Friday, January 02, 2009

There'll Always Be An England, Part VII

From the December 29th Daily Telegraph (U.K.):
Hamster powers environmentally friendly paper shredder

A design consultant has constructed an environmentally friendly paper shredder powered by a hamster running on its wheel.


source: Daily Telegraph

The hamster has to run flat out for 45 minutes to shred one sheet of A4 paper.

The paper then falls on to the base of the hamster cage, providing fresh bedding for the furry pet.

Tom Ballhatchet, 29, developed the product using a friend's hamster for his masters degree in industrial design.
(via reader Ken R.)

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Just wanted to leave a quick "Happy New Year" and say thanks for all the excellent posts. I'm looking forward to 2009.

MaxedOutMama said...

What about the hamster's CO2 emissions? All that activity will increase the hamster's metabolic rate, raising its respiration, and thus increase CO2 exhaled into the atmosphere.

Carl, you simply must see this Telegraph article on the new theory that greenhouse gases cause glaciation:
The scientists studied limestone rocks and found evidence that large amounts of greenhouse gas coincided with a prolonged period of freezing temperatures.

Such glaciation could happen again if global warming is not curbed, the university's school of geography, earth and environmental sciences warned.


Next up, U of Birmingham's med school faculty will discover that eating really large meals can cause excessive weight loss.

Anonymous said...

It would seem to be more efficient just to feed the paper directly to the hamster.

@nooil4pacifists said...

Happy 2009, I_J!

I agree with James, especially because 45 minutes hard labor at the wheel violates hamster human rights, as understood in, say, Ecuador.

M_O_M:

Combating warming alarmists has become a "Red Queen's race". You're right--they "have no shame."

OBloodyHell said...

> The hamster has to run flat out for 45 minutes to shred one sheet of A4 paper.

But just think of the contributions to hamster fitness worldwide!!!

Now, at last, we can stop worrying about the essential problem of Hamster Obesity, and turn our attention to more important things, like Wool and Mohair Price Supports.