Science/Nature

As you know, I sold my car in favor of an Electric Bike, which is really going well, and I'm loving the almost zero carbon footprint that comes with it. Being responsible in the 21st century means taking care of our environment, and I believe doing everything we can to reduce our dependency on oil.

Of course a full size bike isn't for everyone, so you should definitely check out the foldable electric bikes that are coming onto the market. These make it a lot easier to take a bike on the train, or just to store around the house.

With winter approaching we're wondering how well we'll cope with bikes and this led us to thinking about a Battery Operated Electric Car. They are available for road use and aren't that expensive, and our needs are mostly for running around town, getting our groceries, catching up with friends at a local coffee shop, none of which requires a big gas guzzler.

Top Ten Imports have been providing electric cars for several years and their new range of vehicles are the best yet, they look like a small car, operate like a small car, yet have the advantage of running on batteries. Two door and four door models are available at prices that compare very favorably with traditional manufacturers.

Starting at just $9,995 including free shipping, buyers and dealers alike would be crazy not to check out these cars. Electric vehicles with no exhaust fumes are gaining in popularity and in some places like California or London are being actively encouraged by local government.

Top Ten Imports are looking for dealers nationwide for their NAPCAR range of electric battery operated cars. The cars take less than 5 hours to charge, and will drive 60 to 100 miles per charge. If you're like me and your average drive is just a few miles per day, well then one charge might last you all week.

Those of you who regularly read my blog will know we sold our car to live a cleaner greener life. OK, that and the poor eyesight which makes driving a tad interesting at times. As part of this new found freedom that comes from riding bikes and walking everywhere, also comes the enquiring mind that wonders what else is on the market to use as transport instead of a car.

As a boy I used to have a bike and set of home-made stilts, and somewhere in the dim dark recesses of my memory I recall a set of roller skates; and I shouldn't forget the little buggy I could sit in and pedal around the yard.

Over a glass of wine the other half and I were talking about these with some friends who agreed with us that those were the days, no stress, easy transport that didn't require a drivers license, if only all forms of transport were as easy to use.

Anyway, somehow the idea of getting roller skates came up, but our friends mentioned having seen a new type of skate, a Heel Glider, that only has two wheels, one of either side of your foot, and which makes them more stable; assuming you can balance on wheels. All you have to do is raise your toes off the ground and push forward. At $9.95 I could see myself getting a set just to try them. Read More

I always have a set of goals to be completed, usually relating to business, and of course most have some kind of deadline that might be anywhere from a few days to several months until completion.

Keeping track of goals in a notebook or spreadsheet is a good way to get an overview of your goals but when you add detail to these notes the ability to get a snapshot of goal progress diminishes. This is why software specifically designed to track goals is so valuable since big picture views can be swapped for detailed views in a mouse click. Read More

I've just come across another webhosting company that looks promising, the other half and I own about 20 sites so we're always looking website hosting to spread our risk, but there aren't all that many that we would choose to deal with, however Ultra Website Hosting looks like one I will use for a new project.

When I look for hosting I pay attention to things like the overall look of the host's website, does it look polished, does it look like they're serious about being in business. We try to make all of our sites look appealing to visitors, it demonstrates to visitors that you care about the little things.

Choosing a host provider also means checking out their services more than their prices. I like clicking that little live chat button to see whether I'm going to be dealing with a company that has genuine support technicians on hand at the times when I'm most likely to notice a problem. Read More

Relaxing in a hot tub or spa is one of the things I love doing with a few friends, especially on those hot summer days, we tend to sit in the hot tub about an hour before sunset, the feeling of sitting back with friends sharing a laugh is just amazing.

We often make an event of sitting in the spa, we buy a couple of cheap bottles of sparkling wine, something like a Sekt or Italian sparkling rosé, and a big box of mixed chocolates, or if we're feeling particularly decadent then a punnet or two of strawberries and our little fondue kit to melt chocolate. Believe me this is a very civilised way to enjoy a hot tub.

It's amazing the recuperative effects of a hot tub, I can't explain it but I always feel so much more capable of taking on life's responsibilities after sharing the spa with close friends.

HotSpring Hot Tubs & Spas offer a full range of spas and hot tubs which would look great in any garden, they even provide an impressive range of spa shelters so you can also enjoy your hot tub or spa in the colder months.

Place a spa or hot tub on your patio or in a secluded spot in the garden, then landscape around it and you're looking at a very attractive addition to your garden, and let's not forget the capital gain on selling a property that comes from being able to offer more than just a home, but a lifestyle dream as well, although you could just as easily relocate this to your next home if you've become attached to it.

I discovered a new way of putting content online, with a twist, this is a specifically for webmasters who want a mobile site optimized for mobile phones.

For the longest time (well, since we've been living in Spain) I've been thinking of putting together a basic info kit on Ronda, our closest small city, simply because so many tourists get here and seem to hang around like lost puppies.

Mobilemo is the kind of solution that could work for me, and allow me to put up a quick guide to the sites, perhaps let visitors download a tour guide directly onto their mobile phones, even leave comments about where they've been and what they thought of the place.

It sounds like something that should already exist, but surprisingly doesn't since mobile websites are still in their infancy despite being talked about for as long as we've had cellphones. You can check out my first play with mobilemo if you're interested.

Creating a page in mobilemo is pretty straightforward, and I guess anyone who has something to sell, or has information about something that people on the move would likely want to find should give it a try, its free, and the mind boggles at the potential.

My only gripe is that you can't place links directly into the content, however the service is new, and to the best of my knowledge quite unique so I expect things will improve as the service takes off. I'd be interested in your opinion, could I be onto a winner here?

OK, so as you know we do a bit of traveling, mostly through places we've never been to before, and our trusty printed map isn't working very well anymore. It's a bit wrecked, the pages are falling out and the ink is fading.

So, I've decided to go cutting edge and get myself a GPS system, woohoo, but this is the catch, I don't want one of those tiny little things you stick on the dashboard, I'd actually rather buy one of the USB GPS systems that connect to the laptop, which seem cheaper than the car version anyway.

We bought a Vista powered laptop a few months ago which gets used only sporadically and would be a great use for it for when we go off with our cameras, and since I already have a backpack for it we could even take it off-road on bicycles.

I've been scouring the laptop PC GPS software programs forum over at Laptop GPS World for info, I'm happy to buy the USB GPS system online and have it shipped to me, but finding out what software to use is another matter.

Do any of my readers have any experience of using a USB GPS system, I know some of you in the US probably do, so which software is generally better for Vista. If any of you know anything about European maps, what I need is software that covers western Europe.

I'll go ask in the GPS forum as well but since so many of you live in Germany if you can recommend something I can get from MediaMarkt I'd really appreciate it, I do need good maps of Iberia and the USB dongle.

It's that time of year again, no not Christmas, it's Earth Day, in my opinion one of the most important environmental days of the year. Here's hoping a few more people take up the challenge of separating your garbage into recyclables and non-recyclables. Perhaps even start a compost bin with food scraps, let's try to reduce our waste to more manageable levels.

While you're at it, change to longer lasting energy efficient lightbulbs to reduce your carbon footprint, or take a walk to the local shops for that pint of milk you need instead of hopping in the car and driving to the next shopping center. You'll feel better for it I promise.

Where we live we don't have a garden big enough so we aren't able to plant a tree, but at the weekend we bought a few more pots for small shrubs in our patio. The other half is also growing cuttings of native plants she's seen in the area to try and encourage a few more native insects to come to our patio. It isn't much, and might seem like a wasted effort but we believe it's important to do.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, we're going to go our today, using human power, and enjoy our planet, smell the fresh air, perhaps get our knees dirty whilst we take a few photographs, and then enjoy a packed lunch on the hills around us. I might even take the time to lie on the ground and stare at the clouds long enough to make up shapes in the sky. Happy Earth Day everyone!