Uncategorized

Climate change breaks NASA temperature chart

The temperature anomaly in the Arctic — the amount that current temperatures differ from historical norms — is now so severe that NASA's James Hansen had to add a new color to his charts in order to accurately depict it: Hot pink. In other words, last winter the Arctic was more than 10 degrees C […]

Why does Washington DC have so many more deficit hawks than climate hawks?

The GOP is launching yet another massive assault on future generations today, proposing deep cuts in the clean energy solutions that are central to averting catastrophic climate change.  Many of the ideas in the GOP’s ‘austerity budget for the poor and middle class’ are typically considered political suicide — like gutting Medicare.  And they may […]

Yes, wind and wave power are renewable; New Scientist pulls a Charlie Sheen

In the annals of absurdly sexed up science stories crying for attention like, oh, some addled TV star, we have a new contender.  The once-excellent New Scientist, which has started running seriously flawed climate stories, as we’ve seen, now runs this stunner: Wind and wave energies are not renewable after all Build enough wind farms […]

Salazar blasts Gulf disaster company Transocean for touting “best year in safety”

On Friday, Transocean, the company that operated the infamous Deepwater Horizon oil rig, told its shareholders that it gave its executives multi-million-dollar bonuses based on the company’s “best year in safety performance.” CAP’s Kristen Bartoloni has the what-were-they-thinking story of week. Today, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar lashed out at the global offshore drilling company, which […]

Like a magnifying glass to ants, concentrating PV a cost-effective distributed solar option

This post originally appeared on Energy Self-Reliant States, a resource of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance’s New Rules Project. Concentrating solar typical fills people energy nerds with visions of large fields of mirrors focusing sunlight to make heat/steam/electricity, but concentration technology is also available for photovoltaics (PV).  In fact, using lenses to focus sun onto […]

WattsUpWithThat: Psychic seals have evolved ability to predict future climate

On March 21, the ’science’ blogger Anthony Watts actually published the following headline story and lede: Canadian Harp Seals In New England (“prediction” of cooling?) Yes, Watts is suggesting that Canadian Harp Seals are psychic, or, technically, have developed precognition — although a bizarre form of precognition whereby they incorrectly predict the future based on discredited […]

Friday music blogging: G. Love

I have very distinct memories of the moment in time when G. Love & Special Sauce came out. It was May 1994, just as I was graduating from college, and it was part of my life’s soundtrack as I left Tennessee behind and set out for Bozeman, Montana, where, er, adventures ensued. G. Love got […]

International Action on Global Warming: Where is it headed in 2011?

Coming out of the successful global warming negotiations in Cancun, Mexico this past December a key question is where are things headed now?  Three words capture where international action on global warming needs to head: implementation, strengthening, and widespread.  On each of these there are important discussions about to occur as countries are meeting in […]

New line of kitchen appliances will be powered by poo [APRIL FOOLS]

UPDATE: This is an April Fools' Day post, entirely made up. Your smoothies are safe.

It might be time to rethink the adage "don't sh*t where you eat." Silicon Valley-based startup Advanced Recycling Concepts (ARC) announced Thursday that it will soon be offering a new line of kitchen appliances powered by poo, following a recent trend of excrement-powered homes, gardens, and streetlights. (We sh*t you not.) The company will be introducing poop-powered blenders, mixers, coffeemakers, and food processors -- which means you might want to pay a little more attention when you whip up that morning protein shake.

Unlike with the dog-doo streetlights in Cambridge, Mass., owners of these kitchen gadgets won't have to actually handle their own crap in order to reap the electrical benefits. "Understandably there are hygiene concerns, but we want our customers to rest assured that these appliances are not only off the grid, but restaurant-grade in terms of sanitation," said the company’s chief technical officer, Glen Matlock. The idea might sound way out there, but ARC has backing from big-time venture-capital firm Kleiner Perkins.

Happy April Fools' Day!