2:43 PM
A new law that went into effect today mandates that most new homes in Hawaii need to come with a solar water heater. Homeowners had already begun to move towards solar water heating in Hawaii, mainly because of the rebates and tax credits offered for Hawaii homes...unfortunately, starting today all of the rebates and tax credits end (unfortunate for the homeowners who didn't add solar to their homes before today) and now new homes are just required to have it!
http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20100101/NEWS01/1010367/Hawaii+first+in+nation+to+require+home+solar+water+heaters
Mercedes-Benz delivered the first production version of its Econic tractor-trailer fueled by natural gas. It has almost no emissions and can run on biogas to make it basically carbon neutral in operation:
http://green.autoblog.com/2010/01/01/mercedes-benz-delivers-first-natural-gas-econic-semi/
This TCU fan is celebrating that his wedding was called off so that he can go to the Fiesta Bowl.
http://www.killerfrogs.com/msgboard/index.php?s=f0a6a51e1fc87ee2185bab4dd28611ad&showtopic=109273
This website is offering a FREE download of the Batman Begins movie for people who sign up with an account with them:
http://www.filmfresh.com/film/batman-begins-0
One of my wife's close friends from high school works at Pearl Harbor now. Jennifer was using the gym that her work gives her access to and was shocked yesterday when Pres. Obama came to the gym for a workout! She said that he was very nice, shook her hand, made pleasant conversation while waiting his turn for a machine, and that the Secret Service being there was kind of weird to her.
Two things that surprised her the most:
1. That the Secret Service didn't make everybody leave when the President went to the gym for his workout.
2. That Pres. Obama waited patiently for his turn at a machine--he had done a set and she went to use the machine after him just so that she could work out on the machine after he used it. When she was in the middle of her set she realized that he was waiting to do another set at the machine and she was interrupting his workout. She apologized to him and offered to let him use the machine, but he told her not to worry and that she should finish up with the machine.