My Two Cents

Last weekend on the Fresno Pacific University campus, the Mennonites had their annual west coast fundraiser, which is always a good time of food, friends, music, auctions, and this year, for me, counting money (I'm such a dork). But that's not what I'm here to talk about. On display was a '99 Volkswagen Jetta, modified to run on vegetable oil instead of environmentally-unfriendly gasoline. The lengthy article in today's paper about the two men who plan to drive it across the country reported that sales of such the conversion kits are on the rise, and apparently they're so easy to install that most people do it themselves at home. Vegetable oils are obtained from local restaurants, upon which rests one minor drawback: would you rather your car smell like sushi or McDonald's french fries?

If you're interested in following the pair on their journey, you can check out their on-the-road blog, beginning May 27, at www.mcc.org/frittercar.

In the meantime, read about this space-saving vehicle , able to fit into the smallest of parking spots. As in, 20,000 of the cars could be parked on the tip of a human hair. Best quote of the week, by a scientist to the NewScientistTech: "We think the car would drive along, but we wouldn't be able to see it and I don't think people would believe us."