Kettles, more kettles, and the Solar Death Ray

Back home in Cardiff I've been struggling to get my head around the gadgetry of my mother's Eco Kettle. The principle behind this bit of wizardry is that the water your pour into the top isn't actually the water that gets heated. Instead, you merely transfer the amount you need into the lower compartment, only heating what you need, and saving all the penguins and berries in the rainforest into the bargain.

Problem is, you can never quite get the right amount into the bottom. Anyway - I'll often want some very hot water a mere half hour later too, so not boiling the rest of the water simply causes me some more inconvenience. As such, I take great pleasure in filling the eco-kettle to the top, and then boiling it a few times before using the water.


_{At last, hippies can drink tea!}

An invention that claims to offer an even more eco-friendly way to heat up some water is Tefal's Quick Cup. The water flies up through a heating element, boiling on its way, and you're presented with exactly one cup's worth of boiling water.

At £60, with a £30 per year saving in energy bills (assuming, I presume, that you run a business selling hot drinks), it seems like an ideal buy. But, before you students all run off and buy one, consider this cunning comment left on a Gizmodo report about the Quick Cup:

I like the idea but my kettle cost £8 from tesco and therefore saved me £52.

You won't see a better review than that anywhere. Here's what it looks like:


_{Note that you need pricy custom filters}

However, an invention which bizarrely hasn't made its way onto the virtual shelves of EthicalSuperstore.com is the Solar Death Ray. Offering the power of 112 suns, this is surely the most environmentally friendly (and fastest) way to heat up your H2O.

Even better, unlike the other options, it can be used for a wide range of other purposes too. The videos are awesome and much worth watching.



'According to the watch it was 22:32, but according to the Solar Death Ray it was Time To Die'