Cornstarch?

This morning I received an invitation from Fujitsu to attend the Oracle
OpenWorld 07 event in San Francisco next month.

I would go, but I'm far too busy at the moment.

Nevertheless, it was interesting to see how Fujitsu are moving to SOA in
partnership with Oracle and most of what's going on there is SOA oriented.

As I looked through the agenda the following caught my eye...


"Fujitsu is eco-friendly too!
Fujitsu premieres the world's first laptop housing made from cornstarch
(bio-based plastic). Come see it and our space-and energy-efficient
PRIMERGY® TX120 tower server in the Eco-Friendly section of the Inside
Innovation area at Oracle OpenWorld. "

The latest notebook I have (Vaio AR250G - I call it Bigblack) is made from
kevlar.

Now, I don't know about you folks, but if I have a choice between cornstarch
or kevlar, I think I'd prefer to have something that can stop a bullet for
me, should the need arise... :-)

Is this politically correct eco thing just getting silly, or have Fujitsu
tapped into something that is really serious and important?

Comments?

Pete.
--
"I used to write COBOL...now I can do anything."

Pete Dashwood wrote:
>
> Is this politically correct eco thing just getting silly...?

Isn't that a redundant question?

Actually, I'd say, no, it isn't "just getting" silly, it's *been* silly
for a long time.  But, the durability may not be a big deal to some
people - I've known of at least 4 people who have laptops, and hardly
ever (if that) take them out of the docking station.

Think of the biodegradable laptop - better not spill any water on it!  :)

--
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~     / \/ _ o     ~          Live from Albuquerque, NM!          ~
~     _ /\   |     ~                                              ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ Business E-mail  ~ daniel @ "Business Website" below            ~
~ Business Website ~ http://www.djs-consulting.com                ~
~ Tech Blog        ~ http://www.djs-consulting.com/linux/blog     ~
~ Personal E-mail  ~ "Personal Blog" as e-mail address            ~
~ Personal Blog    ~ http://daniel.summershome.org                ~
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GEEKCODE 3.12 GCS/IT d s-:+ a C++ L++ E--- W++ N++ o? K- w$ !O M--
V PS+ PE++ Y? !PGP t+ 5? X+ R* tv b+ DI++ D+ G- e h---- r+++ z++++

"Who is more irrational?  A man who believes in a God he doesn't see,
or a man who's offended by a God he doesn't believe in?" - Brad Stine

"Pete Dashwood" <dashwood@removethis.enternet.co.nz> wrote in message
news:5o78vfFl9t9vU1@mid.individual.net...
> This morning I received an invitation from Fujitsu to attend the Oracle
> OpenWorld 07 event in San Francisco next month.
>
> I would go, but I'm far too busy at the moment.
>
> Nevertheless, it was interesting to see how Fujitsu are moving to SOA in
> partnership with Oracle and most of what's going on there is SOA oriented.
>
> As I looked through the agenda the following caught my eye...
>
>
> "Fujitsu is eco-friendly too!
> Fujitsu premieres the world's first laptop housing made from cornstarch
> (bio-based plastic). Come see it and our space-and energy-efficient
> PRIMERGY® TX120 tower server in the Eco-Friendly section of the Inside
> Innovation area at Oracle OpenWorld. "
>
> The latest notebook I have (Vaio AR250G - I call it Bigblack) is made from
> kevlar.
>
> Now, I don't know about you folks, but if I have a choice between
> cornstarch or kevlar, I think I'd prefer to have something that can stop a
> bullet for me, should the need arise... :-)
>
> Is this politically correct eco thing just getting silly, or have Fujitsu
> tapped into something that is really serious and important?
>
> Comments?
>
> Pete.
> --
> "I used to write COBOL...now I can do anything."
>

If the need arose, could you eat your kevlar-cased laptop?

Bon Appetit!

"billious" <billious_1954@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:471edc57$0$12183$a82e2bb9@reader.athenanews.com...
>
> "Pete Dashwood" <dashwood@removethis.enternet.co.nz> wrote in message
> news:5o78vfFl9t9vU1@mid.individual.net... 
>
> If the need arose, could you eat your kevlar-cased laptop?

Possibly... but I expect it would make me billious :-)

>
> Bon Appetit!
>

Thank you :-)

(Funny thing... I accidentally dropped it about 3 feet onto a coffee table
tonight...  turned it on with fear and trepidation, having visions of months
of work disappearing (yes, I normally back up current projects to DVD every
w or so, But I've been ill lately so it is a few ws since a
backup....) it is functioning perfectly (and the first thing I did was back
up the current project :-)). Don't know if it was the kevlar or if I was
just lucky, but I guess it says something for SONY build quality... Betcha
cornstarch would've shattered...popcorn!)

Pete
--
"I used to write COBOL...now I can do anything."

On 23 Oct, 22:55, "Pete Dashwood" <dashw...@removethis.enternet.co.nz>
wrote:
> This morning I received an invitation from Fujitsu to attend the Oracle
> OpenWorld 07 event in San Francisco next month.
>
> I would go, but I'm far too busy at the moment.
>
> Nevertheless, it was interesting to see how Fujitsu are moving to SOA in
> partnership with Oracle and most of what's going on there is SOA oriented.
>
> As I looked through the agenda the following caught my eye...
>
> "Fujitsu is eco-friendly too!
> Fujitsu premieres the world's first laptop housing made from cornstarch
> (bio-based plastic). Come see it and our space-and energy-efficient
> PRIMERGY=AE TX120 tower server in the Eco-Friendly section of the Inside
> Innovation area at Oracle OpenWorld. "
>
> The latest notebook I have (Vaio AR250G - I call it Bigblack) is made from
> kevlar.
>
> Now, I don't know about you folks, but if I have a choice between cornsta=
rch
> or kevlar, I think I'd prefer to have something that can stop a bullet for
> me, should the need arise... :-)
>
> Is this politically correct eco thing just getting silly, or have Fujitsu
> tapped into something that is really serious and important?
>
> Comments?
>
> Pete.
> --
> "I used to write COBOL...now I can do anything."

I doubt if the laptop casing, being made of a cornstarch polymer, is
any more politically correct than the kevlar one that you own. Based
on a position of total ignorance, my suspicion is that cornstarch
polymers are no more bio-degradable than any other plastic.

However, you can rest easy knowing that the source of the cornstarch
is actively depleting the increased CO2 levels although the freight-
miles would negate that gain and make it negligible in the overall
equation.

On Thu, 25 Oct 2007 09:39:40 -0700, Alistair <alistair@ld50macca.demon.co.uk
> wrote:

>On 23 Oct, 22:55, "Pete Dashwood" <dashw...@removethis.enternet.co.nz>
>wrote: 
>
>I doubt if the laptop casing, being made of a cornstarch polymer, is
>any more politically correct than the kevlar one that you own. Based
>on a position of total ignorance, my suspicion is that cornstarch
>polymers are no more bio-degradable than any other plastic.

Your suspicion is wrong, cornstarch 'plastic' IS biodegradable. The polymer 
is not
synthesized from cornstarch. Starches (along with proteins and DNA) are natu
ral polymers.
Picture a starch molecule as several thousand paper clips hooked together, w
here each
paper clip represents a glucose molecule.

>However, you can rest easy knowing that the source of the cornstarch
>is actively depleting the increased CO2 levels although the freight-
>miles would negate that gain and make it negligible in the overall
>equation.

Freight is a minor 10% of the energy equation -- 6,000 BTU per bushel contai
ning 30 lbs of
starch. Fertilizer is the greatest energy consumer. If we were smart, we'd m
ake ethanol
and plastic from grass and wood. We don't because there's no grass lobby cla
moring for
support.

Robert wrote:
>
> Your suspicion is wrong, cornstarch 'plastic' IS biodegradable. The
> polymer is not synthesized from cornstarch. Starches (along with
> proteins and DNA) are natural polymers. Picture a starch molecule as
> several thousand paper clips hooked together, where each paper clip
> represents a glucose molecule.

More's the pity. A plastic bag or Coke bottle is with us forever. Paper,
carboard, etc., do degrade and leach the contents of their manufacturing
process into the environment.

Look at an empty box of Tide. Notice it's nifty eye-catching orange color?
The orange color is made from Chromium.

Oh well.

Robert wrote:
> On Thu, 25 Oct 2007 09:39:40 -0700, Alistair <alistair@ld50macca.demon.co.
uk> wrote:
> 
>
> Your suspicion is wrong, cornstarch 'plastic' IS biodegradable. The polyme
r is not
> synthesized from cornstarch. Starches (along with proteins and DNA) are na
tural polymers.
> Picture a starch molecule as several thousand paper clips hooked together,
 where each
> paper clip represents a glucose molecule.
> 
>
> Freight is a minor 10% of the energy equation -- 6,000 BTU per bushel cont
aining 30 lbs of
> starch. Fertilizer is the greatest energy consumer. If we were smart, we'd
 make ethanol
> and plastic from grass and wood. We don't because there's no grass lobby c
lamoring for
> support.

Obviously, you have not heard of Mark Emery. <G>

Donald

"donald tees" <donaldtees@execulink.com> wrote in message
 news:joGdnQrvePmffbzanZ2dnUVZ_oPinZ2d@go
lden.net...
[snip]
> Obviously, you have not heard of Mark Emery. <G>

Oh, I've heard of him. Abrasive person - really rubs me up the wrong way.

Judson McClendon wrote:
> "HeyBub" <heybubNOSPAM@gmail.com> wrote: 
>
> Are we talking bumpers and bullets here? :-)

Well, yeah. Ignoring wartime, of course.