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Power To The People Part 2: Remote PowerBar Switch
"I got tone. Weapons locked. Firing scud missile! Pew Pew!"
You probably have a Power Strip under your desk now ( I call it a PowerBar). It comes with a switch to kill power to all the items plugged into it. Some power strips have several switches to control each item individually! This functionality helps you save power.
Two problem with this setup: The PowerBar is under your desk, and usually not very accessible - so everyone probably leaves it on 24/7. It is also under foot, so you may inadvertantly trigger the switch when you don’t want to.
I give you this remote switch concept, which is an extension of your PowerBar (argh, Power Strip) that places the power switch on your desk and at your fingertips.
It comes with a flip cover, like what you see in fighter jet cockpits, or alien spacecraft even.
Also, I thought it would be beneficial if it came with a USB plug that could control the on/off switching for your computer too. This way, you hit the switch, the computer powers down safely, and then the PowerBar switches off in sequence.
If everyone had something like this for their desktop PC’s and TV entertainment centers, there would be huge power savings on a national level.
Power To The People Part 1: Power Penalties
Perhaps it would be easier to turn things off if they were more problematic to turn on in the first place.
People don’t see a penalty or repercussion for leaving the computer on at the end of the work day. But what if they came in the next day and were greeted with “Your computer system shut down after 6 hours of zero activity. An energy-saving penalty of 1 hour will now commence. Please restart your PC then.” Computer shuts down again. The User would freak. They will likely remember to shut down at the end of the day. Every day.
Not just the TV and PC, but the stereo system. The video game console. The DVD player. The cable box. The electronics prone to being left on.
They’d all feature an auto shutdown that is triggered when it is apparent there is no activity for X number of hours. That forced shutdown would trigger a penalty the next time the User powers it on.
If you couldn’t be bothered to power if off, the electronic device should give some attitude (‘tude, the internet would say) and refuse to power on. The agony of not watching or TiVo-ing Glee or The Office.
If this ever became a reality, you’d probably wish me dead for such a nuisance! At least energy wouldn’t seem like an unlimited resource that jumps when you say so.
Of course, there would be a few exceptions - like the PC terminals in a hospital, as their operation would always be crucial.
The Power To The People series will feature some energy-saving ideas and concepts over the next few weeks.
Gas Cap Fuel Gauge That Should Be Standard On Every Vehicle
Perhaps there is too much reliance on the dashboard, or people in general are just accepting what the gas pump says. The fact is vehicles should be doing a better job of informing owners how much fuel is consumed and spent.
Something like this quartz/LCD display should be standard and affixed to every vehicle by the gas cap. This will tell you A) How much fuel you are putting in B) How much mileage you can expect to get from what is in the tank C) How much mileage you got since your last fill and D) Odometer and other maintenance info that might be timely when you are at the gas station - like oil, washer fluid, tire pressure, etc.
This would serve to do a few things:
1.) Ensure you are getting the correct amount of fuel. Yes there may be some disagreements with the pump, but it should be within a single percent. If this was a standard device, then multiple vehicles would detect that a particular gas pump is incorrect and ripping-off customers.
2.) You can better plan your vehicle’s usage to fit your economic or travel needs. Knowing what you can expect from your tank would be so handy, really takes the guess work out of it.
3.) Monitor your vehicle’s fuel consumption. Are you getting fewer miles for every fill? The vehicle could alert you when it is not using fuel in an optimum fashion, and direct you to some remedies, like tire pressure or changing oil.
I’m going to say there are ZERO excuses for why this doesn’t exist or isn’t already standard. The means to create this type of gadget with a quartz/LCD display is dirt cheap. Monitoring equipment is also inexpensive, and your car is already stuffed to the gills with sensors, this would be just tapping into the existing network.
The only people who wouldn’t like this are gas station owners who illegally tamper fuel pumps to steal from people.
The PC Internal Power Bridge System
If you did a Google Image search for ‘PSU’ (short for Power Supply Unit), you’ll find a lot of PSU models which are nicely photographed - but with one convenient omission: the power cables are nicely tied up and/or tucked away, or even altogether obscured by the PSU case itself. In reality there are many cables included. This is to support multiple devices, multiple MOBO platforms (ASUS/AMD etc), and a few legacy cables for outdated devices to boot. Here is a high-end model:
That is a whole lot of wires to appease many configurations. Many of these wires will not be used, and are reduced to cluttering the inside of your PC case.
My beef is, that is a lot of waste, and a whole lot of mess to boot. This one-size-fits-all-and-then-some configuration is outdated. This is probably a fire hazard too - many wires are now encased in a black cloth-like mesh (like the one depicted above), so clearly that is a recognized issue.
These PSU configurations are an industry-standard unfortunately, and I have no idea why. Maybe an electrical guru could shed some light on this.
What I propose is a ‘Bridge’ system, which is like putting a power bar inside your PC case. The PSU would plug a single wire into the Bridge, and then all the devices would plug into this Bridge as well. This helps reduce the amount of wiring needed, and gets rid of the clutter. It is the green section depicted below:
This Bridge would be mounted into the frame like the Motherboard. It would have a bunch of ports to anticipate the needs of the User.
Obviously, this new part would consume materials for it’s existence, but would help prevent the manufacture of unnecessary wires, and keep the interior of the PC case tidy and clutter-free. Also PSU’s often die and are replaced over the course of a PC’s life. This system would make a swap much simpler, and with much less waste.
As Khalid pointed out in the comments, this Bridge would also improve air-flow inside the PC casing, which helps keep devices cooler. This also allows fans to operate at a slower speed, making for a reduction in noise, and ultimately extending the operating life of said fans.
Those who put together computers might appreciate this layout. It is much more accessible. The one drawback being you have to plug in a few more wires directly into the Bridge. For safety, all the unused ports in the bridge may need to be capped to keep dust out.
This configuration would require the wholesale revamp of existing industry standards. PSU’s would be configured to have a single wire. PC case dimensions would need to accommodate this Bridge device. A plethora of shorter wires would need to be made available for device connections.
Dummy-Proof Train Doors
I frequent the Skytrain system here in Vancouver. And if there is one thing I hate, it’s some moron who will holds up the train by prying the doors open. This triggers the safety function, which re-opens the doors and attempts to close them again. Some inconsiderate people will trigger this operation as much as several times.
I get the feeling that Translink, operators of Skytrain, also don’t enjoy this behavior either. Plastered on every door is a sticker asking people not to hold these doors open. This act causes the trains to fall behind schedule, and is responsible for a lot of costly repairs as well, sidelining cars when they could be in operation.
So what I propose is chopping up the doors into smaller sections. That way when some idiot tries to hold up the train instead of waiting 4 minutes for the next one, he’ll only be able to pry a small portion of the door, not permitting him to board. Sure, someone could try to wedge themselves in between all the adjoining sections, but it will only result in futility - as well as a bit of entertainment for those watching.
As for safety, well if a hand or purse or bag gets caught in the door, that section will re-open allowing safe removal. The rest of the door will close. I don’t think it will be that jarring a change, it’s taking the existing design and amplifying it.
PS: Sorry for holding up the train at VCC Clark Station today. Hehe.
Geeky Gadget Wish List #11: Portable Energon Charger
On my way home from work I say an ad for Duracell’s portable device charger. It looked cool, but lacks that certain charm that appeals to most geeks. So why not reform that device into an Energon Cube? The highly-contested power source/alcoholic beverage of the Autobots and Decepticons. The Transformers property already has a line of functioning gadget devices, but nothing like this. Plus it would make a handy night light.
Geeky Gadget Wish List #8: Video Game Medkits
So not a gadget exactly. I am trying not to replicate the type of gadget right now, opting to showcase a variety of products. In the future, I will be showing ‘duplicates’ of ideas posted, meaning more alarm clocks, usb gadgets, and so forth.
Today’s item is a First-Aid kit in the guise of a video game ‘medkit’. This could either be hung on the wall in the bathroom or kitchen, serving as an emergency kit. Or it can simply be a small medicine cabinet to store all your hygiene wares by the bathroom sink. A small, compact version could be issued for use as a travel kit. Either way, you can treat yourself like you’ve been through war.
The example illustrated above is from Half Life 2. Many other games have their own unique health kits; such as Halo, Splinter Cell, Call of Duty, etc.
There might be some legal hurdles with this one…litigious people might see this as a toy inviting to toddlers, or completely overlooked in an emergency. That’s what disclaimers are for! Of all the ideas I have presented, this could very well be the cheapest - the equivalent of mass-producing lunch boxes or DVD tin cases. It’s just a fancy First-Aid box, after all.
