kryzx - Slashdot User

Journal Journal: Can hackers provide solutions to our energy problems?

Journal by kryzx on Saturday August 14, 2010 @05:43PM

GE has kicked off the Ecomagination Challenge, a $200 Million experiment to discover and fund the best ideas out there for renewable energy, grid efficiency and eco-homes and buildings.

Submission + - Can hackers solve our energy problems? (ecomagination.com)

Submitted by kryzx on Saturday August 14, 2010 @12:48PM

kryzx writes: GE has kicked off the Ecomagination Challenge, a $200 Million experiment to discover and fund the best ideas out there for renewable energy, grid efficiency and eco-homes and buildings. I think the key to generating innovation in this space is to create a big community of energy hobbyists — the hackers and makers who have driven innovation in computer hardware, software and many other industries. To enable this we need inexpensive standardized modular components, including microgeneration devices and storage, that hobbyists and makers can use to build their own systems and experiment with renewable energy. Most importantly, we need a programmable and networked centralized controller so we can do interesting things with these devices. I think there is a huge untapped market of people who have an interest in this but are prevented from building and tinkering by price barriers. I know because I'm one of them. As a programmer and hacker, and I'd like to experiment with small energy generation devices, but spending thousands on a solar panel system that is hard to modify is not what I want. I've submitted an idea to the Challenge, called "Flexible, Modular, Programmable Residential Power Center", to see if we can get GE to create and bring to market the inexpensive standardized components needed to lower the barriers to energy system tinkering. Check out the Challenge and my idea. Of course, if you agree with my goal I'd like your support. Also, think revolutionary thoughts and contribute *your* ideas, and then talk about them here so we can support them. Currently there are only a thousand ideas, and the top one has less than five hundred votes, so we can own this. (annoying registration required to submit, vote and comment, but it's free)

Submission + - SSN disclosures and the law

Submitted by on Monday November 06, 2006 @07:33PM

An anonymous reader writes: I recently recieved an email from a US based publicly traded company that I used for income tax services. The content of the email was a screenshot which prominently displayed my SSN. I expressed concern to the company that they chose to send this information over the web in an unencrypted format. The company's response was to offer a verbal apology, explain that it was a one time violation of company policy, and offer a year of credit monitoring service. I think their mishandling of an SSN probably would result in some legal trouble for the company if reported to the government. What sort of fines/other punishment is the company liable for in this case if pursued in court? I'm trying to decide if it's worthwhile to sue them or take the monitoring service and let it go.

Slashdot Top Deals