High energy prices are leading some inventive Americans to take on do-it-yourself projects for biodiesel fuel production. For just under $5,000, it’s now possible to buy an assembly of large plastic tanks, water heaters and other equipment for making one’s own biodiesel fuel. Over at the Christian Science Monitor, there’s an interesting article about do-it-yourselfers turning diner grease into biodiesel fuel:

“In his two-car garage, Kevin Newman is pouring used French fry oil from local restaurants into a pair of General Electric household water heaters - his version of the giant petroleum cracking towers found at an oil company refinery. He deftly moves hoses around, scrubs the impurities from the oil, performs chemical tests, and, voilà, a week later, he is filling-up his pickup truck with biodiesel. He figures his home refinery saves him and his business, which has six trucks, about $1.75 a gallon. “If you can bake a cake, you can make biodiesel,” says Mr. Newman.

With diesel at $3 a gallon, 50 cents more than last year, ingenious Americans like Newman are turning their garages and basements into mini-refineries. Websites publish instructions, community colleges offer classes, and biodiesel adherents give tours touting the improvement in exhaust emissions. Country and Western star Willie Nelson has his own “fresh farm biodiesel.” Companies casually sell the equipment to turn used cooking oil into diesel as if owning your own refinery is part of the American dream.”

The article never mentions this directly - but it seems like many of these grassroots efforts have a lot in common with the “home brew” kits that are still popular with DIY craft beer makers. In fact, one of the leaders of a biodiesel cooperative in North Carolina refers to himself as a “brewmaster.”

Tags: DIY innovation do-it-yourself

[image: Christian Science Monitor]

Here’s the latest in consumer-generated innovation. As seen on Yahoo! Music, music superstar Janet Jackson is soliciting the help of her fans to design a cover for her new album, “20 Years Old,” due out on September 26:

“The Design Me contest requires participants to download images of Janet, create proposed album covers, and to post the creations on the contest page. Contestants will vote for their favorite submissions, and Janet will select her top four favorites, which will be used for the first one million copies of the album. Janet and her beau Jermaine Dupri, President Virgin Records, Urban Music, came up with the idea for the promotion. “We were going on the website and looking at all this creative stuff the kids were doing, and it amazed us,” Janet says. “They were taking old pictures and they were just very creative with all the designs. We said, ‘Let’s have these kids design our album cover.’”

Anyway, the new album “20 Years Old” celebrates the 20th anniversary of the release of her 1986 mega-smash album “Control,” which included hit singles like “Nasty,” “What Have You Done For Me Lately,” and the title track. Thus, it’s fair to assume that the winning entry will include some sort of homage to that album. For examples of Janet Jackson artwork that fans have already created, check out the Design Me site and click on “most popular cover designs.”

Tags: Janet Jackson design me design

[image: Janet Jackson]