August 3rd, 2005

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Technology
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Poo-Be-Hard

Those clever students at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design won an award for Dog Poo Spray, a liquid nitrogen spray that hardens dog turds, permitting easy transport to the bin. From Creative Matters via WMMNA:

Garrick Hamm, Creative Director, Williams Murray Hamm and D&AD Education Chairman adds, “I always hope to come away from student judging with the names of a couple of new, exciting creatives, or a killer idea to share with the rest of my studio – but nothing prepared me for dog shit! Not only was this a clever, environmentally useful idea but it was extremely well thought through and the execution was slicker than an Italian racing driver. If these creatives haven’t got jobs by the end of the summer, please send me an email…but I have a funny feeling they will be busy.”

It’s a little alarming how Mr. Hamm keeps calling them “creatives”, as if they were a category of clone. And he may have a pretty narrow view of ‘environmentally useful’. If this idea actually caught on, is the extra nitrogen in the atmosphere going to be a problem?

Regardless, the little poo graphic is awesome. Of course, this story reminded me of Ben Stiller’s Va-poo-rize in Envy.

Comments: 4 Responses so far

KevinG
August 3rd, 2005
9:50 am

You creatives are so sensitive :)

[Reply]

AC
August 3rd, 2005
10:12 am

“If this idea actually caught on, is the extra nitrogen in the atmosphere going to be a problem?”

Considering that the air we breathe is actually 62% Nitrogen and 28% Oxygen, I doubt that the atmosphere is likely to be too upset even if every dog owner in the world started using this spray.

[Reply]

Darren
August 3rd, 2005
10:28 am

AC: Well, that’s why I asked. We’re always being told about the ‘delicate balance’ of the atmosphere’s elements.

[Reply]

Ian King
August 3rd, 2005
3:33 pm

I’d be worried if the atmospheric nitrogen suddenly dropped to 62% — it’s actually more like 78% N2, 21% 02.

More seriously, I don’t think that the nitrogen itself would be the big problem; liquid nitrogen is extracted from the atmosphere where, as above, these is a rather large amount of the stuff. The nitrogen would, effectively, be put back in the same place from which it was extracted and stored. The energy cost (read: more likely than not CO2 production to get electricity) of cooling it into a liquid state is probably more of a concern, as would be storing it upright (liquid nitrogen flasks have little vents to accommodate boil-off; guess what happens if you tip ‘em over?) and keeping it around long enough without it boiling away.

Now, if some enviro-actuary would like to figure out the relative impacts of liquid nitrogen poopsicle preparation versus that of a plastic bag…

[Reply]

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