Thursday, March 13, 2008
Since When Did Water Need to Become a Diet Drink?
The other day I caught a commercial for one of the flavored water brands - Propel, I think. It started with indicating all the exercise that various characters would have to do to burn off the calories in their "water" drinks. Then it proudly announced that the advertised brand had only 25 calories per bottle. "Twenty-five calories?" asked an impressed and impossibly fit person.
Twenty-five calories in a bottle of water? And that's supposed to be impressive? There are no calories in water, so if the bottle from which you drink puts something into your body that needs working off, you're not drinking water. You're drinking a sweetened concoction, probably a variation on soda, except with some collection of vitamins or minerals replacing the carbonation.
Clearly, regular water isn't enough for people. If we as a society are so far gone as to need to find low-cal water, then the barbarians can't be far away.
Twenty-five calories in a bottle of water? And that's supposed to be impressive? There are no calories in water, so if the bottle from which you drink puts something into your body that needs working off, you're not drinking water. You're drinking a sweetened concoction, probably a variation on soda, except with some collection of vitamins or minerals replacing the carbonation.
Clearly, regular water isn't enough for people. If we as a society are so far gone as to need to find low-cal water, then the barbarians can't be far away.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Review: Clear2O Water Filtration Pitcher
I got a test unit of the Clear2O water pitcher with a built-in filter. Now, let's be realistic about testing some products. These people claim their product filters out 5 times what the "leading brand comparable pitcher" does - which, to me, probably means Brita. I don't have a lab and there's no way I really check that claim, which is one of those things that marketers count on. However, they claim that the pitcher fills far faster than that leading unnamed pitcher. That is certainly true. I've seen a Brita sit for a good long time as water dripped down. The Clear2O has an integrated hose that connects to your kitchen faucet. You may need to swap the nozzle on the faucet, but you get all the parts and it's easy.
As we live out in the sticks and depend on well water that already goes through one filter, we don't exactly have water pressure. It's more like water nudging. Still, I connected the hose, turned on the tap, and the pitcher filled in about a minute - longer than the 30-odd seconds they claimed, but that probably assumes a normal water system. Also, I found that the attachment that you screw onto the faucet didn't interfere noticeably with the water flow when the pitcher wasn't attached.
Four out of five people in our house gave the new water a thumbs up, and one said that there was a metallic aftertaste. Well, there is a bit of one, but I don't think that all minerals will come out, and it was greatly improved.
I like the design of the pitcher. Tall and slim, it fits nicely into our crowded fridge, so you can keep a ready supply of cold water on hand with a 72-ounce capacity. Pair this with some water bottles, and you can cut down on buying small bottles of water to take with you. The price on the company's site is about $30 for the original model with the white plastic lid and $35 with the "platinum" design. Personally, I'd stick with cheaper. You will need to get replacement filters that run $16 for one, or $35 for three. Each supposedly filters 40 gallons, or about 40 cents a gallon, which is significantly cheaper than most bottled water I've seen.
As we live out in the sticks and depend on well water that already goes through one filter, we don't exactly have water pressure. It's more like water nudging. Still, I connected the hose, turned on the tap, and the pitcher filled in about a minute - longer than the 30-odd seconds they claimed, but that probably assumes a normal water system. Also, I found that the attachment that you screw onto the faucet didn't interfere noticeably with the water flow when the pitcher wasn't attached.
Four out of five people in our house gave the new water a thumbs up, and one said that there was a metallic aftertaste. Well, there is a bit of one, but I don't think that all minerals will come out, and it was greatly improved.
I like the design of the pitcher. Tall and slim, it fits nicely into our crowded fridge, so you can keep a ready supply of cold water on hand with a 72-ounce capacity. Pair this with some water bottles, and you can cut down on buying small bottles of water to take with you. The price on the company's site is about $30 for the original model with the white plastic lid and $35 with the "platinum" design. Personally, I'd stick with cheaper. You will need to get replacement filters that run $16 for one, or $35 for three. Each supposedly filters 40 gallons, or about 40 cents a gallon, which is significantly cheaper than most bottled water I've seen.
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Electricity from Beer?
Scientists in Australia are working with beer company Foster's on a project to power a giant fuel cell with brewery waste water. Researchers expect the 660-gallon fuel cell to generate 2 kilowatts of power - enough for the average household down under - while acting as a waste treatment plant and producing clean water as a byproduct. Holy Vats of Volts, Batman! It's just a way that people get juiced at the same time they get juiced.
Labels: Australia, beer, Foster's, fuel cell, power, science, water
