Common Sense Junction
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Common Sense Junction
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  1. Die Antwoord signs to Interscope, Neill Blomkamp to direct next video

    → Boing Boing | 12 Mar 2010 | 8:07 pm MST

    Photos: Xeni Jardin (top) and Sean Bonner The South African rap-rave internet star known as The Ninja grabs my face by the cheeks. He leans forward and stares into my eyes, like a large savannah predator about to inhale a hamster. "And that's what I did to Jimmy Iovine," he says. "He didn't seem to like it, but nobody told me it wasn't cool to do that. And then I kissed him on each cheek, because we were making a deal like you do with the mafia. Die Antwoord is in business with Interscope now." It's been just over a month since a friend emailed me a link to their music, and I blogged here on Boing Boing. They had fans before, but what exploded in these past four weeks is the stuff labels and artists dream of: Die Antwoord became a living meme of unprecedented velocity, propelled into global megawebstardom faster than any act I've ever seen. Ninja tells me that in addition to signing with Interscope, District 9 helmer Neill Blomkamp will direct Antwoord's next music video, they'll likely be performing at the Coachella festival, a film is in the works, and hardball rockstar manager Tony Ciulla (best known as Marilyn Manson's rep) has agreed to manage the band. "Tony FOKKEN Ciulla," Ninja clarifies....



  2. E-Book Readers: Will Secondary Features Win Consumers’ Hearts Or Leave Them Cold?

    → TechCrunch | 12 Mar 2010 | 7:47 pm MST

    How many e-book readers do you think are out there right now for you to choose from? If you did a little digging, I bet you'd find 50 or so. Maybe 10 really worth checking out. But right now is a bit of a weird period in e-reader history. The Kindle cemented e-readers in the consumer headspace, catapulting them from weirdo alternative technology to mainstream gadget. That's what the iPad threatens to do with tablets — we'll see about that. But the Kindle and the iPad are two important forces in the current e-reader wars; the question, upon the answer of which depends the success of many a device, is whether "bonus" features like second screens and weird form factors in e-readers will be enough to differentiate them from the high-profile devices pressing them on both flanks? See, the vast majority of e-readers were designed as a response to the Kindle, not to tablet computers, which may or may not obsolete e-readers altogether. It's a bad situation: the whole time you're improving your competitor's product, someone else is skipping your entire device class on the grounds that it will be made ridiculous by their awesome gadget. Some of the special features developed to combat the Kindle will stay, and some won't live to see their own first birthday.

  3. One man band rocks the iPod touch, rescues the MIDI clarinet from obscurity

    → Engadget | 12 Mar 2010 | 7:41 pm MST

    We've seen blow-hard electronic music makers in the past (one particular didgeridoo hack comes to mind) but still, when one makes us take note we feel like we just have to pass it along. Onyx Ashanti is an American living in Berlin and a one-man band to boot. His instrument of choice is a Yamaha MIDI wind controller for triggering audio and the TouchOSC app for iPod touch for controlling PureData audio processing. And the music he makes from the two is pretty, pretty wild... see for yourself after the break.

    Continue reading One man band rocks the iPod touch, rescues the MIDI clarinet from obscurity

    One man band rocks the iPod touch, rescues the MIDI clarinet from obscurity originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 21:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

    Permalink   |  sourceCreate Digital Music  | Email this | Comments

  4. French village went insane after CIA spiked its bread with LSD

    → Boing Boing | 12 Mar 2010 | 7:39 pm MST

    For 50 years, residents of the French village of Pont-Saint-Esprit have tried to understand the "cursed bread" incident, a moment of terrifying mass insanity and hallucinations that left at least five dead and dozens in asylums. Now the mystery is solved: the CIA secretly spiked the bread from the bakery with enormous quantities of LSD as part of its cold war mind-control experiments, at least according to recently uncovered documents. The allegation originates with H P Albarelli Jr., an investigative journalist who uncovered the documents while researching his forthcoming book, A Terrible Mistake: The Murder of Frank Olson and the CIA's Secret Cold War Experiments. One man tried to drown himself, screaming that his belly was being eaten by snakes. An 11-year-old tried to strangle his grandmother. Another man shouted: "I am a plane", before jumping out of a second-floor window, breaking his legs. He then got up and carried on for 50 yards. Another saw his heart escaping through his feet and begged a doctor to put it back. Many were taken to the local asylum in strait jackets... Scientists at Fort Detrick told him that agents had sprayed LSD into the air and also contaminated "local foot products". Mr Albarelli said the real "smoking gun" was a White House document sent to members of the Rockefeller Commission formed in 1975 to investigate CIA abuses. It contained the names of a number of French nationals who had been secretly employed by the CIA and made direct reference to the "Pont St. Esprit incident." In its quest to research LSD as an offensive weapon, Mr Albarelli claims, the US army also drugged over 5,700 unwitting American servicemen between 1953 and 1965. French bread spiked with LSD in CIA experiment (Thanks, Steve and everyone else who suggested this!) (Image: Shaw's French Bread, a Creative Commons Attribution photo from Adam Pieniazek's photostream) Previously:Video drama about CIA's real project to drug unwitting US citizens ... Midcentury LSD Experiments at Canadian mental hospital More on the CIA's evil genius, Dr. Sidney Gottleib Digging deeper into CIA "family jewels" docs Albert Hofmann, LSD inventor, RIP...



  5. Palm offering discounted contract-free phones to developers -- too bad they're carrier locked

    → Engadget | 12 Mar 2010 | 6:45 pm MST

    Usually when we hear the phrase "contract-free developer phone" the words "unlocked" and "GSM" follow shortly thereafter, but apparently Palm didn't get the memo -- it just announced discounted hardware prices for its devices, but they're carrier-locked to Verizon and Sprint. Yeah, that's a big sad face out of us -- it's not like Verizon's going to give you a cheaper plan if you show up with a contract-free device. In fact, you might be better off picking up a $79 Pre on a Sprint contract from Amazon and just canceling after a year or so -- the ETF will have been prorated to $120 by then, putting you way ahead of Palm's $439 price tag. So much for that dream -- at least we still have our fantasy of driving to Mexico for an illicit Telcel Pre smuggling run.

    Palm offering discounted contract-free phones to developers -- too bad they're carrier locked originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 20:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

    Permalink   |  sourcePalm  | Email this | Comments

  6. Okoro Media Systems upgrades HTPC range with Core i3 / i5 CPUs, bitstreaming and USB 3.0

    → Engadget | 12 Mar 2010 | 6:01 pm MST

    You picked up an Okoro media PC last month, didn't you? If you're nodding up and down in a worried fashion, you're probably better off ignoring everything else we'll say in this post. For the rest of you HTPC hounds, the boutique outfit has something that's very likely to pique your interest (and kick that upgrade itch into high gear). Announced today, the company is adding Core i3 and Core i5 processors to its 2010 media center PC lineup, and as if the extra horsepower weren't enough, users will also find native bitstreaming of TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio on every system save for the Q100. You'll also get a 64-bit copy of Windows 7, up to 8TB of internal storage space, optional Blu-ray playback, quad CableCARD support and the new holy grail of transfers, USB 3.0. You can hit up the outfit's webstore now to configure your dream machine, and if you so desire, you can check out its dedicated trade-up program that'll last through May 31st.

    Okoro Media Systems upgrades HTPC range with Core i3 / i5 CPUs, bitstreaming and USB 3.0 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 20:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

    Permalink eCoustics  |  sourceOkoro Media Systems  | Email this | Comments

  7. E-Readers Will Survive the Onslaught of Tablets

    → Wired: Gadgets | 12 Mar 2010 | 5:50 pm MST

    A slew of new tablets are set to hit the market but they won't kill e-readers. Tablets and E Ink-based reading devices are likely to co-exist, targeting different groups of consumers.




  8. VoxOx now translates as you type

    → Webware.com | 12 Mar 2010 | 5:27 pm MST

    VoxOx's claim on a robust feature set makes it a powerful, if slightly unstable, multi-protocol chat and VoIP client--now with free universal translation for all IMs and tweets.

    Originally posted at The Download Blog



  9. Zoom G2Nu and G2.1Nu guitar effects pedals offer direct USB recording

    → Engadget | 12 Mar 2010 | 5:11 pm MST

    Zoom is kind of like Mitsubishi -- it sort of does it all. Months after shipping one of the greatest pocket audio recorders every known to man, the company is now hitting back with none other than a pair of guitar effects pedals. The G2Nu and G2.1Nu boards both feature 100 preset guitar sounds, 20 of which have purportedly been given the almighty thumbs-up from Steve Vai. If you're curious about differences, the latter adds a built-in expression pedal for additional control, but frankly, the expected capabilities aren't what we're interested in. Both devices sport integrated USB ports that enable them to operate as audio interfaces; in other words, axe slingers can record directly to their computer through this box, and the 1.9-inch display helps you keep track of what's going on. Regrettably, pricing and availability details have been conveniently omitted, but we suspect it'll be hitting Sam Ash, Sweetwater and the rest of the gang soonish.

    Continue reading Zoom G2Nu and G2.1Nu guitar effects pedals offer direct USB recording

    Zoom G2Nu and G2.1Nu guitar effects pedals offer direct USB recording originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 19:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  10. MyBrandz: Finally, You Can Find People Who Love Nike, Apple, And Ferrari As Much As You Do

    → TechCrunch | 12 Mar 2010 | 4:50 pm MST

    Ever wanted to tell the world how much you love BMW, Coca-Cola, and any of the other biggest brand names on Earth? Here's your chance: MyBrandz is a new community site that looks to let people talk about their favorite brands with other users, allowing them to share their favorite products, photos, and more. You may remember MyBrandz as the company that convinced a guy to tattoo the YouTube logo to his arm a few months back. My initial reaction to the site was that it was a bit bizarre — is there really an audience of people who want to talk about how much they love these multibillion dollar corporations (many of which couldn't give a hoot about their customers)? And then I remembered the throngs of die-hard Apple fans that police internet forums, and the Ferrari store in downtown San Francisco that sells $200+ leather jackets emblazoned with the classic logo.

  11. Nokia C6 is actually a 5230-ish landscape slider?

    → Engadget | 12 Mar 2010 | 4:38 pm MST

    We hate to turn your entire world -- nay, your very belief system -- on its end, but it's at least conceivable here that the so-called Nokia Mystic with the portrait QWERTY keyboard may not be the upcoming C6 after all. Instead, Tom's Guide is submitting this bright white exhibit as the device lucky enough to wear the C6 name, a phone that looks a whole hell of a lot like a 5230 with a QWERTY slider tacked on for good measure. That would make sense considering Nokia's goal of turning the freshly-introduced Cseries into a midrange, consumer-friendly brand; this phone could easily slot in below the N97 Mini, for example, particularly in light of rumors that the phone will lack the N97's beefy internal storage. Word is the C6 is pegged for a European release by Summer, so start cleaning off those 5800s and 5230s for eBay right now, why don't you?

    Nokia C6 is actually a 5230-ish landscape slider? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 18:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

    Permalink Mobile Bulgaria  |  sourceTom's Guide  | Email this | Comments

  12. Playcast Media nabs support from big name publishers, aims to bring STB gaming to US

    → Engadget | 12 Mar 2010 | 4:15 pm MST

    GDC is winding down here in San Francisco, but Playcast Media is hoping to snag its 15 minutes by announcing new partnerships with Atari, Capcom, Codemasters and THQ (to name a few) for use in its "console-free games-on-demand" service. 'Course, streaming games in through a set-top-box is nothing new, but few operators in the States offer such a thing with any real substance behind it. Playcast's solution enables titles to be pushed through existing cable and telco STBs, and we're told that the US market is next in line to get gifted. We're not given any significant details beyond that, but we're pretty jazzed about big name publishers signing on to finally give this distribution method a bit of credence. Now, if only this Scientific Atlanta Explorer 8300HD shipped with a SIXAXIS controller, we'd be golden.

    Continue reading Playcast Media nabs support from big name publishers, aims to bring STB gaming to US

    Playcast Media nabs support from big name publishers, aims to bring STB gaming to US originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 18:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  13. The Week in Pictures: Twin Elephants Born in Thailand, Kia's Electric Car, Green Oscars, Smart Toilets, and More (Slideshow)

    → TreeHugger | 12 Mar 2010 | 4:10 pm MST

    week in pictures march photo From the news that the first known male elephant twins were born in the north-eastern province of Surin, Thailand to sustainable clothing ensembles and the The Cove's Oscar win at the Academy Awards, a lot happened this week in green. Find out what else happened in the world of green this week in our photo roundup of most popular, most important, and most oddball stories. the week in pictures...Read the full story on TreeHugger


  14. German student shows off camera-based input on an iPhone

    → Engadget | 12 Mar 2010 | 3:49 pm MST

    Using a camera as an input device is hardly a new idea -- even on a mobile device -- but most examples so far have been to enable functionality not possible on a touchscreen. As Master's student Daniel Bierwirth has shown in the video after the break, however, a phone on a camera can also be used as an alternative input method for features like scrolling or zooming, potentially allowing for easier interaction on devices with smaller screens. Bierwirth also takes the idea one step further, and sees the system eventually including a second camera that's worn by a person, which would be able to detect when your hands are near the phone and allow for a range of other gestures. Check out his full report at the link below.

    Continue reading German student shows off camera-based input on an iPhone

    German student shows off camera-based input on an iPhone originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 17:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

    Permalink Recombu  |  sourceDaniel Bierwirth  | Email this | Comments

  15. Marque Cornblatt retrospective art opening in Baltimore

    → Boing Boing | 12 Mar 2010 | 3:48 pm MST

    Harbor East is hosting an art opening called "Tools, Trash and Technology - A 25-year retrospective of the Art and Design of Marque Cornblatt." Marque's whimsical, clever creations have been featured on BB and MAKE. The event runs March 10-April 4, 2010 and is open Wednesday - Saturday 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. Opening reception for the artist Friday March 12, 5-8 PM Cornblatt will personally be in the gallery each afternoon, offering hands-on demos and opportunities to operate the robots. San Francisco-based and Baltimore native artist Marque Cornblatt will be presenting a 25-year retrospective of his work in Harbor East in Retail Suite 102 of The Legg Mason Tower. The exhibition will include self portraits, interactive sculptures, web-based robots, and video, as well as examples of Cornblatt furniture and interior design. This 25-year retrospective represents Cornblatt's return to exhibiting on the East Coast and his first major exhibition in Baltimore. From the very first Sony Watchman to portable DVD players, no technology is off-limits to Cornblatt's creative eye. Using found objects, broken toys and re-purposed electronics, Cornblatt creates sculptures that challenge ideas about technology and the self. His recent use of videogames and virtual reality to create self-portraits offers a glimpse into the future of digital identity. Cornblatt's will also be presenting the Sparky project, his pioneering interactive videochat robot. First shown in 1996, Sparky has evolved from an assemblage of mixed parts into a worldwide network of telepresence robots capable of connecting people face-to-face in real time over the internet. The gallery will be furnished with examples of Cornblatt's handmade design and housewares, including cardboard furniture, metal and glass tables, candleholders, chess sets and object d'art made from scrap metal and other recycled materials. Tools, Trash and Technology - A 25-year retrospective of the Art and Design of Marque Cornblatt Previously:Sparky the Robot visits a museum, on PRI's Studio360 cool 1993-96 sculptures by marque cornblatt...



  16. London Olympics: police powers to force spectators to remove non-sponsor items, enter houses, take posters

    → Boing Boing | 12 Mar 2010 | 3:35 pm MST

    The Olympics are coming to London, so our civil liberties are going out the window: because nothing epitomises the spirit of global competition and cooperation like corporate bullying and unfettered truncheon-waving. Police will have powers to enter private homes and seize posters, and will be able to stop people carrying non-sponsor items to sporting events. "I think there will be lots of people doing things completely innocently who are going to be caught by this, and some people will be prosecuted, while others will be so angry about it that they will start complaining about civil liberties issues," Chadwick said. "I think what it will potentially do is to prompt a debate about the commercial nature of the Games. Do big sponsors have too much influence over the Games?" Eyes turn to "value for money" London 2012 (Thanks, Bobby!) (Image: More Riot Police a Creative Commons Attribution photo from Kashklick's photostream) Previously:Vancouver Olympics will own words like "winter," "2010" and ... Olympic bullying drives goggle-maker to verse London 2012 Olympics: We only buy security tech from ... Olympic bullying drives goggle-maker to verse Homeless people relocated out of Whister, Canada, ahead of ... Int'l. Olympic Committee: gender difference is a disease...



  17. Win XP needs some TLC to use next-gen hard drives

    → Engadget | 12 Mar 2010 | 3:21 pm MST

    Solid state drives may be the fast-moving wave of the future in PC storage, but the technology for bigger and better magnetic media keeps on trucking. Only recently, that truck hit something of a pothole: the 4096-byte sector size that will allow advanced format drives to have more usable space (and surpass the current 2TB capacity limit) doesn't play nice with the world's most popular OS -- Windows XP. While manufacturers like Western Digital have already introduced software that successfully combats the problem, the new drives perform poorly in Win XP without it, and rival manufacturer Seagate told the BBC that even with software tricks, XP users should expect the occasional 5ms delay, or 10% speed reduction, during write times. Is this the end of Windows XP? Hardly. Should you make sure to install the software that comes with your next hard drive? Absolutely.

    Win XP needs some TLC to use next-gen hard drives originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 17:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

    Permalink   |  sourceBBC  | Email this | Comments

  18. And Now For The Best Argument Against Global Warming . . .

    → TreeHugger | 12 Mar 2010 | 3:09 pm MST

    Say-Global-Warming-Is-A-Myth-simpsons.jpg Image via SF Gate Over at the San Francisco Chronicle, Dr. Peter Gleick, the president of the Pacific Institute has come up with the most believable argument against global warming that I've yet encountered. And so, I'll close out my Friday by sharing it....Read the full story on TreeHugger


  19. South Asian Mobile Social Network Mig33 Sending Twice As Many Messages A Day As Twitter

    → TechCrunch | 12 Mar 2010 | 3:02 pm MST

    Mobile social networks have tremendous potential to flourish in developing countries where mobile phone usage trumps internet connectivity. SMS based social networks like SMSGupshup have gained considerable traction in Asia because of this. For example, in India, there is currently a 10 to 1 mobile-to-PC ratio. Mig33, a mobile social network that involves VoIP calls, instant messaging, e-mail, text messaging, and picture sharing, has accumulated 35 million registered users of its service and is growing fast in South Asian markets such as Indonesia and India. Assuming 3 to 10 percent are active on a monthly basis, that would be 1 million to 3.5 million active users. Mig33's users are now sending over 1 million virtual gifts a month, and posting approximately 100 million messages a day on its network, or 1,000 messages every second. Twitter, in comparison, just passed 50 million a day.

  20. Verizon's Nexus One to be sold only through Google, have Sense UI (or not)

    → Engadget | 12 Mar 2010 | 2:57 pm MST

    This doesn't come as much of a surprise, but Android Central seems to have obtained a screen shot from a deep, dark, top-secret Verizon system that indicated that the upcoming CDMA version of the Nexus One will be "available only through www.Google.com/Phones." That, of course, matches T-Mobile's strategy of quietly letting Google do its thing -- and Verizon's strategy of keeping its network "open" -- so you'll just have to remember to not line up at your local store at 8PM the night before the launch, otherwise you're going to come away very, very disappointed. What's a whole lot stranger, though, is a mention that it runs HTC's Sense UI, which means one of a few things: Google's allowing carriers and manufacturers to have their way with the Android builds sold directly through its own store, the Verizon-branded Nexus One is the Incredible, or the document is just sorely confused. The way we see it, there'd simply not be enough differentiation between the Nexus One and the Incredible for them to come to market as separate products if they were both running Sense -- and besides, isn't variety the spice of life?

    Update: That was quick -- it seems Verizon has already updated its specs to remove the reference to Sense and change the URL from google.com/phones to google.com/phone -- no plural. Thanks, ninjalex76!

    Verizon's Nexus One to be sold only through Google, have Sense UI (or not) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

    Permalink MobileCrunch  |  sourceAndroid Central  | Email this | Comments

  21. Global Warming's Evil Twin: Ocean Acidification - A Present And Measurable Danger

    → TreeHugger | 12 Mar 2010 | 2:36 pm MST

    acid ocean sos photo Acid ocean "SOS." Image credit:Alaska Marine Conservation Council US EPA has decided to consider ways that US states can, under already delegated authorities, curb pollutants that may otherwise add to the power of global warming's evil twin: Ocean Acidification. (Note: many US States regulate stack emissions to reduce acid rain and also have the delegated Federal authority to limit the acidity of effluent discharges within their boundaries. So, this would be an extension of State's rights, by interpretation of existing Federal and State la...Read the full story on TreeHugger


  22. The Engadget Podcast, live... now!

    → Engadget | 12 Mar 2010 | 2:28 pm MST

    Hey, is there something going on that we should talk about? Join us in just a few and let's find out... together.

    Update: We're all wrapped up, but the regular post will be up tomorrow if you missed it!

    The Engadget Podcast, live... now! originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  23. Confirmed: LG Chem to Build $303 Million Lithium-Ion Battery Plant in Michigan

    → TreeHugger | 12 Mar 2010 | 2:25 pm MST

    Image: LG Chem The Supply Chain for Electric Cars is Growing About 6 months ago we wrote that LG Chem was thinking about building an advanced lithium-ion battery plant in Holland, Michigan, to supply battery packs to GM for the Volt PHEV. Now it's confirmed, everything's official and the groundbreaking is scheduled for this summer, with a 2012 target for the beginning of operations. LG Chem says that the plant will create over 400 jobs by 2013, and many people will be hired and trained in advance....Read the full story on TreeHugger


  24. Chicken vs Egg: Does Suburban Sprawl Represent the Free Market or Over-Regulation? Neither.

    → TreeHugger | 12 Mar 2010 | 2:20 pm MST

    bailey park Postwar suburban sprawl, courtesy of George Bailey and his Savings and Loan A lot of the Libertarian types think that those of us promoting higher densities and urban life are trying to limit freedom of choice. Joe Mysak wrote in Bloomberg about us:
    The notion appeals especially to people who like to think they'll be in charge after the revolution. They would apparently love nothing more than for the population to be confined to Soviet-style concrete-block high-rises and be forced to take state-run streetcars to their little jobs at the mill.
    According to the Read the full story on TreeHugger


  25. Child sorts out concept of gay marriage: "Husbands and Husbands" (video)

    → Boing Boing | 12 Mar 2010 | 2:11 pm MST

    The adorable little boy in this video, whose name is Calen, is sorting out what it means when two fellas get married to one another. At one point, while face-palming, he says pensively: "I always see husbands and wifes, but this is the very first time I saw husbands and husbands! That's so funny. So—so you love each other! [...] I'm gonna go play now." Video: Husbands and Husbands. Flip-cammed and uploaded by YouTube user TheColonelFrog. Alternate video url 1, and Alternate video url 2. (Dangerous Minds via Oh Have You Seen This, thanks Tara McGinley!)....



  26. Dual-Screen E-Reader Makes a Half-Assed Debut

    → Wired: Gadgets | 12 Mar 2010 | 2:00 pm MST

    Twice the screen but half the quality, the Entourage eDGe is a lofty e-reader that falls short in nearly every area.




  27. Infographic: "How Cars are Killing Us Around the World"

    → TreeHugger | 12 Mar 2010 | 1:46 pm MST

    cars accidents deaths world map Image: Infrastructurist Risk assessment is hard. We humans are hard-wired with many cognitive biases that can often distort our perception of reality and make us fear the wrong things. For example, on average, people will be more afraid of something with which they are unfamiliar compared to something that they see every day. Cars fall into the "familiar" category, and to remind us of the risk associated with driving, the nice people are the Infrastructurists made a really cool infographic that shows how cars are killing people around the wo...Read the full story on TreeHugger


  28. Consensus emerges for key Web app standard

    → Webware.com | 12 Mar 2010 | 1:44 pm MST

    Indexed DB isn't a sure thing, but it's got most of the right allies in the browser world to become an enabler of the cloud-computing vision.

    Originally posted at Deep Tech



  29. Hollywood Donates Big to Rescue an Icon, Stars Flaunt Green Fashion at the Oscars, and More

    → TreeHugger | 12 Mar 2010 | 1:42 pm MST

    hollywood sign cahuenga peak photo Photo via Sörn @ flickr On Thursday, the Trust for Public Land released a roster of Hollywood A-listers and companies--including Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, the Walt Disney Company, the LucasFilm Foundation, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Steven Spielberg, Warner Bros., Fox, Sony, NBC Universal, and Time Warner--who have collectively donated more than $3 million to save one iconic piece of land: Cahuenga Peak....Read the full story on TreeHugger


  30. One Cyclist Travels Two Continents to Save the Trees

    → TreeHugger | 12 Mar 2010 | 1:41 pm MST

    good paraguay america cycling photo Image credit: Good When one Peace Corps volunteer came to understand the flimsy safeguards a "reserve" provided the forest near his post in Paraguay, he was motivated to do something that would provide true protections for the trees. The solution he settled on involved two wheels and a lot of miles....Read the full story on TreeHugger


  31. Come see Paris--in 26 gigapixels

    → Webware.com | 12 Mar 2010 | 1:40 pm MST

    Site, which offers a breathtaking view of Paris, enables you to pan around, see monuments, and get a high-def feel for what the City of Light is all about.

    Originally posted at The Digital Home



  32. Report: European Companies Buying Their Way Out of Carbon Cuts

    → TreeHugger | 12 Mar 2010 | 1:25 pm MST

    polluting-companies-europe.jpg Photo via Guardian Most cap and trade schemes proposed by governments include provisions that allow polluting companies to buy carbon offsets--initiatives that pay for tree planting in South America or solar panel installation in India and so forth--instead of cutting emissions exclusively from their own operations. So, surprise, surprise, a recent report from the AP in the Huffpo Green has revealed that companies pa...Read the full story on TreeHugger


  33. Collect whale snot using a remote control helicopter

    → Boing Boing | 12 Mar 2010 | 12:59 pm MST

    Scientists want to study whale diseases, but collecting blood is difficult and dangerous to the scientists and the whales. But whale snot is also good for analyzing whale health, and whales shoot it out of their blowholes freely and frequently. The trick is in collecting it. Dr. Karina Acevedo-Whitehouse of the Zoological Society of London things remote control helicopters are the answer. Her recent paper in Animal Conservation (abstract), irresistibly entitled "A novel non-invasive tool for disease surveillance of free-ranging whales and its relevance to conservation programs," introduces the ground-breaking methodology of strapping a petri dish to a toy RC helicopter and flying it into the spout. Collect whale snot using an RC helicopter (Via Make: Online) Previously:Curiosity shop in a whale's belly Ancient weapon discovered in whale Whale attacks trainer at SeaWorld Whale meat sold by the can in Japan Sperm whale video Some whales double their weight when straining sea-water Stealthy anti-whaling powerboat what is it like to cut up a whale?...



  34. NetFlix Cancels Recommendation Contest After Privacy Lawsuit

    → Wired: Software | 12 Mar 2010 | 12:50 pm MST

    To settle a privacy lawsuit, Netflix is canceling a second round of its innovative contest to improve its movie recommendations. The lawsuit claims the anonymized user data given to outside researchers put users at risk of being identified.




  35. It’s Hard To Watch The Newsosaurs Turn A Blind Eye To Their Own Extinction

    → TechCrunch | 12 Mar 2010 | 12:47 pm MST

    Sometimes it is obvious where the world is headed, but some people and industries become frozen in place and time. They are like the duckbilled dinosaurs happily munching on the still-abundant plants around them when the meteor strikes instead of the small furry mammals underfoot who take cover every day by natural habit. In the print newspaper industry, it's the same story. Everyone wants to wall off the Web and keep grazing on declining ad revenues. A week ago, I wrote a post based on a conversation I had with Silicon Valley entrepreneur and investor Marc Andreessen in which he made the case that print media companies would be better off shutting down their print operations now ("Burn the boats") and move forward unencumbered into the digital age, no matter how painful that may be. That suggestion hit a deep nerve, and continues to do so.

  36. Brightkite’s Sneaky Plan To Get Regular Users Into Location: Group Text

    → TechCrunch | 12 Mar 2010 | 12:41 pm MST

    Brightkite is tricky. Tricky and smart. While larger than most of their location-based rivals with over 2 million users, they know that in the past year they've lost some momentum to the newer check-in services like Foursquare and Gowalla. So they're trying to do something unique to swing momentum back in their favor. Today, at the SXSW festival in Austin, Texas, Brightkite is unveiling its new Group Text service. It's both a feature on the website and a standalone application in the App Store (it should be available shortly). With it, Brightkite is latching onto one of the most popular and fast growing categories in mobile applications: group texting. Unlike regular text messaging, this type of app allows you to message many people all at once (and go back and forth). And better, in a world where cell providers are still managing to rip-off users with their text message bundles or $0.15 rate per-text, group texting is absolutely free.

  37. Just look at this awesome steampunk bananagun.

    → Boing Boing | 12 Mar 2010 | 12:34 pm MST

    Just look at it. It Shoots Monkeys (Thanks, Jessemoya!) Previously: Just look at this awesome underwear made from banana fibers. Just look at this awesome slow-moving performance artist whose face has been covered with exploding bananas. Boing Boing Just look at this awesome EU banana curvature regulation. Boing Boing Just look at this awesome anti-banana-ripening bag. Boing Boing Just look at this awesome Korean banana-ripening facility. Boing Boing Just look at this awesome banana peeler. Boing Boing Just look at this awesome banana peeling simulator. Boing Boing Just look at this awesome banana slicer. Boing Boing Just look at this awesome banana saver clip. Boing Boing Just look at this awesome banana bunker. Boing Boing HOWTO disassemble a banana - Boing Boing Robber uses banana as "gun" - Boing Boing Hemant "The Friendly Atheist" Mehta Interviews Ray "The Banana Man ... Peeling bananas from the other end is easier - Boing Boing Forlorn bananas of London - Boing Boing 11 students suspended for banana prank - Boing Boing...



  38. Red Carpet Green Dress: Catalyst For A Revolution

    → TreeHugger | 12 Mar 2010 | 12:20 pm MST

    suzy amis cameron on stage photo Suzy Amis Cameron and James Cameron reveal Jillian Granz's winning sustainable dress at Global Green's Pre-Oscar Party. Photo: Cerraeh Laykin I know, the dress looks blue—Avatar blue to be exact. But, it's actually about 85% green. The Red Carpet Green Dress Contest was created by Suzy Amis Cameron, wife of Avatar director James Cameron, to send a message that one can wear green on the red carpet. In addition to designing Oscar-worthy gowns out of sustainable fabrics, the contest also serves as an international fundraiser event for her beloved Read the full story on TreeHugger


  39. Thanks, advertising, for ruining another cherished movie cliché

    → Boing Boing | 12 Mar 2010 | 11:41 am MST

    (Today's post inspired by the ghost of Andy Rooney.) Don't we get to have our cheap movie clichés anymore? The well-shod feet walking away in the rain... the lonely figure in silhouette, illuminated by headlights at the mouth of a dark alley... the mirrored medicine cabinet that swings shut to reveal the knife-wielding maniac? These are movie inventions, and every one carries with it the emotional aura of a thousand iterations in a thousand films, and all those images add up to a part of cultural memory. Which is where they should stay. Who needs them here in the real world with us, where it's raining and the neighbors are blasting death metal and I really don't like the looks of that mole on my shoulder? What I'm saying is, do we really need a calendar in which the pages automatically sever themselves and fall to the ground? This is, of course, a venerable movie device to signal the passage of time. Here in the actual world, however, it's an advertising gimmick cooked up by a German agency. Parenthetically, it seems worth noting that the pages don't fall as much as they do plummet, which sends a subliminal message that is perhaps even more dark than intended. (Message: Time is passing, and it is passing really really fast.) Also, the connection to the advertised product (leaf blowers?) is tenuous at best. So here's a plea to advertisers: Let our movie clichés stay in the cineplex where they belong. On the big screen they're iconography, weighted with memory and meaning. Out here in the everyday world, they're just weird. (This just in: Apparently Andy Rooney is still alive.)...



  40. An alternative to the atomic bomb?

    → Boing Boing | 12 Mar 2010 | 11:32 am MST

    A geologist proposed bombing Japan's volcanoes to win the war in a January 1944 issue of Popular Science. [via Google Books via Pink Tentacle]...



  41. CauseWorld’s New App Melds The Check-In With The Check-Out

    → TechCrunch | 12 Mar 2010 | 11:30 am MST

    Last night, we wrote about a CauseWorld teaming up with TechCrunch to provide double karma points during the SXSW festival starting today in Austin, Texas. These points, obtained through checking-in at various locations, can be used to donate to charities through big brands that support the app. It's a great feature, and we hope you'll use it in Austin. What we didn't talk too much about is the app itself that enables it, CauseWorld, which just released a new version of its iPhone app in the App Store. We first covered the app back in December, but now it has been significantly upgraded. One of the core ideas behind the app has always been the intersection of the mobile and physical world (something I've thought a lot about as well). A new feature bridges the gap a bit more as you can now scan barcodes on individual items with your iPhone to earn extra karma points. Proctor & Gamble are the ones sponsoring these points on different products they make. It's a good idea, because even if you choose not to buy the item, it forces you to pick it up and look at it a bit.

  42. Apple iPad Will Read Books Out Loud, Support Free E-Books

    → Wired: Gadgets | 12 Mar 2010 | 11:13 am MST

    Apple published two new details about the iPad's support for e-books Friday, including the fact that the iPad will be able to dictate books using a built-in text-to-speech feature. The company also announced support for open EPUB books, including those not sold through Apple's store.




  43. Laptop sleeve made out of recycled wetsuits

    → Boing Boing | 12 Mar 2010 | 11:03 am MST

    As a relative newcomer to the craft of sewing, I just recently started to realize the value of fabric scraps. That's why I was intrigued when I heard of Looptworks, a new apparel company — started by three guys who worked together on product design and management at Adidas — that claims to make all their products out of excess materials. This MacBook laptop sleeve, for example, is made from scrap neoprene found in wetsuit factories in China and Thailand. I love the simple design; it also has two exterior pockets that fit a power adapter and a couple of thumb drives perfectly. Because their materials aren't mass-produced, most of their designs are available for a limited time only. Looptworks rolls out new items every month on their web site and in selected specialty apparel stores in most major cities. Product page...



  44. FunMail’s FunTweet Visualizes Twitter Streams With Pretty Pictures

    → TechCrunch | 12 Mar 2010 | 10:58 am MST

    We've written about FunMobility's nifty picture messaging app for the iPhone and Android, called FunMail, that allows users to blasts their text into the application, which then breaks down whatever the user typed for context and places fun graphics with your original text. Now, FunMobility has caught the Twitter bug and is launching FunTweet, a web service which turns any Twitter stream into visual messages that are related to the text. Similar to FunMail, FunTweet will turn text in Tweets into a matching image. On FunTweet's site, you sign in with your Twitter credentials and the service will draw your Tweets from your Twitter homepage feed and display each tweet as a FunMail image on FunTweet. Users can also enter a @UserName, a HashTag or a Subject as well to the images. If you like the image FunTweet picked, you can publish the Tweet to your Twitter account. If you don’t like the image, click “Try Again” and you can choose from other images. For example, if you tweet about writing a story or reading a book, then FunTweet will come up with images that match "story" - a book, a magazine, a typewriter, or a pen.

  45. Pentagon Partially Blames The Internet For That Christmas Underwear Bomber

    → TechCrunch | 12 Mar 2010 | 10:41 am MST

    This is the lede, verbatim, from a story that appeared in The Hill yesterday: "The Internet allowed extremists to contact, recruit, train and equip the suspect responsible for the attempted Flight 253 bombing on Christmas Day 'within weeks,' a top Pentagon official told lawmakers Wednesday." What's the implication, that because someone used the Internet to plan something, something bad, we should get rid of it? Fine by me, believe me.

  46. Sonos Confirms $25 Million Investment From Index Ventures

    → TechCrunch | 12 Mar 2010 | 10:31 am MST

    Sonos has now confirmed the Index Ventures investment we reported two days ago. The company has taken an additional $25 million in capital from Index, raising the total raised by the company to $65 million. And Index Ventures Partner Mike Volpi, a former CIsco executive, has joined their board of directors. The funds will be used for growth equity, says the company, which signals that they are past the proof of product stage (well past, in this case) and will use the funds to speed market penetration. From our original post:

  47. TechCrunch Friday GiveAway: An Apple iPad #CRUNCH

    → TechCrunch | 12 Mar 2010 | 9:49 am MST

    It's Apple iPad day, and every early adopter worth their salt is pre-ordering one of the soon to be ubiquitous little devices and counting the days until they get their hands on it on April 3. You've been waiting on this thing since December 2008, after all. We know you've already bought two for yourselves, the limit, because that's how TechCrunch readers roll. We know this because we've told our advertisers that every single one of our 9.2 million monthly readers is a high disposable income influencer in technology and media that just loves to try out new things that they see advertised on TechCrunch. And since those advertisers believe us, we have the means to buy an extra iPad and give it to you. Even though you'll then have three of them. Because you, dear reader, are a high disposable income influencer. Read on for details...

  48. With More Than Enough Apps, Apple Pushes for Quality

    → Wired: Gadgets | 12 Mar 2010 | 6:00 am MST

    Now that Apple has fulfilled its goal of achieving quantity in its App Store, the company is making a hard push for quality. But where do you draw the line between raising quality standards and censorship?




  49. OK, Tell Me, Did Republicans Win Or Lose?

    → Common Sense Junction | 12 Mar 2010 | 4:12 am MST

    CommentaryMag: Republicans Turn Up the Heat It seems as though the Democrats haven’t quite put Eric Massa out of sight. House Republicans know a good thing when they see it: The House voted 402 to 1 Thursday to send the ethics committee a GOP measure calling for an investigation into how Democratic leaders handled allegations of sexual misconduct [...]

  50. Google tweaking Buzz to declutter Gmail in-box

    → Webware.com | 12 Mar 2010 | 3:05 am MST

    Don't like Buzz spamming your Gmail in-box? Google is adding some knobs to let users dial down the notifications.

    Originally posted at Deep Tech



  51. Headlines and Summaries

    → Common Sense Junction | 12 Mar 2010 | 3:00 am MST

    • Robin of Berkeley: “Brain-Dead in Berkeley” • Robin of Berkeley: “Is Obama a Narcissist?” • Terminally ill sentenced to premature death in UK’s NHS” • Rights versus Wants~~~~~~ [Your Browser does not support frames or is currently configured not to display frames. However, you may use Site Map Pages to navigate this site.] -

  52. Plug and Play: USB Albums We'd Like to See

    → Wired: Gadgets | 11 Mar 2010 | 6:00 pm MST

    Out with the CD, in with USB drives, maybe in the form of a cassette tape or spork?




  53. Merlin Olsen, R.I.P.

    → Common Sense Junction | 11 Mar 2010 | 5:06 pm MST

    One of the greatest defensive lineman, ever. But more important, he was a class act in real life. Football Hall of Famer, TV star Olsen dies at 69 “He was ferocious and fearless on the football field and then the other probably more important aspect of his personality was he was a true gentleman,” said fellow Hall of [...]

  54. Mozilla aggressively asks older Firefox users to update

    → Webware.com | 11 Mar 2010 | 2:21 pm MST

    Most Firefox users have upgraded to Firefox 3.6. The stragglers who haven't may have their reasons, but Mozilla is starting to pressure them.

    Originally posted at The Download Blog



  55. It's Not Easy to Make a Tablet, Stantum Slate PC Proves

    → Wired: Gadgets | 11 Mar 2010 | 8:46 am MST

    Our hands-on impressions of the Stantum Slate PC running Windows 7.




  56. Are Republicans Still Responsible For State Of Economy?

    → Common Sense Junction | 11 Mar 2010 | 7:02 am MST

    The press seems to think so…. Question of the century: If Republicans controlled the White House, held a 59-41 majority in the Senate and controlled the House with a 255-178 majority while the country continued to suffer through a deep recession, would the AP (and the MSM) identify Democrats as part of the problem? Job-focused voters weary [...]

  57. Pelosi Offers Band-Aid For Operating Room

    → Common Sense Junction | 11 Mar 2010 | 6:39 am MST

    Facing an election-year backlash over runaway spending and ethics scandals, House Democrats moved Wednesday to ban earmarks for private contractors, sparking a war between the parties over which would embrace the more dramatic steps to change the way business is done in Washington. Earmarks, which lawmakers use to direct federal money to specific projects, have [...]

  58. Wearing your Stickybit on your sleeve, or elsewhere

    → Webware.com | 11 Mar 2010 | 6:00 am MST

    One of the start-ups hoping to make a splash at this year's South by Southwest Interactive Festival is Stickybits, a set of bar code stickers that you can "tag" with anything.

    Originally posted at The Social



  59. Chasing Groupon, LivingSocial raises $25 million

    → Webware.com | 11 Mar 2010 | 5:30 am MST

    Despite the fact that Groupon dominates all of its smaller competitors in the daily-deals market, rival LivingSocial is trying to draw some blood by expanding with the help of a new infusion of venture funding.

    Originally posted at The Social



  60. Google tries to make its RSS reader fun, too

    → Webware.com | 11 Mar 2010 | 2:18 am MST

    The Net giant unveils Google Reader Play, an attempt to put an easy-to-use, entertaining interface on its feed-reader Web application

    Originally posted at Deep Tech



  61. Android phones get Opera Mini 5 beta

    → Webware.com | 11 Mar 2010 | 1:00 am MST

    Opera adds Android to its updated browser lineup.

    Originally posted at Android Atlas



  62. Tablet PC From Archos Is No Competition for iPad

    → Wired: Gadgets | 10 Mar 2010 | 10:00 pm MST

    One of the first shots in the tablet war has been fired by Archos. Too bad it missed. Hard.




  63. Springpad bookmarks the world

    → Webware.com | 10 Mar 2010 | 6:06 pm MST

    Neat little clipping and saving service works on Web and iPhone.

    Originally posted at Rafe's Radar



  64. Classmates.com's Facebook Mimicking Prompts Privacy Suit

    → Wired: Software | 10 Mar 2010 | 4:30 pm MST

    Angry users sue Classmates.com after it decides to make previously private data public, just as Facebook did in December. Will its defense be, "I learned it from watching you, Zuck?"




  65. Google Launches Web Store for Cloud-Based Apps

    → Wired: Software | 10 Mar 2010 | 1:30 pm MST

    App stores aren't just for mobile phones anymore. Google has launched a store that lets Google Apps customers add third-party browser-based apps to their existing stack of Google's productivity tools.




  66. Multitasking Earbuds Stress Great Design, Not Sound

    → Wired: Gadgets | 10 Mar 2010 | 11:50 am MST

    Cool looking and inexpensive, the Remix earbud from VMODA doesn't quite deliver solid sound quality.




  67. iPad Could See 50 Tablet Rivals This Year

    → Wired: Gadgets | 10 Mar 2010 | 11:20 am MST

    Microprocessor company ARM says there will be more than 50 new tablets launching worldwide to compete with the iPad.




  68. Broadcast Video From Your Mobile

    → Wired: Gadgets | 9 Mar 2010 | 3:30 pm MST

    You're carrying around a video camera in your pocket (it's that thing attached to your mobile phone) so be prepared and learn how to start streaming video to the web at a moment's notice.




  69. Extent of ‘carbon outsourcing’ revealed

    → Climate Feedback | 9 Mar 2010 | 9:58 am MST

    Posted for Richard Van Noorden from The Great Beyond

    More than one-fifth of the carbon dioxide produced by China in 2004 was emitted to provide goods and services for non-Chinese consumers, mainly in western Europe, the United States and Japan.

    The statistic comes from the latest study to look at an alternative style of carbon accounting — one that assigns CO2 emissions to the consumers responsible for them. By contrast, inventories such as those reported under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) simply tally the amount of gas each country produces.

    Ken Caldeira and Steve Davis, of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, in Stanford, California, published their findings this week in PNAS. The most comprehensive of its kind, the analysis takes trade figures from 113 countries across 57 industry sectors and finds that 23% of global CO2 emissions (or 6.2 billion tonnes of CO2) was traded internationally in 2004.

    “Instead of looking at carbon dioxide emissions only in terms of what is released inside our borders, we also looked at the amount of carbon dioxide released during the production of the things that we consume,” says Caldeira (press release). “Just like the electricity that you use in your home probably causes CO2 emissions at a coal-burning power plant somewhere else, we found that the products imported by the developed countries of western Europe, Japan, and the United States cause substantial emissions in other countries, especially China.”

    carbon outsource.jpg

    In some wealthy countries, including Britain and France, more than 30% of consumption-based emissions are imported; in the United States, the figure is 11%. Caldeira thinks that the UNFCCC’s production-based inventories should be supplemented with figures that track where the carbon is ultimately being consumed.

    Dieter Helm, an economist at the University of Oxford who has previously published papers showing that much of the UK's carbon footprint is produced overseas, says that the new study “highlights that Europe and the US are flattered by their CO2 production numbers”.

    “What the authors fail to conclude is that the Kyoto based approach is very badly flawed, and that at Copenhagen the European and US offers for production reductions did not reflect their full carbon footprint,” says Helm. “Such considerations also make the case for a border carbon tax very strongly.”

    Image: flow of emissions among major exporting and importing countries (megatons) / Steven Davis/Carnegie Institution for Science.



  70. Amazon Is Building a Better Browser for Kindle

    → Wired: Software | 9 Mar 2010 | 8:25 am MST

    Browsing the web on one of Amazon’s Kindle e-readers is like taking a step backwards in time. It’s clunky and has only limited support for web standards, and bare-bones JavaScript capabilities. But now Amazon may be looking to add browser engineers to the Kindle team, according to job listings on the company’s website.




  71. Universities Hide Terrorists In Plain Sight

    → Common Sense Junction | 9 Mar 2010 | 5:41 am MST

    Remember all the security precautions our patriotic universities put in place after 9.11.01 to make sure terrorists couldn’t use student visas to hide on campus? Well….somehow, someway, something went awry. Eamonn Higgins has never earned a college degree in his own name, but prosecutors allege that for the past seven years the 46-year-old has been going [...]

  72. UN Doomsday Treaty Aimed At Second Amendment

    → Common Sense Junction | 9 Mar 2010 | 4:04 am MST

    NRA News’ investigative reporter Ginny Simone takes a look at the global gun control goals of the United Nations. By pushing for a binding international treaty aimed at superseding the U.S. Constitution, the United Nations is committed to rendering Americans’ Second Amendment rights to own a firearm meaningless. Simone interviews past and current U.N. officials [...]

  73. Meet the Winners of Webmonkey's Google I/O Giveaway

    → Wired: Software | 8 Mar 2010 | 5:00 pm MST

    We're sending two talented monkeys to the Google I/O developer conference in May. We asked our readers to submit their web creations, and we picked the winners from the best of the submissions.




  74. Dan Rather: Obama Couldn’t Sell Watermelons….

    → Common Sense Junction | 8 Mar 2010 | 2:36 pm MST

    Good thing a conservative didn’t say this: If you missed it: “…he’s a nice person. he’s very articulate. This is what’s been used against him, but he couldn’t sell watermelons if you gave him a state trooper to flag down the traffic…” Notice how Matthews glossed over the remark as though he didn’t hear it. BTW: If YouTube [...]

  75. Download Mosaic and Browse 1993's Web

    → Wired: Software | 8 Mar 2010 | 1:30 pm MST

    A few adventurous hackers have posted source code for NCSA Mosaic 2.7 on the web. If you're running a modern Linux distro, you can download the web's first proper browser and go back to the days before the gold rush.




  76. Modernity … Designing A Stop Sign

    → Common Sense Junction | 8 Mar 2010 | 5:47 am MST

    What if there were no stop signs, and a major corporation was charged with inventing one? They’d brief their agency and let them do it. Sorta. Welcome to corporate creativity, where groupthink and endless revisions help good ideas get executed.

  77. Want Someone to Blame? You Know Their Names

    → Common Sense Junction | 8 Mar 2010 | 5:07 am MST

    This article, published in 1995, is even more appropriate today…. By Charley Reese, Orlando Sentinel, 1995: Politicians, as I have often said, are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them. Everything on the Republican contract [with America in 1995] is a problem created by Congress. Too much bureaucracy? Blame Congress. Too many [...]

  78. Microsoft to Double Down on HTML5 With IE 9

    → Wired: Software | 3 Mar 2010 | 9:11 am MST

    With the latest releases of Opera, Google Chrome and Firefox continuing to push the boundaries of the web, the once-dominant Internet Explorer is looking less and less relevant every day.




  79. Climate Change in Quotes

    → Climate Feedback | 3 Mar 2010 | 7:57 am MST

    Cross-posted from Daniel Cressey on The Great Beyond

    It’s been a busy week for climate change watchers. We had the British parliamentary hearing into climate-gate, the IPCC announced it was reviewing its procedures, American politician James Inhofe waded in with his own report, and then there was the usual plethora of yes-it-is, no-its-not back and forth.

    In case you missed any of it. Here’s the point/counter point.

    Parliamentary Engagement

    Written evidence from the Institute of Physics to the parliamentary inquiry is critical of the scientist at the centre of the affair – Phil Jones of the Climatic Research Unit (CRU). Some have taken it as casting doubt on global warming.

    “It reflected our belief that the open exchange of data, procedures and materials is fundamental to the scientific process. From the information already in the public domain it appears that these principles have been put at risk in the present case, and that this has undermined the trust that is placed in the scientific process.”

    The Institute of Physics clarifies its written evidence to the House of Commons hearing.

    “The institute statement says its submission was approved by its science board, a formal committee of experts that oversees its policy work. The Guardian has been unable to find a member of the board that supports the submission.”

    David Adam, The Guardian.

    IPCC: who reviews the reviewers?

    Rajendra Pachauri, IPCC chair, last week announced ‘an independent committee to review IPCC Procedures’.

    “The IPCC strives to ensure that its procedures for use of published material in the preparation of its assessment reports are followed in all respects. But we recognize the criticism that has been levelled at us and the need to respond.”

    Rajendra Pachauri.

    “In practice, what this means is that another UN-appointed panel of ‘experts’ will convene to review the failures of the original experts. This is less than reassuring. ... [T]he outcome of Mr. Pachauri’s inquiry has already been determined—the science will be found to be sound. Too bad for him that the IPCC is likely past the point where it can salvage its tattered reputation.”

    The Wall Street Journal is less than impressed.

    Inhofe Rides Again

    Senator James Inhofe has launched a report – and another attack on climate science.

    “In our view, the CRU documents and emails reveal, among other things, unethical and potentially illegal behaviour by some of the world’s pre-eminent climate scientists.”

    One of the more controversial claims in the ‘Consensus’ Exposed: The CRU Controversy’ report from Senator Inhofe’s office.

    “[W]hen Inhofe attempts to discredit respected scientists through innuendo and tries to intimidate them by threatening a criminal investigation, enough is enough. It is time to say, ‘Have you no sense of decency sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency?’”



  80. The new world order

    → Climate Feedback | 1 Mar 2010 | 7:34 am MST

    Olive Heffernan
    globalwarring.jpg

    Cleo Paskal must be cursing the publishing gods. Had Paskal , author of Global Warring: How Environmental, Economic, and Political Crises Will Redraw the World Map, finished her book last fall – when 'climate security' was a buzzword in foreign policy circles - she'd have timed it perfectly, writes Keith Kloor in a review on Nature Reports Climate Change. All anyone wants to talk about these days is purloined emails, errors in the reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and the literary pursuits of its chair Rajendra Pachauri.

    But, notes Kloor, Paskal’s book is about much more than security experts talking up the threat posed by rising seas. Instead, the author - a London-based journalist and a scholar at the think tank Chatham House - presents a vision of a new world order, in which the United States and the European Union face off against China and Russia as climate change takes hold.

    Paskal argues convincingly that that short-sighted domestic and foreign policies are already eroding “the West's position in the global balance of power”. Writes Kloor:

    Exhibit A is the Arctic, where the US and EU are pushing for 'global governance' of the still-frozen Northwest Passage, a route expected to become a prized shipping channel to Asia and Europe with continued warming.

    Canada currently claims the Northwest Passage as part of its territorial waters, and this standoff could prod Canada to explore a strategic relationship with Russia, which has its own designs on the Arctic. Meanwhile, China is knocking at Canada's door, eager to purchase a slice of the country's abundant natural resources. In a 'stateless' Northwest Passage, Russia and China could end up being the big players, especially if they forge stronger economic ties to Canada, writes Kloor.

    Paskal goes on to argue that in just about every corner of the world, the United States being is outflanked by China, mainly because China's economic interests are integrated with its foreign policy — what Paskal refers to as 'nationalistic capitalism'. Market economies, by contrast, seek to maximize private profit, not to advance the state's agenda.

    Kloor’s full review of the book is freely accessible available here.



  81. Win a Free Ticket to Google I/O 2010

    → Wired: Software | 26 Feb 2010 | 2:00 pm MST

    Webmonkey is giving away two free passes to Google's upcoming I/O developer event. Read the full details and enter to win on our blog.




  82. Facebook Patents Social Network Feeds, Raising Innovation Worries

    → Wired: Software | 26 Feb 2010 | 12:40 pm MST

    Facebook's new patent on publishing streams of user activities has many worried for online innovation. But it could be worse.




  83. The climate machine

    → Climate Feedback | 26 Feb 2010 | 9:20 am MST

    Olive Heffernan

    Last November, I took a trip to Exeter to visit the UK Met Office. The purpose of my visit was to meet with Chris Jones, a climate modeller at the Met Office's climate-change branch, the Hadley Centre.

    Jones is one of a team of scientists who – over the past four years – have devoted much of their time developing and testing what is arguably the world’s most sophisticated climate model. Known as HADGEM2-ES (short for the Hadley Centre Global Environmental Model, version two, with an added Earth-system component), this labour of love is one of a new generation of models under development that reach far beyond their distant forebears, which represented just the physical elements of the climate, such as air, sunlight and water. ‘Earth system models’ include all that and much more: forests that can shrink or spread as conditions change; marine food webs that react as the oceans grow more acidic with carbon dioxide; and aerosol particles in the atmosphere that interact with greenhouse gases, enhancing or sapping their warming power.

    climate-machine.bmp

    Right now, HADGEM2-ES is gearing up for a major challenge. Over the coming months, it will run a series of climate simulations out to the year 2100 for the next report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), on the physical-science basis of climate change, due out in 2013.

    The scientists – such as Jones – who have developed HADGEM2-ES hope that by representing the earth system in greater complexity they will be to simulate the present-day climate with greater realism. This should, in theory, lead to more realistic projections for the future, but many of the climate modellers I spoke to were keen to point out that simulating the climate with more complex models may well lead to greater uncertainty about what the future holds. That’s because including sources of large feedbacks – such as forests that can expand or die or tundra that can release vast amounts of methane – adds a whole new suite of factors to which the climate can respond.

    So, it’s quite likely that the next IPCC report will have much larger error bars on its estimates of future temperature or precipitation, compared with AR4. Climatologist Jim Hurrell of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado, who is heading up development of the NCAR Earth-system model, had this to say:

    “It's very likely that the generation of models that will be assessed for the next IPCC report will have a wider spread of possible climate outcomes as we move into the future".

    So why include more complexity in the model, if it will produce results that are less useful for decision-making? Here, it’s worth remembering that for climatologists, models are not just tools that can give a glimpse of what the future holds; they are also an experimental playground – a replica world on which they can test their knowledge of the climate system. Without the ability to conduct global-scale experiments in the lab or in the field, models are the only tools they have. So while the results from more complex models may, in the short-term, be less informative for policy makers and the public, they will help scientists better understand what drives climate change and lead to better simulations in the long-term.



  84. Gmail Features Graduate From Labs to Big Leagues

    → Wired: Software | 25 Feb 2010 | 1:00 pm MST

    Google has taken the most popular features in Gmail Labs and made them part of Gmail proper. Other experimental features weren't so lucky.




  85. Met Office calls for improved global temperature record

    → Climate Feedback | 25 Feb 2010 | 7:35 am MST

    The UK Met Office has asked the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) to create a new state-of-the art dataset of global land surface air temperatures for improved climate diagnostics.

    Three independent temperature datasets are currently being maintained by the Met Office, NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, and by the US National Climatic Data Center. Each record is constructed on the basis of monthly average raw data from selected meteorological stations around the world, and all show similar magnitudes and rates of warming over the last century.

    But the datasets are not flawless (biases can occur, for example, when stations are being relocated, or when instrumentation is exchanged) and their monthly resolution is too coarse for studies of fine-scale climate features such as changes in daily temperature extremes.

    At a meeting in Antalya, Turkey, the WMO’s commission for climatology has endorsed the Met Office’s proposal of reanalyzing existing records and creating a refined global temperature dataset.

    “This initiative will not replace the current temperature datasets, but will augment existing records, and involve work across the international meteorological community. The proposed dataset will provide information as well as informing decisions on adapting to climate change, something existing datasets don’t provide,” the Met Office says in a statement.

    Any new dataset needs to be “open to scrutiny providing independent assessments of surface temperature”, it says.



  86. There's an app for that

    → Climate Feedback | 24 Feb 2010 | 11:20 am MST

    Alicia Newton

    iphone.JPG
    Skeptical Science has entered the entered the iPhone app fray with a handy guide to answering common questions about climate change. It's reviewed in the UK Guardian , and also, a bit less enthusiastically, in The Telegraph.
    The app lists common arguments put forward by those skeptical of climate change, and gives the counter-arguments based on sound science. Filed under headings such as 'It's not that bad', the app answers questions on topics ranging from the stability of ice sheets to errors in the IPCC's fourth assessment report. You can check out RealClimate's take, too. Free from iTunes, it's at the very least a guaranteed conversation piece.



  87. Sea level paper withdrawn on account of miscalculation

    → Climate Feedback | 24 Feb 2010 | 7:07 am MST

    Quirin Schiermeier
    nat%20geo%20retr.bmpScientists have last week retracted a study which, based on simulations of the past 22,000 years, had projected a 21st century global sea level rise between 7 and 82 centimetres. The authors say they no longer have confidence in the projections owing to serious mistakes in their model approach.

    The results, published last year in Nature Geoscience, had been roughly consistent with projections by the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) which in its 2007 report gave a range of 18-59 centimetres sea level rise by 2100. However, some scientists caution that the IPCC numbers, which exclude the effect of changing Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, could prove too conservative.

    Mark Siddall and his co-authors (including Thomas Stocker, co-chair of the IPCC’s working group on the physical basis of climate change) had used an empirical model linking sea-level rise to changes in global mean temperature. They had their model move forward in discreet 100-year time-steps which, although sufficient for simulating the past, they later found too coarse for reliably projecting future changes.

    The study also failed to properly take into account uncertainties in temperature reconstructions of the last 2,000 years.

    It is unclear if the resulting projections over- or underestimate future sea level rise, says Siddall.

    The mistakes, he says, are too profound to be dealt with in a mere correction to the initial paper.

    The retracted paper has been “totally independent” from studies reviewed by the IPCC for its last report, and will not affect future work by the IPCC, he says.



  88. UN climate chief resigns

    → Climate Feedback | 18 Feb 2010 | 8:55 am MST

    Olive Heffernan

    UN climate chief Yvo de Boer announced today that he will step down on July 1 after nearly four years in the post.

    His resignation comes two months after a disappointing climate summit in Copenhagen, where nations failed to broker a deal on reducing greenhouse gas emissions from 2012. Instead, the climate talks, held in the Danish capital in December, produced the Copenhagen Accord, a voluntary agreement to limit warming to 2°C that does not specify how that goal will be achieved.

    At the end of the Copenhagen climate conference, de Boer was asked by the press whether he would step down. He responded that he had no intention of leaving his position before seeing a global climate deal in place and he would only step down if he thought that he had been responsible for the failure of the negotiations to make more progress.

    De Boer says that the failure of the Copenhagen talks was not a factor in his decision to resign, but as Julian Rush of Channel 4 News says, this seems rather hard to believe.

    Over the past four years, de Boer has put his heart and soul into trying to get the world to agree a climate deal. His tears in Bali were evidence of his frustration at the slow pace of the negotiations, as was the life ring he donned at a press conference in Copenhagen.

    For de Boer – who got nations to agree the Bali roadmap in 2007 – the outcome of Copenhagen must have been terribly disappointing. And the prospects for the next climate conferencen – scheduled for November in Cancun, Mexico – to deliver a treaty look equally grim.

    On leaving his position, de Boer will join the consultancy group KPMG as global advisor on climate and sustainability and work with a number of universities. "I believe the time is ripe for me to take on a new challenge, working on climate and sustainability with the private sector and academia," he said in a press statement.

    Responding to the news of de Boer's resignation, UK Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband said “Yvo de Boer's patient work helped produce the Copenhagen Accord which contains commitments covering 80 percent of global emissions, something never previously achieved. We must quickly find a suitable successor, who can oversee the negotiations and reform the UNFCCC to ensure it is up to the massive task of dealing with what are some of the most complex negotiations ever."



  89. Gut reactions to carbon storage

    → Climate Feedback | 18 Feb 2010 | 6:39 am MST

    Richard Van Noorden

    How do you feel about the idea of burying carbon dioxide underground near you, to cut emissions of the greenhouse gas from power plants and other industrial facilities?

    While I was exploring the slow take-off of commercial Carbon Capture and Storage for a feature in Nature (subscription required) this week, the usual problems reared their heads: expense, technological uncertainty, insufficient regulation and so on.

    But perhaps most intriguing was the potential roadblock of public protest. What especially interested me was that people living in different areas had very different views on gas sequestration.

    In Barendrecht, the Netherlands, they’re threatening legal action against a pilot by Shell. In Greenville, Ohio, federal funding was not enough to see through a much-protested project to sequester carbon dioxide from an ethanol plant. In Texas, though, some people are ringing up the US Geological Survey to ask that carbon be buried under their land, I was told. One landowner in Mississippi didn’t want a geochemist’s team to do a geological survey of his land because he was afraid they’d find something that meant it couldn’t be a spot to inject carbon dioxide.

    And near L’Aquila, Italy, people live comfortably above leaky stores of carbon dioxide, simply ventilating out gas that leaks into their cellars. Familiarity breeds contempt?

    At current rates of progress, asking about your gut reaction to practical carbon storage is a purely hypothetical question. But the schedule that the International Energy Agency have set the industry is staggering. By 2050, the volume of liquid carbon dioxide that must be injected underground for permanent storage each year would be three times the annual amount of petroleum we currently use (85 million barrels).

    Mind you, it’s the same story for the IEA’s projections of uptake of solar, nuclear, and wind power. It’s just that the lack of progress for CCS is particularly harmful because the strategy has a limited lifetime. It’s supposed to be a temporary, bridge technology that we use until cleaner forms of energy become economically competitive.

    If you’re feeling sceptical about the scale of this energy transformation, join the club – Nature ran an analysis by Shell scientists on the physical limits to deploying new technology last December, which is worth a read (again subscription required).




  90. How a computer expert corrected the Met Office

    → Climate Feedback | 16 Feb 2010 | 11:12 am MST

    Cross-posted from Daniel Cressey on The Great Beyond

    Another day, another fault discovered in the climate change catechism? This time it’s not the usual suspects claiming a grand global conspiracy though. It’s a bit more interesting than that.

    At the heart of this story is professional computer programmer John Graham-Cumming, who decided to write some software to number crunch temperature data released by the UK’s Met Office.

    “I thought it would be a fun hobby project to use those records to reproduce the worrying charts that show the increase in global temperatures,” he wrote on his blog last week.

    “Because I was working with unfamiliar data I put special functions into my program to ensure that I wasn't making any mistakes. To my surprise these functions began reporting that there was something wrong with temperature data in Australia and New Zealand.”

    Once he told the Met Office, he writes, they admitted he was right

    The story has been picked up by the Times, which opines that “although the errors do not alter the bigger picture on climate change, they have been seized upon as a further sign that scientific institutions have not been sufficiently transparent”.

    For their part, the Met Office says it is grateful to the computer expert for catching their mistake and actually this shows how open they are already being. “We have put an exhaustive amount of information out there to show people exactly what we do,” says Peter Stott, head of climate monitoring and attribution at the Met Office, in the Times.

    Graham-Cumming is not a climate sceptic, he tells the Times, “but this does show why the raw data and not just the results should be available”.

    Read Graham-Cumming’s story in his own words on his blog, and in an edited version from The Times. Embedded below is a video he made last year showing a program written to analyze and visualize the Met Office data.






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