Now you can chill that Pepsi (no Coke vs Pepsi war please) and heat that Starbucks, both with the same USB gadget.

• External power source is NOT required
• Warmer: 10 minutes 29 degrees increase
• Cooler: 10 minutes 13 degrees decrease
• Cable length: 98cm (38.6in)
• Heating pad diameter: 65mm (2.6in)
• Dimension: 13.8 x 8.9 x 3.4cm (5.4 x 3.5 x 1.3in)
• Weight: 420g (14.8oz)

Priced at just US$24, it makes this a much better choice than the US$40 chiller-only option that was mentioned some time ago. I think I’m gonna get one right now! Product page.

This is perhaps my favorite invention for the month. Because this will be the stuff that’ll keep my smooth KilKenny cool while I lie in the sun, enjoying the beautiful sky, sea and the babes!

Active Building Envelope (ABE) is the name of the project, developed by Steven Van Dessel and his fellow researchers at the US Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. It is a thin-film technology that could allow surfaces such as walls and windows to harness the sun’s energy and make the space within it either warmer or cooler.

Currently, Van Dessel is investigating the possibility of using the ABE at the micrometer scale. Which will result in extremely thin ABE surfaces that could be used in objects such as beer bottles to control temperature.

“This is another example of the important energy security research under way at Rensselaer,” says Omkaram “Om” Nalamasu, vice president for research at Rensselaer. “The availability of reliable, sustainable, and secure energy sources is paramount to solving the global energy security problems facing humanity today. Rensselaer’s historical strengths in materials, devices, and systems combined with rapidly growing research efforts in energy conservation and renewable energy systems will help to address the world’s demand for affordable and environmentally benign energy.”

Free air-conditioning in sunny Singapore and an ice-cold beer in the sun springs to my mind. You?