Somewhere between August 2009 and January 2010, I became so saturated in information about the environment, I lost interest. I withdrew. I ceased treading water in the ocean of blogs and sites and people and views and ‘sign here’s, and ‘tell five friends’, and climate change is real but only if you look at this report, not that report.
You get the point.
I ceased bobbing with wave after wave of data and let myself sink into the quiet. At first I told myself I’d be back. I’d do it tomorrow. Next week. Has it been a month? Suddenly it’s been three.
What I speak of isn’t uncommon: the reaction to be overwhelmed by data. Its term is yet to be officially defined, but what I speak of is information overload. To learn more I took the time to talk with someone who is addicted more than most to information and I discovered some very interesting concepts.
Eddie Harran is a digital addict. He is just one example of a person who has attached himself to the information flow from avatars and usernames of thousands of people, who in turn plug him in to their own thousands of networks, forming a constant, 24/7 stream of data. His twitter followers number 2,844, he recently attended Palomar 5, and in February he leaves for San Francisco to continue working on a specific data project as a resident of GAFFTA. He conservatively estimates he’s online for 18hrs daily, noting that with devices like the iPhone, you rarely aren’t, until you lay that shiny black pebble beside you on the bedside table. But more importantly than when he’s online is why.
Continue reading ‘have i got your attention?’
From Fast Company: Aside from the Internet, no single invention might be as important to globalization as the shipping container. No joke.
If you haven’t given this innovative site by Brisbane’s Native Digital and Wotnews a spin, give it a whirl and allow the grid to deliver music to your ears you would otherwise never have heard. While an online music chart is nothing new, Hunted’s offering seamlessly blends a unique social media content aggregation functionality, behind one of the most attractive, and easiest to use interfaces. Having recently launched a Hunted Twitter chart, hearing what other people are hearing, is never more than a few clicks away.
It’s been a big 7 days in the planet’s history. While one of the most loved lies shrouded in mystery, another, as equally revered, is basking in bright, renewable sunlight. In a historic vote approving the Clean Energy and Security Act, Barak Obama has revealed a new America to the world. This bill sets the stage for the dawn of the clean energy future. While imperfect, it sets forth a set of goals America must achieve — and exceed. The bill’s most important achievement is setting the United States on a path to reduce carbon emissions some 80 percent by 2050, a signal accomplishment necessary to preserve the planet for future generations. But this event pales in comparison to the Obama’s vegetable garden, the first since Eleanor Roosevelt planted one in honour of America’s victory in World War II. It’s refreshing to see a leader, leading isn’t it?
If you were lucky enough to see it, Earth from Above was the stirring, photographic installation project of Frenchman Yann Arthus-Bertrand that toured the world. A decade in the making, the collection of images taken from the air, documented both the World’s natural and man-made happenings. Not satisfied with either the exhibition, or DVD of the same images, in 2009, Yann, who was possibly inspired by Jehane Noujaim’s Pangea Day, is releasing Home. In partnership with French film director Luc Besson, and a global PR firm, Yann is simultaneously broadcasting the film on the same day in over 50 countries. That day, is World Environment Day, June 5. There’s no place like home. (Apologies, it’s late…;)
From Fast Company: Both American automobile and bicycle purchases fell overall in the first quarter of 2009, but in a surprising twist, bike sales trumped car sales (2.6 million bicycles vs. 2.5 million cars). And while bike sales are down 30% overall from the first quarter of 2008, it’s a slower drop than car sales, which are down over 35%. Granted, bikes are much cheaper than cars–many college students can afford a brand new bike but would be hard-pressed to purchase a car. Still, Dennis Markatos, founder of Sustainable Energy Transition, thinks it is also an indicator of a growing bike culture in the U.S. Continue reading ‘bikes outsold cars in the first quarter.’
Sydney’s event banners are working overtime. Not only are they whipped daily by salt laden winds channeled through the city’s cement corridors, but it seems every week their tension cables are unhooked to rig up the latest event to promote. And after the Writers Festival and Vivid, it’s the cinema’s turn. And what a ripe time it is. Warwick Thornton’s Camera D’or award for Sampson and Delilah is surely a silver lining for the Sydney Film Festival with Teri Hatcher and John Woo among notable international red carpet attendees. Promoted online under categories of Give me a kiss, Take me on a journey, Fire me up, Make me laugh, Push me to the edge and Freak me out, there’s sure to be a story for all tastes. Check it.
It’s not often that a city council creates an event, or series of events, with brand communication as appealing as private undertakings with larger budgets and wider imaginations. Imagine the pressure then, when the event being staged, is aimed squarely at creatives. Welcome to Vivid - a festival of music, light and ideas. Pitched as “the biggest international music and light festival in the Southern Hemisphere, it will showcase the city as a major creative hub in the Asia-Pacific region, celebrating the diversity of Sydney’s creative industries.” Trust Sydney to claim first place. Brian Eno’s Luminous festival, and Thursday’s Creative Catalyst’s Showcase at the MCA have my attention. For sparkies and lovers of public disco fever alike, the various lighting displays should keep your eyes flickering well into dreamland. Now if only the Northern Hemisphere would take notice.
“That’s the trouble with words. There’s either never enough or too many”. So confided in me a homeless man, whose only possession was a crumpled book whose cover, and pages, seemed smeared and sealed beyond legibility. He must have been talking about the Sydney Writers Festival, due to start on May 18. For many the annual event appeals for two key reasons. The first, is a chance to hear some amazing insights and live readings from some of the world’s most topical, and respected writers. And the second is to attend workshops and tutorials on how to write better, in what theme, with how many characters, or just, how to start. I attended the closing event for the Festival in ‘08 and thouroughly enjoyed listening and drifting to three very different writing styles and stories. It’s a treat. But perhaps not enough to satisfy the homeless man whose own story evaporated into the angles and lights of a Sydney waking up, as he shuffled onwards, muse tucked to armpit.
In recognition of the power of visual communication, Greenpeace Australia in collaboration with The University of South Australia, has launched The Greenpeace Design Awards. The brief is to design an A4 poster that delivers the message ‘Be a Part of the Action’. Entries are open until June 15, from when 8 judges will cut the cream from the clutter. Kudos not coins will be bestowed upon the winning entry, which will be considered for use in major Greenpeace Australia Pacific campaigns. Look here and here to start the cogs turning. Good luck!
It’s climate backwards. In March this year, the tiny atolls of the Maldive Nation committed to joining “the world carbon club”, those countries who achieve carbon neutrality. Five other countires - New Zealand, Monaco, Costa Rica, Iceland and Norway have also signed up to the UN-backed plan to become zero emitters. For The Maldives, it will take ten years. For Australia, I don’t think the prospect has been publicised. Continue reading ‘etamilc.’
Great branding campaign for Mircrosoft who will need to live up to the hype, in order to put its less than innovative past behind them. Regardless of who enables this future however, I want in.
Italy: The Manzo family of Sicily.
Food expenditure for one week: 214.36 Euros or $260.11
Germany: The Melander family of Bargteheide.
Food expenditure for one week: 375.39 Euros or $500.07
United States: The Revis family of North Carolina
Food expenditure for one week $341.98
Mexico: The Casales fa mily of Cuernavaca.
Food expenditure for one week: 1,862.78 Mexican Pesos or $189.09
Poland: The Sobczynscy family of Konstancin-Jeziorna.
Food expenditure for one week: 582.48 Zlotys or $151.27
Egypt: The Ahmed family of Cairo.
Food expenditure for one week: 387.85 Egyptian Pounds or $68.53
Ecuador: The Ayme family of Tingo.
Food expenditure for one week: $31.55
Bhutan: The Namgay family of Shingkhey Village.
Food expenditure for one week: 224.93 ngultrum or $5.03
Chad: The Aboubakar family of Breidjing Camp.
Food expenditure for one week: 685 CFA Francs or $1.23
For this series of photographs, I’m afraid little information is available about them. In my searches I could not locate a project site, or any record of it. If anyone can, please let me know.
The Global Financial Crisis. The Economic Cyclone. The Political Shitstorm. The Global Recession. Regardless the brand of cloak this event is given, 2008 will forever be known as when it emerged. The year the market said “No more”. But as Thomas L Friedman writes in the New York Times, what if, in a softer voice, planet’s ecosystems are also saying “no more”. He writes “We have created a system for growth that depended on our building more and more stores to sell more and more stuff made in more and more factories in China, powered by more and more coal that would cause more and more climate change but earn China more and more dollars to buy more and more U.S. T-bills so America would have more and more money to build more and more stores and sell more and more stuff that would employ more and more Chinese … ” We now know the script. Continue reading ‘what were you doing in 2008?’
Cadbury chocolate comes from Ghana? Apparently it has sourced the beans from the Ghanaian Theobroma cacao for the last 100 years. And now in an encouraging move, the ‘glass and a half’ multi-national has announced it is going Fair Trade. The company has released an understated site, communicating its intentions and inviting feedback. The glass is half full indeed.
I’ll let you do the research, there’s just too much to uncover!
An American site, aptly named This Is Reality, is challenging the PR campaign behind the coal industry’s attempt to swindle the public into thinking coal is clean (who would want them as a client?). Besides a very clever, well-executed site, there is a lot of food for thought as Brian will soon tell you. It just makes me think why Australians leave it to the NGOs to launch similar campaigns in Oz. Is it due to population density? Is it apathy? Is it because the footy’s on? From Brian: A new report by the Center for Public Integrity finds explosive growth over the last five years in the number of lobbyists seeking to influence climate change legislation. It turns out, the coal industry has been pretty busy lobbying for legislation friendly to the dirty status quo. In fact, they were #1 in these lobbying efforts.
From: Fast Company by Anya Kamenetz
Think: did you leave a light on this morning? What if you could pull up your homepage and find out, right now?
As I wrote about last fall, companies from IBM and GE to startups are getting excited about green IT: Managing natural resources using computing intelligence. In the electricity industry, this means “smart grids” that distribute power more efficiently, avoiding peak loads, and home-based smart meters and software to help people measure and control demand in real-time. The Obama stimulus package would provide 40 million US Homes with the meters, but consumers still need a system to see and analyze the information. That’s where Google comes in.
Google PowerMeter, now in internal testing, hooks up with smart meters to provide simple, clear realtime graphs of electricity use. You can post the gadget on your iGoogle homepage and share with friends to encourage competition. Studies show that simply seeing your home energy use can lead to savings of 5 to 15 %.
Besides promoting environmental goodness, Google obviously sees an opportunity to enter new markets here. They’re investing with smart grid companies, and advocating with state and federal government for open standards and protocols to keep the market free for software solutions like PowerMeter, that are not controlled by utilities. They’ve partnered with GE and are holding a Smart Grid event together in DC on the 17 (GE ran a cute, if puzzling, Smart Grid ad as their first-ever Superbowl commercial).
By putting more information and thus power in the hands of consumers, the potential is to disrupt utilities’ monopoly over the energy industry, the same way the Internet disrupted telecom and media ten years ago. Which makes this a real power move for Google.
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