The idea of a netbook powered by an integrated solar panel has a lot of appeal.  Like many mini-pcs the iUnika GYY is kinda slow (480MHz), weak (128 MB RAM), teensy (8 inch LCD) and operates on the less-than-mainstream Linux OS.  It does weigh an attractive 1.5 pounds and it is solar-powered.  I’d have more info if the iUnika site weren’t in Spanish…with some Asian text…anyone know what’s up with that?

The new solar netbook will be available in June for about €160

via: iTechnews.net

The Dutch are all about bicycling – when is America gonna get the message?  Be the talk of DUMBO when seen zipping around the pot-holed streets on this single speed, street-cruiser from Dutch bike maker, MOOF.  The beautiful, extruded aluminum frame, stylishly geometric silhouette and above all, solar head and tail lights, make this an eco hipster must have.  Oh, check out those white-walled tires.  Very nice.

$600 @ designpublic.com

Water, precious water…don’t waste that H2O surging off your roof and through the gutters of your home.  A roof area of only 1,000 square feet can provide approximately 600 gallons of water during a one inch rainfall.  You can capture that run-off with a rainwater harvesting system like this handsome one from Fiskars.  The unit’s flat back minimizes “dead space” between the barrel and your home’s exterior.  The kit includes a 58 gallon barrel made of UV treated impact resistant Polyethylene with built-in base, cover, worry-free downspout connector kit and threaded spigot for garden hose attachment.  Easy to install.

$189 @ rain-barrel.com

A rescued car wreck from his cousin’s lawn was the raw material from which artist and MIT grad, Matthew Day Jackson, created a work of art.  The reconstituted vehicle seems to hover and float on a spectrum of sequenced fluorescent lights powered by roof-mounted solar panels.  The work entitled, “Chariot II-I Iike America and America likes me,” is part of Jackson’s one man show, “The Immeasurable Distance,” at MIT’s List Visual Arts Center.  The solar array was designed by members of MIT’s Systems Engineering Group.

photo credit / MIT List Visual Arts Center