Hamsters: not just for salad
Ray, a recent visitor to Hamster Salad, has pointed me towards a site that shows how your hamster can help reduce your electricity bills.

At Other Power ("The Cutting Edge of Low Technology"), Dan B. and Dan F. explore alternative energy sources and contend that "it's easy to make your own power from scratch!"

They show some very cool stuff on their site, but I have to tell you, it's the "from scratch" bit that really grabs me, especially in terms of their exploration of the energy production possibilities of a small animal enabled with tooth and claw.

In response to a query from a student embarking on a science fair project, they set up their hamster's wheel to power a night light. They explain the process and product much more clearly than I could ever hope to and give detailed instructions that should allow anyone so inclined to replicate the experiment.

I wasn't able to access the discussion board or the news sections of the site and am not capable of judging the credibility of the facts they present, but to my untrained eye it seemed like Other Power offers a lot of useful information on a topic* that should concern all of us.

*(Um, I mean the alternative energy sources, not the making your hamster work for its kibble, but you got that the first time, right?)
- posted by Sandra Smith @ 10:45 PM