Search Results for: solar

Q&A: How’s the best way to keep my iPhone charged up during a 3 day camping trip?

Posted on August 27, 2015

Question from Eileen J.: Hi Rick. My husband and I are planning a three day camping trip in the Alabama woods for a little over a month from now.

I know I’ll end up spending a lot of time Facebooking and playing games on my iPhone while we’re there because I always get bored after just a couple of hours.

My problem is my phone’s battery always dies on the first day and I don’t have a way to charge it back up. Can you tell me the best way to keep it charged for the entire three days without having to spend an arm and a leg?

We’ll have a usable cell signal where we’re going, but we won’t have an electrical outlet to plug a charger into or handy access to our vehicle for using a car charger. Thanks for any advice you can give me.

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

Check out this jacket that can charge your mobile devices. Yes, really.

Posted on December 9, 2014

I guess you could file this one under the “Now I’ve seen it all!” category.

Clothing designer Tommy Hilfiger is now selling a jacket that comes with detachable solar panels that produce electricity for charging the mobile devices that you carry around in your pockets.

Regular readers of this blog are well aware that I’m all about innovations in technology, but there are just some innovations that are perfectly welcome to pass me by. And a solar panel jacket is one of them.

Don’t get me wrong – I can see the benefits of having your clothing power your gadgets, but it just seems to me like there are tons of alternative options out there that are a lot less expensive and, quite frankly, a lot more attractive. [Read more…]

Explore the universe in 3D with Celestia

Posted on December 27, 2012

Do you enjoy learning about the universe and exploring the wonders of space? How about visiting a planetarium for an up close and personal tour of the night sky? If so, you’ll love a free program called Celestia!

Celestia brings the known universe right to your computer screen with amazing animations and “tours” that will keep you spellbound for hours.

You can also choose to go directly to the heavenly body of your choice or “travel” from the solar system to over 100,000 stars and even beyond the Milky Way!

After downloading and installing Celestia, I recommend starting your journey by running the Demo (Simply click “Help” followed by “Run Demo”).

You’ll find links to Celestia’s documentation and the download page right here.