After a few hours browsing the net looking for ideas on a do-it-yourslef solar swimming pool heater, I found different do-it-yourself projects that looked interesting (not swimming pool).  A word of warning though, if you are like me, you can spend hours browsing around these sites just thinking what you will build next :)

This site has all kinds of energy related from making biodiesel to “solar death rays“ (okay, solar high heat cookers) to energy producing water wheels to build your own fuel cells:

http://www.discoversolarenergy.com/resources/DIY.htm

Also stumbled across a site showing how to build an inexpensive light box for photograpy (such as items for ebay):

http://www.pbase.com/wlhuber/light_box_light_tent

http://www.instructables.com/ex/i/BEFDA1F002CB102985CB001143E7E506/?ALLSTEPS

The following site lists different do-it-yourself projects such as potato cannons,  LED light sabers, attic hotwater heater, make a robot from an old computer mouse, and much more (the photo light box links derived from this cool site):

http://www.makezine.com/blog/archive/instructables/

It seems that Google might have plans to store ALL the data you have on your computer with the ultimate goal that you will view Google's copy of your data as the master copy and the copy of your data on your local machine as temporary.  This can be good and bad depending on how much your trust Google with you data.

Pros:

If you trust Google and place all your data on thier system, that would mean that trojan horse programs and viruses could not destroy you data, if you happen to get an attack.  Not only this, but if someone stole your computer or thier was a fire or natural disaster, you could just buy a new computer and pull down the copy of all your data without losing anything.  You pictures/video of your childs first step would still be safe.

In addition to safty from loss, you will have the ability to access your data anywhere.  If you go on vacation, you could still have access to everything no matter where you are at as long as you have internet access.  This could be handing for many people.

Cons:

You have to TRUST a commercial corporation for privacy of your data.  That would include just about everyone in their organization who has access or could gain access.  Additionally, if someone happened to hack into their system, all your data would be available.  That would require a LOT of trust.

Another possiblity is that they may lure you in by offering everything for free and then just a few years down the road, after you are hooked into the system, they start charging you a fee.  Of coruse, it depends on the fee, but surely there would be other alternatives by then.

What do you think? 

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Here is the blog I read about the leak of the new technology and more on their plans:

http://glinden.blogspot.com/2006/03/in-world-with-infinite-storage.html