| Thursday, November 14, 2002 |  |
| Weavers of Freeorder |
 Leif Smith:"Weavers of freeorder are pattern seers, connection makers, thinkers, artists, entrepreneurs who work for all who discover that their home is Open Network.continued .. [ Inspiration | 2002-11-14 23:59 | 1 comment | PermaLink ] More > |
| A mysterious city |
 One of the officially oldest known cities is Çatal Hüyük in Turkey, which is partially excavated. It was apparently home to around 10,000 people 9,000 years ago. "But it doesnÂ’t quite add up. There seem to be no signs of hierarchy; no high-status homes, public buildings or even public open spaces. The small houses were so tightly packed together that entry was through the roof! Above all, Çatal Hüyük was in the middle of a swamp and dry pasture and wheat fields must have been 12 kilometres away or more. Aubrey Manning visits the site to try to solve these mysteries." [ History | 2002-11-14 23:59 | 7 comments | PermaLink ] More > |
| Small is Profitable |
 Rocky Mountain Institute argues that it is no longer economical to generate electricity in large centralized plants, because the distribution grid is more costly than the plants.
"In today's electricity market, however, the economies of scale that justified building big coal-fired and nuclear power plants have been outrun by diseconomies of scale, both in the grid and in generating plants. Mass production of smaller generating units offers greater economies than big plants can gain through unit size. Centralized power generation is no longer cheaper even on its own—and when supply is expanded, new power plants now cost less than the grid linking them to customers." [ Technology | 2002-11-14 23:59 | 5 comments | PermaLink ] More > |
| Extra long life battery |
 A tiny battery developed by researchers at Cornell will provide power continuously for decades. It is only a cubic millimeter. Imagine never having to charge your cellphone or your laptop computer. Only problem is that ..eh .. it is radioactive.[ Technology | 2002-11-14 23:59 | 1 comment | PermaLink ] More > |
| War is profitable |
 Lisa Rein points out that U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney apparently pocketed several million dollars last year in compensation from defense related companies he's had an interest in, and there will be more this year, based on a little accounting trick of 'deferred' compensation. One of the companies in question built a certain well-known prison facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, for one thing.[ Information | 2002-11-14 23:59 | 1 comment | PermaLink ] More > |
| Military Industrial Complex |
 President Eisenhower's farewell address to the citizens of the United States, January 1961: "In the counsels of Government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the Military Industrial Complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists, and will persist. We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals so that security and liberty may prosper together."[ Inspiration | 2002-11-14 23:59 | 1 comment | PermaLink ] More > |