Cyberjunk
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Love to be there but the money is being spent on something else this year...
Hope you have a great time Hound and any one else that drops in please say a hello to him!
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Key concepts: Viridian Curia, Alex Steffen,
journalism, travel book, Viridians, green
trendspotting, urban design, eco-activism
Attention Conservation Notice: May cause
Alex Steffen, a member of the Viridian Curia,
to show up on your doorstep, notebook in hand.
"The Wild Sloth Chase"
by Alex Steffen <alex_steffen@yahoo.com?>
"My fellow Viridianistas,
"When the future arrived, most people weren't paying
attention.
"Most journalists are like me: easily distracted by
loud and shiny things. Few things in our recent
history have been as bright and well-hyped as the
e-commerce bubble. Now that it's over, it's easier to
see that the real heroes weren't building online
bookstores or virtual pet food empires.
"The 'Internet Boom' was a decidedly late-Twentieth
Century affair, with salesmen anxious to replace
craptacular brick-n'-mortar businesses with cyber-analogs.
For all their talk about building the world of tomorrow,
their most inspired idea for the Net was to make it
just like TV. Meanwhile, a whole 'nother group of
people were building structures that eat TV: think
Napster, think Slashdot, think blogs.
"If TV sucks, then global climate change truly blows. So
does the whole model of how we design and build the places
we live and the systems that power them. I want to find
the people who are inventing something to eat that model
of urban living.
"You must know who they are. Viridianismos is about
replacing the drab, ruined future we've been handed
with something dynamically sustainable, enticing
and weirdly brilliant. I want to find that shiny,
new-green future. I'm not exactly sure what it looks
like, but I'm going to spend the next half-year
traveling the United States, hunting it down. And I want
your help.
"Bruce Chatwin starts his travel book, 'In Patagonia,' by
describing the piece of dark and hairy dried-out giant
sloth hide that sat in his grandmother's cabinet. Dreams
of finding a giant sloth drew him to South America. 'In
Patagonia' is not about giant sloths. But the giant sloth
pulls Chatwin along == sloth-sightings and rumors of
sloths drive the book. In searching for the giant sloth,
he finds the real Patagonia.
"Here's what I ask of you: send me your giant sloths.
'The future is here,' as William Gibson says, 'it's just
not well-distributed yet.' Tell me where in your city (or
any city you know well) the Viridian future can be
found.
"What has the stink of the new on it? What art,
what architecture, which community groups, what design
innovations fill you with hope, awe you, give you
shivers? Where's the party? I have some great leads,
enough to convince a publisher to pay me to take this
trip. But I also know that 1,800 heads are better than
one. Tracking the future is a team sport.
"This book may well become the world's first
network-supported travelogue. It's an experiment ==
and you get to play. Email me Viridian sloth sightings at
<giantsloth(at)wildgreenyonder.net>. Anyone whose
story is used in this book will get an author's copy,
handsomely personalized, directly out of my little stash.
"And, of course, you can follow my progress on this little
blog:
Link:
http://www.wildgreenyonder.net.
"The sloth is afoot!
"Thanks,
Alex Steffen"
O=c=O O=c=O O=c=O O=c=O O=c=O O=c=O O=c=O
THAT'S A BRAVE MAN! GIVE THE HOLY PILGRIM
A MEAL, A SHOWER, AND A PLACE TO SLEEP!
O=c=O O=c=O O=c=O O=c=O O=c=O O=c=O O=c=O
-
Key concepts: Antarctica melting
Attention Conservation Notice: To judge by the number of
people bringing this story to my attention, you've
already heard it. Here's more of it.
Links:
Is it news on one of these websites? Then the Pope
probably read it this morning!
http://www.google.com/news/newsheadlines.html
The ineffable thrill of watching ice melt!
http://www.nsidc.org/iceshelves/larsenb2002/
http://www.msnbc.com/news/726247.asp
http://www.sciam.com/news/032002/1.html
http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/News/Press_Releases/2002/20020319.html
Special to Viridian Note 00302: Our acerbic, doom-laden
commentary is guest-supplied by the Viridian Curia's own
Alan Wexelblat! <wex@media.mit.edu?>
"Gotta love some of these numbers...
"'A total of about 3,250 sq km of shelf area
disintegrated in a 35-day period beginning on 31 January
2002. Over the last five years, the shelf has lost a total
of 5,700 sq km, and is now about 40 percent the size of
its previous minimum stable extent.
"'The Larsen B shelf was about 220 m thick. Based on
studies of ice flow and sediment thickness beneath the ice
shelf, scientists believe that it existed for at least 400
years prior to this event, and likely existed since the
end of the last major glaciation 12,000 years ago.'
"(Yes, that's right. We've just destroyed a 12,000-
year-old natural feature. Does anyone believe mere cities
will survive?)
"'For reference, the area lost in this most recent
event dwarfs Rhode Island (2717 sq km) in size. In terms
of volume, the amount of ice released in this short time
is 720 billion tons, enough ice for about 12 trillion 10
kg bags.'
"(We're missing the standard pop-science visual image
of the size of that stack of icebags. So here's my off-
hand estimate: that stack would go from the earth to the
moon, back to the earth, and then up to the moon again.)
"(To attempt to understand a billion tons is a bit
harder. The US consumes approximately one billion tons of
oil per year. The entire world consumption of coal was
only 4.7 billion tons. During the decade of the 1980s,
humans released only about 5.5 billion tons of carbon
dioxide into the atmosphere.
"(Hmm, no, this comparison isn't doing it. How about
this: the entire water consumption by China's population,
industry, agriculture, cities, etc. for the year 2000 was
635 billion tons. So global warming just melted 1.1
China-years' worth of polar ice.
"(Whenever you search on "billion tons" as a phrase in
Google, most of the hits you get back are related to
global warming and fossil fuels. There's nothing else for
which 'a billion tons' is a normal unit of measurement.)"
O=c=O O=c=O O=c=O O=c=O
WELL, THERE IT GOES....
WHEN WILL IT STOP?
O=c=O O=c=O O=c=O O=c=O
-
Kill You
Key concepts: fossil fuels, particulate pollution,
lung disease, carcinogens, heart attacks
Attention Conservation Notice: Might command some
special attention if you've been coughing a lot
lately.
Links:
http://lwf.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa....#3month
"This past winter was the hottest in United States
recorded history. According to an analysis by the
National Climatic Data Center last month the average
temperature between November 2001 and January 2002 was an
incredible 4.3 degrees F above normal."
http://www.theonion.com/onion3626/cryptosporidium_daze.html
"Crypty the Cryptosporidium", a cheesy knockoff of our
beloved Viridian mascot.
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99992013
Universe not really green. Actually, universe is color of
cheap-ass beige PC console.
********************************************************
Source:
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/295/5562/1994a
"AIR POLLUTION: Small Particles Add Up to Big Disease Risk
by Solana Pyne
"Breathing polluted air may be nearly as bad for you as
living with a cigarette smoker. (((And just try divorcing
your local smokestack.))) A new study, the most extensive
of its type, shows that long-term exposure to tiny
particles of air pollution increases the risk of dying
from heart or lung disease or lung cancer by about the
same amount as long-term exposure to secondhand smoke.
"Although the mechanism by which the particles cause
disease is still up for debate, the latest study supports
existing U.S. air-quality standards that have been
attacked by industry and state governments. ((("Flash:
Exxon To Merge With R.J. Reynolds")))
"A number of studies have shown that more deaths from
heart and lung diseases occur on days with high
concentrations of fine particles. These particles,
byproducts of burning wood and fossil fuels, are smaller
than 2.5 micrometers across, or less than 1/40th the width
of a human hair. Landmark studies in 1993 and 1995
suggested that heart and lung diseases could be caused by
chronic exposure to fine particles, but some scientists
argued that the findings were unreliable because
researchers hadn't sufficiently accounted for the
individual risk factors and differences among communities
(Science, 4 August 2000, p. 711).
"To gain a better understanding, environmental
epidemiologists Arden Pope of Brigham Young University in
Provo, Utah, George Thurston of New York University (NYU)
School of Medicine, and Daniel Krewski of the University
of Ottawa tracked people over a longer time and controlled
more extensively for individual risk factors.
"The team compared data on particulate and gaseous air
pollution with data on the cause of death among 500,000
people followed for 16 years by the American Cancer
Society. After compensating for smoking, diet, obesity,
and other risk factors, (((somewhere there's a fat,
chainsmoking, coal-mining guy with every single one of
these risk factors, and he is going to bury us all))) as
well as possible regional differences, the researchers
found that every 10-microgram increase in fine particles
per cubic meter of air produces a 6% increase in the risk
of death by cardiopulmonary disease, and 8% for lung
cancer."
(((I don't wanna come off as a big tub-thumping health
alarmist here, but I would be remiss if I did not point
out that, statistically speaking, this phenomenon is just
bound to kill a lot of you people.
(((Some personal testimony here: my health has improved
remarkably since I began sleeping in a room with a HEPA
air filter. They are simple and cheap. And if they don't
filter the smog, pollen and fine particles from your air,
then your own pink, crispy lungs most certainly will.)))
Link:
http://www.dustless.com/thestore/hepa.html
"Reporting in the 6 March issue of the Journal of the
American Medical Association, the team found that the
risks are highest in Los Angeles, which averaged 20
micrograms of fine particles per cubic meter in 1999 and
2000. Chicago clocked in at 18 and New York City at 16.
"But small cities are not necessarily safer, Thurston
points out: Huntington, West Virginia, has higher average
fine-particle concentrations than New York because of its
proximity to coal-fired power plants. Douglas Dockery, an
environmental epidemiologist at Harvard University who
helped design one of the original studies linking long-
term particulate exposure to heart and lung disease, says
the study's key contribution is highlighting the role of
particulates in lung cancer.
"It's logical that fine particles would cause heart
and lung problems, Thurston says: 'The particles are
loaded with carcinogens, and they reside in the lungs for
a long period of time.' Researchers are still trying to
pinpoint the most lethal particles, however, and sort out
how they cause disease.
"They may lodge in the lining of the lungs, inflaming
them and contributing to infection. Fine particles can
also generate highly reactive oxygen-containing chemicals
that can trigger inflammation and allergies and might
damage the heart. And the smallest of the fine particles
can pass from the lungs into the bloodstream, where they
can travel to other sites and wreak further havoc. (((Oh
come on == there's got to be an upside to this. Maybe
they fertilize your lungs with essential coal-mining
minerals.)))
"As with cigarette smoke, many different compounds and
mechanisms are probably involved, says Morton Lippmann, an
environmental health scientist at NYU School of Medicine
and director of one of five centers set up by the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to study the health
effects of fine particles. 'We don't know why some people
get serious heart problems and others get lung disease,'
he says. 'But that's not an excuse not to regulate fine
particles.' (((Viridian people, let me level with you
here: even if the feds do further regulate particles, the
Bush EPA is just not gonna enforce those limits. Go buy a
HEPA box. and do it yourself. Now that you know about
this, let somebody else die.)))
O=c=O O=c=O O=c=O
COUGH COUGH COUGH
O=c=O O=c=O O=c=O
-
Quote (DragonLady @ Mar. 13 2002,04:15) Hmmmm guess I must be ancient then, I'm 41 last time I checked. Well fessed up Dragon Lady! I will be reachin gthe big four zero in less than a month...
Question is will I get all grown up at that point and loose interest in Cyberpunk? Will I start doing sensible mature things? Will I get a pipe and slippers? Will I go bald and banal? Will I take up model railwaying? Will I mellow out and listen to Jazz on a Sunday afternoon?... ...
BTW - come on every one update you Personal Profiles with your birth date and bung in an image of yourselves and some background details so we can all have a laugh! Sorry - all get to know you a bit better!
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Quote (Gringoleader @ Mar. 13 2002,00:02) As for Michael Moore being a conspiracy theorist I disagree entirely. Like Mark Thomas in the UK he simply points out connections that are in the public domain. I liked Michael Moores TV progs but they really were not a patch on Mark Thomas's which were superb. He was a bit to left wing for me when he was doing his early comedy stuff but he really did get under the skin of some people who deserved it on his Experience shows. I liked the one where he took a busload of pensioners to a large house that was being paid for by the state under the conditions that it opens to the public for a certain amount of time in a year but had never done so. Some ponced up toff had old grannies wandering all over his grounds - very amusing!
And Nukes. What worries me personally is that if Bush uses them then the retaliation is going to come back on Britain as we are an easier target. Also look at the Palestine/Israel situation. That is what the world could be like for the next thousand years if it all goes off in the Middle East. Its very difficult to remove racial conditioning from a people. I was brought up on the coast of the English Channel near Dover and the mistrust of the French is still there nearly two hundred years after Nepoleon was defeated and we have been allies ever since. Northern Ireland is another example. I like every rational person would love to see peace and harmony but the mistrust is inbred and difficult to overcome for a lot of people who have been affected and will never forgive.
BTW if the ice cap melts down here I might find Atlantis! The oldest conspricy theory of them all!
-
Right thats it.
My new address is Hut Number 2, Ice Avenue, Peguin Bay Antartica.
God, I hope they have broadband.
-
Under the Cyberpunk 2020 Catagory You will see a Board with a Down arrow - indicating that there are subcatagories in there. Or hity this link: VftE Online Cyberpunk Gaming
There are several games going on at the moment but I am not sure if any are looking for players - you can always PM (Personal Message) the Games Masters to see if they have any openings. Or start a game yourself - PM me.
There is one free for all called Tea at Cyberjunks which is a free form story - post away!
-
Well I have closed this topic now. Not because of all the name calling and unharmonious chatter or the fact that its way off topic but because someone left me a newspaper clipping on my desk today which had a small article about Black and White being available shortly for the Mac. Well I thought that sounds good but before I buy it I had better get some practice in.
-
Key concepts: Viridian Table of Contents,
aphorisms, new Viridian Ranking System,
your invitation to a lovely party at the
Viridian Vatican
Attention Conservation Notice: It's
organizational scutwork for the Viridian list.
Nice SXSW party though. Beer wants to be free.
******************
VIRIDIAN APHORISMS
******************
You can discover what your enemy fears most
by observing the means he uses to frighten you.
Eric Hoffer
I am unable to understand how a man of honor
could take a newspaper in his hands without a
shudder of disgust. Charles Baudelaire
To suppose, as we all suppose, that we could be
rich and not behave the way the rich behave, is
like supposing that we could drink all day
and stay sober. L. P. Smith
All books extolling the simple life are written
by men. William Feather
****************************
The Viridian Ranking System
*****************************
The previous Viridian Ranking System has been
abolished by fiat of the Pope-Emperor. Goodbye,
stars and chevrons.
Allow me to present to the list your New Viridian Curia,
the feudal lords of the Viridian Movement. Henceforth,
these people == the Viridian Nobility == will permanently
outrank you. Unless, that is, you are promoted to join
them. Or, thrillingly, unless one of them is purged.
Their exalted status is symbolized by the Bishop's Crook
<"?">
******************
THE VIRIDIAN CURIA
******************
reid@well.com? <Reid Harward>
#1 Viridian Contest Stalwart
jonl@well.com? <Jon Lebkowsky>
Viridian Ultimate Webmaster
stewart@stewarts.org? <Duncan Stewart>
Viridian Spongephone Operator
ljaurbach@erols.com? <Laurence Aurbach>
Viridian Web Designer
SeJ@aol.com? <Stefan Jones>
Imaginary Products Guru
alex_steffen@yahoo.com? <Alex Steffen>
Urban Eco-Activist
wex@media.mit.edu? <Alan Wexelblat>
The Master of "Wexelblat Disaster"
bobmorris@mediaone.net? <Bob Morris>
Viridian Contest Archivist
jon@lasser.org? <Jon Lasser>
Unix Thinker
lstinson@empathy.com? <Laura Stinson>
Empath
smendler@well.com? <Sebastian Mendler>
Obligatory Wise Man
hinne@spaceways.de? <Hinne Burmeister>
Euro-Liaison
Alan@AtKisson.com? <Alan AtKisson>
Optimistic Cassandra
jeffk@well.com? <Jeff Kramer>
Viridian Email Guru
nakashima_brown@yahoo.com? <Chris Nakashima-Brown>
Art Patron
Alexander_Schuth@gmx.net? <Alexander Schuth>
Hip Euro-Globalist Type
cooper409@aol.com? <Carol Cooper>
Mahadeva of Information
tux@powerbase-alpha.com? <Joel Westerberg>
Scandinavian Cyberslacker
O=c=O O=c=O O=c=O O=c=O
Table of Contents 1-300
O=c=O O=c=O O=c=O O=c=O
00001: Viridian Design Speech
00002: Viridian List Mechanics
00003: Viridian Design Principles
00004: Historical Awareness
00005: Viridian Aesthetics
00006: Floods 1
00007: Floods 2
00008: The Science Press on Global Warming
00009: The Science Press on Global Warming, Rewritten
00010: Comments from Viridians
00011: Viridian Mascot Contest
00012: Web Links
00013: Link Criticism
00014: Remembrance Agents
00015: Weather Violence
00016: Bio-Refineries
00017: Viridian Aphorisms
00018: The Viridian Model Family
00019: Viridian Domains of Interest
00020: Energy Reform, the Swedish "Solution"
00021: The World Is Becoming Uninsurable, Part 1
00022: The World Is Becoming Uninsurable, Part 2
00023: The World is Becoming Uninsurable, Part 3
00024: Kelly's Koan
00025: German Greens
00026: Viridian Aphorisms
00027: Viridian Graphics
00028: Viridian Gardening
00029: The Interfund
00030: The View From Ecotopia
00031: Self-destructive Jungles
00032: The Viridian Refueling Project
00033: Viridian Aesthetics: Andy Goldsworthy
00034: Researching Andy Goldsworthy
00035: Viridian Aesthetics: Landscape Transformation
00036: Offshore Wind Power
00037: Viridian Commentary
00038: Viridian Aphorisms
00039: Starck's New Catalog
00040: German Politics
00041: The Viridian Product Catalog
00042: The Viridian Alcohol Cellphone
00043: The Viridian Electrical Meter
00044: The Viridian Service Station
00045: Twentieth-century Thinking
00046: German Bankers Love German Greens
00047: Viridian Imaginary Products Exhibition
00048: Viridian Aphorisms
00049: Submerging Carbon
00050: Wired Urban Forests
00051: Viridian Commentary
00052: Human-Assisted Wildlife Migration
OOO53: The Ecosystem Game
OOO54: The Festo Stingray
OOO55: Biodiversity Maps
OOO56: Viridian Commentary
00057: Extinct Megafauna
00058: Grass Gas
00059: Viridian Aphorisms
00060: Viridian Strategy
00061: Web-site Power Banner Contest
00062: What I Did for Earth Day
00063: Real-World Projects
00064: Viridian Finances
00065: Burning Man Festival
00066: Freeplay's Wind-Up Power
00067: Eco-Disaster Tourism
00068: Household Localizers
00069: Viridian Aphorisms
00070: The Coal-Burning Net
00071: Greening the US Govt.
00072: Viridian Couture Contest
00073: Viridian Commentary
00074: Browning the US Govt.
00075: Kyoto Politics
00076: American Power Brokers
00077: IDSA Speech
00078: Greening Earth Society
00079: Virtuous Corporations
00080: Viridian Aphorisms
00081: Summer Health Warning Contest
00082: Viridian Commentary
00083: The Viridian Botanisphere
00084: Viridian Disasters
00085: Viridian Individual Projects
00086: Kingpins of Carbon
00087: The Coal-Burning Net
00088: Viridian Disasters
00089: The Green Military
00090: Design Principles for Virtual Worlds
00091: Viridian T-Shirt
00092: First Things First Manifesto
00093: The Deep Hot Biosphere
00094: Texas Energy Law
00095: Biotech Legal Liability
00096: 2000 Objects Exhibition
00097: Austin Software Speech
00098: The Net and the Weather
00099: Viridian Time and Light
00100: What Is To Be Done
00101: Design Undersides
00102: Viridian Solar Switchplate Contest
00103: Religious Objections to Carbon Dioxide
00104: Viridian Wine-Tasting
00105: Viridian Disasters
00106: Massively Distributed Climate Modelling
00107: Viridian Disasters
00108: More Distributed Climate Computing
00109: More Solar-Powered Booze
00110: Computers and Trees
00111: The Orissa Super-Cyclone
00112: The Organic Novel
00113: Pervasive Computing
00114: Viridian Disasters
00115: Internet Energy 1
00116: Internet Energy 2
00117: Internet Energy 3
00118: Viridian Commentary
00119: BP Amoco's Glasnost
00120: Viridian Disasters
00121: Les Tempetes 1999
00122: Viridian Commentary
00123: Viridian Aphorisms
00124: Viridian Movement Officially Begins
00125: Viridian FAQ
00126: The GCC Crumbles
00127: Austin's Green Choice
00128: Viridian Commentary
00129: Portable Fuel Cells
00130: Portable Chips
00131: Fuel Made From Carbon Dioxide
00132: Treated Algae Spews Pure Hydrogen
00133: Greenhouse Credibility
00134: Energy From Ocean Slime
00135: Viridian Meter Competition
00136: GreenChoice Editorial
00137: Papal Schedule 2000
00138: Viridian Disaster
00139: Mudslide Landmines
00140: The GCC Crumbles Further
00141: Other People's Contests
00142: Global Climate Coalition in Purge Frenzy
00143: Vanishing Glaciers
00144: Greening Earth Prexy Publicly Despairs
00145: Space Weather
00146: Viridian Web Log
00147: Greenhouse Disaster Symbol Contest
00148: Anti-Viridian Web Log
00149: A Visit to the Makrolab
00150: Table of Contents
00151: Viridian Aphorisms
00152: Martin Johnson Heade
00153: Micro Fuel Cells
00154: Robot Bugs
00155: PlaNetwork Speech
00156: Viridian Energy Meter
00157: Atomic Greenhouse Fires
00158: Biodiversity Part 1
00159: Biodiversity Part 2
00160: Los Alamos Flood Threat
00161: Toyota's Green Power
00162: Piezoelectric Shoes
00163: Dire FEMA Predictions
00164: Disaster Catalog
00165: Mad Cows as Fuel
00166: Chernobyl Wildlife Park
00167: Doors of Perception Conference
00168: Energy Kleptocracy
00169: Multimedia Gulch Brownouts
00170: Snowballs in Summer Webcast
00171: Engine Evolution
00172: 10-K Clock
00173: Fossil Fuel Shoes
00174: Viridian Commentary
00175: Viridian Magazine Cover Contest
00176: Viridian Aphorisms
00177: Carnivorous Robot
00178: Texas Renewable Roundup
00179: Viridian Plant Genetics
00180: Infrared House Paint
00181: Infotech and Creativity
00182: Military Green
00183: North Pole Melts
00184: Viridian Commentary
00185: Disgorging Glaciers
00186: Wildfires of 2000
00187: Solar in LA
00188: Texas Wind Power
00189: Urban Heritage and Weather Violence
00190: Austin Heatwave
00191: Euro Fuel Shock
00192: Viridian Commentary
00193: Corporate Green Feud
00194: Balanced Power Org
00195: Greening Earth on US Elections
00196: Fredericksburg Speech
00197: What's Nuon Green Mountain?
00198: Viridian Neologue Contest
00199: Meter Contest Winner
00200: Neologue Contest Entries
00201: Viridian ToC/FAQ
00202: More Neologue Contest Entries
00203: BP Helios Logo
00204: Dutch Solar Parliament
00205: Weird Vintages of 2000
00206: The Sunburnometer
00207: Extreme Weather "Normal" in Britain
00208: BP Logo Hunt
00209: Doors of Perception
00210: Wave Generator
00211: Sewerspace
00212: TIME DIGITAL's Viridian Issue
00213: WIRED Design Issue
00214: House of the Future
00215: Design Fiction
00216: Piezoelectric Eel
00217: CIA 2001
00218: California Crisis Part I
00219: California Crisis Part 2
00220: California Crisis Part 3
00221: Viridian Aphorisms
00222: Cali Crisis Weblog
00223: Serbian Energy Crisis
00224: Price Spikes
00225: Reddy Kilowatt Makeover Contest
00226: Bug News
00227: OPEC Greens
00228: Bp Logo Designer
00229: Fetzer Gloats
00230: Greening Earth Redux
00231: Earth to Exxon-Mobil
00232: Bush and C02
00233: Mutant Space Fungus
00234: Korean Involuntary Park
00235: Whole Earth Review
00236: Editor At Work
00237: Digital Decay
00238: Hex On Exxon
00239: EuroGreen Boycott
00240: News from Europe
00241: Furniture Fair 02001
00242: German Involuntary Park
00243: Community Mobility
00244: Viridian Hot Rod Contest
00245: Weather Poisons Horses
00246: ExxonMobil: Climate Villain
00247: Houston Flood of 02001
00248: The Great Flood: Art and Science
00249: Cultures Killed By Climate
00250: Bacterial Dataphage
00251: Houston Mosquitoes
00252: Viridian Whole Earth
00253: Air-Conditioned Clothing
00254: Europe Doubles Green Power
00255: ExxonMobil Global Day of Rage
00256: Political Developments
00257: Sewer Fat Crisis
00258: Kyoto Redeemed
00259: Solar Vultures
00260: Viridian Couture Series
00261: Cellphone Nailpolish
00262: Bio-Active Fabrics
00263: Vitamin Fabrics
00264: Powered Clothing
00265: Silly Clothing
00266: Viridian Commentary
00267: Texas Renewable Energy Roundup, 02001
00268: West Nile Virus
00269: Savannah Ecology Lab
00270: Hiding the Garbage
00271: Kuwaiti Clean-Up
00272: Au Revoir, Belle Epoque
00273: A Beautiful Toy and A Nice Party
00274: Pope in Atlanta
00275: Bananthrax
00276: Khaki Green Power Boots
00277: Khaki Green Wind-Up Radios
00278: Kyoto Soldiers On
00279: Cheery Good News
00280: Weird Sequestration Schemes
00281: Enron Disappears
00282: Maghreb Floods
00283: Geeks and Spooks
00284: Enron Logo Contest
00285: Enron Wind
00286: 2001 AD: Grim, Yet Toasty
00287: Rocky Flats Wildlife Refuge
00288: Coffee Toys
00289: The World Is Becoming Uninsurable, Revisited
00290: Sun Erupts
00291: Enron Stock
00292: Core 77 Parody
00293: Cosmic Spectrum Green
00294: Brutal Afghan Winter
00295: Jarking
00296: Planetary Rotation
00297: The Persistence Problem
00298: DNA Motor
00299: Viridian Enemies Die
00300: Viridian Table of Contents
O=c=O O=c=O O=c=O O=c=O O=c=O O=c=O
SXSW INTERACTIVE! WWW.SXSW.COM
VIRIDIAN VATICAN OPEN HOUSE PARTY!
TUESDAY EVENING MARCH 12, 02002
SEND EMAIL FOR DETAILS!
O=c=O O=c=O O=c=O O=c=O O=c=O O=c=O
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So where does this leave the Open Source community?
"The basic idea behind open source is very simple: When programmers can read, redistribute, and modify the source code for a piece of software, the software evolves. People improve it, people adapt it, people fix bugs. And this can happen at a speed that, if one is used to the slow pace of conventional software development, seems astonishing."
Land of the free?
-
Key Concepts: Global Climate Coalition, Greening
Earth Society, spin-doctors, anti-Kyoto lobbyists,
Viridian class enemies, organizational death
Attention Conservation Notice: About the demise
of evil organizations that Viridians can't stand.
Links:
This cheery rant I wrote for the local counterculture
rag says nice things about weblogs and webloggers,
so it is getting blogged all over the place.
http://www.austinchronicle.com/issues....e2.html
Bob Morris, the noble soul running our Viridian contest
site, has himself started a blog.
Remember what I was saying earlier about DNA-based
computers? Well, this guy makes them. Yet
another Viridian example of "predicting the present."
http://www.cs.caltech.edu/%7Ewinfree/
Just a few of the many awful things we have said in the
past about the unspeakable Global Climate Coalition.
The original 1998 Viridian speech in which we singled them
out as our primary class enemies:
http://www.viridiandesign.org/viridiandesign.htm
Viridian Note 00126: The GCC Crumbles
Viridian Note 00140: The GCC Crumbles Further
Viridian Note 00142: Global Climate Coalition in Purge Frenzy
Viridian Note 00148: Anti-Viridian Web Log
Viridian Note 00193: Corporate Green Feud
etc etc
The GCC's newly-abandoned website.
Source: Global Climate Coalition
"The Global Climate Coalition has been deactivated.
The industry voice on climate change has served its
purpose by contributing to a new national approach to
global warming.
"The Bush administration will soon announce a climate
policy that is expected to rely on the development of new
technologies to reduce greenhouse emissions, a concept
strongly supported by the GCC.
"The coalition also opposed Senate ratification of
the Kyoto Protocol that would assign such stringent
targets for lowering greenhouse gas emissions that
economic growth in the U. S. would be severely hampered
and energy prices for consumers would skyrocket. The GCC
also opposed the treaty because it does not require the
largest developing countries to make cuts in their
emissions.
"At this point, both Congress and the Administration
agree that the U.S. should not accept the mandatory cuts
in emissions required by the protocol."
(((So, they're finally declaring victory and shutting down
the ol' front group. The game plan is clear: assume
Kyoto's death, notch up some Alaskan exploration rights
and a better return-on-investment in the Bush energy plan,
then duck for cover while the Enron scandal lasts.
(((The Global Climate Coalition was never "global" or
about "climate" == it was a domestic inside-the-Beltway
lobby group whose goal was to logjam US Senate
confirmation of the Kyoto treaty. With that much
accomplished, it is time for them to split, or in their
own terms, "deactivate." There's always work elsewhere for
the spinmeisters.)))
Source: PR Watch
http://www.prwatch.org/cgi/spin.cgi
"Wednesday, February 27, 2002
"Former GCC Head Hired To Do Energy PR
"Glenn Kelly, former executive director of the now-defunct
Global Climate Coalition, has been hired by Qorvis
Communications as managing director of the firm's energy,
natural resources and environmental PA practice. GCC had
been the most outspoken and confrontational industry
group in the United States battling reductions in
greenhouse gas emissions and the Kyoto Protocol. 'The
group said in a statement that it has served its purpose
and supports the Bush Administration's voluntary measures
to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,' O'Dwyer's
writes. Source: O'Dwyer's PR Daily, February 27, 2002."
(((We Viridians have predicted the formal demise of the
GCC for some time. That it should happen so quietly and
with so little fanfare, after so much harm done to the
prospects of humanity, is a source of wonder. Much to my
further wonderment, however, the much smaller and even
crazier Greening Earth Society, an outfit we especially
abhorred, is also cratering.)))
Source:
http://www.greeningearthsociety.org
"OUR SITE HAS A NEW NAME AND NEW CONTENT
"Welcome to CO2andClimate.org, Greening Earth Society's
newly expanded resource center for information concerning
the impact of rising atmospheric CO2 levels on earth's
climate and the biosphere.
"What's the Same? We're still the best place on the Web
to find news, research and articles that express
scientific skepticism over the potential for catastrophic
changes in climate due to CO2 emissions.
"What's New? Our newly expanded content explores how
exciting developments in the science of carbon
sequestration can benefit agriculture, the environment and
mankind."
(((What's *not* the same at the newly-renamed GES is this
surprising new emphasis on "catastrophic change."
Greening Earth, which is bankrolled by coal companies,
always denied there would be *any* climate change == and
that if there were, it would surely be a blessing: bumper
crops, delightful winter weather and all that.
(((Their emphasis on sequestration is entirely new, and
very Bush II. So is the sudden departure of chief
Greening Earth zealot and propagandist, Chris Paynter.)))
Source: email
"Subject: Moving On
Date: Thursday, February 28, 2002 4:10 PM
From: Chris Paynter <cpaynter@co2andclimate.org>
To: CO2 and Climate Alert
<cpaynter@greeningearthsociety.org>
"I just wanted to let everyone know that subscribes to
the Greening Earth Society (CO2 and Climate Alerts) that
today is my last day with Greening Earth Society.
"I have thoroughly enjoyed my past 4 years at GES and
want to wish all of you the best of luck in the future.
If anyone needs to contact me in the future I can be
reached by email at cpaynter@yahoo.com.
"Ned Leonard will be your new contact for all
inquiries related to GES starting March 01, 2002. Ned can
be reached at the contact information listed below.
Greening Earth Society
1575 I Street, NW Suite 300
Washington, DC 20005
Ph: 202-898-1876 or 800-529-4503
Fx: 202-289-8450"
(((Chris doesn't say why he left (or was kicked overboard)
but I swear I'll miss the guy. Chris Paynter was the
infallible lodestone of Greenhouse incorrectness, like a
needle that always pointed south. Why a guy of his
fanatical devotion to mischief should have to suffer such
an indignity after four years of selfless labor, that I'll
never know. I can only assume he's headed some place more
lucrative. If you can find out where Chris is lurking
henceforth, by all means let the rest of us know. One
thing is certain: it can't be good.
(((I can speculate on the meaning of these events. The
keys are (a) the Enron scandal and (
the Cheney Energy policy and its so-very-secret authors. When Bush II
tried to abolish Kyoto (one of their first actions in
office) the GCC cabal was living high on the Washington
hog. They are now massive political liabilities. However,
they achieved at least one major and lasting victory. So
the word has gone out to take the profits and lie low.)))
(((What does this mean to Viridians? Well, we always
defined ourselves as an org in stern opposition to these
two groups. So it is now incumbent on us to reform *our
own* activities. The 300th Viridian Note will shortly be
upon us. After that major milestone, prepare yourself for
some novel Viridian organizational developments.)))
(((In the meantime, we will have to pick out some new
object of unifying hatred from these many surviving
Greenhouse pressure groups. Or else, we can discover the
newest versions of the GCC and GES, in whatever evil
guises their founders choose to reassert themselves.)))
Links: Greenhouse denial groups on the web:
Cooler Heads Coalition
Green-Watch
George C. Marshall Institute
http://www.marshall.org/globalwarming.htm
Heartland Institute
Center for Energy and Economic Development
Environmental Perspectives, Inc.
Fossil Fuels Org
Center for the Study of Carbon Dioxide and Global Change
O=c=O O=c=O O=c=O O=c=O O=c=O O=c=O
PICK YOUR FAVORITE CANDIDATE FOR
UNRESTRAINED LOATHING!
O=c=O O=c=O O=c=O O=c=O O=c=O O=c=O
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Racked the old grey matter, some strange bits fell out, but couldnt remember the image your talking about. I have done a quick image search on Google and AltaVista but trying to guess what the image was called or what its file name might be a long task. However thats what I suggest. Can you remember where you saw it or any other clues?
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Quote (spudfairy @ Mar. 03 2002,10:21) why? can i ask? all this bickering and squabbling. we were never like this? Didn't realise that there was any bickering. Apologies if anyone thought my dig at Dillweed wasn't done in pure jest
Quality of posts is extremely important and fortunately this board does not really suffer from the tedious 'me too' posts which really are detritus and do not contribute.
I think its far more important how long someone has been a member of a board and the quality of thier contribution.
I do mention the number of posts and members when they go through significant barriers to try and pep everyone up a bit and say - look our communities still growing hurrah! But that's me just being the Daddy.
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Quote (spudfairy @ Mar. 03 2002,10:21) with all respect to you mr cyberjunk.... why have you turned into such an egg custard? oh pants.
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Dillweed you must come round and count all the stones over 5mm in the pebble dashing on my house. Its an exciting projuct and you are just the person for it. I have a pad, pencil and eraser waiting for you here as well as a variety of interestingly coloured biros for your pocket.
You would expect a small number to make up a largish portion of the posts - I am sure some maths could explain it .
We haven't heard from Annie in a while.
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We just hit the 400+ members point! It could be that some never come back but judging by the number of posts we now have on the forum 12k+ I would say that things are going rather well!
More tea vicar?
-
Key Concepts: nanotechnology, transorganic principle,
mechanical DNA devices
Attention Conservation Notice: Way out-there
and also way too small to see.
Links:
Contemporary art on the theme of genetics. Includes
Eduardo Kac of green bunny fame, and Viridian darlings
Bureau of Inverse Technology.
http://henryart.org/gene-sis/home.html
Ars Electronica offering handsome sums in prizes for
interactive art. Entry deadline March 31, 02002.
Viridian and British? Buy the pathetic wreckage of
Enron's London office at an online auction!
http://europe.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/europe/02/27/enron.sale/i
ndex.html
Humiliated Houston baseball team flees Enron's very name.
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/bayarea/sports/2757305.htm
Sources: NATURE magazine
"A Robust DNA Mechanical Device Controlled by
Hybridization Topology," Nature, January 3, 2002.
Technology Research News, January 16, 2002
article by Kimberly Patch
http://www.trnmag.com/Stories....02.html
"Morphing DNA makes motor
By Kimberly Patch
"(...) Researchers at New York University have taken a
significant step forward (...)
"The researchers demonstrated the mechanism by making a
four-step rotary motor out of DNA. (((What fresh hell is
this?)))
"The motor is a four-stranded DNA molecule that,
prompted by separate strands of DNA, will go through a
mechanical cycle over and over again. Because the process
is a reversible cycle, there are no waste products.
(((It's DNA. It's a motor. It doesn't pollute. Oh my
goodness.)))
"The four-stranded DNA molecule is essentially a pair
of double helixes of DNA connected at several points along
their lengths. When the researchers add molecules of
control DNA to a solution full of the motor molecules, the
short, single-stranded control molecules join with the
larger molecules and rearrange them by connecting two of
the double strands in one place and cutting them in
another.
"The researchers then remove the control strands using
fuel strands of DNA, which are also short single-stranded
lengths of DNA. This leaves the motor molecule in a
different physical shape than when it started == the end
of one double strand of the DNA is rotated 180 degrees
relative to the strands next to it. (((So you've got to
dunk the whole mechanical DNA mess into its "fuel" == but
then it neatly warps and unwarps.)))
"The process can be reversed by adding a different type
of control strand to the solution, and that control strand
can also be removed by a different type of fuel strand
after it changes the molecule back. 'The system can be
cycled numerous times... and there are no breakdown
products,' said Nadrian Seeman, a chemistry professor at
New York University.
"The process can be adapted to many different sequences
of DNA, said Seeman. 'Many different species of this
device can be made by changing the sequences in the region
where the... strands bind,' he said. (((For instance,
consider the human DNA that gave you opposable, twiddling
thumbs. I reckon we could goose that stuff up to eight,
nine hundred RPM.)))
"This means a wide range of similar rotary devices can
be created by changing the fuel strands and the places
where they bind, he said. Ten different molecules can
result in 1,024 different structures, for instance.
"The researchers are currently working on a method to
insert the DNA devices into molecular lattices, said
Seeman. (((DNA engine blocks.))) This would enable still
more structures. An array of four by four molecules, for
instance, could produce 65,536 different shapes. 'This may
enable us to build nanofabrication facilities to produce
new molecular species,' he said. (((How about making
classical Turing machines out of 'em? We can compute by
sliding long tapes made of gattaca!)))
"The range of motion the molecular motors can produce
ranges from .04 to 4 nanometers, but the researchers have
produced motions as large as 35 nanometers using arrays,
according to Seeman. A nanometer is one millionth of a
millimeter. On this scale, an E. coli bacterium is a
relative giant, with a girth of 1 micron, or 1,000
nanometers. A line of ten carbon atoms measures about one
nanometer. (((Vroom!)))
"The research is 'great stuff,' said Erik Winfree, an
assistant professor of computer science and computation
and neural systems at the California Institute of
Technology. The method is a step forward in terms of DNA
mechanics, he said. 'It expands our toolbox for designing
molecular machines.' (((A veritable galaxy of mischief
here. Paging Al Qaeda.)))
"The research is ultimately aimed at making
nanorobotics practical, according to Seeman. 'It could be
used to configure a molecular pegboard or control
molecular assemblers. The ability to achieve many
different shapes means that you can create many different
patterns; different patterns in a timed sequence are the
essence of a machine or robot,' he said. (((Nanofreaks
always want to make those goofy little Foresight Institute
nanorobots. If you've got nonpolluting DNA that twists on
command when you wash it, why not just use *that* as your
design material? It's a room temperature, wriggling,
molecular pegboard. Make clothes out of it. Make shoes.
Make laundry soap. Forget the imaginary robots. Come
on.)))
"Molecular machines could be used to assemble drugs
molecule-by-molecule, and molecular robots may eventually
work inside the human body. (((Yeah, sure. "Body by
Chrysler." Who do you sue when those things crash and
break down?)))
"It will be about a decade before the method can be
used to make practical devices, said Seeman.
"Seeman's research colleagues were Hao Yan, Xiaoping
Zhang and Zhiyong Shen. They published the research in the
January 3, 2002 issue of Nature. The research was funded
by the National Science Foundation (NSF), Office of Naval
Research (ONR), the National Institutes of Health (NIH)
and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
(DARPA)."
O=c=O O=c=O O=c=O
READY EVERYBODY?
LET'S DO THE TWIST
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Yet another excellent page for the site!
Great stuff!
-
Key Concepts: Greenhouse effect, trend persistence,
climate change, next two hundred years
Attention Conservation Notice: May cause feelings
of fatalistic dread.
Links:
I'm attending this science fiction convention in Dallas
this weekend. I'm rather rarely seen at SF conventions
these days. Even more rarely am I ever seen in Dallas.
Luckless capital of Bolivia awash in giant rainstorm.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-1534626,00.html
New Internet Art show in NYC at the Guggenheim.
http://www.guggenheim.org/internetart
(((The subject of this Note: the grim idea that the
Greenhouse has been brewing for decade on end, and will
come down upon us like the slow grinding of continents,
no matter what steps we may take == this idea got a
certain amount of elliptical discussion at the Greenhouse
panel at the Davos Forum. Here were the issue's Great
and the Good, from the IPCC and the Pew Foundation, and
they got this kind of *look* on their faces as they
diplomatically described this prospect... This kind of
resigned, cross-we-bear expression.... "I wonder who will
break this difficult concept to the benighted masses...
maybe they're so dumb that they'll *never* catch on.")))
Source: Georgia Institute of Technology press release
Public release date: 17-Feb-2002
Contact: Jane M. Sanders
404-894-2214
Georgia Institute of Technology
"Global warming will persist at least a century even if
emissions curbed now
"Though significant uncertainty remains regarding the
amount of global warming that will occur over the next
century or two, scientists agree that the trend will
continue for the next hundred years even if fossil fuel
consumption is dramatically reduced. (((Let's put it this
way: the human race is screwed. Better yet: even if the
Space Brothers arrive in UFOs and carry off every last one
of us, the planet is *still* screwed.)))
"Scientists predict significant increases in global
temperature and sea level this century. And related
changes in weather patterns are expected to affect
agricultural production. Global warming is likely to have
the greatest human impact in poor countries unable to
adequately respond to the changes. (((Or, in English:
"lots of poor people will starve.")))
"Professor Robert Dickinson of the Georgia Institute
of Technology's School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
will present the evidence behind this assessment at the
annual meeting of the American Association for the
Advancement of Science (AAAS) on Feb. 17 in Boston.
Dickinson's presentation, titled 'Predicting Climate
Change," is part of the symposium "Climate Change:
Integrating Science, Economics and Policy.' (((Presumably
Dickinson indeed delivered this presentation at the AAAS;
I wasn't there. I wonder what it would take to get a
whole room full of scientists to run screaming into the
streets of Boston.)))
"'Current climate models can indicate the general
nature of climate change for the next 100 to 200 years,'
Dickinson says. 'But the effects of carbon dioxide (CO2)
that have been released into the atmosphere from the
burning of fossil fuels last for at least 100 years. That
means that any reductions in CO2 that are expected to be
possible over this period will not result in a cleaner
atmosphere and less global warming than we see today for
at least a century.' (((Oh well. We'll just hold our
breath till the unpleasantness is over.)))
"Climate models indicate temperature increases of 3 to
more than 10 degrees Fahrenheit this century and a sea
level rise of 6 inches to nearly 3 feet. (...)
"'Given enough time, there may be as many winners as
losers. However, many of the losers will be very unhappy,
such as people who live on islands that will be put under
water,' Dickinson says. (((I do like the idea that at
least some people will be overjoyed at global warming; I
sure hope they are hospitable.))) 'It will take a lot of
time for humans to adjust their systems to these changes.
The biggest problem is the speed at which global warming
is occurring.
"'If it were happening over 1,000 years, rather than
100 years, it would hardly be noticed. But we're talking
about fairly large changes within the next generation.
We're talking about people with houses on the beach having
to move. The U.S. is fairly resilient, and people can
move. But in Bangladesh and other low-elevation areas with
few resources, there will be severe difficulties.'
(...) "The global temperature has increased more
rapidly in the past 10 years, but the changes are more
dramatic in high latitudes perhaps because of natural
variability, Dickinson explains.
(...) "Much research is yet to be done regarding
climate change, but Dickinson believes policymakers can
already glean some guidance from the evidence he will cite
in his presentation at AAAS. That evidence will come from
research at the National Center for Atmospheric Research,
where Dickinson worked for 21 years, as well as his
current research and the 2001 report of the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
"For example, enough data exists to develop mitigation
and adaptation plans regarding greenhouse gases, Dickinson
says. Mitigation involves strategies for reducing
greenhouse gases or changing other factors to compensate
for them (a fairly new concept). Reductions can involve
both consuming lesser amounts of fossil fuels and also
finding ways to capture the gases and put them in places
other than the atmosphere. The latter approach is called
sequestration and is part of a U.S. Department of Energy
research initiative.
"'The only way to stop the increase of carbon dioxide
in the atmosphere is to reduce CO2 emissions to 20 to 30
percent of today's levels,' Dickinson says. 'This may
require a similar reduction in the consumption of fossil
fuels. I believe we will eventually achieve that goal, but
it will probably take 100 years. (...)
"'We have to move our energy systems to forms other
than fossil fuels. And when I say we, I don't just mean
the United States. The U.S. is the biggest user of fossil
fuels, but China and India are likely to surpass the U.S.
in the next 50 years, and China may surpass the U.S. in
the next decade."
For technical information, contact:
Robert Dickinson, 404-385-1509, or
E-mail: robert.dickinson@eas.gatech.edu
(((This puts "sequestration" into a rather new light.
The problem is not about *your* world-shattering behavior
== it's about getting rid of evil gases that your
*grandfather* put up there.
(((What if people give up using fossil fuels, then also
begin violently and rapidly sucking greenhouse gases out
of the atmosphere? Suppose that, driven by increasing
havoc, they engage in massive sequestration programs
around, say 2050. They yank the levels of pollutants back
to the pre-industrial atmosphere of 1750, within a decade.
What would that activity do to the climate? I wonder if
anyone has ever modelled that.)))
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HOW COME GREAT-GRANDPA
COMPLAINS SO MUCH
EVERY SUMMER?
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Key Concepts: Greenhouse effect, slowing of
planetary rotation, lengthening of Earth's day
Attention Conservation Notice: Where, oh where, does the
time go?
(((An eager reader asks: "Have the events of the last few
months sent the Viridian forces into a fetal curl from the
horror, the horror of it all?" No. During the hiatus
since Viridian Note 00295, I've visited both the Pentagon
and the World Trade Center. If that doesn't do it for you
fetal-wise, nothing will, and that didn't do it for me. I
wrote a long article on the military for WIRED, and I also
attended the Davos World Economic Forum, cops,
zillionaires, protesters, and all. I've been a busy guy.
Viridian readers who wonder if the Pope is in catatonic
shock should check out this site:)))
Link: Bruce Sterling's SCHISM MATRIX weblog
(((If SCHISM MATRIX is still shipping its daily
commentary, then very likely I'm still alive and
kicking.)))
Links:
Never mind that hokey cloned cat at Texas A&M.
This is a cyborg cat made with K'Nex toys.
http://www.geocities.com/speedykitten/
Butane tank fossil fuel art. Needs a Greenhouse theme.
Perhaps some Spanish-speaking Viridian can help.
http://www.vudumedia.com/butano/ganadores.htm
Sign up for eco-tourist jaunts to Chernobyl.
http://www.travel-tour.com.ua/eng_tours_2.html
Solar-powered Roses.
http://www.oaklandtribune.com/Stories/0,1002,1865%257E3782
84,00.html
The Austin Museum of Digital Art (AMODA) is seeking
volunteers "in a variety of roles."
"The Future of Design
"Core77's Design Competition: Over 700 designers from more
than 60 countries are now registered to compete, with
India and South America particularly well represented."
http://www.core77.com/competition2002/default.asp
Source:
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2002-02/agu-gwl021102.php
Public release date: 11-Feb-2002
Contact: Harvey Leifert
202-777-7507
American Geophysical Union
"Global warming lengthens day
"WASHINGTON == Global warming caused by increasing manmade
carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will lengthen the day,
according to a study to be published this month by the
journal, Geophysical Research Letters.
"Researchers at Belgiums Royal Observatory and the
Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium, lead by Olivier
de Viron, used computer models to analyze the effect of
adding one percent more carbon dioxide to the atmosphere
each year, in order to reach a doubling of the carbon
dioxide concentration after 70 years.
"Scientists can currently measure the length of the day
to an accuracy of about 10 microseconds (1/100,000 of a
second). It fluctuates slightly, based primarily on
changes in atmospheric winds and ocean currents, which
affect Earth's angular momentum as it spins on its axis.
Angular momentum measures the rotation of a non-rigid
body, such as a planet, including its ability to continue
to spin. As angular momentum is conserved, the solid
Earth's rate of rotation is affected by the movement of
its nonrigid components, the ocean and atmosphere.
"The Belgian scientists estimated the effect of the
ocean and atmosphere, caused by increasing the amount of
atmospheric carbon dioxide by one percent per year and its
effect on global warming, on Earth's angular momentum.
This rate of increase, they note, is a common scenario,
based on current human activity. They used 14 different
computer models, obtained from the Coupled Model
Intercomparison Project, which showed reasonable
agreement, they say.
"They find that the length of day would increase as a
result of angular momentum changes associated with global
warming, including variations in surface pressure over
land masses, average surface pressure over the ocean, and
zonal winds and currents, that is, those moving in an
east-west or west-east direction. The amount of
lengthening would be small, on the order of microseconds
(millionths of a second) per year, and would be difficult
to distinguish in any given year from naturally occurring
variations.
"On a scale of decades or longer periods, though, the
effect of global warming on the length of the day would be
measurable, the researchers say. They anticipate an
increase of around 11 microseconds (11/1,000,000 of a
second) per decade in the 21st century, resulting in a
total lengthening of the day by 0.11 (11/100,000 of a
second) for the century as a whole."
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ELEVEN ONE-HUNDRED-THOUSANDTHS OF A SECOND
WOW, THAT'S LONG ENOUGH TO SEND EMAIL
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I didn't so much as ban it as adjusted its score. Not 12 hours after it had been registered it had got 512 hits. I suppose that this is possible but I checked the site and there was not one banner for the Top 100 so all the hits must have come through the Top 100 site and that snever happened to a new site before... ever... and so its on probation.
The site had applied before but I really could not find anything on it to do with cyberpunk culture - I really don;t know why i let it in this time - must have been tired!
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I must admit that i have not updated cyberpunk.co.uk for an age. I do have plans (and yes I have had them for years!) to make things a lot easier to update the pages on cyberpunk.co.uk so that I can concentrate on content. The major aspect of this is the ability for staff to add content on thier own (without me giving away the keys to the castle!) and I now have a system that comes up to my standards - I have been looking at a lot over the past two years.
If you want a sneak peek - i.e. just to prove that I am doing something have a look here: www.cyberpunk.co.uk/dev/
Its still development and the CSS needs a lot more work but you'll get the idea.
In my defence the forums going ok...
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That would make a nice little scenario - remove the threat of a suicide bomb attack. Would get the munchkin players worried as well as without decent intel they wouldnt know who was a threat - that scruffy youth, that granny with the stick, the local teams mascot dresed up as a big yellow chicken.
Are they making explosive vests in the cellar below the local childrens playgroup?
Cyberpunk Top 100
in The Matrix - Cyberpunk web sites and services
Posted
You may have noticed that the Cyberpunk Top 100 is not working at the moment. I have ticketed a tech support call and hope to have it running again asap. I have no idea why it is not listing any of the sites, which are all still in the database.