Poop justice in Israel

Posted on September 18, 2008 • By Rebecca Markowitz
Category: Technology | Tags: Tags: , , , , | 2 Comments

While some Israelis are concerned about the collapsing stock market, or that Tzipi Livni will be Prime Minister soon, Reuters reports that others are flaming mad about the last time they stepped in dog poo and want justice.  Some of those angry residents are in Petach Tikva (Petah Tiqwa, or spell it how you will), where a new program just launched to collect the DNA of the neighborhood pooches.  If you pick up your dog’s poop and put it in a specially marked bin, you could be the lucky winner of coupons and prizes. But if they find your little puppy’s feces on the sidewalk, you’ll be slapped with a big fine.

I just feel bad for the poor, poor person who is responsible for tracing the dog poop to its owner. Now that is a crappy job!

 

Israel is selling snow?!

Posted on July 21, 2008 • By Rebecca Markowitz
Category: Featured, Technology | Tags: Tags: , , , , | Leave a Comment

Skiing

Anyone who’s been to Israel knows that catching a glimpse of snow is rare, and even a welcomed treat. Come to think of it, I’ve never even met anyone in Jerusalem who owns a shovel. Perhaps a longing to play in the snow has pushed IDE Technologies to become a major player in the man-made snow market.

First Tracks , an online ski magazine reports that IDE Technologies , based in Tel Aviv, is introducing unique refrigeration technology to produce man-made snow.  The ice technology was originally developed for seawater desalination in the most unlikely place - the hottest, your-face-will-melt-right-off, beach city of Eilat in southern Israel.

So what makes Israel’s snowmaker so much better than the rest? It works regardless of the season or air temperature, ensuring ski resorts can open up  the slopes for an early ski season, and obviously early profits are not far behind.

Existing snowmaking technologies spray tiny water droplets into the air, which freeze into crystals before reaching the ground. Such technologies depend upon ambient temperatures being at or below freezing, depending on humidity. IDE’s snowmaking facilities produce large quantities of snow regardless of air temperature.

If you’re interested in getting your own snowmaker, it’ll only cost you a mere $2 million. Now paying the ski resorts doesn’t seem quite as expensive, does it?

[photo by: bevcraigwhite ]

 

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