Cyclone in Bangladesh

November 19th, 2007

The cyclone Sidr narrowly missed hitting India directly and instead hit Bangladesh causing widespread devastation. I encourage you all to donate to help alleviate the suffering of one of the poorest countries of the world. Coastal Bangladesh is bearing the brunt of environmental disasters - rising sea levels will make it worse. I support Direct Relief International since 100% of the contribution goes into disaster relief especially medical aid. Why should you donate? Sheril explains lucidly:

Rising from the deep: Hydrogen economy

November 9th, 2007

All the major petro-companies are pushing for the hydrogen economy as a replacement for fossil fuels….some argue that this would allow them to keep their existing monopoly on transportation fuel.

My gut feeling is this an over-simplification. I came across the concept of ‘deep hydrogen reserves’ sometime ago. Apparently the Kola Superdeep Borehole, the deepest hole drilled by man at 12+ kms (~7.5miles) has been found to be bubbling with hydrogen. So do you think, the petroleum companies will simply shift from petroleum drilling to hydrogen drilling? Or maybe even methane drilling? I would be interested in your thoughts / opinions.

Bill Clinton talks about conflicts, climate change and more…

November 5th, 2007

Check out this very engaging talk (embedded below) by former President Bill Clinton. He was a keynote speaker at the 2007 U.S. Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Summit hosted by Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels. Worldchanging.org has good overview of his speech here.

UPDATE: Removed embedded video due to broken link.

The Truth About Global Warming

November 5th, 2007

Sir David Attenborough explains in this video how scientists can be so sure that humans contribute to Global Warming.

Windbelt, Cheap Generator Alternative, Set to Power Third World

November 5th, 2007

The article here and its accompanying video describe this invention as, “…a taut membrane fitted with a pair of magnets that oscillate between metal coils. Prototypes have generated 40 milliwatts in 10-mph slivers of wind, making his device 10 to 30 times as efficient as the best microturbines…”

Major Source of Atmospheric Methane Identified Near Arctic Lakes

November 5th, 2007

It seems that global warming maybe hitting the positive feedback loop. Are the skeptics listening??
The article here points out that, “…a source of methane - which likely originated during the last ice age - has surfaced in the Arctic, a likely result of global warming’s thawing effect on the permafrost.” The methane bubbles from thermokarst lakes in the Artic.

The Boy With The Incredible Brain

November 5th, 2007

This is the breathtaking story of Daniel Tammet. A twenty-something with extraordinary mental abilities, Daniel is one of the world’s few … all » savants. He can do calculations to 100 decimal places in his head, and learn a language in a week. This documentary follows Daniel as he travels to America to meet the scientists who are convinced he may hold the key to unlocking similar abilities in everyone. He also meets the world’s most famous savant, the man who inspired Dustin Hoffman’s character in the Oscar winning film ‘Rain Man’. (2005)