BUSINESS BUZZ: Exxon posts a record profit for the last quarter; Shell, meanwhile, made a measly $11.6 billion. It’s the highest quarterly profit of any publicly traded company in the U.S. ever. And it would have been $11.97 if it weren’t for that pesky Exxon Valdez court settlement!

The Best Links:

1. Somehow, This Fell Short of Wall Street’s Expectations
2. Exxon Actually Fell Short of Its Own Estimates

CULTURE BUZZ: The pros and cons of scooters, from costs and mileage to safety. As gas prices increase so does the size of the scooter market. Scooters may be the best cheap and environmentally friendly alternative to your SUV. Don’t forget to wear a helmet!

Contribute: Add an image, link, video or comment »

The Best Links:

1. Ten Things You Should Know Before You Buy A Scooter
2. CPSC Stats on Motorized Scooters
3. Motorcycle Safety Foundation
4. Scooter Sales Boom!

TECH BUZZ: With gas prices so high, the low-tech push reel mower is making a comeback. I don’t care that much about the gas savings, I just think push reel mowers are classy. Or you could go with the solar-powered robot mower , if you trust robots (note: you shouldn’t trust robots).

Contribute: Add an image, link, video or comment »

The Best Links:

1. Handy Comparison Chart of Push Reel Mowers
2. For All Your Push Reel Mower Needs…
3. Push Reel Mower Sales Are Up
4. How I Got Sucked in by the Push Reel Mower
5. The Sunlawn 16-Inch Push Reel Mower: $179 (Free Shipping)
6. I Heart Reel Mowers
7. Differences Between Mowers, For Those of You Who Are Confused

SCIENCE BUZZ: Efuel 100 has developed a contraption that lets you make your own ethanol out of water, sugar, and yeast, and fill up your car at home. It’s definitely not for the typical lazy American, but given the popularity of Hybrids, DIY ethanol could become a real trend.

Contribute: Add an image, link, video or comment »

The Best Links:

1. It’s $10k, but You Could Potentially Get Government Subsidies to Help You Out
2. MicroFueler Home Ethanol Pump Unveiled, Ready For Pre-Orders
3. Efuel 100 Is Now Taking Pre-Orders
4. The World’s First Portable, Produce-where-you-consume, Ethanol Distiller Will Cost $10K
5. Press Release: How the Micro Fueler Works
6. The First Ever At-Home Biofuel Kit
7. “Ethanol Is the People’s Fuel”
8. NY Times Article: “Home Brew for the Car, Not the Beer Cup”

BUSINESS BUZZ: The maker of Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep vehicles announced an offer that caps the price of gasoline at $2.99 a gallon for three years for people who buy or lease new vehicles from Wednesday through June 2. It doesn’t take a math expert to figure out that more fuel-efficient cars will save you more money in the long-run. However, a pair of blue plastic TruckNutz really only look good on a pick-up truck - so you’ve got a tough decision to make.

Contribute: Add an image, link, video or comment »

The Best Links:

1. Chrysler Delivers Poor Environmental Performance, Tries to Compensate with $2.99 Plan
2. Someone Does the Financial Analysis For You!
3. Here’s the Deal - Buy Or Lease New Vehicle, Get $2.99/gal. Gas for 3 Yrs.
4. A Way for Chrysler to Compete with Actual Fuel-Efficient Cars
5. A Plan That’s Supposed to Help “Working People”
6. “Chrysler criticized for $2.99 gas, Suzuki jumps on bandwagon “
7. “Chrysler’s desperation move: $2.99 gas for your shiny new SUV”
8. Chrysler’s Attempt at Reinvigorating SUV Sales