Mar 2 2009 A Different Kind Of Circular Ice: Pi Ice
Remember those $8 ice balls? Yeah, i bought a bag too. What can I say, I was drunk and my credit card was on the desk. Anyway, pi ice. They're ice cubes in the shape of the pi symbol. The reusable tray is available from ThinkGeek for 9 bones. I bought one, and I even went so far as to make my own drink using the ice. It's called 'Pi in the Skyy'. Recipe: add one bottle Skyy vodka to a pitcher. Add icecube tray full of Pi ice. Stir vigorously, drink. Feeling it? Good. Feeling boobs? Even better. Feeling yourself? You made it wrong.
Hit the jump for a real Pi-Tini recipe from ThinkGeek.
Continue Reading " A Different Kind Of Circular Ice: Pi Ice "
Aug 28 2008 Zero Carbon Footprint: The Solar Ice Maker
It may look like a funhouse mirror and potato gun, but this sucker is actually a solar powered ice maker that requires no electricity, and can produce 14 lbs of ice per day.
It works like this: the solar icemaker uses a refrigerant liquid that evaporates when exposed to the sun. The vapor travels through pipes that come into contact an absorbent material, which cools when the sun goes down. Once the slow-cooling absorbent hits 104°F, the refrigerant turns back into a liquid and its temperature drops like a rock to below freezing because of pressure differences. Put some water next to the evaporator's exterior and, presto, ice.
Awesome. I love ice. But you know what I love even more? Refrigerant. Shit's better than Kool-Aid. Plus you don't have to worry about that big red bastard "Oh Yeah!"ing his fat ass through the side of your house.
Solar icemaker: get the sun to keep things cool for a change [dvice]
Jun 20 2008 It's Official: There's Ice On Mars After All
This is a picture taken by the Phoenix Lander of water ice on Mars. Or, alternatively, some ice in a Hollywood backlot that somebody staged. Or, alternatively, Photoshopped ice. No but seriously, it's water ice on Mars.
The confirmation that water ice exists in the area directly surrounding the lander is big and good news for the Martian mission. NASA's stated goal for the Mars Phoenix was to find exactly this -- water ice -- and then analyze it. With the latest news, the first step is accomplished. All that's left now is to get the water into the Phoenix's instruments, a task which has occasionally proven more difficult than anticipated.
Now I know what many of you are thinking -- "So freaking what?" Well apparently you don't understand the profound implications of such a discovery -- we won't have to tote bagged ice up there to keep our drinks cold.
Mars Phoenix Tweets: "We Have ICE!" [wired]
Thanks to Lee, who is actually helping me throw a party on Mars that's gonna be freaking awesome. Martian chicks and a cooler full of desert juice -- who's coming with us?
