There just might be another way for us to harvest solar energy and infrared radiation for us to be able to transform it into viable energy. Yes, as in we can use it for electricity - charge our iPods with it, make our cars run on it. This technology is the nanoantenna and the scientists from the US Department of Energy's Idaho National Laboratory thinks this just might be it.

In life, it helps to have someone who can hold you accountable for your actions. In the case of electronics companies, it seems that Greenpeace is their accountability partner. The organization has recently released the current company rankings in its Greener Electronics Scale. To find out how certain companies fared, get "green-minded" and turn to the full article after the jump.

Sony's looking all green as they launch their new recycling program. By next month Sony will be launching a new nationwide campaign where people will be able to dispose of their unwanted electronics in an environmentally safe manner.

The Sony Take Back Recycling Program will be putting up 75 "eCycling" centers throughout the US where people can drop off their electronics.

Once the program takes off, the program is expected to increase the number of eCycling centers to 150. The idea is to have an eCycling Center within 20 miles of 95% of the US.

The program was made in collaboration with WM Recycle America. Sony products will be recylced free of charge while other brands will include a recycling fee. Consumers can either drop if off personally or ship it in through specific WM Recycle America locations.

Stan Glasgow, president and chief operating officer of Sony Electronics, says about the service:

Providing the highest level of service and support doesn’t stop once a purchase is made. We believe it is Sony’s responsibility to provide customers with end-of-life solutions for all the products we manufacture. Through the Take Back Recycling Program, our customers will know that their Sony products will be recycled in an environmentally responsible manner.

Thanks to Surftycoon for the tip!

Talk about reckless imprudence leading to a grave waste of money. Some guy shipped a plasma TV without using any safety supplies and common sense. What we have in these pictures is a guide on how to throw away a perfectly good piece of home entertainment.

We're not sure what the person was thinking exactly when he did this. Did he have something against consumer electronics? Did he do it on purpose? Man, we're stumped.

The poor TV won't be good for anything other than recycling now. This is yet another reminder to get a company you trust to deliver stuff that you care about.

See the pictures that tell the sad tale of this TV after the jump.

All that bath water going down the shower or tub drain is such a waste. (There are places where waste water gets treated, but until it cycles back to you, you're not going to get any use for it). The British-invented Ban Beater (patent pending) aims to rectify that bloody shame by siphoning that "grey water" from the tub and bringing it down to where it could do some good:

• watering non-edible plants,
• washing cars and windows, or
• filling ornamental ponds (the ones that don't contain any fish).
• Any task that doesn't require clean, purified, or potable water.
  

It looks like a bicycle pump, but it is not designed to be used as such. In fact, the pipes and fittings of the device are not rated to hold water under pressure. One pull on the pump handle is only used to start the siphoning action that brings the water from the tub down to ground level. This means that the water source - being the bathroom - must be higher than the ground the Ban Beater is sitting on.

Read on!

Being a firm believer in recycling everything that doesn't start to smell with age, we thought this TV Fishtank is destined to be a top-rating attraction in any corner it occupies. Best of all, we counted the How-To steps and it only takes nine to turn your idiot box into FishTV. Of course it starts with an old TV. If you don't have one, we don't suggest you try this on your HDTV.

1. Rebuild the cabinet out of MDF/Craftwood and make a flip top lid.
2. Give it a make-over with an acrylic estapol satin stain.
3. Attach the original legs to the new cabinet.
4. Stain or lacquer all the surfaces multiple times to protect against condensation in the enclosed space.
5. Add holes at the back for ventilation to discourage condensation within the cabinet.
6. Get a custom-sized tank slightly wider and taller than the screen. Leave about 6cm space for the reflector/light. A remote ballast light is a good idea.
7. Mount the powerboard at the back but outside the cabinet in case of water spillage or condensation.
8. Place the air pump inside the cabinet to minimize the damn noise but you can leave it outside if space does not permit.
9. Fill in the details - plants, rocks, and, water and the fish!

Now for the warnings:

• Best to get a repairman to remove the CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) since capacitors may retain  enough energy to seriously hurt or kill you.
• Make sure the TV stand is strong enough to cope with the weight of the water
• TV tubes up until about 1960 do not have "integral implosion protection. These can be extremely dangerous, because they can explode very violently. If you don't see a sign that says something like "This tube provides integral implosion protection" better leave it alone.

Assuming you survived the project, remember you can't clean the tank by simply clicking the remote to another channel. The tank requires regular cleaning if you want to keep the show's stars  bright and peppy!

Here at QJ we believe that every disposable tech gadget is the perfect candidate for recycling. Today we've set our sights on this Ten Dollar Digital Camera by the good people at Elephant Staircase. All you need are those disposable digital cameras you can get at RitzCamera, CVS or Walgreens. A little ingenuity and you'll make non-disposable digital cameras out of these cameras on the cheap.

You'll be needing a camera, Palm 3 cradle, USB cable (with one normal end), soldering iron/electrical tape and Windows PC with USB ports.

First thing you would have to do is to strip the Palm cradle by removing all the screws until you get to the cable with the connector. Then cut the button circuit off, leaving only the black wires attached to the main board, followed by the big thick gray wire about an inch from the board. Cut one end of the USB connector that doesn't connect to the computer. Now all you have to do is wire up all the connections. You can either strip all the wires and solder them to the board or simply use the colored wires already to the board and tape them using electrical tape.

Palm circuit->USB
Hole E1->Ground (Black)
Hole E2->Data - (White)
Hole E3->Data + (Green)
Hole E5->+5V (Red)

Final step would be to install the software along with the driver. When you're prompted to "specify location of driver" point it to the location "libusb.inf" Repeat this procedure for each driver dialogue that pops up. Rebooting shouldn't be necessary.

Now you have the ability to take more than 25, 90 even up to a mythical 200 pictures on it. Here are some sample pictures for you. So get snapping!

Download: [Single-Use Camera Reader for Windows]