Video Tuesday

What happens when coal is gone?

Well?

But a combination of sources, perhaps including saltwater-grown plants, could get us there in the relatively near term. “Oil will disappear and there’ll be no change at the gas pump because there’ll already be technologies in place,” predicts Laughlin. “The good news is once you build these [Fischer-Tropsch] plants, you can use anything, including garbage, for the biofuel conversion. The big problem is the initial capital cost.” We can adapt the facilities over time.

Spot on ...

He's got a good point ...

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
An Energy-Independent Future
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

h/t: Mark Shea

Who wants to live forever?

Me.

I've got to admit, the thought is somewhat intriguing. And just think ... all this awesome scientific knowledge I possess, what a shame to let it all go to waste!

iTunes - Next Ten

1. Welcome to the Working Week - Elvis Costello
2. (Don't Fear) The Reaper - Blue Oyster Cult
3. Mr. Brightside - The Killers
4. Albert Goes West - Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
5. Champion Sound - Fatboy Slim
6. Nice to Know You - Incubus
7. Fight With Tools - Flobots
8. Highway 61 Revisited - Bob Dylan
9. The Needle and the Damage Done - Neil Young
10. Walking On the Moon - The Police

Video Thursday

Going through my iTunes, I came across this gem from a bit back. My goodness, what was I thinking? Catchy beat, those crazy Europeans.

Biofuel Roadmap

Document issued by USDA. From an article at Biofuels Digest:

The USDA projected in its report that the US, in order to meet its 2022 RFS target of 36 billion gallons of renewable fuel, would produce 13.4 billion gallons formed educated energy crops, including perennial grasses, energy cane, and biomass sorghum; 500 million gallons from oilseed crops, 4.3 billion gallons from crop residues (corn stover, straw), 2.8 billion gallons from woody biomass (logging residues only) and 15 billion gallons from corn starch ethanol.

The report, entitled "A USDA Regional Roadmap to Meeting the Biofuels Goals of the Renewable Fuels Standard by 2022" can be found here (PDF, 21 pages).

Asian Carp in the Great Lakes? I have a solution ...

... just let BP into Lake Michigan. That'll kill off the carp!

Asian carp found less than six miles from Lake Michigan.

CHICAGO – An Asian carp was found for the first time beyond electric barriers meant to keep the voracious invasive species out of the Great Lakes, state and federal officials said Wednesday, prompting renewed calls for swift action to block their advance.

Commercial fishermen landed the 3-foot-long, 20-pound bighead carp in Lake Calumet on Chicago's South Side, about six miles from Lake Michigan, according to the Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee.

What a mess we've made of our world. I always say that life doesn't come with a "reset" button, but in this case I really wish we had one.

My hatred of BP ...

... grows by the minute.

BP "oil containment practices" threatening extremely endangered wildlife populations.

"They drag a boom between two shrimp boats, and whatever gets caught between the two boats, they circle it up and catch it on fire. Once the turtles are in there, they can’t get out," Ellis said.

Ellis said he had to cut short his three-week trip rescuing the turtles because BP quit allowing him access to rescue turtles before the burns.

... and ...

Ellis said most of the turtles he saw were Kemps Ridley turtles, a critically endangered species. Harming or killing one would bring stiff civil and criminal penalties and fines of up to $50,000 against BP.

$50,000? Chump change for BP at this point.

I will NEVER buy gas from a BP station ever again. EVER.

To the Algerian witchdoctor ...

... that gave his favorite team a tie in the World Cup against England. Can you leave the pigeon home for the game against the United States? Thanks.

Science as fad ...

One of the most impressive, and revolutionizing, advancments in science (IMNSHO) was the ability to sequence DNA. And not just sequence DNA, but sequence billions upon billions of base pairs in minimal time.

The problem now is ... it's gone mainstream.

The first full genome was sequenced in 2003 after 13 years of work. Today, analyzing a genome takes three months and costs about $40,000.

You know it's gone mainstream when people are chatting up sequencing Ozzy Osbourne's genome. Oh of course, it's all for the "betterment of man" because some of us may go on a decades long bender and will need to know if our genes can handle it ... right?

Smile at someone today ...

... you never know what effect it may have on them.

A smile cannot, of course, save everyone; the motivations behind suicide are too varied. But simple kindness can be surprisingly effective. Mental health professionals tell the story of a note left behind by a man who jumped off San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge. If one person smiles at me on the way to the bridge, the man wrote, I will not jump.

In the last stages ...

... of pushing out a manuscript for review. I'm feverishly trying to get this darn thing presentable, and since it's on a project I hate, it's not going well. But I'm motivated now so I'm spending much energy on it. Trying to juggle personal life as well, which is also cutting down on my time. In the meantime, enjoy some QotSA.

What?!?!

Sack-tapping, a new form of bullying. My goodness gracious. What is wrong with people?!?!

I like Mark Shea ...

... article on Copernicus.

Geekdom

Oh, almost forgot ... one other good thing came out of San Diego. This. This puppy definitely gets worn at our next customer workshop.

IAwareables

Little brown balls ...

Link between malaria and algae.

"These tiny organisms have a huge impact on humanity in very different ways," says Keeling. "The tool used by dinoflagellates and Chromera to do good -- symbiosis with corals -- at some point became an infection mechanism for apicomplexans like malaria to infect healthy cells.

Wow ...

... toddler, smoking.

Aldi smokes an average of 40 cigarettes daily.

Aldi is also two years old. RJ Reynolds would be proud.