Tag Archives: world

Man 2.0 Engineering the Alpha – John Romaniello & Adam Bornstein

by Myrna Posted on April 17, 2013

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Man 2.0 Engineering the Alpha

A Real World Guide to an Unreal Life: Build More Muscle. Burn More Fat. Have More Sex

John Romaniello & Adam Bornstein

Genre: Health & Fitness

Price: $14.99

Publish Date: April 16, 2013

Publisher: HarperOne

Seller: HarperCollins


Despite what most guys think, hormones are just as important for them as they are for women. However, by the age of 30, the typical man’s testosterone levels start to drop 1 percent each year, which can result in less muscle, less energy, more fat, and a flagging sex drive. After a decade of research, health and fitness expert John Romaniello has discovered safe, natural, and highly effective ways to produce more testosterone and bring about remarkable changes in a man’s body. His program is based on cutting-edge science that counters the online “noise” about male hormones. In Man 2.0 Engineering the Alpha , Romaniello and Adam Bornstein, editorial director of Livestrong.com, present a powerful way to improve physical, emotional, sexual, and psychological health for men. From research in Olympic labs to real-life results with their clients, they are reinventing masculinity and showing every man how to be who he wants to be.

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This apartment building comes with its own algae-fueled power supply

by m4nhrt Posted on April 16, 2013

This apartment building comes with its own algae-fueled power supply

By John Upton

ArupThis building doesn’t just have green paint, it has green algae. 

When it comes to powering a home with energy from the sun, solar panels seem passé compared with the technology embedded in the façade of a new apartment building in Hamburg, Germany.

Green slime, not dissimilar to that which taints the Great Lakes and other nutrient-rich water bodies in the warmer months, grows in panels mounted along exterior walls of the Bio Intelligent Quotient (BIQ) House. The algae will be harvested to produce biofuel and help heat the 50 apartments inside.

From the website of the International Building Exhibition:

The sides of the building that face the sun have a second outer shell that is set into the façade itself. Microalgae — tiny plants, most no larger than bacteria — are produced within this shell. They enable the house to supply its own energy. The only thing that the algae have to do is simply to grow. They are continuously supplied with liquid nutrients and carbon dioxide via a separate water circuit running through the façade. With the aid of sunlight, the algae can photosynthesise and grow. This façade is the first of its kind in the world and makes use of the very latest energy and environmental technology. …

The algae flourish and multiply in a regular cycle until they can be harvested. They are then … transferred as a thick pulp to the technical room of the BIQ. The little plants are then fermented in an external biogas plant, so that they can be used again to generate biogas. Algae are particularly well suited for this, as they produce up to five times as much biomass per hectare as terrestrial plants and contain many oils that can be used for energy.

Design powerhouse Arup, the firm behind the building, is pretty proud of itself, suggesting that algae-coated buildings could become commonplace. From The Daily Mail:

Jan Wurm, Arup’s Europe Research Leader, said: ‘Using bio-chemical processes in the facade of a building to create shade and energy is a really innovative concept.

‘It might well become a sustainable solution for energy production in urban areas, so it is great to see it being tested in a real-life scenario.’

The news comes after Arup announced their vision for the future of skyscrapers which suggested that buildings would be ‘living’ buildings powered by algae that respond automatically to the weather and the changing needs of inhabitants.

The $6.6 million BIQ building will be ceremonially switched on next week. And if the façade fails to live up to its clean energy–producing promise, the building will still draw energy from the sun in a more conventional manner: old-fashioned solar panels on the roof.

John Upton is a science aficionado and green news junkie who

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blogs about ecology

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This apartment building comes with its own algae-fueled power supply

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Toxic algae is wiping out Florida’s manatees

by 1LymSlagter473 Posted on April 9, 2013

Toxic algae is wiping out Florida’s manatees

By Susie Cagle

Florida has the world’s largest population of manatees, around 5,000 of the adorable, curious, endangered sea cows. In 1996, a red algae bloom killed 151 of them. Until this year, it was the most lethal red tide on record. But Florida has outdone itself this time.

So far this year, 241 manatees have been killed by a red algae bloom off the southwestern coast of the state. All across Florida, at least 463 manatees have died from a variety of causes, “more deaths than had been recorded in any previous comparable period,” reports The New York Times — more than 9 percent of the population in just over three months.

Susie Cagle

Red tides are an annual occurrence in Florida, but this one’s been particularly terrible, killing countless fish and sickening beach-goers back in January. The algae clings to animals’ food sources, and contains a nerve toxin that can kill those that ingest it. Instead of swimming away from all that poison, Florida manatees have been attracted to the artificially warmed water outflows of coastal power plants, which has kept them in the algae’s way.

More from the Times:

Experts are uncertain why this year’s algae bloom was so lengthy and toxic. Phosphorus runoff from fertilized farms and lawns may have contributed, because algae thrive on a phosphorus diet. The Caloosahatchee River, which runs through rural Florida farmland, empties into the ocean at Fort Myers.

But [aquatic biologist Pat] Rose and Dr. Martine DeWit, a veterinarian with the state’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, say a major cause may be an unfortunate coincidence of weather and timing.

That “unfortunate coincidence” was a mild winter and not much wind. This is beginning to sound a whole lot like climate change, with a little help from our friends in industrial farming.

Susie Cagle writes and draws news for Grist. She also writes and draws tweets for

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Drunk Tank Pink – Adam Alter

by Myrna Posted on April 6, 2013

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Drunk Tank Pink

And Other Unexpected Forces that Shape How We Think, Feel, and Behave

Adam Alter

Genre: Psychology

Price: $12.99

Publish Date: March 21, 2013

Publisher: Penguin Group US

Seller: Penguin Group (USA) Inc.


An illuminating look at the way the thoughts we have and the decisions we make are influenced by forces that aren't always in our control Why are people named Kim, Kelly, and Ken more likely to donate to Hurricane Katrina victims than to Hurricane Rita victims? Are you really more likely to solve puzzles if you watch a light bulb illuminate? How did installing blue lights along a Japanese railway line halt rising crime and suicide rates? Can decorating your walls with the right artwork make you more honest? The human brain is fantastically complex, having engineered space travel and liberated nuclear energy, so it's no wonder that we resist the idea that we're deeply influenced by our surroundings. As profound as they are, these effects are almost impossible to detect both as they're occurring and in hindsight. Drunk Tank Pink is the first detailed exploration of how our environment shapes what we think, how we feel, and the ways we behave. The world is populated with words and images that prompt unexpected, unconscious decisions. We are so deeply attracted to our own initials that we give more willingly to the victims of hurricanes that match our initials: Kims and Kens donate more generously to Hurricane Katrina victims, whereas Rons and Rachels give more openly to Hurricane Rita victims. Meanwhile, an illuminated light bulb inspires creative thinking because it symbolizes insight. Social interactions have similar effects, as professional cyclists pedal faster when people are watching. Teachers who took tea from the break room at Newcastle University contributed 300 percent more to a cash box when a picture of two eyes hung on the wall. We're evolutionarily sensitive to human surveillance, so we behave more virtuously even if we're only watched by a photograph. The physical environment, from locations to colors, also guides our hand in unseen ways. Dimly lit interiors metaphorically imply no one's watching and encourage dishonesty and theft, while…

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Drunk Tank Pink – Adam Alter

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The Quest: Energy, Security, and the Remaking of the Modern World

by Myrna Posted on April 1, 2013

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Fresh Thoughts from Authors of a Paper on 11,300 Years of Global Temperature Changes

by Myrna Posted on March 31, 2013

The authors of an important new study comparing recent warming with the last 11,300 years answer questions. See the original article here:  Fresh Thoughts from Authors of a Paper on 11,300 Years of Global Temperature Changes Related ArticlesDogs, Nets and Poverty – a Tough CombinationGlobal Study of Monsoons Finds Ocean Variations Have Driven Recent Shifts55 percent of U.S. rivers and streams are in poor condition, says EPA

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Fresh Thoughts from Authors of a Paper on 11,300 Years of Global Temperature Changes

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The Most Powerful Idea in the World: A Story of Steam, Industry, and Invention

by Myrna Posted on March 23, 2013

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Ecology of a Cracker Childhood (The World As Home)

by Myrna Posted on March 23, 2013

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Blessed Unrest: How the Largest Social Movement in History Is Restoring Grace, Justice, and Beauty to the World

by Myrna Posted on March 23, 2013

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Abu Dhabi mega solar plant will free up oil to export

by dfonis5 Posted on March 21, 2013

Abu Dhabi mega solar plant will free up oil to export

By Susie Cagle

Using a combination of 258,048 parabolic mirrors and the one powerful Arabian desert sun, Shams 1, the new 100-megawatt concentrated solar power plant just southwest of Abu Dhabi, is now cranking out power.

Masdar

More Shams 1 by the numbers: It’s the biggest plant of its kind in the world, it cost an estimated $750 million to build, it should power 20,000 homes, and it’s expected to save 175,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year.

The project is a joint venture of state-owned renewable energy company Masdar, French energy company Total, and Spanish company Abengoa Solar.

“From precious hydrocarbon exports to sophisticated renewable energy systems, we are balancing the energy mix and diversifying our economy — moving toward a more sustainable future,” Sultan and Masdar CEO Ahmed Al Jaber said in a statement.

CleanTechnica got a look inside the plant back in January, and reports that Shams 1 is not like most concentrated power plants. Yes, the sun hits the mirrors, which concentrate the energy and use it to boil water, creating steam that drives turbines. But Sham 1 adds a middle step: “the use of natural gas to ‘superheat’ the water,” CleanTechnica reports. “Project managers informed us that this accounts for about 20% of the heat.”

So what does the world’s biggest concentrated solar plant mean for those of us who do not live in the United Arab Emirates? According to Bloomberg: “Adding clean-power generators may help oil-rich nations in the region to conserve more of their crude and gas for export, reducing their use of the fuels to generate power that’s sold at subsidized prices.”

Abu Dhabi’s betting on our appetite for its fossil fuels. It’s not that it’s a bad bet, but it does feel like a little sand in the eyes of U.S. renewables. C’moooon, BrightSource!

Susie Cagle writes and draws news for Grist. She also writes and draws tweets for

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