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January 2009

The Best LED Desk Lamps For 2011

LED desk lamps have a lot going for them. Besides being energy efficient, LED lamps run much cooler than conventional desk lamps, and you can expect the LEDs to last for 10-15 years. Watch out for poorly made LED lamps though — I have an Adesso Lamp that lost 7 of its 20 LEDs in [...]

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Lenovo’s New Monitors Are Greenest Available

Lenovo has released a range of new LCD monitors that are probably the greenest monitors available. The new Thinkvision L2440x monitor received Greenpeace’s highest rating in their Green Electronics Survey 2008 (PDF File). Recently, I had a chance to review the Thinkvision L2440p 24″ widescreen LCD monitor. The L2440p uses only 30 watts to power [...]

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The Best Toasters of 2009

What makes a toaster efficient? Read through reviews of popular toasters, and you’ll see that many people seem to care more about the bells and whistles — automatic lowering of bread, pleasant dings when toasting is complete, and the like — than anything else.

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2010 Review Of Tankless Water Heaters

Tankless water heaters have been used in Europe and Asia for 50 years, and they are gaining popularity in the US. Right now they represent about 8% of new sales in the US. Tankless heaters, also called on-demand, flash or instant water heaters, qualify for a $300 federal tax credit. How efficient are tankless water [...]

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On Meta-Optimization

Optimize your meta-techniques.

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Efficient Unified Bathroom Theory

Overview A meta-efficient design for a bathroom.

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A Unified Meta-Theory Of Design

A Unified Meta-Theory Of Design combining optimization theory, green design theory, universal theory, design pattern theory, and zen theory. Meta-efficient in 2009.

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The Best 12V Solar Battery Chargers

Note: This post on 12V Solar Battery Chargers has been updated for 2010. Solar cells really shine at charging your batteries at remote location or on a boat. They are also useful for maintaining a charge on a 12V battery, such as a car battery. The best (and most expensive) solar battery chargers are flexible, [...]

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