The DW has a nice article about German scientists who are finding ways to use heat to cool things:

The principle of solar cooling, the so-called ammoniac-water absorption technique, has been known since 1810.

In Gladbeck, this idea has been extrapolated to the idea of using warmth from other processes such as the heat of baking ovens.

I vaguely remember a doctor once telling me that air-conditioning is the greatest invention of all time because it allows for so many health-related benefits. I suppose non-energy based cooling would be an even better invention, although it appears a couple hundred years have already passed since first discovery.

Exciting news. The Audi A4 3.0 TDI is supposed to be released in the US later this year. Consider this review from 2007:

Executive diesel models have probably progressed further than any other type of car within the last few years. Whereas once being issued with a diesel from your company meant a valid claim for constructive dismissal, things are very different now. Its difficult to understate the importance of the BMW 330d in making paying serious money for a diesel seem an entirely rational course of action and the Audi A4 3.0 TDI Quattro follows in its wheeltracks, offering a range of Quattro four-wheel drive saloon and Avant estate models at prices starting at £27,800.

Nowadays, anybody turning their nose up at this particular oil-burner probably thinks that Skodas are naff and that Rolls Royces are the finest cars in the world. In other words the automotive world may just have passed them by. The A4 3.0 TDI offers all the characteristics that make todays premium diesels such an impressive package.

The automotive world is changing and diesel is the technology to watch. It provides the closest thing to highly resilient and distributed fuel sources. All wheel drive, 40mpg, 0-60 in 6 seconds…awesome.

TDI considered here can produce enough torque to pull a house down, more indeed than a Ferrari 360 Modena.

The diesels produce torque in a way that turns the power model upside down. My VW is a better tow vehicle than most trucks and SUVs, and a better highway performer than most sports cars.

The ZER Customs site provides some interesting detail from an Audi press release:

According to calculations by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the United States could save 1.4 million barrels of crude oil every day if just one third of all passenger cars and light-duty commercial vehicles were equipped with up-to-date diesel engines.

That is a lot of Audis…