Seed: 2009 Will Be a Year of Panic
http://www.seedmagazine.com/news/2009/01/2009_will_be_a_year_of_panic.php

ChairmanBruce:

2009 Will Be a Year of Panic

Intellectual property made sense and used to work rather well when conditions of production favored it. Now they don't. If it's simple to copy just one single movie, some gray area of fair use can be tolerated. If it becomes easy to copy a million movies with one single button-push, this vast economic superstructure is reduced to rags. Our belief in this kind of "property" becomes absurd.

good article

The key players are now all in place in Washington and in state governments across America to officially label carbon dioxide as a pollutant and enact laws that tax we citizens for our carbon footprints. Only two details stand in the way, the faltering economic times and a dramatic turn toward a colder climate. The last two bitter winters have led to a rise in public awareness that there is no runaway global warming. The public is now becoming skeptical of the claim that our carbon footprints from the use of fossil fuels is going to lead to climatic calamities.

save

nice

With only three varieties of plants, we can “grow our own fresh air” indoors, to keep us healthy. Areca Palm, Mother-in-law tongue, Money plant. Bueno!!!!

Ever heard about these plants: (a) Areca Palm, (b) Mother-in-Law's Tongue, or (c) Money Plant? The authors state that, "We have tried and tested these plants for 15 years at Paharpur Business Centre and Software Technology Incubator Park (PBC- STIP) in New Delhi, India. It is a 20 year old, 50,000 ft2 building, with over 1,200 plants for 300 building occupants. PBC- STIP is rated the healthiest building in Delhi by the Government of India.* Their study found that there is a 42% probability of increasing blood oxygen by 1% if one is inside the building for 10 hours."

Our lack of knowledge about our own energy usage is a huge problem, but also a huge opportunity for us all to save money and fight global warming by reducing our power usage. Google PowerMeter is free web-based platform that works with smart meters to provide visualization of real-time energy use data.

A device that records data in your house and tells you how you consume.

New Google project: a widget that shows your electricity usage over time.

Google PowerMeter which will show consumers their electricity consumption in near real-time in a secure iGoogle Gadget.

The Big Picture - News Stories in Photographs from the Boston Globe

"The state of Victoria in southern Australia has recently been hit with hundreds of bush fires during a record-breaking heatwave - temperatures well above 38°C (100°F). Unfortunately, these fires have proved to be the deadliest in Australian history, with at least 166 deaths reported so far. The fires mostly appear to have been started by lightning - however a few appear to have been arson, and are under investigation - entire towns being declared crime scenes. Twenty-four fires are still burning, and authorities warn that the death toll will likely rise."

Google energy information - popular site in Delicious

Monitor your houseapplicances' energy consumption via Google!

Google PowerMeter, now in prototype, will receive information from utility smart meters and energy management devices and provide anyone who signs up access to her home electricity consumption right on her iGoogle homepage. The graph below shows how someone could use this information to figure out how much energy is used by different household activites.

fuel use by method of transportation. I like how 16 burgers = 1/2 gallon of gas.

fuel per passenger for 350 miles

Fuel use of various modes of transportation.

A nice graphic showing how much energy is needed for various different modes of transport. Cycling comes out best.

Rental moving boxes

"Available in 3 sizes and delivered direct to your door on our fleet of eco-trucks powered waste vegetable oil and bio-fuel. All you need to do is pack, stack and move. When the Recopack are empty, just call us and we’ll come over to your new place and pick them up."

Reusable plastic moving boxes for rent to replace cardboard cartons. Delivered to and picked up at your door by "eco-trucks" powered on vegetable oil, of course.

The First, Zero-Waste Pack and Move Solution in America!

Eco-friendly moving company

a real jurassic park would rule

"The Pyrenean ibex, a form of wild mountain goat, was officially declared extinct in 2000 when the last-known animal of its kind was found dead in northern Spain. Shortly before its death, scientists preserved skin samples of the goat, a subspecies of the Spanish ibex that live in mountain ranges across the country, in liquid nitrogen. ..." Dun dun dun.

The world's only pink Bottlenose dolphin which was discovered in an inland lake in Louisiana, USA.

ZOMG

Its a PINK Dolphin!!

I still don't understand this. But I think she's cute. It is a she.

Albino Dolphin!

The world's only pink Bottlenose dolphin which was discovered in an inland lake in Louisiana, USA

Visualized on GOOD Mag (via Karl Long)

If we wanted to rid the world of synthetic fertilizer use—and assuming dietary habits remain constant—the extra land we'd need for cover crops or forage (to feed the animals to make the manure) would more than double, possibly triple, the current area of farmland, according to Vaclav Smil, an environmental scientist at the University of Manitoba. Such an expansion, Smil notes, "would require complete elimination of all tropical rainforests, conversion of a large part of tropical and subtropical grasslands to cropland, and the return of a substantial share of the labor force to field farming—making this clearly only a theoretical notion."

by Paul Roberts (at Mother Jones) — the gist seems to be: re-evaluate your assumptions about what sustainable agriculture means (hint: it involves more than just carbon footprints and whether/not the farm is organic; see also: labor conditions, see also: man-hours of labor) and maybe be prepared to consider a few harsh realities about cost/benefit before you buy another heirloom tomato for $4

Spoiled: Organic and Local Is So 2008

Our industrial food system is rotten to the core. Heirloom arugula won't save us. Here's what will.

Tiene unos enlaces de herramientas o algo asi para los caneles de reciclaje

A h

in case you haven't seen it already.

Look at this!

hmm

Once the manic burst of building has stopped and the whirlwind has slowed, the secrets of Dubai are slowly seeping out. This is a city built from nothing in just a few wild decades on credit and ecocide, suppression and slavery. Dubai is a living metal metaphor for the neo-liberal globalised world that may be crashing – at last – into history.

see review in boing boing

free book: describes sustainable energy solutions

I just finished reading this book. It's one of the best analysis of energy use I was given to read. Hurray for raw number with cited sources!

Using a charming, educational style that teaches how to think about this kind of number, how to estimate with it, and what it means, MacKay explains these concepts beautifully, with accompanying charts that make them vivid and clear, and with exhaustive endnotes that are as interesting as the text they refer to (probably the best use of end-notes I've encountered in technical writing -- they act like hyperlinks, giving good background on the subjects that the reader wants to find out more about while allowing the main text to move forward without getting bogged down by details). sensible personal advice for things you can do to reduce your energy consumption -- especially identifying those few badly designed devices in your home whose idle power-draw really is punitive and replacing them (one Ikea lamp he cites draws nearly as much switched off as running, because of a transformer design that was one penny cheaper to manufacture than a more efficient one would have been).

PDF download on page

"This is to energy and climate what Freakonomics is to economics: an accessible, meaty, by-the-numbers look at the physics and practicalities of energy."

9 Apr 09 / cory Doctorow / David JC MacKay's "Sustainable Energy -- Without the Hot Air" may be the best technical book about the environment that I've ever read. In fact, if I have any complaint about this book, it's in how it's presented, with its austere cover and spartan title, I assumed it would be a somewhat dry look at energy, climate, conservation and so on. It's not. This is to energy and climate what Freakonomics is to economics: an accessible, meaty, by-the-numbers look at the physics and practicalities of energy

don quixote

Info-graphic: consumption of key resources, estimated number of years before exhaustion. Many between 5 and 40 years.

Today is Earth Day, a day set aside for awarenesss and appreciation of the Earth's environment, and our roles within it - this year marking the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. As a way to help appreciate and observe our environment, I've collected 40 images below, each a glimpse into some aspect of the world around us, how it affects and sustains us, and how we affect it. Happy Earth Day everyone. (40 photos total)

Twitter

Get Great Gadgets. And Keep Them

Saving the planet through sheer laziness.

sweet design

Let me know if you have no interest in the things I randomly send you - this made me think of your union rant plus your blog about shoes on wires :)

Prior to DIYcity, Geraci co-founded the hyperlocal news network Outside.in.

houses constructed out of metal containers

arquitectura: casas hechas con containers

Poze cu mizeria din India.

ゴミだらけ。

Looks like a great film about the earth and its beginning.

We are living in exceptional times. Scientists tell us that we have 10 years to change the way we live, avert the depletion of natural resources and the catastrophic evolution of the Earth's climate. . .

Brilliant way to garden!

HT passionate homemaking

I need to figure out a way to make these without damaging the house!

idea 1

architectural conjecture :: urban speculation :: landscape futures

A project proposing to build a 6,000 km wall across the Sahara to stop desertification using bacteria which solidify sand into sandstone and could be used almost like a giant 3d printer. The future is here.

Larsson's project deservedly won first prize last fall at the Holcim Foundation's Awards for Sustainable Construction held in Marrakech, Morocco. One of the most interesting aspects of the project, I think, is that this solidified dunescape is created through a particularly novel form of "sustainable construction" – that is, through a kind of infection of the earth. In other words, Larsson has proposed using bacillus pasteurii, a "microorganism, readily available in marshes and wetlands, [that] solidifies loose sand into sandstone," he explains.

Here is a collection of the best Flash Websites with 3D Environment and 3D interface, Make sure to turn your speaker ON as most of these flash websites are using cool audio as well. (These sites will require little bit More band width, please be patient while the site loads, these sites are worth the waiting time)

Lists detailed info on pesticides that are on foods.

Select food and find out what's in it!

http://www.whatsonmyfood.org/images/womf_logo_label2.jpg

Rip is an attempt to create a next generation packaging system for Ruby.

Bringing people together to save energy and money

Hohm

online games re ecology, recycling, oceans, etc.

Environment Games

games to help Oscar the otter protect his environment

This project is my dad's $10 solution to a $500 solution to a $25,000 problem. As I have previously mentioned around the site, my Dad owns an electric 1979 Ford Courier pickup, and is cool enough to let me drive it around. We absolutely love it, and wouldn't trade it for a Tesla Roadster, but one of the few problems with electric cars is heating and cooling. In a gas car, heat is provided by the 80% of the gas that is wasted as heat, and air conditioning is provided by a crankshaft-driven compressor system. Many EVs use hair dryer elements and fans for heat, and some, ours included, feature a powerful gasoline-burning heater.

This project is my dad's $10 solution to a $500 solution to a $25,000 problem. As I have previously mentioned around the...

This project is my dad's $10 solution to a $500 solution to a $25,000 problem. As I have previously mentioned around the...

DIY air conditioner

Mowing with goats

Mowing with goats http://ff.im/-2vho7 [from http://twitter.com/chrisbechtel/statuses/1671172628]

Googleが空き地の雑草を200頭のヤギに食べさせて、草刈りをし、山火事を防ぐとともに環境フレンドリーをアピールという話。 このヤギだか羊たちって、僕が5年前にYahoo!のSunnyvaleに滞在していたときも裏の丘にいたんだよね。 実はこれはそういう業者に依頼するのだ。 http://www.californiagrazing.com/ 現地の人間に聞くと、州法だか消防法みたいのがあって、ある規模の企業は定期的に敷地の下草だとか雑草を刈らないとダメみたいだとか言っていた。それを広報に利用するというのは、さすが抜け目のないGoogleだな。

Google mows their lawn with goats http://twurl.nl/5yqfth #green [from http://twitter.com/telesaur/statuses/1698040940]

Estas cabras son explotadas como cortahierbas, pero aunque utilitarismo, no se puede decir de buenas a primeras que las maltraten, pues ellas disfrutan comiendo, a sus anchas. Pero la idea de que no son libres puede atormentar a bastantes. Se comen la hierba seca de Google durante una semana. Decidieron cambiar por cabras a los cortahierbas humanos y contaminantes con sus máquinas de tubo de escape. Son 200 y las dirige Jen, que es un perro, border collie para más señas.

Amazing!

9 sites that offer information for the conscious consumer about the companies and products we buy every day.

coyote

"Michael Pollan, in an 8,000-word essay in the New York Times Magazine, took the expected swipes at animal agriculture. But his truly radical prescriptions had to do with raising of crops. Pollan, who seemed to be aware of the nitrogen problem in his book The Omnivore's Dilemma, left nuance behind, as well as the laws of chemistry, in his recommendations. ... n his book, Pollan quotes geographer Vaclav Smil to the effect that 40 percent of the people alive today would not be alive without the ability to artificially synthesize nitrogen. But in his directive on food policy, Pollan damns agriculture's dependence on fossil fuels, and urges the president to encourage agriculture to move away from expensive and declining supplies of natural gas toward the unlimited sunshine that supported life, and agriculture, as recently as the 1940s."

"On the desk in front of me are a dozen books, all hugely critical of present-day farming.... To the farmer on the ground, though, a farmer blessed with free choice and hard won experience, the moral choices aren’t quite so easy. Biotech crops actually cut the use of chemicals, and increase food safety. Are people who refuse to use them my moral superiors? Herbicides cut the need for tillage, which decreases soil erosion by millions of tons. The biggest environmental harm I have done as a farmer is the topsoil (and nutrients) I used to send down the Missouri River to the Gulf of Mexico before we began to practice no-till farming, made possible only by the use of herbicides. The combination of herbicides and genetically modified seed has made my farm more sustainable, not less, and actually reduces the pollution I send down the river."

You already pay your bills online and get electronic statements, but there are even more ways you can stop killing innocent trees and wasting time and money dealing with paper. It's time we went paperless.

free vector art

Do you know the environmental or social policies of the places you shop? Do you know where your products come from? These 10 sites will help you find out.

9/6/09

"A new type of solar panel using human hair could provide the world with cheap, green electricity, believes its teenage inventor."

A new type of solar panel using human hair could provide the world with cheap, green electricity, believes its teenage inventor. Milan Karki, 18, believes he has found the solution to the developing world's energy needs.

Team of scientists find more than 40 previously unidentified species in remote volcanic crater

Wow, I'm even more jealous of my boy, who's off hiking in PNG with his family.

A team of scientists from Britain, the United States and Papua New Guinea found more than 40 previously unidentified species when they climbed into the kilometre-deep crater of Mount Bosavi and explored a pristine jungle habitat teeming with life that has evolved in isolation since the volcano last erupted 200,000 years ago. In a remarkably rich haul from just five weeks of exploration, the biologists discovered 16 frogs which have never before been recorded by science, at least three new fish, a new bat and a giant rat, which may turn out to be the biggest in the world.

Campaign to cut 10% of emissions in 2010, individual people but also companies can sign up.

campaign to sign up people and organisations to sign up to reduce their carbon emissions by 10% in 2010

The official site of the 10:10 campaign

By committing to cut your emissions by 10% in 2010, you will join thousands of individuals, schools, hospitals, businesses and organisations all actively helping to combat climate change by making simple changes to their lifestyles, homes and workplaces. More importantly, your voice will help to put pressure on the politicians to cut Britain’s emissions as quickly as the science demands.

Yes, all of the above may be true. But it doesn’t mean you can’t carve out just 15 minutes a day to be a better citizen of the planet — forego a couple of TV shows per week, set a timer to cut your Facebook (Facebook) and/or Twitter (Twitter) sessions by 15 minutes, or curtail that long hot shower habit. If you can find just a small amount of time per day, you can give back to your local or global community in a way that can reap benefits to your mood and psyche that far outweigh the time you’ve “given up” from another hobby or habit.

Good ideas!

Steve Fielding recently asked the Obama administration to reassure him on the science of man-made global warming. When the administration proved unhelpful, Mr. Fielding decided to vote against climate-change legislation. If you haven't heard of this politician, it's because he's a member of the Australian Senate. As the U.S. House of Representatives prepares to pass a climate-change bill, the Australian Parliament is preparing to kill its own country's carbon-emissions scheme. Why? A growing number of Australian politicians, scientists and citizens once again doubt the science of human-caused global warming.

The number of skeptics, far from shrinking, is swelling. Oklahoma Sen. Jim Inhofe now counts more than 700 scientists who disagree with the U.N. -- 13 times the number who authored the U.N.'s 2007 climate summary for policymakers.

Huge blob of Arctic goo floats past Slope communities http://ow.ly/hoim [from http://twitter.com/KaylinQ/statuses/2662205830]

IT'S NOT OIL: No one in the area can recall seeing anything like it before.

Arctic Goo. (via @djsaki) http://www.adn.com/2835/story/864687.html [from http://twitter.com/vitaminjeff/statuses/2674016789]

Nobody knows for sure what the gunk is, but Petty Officer 1st Class Terry Hasenauer says the Coast Guard is sure what it is not. "It's certainly biological," Hasenauer said. "It's definitely not an oil product of any kind. It has no characteristics of an oil, or a hazardous substance, for that matter. "It's definitely, by the smell and the makeup of it, it's some sort of naturally occurring organic or otherwise marine organism."

I, for one, welcome our new cubic gelatinous overlords.

ne thing is for sure. It seems the debate about what is causing global warming is far from over. Indeed some would say it is hotting up.

"The UK Met Office says that warming is set to resume"

you have to dice part of an onion

Photographs of albatross chicks which were made on Midway Atoll. The nesting babies are fed bellies-full of plastic by their parents, who soar out over the vast polluted ocean collecting what looks to them like food to bring back to their young. On this diet of human trash, every year tens of thousands of albatross chicks die on Midway from starvation, toxicity, and choking.

October 14, 2009, the 30th annual awards ceremony of the W. Eugene Smith Memorial Fund took place at the Asia Society in New York City. Lu Guang (卢广) from

"Shanxi Province is the most polluted areas of China. It is also the province with the highest rate of birth defects. This loving farmer couple adopted 17 disabled children. April 15, 2009 “In Some areas of China people’s lives were threatened because of the environmental pollution. Residents suffering from all kinds of obscured diseases, the cancer villages, increase of deformed babies, these were the results of sacrificing environment and blindly seeking economical gain.”"

Amazing Pictures, Pollution in China

How can consumers who want to reduce their impact on the planet find the best social media tools? The following sites are great shortcuts for weeding through the myriad online options.

How can consumers who want to reduce their impact on the planet find the best social media tools? Here is the social media and web guide to going green.

The social media and web guide to going green: http://bit.ly/801Jo [from http://twitter.com/sherrymain/statuses/1579819305]

Soaring online demand stretching companies' ability to deliver content as net uses more power and raises costs

RT @ecologee Web providers must limit internets carbon footprint, say experts http://tinyurl.com/cjwamo [from http://twitter.com/gbyat/statuses/1704966289]

"Soaring online demand stretching companies' ability to deliver content as net uses more power and raises costs"

Web providers must limit internet's carbon footprint, say experts Soaring online demand stretching companies' ability to deliver content as net uses more power and raises costs

The world is much closer to running out of oil than official estimates admit, according to a whistleblower at the International Energy Agency who claims it has been deliberately underplaying a looming shortage for fear of triggering panic buying.

"The world is much closer to running out of oil than official estimates admit, according to a whistleblower at the International Energy Agency who claims it has been deliberately underplaying a looming shortage for fear of triggering panic buying. The senior official claims the US has played an influential role in encouraging the watchdog to underplay the rate of decline from existing oil fields while overplaying the chances of finding new reserves."

The world is much closer to running out of oil than official estimates admit, according to a whistleblower at the International Energy Agency who claims it has been deliberately underplaying a looming shortage for fear of triggering panic buying. The senior official claims the US has played an influential role in encouraging the watchdog to underplay the rate of decline from existing oil fields while overplaying the chances of finding new reserves. The allegations raise serious questions about the accuracy of the organisation's latest World Energy Outlook on oil demand and supply to be published tomorrow – which is used by the British and many other governments to help guide their wider energy and climate change policies.

Some really imaginative graphics from the World Wildlife Fund.

Son bien creativos los guachitos. Vale la pena ver las 50 fotos que muestra este blog, creeme :)

This article will show you how to create a repeatable Django development environment from scratch using zc.buildout.

Buildout is a tool for reliably creating reproducible software builds. It was originally developed by Zope Corporation, and is often used in Zope builds; however, there's no dependency on Zope. You can use it to build pretty much anything. And I'm going to show you how to get a Django build up and running using it.

A Django Development Environment with zc.buildout

django buildout cfg for easy setup

interesting article to read

Very clever campaign for Acciona, a sustainable development firm based in Spain. http://bit.ly/3q6ITs

BBC NEWS | Science & Environment | Food crops, agriculture and biodiversity cannot be separated from one another A sustainable global food system in the 21st Century needs to be built on a series of "new fundamentals", according to a leading food expert.

Global food production will need to double just to meet demand. "We have the knowledge and the technology to do this, as things stand, but the perfect storm of climate change, environmental degradation and water and oil scarcity, threatens our ability to succeed." ...We are going to have to get biodiversity into gardens and fields, and then eat it. "We have to do this rather than saying that biodiversity is what is on the edge of the field or just outside my garden.

food rethink by bbc

Fascinating presentation on Issues Facing Our Changing World

Stewart Brand on TED.com

Our hopelessly compromised scientific establishment cannot be allowed to get away with the Climategate whitewash, says Christopher Booker.

A brief description on how one senator beleives that the idea of greenhouses gases endangering our environment is a hoax, and our envirnment is really in no danger.

John Rennie (Chefredakteur), Scientific American: Evidence for human interference with Earth's climate continues to | John Rennie, der seit 15 Jahren Chefredakteur bei SciAm ist, geht darin kompakt aber umfassend auf sieben Argumente ein, die man immer wieder findet: 1. CO2 ist nur ein Spurengas, kann gar nichts am Klima ändern; bzw. der Menschenanteil ist zu klein | 2. Der "hockey stick", der den Temperaturanstieg zeigt, ist widerlegt, außerdem war es im Mittelalter wärmer | 3. Seit 10 Jahren ist die Erde nicht wärmer geworden | 4. Sonne oder kosmische Strahlung sind die Ursache der Erwärmung | 5. Klimatologen haben sich verschworen um die Wahrheit zu verstecken | 6. Klimatologen sind nur geldgeil/wollen Achtung | 7. Technologische Anwendungen wie Geoengineering wären viel effektiver als CO2-Reduzierung

a partial list of the contrarians' bad arguments and some brief rebuttals of them

"a partial list of the contrarians' bad arguments and some brief rebuttals of them."

Found on Giulio's Copenhagen climate conference blog

an excellent, important infographic

A very nice looking graphical summary of the claims and counter-claims of global warming skeptics and the scientific consensus response to all the denier's claims. Very nice bit of work.

Igy kell kutatást csinálni a mai világban.

your arm. Together, the sling and the shot could save millions of lives. That's why he spent $50 million of his own money developing the

Far too many countries purchase bottled water instead of just taking it from the tap. Not only is this common practice wasteful, the water consumed is frequently less safe than what comes out of your faucet. Read more about the truth of bottled water in this graphic.

I've heard some of these statistics before, but find it more digestible in infographic form. Really though, stop buying bottled water if you can help it.

greenhouse gas beca

Quickly Find... Home | Front Page MyEXPRESS - My Homepage

100 reasons why global warming is not man-made (or even exists at all)

But, with a little advance planning and some good info, you'll see that it's really quite simple to dispose of these seemingly mysterious items.

Five recycling mysteries solved! | Yahoo! Green

Google states its mission for introducing the power meter and the reasoning behind it. By making information accessible and available to everyone, they try to save the environment. They also state actions taken to arouse attention for that subject and their activities to promote it. They make suggestions for policies and point out costumer tools they develop.

Feb 2009. - Google describes technology to monitor energy use

Google’s mission is to "organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful," and we believe consumers have a right to detailed information about their home electricity use.

There is no one-size-fits-all solution to providing consumers with detailed energy information. And it will take the combined efforts of federal and state governments, utilities, device manufacturers, and software engineers to empower consumers to use electricity more wisely by giving them access to energy information.

China knows it is becoming an uncontested superpower; indeed its newfound muscular confidence was on striking display in Copenhagen. Its coal-based economy doubles every decade, and its power increases commensurately. Its leadership will not alter this magic formula unless they absolutely have to

Research behind design

Provides examples that include 'Kingsdale School in London [which] was redesigned, with the help of psychologists, to promote social cohesion; the new structure also includes elements that foster alertness and creativity.'

How Room Designs Affect Your Work and Mood

ists are giving their hunches an empirical basis

In cold fact, a financial crisis is one of the kindest and mildest sorts of crisis a civilization can have. Compared to typical Italian catastrophes like wars, epidemics, earthquakes, volcanoes, endemic political collapse — a financial crisis is a problem for schoolchildren.

Bruce Sterling text on design, futurism and stuff.

funny, brilliant man

We create and distribute original Science is Culture content that communicates science's fast-changing place in our culture to an international audience. Our mission is to help nurture a science-savvy global citizenry by increasing public interest in science and public understanding of science.

"Eight years late, the 20th century has finally departed us this year. It will never return." bruce sterling's optimistic piece on what we're collectively in for next.

人工生態系Biosphere2が廃墟に

The fertile promise of the microcosm has been abandoned.

US physicist Alex Wissner-Gross claims that a typical Google search on a desktop computer produces about 7g CO2. However, these figures were disputed by Google, who say a typical search produced only 0.2g of carbon dioxide.

intereante BBC y Google

A typical Google search produces between 0.2g and 7g of carbon dioxide.

Dr Wissner-Gross's study claims that two Google searches on a desktop computer produces 14g of CO2, which is the roughly the equivalent of boiling an electric kettle.

Research by a Harvard University physicist has sparked debate about the environmental cost of Google searches.

Physicist Alex Wissner-Gross claims that a typical Google search on a desktop computer produces about 7g CO2.

think about it next time you search on google!

Two searches on a desktop computer produce 14g of CO2, equivalent to boiling an electric kettle.

It is with sad irony that the company which invented "planned obsolescence" -- the decision to build cars that would fall apart after a few years so that the customer would then have to buy a new one -- has now made itself obsolete

Don't put another $30 billion into the coffers of GM to build cars. Instead, use that money to keep the current workforce -- and most of those who have been laid off -- employed so that they can build the new modes of 21st century transportation. Let them start the conversion work now. Announce that we will have bullet trains criss-crossing this country in the next five years.

Beautiful and eloquent letter from Michael Moore, on the day of GM's "hand over" to its new shareholders: the US government and its taxpayers.

"Announce that we will have bullet trains criss-crossing this country in the next five years. Japan is celebrating the 45th anniversary of its first bullet train this year. Now they have dozens of them. Average speed: 165 mph. Average time a train is late: under 30 seconds. They have had these high speed trains for nearly five decades -- and we don't even have one! The fact that the technology already exists for us to go from New York to L.A. in 17 hours by train, and that we haven't used it, is criminal. Let's hire the unemployed to build the new high speed lines all over the country. Chicago to Detroit in less than two hours. Miami to DC in under 7 hours. Denver to Dallas in five and a half. This can be done and done now."

Michael Moore's suggestions as to what to do with GM seem good to me.

Bruce Sterling's Manifesto for a new Millennium

RT @niklasgvThe Big Picture: Greenland: en "The Boston Globe" impresionantes imágenes en HD de Groenlandia. http://tinyurl.com/n4nyj7 [from http://twitter.com/FelipeMorales/statuses/3223769235]

Got shivers just seeing the photos!

Condenses pure drinking water from air, just like the water traps in Dune.

Tapping an unlimited source of fresh water The Element Four WaterMill provides fresh, potable water from an unlimited source: the air. It's the sustainable, elegantly designed solution to providing fresh water for your family, and the world.

A household device that pulls fresh, potable water from the air. If this is for real, it's incredible.

product called watermill turns air moisture into drinkable water

product guides - taps, showers, gutters, tanks etc

Sito con trucchi per risparmiare acqua, giochi interattivi. molto bello, molto interattivo

how can we save water?

Tips on saving water. Great resource for secondary students

easy, sustainable gift wrapping technique

en video ; livres, bouteilles, paquet, sac

Every time I've tried tying furoshiki from diagrams, I've made an ungainly lump. Still, I live in hope.

Adura Technologies

Household machine to draw water out of the air

The solution to the world's worsening water shortages by drawing the liquid of life from an unlimited and untapped source - the air. ... Their creation, the WaterMill, uses the electricity of about three light bulbs to condense moisture from the air and purify it into clean drinking water.

thanks to a firm of eco-inventors from Canada who claim to have found the solution to the world's worsening water shortages by drawing the liquid of life from an unlimited and untapped source - the air.

Canadian firm of eco-inventors claims to have found the solution to the world's worsening water shortages

whoa

Bloom Energy is changing the way the world generates and consumes energy. Our unique on-site power generation systems utilize an innovative new fuel cell technology with roots in NASA's Mars program. Derived from a common sand-like powder, and leveraging breakthrough advances in materials science, our technology is able to produce clean, reliable, affordable power,... practically anywhere,... from a wide range of renewable or traditional fuels. Our Energy Servers™ are among the most efficient energy generators on the planet; providing for significantly reduced electricity costs and dramatically lower greenhouse gas emissions. By generating power on-site, where it is consumed, Bloom Energy offers increased electrical reliability and improved energy security, providing a clear path to energy independence.

Bloom Box!!!

Localized energy "servers" for your home.

Several of these are all, "tofu that tastes exactly like meat!" so if you're not into that, those won't be as interesting... but I still want to try them!

Going vegetarian seems challenging enough - but vegan? Here are some amazingly tasty vegan meals that will make even a carnivore's mouth water.

creation and

Vagrant is a tool for building and distributing virtualized development environments.

http://files.vagrantup.com

Don't let misinformation prevent you from cashing in on PC power management

Turning off PCs during periods of inactivity can save companies a substantial sum. In fact, Energy Star estimates organizations can save from $25 to $75 per PC per year with PC power management. Those savings can add up quickly. According to a recent report by Forrester titled "How Much Money Are Your Idle PCs Wasting?" PC power management is helping General Electric and Dell boast savings of $2.5 million and $1.8 million per year, respectively. That also results in a substantial reduction in CO2 emissions. So why is there hesitancy at some organizations to implement PC power management, given that the payback is easy to calculate? Perhaps some companies are being swayed by myths about PC power management. Forrester outlines five such myths in its report.

Let me just say this: any New Yorker that drinks bottled water is a fucking disgrace.

I want one of these. I really liked the "old and new" by Mouzon Design

The Green House of the Future We asked architects to draw up plans for the most energy-efficient houses they could imagine. They imagined quite a bit.

We asked architects to draw up plans for the most energy-efficient houses they could imagine. They imagined quite a bit.

Fotos del agua para el Día del agua por The Big Picture http://bit.ly/aFYqWU [from http://twitter.com/inti/statuses/10892432483]

What is neoliberalism, and what's it done to our universities?

Short-term transactions-for-profit replace long-term planning designed to produce a more just and equitable society. Everyone is always running around doing and acquiring things, but the things done and acquired provide only momentary and empty pleasures (shopping, trophy houses, designer clothing and jewelry), which in the end amount to nothing. Neoliberalism, David Harvey explains, delivers a “world of pseudo-satisfactions that is superficially exciting but hollow at its core.” (”A Brief History of Neoliberalism.”)

a good description of commodity-based thinking

As Ronald Coase put it in his classic article, “The Problem of Social Cost” (Journal of Law and Economics, 1960): “The question to be decided is: is the value of the fish lost greater or less than the value of the product which the contamination of the stream makes possible?” If the answer is more value would be lost if my factory were closed, then the principle of the maximization of wealth and efficiency directs us to a negotiated solution: you allow my factory to continue to pollute your stream and I will compensate you or underwrite the costs of your moving the stream elsewhere on your property, provided of course that the price I pay for the right to pollute is not greater than the value produced by my being permitted to continue.

Well defined article analyzing the disjointed humanism taught at institutes of higher education. NeoLiberalism.

Norbert Eisenreich, a senior researcher and deputy of directors at the Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology (ICT) in Pfinztal, Germany, said his team of scientists have come up with a substance that could replace plastic: Arboform -- basically, liquid wood.

alta modalitate de a capta puterea soarelui

Daniel Nocera

http://cleantechnica.com/2008/10/25/mit-energy-storage-discovery-could-lead-to-unlimited-solar-power/

Researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have discovered a new way of storing energy from sunlight that could lead to ‘unlimited’ solar power. The process, loosely based on plant photosynthesis, uses solar energy to split water into hydrogen and oxygen gases. When needed, the gases can then be re-combined in a fuel cell, creating carbon-free electricity whether the sun is shining or not.

Interesting. I hate to be cynical, but I wonder if it will take off?

The Big Picture - News Stories in Photographs from the Boston Globe

Verrassend wat licht doet in je beleving Check deze foto's voor en tijdens Earth Hour 2010 http://bit.ly/9RiQVi

Fotos de la Hora de la Tierra 2010

Earth Hour produced some stunning images

An article about Vauban, Germany from the NY Times

New York Times article discusses car-free suburb in Vauban, Germany, and other car-reduced developments in other country.

Car-free town in Germany

first wildfires, then sea level rise; "People have imagined that if we stopped emitting carbon dioxide that the climate would go back to normal in 100 years or 200 years. What we're showing here is that's not right. It's essentially an irreversible change that will last for more than a thousand years," Solomon says. This is because the oceans are currently soaking up a lot of the planet's excess heat — and a lot of the carbon dioxide put into the air. The carbon dioxide and heat will eventually start coming out of the ocean. And that will take place for many hundreds of years.

Climate change is essentially irreversible, according to a sobering new scientific study. As carbon dioxide emissions continue to rise, the world will experience more and more long-term environmental disruption. The damage will persist even when, and if, emissions are brought under control, says study author Susan Solomon, who is among the world's top climate scientists. "We're used to thinking about pollution problems as things that we can fix," Solomon says. "Smog, we just cut back and everything will be better later. Or haze, you know, it'll go away pretty quickly."

No comments.

get ready for 1000 years of suck

My car is a 1992 Honda Civic CX which I bought new, has an EPA fuel consumption rating of 47 mpg (US) highway / 39 city (5.0/6.0 L/100 km ... 20.0/16.6 km/L ... 56.4/46.8 mpg (Imp.)), and averaged mid 40's when driven "normally".

Boy this guys has spent a lot of time modifying his car to be as slippery as possible.

cost about 400. As much as 90mpg

I'd like to do this to my 1992 Honda Civic

If this is not a hoax, then this is why I am disgusted by every auto mfg on the planet: one person, inspired by a German design from the 1930s, mods an existing car to get twice the fuel efficiency.

more on luxury or dearth of its necessity

Allison Arieff

Addressing other nations at the G-20 last Wednesday, President Obama suggested that the United States was unlikely to return to its role as a “voracious consumer market.” If Obama’s right — and the experience of Japan, post-recession, suggests he may well be — what might that mean for design?

Admittedly I don't think much about it at all. ...

Saving Energy

turn off computers during this downturn

Tips on conserving energy and saving money at the same time

Fun tech ideas from Gizmodo that will save money and potentially increase the value of your home.

While we are mildly obsessed with iPhone apps that let us plan our wardrobes, determine where to eat, and stream awesome radio stations, our latest favorite find leverages technology for good in the greatest sense of the word. In association with Ecolife Apparel and The Conservation Fund, the iPhorest application enables the user to plant a tree. Upon downloading, the user activates a seedling both virtually and physically, and for each virtual tree planted, The Conservation Fund will plant a native tree in real life - starting with the restoration of vulnerable wildlife habitats along the Gulf Coast in the United States. With interactive features that allow you to dig a hole for your tree, water your seedling and connect to a world map to see other users, it has never been easier (or more fun) to give back.

Let’s today step out of the normal boundaries of analysis of our economic crisis and ask a radical question: What if the crisis of 2008 represents something much more fundamental than a deep recession? What if it’s telling us that the whole growth model we created over the last 50 years is simply unsustainable economically and ecologically and that 2008 was when we hit the wall — when Mother Nature and the market both said: “No more.”

Friedman, Thomas L.. The Inflection Is Near?." New York Times 07 March 2009.

We must have growth, but we must grow in a different way. For starters, economies need to transition to the concept of net-zero, whereby buildings, cars, factories and homes are designed not only to generate as much energy as they use but to be infinitely recyclable in as many parts as possible. Let’s grow by creating flows rather than plundering more stocks.

“We created a way of raising standards of living that we can’t possibly pass on to our children,” said Joe Romm, a physicist and climate expert who writes the indispensable blog climateprogress.org. We have been getting rich by depleting all our natural stocks — water, hydrocarbons, forests, rivers, fish and arable land — and not by generating renewable flows. “You can get this burst of wealth that we have created from this rapacious behavior,” added Romm. “But it has to collapse, unless adults stand up and say, ‘This is a Ponzi scheme. We have not generated real wealth, and we are destroying a livable climate ...’ Real wealth is something you can pass on in a way that others can enjoy.”

m the things I’ve made for them,” Chen said. “And I also hear that, when they no longer want an item, they simply

The Inflection Is Near? By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN Sometimes the satirical newspaper The Onion is so right on, I can’t resist quoting from it.

Freidman,

Shower heat exchange company, supplied by TerraTek, Vancouver

in the allowed number of devices, then power strips are safe, says Kielich. Just don't plug your power strip into another power strip, or you run the risk of creating an overload.

facts and fiction

article with top swapping websites

Du design comme je l'aime

Straw straw - simple and sustainable

The cleaning aisle at just about any grocery store is stocked with a dizzying array of options—and when it comes down to it, there are a lot of expensive, toxic, superfluous products crowding the market. Chances are, you already have one of the…

If you're looking for a greener, petsafe cleaner, look no further than your own pantry! This article lists 25 ways to clean with vinegar

More More See all Show me Sean Stiegemeier's videos Sean Stiegemeier's videos Staff Picks 7. Iceland, Eyjafjallajökull - May 1st and 2nd, 2010 by Sean Stiegemeier 4 days ago 6. Stomacher - Untitled/Dark Divider by Sean Stiegemeier 1 month ago 5. Atreyu Lonely Music Video by Sean Stiegemeier 1 month ago 4. Time Lapse Round One by Sean Stiegemeier 1 year ago 3. Music Video/Short Film Reel by Sean Stiegemeier 2 years ago 2. PCY2K8 by Sean Stiegemeier 2 years ago 1. Iceland Furry by Sean Stiegemeier 2 years ago

So I saw all of these mediocre pictures of that volcano in Iceland nobody can pronounce the name of, so I figured I should go and do better. But the flights to get over took forever as expected (somewhat). 4 days after leaving I finally made it, but the weather was terrible for another 4. Just before leaving it got pretty good for about a day and a half and this is what I managed to get. Wish I had more time. I missed all the cool Lightning and the Lava of the first eruption. But I figure this will just be a trial run for another day. I am of course accepting sponsors to send me back there for more please...!! haha Music: Jónsi - Kolniður (http://jonsi.com) Canon 5d mkII HUGE thanks for the Motorized Dolly via MILapse (http://vimeo.com/milapse). Details are to come soon so stay tuned... © Sean Stiegemeier www.in-perfidia.com www.twitter.com/sstieg

Disaster se desdobra lentamente no Golfo do México -12 mai 2010

horrifying

In the three weeks since the April 20th explosion and sinking of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, and the start of the subsequent massive (and ongoing) oil leak, many attempts have been made to contain and control the scale of the environmental disaster. Oil dispersants are being sprayed, containment booms erected, protective barriers built, controlled burns undertaken, and devices are being lowered to the sea floor to try and cap the leaks, with little success to date. While tracking the volume of the continued flow of oil is difficult, an estimated 5,000 barrels of oil (possibly much more) continues to pour into the gulf every day. While visible damage to shorelines has been minimal to date as the oil has spread slowly, the scene remains, in the words of President Obama, a "potentially unprecedented environmental disaster." (40 photos total)

People should have one meat-free day a week if they want to make a personal and effective sacrifice that would help tackle climate change, the world's leading authority on global warming has told The Observer

even skipping meat one day a week makes an impact

UN says eat less meat to curb global warming | Environment | The Observer

RT @sudestada Me late: RT @elefantastico The Pizza Box of the Future Has Arrived - http://ow.ly/5kS6 [from http://twitter.com/dariuus/statuses/1713130371]

Don't you love when something so right is also ingeniously simple? Then you'll love this pizza box. And if you happen to be a CEO of a major pizza chain, get on the bus.

The convertible pizza box! Delivery box, plate, storage all in one, and eco-friendly. http://adjix.com/d7p4 [from http://twitter.com/sherrymain/statuses/1656149343]

there is an expert here

Barack Obama has only four years to save the world. That is the stark assessment of Nasa scientist and leading climate expert Jim Hansen who last week warned only urgent action by the new president could halt the devastating climate change that now threatens Earth.

Barack Obama has only four years to save the world. That is the stark assessment of Nasa scientist and leading climate expert Jim Hansen who last week warned only urgent action by the new president could halt the devastating climate change that now threatens Earth. Crucially, that action will have to be taken within Obama's first administration, he added.

lets hope he gets on with it

Not only is he America's hope for relevance but now he has to save the world too. It would be funny if it were not true. If America doesn't take a leadership role in this too (along with the others who have already stepped forward I might add) then as the great Australian poems reads: "We'll All Be Rooned" said Hanrahan!

"The Cloud Appreciation Society says we need to recognise a new cloud type. Alongside cirrus and cumulus clouds, say hello to the asperatus." I don't know why I find these photos so nightmarish - they look so unnatural.

The Cloud Appreciation Society says asperatus should be to recognised as a new type of cloud

CREEPY!

Asperatus — a new kind of clouds

Next Image

I've never seen clouds like these.

Article relating to Gavin Pretor-Pinney's quest to gain a new classification of cloud - the Asperatus

Electrolyzed water yields two compounds as a degreaser and sanitizer

********************

Sounds like the old "Saturday Night Live" gag for Shimmer, the faux floor polish plugged by Gilda Radner. But the elixir is real. It has been approved by U.S. regulators. And it's starting to replace the toxic chemicals Americans use at home and on the job. The stuff is a simple mixture of table salt and tap water whose ions have been scrambled with an electric current. Researchers have dubbed it electrolyzed water -- hardly as catchy as Mr. Clean. But at the Sheraton Delfina in Santa Monica, some hotel workers are calling it el liquido milagroso -- the miracle liquid.

2009-03-26 18:05:21 <sissypapi> http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7951331.stm

Awwww

Experts believe it is probably an albino, which is an extremely rare phenomenon in African elephants. ¶ They are unsure of its chances of long-term survival – the blazing African sunlight may cause blindness and skin problems for the calf.

pink elephant

shoplifting pornos

http://travel.yahoo.com/p-interests-27384279;_ylc=X3oDMTFxcWIyczFpBF9TAzI3MTYxNDkEX3MDMjcxOTQ4MQRzZWMDZnAtdG9kYXltb2QEc2xrA21hbGRpdmVzLTQtMjgtMDk-

oil spill

An interesting map overlay of the BP oil spill. click on the site and it will bring up a google map with the oil spill on top of where you live.

FU BP http://www.ifitwasmyhome.com/ cc: @BPGlobalPR

@AndrewWarner Did you see the #oilspill pictures from Boston Globe http://bit.ly/di2xaZ – Jay Liew (jaysern) http://twitter.com/jaysern/statuses/15888827171

"The Big Picture"

Oil reaches Louisiana shores - The Big Picture - Boston.com: Shared by bang1000 ansehen! http://tinyurl.com/39uumse

@wlturland Did you see the #oilspill pictures from Boston Globe http://bit.ly/di2xaZ – Jay Liew (jaysern) http://twitter.com/jaysern/statuses/15742717255

RT @Plastiki RT @Jo_Royle The devastation really hits home in these pictures http://bit.ly/9U5h3L #Oil Spill

It's time to dismantle this entire fucking industry.

Oil reaches Louisiana shores Over one month after the initial explosion and sinking of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, crude oil continues to flow into the Gulf of Mexico, and oil slicks have slowly reached as far as 12 miles into Louisiana's marshes. According to Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, more than 65 miles of Louisiana's shoreline has now been oiled. BP said it will be at least Wednesday before they will try using heavy mud and cement to plug the leak, a maneuver called a "top kill" that represents their best hope of stopping the oil after several failed attempts. Based on low estimates, at least 6 million gallons of crude have spewed into the Gulf so far - though some scientists have said they believe the spill already surpasses the 11 million-gallon 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill off Alaska as the worst in U.S. history. (39 photos total)

RT @imcguy: Amazing pics from the oil spill http://bit.ly/bW47kG

BP should be shut down. http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/05/oil_reaches_louisiana_shores.html

We all remember learning in science class that plants “breathe” by taking in carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen, which is why forests are so important in maintaining the delicate balance of the earth’s atmosphere. But did you know that certain tropical houseplants can also remove and process other, more harmful, chemicals from the air inside your home?

ratings.

With interesting comments.

"If this Gulf accident had happened in Nigeria, neither the government nor the company would have paid much attention," said the writer Ben Ikari, a member of the Ogoni people. "This kind of spill happens all the time in the delta."

The Deepwater Horizon disaster caused headlines around the world, yet the people who live in the Niger delta have had to live with environmental catastrophes for decades

Despite apparent efforts to restrict journalists from accessing affected areas, stories, video and photographs continue to emerge. Collected here are recent photographs of oil-affected wildlife, people and shorelines around the Gulf of Mexico on this, the 51st day after the initial explosion.

Scenes from the Gulf of Mexico

Based on recently revised estimates, BP's ruptured oil well at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico continues to leak 25,000 to 30,000 barrels of oil a day. The new figures suggest that an amount of oil equivalent to the Exxon Valdez disaster could still be flowing into the Gulf of Mexico every 8 to 10 days. Despite apparent efforts to restrict journalists from accessing affected areas, stories, video and photographs continue to emerge. Collected here are recent photographs of oil-affected wildlife, people and shorelines around the Gulf of Mexico on this, the 51st day after the initial explosion. (41 photos total)

More amazing pictures from The Big Picture — Scenes from the Gul of Mexico – http://bit.ly/cN7Hqq

Photos taken of the oil spill in the Gulf. The affects of the oil spill on the wildlife, water, and the people are shown in these pictures and explained in the captions.

More moving images of the oil spill disaster http://ow.ly/1YUqa #FuckYouBP #OilSpill

Download Granola and help save the world. Granola is free software that can reduce the energy consumption of your PC or laptop up to 35%. With one click, make your computer environmentally friendly.

Granola is software that improves the energy efficiency of your PC or laptop.

Awesome power management that makes your computer run more efficient and eco friendly

[Pink Tentacle] Floating cities, mega-structures. space hotels - it's all here.

"Gardeners are among the world's most charming snobs. Rightly so: As with music and mathematics, the more you know, the more elegant your work. Erudition is valued, and so is a smattering of pretension. If you are a geek looking to put down roots, welcome to gardening. We offer you common ground. Think of it as localized terraforming, if that helps. Before you start, though, contemplate your knees and knuckles, and get ready for hard, sweaty work. As with making babies, people can't really imagine what they are getting into when they plan to tangle with the trowels and hoses. The sketches and explanations on the following pages will inspire you to stake out, nurture, and defend your tiny patch of Earth, feed your loved ones, and even sequester a bit of carbon. How smart is that?"

The Spill, The Scandal and the President

The inside story of how Obama failed to crack down on the corruption of the Bush years – and let the world's most dangerous oil company get away with murder

Rolling Stone is on fire these days—The Spill, The Scandal and the President http://bit.ly/9X3rnW & The Runaway General http://bit.ly/97zeAS

2013 e o Sol... Telegraph: http://is.gd/dc53X NASA: http://is.gd/dc509 http://is.gd/dc51g

how will i find you again if the solar storm knocks out our internet? http://bit.ly/cGZnH7

I liked this video for it's story and editing. It tells it all in ~2min.

Guy who lives in a 89 sq ft house...awesome!

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Make the most out of every day with helpful info that's all about you. What are you waiting for? Go check out Vitality today from the experts at Yahoo! Better yourself and better your life at http://vitality.yahoo.com/

eat the seasons aims to promote an understanding of food seasons. Each week we list the seasonal foods that are at their peak, and share enlightening facts, useful tips and enticing recipe ideas picked from the web and our favourite books.

Ten Recycled Shipping Container Buildings http://bit.ly/dm9MEu – Delicious Popular (twittilicious) http://twitter.com/twittilicious/statuses/19316867005

beautiful

i think its like getting better