La Moretta

Drippy Hippy

Via TreeHugger, here's an interesting awareness campaign about climate change, executed by

 

the Red Cross of Argentina, whose funds are primarily spent on victims of climate change.

Hypermiling

Came across this post on hypermiling, the techniques that people use to get super-optimal performance out of their cars.

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/05/hypermiling-mpg-fuel-economy-gas-prices.php

Some of them are obvious, such as keeping speed down, accelerating gently, avoiding excessive idling, removing cargo racks, avoiding unnecessary braking and coasting to slow down. A few others I don't understand but sound as plausible as anything else -- inflating your tires to the maximum rating on their sidewalls (note to self: now it's time to learn exactly what sidewalls are) and using low-viscosity engine oil. The final one is lethally dangerous -- drafting by following another car closely to reduce aerodynamic drag. This last one might explain why I've been tailgated by some very odd cars on the Beltway recently. Normally it's just the BMWs -- the definitive "jerk" car in my area -- and SUVs. Now it seems to be some Hondas and Toyotas.