news to all you jungle living coffee lovers out there. The Aerobie (yes it is the frisbee manufacturer) AeroPress.



It basically makes an espresso, which you of course can make into an americano. And, since most coffee based drinks start out as an espresso you can really get creative here; lattes, cappuchinos, mochas... your imagination is the only limitation!

Not only does this make as good coffee as your good old coffee maker at home, it is actually BETTER! Click on the link to read the whole review: "The Aeropress works and is really fun and makes terrific cup of coffee. We really enjoyed using it and will continue to use it."

And, to top it all, you can get it for as low as around USD 25, and the filters are reasonable too.

In the next month or so I will be buying one for myself, and I will share my thoughts on it here.

More info: http://www.aerobie.com/Products/aeropress.htm

Is this your next Jungle House?

"Designed by Philip Crewe, Rural Space is an investigation into creating a temporary living space to help rejuvenate British tourism. It was designed to accommodate seasonal holidaymakers, festival goers and school trips. It is built and maintained using traditional rural craftsmanship, and made out of sustainable, locally sourced materials such as beach and ash trees. Its minimum impact design means it could be put in places traditional houses can’t, and by being a temporary structure it avoids much of the greenbelt/national park planning regulations."

"The tower is self-sufficient with energy coming from a turbine and solar panels, while solar water heaters provide warm water for the shower. The toilet is a compost type toilet that doesn’t require a flush. Runoff tanks for the shower and cesspit for the compost toilet are buried in the ground under the floor, or could be connected to temporary surface tanks."

Source: EcoFriend.

Wind Turbine

Electric power is always a challenge when living in remote areas. Solar power is the most widely used power source. But here is an interesting new technology that will soon be available.

The EarthTronics Honeywell Windgate will be available this northern fall. Initially it will be sold in ACE Hardware stores in the US for USD$4,500. EarthTronics says that the turbine’s installed cost is about one third of the cost of traditional turbines, with a lower installed cost per kW than other turbines on the market.

More info: http://convertthewind.com/

Welcome

What is the purpose of this blog? Well, I guess it will get clearer as time goes by. The initial idea is to post about gadgets and gizmos that are well suited for life in less civilized areas such as way in the deep jungle or on some remote island where there is no city power, little communication, etc.

I hope this can be of help and inspiration to not only those who I know who live in such places, but others too.

Posts will be more or less serious. Some might feature more futuristic technology which will give a glimpse into what might be available down the road.

We'll see how this goes!

- Markus