Nifty stuff if you’re planning based on regions or watersheds, or..

“Integrated Land and Water Information System, ILWIS, the world’s most user-friendly integrated software with raster processing capabilities to work on remotely sensed satellite images and vector processing capabilities for making vector maps and countless spacial modeling abilities. Its fully integrated raster and vector approach and user-friendlyness make it particularly suitable for natural resources managers, field scientists, biologists, ecologists, etc., as well as for educators.

http://www.ilwis.org/

The main ingredients in each Decon Green formula are peroxides, the same substances that are in many household cleaners and whitening toothpaste. To bolster their effectiveness, the peroxides are mixed with bicarbonates or other non-toxic bases.

via Military develops multi-purpose ‘green’ decontaminants for terrorist attack sites.

This may happen, and it’s just a small element of the ideas they are throwing out there, but still… The cynical can read it as “companies wil continue to socialize costs while privatizing benefits at the expense of the social infrastructure”.

Companies will likely build smaller, decentralised working centres. They may even use existing neighbourhood infrastructure – from the local coffee shop to the community centre – for flexible working arrangements.

via What’s in store for city-dwellers in 2040? | Forum For The Future.

Sounds like a very interesting read, and dealing with some hard tradeoffs that neourbanism is going to need to consider.

In his new book Cities Under Siege, published just two weeks ago, geographer Stephen Graham explores “the extension of military ideas of tracking, identification and targeting into the quotidian spaces and circulations of everyday life,” including “dramatic attempts to translate long-standing military dreams of high-tech omniscience and rationality into the governance of urban civil society.” This is just part of a “deepening crossover between urbanism and militarism,” one that will only become more pronounced, Graham fears, over time.

BLDGBLOG: Cities Under Siege.

The discovery of the tiny Geobacter microbe by Dr. Derek Lovley of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst holds the key to understanding microbial energy conversion. Geobacter uses its hair-like extensions, or pili, to generate electricity from mud and wastewater. Researchers have developed a strain of Geobacter that is eight times more efficient than other strains at producing power.

via From bacteria to electricity: The future of green energy.

Global meat production has tripled in the past three decades and could double its present level by 2050

via Major report reveals the environmental and social impact of the ‘livestock revolution’.

What’s interesting here is that he’s got a track record in both politics and business.

As the article noted, “Think of the site as philanthropy, volunteerism and social networking all rolled into one.” And as Hughes' email noted, it's “an online platform to connect individuals and organizations working to change the world.”

via Chris Hughes, Facebook Co-Founder, Introduces Jumo – Tonic.