Want to dispose of your car? Why not donate it?

Presenting a guest blog post by our friend Daniel Frank, of GiveACar in the UK

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If you’ve ever been stuck in traffic surrounded by huge numbers of cars, then you will have hoped for a reduction in the number of cars on the road. However, even if we persuade people to cycle, take public transport or car share, then we still have to solve the problem of car disposal for the cars we get out of circulation. If you’ve determined that you no longer need your car, or if your car is no longer roadworthy, the problem is your car is too a large object just to leave in the garage or on the driveway. Selling the car privately can be a complex affair, and may incur income tax penalties. So what options are there?

Well, one option to consider is that of car donation. Car donation takes several forms; for example, in the US a car might be passed on to those in need who couldn’t otherwise afford one, or used by the charity itself. Alternatively, and somewhat more popularly, in Canada and the UK, cars are often sold for scrap or at a car salvage auction and the money given to the donor’s choice of charity. 

In addition, both the US and Canada give the donors a tax receipt for donating their cars to approved charities. So if you want to dispose of your old car, you can even get some money back from it, while helping a great cause. 

Having said all this, you do need to be careful and avoid scams. In the US you should check that the charity is eligible to receive donations and talk to them to ensure how much is gained through your car donation. In the UK, you can check for programs approved by the Fundraising Standards Board like Giveacar, which specifically targets scrap cars.

Helpful links for reputable places taking car donations for charity in your country:

UK: www.giveacar.co.uk

USA: http://www.cardonors.com/WP/car-donation-directory/

Canada: http://www.kidney.ca/Page.aspx?pid=419

Jane Austen meets a 5.7-liter HEMI V8

Another milestone on the road to the availability of the efficient Cleeves Cycle engine

I've mentioned the opposed-piston opposed=cylinder engines before, from Eco Motors. Pinnacle Motors seems to be playing in this arena as well (although with a less impressive-looking engine). If Pinnacle is to believed, their design will yield 30-50% efficiency.
Well, recently they made the exciting announcement that they're making progress in commercialization (that's manufacturer-speak for "getting this bad boy into the Frustrated Commuter's car").

From their press release:

"The company is in the process of commercializing its technology through a joint development and licensing agreement with an Asian vehicle OEM. Production is slated to commence in Q1 2013. Further developments, including plans for expansion into the global automotive market, will be revealed later this year."

I'm not entirely sure what it means to get a" licensing agreement with an Asian vehicle OEM" -- If it's a dramatically different engine than the standards found in the suite of engines that a given manufacturer uses in their shipping cars, then isn't the bigger challenge going to be getting one of the recognizable labels (Kia, Honda, Ford, whatever) to commit to this new engine? Or am I naieve to think that the car manufacturers are the ones driving/demanding engine breakthroughs?

Weaving through traffic? You suck.

To: the jerk 3 miles ahead of me who was weaving through traffic 15 minutes ago

Message: You totally suck.

From: the hundreds of drivers who are behind you who are now stuck in stop-and-go traffic, all due to the fact that you erroneously thought that you could shave another 30 seconds off your commute.

PS: You totally suck.

Via: Car Insurance Guide 
and Autoblog.com

You are not stuck in traffic. You are traffic.

Great image, courtesy of Bike Friendly North Shore via Treehugger.

Off-topic: new take on the glass-bottom boat

My friends at Translogic point to a neat project to build a boat with a sub-marine pilot compartment (I'd argue against the use of the word "submarine" to describe the EGO, since the boat itself does not go under the water)

I've been fascinated by the sea all my life, and have enjoyed a "submarine" ride (actually, a deep-keeled boat with sub-waterline windows) on a trip to Catalina Island. I've also thoroughly enjoyed numerous snorkeling expeditions on Hawaii, and "do it yourself" snorkeling at the Kapoho Tidepools. If I ever found myself at a resort that had the EGOs available, I'd definitely jump at the chance. There's something truly magical about the world under the waves.

The real interesting thing about the EGO is that it's super-easy to pilot (a plus for the noob boating crowd at a resort) and is pilot-able from under the water.

I only hope that there are good "bumpers" on those pontoons...

Next week is Telework Week

I came across Telework Exchange today, which is hosting Telework Week on Feb 14 - 18, 2011.
I wasn't familiar with the site, but it boasts an impressive collection of links to resources, articles, papers, etc. I don't have time right now to review all of the site content (which is considerable), but skimming it, I see that it's geared primarily to a US and Federal Government audience, which is interesting an interesting focus. Nevertheless, it has resources that would be helpful for non-US and business audiences as well.


In my job, I already telecommute several times a week, enjoying a variety of benefits:

• flexibility (working around kids' doctors appointments)
• multitasking (when on certain boring conference calls that require only a portion of my attention, I've been known to run a load of laundry while waiting for a relevant topic for me to come up).
• fewer interruptions (when going into the office, the "dropin chats" totally kill my day and my productivity).
• clothes savings (Yes, when I work from home, I've been known to slum it in a 12-year old T-shirt that I got at some tradeshow. Helps stretch the clothes budget a bit further.)
• no wasted time commuting
• no wasted fuel commuting
• no wear and tear on my car commuting.
• no time spent trying to find parking (the parking around my office building really sucks, and easily adds another 15 minutes to a given day).
• I get sick less (not going into the office to breath the germ-y air really helps keep me from getting all the bugs that are going around).

My employer reaps benefits from me, in that:

• I tend to work a portion of what would have been my commute time. So if I'm required to work 8 hours, and my commute is 2 hours (1 hour each way), if I telecommute, I'll work from home for 9 hours. Not required by the company, but I feel it's a reward to the company for being willing to let me work from home.
• when I interact with other employees (though Skype screen sharing, for example), our interactions are higher quality than if I was actually in the office with that employee sitting beside me.
• I don't look for another job. Frankly, my job hasn't been amazing lately, so anything they can do to keep me happy will keep my expertise in the company. If they took telecommuting away from me, I'm certain I'd leave in short order.

There are drawbacks to telecommuting, to be sure, both for the employee and the employer. I'll be reviewing this website more closely in the coming days to see what solutions I can find to this.