The Lightest, Smallest, Thinnest Ultraportable Notebooks in the World: UltraL...

Looking for the world's smallest, thinnest, ultralight, notebook or tablet PC? This article is updated any time we receive new news about Ultraportable Notebooks. The world of light weight computers is rapidly changing. In fact, it is not even clear what to call them. The terms Notebook, Laptop, Ultraportable, Ultra Mobile PC (UMPC), Ultra PC, and Ultra Light PC (or ultra-light or ultralight) h...
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Graphene Oxide Paper is One Atom Thick

Researchers at Northwestern University have fabricated a new type of paper that they hope will create a revolution. This remarkably stiff and strong yet lightweight material should find use in a wide variety of applications. The stiffness and strength should be superior to all other materials, with the possible exception of diamond. In a paper published July 26 in the journal Nature, researcher...
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The Lightest, Smallest, Thinnest Cell Phones in the World: UltraLightLiving's...

Are you looking for an ultralight, tiny, thin cell phone? I am constantly updating this page with the latest news in the smaller-is-better phone world. I like to keep my phone in my pocket. Being an ultralight enthusiast, I don't want my pockets weighing me down. For several years I have been satisfied with my 3 ounce (85 gram) Nokia 3200b. But cell phone features have advanced so far in the la...
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The New Mercedes "smart fortwo cdi" is World's Lightest Gasoline Production Car

Mercedes has announced a new model of the popular "smart fortwo" car. With fuel consumption of just 3.3 litres per 100 kilometers (71mpg) and emissions of 88 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometer the new smart fortwo cdi is the most economical production car worldwide. The new cdi model is not available in the US and Mercedes has not announced release plans. The consistent use of lightweight ma...
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Lightest Ever Sony VAIO Notebook TZ is Ready to Ship

Sony expects to begin shipping the new VAIO® TZ Series Notebook PC on July 31, 2007. Customers may order online direct from Sony for August delivery. The lightest configuration of the TZ Series will weigh 2.6 pounds thanks to the optional ultra-quick flash memory that replaces the traditional hard drive. Billed as a "Limited Edition" the TZ body is constructed from ultralight carbon-fiber. The ...
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UltraLightLiving Awards: Lightest Laptop

Winner: Toshiba Portégé R500, 2.4 pounds. The Toshiba Portégé R500 is the world's lightest widescreen 12.1" notebook PC. Being the lightest also means thinnest. The R500 is only 0.7 inches thick. The Toshiba Portégé R500 has a full-size keyboard, a 12.1-inch widescreen display, a 120GB hard drive, and a CD/DVD drive. Its battery life of 3 hours is skimpy, but that is the only significant weakne...
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Lightweight Backpacking Gear for Kids

I have backpacked with my two daughters for 11 years, taking them from the diaper years up into their pre-teen years. The early years were definitely the hardest, when they couldn't carry their own gear. At around age 4, they were able to carry a lightweight pack containing a sleeping bag and foam pad (kept around 4 pounds). Ivy (11 years old) and Elly (9 years old) are currently carrying aroun...
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Honda Aircraft Company Breaks Ground for $100 Million Production Facility in ...

Honda Aircraft Company, Inc. (HACI), today took the next major step toward delivering HondaJet into the hands of its customers, by breaking ground for its new 369,000 square foot headquarters and manufacturing facility at Piedmont Triad International (PTI) airport in Greensboro, North Carolina. HACI will manage the research, development, sales, marketing and manufacturing of the advanced light ...
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Alcoa Wins R&D 100 Award for New Lightweight Alloy

Alcoa announced today that a team of its research scientists and engineers has received an R&D 100 Award for the development of a new generation of aluminum-lithium alloys for the aerospace industry. The R&D 100 Awards are given annually in recognition of the world's most significant technological innovations. "Alcoa's investment in science and technology has historically set our company apart," ...
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NmG (NoMoreGas), the UltraLight Personal Electric Vehicle

While other companies show drawings of the electric vehicles they plan to make, Myers Motors puts Americans behind the wheel of its NmG (No More Gas) Personal Electric Vehicles. As a primary commuter vehicle, the highway legal, 75+ mph NmG proves electric vehicles provide practical transportation for the daily trips for work and errands when the driver usually travels alone.
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Spider Gear - Synthetic Spider Silk Tougher Than Steel

Scientists are working on turning synthetic spider silk into high-performance athletic wear and even lightweight body armor. The black widow is known for its deadly venom, but the spider's silk may one day save lives. Harnessing its power could lead to new bulletproof vests and super strong ropes.
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Sidel launches UltraLight NoBottle PET Water Bottle

Sidel, a world-wide supplier for Coca-Cola and PepsiCo has developed the lightest PET bottle yet for water (9.9 g per 500 ml bottle). Producing a 500 ml bottle weighing less than 10 g is an impressive technical achievement. Sidel looked at the entire manufacturing process, from blow molding to palletizing, to propose a simple solution to customers that could be tailored to their needs. After a ...
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Toshiba Launches World's Thinnest Notebook

This notebook is under 2.5 pounds. Not only that, Toshiba has announced that in late 2007 the weight will be reduced to 1.7 pounds when they replace the hard drive with a 64GB solid state drive. That beats all other 12 inch notebooks by a long shot. I pulled this article from a press release issued by Toshiba in early June 2007. I have edited the release slightly by removing some of the BS. Her...
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Tiny Houses: Living Well by Living Small

With "monster" houses - 4,000 square feet and bigger - sprouting up across the country like massive, shingled mushrooms, the American homeowner's motto seems to be: "Live large." Since 1970, the size of the average American home has increased 55 percent, even as family size has declined by 13 percent. But the cost of large living is high?not only for the homeowner, but also for the planet and i...
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Very Light Jets Are Taking Off

Manufacturers are already beginning deliveries worldwide of a new category of aircraft known as the Very Light Jet (VLJ) or Microjet. Over the next 10 years, these ultralight aircraft are going to change the way we travel. Made possible by advances in aerospace engineering and especially in the use of extremely strong but very light carbon composites, these mini-jets will cut carbon emissions ...
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The Simplicity Forum Launches Take Back Your Time Day

October 24th Is Take Back Your Time Day. Take Back Your Time is a US/Canadian initiative to challenge the epidemic of overwork, over-scheduling and time famine that now threatens our health, families, relationships, communities and even the environment.
The event is sponsored by the Simplicity Forum, a think tank of academics, authors, activists, educators and entrepreneurs who seek to promot...
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UltraLight House Combines Design, Technology, and Efficiency

Building bigger and bigger houses is out. The new trend is in the opposite direction. In fact, the greatest single action you can take to reduce waste and conserve resources is to choose to live in a small house. Some dedicated believers in UltraLight Living have down-sized to 100 square feet.
Also known as the Micro-Compact Home, the most extreme versions are designed for one or two people a...
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Intel Unveils World's Thinnest Laptop

Laptops are finally getting to the point of being light and powerful! Don't buy a laptop now if you think you can hold off until the end of 2007. This looks to be the most powerful and well designed ultralight laptop yet. This article is from Business Week, 5/24/2007. I have removed the sexist comments from the article (about blonds, supermodels, etc.) but otherwise left it as published. If Bus...
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The 4-Ounce Ultralight Backpack

My pack weighs 4 ounces. The technology and materials are readily available for making backpacks that are less than one pound, yet the leading backpack manufacturers continue to make 3 to 6 pound packs . The reason, of course, is that people keep on buying the heavy packs. Most people are hooked on features. But, do you really need a separate compartment for your compass and a special web pocke...
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Solo Backpacking the Safer Way

Have you ever walked for 20 miles in the wilderness and not seen another person the entire time? Or camped on the shore of a mountain lake that you share only with the eagles and osprey? Solo hiking is a very wonderful experience. You see more wildlife, you travel at your own pace, you can go where ever you want, and most importantly, your mind can wander for hours without any distractions.
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