TameBear: The Future

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 15:18:24 GMT

Building Green Schools:This is SO inspiring -- the students of the Sidwell Friends K-12 Middleschool in Washington D.C. talk about their LEEDS Platinum-level green building, and how it is helping contribute to a healthier environment where they live and learn: Are YOU inspired yet? Head on over to the U.S. Green Building Council's Build Green Schools web site to find out how you can make these kinds of schools a reality in your district and nationwide. [Rocky Mountain Instititute]

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 14:24:06 GMT

We Can Solve It: The Challenge of Fossil-Free Electricity Within Ten Years: There will be a lot of pressure in the near future to open up protected areas for oil drilling. Oil companies and oil company lobbyists benefit the most from America's addiction to oil, but in the long run, what's truly best for America? My vote is for switching to 100% clean, renewable electricity within 10 years. If you've been watching the Olympics this week, maybe you've already seen a new TV message from "The WE Campaign", illustrating this positive switch from fossil fuels to environmentally friendly renewables. Here it is again: Within ten years many more of us will be generating our own electricity in our backyards, using it to power our electric cars, and burning much much less oil, coal, and natural gas than we do now. Within ten years, these changes will have a dramatic positive impact on the health of our planet. I believe this ambitious goal -- to have fossil-free electricity within ten years -- is doable, and we can all participate in making it happen, starting today. [wecansolveit.org]

Sat, 23 Feb 2008 23:29:53 GMT

Air Car Coming to U.S. by 2010: How would you like to be getting 868 miles on a single fill-up? A startup funded by Indian car company Tata Motors plans on bringing a car powered by compressed air to the U.S. automobile market sometime in 2009 or 2010. They company, named Zero Pollution Motors, has developed a car that runs entirely on compressed air for around-town driving, and uses minimal amounts of gasoline at highway speeds. [CNET News.com]

Sat, 23 Feb 2008 21:50:49 GMT

Smart Car Sales Driven by Novelty Not Gas Milage: The two-seater Smart Car gets surprisingly poor gas milage, and initial sales appear to be based foremost on the novelty of owning such a cute little car. Looks like people are buying it for a 2nd (or 3rd? or 4th?) car for short hops around town or to pull behind their RV. Considering it's size, the Bear asks why oh why does it not get significantly better milage than other "normal" subcompacts? Reading the comments at end of the article confirms others are wondering exactly the same thing. [Wired]

Wed, 07 Nov 2007 15:06:40 GMT

Kepler: The Search for Microbial Life in the Universe: "If we find a single microbe on just one extraterrestrial rock out in space, then we will know... that life is everywhere." This compelling 7-minute video suggests our search for life elsewhere in the universe should focus on microbes instead of on civilizations. Modern technological civilization on our own planet is a brief moment in time, a mere millenium. Meanwhile life has existed here on Earth for most of the planet's existance (3 out of the 4 billion years since our planet first formed). [European Space Agency/NASA via The Speculist]

Sat, 22 Sep 2007 00:42:38 GMT

Arctic Sea Ice Shrinks to Record Low: Scientists who know are saying there's 22 percent less ice covering the earth's surface than the last recorded low in September 2005. The Bear thinks that's gotta be a serious change in environment for all our friends and wild things out there at the poles. If we're not out to drown the polar bears, I hope everyone can do a little something more to reduce our impact on the planet. [Bloomberg News via TameBear Radio]

Wed, 05 Sep 2007 12:14:02 GMT

Texas Startup Says It Has Batteries Beat: The patent application from EEStor of Austin Texas claims "technologies for replacement of electrochemical batteries," and if so, they're onto something big. Many in the industry view their claims with great cynicism... but that has not dissuaded Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers from investing $3 million in the little company. [Yahoo News]

Wed, 05 Sep 2007 11:57:40 GMT

500 Miles on a Few Minutes Charge: Finally it looks like the all-electric vehicle is just around the corner. The Toronto Ontario Zenn Motor Company has teamed up with EEStor, developer of a novel energy storage product. The 100lb capacitor can be fully charged in just a few minutes, and delivers up to 500 miles of electric power travel between charges. Reducing the weight of battery storage and shortening the recharge time is a formula for success, if Zenn can actually deliver. They plan to do so later this year, or early 2008. [TameBear Radio]

Fri, 24 Aug 2007 16:10:10 GMT

Is Everyone Buying A Mac?: Steve Borsch thinks so, and writes about what he's seeing, including this telling bit from his daughter: "My 18 year old daughter works at a local Apple Store and we talk often about how busy the place is all the time... She's indicated that this back-to-school season is 'awesome' with sales." Especially worth reading the comments (following the story) from switchers who agree their new Macs make their work more productive, fun and hassle-free. [Connect the Dots via MyAppleMenu]

Sun, 20 May 2007 11:41:05 GMT

Aluminum Alloy Extracts Hydrogen From Water On Demand: While cleaning some lab equipment, a Purdue University engineer inadvertently stumbles upon a new method for producing hydrogen from water. The hydrogen is generated on demand, so you only produce as much as you need, when you need it. It's possible the technique could be used to replace gasoline in cars. [What's Next In Science & Technology]

Tue, 15 May 2007 12:09:47 GMT

Peak Uranium: "Limited supplies of uranium fuel for nuclear power plants may thwart the renewed and growing interest in nuclear energy in the United States and other nations, according to an industry expert at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology." [Reuters News via Futurismic]

Tue, 15 May 2007 11:52:09 GMT

How Apple TV Changes the Economics Of TV: Not only will niche content change the economics of television, but long before that happens many viewers will drop their cable TV service and instead use Apple TV to buy their TV shows and movies a la carte from iTunes -- all for less than the cost of their monthly cable bill. [Micropersuasion via MyAppleMenu]

Tue, 03 Apr 2007 11:32:00 GMT

High Hopes for Pond Scum: Solix Biofuels is betting on commercial algae production. Their algae feeds on CO2 and produces oil, lots of oil. The company hopes to give soy some competition in the emerging market for renewable biofuels. [Popular Mechanics via The Speculist]

Mon, 26 Mar 2007 11:00:19 GMT

Apple of Our Eye - Macs Save Money: According to this viewpoint, there's been a distinct sea change in the way people think about Apple Inc. in the last few weeks. People have been saying the strangest things about Apple and Macintosh computers; everything is topsy-turvy. Pundits aren't trotting out the old conventional wisdoms any more. They're saying odd stuff, like Macs are good for business; Macs can save money; and that Apple's stock -- at $90 a share -- is a bargain. As a long-time Mac user, The Bear was convinced many years ago of the benefits of Macintosh computers -- especially regarding price. You see, my time is valuable. Therefore when I pay a bit more for a Mac (and mind you it's never been a lot more), the time I save in wasted days not spent in useless troubleshooting has always been a huge benefit. Macs just work, period. My current laptop has been in service for over six years, and it just works. And as for Apple's stock price, well, as an Apple shareholder I can tell you the increase in share price over the past several years has more than paid for all the Apple toys I care to buy. [Wired News]

Fri, 23 Mar 2007 12:06:39 GMT

The Secret: It's an enticing offer: "Fragments of a great secret have been found in the oral traditions, in literature, in religions and philosophies throughout the centuries. For the first time, all the pieces of The Secret come together in an incredible revelation that will be life-transforming for all who experience it." Rhonda Byrne's The Secret is currently #2 at Amazon.com, just behind only the new Harry Potter. The Speculist offers a cynical take on the idea that our thoughts create reality. The Bear thinks we get everything we wish for, but it never turns out quite like we imagine. [The Speculist]

Fri, 23 Mar 2007 10:56:40 GMT

A New Theory of the Universe: Robert Lanza, VP of science research and development at Advanced Cell Technology, holds to a biocentric view of the universe, in which our perception of the world around us is mediated by our central nervous system. Quantum theory suggests that observation physically alters the world in fundamental ways. We cannot separate ourselves -- the observers -- from the observed phenomena around us, and so everything we know about the world is intimately linked to our biology of perception. In some measure, our biologic-based modes of sense perception create all the world we know of. [The American Scholar via Wired News]

Wed, 28 Feb 2007 11:48:10 GMT

Time To Get A Mac: When the Windows diehards like Chris Pirillo all begin "upgrading" from Windows Vista to Windows XP, the writing is on the wall. Thomas Hawk advises all his Windows power users to make the switch, and admits that he "should have done it years ago". Now a satisfied Mac user, Hawk has no regrets. [Digital Connection via MyAppleMenu]

Thu, 22 Feb 2007 11:08:55 GMT

iPods Set to Usurp CDs: The Beatles settlement clears the way for Apple to begin selling iPods loaded with music. As the cost of flash drives continues to fall, a low-cost shuffle loaded with tunes begins to compete head-to-head with CDs. [Wired News]

Tue, 20 Feb 2007 11:30:59 GMT

Windows Defections: Scott Lowe speculates about why, when Vista is now available, the Windows power users -- experts who have championed the Windows platform for years --are switching to Mac OS X. [Scott Lowe via MyAppleMenu]

Tue, 20 Feb 2007 11:13:08 GMT

Broadband Passes Halfway Mark in U.S.: Residential high-speed (broadband) internet access is expected to hit about 55 percent by end of 2007. That's 60 million U.S. households. [CNET News]

Tue, 20 Feb 2007 10:56:35 GMT

Buzzoo.net: Here's one to watch - a news links site started by three Goshen College grads seeks to aggregate the top aggregators. They started with reddit, digg, slashdot and del.icio.us; now they're drawing from the top news on google, netscape, dzone, gigaom, techcrunch, arstechnica, cnn, shoutwire, yahoo, boingboing, furl, and more. See what floats to the top on all your favorite news aggregators, by visiting just one site: Buzzoo. [TameBear Radio]

Tue, 20 Feb 2007 10:42:51 GMT

Cheap Solar Poised to Undercut Oil and Gas by Half: Within five years, solar power will be cheap enough to compete with carbon-generated electricity, says Anil Sethi, CEO of Swiss startup Flisom. The company is developing a solar film production process that they expect will drive the cost of solar panels (currently around $3-$4 per watt) down to less than $1 per watt within four years. [Telegraph]

Thu, 15 Feb 2007 12:00:57 GMT

U.S. Servers Suck More Power Than Mississippi: Power-hungry servers consumed 45 million kilowatt-hours of power in 2005 - twice the power usage of 2000. One obvious solution: solar powered servers. [CNET News.com]

Wed, 14 Feb 2007 10:43:31 GMT

Detroit's Plug-In Concepts. GM's Chevrolet Volt and Ford's HySeries Drive are plug-in electric cars that could give the hybrid Prius some stiff competition for fuel efficiency. Trouble is, Detroit's cars are so far just "concept" and won't be rolling off an assembly line for at least another four years. Big help, huh? [Wired News]

Mon, 05 Feb 2007 12:52:47 GMT

Wind Resource Off Eastern U.S. Coast Could Provide Energy for Nine States: Enough energy to supply the needs of nine states from Massachusetts to North Carolina, plus the District of Columbia--with enough left over to support a 50 percent increase in future energy demand, according to a study by researchers at the University of Delaware and Stanford University. [What's Next Network]

Mon, 05 Feb 2007 12:13:03 GMT

Jim Allchin to Microsoft: I Would Buy a Mac Today: The top Operating Systems exec at Microsoft retired a week ago, the day after Windows Vista was officially launched. Presumably now he can buy a Mac. An email Allchin addressed to his bosses Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer nearly three years ago suggests Windows users have a better option in Apple Macintosh computers, because "in my view we lost our way." Read the whole email (PDF) for insight into a very troubled Microsoft. [MyAppleMenu]

Fri, 02 Feb 2007 12:05:25 GMT

How Soon are You Moving to Vista?: The results of a Cnet poll of over 13,000 readers provides this telling statistic... slightly more than half of the respondents indicate they are "Sticking with the Mac -- or moving there soon". [Cnet Polls]

Fri, 19 Jan 2007 11:56:13 GMT

Why Apple Makes Me Cry: Now that all the hype and hubbub about Apple's new iPhone has simmered down a bit, here comes a Momus commentary that teases out the emotional content of Apple's creations... "This company understands the importance of beauty, managing to set the right balance between desire and spirituality, complexity and simplicity, form and function, software and hardware." [Wired News]

Fri, 19 Jan 2007 11:12:04 GMT

How Yahoo Blew It: In 2002 Yahoo had a chance to buy Google for $5 billion. Didn't happen - Yahoo CEO Terry Semel thought that was too much to pay, and bought Overture instead. This tale of the text-ad-against-search competition between the two search giants, Yahoo and Google, focuses on the relative merits of deals and marketing vs. engineering and technology. In the winner-takes-all ecosystem of the global net, has second place become last place? [Wired News]

Tue, 31 Oct 2006 11:10:29 GMT

Doubts Can't Stop Plug-In Hybrids: It's a compelling idea -- if you have solar panels on your roof powering your house, why not plug in your car to tap some of that renewable energy. Though technical challenges remain, consumer demand suggests the emergence of alternative vehicles is inevitable. [Wired News]

Sat, 21 Oct 2006 11:59:19 GMT

Googleplex Goes Solar: The search company is partnering with EI Solutions to install solar panels on the rooftops of their Moutanin View CA campus. The 1.6 Megawatt array is expected to offset 30% of their peak energy consumption. Google already uses a lot of electricity: "The amount of electricity that will be generated is equivalent to powering about 1,000 average California homes." [Futurismic]

Sun, 15 Oct 2006 16:59:25 GMT

Light Theory - Transcripts: In response to our growing audience of listeners, we've begun publishing transcripts of some of our more notable "TameBear Radio" podcasts. Three episodes in particular have been getting a lot of attention, and so we're featuring them here. These are the initial episodes in what is likely to be an ongoing theme regarding the Bear's "Theory of Light and Existence"...

Into the Light - Everything we perceive of the material world, including ourselves, is made of light, and is moving through space at light speed. (Also known as the "To Be Or Not To Be" episode.)
Choices, Choices - Every moment is a decision point, and every choice we make splits the universe. All possible choices exist in a multverse of overlapping existence. (Also known as the "To Do Or Not To Do" episode.)
Riding Waves - The light that we and all things are made of exists as both particle and wave simultaneously. Particles are the physical stuff we are made of; waves are the ephemeral sensory processing, thoughts, and dreams of our mind. There exists a unity of light, mind, and body.

Fri, 06 Oct 2006 11:11:13 GMT

The American Energy Vision: A hopeful new report from the Worldwatch Institute is titled "American Energy: The Renewable Path to Energy Security". The report shows that an energy future based on abundant and clean renewable resources is not only urgently needed, but achievable. In advocating the thoughtful expansion of renewable technologies, American Energy presents a clear and practical path to end this country's troublesome addiction to fossil fuels, and in the process make headway against the equally challenging problem of global warming. The report is available in downloadable PDF format. [Worldwatch Institute]

Sun, 01 Oct 2006 12:52:21 GMT

Riding Waves: We are everything we perceive in the world, everything we think, everything we belive and everything we imagine. We are, at our core, the merest stuff of substance and dream. This week's podcast expounds further on the unity of mind, matter, and light. The Bear's conjecture that we and everthing we see around us is made of light, implies that everything we are, and everything we do, and all the ways we impact our sphere of influence and partipate in the repetitive march of history, is a matter of waves emmanating through space. The quality of our lives is directly related to how well we ride those waves. [TameBear Radio 2006]

Tue, 12 Sep 2006 13:38:00 GMT

One Million Ways To Die: This one well-sourced story does more than all the 9/11 anniversary editorials combined to put the risk of terrorism in its proper perspective. As the article notes, you are at greater risk of dying from a hernia than from a terrorist attack. Consider how different things would be if the $400 billion spent on the false-pretenses pre-emptive war in Iraq had instead been used to develop and implement new highway safety technology to alert drivers when they are drifting off the road. Or any of a hundred other good uses. Imagine what GOOD our federal tax dollars could accomplish, and how much better our national reputation would have fared on the world stage, if our elected representatives had exercised more sense and wisdom in setting our national spending priorities. [Wired News: Top Stories]

Tue, 29 Aug 2006 10:35:33 GMT

Wind-Farm Watts: Australia is embracing renewable energy in a big way. They've just authorized construction of a $380 million 233 megawatt wind farm, enough power to meet the annual electricity needs of 133,450 homes. [Futurismic]

Wed, 23 Aug 2006 11:41:19 GMT

Generating Electricity from Photosynthetic Bacteria: Photosynthesis is the most efficient process for turning carbos into energy, and the process has been refined over thousands of years of evolution. Now University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers are studying ways to generate electricity by feeding a species of photosynthetic bacteria a steady diet of sunshine and wastewater. [What's Next In Science & Technology]

Wed, 23 Aug 2006 10:55:44 GMT

Schwarzenegger Signs Solar Law: California will take the lead in producing renewable energy with a bill that aims to produce 3000 clean megawatts of power by 2018, by encouraging installion of a million rooftop solar panels across the state. That's equivalent to five pollution-free power plants. [Red Herring via Futurismic]

Mon, 21 Aug 2006 01:30:27 GMT

What If They Gave a War...?: Writer Tony Long asks why Americans aren't marching in the streets to protest our government's ongoing military incursions and the escalating repression of civil liberties. "By the principles established by the Nuremberg Tribunal and international law, our president is a war criminal." Does anybody out there have a conscience anymore? [Wired News]

Sat, 19 Aug 2006 11:13:58 GMT

Trend Toward Home Backup Electric Generators: Standby electric power generators for homes are on the rise in areas where grid electricity outtages can last for hours or days. These are not the small noisy gas-guzzling backup generators... homeowners who can afford it are installing whole-home systems to generate as much as 40 kilowatts from propane, natural gas, or photovoltaics. The systems can be costly, but in some affluent neighborhoods they are becoming status symbols. [Christian Science Monitor via FuturePundit]