Science Etcetera, Saturnday 20090704

Posted in Science Etcetera on July 4th, 2009

Advances in Eco-friendly fireworks are good news for pyrotechnicians, who are exposed to unnatural levels of toxic metals.

Fireworks in a Storm Cloud
Credit: Stuck in Customs

Britsh Petroleum became “Beyond Petroleum” in a greenwashing effort that was at least supported by some eco-friendly measures, now the company has shut down it’s alternative energy headquarters in London and is slashing its alternative energy budget by 64 percent. This sucks because I still have to buy from BP gas stations because they still suck slightly less than the other companies.

With American’s returning to the habit of saving money, should the media and policy makers stop referring to them as “consumers?” There’s a similar debate about calling people “Citizens” vice “Taxpayers.”

With 500 left in the wild, the Amur Tiger, the world’s largest cat, has been reduced to an effective population of 35, which is based on the specie’s genetic diversity.

Although the energy required to compress the air doesn’t seem ecologically sound, the car that runs on air, the MDI AIRPod is being priced and scheduled for release.

MID AIRpod

Data from the Japanese Kaguya spacecraft, which crashed into the Moon June 10, has found conclusive evidence of Uranium on our natural satellite.

350 miles above the Earth, Bigelow Aerospace has a prototype space hotel, which the company hopes to offer tourists month-long stays in orbit for $15 million.

Malcom Gladwell does a convincing job of arguing why the future of things on the Internet isn’t “free” (as in beer), using psychological and examples from current business models.

The Thermatron Flame Controlled Synthesizer