Globalism – Page 42

Analysis, Big Problems, Current Events, Globalism, Health & Fitness, Historical Perspectives, Hot Issues, Latest News

Europe Proposes Seven New Chemical Substances of Very High Concern

February 27, 2011

Some chemicals are more detrimental than others.

This week Europe proposed to add seven more chemicals to the list of substances of very high concern (SVHC). The addition of a chemical to the SVHC list enables European regulators to ban the chemical from the market unless it is proven that the risks are adequately controlled, or there is not a feasible substitute and the socio-economic benefits justify the risk. The proposal contains more of the usual suspects such as phthalates, glycol ethers, and a chromate (the “Erin Brockovich chemical”), as well as some potentially difficult to replace chemicals like a widely used reducing agent and a common universal solvent…

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Kite-Powered Electric Car Crosses Australia Using Only $15 Worth of Electricity

February 26, 2011

The Kite Powered Electric Car, Wind Explorer.

The Win Explorer–a kite-assisted lightweight electric car–drove 3,107 miles across Australia in 18 days using only $15 worth of electricity. As if that wasn’t amazing enough, they journey set three world records: the first continental crossing by a wind-powered vehicle, the longest distance covered by a wind powered vehicle, and the longest distance covered by such vehicle in 36 hours!

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Current Events, Globalism, government, Historical Perspectives, Internet, Latest News

China’s Internet Censors Don’t Like the Smell of “Jasmine”

February 26, 2011

Jasmine Flower

China’s state Internet censors have ratcheted up web filters, and security officers are harassing and detaining bloggers and activists as an online appeal for a “Jasmine Revolution” spreads in China.

The apparent crackdown came in advance of two top legislative meetings, the National People’s Congress and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, scheduled for March.

Censors blocked the word “jasmine” after overseas dissident-run news website Boxun and Chinese Twitter users broadcast calls on February 19 to mobilize street protests modeled on recent unrest in the Middle East, according to international news reports…

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Clock Built to Tell Time on Other Planets

February 22, 2011

Telling the time one planet at a time.

Alexander Avtanski designed a clock that can be adjusted to keep time on many different planets based upon each one’s rotation period — at the same time. Here’s what sets this clock apart from other extraterrestrial clocks, according to its builder…

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Astronomers Warn Mankind Should Prepare For a Global Katrina-style Disaster

February 21, 2011

Earth is overdue a solar storm as the sun enters its most active period

The world is overdue a ferocious ‘space storm’ that could knock out communications satellites, ground aircraft and trigger blackouts – causing hundreds of billions of pounds of damage, scientists say.

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By 2050 Our Planet Could Be ‘Unrecognizable’

February 21, 2011

This image of Earth’s city lights was created with data from the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) Operational Linescan System (OLS).

A growing, more affluent population competing for ever scarcer resources could make for an “unrecognizable” world by 2050, researchers warned at a major US science conference Sunday.

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Advances in Producing Hydrogen by Mimicry of Photosynthesis

February 21, 2011

$hydrogen-difraction-spectru$

Light makes might?

Last time we checked in on Thomas Mallouk’s work applying biomimicry to generate hydrogen, he was reporting about 0.3 percent efficiency. According to his projections, the proof-of-concept device for producing hydrogen using the same trick applied in plants for photosynthesis could eventually reach efficiencies of 10-15%, beating nature’s average of 1 to 3 percent. Mallouk is back at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). So what’s the news on one promising option for generating large quantities of clean fuel for combustion engines or fuel cells?

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Egyptian Names His Baby ‘Facebook’ after the Revolution

February 21, 2011

Baby Facebook has been born!

An Egyptian man who wanted to show his gratitude to Facebook for its role in the January 25 protests has named his baby Facebook. Here’s the article from the Egyptian paper Al-Ahram, as translated by TechCrunch:

Man Names His Newborn Girl Facebook

A young man in his twenties wanted to express his gratitude about the victories the youth of 25th of January have achieved and chose to express it in the form of naming his firstborn girl “Facebook” Jamal Ibrahim (his name.)

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Transcendent Man, a Documentary About Futurist Ray Kurzweil

February 21, 2011

Transcendent Man is a new documentary by Barry Ptolemy about futurist Ray Kurzweil. The film is based on Kurzweil’s book“The Singularity is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology.”

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Animals, Breakthrough Thinking, Crazy Stuff, Globalism, government, Historical Perspectives, Latest News, New Discoveries, New Inventions, New Viewpoints

Humming Bird Robot Spy “Ornithopter”

February 20, 2011

Next generation war technology

Developed by the company AeroVironment Inc., the miniature spybot looks like a hummingbird complete with flapping wings… The ornithopter can fly into buildings under the control of an operator flying the spybot with the help of a feed from its tiny video camera. The prototype is capable of flying at speeds of up to 18 km/h (11 mph) and weighs 19 grams, which is about the same as an AA battery… The specifications given to the firm by the Pentagon included being able to hover in an 8 km/h wind gust and being able to fly in and out of buildings via a normal door…

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Globalism, government, Historical Perspectives, Internet, Latest News

Libya Follows Egypt’s Lead, Starts Shutting Off Internet Services

February 19, 2011

Both the BBC and the AFP are reporting that Muammar Gaddafi’s government in Libya has begun to block user access to Facebook in the country’s capital of Tripoli and is sporadically shutting down electricity access and access to Internet connections in the rest of the country as a response to anti-govermental protests…

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Coal Costs US Public Up to $500 Billion Annually: Harvard Study

February 17, 2011

A new look at coal in the US.

It’s well-known that the coal-fired power plants that provide the US with 50% of its electricity also inflict significant damage on the environment and citizens’ health. Coal plants spew particulate emissions that cause asthma and other respiratory woes — and they’re responsible for tens of thousands of deaths every year. And then there’s the environmental damage inflicted during the process of extracting, transporting, and processing the stuff. And then, there’s coal’s contribution to climate change. All told, it costs the nation up to $500 billion a year. That’s the finding of a new Harvard study that, for the first time, examines the true cost of coal throughout its entire life cycle …

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