Tuesday, 04 November
01:00
Friday, 17 October
05:17
atlas of the real world (new book) [information aesthetics]
the "worldmapper" metaphor, originally first posted on infosthetics.com in March 2006, is slowly but surely taking over the world. its success is remarkable, as it does not happen often that a new visualization method is taken over by the popular press. the stacked flow chart as a listening history & its many reincarnations such as Lastgraph or as newspaper infographic comes closes, but still has a long way to go.
what was first featured in newspapers & magazines from Australia to the UK, from Bulletin of the World Health Organization to the National Geographic & everything inbetween, now has become an independent book annex Atlas, titled "Atlas of the Real World".
it should be available at your local book shop or order it now at amazon.com.
[link: worldmapper.org|via creativereview.co.uk]
see also US election cartogram
Monday, 13 October
02:00
Bringing the seabed onto dry land! [green.tv - highlights]
Our English undersea world is as diverse, dramatic and full of life as the English countryside. Find out how Natural England is raising public awareness of the regional character and variety of undersea landscapes and inspiring people to help protect these precious places.
Saturday, 11 October
20:00
Reality To Go: 3-D Virtual Reality On Mobile Devices [ScienceDaily: Latest Science News]
If mere texting, talking, e-mailing and snapping pictures on mobile devices aren't enough to satisfy your data cravings, now there's the prospect of accessing and displaying 3-D virtual reality simulations and animations on them. New information architecture from researchers in Offenburg, Germany puts 3-D visualizations in the palm of your hand to make this possible.
15:00
How Think Green Media Can Help You Market Your Product [Planet Green Articles Feed]
Think Green can market your product with pay-per-click advertising, direct mail, and blogs. They work with organizations whose goals range from protecting our oceans to companies who produce natural and organic products, but a sense of social responsibility is a must.
14:00
Take an Extra Step To Green Your Dinner—Lose the Canned Beans [Planet Green Articles Feed]
The menus at our house are pretty green. As regular readers know, I shop locally and only buy fruits and vegetables in season. I don't use any processed foods, so not only are we getting the health benefits I'm not generating all that packaging waste. I realized that the one area where I was really falling down was in canned goods: legumes.
13:00
Is the New Ultra Motor A2B Electric Bike Right for You? [Planet Green Articles Feed]
Yes, there are more electric bikes coming out this year than ever before, which means that you are going to get your pick of the litter, but it also means that the litter is going to get pretty confusing. You've got multiple designs, battery's, motors, features, and price tags.
11:00
[euro-police] French president scuttles resolution by EU Parliament [NoBlogs.org]
[heise.de] French President Nicolas Sarkozy has asked the president of the
European Commission (EC), José Manuel Barroso to oppose a passage in
what is known as the Telecoms Package. The passage states that cutting
off users' internet access – for example, because of copyright
violations – requires a prior decision from a judicial authority. After
the EC refused to comply, Sarkozy's office softened its tone: The
"unfortunately published document" was not intended to put pressure on
the EC but simply illustrate the French government's position.
The rather unusual incident is related to the first reading of the Telecoms Package (PDF) in the European Parliament, in which the EU Parliament adopted the proposed amendment number 138 with 573 to 74 votes. Citing EU Charter (PDF) article 11, which emphasises the freedom of information, the amendment proposes that internet access may only be cut off following a warrant by a judicial authority.
This passage directly opposes French plans for an internet police which can issue warnings and block problem content or even cut off individual citizens without such a warrant. Accordingly, Nicolas Sarkozy's fax states quite directly that "Il est notamment fondamental que l'amendement No. 138 adopté par le Parlement européen soit rejeté par la Commision. Pour écarter l'amendement, je sollicite votre engagement personnel et celui de la commissaire en charge du dossier". ("It is of fundamental importance that amendment number 138, which was adopted by the EU Parliament, be rejected by the Commission. To prevent this amendment, I ask for your personal engagement and the engagement of the Commissioner responsible for this package").
For Viviane Reding, the responsible Commissioner mentioned by Sarkozy, a response was issued yesterday by Martin Selmayr, the EC's spokesman for information society and media. He pointed out the necessity to adhere to democratic decision-making processes for the adoption of the Telecoms Package.
"The European Commission respects this democratic decision of the European Parliament. In our opinion this amendment is an important re-affirmation of the basic principles of the rule of law in the EU, in particular the fundamental rights of its citizens." It is important to create a healthy balance between the right to privacy, the right to freedom of information and the rights of others, he said.
The French President's political activism has generally caused irritation. The Telecoms Package still needs to be ratified by the Council of Ministers. This council can reject individual amendments or the entire package and refer it back to the EU Parliament for another reading. (Detlef Borchers)
Source: http://www.heise-online.co.uk/news/French-president-scuttles-resolution-by-EU-Parliament--/111701
[autoprodappese] AUT.IN contest [NoBlogs.org]
I due mondi paralleli della vasca da bagno, come luogo di vita vissuta e della Fintoonesia, terra inesplorata dalla vita immaginifica tendente all’ideale.
Inserire nome, cognome,
età, e-mail, titolo delle opere, e la relativa certificazione di
originalità e di inedito per ogni opera inviata. L'invio del materiale
implica la dichiarazione da parte del mittente di essere l'unico
proprietario dei diritti connessi alla creazione manlevando
Autoproduzioni Apppese e iNscena Magazine da eventuali diritti avanzati
da terzi.
I dati personali sono tutelati secondo le norme vigenti sulla
Privacy dell'articolo 675/96.
Il materiale raccolto sarà
organizzato per costruire un evento artistico che vedrà esposte le
fotografie e allestito un reading letterario estemporaneo estrapolato
di Autoproduzioni Appese. iNscena Magazine si riserva il diritto di
pubblicazione futura sulla rivista edita da Farandula.
Il materiale
dovrà essere inviato entro il 10 dicembre 2008 a appese@autoproduzioni.net
-Eng-
Naturally
everything must be seen and elaborated from the basic concept. Looking
from the outside in means being able to understand characteristics that
a mother wouldn't be able to see in her own child.
That's why we have a desire for the "Aut.In Contest".
The
themes, that the outside eyes will be involved in, regard the two
parallel worlds of the bathtub, seen as a place that you live in, and
Fintoonesia, an unexplored land of imaginific life tending towards the
ideal.
Let's look deeper:
The bathtub is a place through
which you reach a land of contentment, the one that each of us would
like to invent each time we feel like it. The tub represents the desire
to hold on to the element that identifies life, it also represents the
need to protect ourselves from it. Why not? It's not only the cinema
that allows us to climb through the bathroom window, but also
photography.
Welcome to the unexplored land in which the ideal mixes
with the real need to face our inner selves and redeem ourselves, to
grow and comprehend names, things, cities, animals as well as the
people of Fintoonesia. Through the possible linguistic origins help our
envoy Carmine Abbagnale to redesign the hidden routes to the extreme
colonization.
Any material must be sent in by 10 december 2008 at appese@autoproduzioni.net.
[migrant] Jamaica Ratifies the UN Migrant Workers Convention (MWC) [NoBlogs.org]
|........... |
|Congratulations | Félicitations| Felicidades | Congratulazioni|
|Glückwünsche|Привітання| Поздравление| تهانين| Поздоровлення| Felicitări| Поздравления|祝贺|Честитам| Parabéns| Συγχαρητήρια| Felicitats|Čestitam| Blahopřejeme| Tillykke| Felicitaties|
|Pagbati|बधाई|Onnittelut| מזל טוב| Selamat|お祝いの言葉|
|축하 | Apsveicam|Sveikinu| Gratulerer| Gratulacje| Blahoželáme|
| Čestitke| Gratulationer| Lời chúc mừng |
|....................|
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No agli agro-carburanti dagli Amici della Terra [TERRA NUOVA]
Gli "Amici della Terra" hanno scritto una lettera ai membri della commissione ambiente del Parlamento europeo perché la commissione sulla direttiva "Energie rinnovabili" respinga l'obiettivo del 10% al 2020 conseguito mediante gli agro-carburanti (biocarburanti di prima generazione).
alNaturale partecipa al Forum umanista europeo "La forza della non violenza", Milano 17-19/10/08 [Notizie GAS]
La rete di gruppi d'acquisto solidali umanisti alNaturale partecipa nell'organizzazione del Forum Umanista europeo e vi invita tutti al Tavolo dell'Ambiente. Nel Forum Umanista Europeo, i popoli d'Europa si incontreranno per lavorare alla costruzione di un’Europa aperta al futuro, diversa,...
10:59
Bicycles plus pedestrians on sidewalks equals disaster - Toronto Star [bicycles - Google News]
Bicycles plus pedestrians on sidewalks equals disaster Toronto Star, Canada - 2 minutes ago Bike paths: Toronto has a total of 385 kilometres of bicycle lanes, including 89 on city streets and 296 in parks and separate trails, such as the Martin ... |
10:25
09:52
Cindy Nesbitt and her growing empire - TheChronicleHerald.ca [recumbent - Google News]
Cindy Nesbitt and her growing empire TheChronicleHerald.ca, Canada - 1 hour ago Victory on Tuesday will go either to incumbent Liberal Robert Thibault, or recumbent Tory Greg Kerr. At least I’m assuming Kerr’s recumbent. ... |
09:51
US controls bird flu vaccines over bioweapon fears (AP) [Yahoo! News: Health News]
AP - When Indonesia's health minister stopped sending bird flu viruses to a research laboratory in the U.S. for fear Washington could use them to make biological weapons, Defense Secretary Robert Gates laughed and called it "the nuttiest thing" he'd ever heard.
09:41
Barbados Cherry Flower [Medicinal, Aromatic and Wild (or rare) Edible Plants Pool]
Rand_G has added a photo to the pool:
This evergreen shrub, or in my case, a small tree, has finally produced copious small jewel-like pink flowers. This variety of Malpighia glabra is the B-15.
Months ago, it bared about three fruits; I ate one out of that three fruit--the rest were eaten by birds. My first taste of this type of fruit sure made my mouth pucker! It was sour, unfortunately. Barbados Cherry has an extremely high in ascorbic acid, and it was once one of the main reason this fruit tree was grown for.
09:16
Oka Diputra at Bali Fashion week [Internet Archive]
Fashion meets Nature..... Bali Fashion Week is an annual international trade event for the last 7 years conducted by ModaBali Foundation that combines fashion, art and culture..
This item belongs to: movies/bliptv.
This item has files of the following types: 64Kbps M3U, 64Kbps MP3, 64Kbps MP3 ZIP, Animated GIF, Flash, Flash Video, MPEG4, Metadata, Ogg Vorbis, Thumbnail, VBR M3U, VBR MP3, VBR ZIP
08:58
Veicoli elettrici contro il carovita - Il Secolo XIX [biciclette - Google News]
Veicoli elettrici contro il carovita Il Secolo XIX - 2 ore fa Così, in nome del “risparmio energetico”, stanno prendendo campo biciclette a pedalata assistita, scooter elettrici, veicoli elettrici a due posti e veicoli ... |
08:55
Lavoro Nero: Gdf Scopre 12 Irregolari Masseria Tarantina [Yahoo! Notizie: Cronaca Italia | Notizie | News | Informazione]
(AGI) - Taranto, 11 ott. - Dodici lavoratori "in nero" sono stati scoperti dai militari della Guardia di Finanza nel corso di un'ispezione in una azienda agricola alla periferia di Manduria (Ta), ...
08:50
Teens in bicycle, car crash named - St. Cloud Times [bicycles - Google News]
Teens in bicycle, car crash named St. Cloud Times, MN - 2 hours ago The bicycles were crossing 37th Avenue. Witnesses reported that the bikes did not stop and ran into the vehicle, Edblad said. Cediel was stuck under the ... |
08:00
London Design Festival: Designers Visit Recycling Center [INHABITAT]
Early on a sunlit mid-September morning, on the banks of The Grand Union Canal in London, 25 designers, writers and academics from London Design Festival’s Greengaged hub, took residence on the Beauchamp ‘Electric Barge’ to take a trip to Powerday waste recycling plant in west London. Docked at Little Venice in Paddington, the Beauchamp is a silently-running and environmentally-sound answer to canal travel. Inhabitat writer Kate Andrews was on the trip and shares her insights from the experience.
07:34
Jolie says Pitt changed her mind about pregnancy (AP) [Yahoo! News: Top Stories]
AP - Angelina Jolie, an advocate of adoption, credits partner Brad Pitt with her decision to have biological children. In an interview with W magazine, Jolie says: "One of the life-changing things that he did, one of many, is that I was absolutely never going to get pregnant. I never felt that it was the right thing to do."
07:20
Zeroemission 2008 [Risorse, Economia e Ambiente]
Sono di ritorno dal convegno "Zeroemissions 2008" a Roma, l'impressione è stata molto favorevole. Tre immensi saloni completamente occupati da stand di ditte che espongono i loro prodotti nell'energia rinnovabile. Uno sul sole, l'altro sul vento, il terzo un po' su tutto, comprese cose spacciate per rinnovabili ma che non lo sono, tipo le SUV a gas naturale e i veicoli a bioetanolo. A parte questi imbrogli, l'impressione è che l'industria sia partita alla grande sulle rinnovabili e che abbiamo ormai un movimento di capitali e di idee che non è più arrestabile. Il futuro è questo, chiaramente.
Purtroppo, in Italia siamo partiti molto tardi. Queste cose in Germania si facevano dieci anni fa. Adesso si tratta di recuperare il tempo perduto, ma non ce la faremo comunque a sostituire i combustibili fossili con la stessa velocità con la quale si esauriscono. Ma tutto quello che riusciamo a fare è una mitigazione del problema. Meglio tardi che mai.
07:00
Re: Un benvenuto a taboule che si è unito al forum [inviato da taboule] [Biodiversità rurale :: Il portale di Civiltà Contadina e dei seed savers italiani :: Forum]
Conosciamoci!:: Un benvenuto a taboule che si è...
05:07
Manfredonia, Car Sharing: verso la definizione - Il Grecale ["agenda 21" - Google News]
 Il Grecale | Manfredonia, Car Sharing: verso la definizione Il Grecale - 5 ore fa Nell’ambito del processo di Agenda 21 locale, promosso dall’Assessorato all’Ambiente del Comune di Manfredonia, sono stati presentati, dall’associazione ... |
04:11
Seattle Hack: Rain Bike [BikeHacks] [Hugger Industries]
Having grown up in the Northwest, I know how cold, wet, and dreary winters can be. Reader Dave lives in Seattle and runs a blog he calls Watch Dave Lose It. Dave wants to ride his bike to work but fears the wet factor. His solution? A covered ride. He sent us this email:
I am working on my Rain Bike. This is for the Seattle weather that lasts about 6 months. I am making a full cover fairing. Plus adding a bunch of light, turn signals, car horn, GPS etc.
The picture and video below will get you started, but to fully appreciate the project, visit his blog. All those wires make my head spin.
While I can understand the reason behind this project, I myself just have some top quality winter/wet gear. I ride in NYC year round and although it does not rain as much as in the Northwest, the winter is pretty brutal. Plus, carrying a bike up four flights of stairs each night would be impossible with the concept gong on here. Still, you gotta give Dave credit!
How do you deal with cold and/or wet weather?
The control panel.
Dry day testing.
Real live ride.
a
Kinda related posts
04:03
Cost of Deforestation is Vastly Greater than that of the Current Financial Crisis [Triple Pundit]
While your 401K smolders in ruins, take a gander at this BBC article and it might give you some perspective. Unfortunately, it's not immediately an optimistic perspective: We are actually losing more money through deforestation than through the current financial meltdown. The reasoning behind this is clear when we start calculating the often overlooked value of Natural Capital - resources provided by our environment including minerals, water, air, sunlight, heat, plants, animals, and other organic matter.
Looking at the costs of deforestation and other forms of resource depletion from a purely economic perspective may seem perverse to many environmentalists, but it may be the only way that these issues are ever going to get real attention from government, big business, and society at large. The study cited by the BBC comes from a Deutsche bank economist who states:
... whereas Wall Street by various calculations has to date lost, within the financial sector, $1-$1.5 trillion, the reality is that at today's rate we are losing natural capital at least between $2-$5 trillion every year (emphasis mine)
Bear in mind that's an annual cost... and it's just about forests.
Burning or bulldozing complex ecosystems such as tropical forests removes the benefits that those ecosystems provided for a short term gain - such as whatever price you can get for the lumber. But leaving an ecosystem more-or-less intact allows it to continue to provide "ecosystem services" such as clean air and water, plant pollination, climate regulation, soil regeneration, ozone protection, shade and shelter, etc. - all of which must be replaced by artificial means costing lots of money. If you want to get even more depressed, read the Stern Review which attempts (not without some criticism) to calculate the overall cost of climate change in general.
Now, the good news: The fact that calculations like this are being made means that economists, governments, and businesses are starting to listen. It also provides hard data that didn't exist in the past to make the case for land conservation, resource efficiency and a more proactive stance on environmental issues in general.
This is the essence of the Triple Bottom Line, and, I think, some good stuff to ponder for the weekend.
03:29
First South African Electric Car Debuts at Paris Motor Show [EcoWorldly]
South Africa’s Department of Science and Technology (DST) recently hosted the country’s first solar car race. However, the department had a much more significant role in the development of the Joule electric Multi-Purpose Vehicle (MPV). The car was designed and built by Optimal Energy, a company born in 2005 with the help of the DST Innovation Fund. DST have contributed about US$ 4.5 million of the 6.2 million required to develop the car, which was launched at the Paris Motor Show last week.
The Joule is a 6 seater mini MPV with a top speed of 135 and the normal nippy acceleration of an electric car. It is designed to be able to accept a range of battery packs and can accommodate 1 or 2 packs giving it a range of up to 400 km. This range identifies it as a car suited to urban use.
03:03
Casting Bites: Goats, Fame, Ghostbusters, and Agent Crushes [Cinematical]
She may have been Lost, but it looks like the redheaded Rebecca Mader has found a path and a sexy on-screen husband. The Hollywood Reporter posts that Mader is in final negotiations to play the lead female role in the super-wacky sounding Men Who Stare at Goats. That means she gets to play wife to Ewan McGregor's Bob Wilton -- a reporter in Iraq who meets a man (George Clooney) who says he's a "former secret U.S. military psychic soldier who was reactivated after 9/11." The plot is so very strange, and most likely destined to be awesome. But that's not all -- the film is also getting Stephen Lang, fresh off Avatar and Public Enemies.
In the what-if area of cinematic news: With a Ghostbusters sequel on the way, Bill Murray told MTV that he thinks a woman should be in on the action. That's not a bad idea at all, so the big question is: What funny woman out there can bring on the laughs AND kick ghostly ass? (Editor's interjection: Jenna Fischer.)
Meanwhile, the Fame cast has now come together, according to THR. Unlike star Thomas Dekker, who has made a name for himself through Terminators and Heroes, this is a big cast of unknowns -- Kristy Flores, Paul Iacono, Paul McGill, Naturi Naughton, Kay Panabaker, Kherington Payne, Collins Pennie, Walter Perez and Anna Maria Perez de Tagle. You can hit the link to find out who they're going to play, and in the meantime, wonder who Debbie Allen will be this time around. Rumor has it that she'll pop up in the film, but not as Lydia.
And Danny Glover is getting rusty. THR posts that he's headed to the future and lending his voice to Agent Crush, which you can learn all about at the film's website. He'll be Major Rusty Gibbons. And finally, a last bit of little fluff: Jude Law is growing his 'stache in preparation for Sherlock Holmes!
Filed under: Animation, Comedy, Music & Musicals, Casting
02:43
South Africa Sees Its First Solar Car Race [EcoWorldly]
This is a guest post by Dave Harcourt of Pretoria, who is active in information transfer for agricultural processing in Africa, mainly via the DIGIVU Blog.
South Africa, recently dogged by electricity shortages at the state-run generator (Eskom), is innovating strongly in the energy sector. I will be discussing examples of this innovation in future posts, but now for the first of several reports on newsworthy energy related events in South Africa.
South African Solar Challenge 2008
South Africa’s Department of Science and Technology (DST) was one of the supporters of the South African Solar Challenge 2008 solar car race, which ended at the Innovation Hub in Pretoria this week. Solar car races are by no means new, but this is the first time one has been run in South Africa. The race, which was noted in a recent post on solar cars, was organized by the Advanced Energy Foundation.
02:40
Apple MacBook 2008 Event: All the Rumors In One Place [Apple] [Gizmodo]
New MacBooks, MacBook Pros, and probably an updated MacBook Air are coming up next week, at the Apple MacBook 2008 event. The MacBook and MacBook Pro are long due for a case redesign but, beyond that, little is known for sure. Here we have collected all the pieces of information we have about them. All the facts, the logical rumors, and the crazy ones, which we will keep updating through the coming days until the MacBook Event liveblog kicks off.
The facts
• There's an Apple event on October 14 and we will be there to liveblog the pants out of it.
• Long overdue, a new MacBook line will be unveiled, with newly-designed MacBooks and MacBook Pros.
• Remember that Apple told resellers not to stock MacBooks or iPods (this was just before the Let's Rock announcement).
The logical and probable rumors
• The MacBook Air, being a recent design, will probably get a features bump, but not a redesign. This could to be supported by price cuts during the summer.
• Despite the pretty mock ups, the MacBook and the MacBook Pro will probably look like the MacBook Air, but on a different scale. In previous generations, there was always a new model that introduced a new look, then the rest followed up.
• Several images of the base top, the base bottom and the display frame of the MacBook Pro have surfaced. It is still not clear if these images are real or not, even while they do look real indeed.
• Some people alleged that these images show a shell carved out of a single piece of aluminum, using a new and revolutionary manufacturing process code-named "Brick".
• However, there are several reasons to believe this may not be the case, starting with an Apple patent detailing a new welding process. However, both manufacturing techniques may have been combined for this product.
• The MacBook in the teaser invitation may be the 13-inch model. Assuming the Apple logo is the same size as before, that is. They have changed its size before.
• Following Apple's commitment for greener computers, all displays in the upcoming MacBook line may be LED-based.
Crazy rumors and wishful thinking
• The usual blurry MacBook spyshots have appeared, some of which, like this one, have been proven to be fake.
• The glass iPhone trackpads are most probably just that, fake.
• Some crazy people really wish to see a touch notebook.
• There's even more crazy people that think that a semi-transparent MacBook Pro may appear, based on an Apple patent.
• Some really really crazy people have been dreaming about tablet Macs since 2007 and before.
02:39
"Biotechnology Myths?" (encore) [Deconstructing Dinner]
www.cjly.net/deconstructingdinner/100908.htm
In September 2007, Host Jon Steinman travelled to Saskatoon to attend the 55th annual
CropLife Canada Conference. CropLife Canada is the trade association
representing the manufacturers, developers and distributors of plant science innovations, pest control products
and plant biotechnology, for use in agriculture, urban and public health settings.
The conference was titled "The Power of Partnerships - The New Bio-Economy: Accelerating Change/Achieving Prosperity". Attending the conference were executives and members of the most influential agricultural corporations in Canada, including among others; Agricore, Viterra, Cargill, Monsanto, Dow, Bayer, E.I. du Pont, Nufarm, and Syngenta. A large contingent of bureaucrats from Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada were in attendance, including two Conservative Members of Parliament (David Anderson, Carol Skelton).
Deconstructing Dinner will be featuring a number of recordings and interviews compiled at the conference, and will bring on panels of guests to respond to the messages coming out of Canada's conventional agriculture sector.
On this broadcast, we listen in on segments from the Keynote Speaker Juan Enriquez. Juan's presentation was titled "As the Future Catches You: How Genomics & Other Forces are Changing your Life, Work, Health & Wealth". Joining the program to comment and challenge remarks made during this presentation will be Terry Pugh (National Farmers Union), and Jeffrey Smith (Institute for Responsible Technology).
Guests
Juan Enriquez - Chairman/CEO, Biotechonomy (Boston, MA) - Author, businessman, and academic, is recognized as one of the world's leading authorities on the economic and political impacts of life sciences. Biotechonomy LLC is a life sciences research and investment firm. He was the Founding Director of the Harvard Business School Life Sciences Project, and author of "As the Future Catches You: How Genomics & Other Forces are Changing Your Life, Work, Health & Wealth".
Terry Pugh - Executive Secretary, National Farmers Union (NFU) (Saskatoon, SK) - The NFU works on the non-partisan development of economic and social policies that will maintain the family farm as the basic food-producing unit in Canada. To help realize this goal, the NFU and its members work to create, expand, and safeguard orderly marketing and supply-management systems. NFU members believe that individual farmers must work collectively to assert their interests in an agricultural industry increasingly dominated by multi-billion-dollar corporations.
Jeffrey Smith - Executive Director, Institute for Responsible Technology (Fairfield, IA) - The IRT was founded in 2003 by Jeffrey Smith to promote the responsible use of technology and stop GM foods and crops through both grassroots and national strategies. Jeffrey is the author of "Seeds of Deception", and the recently-released "Genetic Roulette - The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods".
02:00
Biological Alternatives To Chemical Pesticides [ScienceDaily: Latest Science News]
With increasing consumer pressure on both farmers and supermarkets to minimize the use of chemical pesticides in fruit and vegetables, a new study looks at why there is currently little use of biological alternatives in the UK.
01:36
Tom Sawyer - Mark Twain [LegalTorrents: All Torrents]
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (published 1876) is a very well-known and popular story concerning American youth. Mark Twain's lively tale of the scrapes and adventures of boyhood is set in St. Petersburg, Missouri, where Tom Sawyer and his friend Huckleberry Finn have the kinds of adventures many boys can imagine: racing bugs during class, impressing girls, especially Becky Thatcher, with fights and stunts in the schoolyard, getting lost in a cave, and playing pirates on the Mississippi River. Read by John Greenman.
On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection - Charles Darwin [LegalTorrents: All Torrents]
Charles Darwin's Origin of Species (publ. 1859) is a pivotal work in scientific literature and arguably the pivotal work in evolutionary biology. The book's full title is On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life. It introduced the theory that populations evolve over the course of generations through a process of natural selection. It was controversial because it contradicted religious beliefs which underlay the then current theories of biology. Darwin's book was the culmination of evidence he had accumulated on the voyage of the Beagle in the 1830s and added to through continuing investigations and experiments since his return. Read by LibriVox volunteers.
The Just-So Stories - Rudyard Kipling [LegalTorrents: All Torrents]
The stories, first published in 1902, are fantastic accounts of how various natural phenomena came about. The original editions of Just So Stories were illustrated with woodcuts by Kipling himself. Each story is accompanied by a poem, in a somewhat ballad style. Many of the stories are addressed to "Best Beloved" (they were first written for Kipling's eldest daughter, Josephine, who had died during an outbreak of influenza in 1899), and throughout they use a comically elevated style inspired by the formal speech of India, full of long and improbable-sounding words, some of them made up. As a result, it is a delight to read them aloud, and easy to memorise passages from them. Read by Kara Shallenberg.
Physics Textbooks [LegalTorrents: All Torrents]
This torrent contains the following physics textbooks in pdf and latex formats: 1. Newtonian Physics 2. Conservation Laws 3. Vibrations and Waves 4. Electricity and Magnetism 5. Optics 6. The Modern Revolution in Physics 7. Simple Nature 8. Conceptual Physics
01:18
The Humanure Handbook and Videos [LegalTorrents: All Torrents]
From: http://www.jenkinspublishing.com/humanure.htmlWritten by a humanure composting practitioner and organic gardener with over 30 years experience, this third edition provides detailed scientific information on how humanure can be hygienically recycled, without fancy technological do-dads, a large bank account, toxic chemicals, or environmental pollution.This unique handbook provides information on composting, soil fertility and microorganisms, alternative graywater systems and much more. It also gives detailed instructions on how you can build or buy your own sawdust toilet and compost bins for only a few dollars.* to prevent water pollution: (almost 4 trillion gallons of sewage effluent are dumped into our coastal waterways each year);* to fertilize the soil: (rich in soil nutrients, humanure can be safely recycled by thermophilic composting);* to protect our dwindling drinking water supplies: (nearly 1/3 of all household drinking water is used to flush toilets); and* to enhance our health: Fertile soil not only grows great veggies, but nourishes our health and community's well-being.
01:15
Pint-Size Eco-Police, Making Parents Proud and Sometimes Crazy [NYT > Science]
A growing number of “eco-kids,” steeped in environmentalism, are holding their parents accountable.
01:00
Lego Mindstorms Fat Boy Is Controlled with Actual Bike Handles [Lego] [Gizmodo]
This remote-controlled Lego Mindstorms NXT Fat Boy bike is cute and stylized enough to guarantee a post on its own. But when you see that the actual controller is shaped like the handles of a real motor bike, then it's just not a matter of writing about it or not. It's a matter of taking a plane to Germany and stealing it.
[Leggor—Thanks J.]
00:29
Weekend a Napoli, tra turismo e Ri-Ciclo [travelblog]
Napoli bellissima e martoriata. L’emergenza rifiuti ha sfregiato una città e una regione che meritano una nuova attenzione per gli abitanti e per l’ambiente. I danni sul turismo? Tanti. Si può provare a riscoprire arte e vitalità napoletana con la riflessione ecologica della fotografia sociale di “Ri-Ciclo. Uno sguardo oltre i rifiuti”.
Napoli, dal 10 ottobre, ospita infatti la mostra di Ico Gasparri, dedicata all’interpretazione artistica dei rifiuti differenziati. Sono oltre 50 le immagini scattate principalmente all’interno di impianti di riqualificazione di plastica, alluminio, carta e cartone, legno e vetro di varie aree della Campania.
La mostra si tiene sino al 24 ottobre nell’Antisala del Consiglio Provinciale di Santa Maria la Nova in Piazzetta Santa Maria La Nova e poi si sposta, dal 29 ottobre al 19 novembre, nella Sala del Colonnato in Piazza del Plebiscito. Come alloggio sceglierei un b&b per avere l’occasione di chiaccherare con la gente. Si può approfittare di una delle promozioni in corso sul sito di BB a Napoli e dintorni.
00:18
Monte Culebra - cooperation, agriculture, and communication in Venezuela [LegalTorrents: All Torrents]
Desde una perspectiva agroecologica y alternativa a la globalizacion capitalista, "monte culebra" se acerca a los procesos productivos y organizativos de experiencias colectivas campesinas en el occidente de Venezuela.Una mirada critica al modelo de desarrollo agricola que impulsa la reforma agraria del gobierno bolivariano en las cooperativas rurales como estrategia para lograr la soberania alimentaria. Ademas, la valoracion de experiencias campesinas autogestivas que practican la agroecologia hace 30 anos, y participan de una red de produccion y distribucion de alimentos a traves de ferias de consumo urbanas.
00:03
Incredible Hulk, But How's the DVD? [Cinematical]
A few weeks back I received an early copy of the Iron Man SE DVD, and although we all griped a little bit about the lack of an audio commentary -- I'm pretty sure the fans are still happy with that purchase. So now let's try it again, only instead of Iron Man, we'll be picking through the 3-disc Special Edition of Louis Leterrier's The Incredible Hulk. And while it's definitely a good package (provided you dig the film), here's one simple warning right out of the gate: The third disc is nothing more than a "digital copy" platter. Maybe I'm missing something, but I just don't see the big appeal of "digital copies." Why the hell would I want to overstuff my hard drive -- when I have the DVD sitting right here??
Anyway, the Special Edition has lots to recommend it, and the main feature is certainly something to see -- doubly so if you happen to have Blu-Ray. (I do not.) Even better the second time around, The Incredible Hulk is a simple yet very well-made action adventure flick in which a fugitive scientist must avoid the military while trying to get a powerfully monstrous alter-ego out of his system. Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, William Hurt, and Tim Roth bring an excellent air of professionalism to "yet another" superhero movie, and while it might not have been the Action Event that Iron Man was, I think it's safe to assume that Marvel and the fans were pleased with the big green semi-sequel as well.
So on disc one we get an audio commentary with Leterrier and actor Tim Roth, as well as six deleted scenes that run about 14 minutes total. The deleted footage is mostly early (Brazil) stuff and a few villainous rants between Hurt and Roth. (All good cuts if you ask me.) As far as the commentary goes, it sounds a lot like a cool Brit and an enthusiastic Frenchman talking about their action movie. I'm only about fifteen minutes into the chat-track, but it's pretty amusing stuff...
Read on for the Disc Two delights.
Filed under: Action, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Universal, Home Entertainment, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Remakes and Sequels, War
Continue reading Incredible Hulk, But How's the DVD?
Friday, 10 October
23:48
Webbed Hand Longform Ambient Collection [LegalTorrents: All Torrents]
Webbed Hand Records has compiled this special torrent collection for fans of long-form ambient music, as a sampler of the variety of artists and styles in our catalog.
There are ten complete albums here. Artists represented here include Djinnestan, Mystified, mayfairgrin, spoonPhase, Marco Lucchi, Tribe of Astronauts, Mika Bjorklund, Guy David, Saluki Regicide, and C.P. McDill. This collection is of works that are not part of Webbed Hand's popular "Rain" series. Fans of long-form ambient are encouraged to check out the Rain series as well.23:40
94010001 [Medicinal, Aromatic and Wild (or rare) Edible Plants Pool]
iliafarniev has added a photo to the pool:
most beautyful and adventurous flower of Passiflora vitalba
23:40
EU Trade Commissioner UK Business Secretary Peter Mandelson drinks Chinese milk, then gets diagnosed with kidney stone 9 days later [Shanghaiist]
On Sept 26, in Tianjin at the World Economic Forum, EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson drank a glass of milk (click to see video) in front of the media to show his support for the Chinese dairy industry and said:
The Europeans will continue to expect the highest standards, just as Chinese consumers are demanding the same…. But in the meantime I shall continue drinking my own favorite, er, milk, er, product, er, er, which I enjoy and which does not make me nervous.His action, it was reported in the China Daily, touched Premier Wen Jiabao:
Wen said he was very moved when he saw in television European Union Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson drinking a cup of Chinese milk on Friday to show his trust in China-made products. “It's because he not only sees the present, but the future as well,” Wen said.Just nine days later, Peter Mandelson, who now has a new job as Business Secretary back in the UK, has been diagnosed with a kidney stone:
"Over the past few days, Peter Mandelson has been experiencing some kidney pain," a spokesman said."Hospital tests yesterday confirmed that there is a small stone. This will be dealt with by the normal procedures later today.
"He will be attending the National Economic Council meeting this morning as expected."
Now, just because Event A happened before Event B doesn't necessarily mean one caused the other. Global Voices Online has translated a spectrum of views from the Chinese web. Netizens, it would appear, are divided. Some like Lao Wan (老碗) have remarked:
中国奶的确没让世界人民失望Others like Song Shi Nan (宋石男), who we're told is a pretty well-known blogger, smell a conspiracy to do China in:Chinese milk didn't disappoint the world. [Translation by GVO]
在我看来，事件真相有两个可能：While debate continues to rage on the Chinese internets over just what happened, the British media at this point appear to be completely clueless about Mandelson's milk drinking episode in Tianjin — which was repeated ad nauseum throughout the Chinese media but found limited coverage back in the UK. Neither The Guardian nor The Telegraph (nor any other British paper that we checked) mentioned Mandelson's little milk drinking adventure in reporting his kidney stone diagnosis. The first paper to make a clear link between Mandelson's Tianjin trip and his current health problems as far as we know is The Australian, which noted on Oct 8: British politician Peter Mandelson ill after yoghurt in China.1、曼德尔森早就知道自己有肾结石，故意当众喝中国牛奶，是在落井下石。
2、曼德尔森不知道自己有肾结石，勇敢地当众喝中国牛奶，是好心办了坏事。
In my opinion, there are two possibilities of the truth:
1. Mandelson had known his kidney stones long ago, but simply drank Chinese milk at public to further ridicule China.
2. He had no idea with his kidney stones, and drank milk out of good intention, but just worked out something awful. [Translation by GVO]
Did Mandelson know about his kidney stone before his China trip? Or was his ailment caused by drinking melamine-tainted milk? Did he know he was going to quit as EU Trade Commissioner and that he would be getting a new job as Business Secretary? These are all interesting questions that inquiring minds will ask. After all, this guy isn't just another ordinary politician. The Guardian describes him as one of the key architects of New Labour together with Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. In 1994, Mandelson had had a very public falling out with Brown when he chose to back Blair for the Labour leadership and his invitation to rejoin the cabinet is a move that has stunned Westminster, and apparently surprised Mandelson himself.
Many British citizens, are not amused at Mandelson's reincarnation as a cabinet minister. Here are a few letters sent in to The Telegraph that give you a picture of what they're thinking:
Peter Mandelson has a coffee on Thursday, is offered a new job in government and accepts there and then.We have someone who is so good at his job he can leave when he wants, start a new job immediately and get a place in the House of Lords all in a single day.
No wonder we are in a mess.
Rob Price, Cressage, Shropshire
Dismissed, not once, but twice. Unelected, but handed a peerage and returned to the Cabinet.
Is this the type of democracy that our brave troops are dying to introduce to Iraq and Afghanistan?
John Beadle, Cobham, KentHow shrewd of Gordon Brown to remind us that he isn't the most despised politician in Britain.
Cyril Berkeley, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
23:25
Nokia Wood Cellphone from Sustainably Harvested Wood? Not [TreeHugger]
Earthfirst titles a post " Nokia Cell Phone Made of Sustainably Harvested Wood", thinks it a lovely idea and quotes Cellphone Beat, which writes in Nokia goes green with wooden body phone " This Nokia eco-friendly concept flaunts a wooden body made from sustainable timber. The design features an 8-megapixel camera, bluetooth, speaker and a Symbian S60 Operating System." ...
23:22
Mammals Aren't Loners in Extinction Threat [TreeHugger]
Bog Turtle, Glyptemys muhlenbergi
Earlier this week, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature reported that 25 percent of the world’s mammal species are at risk of extinction in our lifetimes due to habitat destruction and hunting. The IUCN is to b