Pale Blue Dot...
This makes me cry. This video inspires me to appreciate the fragile beauty of this precious earth. He tried to tell us...
Sunday, December 6, 2009
November 9th: Celebrate Carl Sagan’s 75th With Longtime Collaborator Ann Druyan
November 9th: Celebrate Carl Sagan’s 75th
This makes me cry. This video inspires me to appreciate the fragile beauty of this precious earth. He tried to tell us...
This makes me cry. This video inspires me to appreciate the fragile beauty of this precious earth. He tried to tell us...
Solar Santa: Solar Powered Christmas Tree Lights
Set of 12 Solar Hanging Tree OrnamentsItem #77522
Reg. $480.00
Sale Price $299.99
4 Hanging Solar Balls, 4 Different Hanging Acrylic Snowflakes, 4 Hanging Solar 8" Moravian Starbursts.
Our panel housing is made from high-impact UV resistant Glass-filled Nylon material. Will last for many years outdoors in bright sunlight.
We use Tempered Glass to protect the solar panel .
Tempered Glass will not yellow under UV rays.
Our lights are 4-5 times brighter than the competition. Charge our panel for 8 hrs in full sun to get 16 hrs of steady light, or 30 hrs of flashing light.
What if it rains?
Our solar panel is fully gasketed and waterproof, the on/off switch is waterproof, the multi-function switch is waterproof, and the LEDs on the string light are waterproof.
Wow, some day when they come down in price I want this most decadent of splendors!
The Planetary Society: LightSail- A Multi-Mission Project
It's the biggest project in our history.
The Planetary Society is taking solar sailing to the next level…
Our solar sail is back! The Planetary Society is building a spacecraft that will sail on sunlight alone by the end of 2010. The new solar sail project, boosted by a one-million-dollar anonymous donation, is the beginning of an innovative program that will launch three separate spacecraft over the course of several years.
Our program -- called LightSail -- begins with our LightSail-1 mission, which will demonstrate that sunlight can propel a spacecraft in Earth orbit. LightSail 2 and 3, more ambitious still, will reach farther into space.
What is Solar Sailing?
Solar sail propulsion is simple in concept. Light photons bounce onto a mirror-like aluminized Mylar sail. As each photon hits, its momentum is transmitted to the spacecraft.
It is nice to dream...
Friday, December 4, 2009
Grist: How to explain Copenhagen to a comedian
Grist: How to explain Copenhagen to a comedian
COP15 is climate geek-speak for the 15th annual meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the U.N. climate convention.
SORRY WE SCREWED UP THE PLANET
Probably the biggest tension at the conference is between the rich, developed world (that’s us!) and the developing world—i.e. the Third World, those billions of people whose lives just aren’t very cushy.
The poor countries say: “You guys got to grow rich by burning coal for 200 years. Now you want us to give up our dreams of 24-hour electricity and shopping malls? How dare you!”
That, in a nutshell, explains much of the diplomatic wrangling over global climate action.
FOLLOW THE MONEY, PART 1
Poor countries want to save the world too. But it’s gonna cost money—rich countries’ money. Probably the biggest obstacle on the international scene to getting a climate deal is figuring out how to pay to help poor nations prepare for a climate-changed world—a.k.a. “climate adaptation.”
FOLLOW THE MONEY, PART 2
The business community is all over the map when it comes to climate action. The usual “bad guy” suspects oppose efforts to curb carbon emissions. And conservatives the world over say carbon trading or carbon taxes amount to just another effort to choke economic growth and feed big government.
The “good guys” in the biz world are a pretty diverse lot. Some are clean energy and technology types who will profit from shifting toward renewable energy sources and efficiency. Some are responding to consumer pressure to at least look like they are doing something to save the world. Some business leaders may actually be concerned about the state of the planet. It’s a motley crew.
THE PRICKLY PLAYERS
Getting a climate treaty approved will require balancing the competing interests of countries that aren’t exactly Third World and aren’t exactly rich—Russia, China, India, Brazil (for starters). Each of these countries could make or break a deal.
Russia: Besides being a KGB/Mafia-run autocracy, it’s a huge energy producer. There’s lots of oil in Russia’s Far East, and tons of natural gas (which Europe relies on).
China: If China’s economy fails to grow, the Communist-in-name-only regime will be toppled. Right now, the 5-6 percent annual growth Beijing needs is being achieved by burning lots of coal. China’s leaders do understand that climate change is real. They are pumping bagillions of yuan into clean energy and technology research. But it’ll be a while before that pays off, so for now the Chinese don’t want to commit to firm carbon caps.
India: If you think America is tricky to engage, take a look at India. Despite all the economic growth there in the past two decades, much of the country remains very poor. India’s leaders are saying two different things: to Indian voters, they’re saying, “Screw the West, we’ll grow however we want.” To the West, “We understand the climate challenge. We want to be part of the solution.”
Brazil: Here’s another increasingly rich country that needs continued economic growth to deal with its own poverty problem. It’s gonna cost the West some serious $ to keep the Amazon forest from being slashed and burned. What this means is that a powerful voice will be speaking on behalf of poor countries that are looking to get paid for not chopping down their forests.
KEEP HOPE ALIVE?
Yeah, Obama won the election! Everything is immediately better, right?
SEE YOU NEXT YEAR IN MEXICO!
COP16 will happen next December in Mexico. Obama and other world leaders recently said they will reach a “politically binding agreement” in Copenhagen, which is fancy diplomatic speak for, “We’ll hunker down in our Danish study hall and bang out as much homework as we can, but there’s no way we’re getting this project turned in before next semester.”
This would be funnier if it weren't true.
COP15 is climate geek-speak for the 15th annual meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the U.N. climate convention.SORRY WE SCREWED UP THE PLANET
Probably the biggest tension at the conference is between the rich, developed world (that’s us!) and the developing world—i.e. the Third World, those billions of people whose lives just aren’t very cushy.
The poor countries say: “You guys got to grow rich by burning coal for 200 years. Now you want us to give up our dreams of 24-hour electricity and shopping malls? How dare you!”
That, in a nutshell, explains much of the diplomatic wrangling over global climate action.
FOLLOW THE MONEY, PART 1
Poor countries want to save the world too. But it’s gonna cost money—rich countries’ money. Probably the biggest obstacle on the international scene to getting a climate deal is figuring out how to pay to help poor nations prepare for a climate-changed world—a.k.a. “climate adaptation.”
FOLLOW THE MONEY, PART 2
The business community is all over the map when it comes to climate action. The usual “bad guy” suspects oppose efforts to curb carbon emissions. And conservatives the world over say carbon trading or carbon taxes amount to just another effort to choke economic growth and feed big government.
The “good guys” in the biz world are a pretty diverse lot. Some are clean energy and technology types who will profit from shifting toward renewable energy sources and efficiency. Some are responding to consumer pressure to at least look like they are doing something to save the world. Some business leaders may actually be concerned about the state of the planet. It’s a motley crew.
THE PRICKLY PLAYERS
Getting a climate treaty approved will require balancing the competing interests of countries that aren’t exactly Third World and aren’t exactly rich—Russia, China, India, Brazil (for starters). Each of these countries could make or break a deal.
Russia: Besides being a KGB/Mafia-run autocracy, it’s a huge energy producer. There’s lots of oil in Russia’s Far East, and tons of natural gas (which Europe relies on).
China: If China’s economy fails to grow, the Communist-in-name-only regime will be toppled. Right now, the 5-6 percent annual growth Beijing needs is being achieved by burning lots of coal. China’s leaders do understand that climate change is real. They are pumping bagillions of yuan into clean energy and technology research. But it’ll be a while before that pays off, so for now the Chinese don’t want to commit to firm carbon caps.
India: If you think America is tricky to engage, take a look at India. Despite all the economic growth there in the past two decades, much of the country remains very poor. India’s leaders are saying two different things: to Indian voters, they’re saying, “Screw the West, we’ll grow however we want.” To the West, “We understand the climate challenge. We want to be part of the solution.”
Brazil: Here’s another increasingly rich country that needs continued economic growth to deal with its own poverty problem. It’s gonna cost the West some serious $ to keep the Amazon forest from being slashed and burned. What this means is that a powerful voice will be speaking on behalf of poor countries that are looking to get paid for not chopping down their forests.
KEEP HOPE ALIVE?
Yeah, Obama won the election! Everything is immediately better, right?
SEE YOU NEXT YEAR IN MEXICO!
COP16 will happen next December in Mexico. Obama and other world leaders recently said they will reach a “politically binding agreement” in Copenhagen, which is fancy diplomatic speak for, “We’ll hunker down in our Danish study hall and bang out as much homework as we can, but there’s no way we’re getting this project turned in before next semester.”
This would be funnier if it weren't true.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Watt Will They Think Of Next? Water Powered LED Shower Light
Sylvania LED Eco-Light
"The Sylvania LED Ecolight Water Powered Shower Light is a multifunctional product that can make showering both safe and energy efficient.
There is a built-in LED light that requires no batteries or wiring; it converts incoming water pressure into a power supply.
A built-in sensor will change the color of the LED to let you know the approximate water temperature. Now you won't have to be shocked by freezing water or burned by scalding water; also great for kids. Both the LED light and the showerhead connection pivot up and down and side to side for added safety.
By using this LED you can go without using your standard bathroom light in the morning or evening and save energy. With this clever bathroom product you can enjoy innovative lighting technology in a practical way.
Well, this is innovative in that the water pressure powers a small electromagnetic turbine unit and never needs batteries but I sincerely doubt it lights up enough to be able to turn off the bathroom light. I would still use electricity to heat up the water, maybe use more if I like the purple color the light changes into when it is goldilocks warm.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
How is America going to end? Slate's "Choose Your Own Apocalypse" lets you map out the death of the United States. - By Josh Levin - Slate Magazine
How is America going to end? Slate's "Choose Your Own Apocalypse"!
A few of the best ways for it to all come to a screeching halt:
13. Peak Oil: Petroleum production reaches terminal decline. Oil becomes too expensive to extract, and alternative energies can't maintain our fossil-fuel-dependent lifestyle. The developed world goes kaput, with gas-happy America leading the way to the gutter.
14. Peak Water: The overpopulated, overheated Southwest runs out of H20, instigating mass migration to Canada.
19. Geothermal Energy: In the post-petroleum age, we generate electricity by drilling into the Earth's interior to extract stored heat; we drill too deeply, causing massive earthquakes.
20. Nuclear Waste: Yucca Mountain and other nuclear storage facilities begin to leak radioactive waste. Everyone gets cancer.
26. Math and Science: American math and science aptitude deteriorates, killing innovation in the tech sector and pushing America to the back of the line of post-industrial economies.
27. Intelligent Design: Creationists succeed in getting evolution pushed out of textbooks. Scientific illiteracy dooms America to second-class status.
51. Supercollider: Legend has it that Switzerland's Large Hadron Collider could generate "mini black holes" that devour the universe. Turns out that idea was based on faulty science. But maybe the people who discovered the faulty science were themselves using faulty science. Eh, probably not.
104. Megadrought: According to Mark Lynas' Six Degrees: Our Future on a Hotter Planet, if the world gets one degree warmer, the Great Plains are at risk of turning into an expanse of sand dunes. Bad news for American agriculture (and everyone who lives in Nebraska).
105. Climate Migration: Refugees from Mexico, the Southwest, and coastal cities flee the devastation wrought by climate change, overwhelming the American cities that remain healthy.
109. Bottled Water: We continue to drink the stuff in prodigious amounts, and all the phthalates in the bottles cause massive health problems, including infertility.
I vote for the bottled water getting us all in the end. Oh, the irony.
A few of the best ways for it to all come to a screeching halt:
13. Peak Oil: Petroleum production reaches terminal decline. Oil becomes too expensive to extract, and alternative energies can't maintain our fossil-fuel-dependent lifestyle. The developed world goes kaput, with gas-happy America leading the way to the gutter.
14. Peak Water: The overpopulated, overheated Southwest runs out of H20, instigating mass migration to Canada.
19. Geothermal Energy: In the post-petroleum age, we generate electricity by drilling into the Earth's interior to extract stored heat; we drill too deeply, causing massive earthquakes.
20. Nuclear Waste: Yucca Mountain and other nuclear storage facilities begin to leak radioactive waste. Everyone gets cancer.
26. Math and Science: American math and science aptitude deteriorates, killing innovation in the tech sector and pushing America to the back of the line of post-industrial economies.
27. Intelligent Design: Creationists succeed in getting evolution pushed out of textbooks. Scientific illiteracy dooms America to second-class status.
51. Supercollider: Legend has it that Switzerland's Large Hadron Collider could generate "mini black holes" that devour the universe. Turns out that idea was based on faulty science. But maybe the people who discovered the faulty science were themselves using faulty science. Eh, probably not.
104. Megadrought: According to Mark Lynas' Six Degrees: Our Future on a Hotter Planet, if the world gets one degree warmer, the Great Plains are at risk of turning into an expanse of sand dunes. Bad news for American agriculture (and everyone who lives in Nebraska).
105. Climate Migration: Refugees from Mexico, the Southwest, and coastal cities flee the devastation wrought by climate change, overwhelming the American cities that remain healthy.
109. Bottled Water: We continue to drink the stuff in prodigious amounts, and all the phthalates in the bottles cause massive health problems, including infertility.
I vote for the bottled water getting us all in the end. Oh, the irony.
CRUDE: A Joe Berlinger Film
The inside story of the infamous “Amazon Chernobyl” case, Crude is a real-life high stakes legal drama, set against a backdrop of the environmental movement, global politics, celebrity activism, human rights advocacy, the media, multinational corporate power, and rapidly-disappearing indigenous cultures.
Presenting a complex situation from multiple viewpoints, the film subverts the conventions of advocacy filmmaking, exploring a complicated situation from all angles while bringing an important story of environmental peril and human suffering into focus.
The plot thickens... it is good to see a quality documentary inspiring true activism.
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