Alternative Energy - reality

Saw this article (via) and you know, with reports that peak oil may be already come and gone, this comes as a very refreshing breath of fresh air.  Again, this is the kind of innovation that needs to be pushed into reality by inspiring leaders and focused funding.  The US is so poised to take the lead on this...  We can put a man on the moon if empowered and inspired.  Education in math and science will improve if kids have something meaningful to work on.  America has the creativity and technical prowess to make this happen (and make some killer $$ along the way).  When will a presidential candidate or member of congress vow to do this?  With the money we've spent in Iraq, we could have had solar powered Jetson cars by now...  and cell phones that work...

See Mike Draw

Holy shit, these are some of the funniest comics I've ever seen!

Lessig's virgin talk on Corruption

I am a little over halfway through watching this lecture, and it's pretty moving.  Lawrence Lessig has been a big name in copyfighting circles for years (see close to every 5th post on Boingboing).  He's now working on corruption issues, and he makes an amazingly good argument.  Worth a watch. Democracy requires personal responsibility AS WELL AS community responsibility.  If you see someone stealing something, do you speak up and do something about it??  If you know that someone is cheating on their taxes, do you speak up?  If you know that someone is molesting young children, do you speak up??  I'm not passing judgement on the answers of any of these questions, but just provoking thought.

I'm in!

I got the official acceptance letter from the NCSU graduate school today.  I had been assured that this crucial piece of the puzzle would go through easily, but I've been living with a little gnawing shred of anxiety until now.  Needless, to say, I sighed a huge breath of relief when getting this. So I'm flying to Raleigh on the 23rd.  I'll meet the department, find an apartment, and just try to figure the place out.  I really don't know what to expect, so if you know anyone in Raleigh, know of a good coffee shop, Thai restaurant, or dive bar - let me know.

Is this the new story of our times?

Article. I read this and wonder. I go back and forth when I get the opportunity to give advice to young people about to decide what to do with their careers. Sometimes I say, "Do what you love, the rest will work itself out." Other times I defeatedly say, "Get a law degree, kid.. fuck science. NO money." And reading this article just makes me even more confused. Is it really social inequity that keeps me from being able to make ends meet.. and I'm not even doing anything THAT idealistic right now. Sure, I'm going to grad school to study the oceans and climate change, but right now, I'm doing environmental consulting. Don't let the 'environmental' in that title confuse you - what I do consists of mostly industrial enabling. We help people clean up their messes, sure, but at the lowest cost and just baaareeley enough to keep the agencies and regulators off their backs. Sell out I am, but broke nonetheless. I could have taken a job similar to my father's - working as a pipeline inspector and make twice the salary I make now. Only then would I really be able to 'make it' in the current economy. Teachers can't make it, young researchers can't make it. WTF? Are these people jsut young yuppie primadonas that are whining their way into debt? Certainly some of them are, but not all. I have wondered about my individual plight through mediocre salary and massive student debt, and if I skrewed up somehow. It seems I'm in a boat with a lot of people, and we're all drifting along hoping for a break. Well, anyway, I've decided to go back and do what I love. I'll be broke some more, and may never make enough money to be very comfortable. But fuck it, who else is going to save the world?