Seismic Web Traffic
The folks at the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre have a paper in the June 17 EOS (sorry, couldn’t find it on line) about their use of web traffic spikes to quickly locate and learn about earthquakes. Swarms of web users quickly turn to the web after a quake, they write, and the location information gleaned from [...]
Organic Acreage
The Economist questions organic farming: But as global food prices soar, hurting the poor in particular, environmentalists may find organic farming trickier to promote. Organic farming produces far less than conventional intensive methods, and so more land must be farmed for the same yield.
Water By Boat
This hardly seems sustainable (“tankers” in this case contain water): Every day for the next six months two tankers will leave the port of Elefsina near Athens, bound for Cyprus. After four years with no substantial winter rainfall, Cypriot water reserves are at their lowest since 1908. h/t Adam in the comments
Diesel Decline Continues
The decline in the price of diesel has continued for the fifth consecutive week, according to EIA.
Quote of the Day
“Reality is a sandwich I did not order.” – Zippy and Zerbina
Baseball and Politics
Nate Silver, a statistcis guy better known for his baseball work, has turned his skills to the world of politics. (h/t Dan McKay, who is also the one who turned me on to Silver’s baseball stuff)
Respect The Man’s Shrubbery
New Mexico politics quote of the week: I can honestly say I think I would recall being cited for urinating in a bush. And I don’t think I would urinate in a bush at a police station. Jerome Block, in today’s Journal
Taters of the Lost Ark
So you’re in a product marketing meeting for a major toy company that’s developing an Indiana Jones Special Edition Mr. Potato Head. And you are pure inspiration: “Why not call it `Taters of the Lost Ark’?” A product cycle later, you walk into your local K-Mart, and there it is. How cool would that be, [...]
The Renewable Tax Credit Mess
Everyone seems to agree that renewing the current federal renewable energy tax credits is a good idea. So why isn’t it happening? My colleague Mike Coleman in this morning’s Journal: Virtually every member of Congress claims to support extending tax credits to the fledgling wind and solar industries. But despite a half-dozen chances and a [...]
It’s All About the Infrastructure Now
Matt Wald has a story in this morning’s New York Times that illustrates what increasingly seems like the core issue associated with the energy transformation now underway. Wald writes about a rapid rise in demand for Amtrak train tickets, which is turning out to be more cost-effective ways to get around. Market forces may have [...]
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