FASHION - New Fabric Absorbs 340% of Its Weight in Water from Fog or Mist

A new treatment for cotton fabric allows it to absorb an incredible amount of moisture from mist or fog, and then easily release it as pure water.

http://www.treehugger.com/clean-technology/new-fabric-absorbs-340-weig

FASHION - Create Your Own Eco-Friendly ;Peace Silk Dress with Supezas

Looking for an eco-friendly dress that supports a good cause, and won't break the bank? We recently discovered Supezas, an inspiring eco-fashion company that works with rural tribal women to make customized silk dresses out of "peace-silk." For the uninitiated, peace-silk (also sometimes called "Ahimsa silk" or "Tasar silk") is a cruelty-free silk fabric that's made without killing silkworms. Supezas' dresses also bring fair wages and sustainable ...

http://inhabitat.com/create-your-own-eco-friendly-peace-silk-dress-wit

EARTH PORTATION News January 30th

AIR - ABC News and Daily Show Miss Point on Beijing Air Crisis

While The Daily Show and ABC News report on China's toxic air pollution, their framing misses an opportunity to connect dots to climate crisis ...

http://www.treehugger.com/climate-change/ABC-News-Daily-Show

ANIMALS - Omega-3 can help laying hens avoid bone damage

Most of us are aware of the potential health benefits of omega-3 found in fish oil and flax seed. Now researchers have found that omega-3 could help laying hens avoid bone damage, which affects millions of hens each year, and the research may also help human patients suffering from osteoporosis ...
http://phys.org/news/2013-01-omega-hens-bone.htm

ANIMALS - Scientific paper challenges assumptions about bark beetles' link to wildfires

Don't blame bark beetles for catastrophic wildfires such as the blaze that blackened more than 23,000 acres of Kittitas County in Washington state last summer, some scientists say ...
http://phys.org/news/2013-01-scientific-paper-assumptions-ba

BIRDS - Cats in US kill billions of birds, mammals, study finds

Domestic cats in the United States kill up to 3.7 billion birds and as many as 20.7 billion mice, voles and other small mammals each year, biologists estimated on Tuesday ...
http://phys.org/news/2013-01-cats-billions-birds-mammals.htm

BIRDS - Cultural evolution changes bird song

Thanks to cultural evolution, male Savannah sparrows are changing their tune, partly to attract "the ladies. ...
http://phys.org/news/2013-01-cultural-evolution-bird-song.ht

BIRDS - With hot air treatment, bacteria fly the coop

Poultry producers can reduce bacterial cross-contamination in poultry cages by treating the cages with forced air that's been heated to 122 degrees Fahrenheit, according to a study by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists ...
http://phys.org/news/2013-01-hot-air-treatment-bacteria-coop

BOOKS - Bezos: With ebook sales up 70% in 2012, Amazon has hit "transition" it expected

Amazon announced fourth-quarter earnings slightly below investor expectations Tuesday afternoon - but operating income, widely viewed by investors as an important measure of the company's overall health, rose, driving shares up in after-hours trading. Net income for the quarter was $97 million, or $0.21 per share, on revenue of $21.27 billion - compared to profits of $177 million on revenue of $17.43 billion a year ago. Operating income rose 45 p ...

http://gigaom.com/2013/01/29/amazon-reports-increased-profit

BOOKS - Inside Forbes: The Rise of the Entrepreneurial Journalist in a World Seeking Credible Voices

Who's your source? It's a question I would ask reporters all the time when I was an editor at two different national newspapers, a newsweekly and during my first stint at FORBES 15 years ago. The right source was critical to a story's veracity. That's why I was so pleased to learn that Roberton Williams, Howard Gleckman and Len Burman -- three of our expert contributors -- were quoted 21 times over 12 months by New York Times reporters writing fo ...
http://www.forbes.com/sites/lewisdvorkin/2013/01/29/inside-f

CLIMATE - Nicholas Stern: Climate Situation 'Far Worse' Than Previously Thought

Nicholas Stern, the British economist who made a big splash worldwide with his government-commissioned Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change in 2006, is now saying that things are even worse than he let on in his famous report ...

http://www.treehugger.com/climate-change/nicholas-stern-clim

CLIMATE - Spring may come earlier to North American forests, increasing uptake of carbon dioxide

Trees in the con­ti­nen­tal US could send out new leaves in the spring up to 17 days ear­lier in the com­ing cen­tury than they did before global tem­per­a­tures started ris­ing, accord­ing to a new study. . These climate-driven changes could lead to changes in the com­po­si­tion of north­east­ern forests and give a boost to their abil­ity to take up car­bon dioxide ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/01/130129171427.ht

EARTH - Sinkhole Swallows Building in China

The hole opened up near a construction site, where workers were building a new underground train station. -&gt ...
http://news.discovery.com/earth/weather-extreme-events/sinkh

ECONOMICS - America's Hardest Working Cities

http://www.forbes.com/pictures/eemh45egmjj/the-25-hardest-wo

ECONOMICS - Housing Recovery: Be Careful What You Wish For

Everybody is so happy that the housing industry is recovering, but is it real, and is it a good thing ...

http://www.treehugger.com/urban-design/housing-recovery-be-c

ECONOMICS - How To Use Social Media To Make Sales

http://www.forbes.com/pictures/elee45gild/how-to-use-social-

ECONOMICS - Would a Facebook 'Like' Make You Buy A Sweater?

By Scott Goodson, author of best selling book Uprising: How to Build a Brand and Change the World by Sparking Cultural Movements (McGraw Hill, April 2012) and founder and chairman of StrawberryFro ...
http://www.forbes.com/sites/marketshare/2013/01/28/would-a-f

EDUCATION - Ants' behavior leads to new method for optimizing product development time, costs

Trying to find just the right balance of time spent in meetings and time performing tasks is a tough problem for managers, but a Wayne State University researcher believes the behavior of ants may provide a useful lesson on how to do it ...
http://phys.org/news/2013-01-ants-behavior-method-optimizing

EDUCATION - Silicon Valley's Mentoring Gap

Silicon Valley is widely viewed as the world's best Start-up Common. But it may be vulnerable due to a mentoring gap. And that could spell opportunity for other regions of the world seeking to attract world-class entrepreneurial talent ...
http://www.forbes.com/sites/petercohan/2013/01/28/silicon-va

EDUCATION - World wide web creator sees open access future for academic publishing

Activists pushing for free, open access to academic papers will eventually defeat publishers who seek to lock scholarly findings behind paywalls, the founder of the world wide web said today ...
http://phys.org/news/2013-01-world-wide-web-creator-access.h

ENERGY - A Tale of Iran, Syria and a Busy Oil Tanker

Although sanctions have forced Iran to cut back dramatically on its shipping traffic, some Iranian-linked vessels continue to slip through the net. For a brazen example, take the case of an Iranian-flagged oil tanker named the Tour 2, currently off Cyprus, which earlier this month paid a call at the Syrian port of Tartous ...
http://www.forbes.com/sites/claudiarosett/2013/01/29/a-tale-

ENERGY - How to keep innovation alive in the smart grid

The harsh reality of the smart grid sector is that making an actual sale of networking technology, analytics tools or devices to utilities - not a pilot trial - is hard and takes a really long time. Companies that are lucky enough to test out their tech with utilities in trials aren't guaranteed to get a commercial deal, despite the time and money invested. That's one of the reasons why some smart grid startups struggle and are sold off for smal ...

http://gigaom.com/2013/01/29/how-to-keep-innovation-alive-in

ENERGY - ICE Energy From Waste Conference

Here's a guest post on an upcoming conference in the UK that looks quite interesting. Have a look and see if you'd like to attend:The UK doesn't currently have sufficient capacity to process all waste that could be utilised for energy - an estimated 30 million tonnes go unexploited every year and more is exported to Europe. At a time when government is trying to cut carbon emissions and shore up energy supply, it's increasingly crucial that th .. ...

http://cleantechnica.com/2013/01/29/ice-energy-from-waste-co

ENERGY - Why Boulder Has To Buy Out Its Electric Utility For A Clean Energy Future

In late 2011, citizens of Boulder, CO, voted to boot their incumbent electric utility, Xcel Energy, and form a municipal electric utility. It was the culmination of a multi-year battle to get more clean, local energy from their corporate electric overlord. In the end, city leaders and citizens agreed that the only credible option for significantly reducing their contribution to climate change was to go it alone. Now, the city is embarked on t .. ...
http://cleantechnica.com/2013/01/29/why-boulder-has-to-buy-o

FASHION - Apple Patents Smart Shoes

Wear-out sensors send you an alert when it's time to get a new pair of kicks. -&gt ...
http://news.discovery.com/tech/gear-and-gadgets/apple-patent

GARDENS - HarvestGeek Automates Your Entire Garden

Created for the urban food movement, this system is an open-source, wireless Internet of Things for your farm or garden ...

http://www.treehugger.com/gadgets/harvestgeek-automates-your

HOMES - Folding Bathtub from 1915 Would Make Sense Today

Why take up so much space with a tub when you can just unfurl it when you need it ...

http://www.treehugger.com/bathroom-design/folding-bathtub-19

HOMES - Man builds most energy-efficient home he could

Saving money was never on Dennis Kaech's mind when he built his Olympia, Wash., home. But saving energy was ...
http://phys.org/news/2013-01-energy-efficient-home.htm

PEOPLE - Elon Musk

http://www.forbes.com/pictures/mlg45mddh/elon-musk

SCIENCE - Einstein Also Studied This Obscure Geological Law

Einstein also studied Baer's Law, the law that governs the erosion of rivers, and gave us his version of its mechanics ...
http://news.discovery.com/earth/rocks-fossils/einstein-also-

SCIENCE - Explanation as to when a liquid on a rough surface will form a thin film and when it will form droplets

(Phys.org)-The phenomenon of liquids coating rough surfaces in the form of films or droplets is commonplace. The morning dew converts grass and leaves into scenes of magical beauty, while a thin film of rainwater on the road can pose a danger to every driver - especially if it freezes. But how can we tell in what conditions a liquid will form a continuous film or just isolated drops? Existing theories generally describe ideally smooth surfaces, w ...
http://phys.org/news/2013-01-explanation-liquid-rough-surfac

SCIENCE - Of Einstein and entanglement: Quantum erasure deconstructs wave-particle duality

(Phys.org)-Quantum physics presents several counterintuitive features, including entanglement, tunneling and - as demonstrated in double-slit experiments - wave-particle duality. When studying wave-particle duality, however, so-called interferometric quantum eraser experiments - in which wave-like behavior can be restored by erasing path information - allow researchers to perform differential measurements on each of two entangled quantum systems. ...
http://phys.org/news/2013-01-einstein-entanglement-quantum-e

SOLAR - New ERCOT Report Shows That Texas Wind And Solar Are Highly Competitive With Natural Gas

An interesting fact seemed to go unnoticed in all the press around the Electric Reliability Council of Texas's (ERCOT) Long Term System Assessment, a biennial report submitted to the Texas Legislature on "the need for increased transmission and generation capacity throughout the state of Texas." ERCOT found that if you use updated wind and solar power characteristics like cost and actual output to reflect real world conditions, rather t ...
http://www.forbes.com/sites/edfenergyexchange/2013/01/28/new

SOLAR - Solar Net Metering Equals Net Benefits In California And Vermont

Two new reports from California and Vermont show that net metering creates significant net benefits for consumers while strengthening one of the US solar market's strongest drivers of new installations.Rooftop solar installation image via ShutterstockNet metering is essentially a guarantee that utilities will provide their customers a fair retail credit for excess electricity they generate that flows onto the grid instead of into their homes - .. ...

http://cleantechnica.com/2013/01/28/solar-net-metering-equal

SOLAR - Solar power prices to continue falling through 2025, experts say

Prices for solar modules—the part of solar panels that produce electricity—will continue to fall, in line with the long-term trend since 1980, according to a survey of experts by Near Zero, , a nonprofit energy research organization. However, for prices to keep falling for the long term will require continued committment to research, such as on materials used for making solar modules ...
http://phys.org/news/2012-12-solar-power-prices-falling-expe

SOLAR - SolarCity Announces Pricing of Its Initial Public Offering

SAN MATEO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--SolarCity Corporation, a provider of clean distributed energy, announced today the pricing of its initial public offering of 11,500,000 shares of common stock at a price of $8.00 per share. The common stock is expected to begin trading on The NASDAQ Global Market on December 13, 2012 under the ticker symbol “SCTY.” A total of 11,434,988 shares are being offered by SolarCity and 65,012 shares are being offered b ...
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20121212006723/en/Sola

SOLAR - Top Solar Power States vs Top Solar Power Countries (CleanTechnica Exclusive)

I think you all are going to love this one. But before getting into the numbers and charts, here's one quick caveat on the ranking below: my solar power installation data for the countries was for the end of 2011, whereas my solar power installation data for the states (courtesy of GTM Research, via Scott Burger) was for the end of Q3 2012. So, basically, the states had a 9-month advantage (which can be rather significant when it comes to sola .. ...

http://cleantechnica.com/2013/01/29/top-solar-states-vs-top-

SOLAR - Using Darwin to Develop More Efficient Solar Panels

Use of "artificial" natural selection can be used to trap light (photons) longer so that energy can be harvested more efficiently in organic solar cells ...

http://www.treehugger.com/biomimicry/using-darwin-develop-mo

SPACE - Billionaire Space Race

These Forbes rich list members are investing in the technology to take both humans and payloads like satellites into space ...
http://www.forbes.com/pictures/mlg45lmkj/the-first-of-its-ki

SPACE - How Much Will It Cost to Live on Mars?

What would it actually cost to set up a long-term home on the Red Planet? Browse this infographic to find out. -&gt ...
http://news.discovery.com/space/how-much-will-it-cost-to-liv

SPACE - Iran's Space Program Isn't Monkeying Around

The Islamic Republic of Iran says it successfully sent a monkey into space on Monday and retrieved the animal alive. If true, the mission represents a major step towards the nation putting human astronauts into orbit ...
http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidewalt/2013/01/28/irans-spac

SPACE - See the Andromeda Galaxy in a Cool New Light

The European Herschel Space Observatory has stared deep into the famous Andromeda galaxy, exposing the intricate beauty of its cool spirals of gas and dust ...
http://news.discovery.com/space/galaxies/herschel-andromeda-

SUSTAINABILITY - Sahara Forest Project Grows Green Jobs From Sand, Saltwater, & CO2

It's been a while since we checked in on the Sahara Forest Project, but its first pilot facility just online went a few weeks ago so now is a good time to do some catching up. As for the goal of re-vegetating the Sahara desert, why stop there? With large chunks of the U.S. facing historic droughts, the project's creative use of open space, saltwater and carbon dioxide to create new green jobs and re-vegetate desert lands sure sounds like a con .. ...

http://cleantechnica.com/2013/01/29/sahara-forest-project-gr

TECH - 10 Thin, Light And Fast Ultrabook Laptops

http://www.forbes.com/pictures/fgfk45gdgl/acer-aspire-s3-3

TECH - Billions of sensors power professor's vision of interconnected world

A professor at Wichita State University plans to create a university center with an ambitious name: The Center for the Internet of Everything ...
http://phys.org/news/2013-01-billions-sensors-power-professo

TECH - Facebook Is Down In New York, Texas And Elsewhere In U.S., Cause Unknown

The Next Web and Gizmodo are reporting that many users in the U.S. are reporting that Facebook is down tonight. Here, in Maine, it's working fine, so I can confirm that the outage, though large, is localized. Instagram does not sem affected. Gizmodo suggests that "typing 'www.' before the usual facebook.com into your browser has helped a few users get through." Give it a try if the site is down for you ...
http://www.forbes.com/sites/anthonykosner/2013/01/28/faceboo

TECH - German court says the internet is pretty much required for modern life

The German high court has weighed in on the value of a web connection (as well as faxes and VoIP lines) and determined that the internet is pretty much essential to modern life (hat tip to TechDirt). This puts the German court closer to agencies such as the ITU and countries such as Finland where internet access is considered a right. Apparently back in Dec. 2008, a German citizen found himself disconnected from his DSL line because of some erro ...

http://gigaom.com/2013/01/28/german-court-says-the-internet-

TECH - German rights holders sue YouTube in escalating royalty fight

German music rights group GEMA has filed a lawsuit against YouTube, alleging that the video site is misleading users about the details of an ongoing licensing dispute between the two parties. The lawsuit is the latest escalation in that dispute, which has been going on since 2010, and resulted in German YouTube users being unable to view many popular music videos on the site. GEMA is now asking a Munich-based court to issue a cease-and-desist ord ...

http://paidcontent.org/2013/01/28/gema-vs-youtube-lawsuit

TECH - Google Experiments With New Flight Explorer Feature

Google is trying out a new travel search tool that seems to be aimed primarily at casual travelers that are as concerned about price as they are about a destination ...
http://searchengineland.com/google-experiments-with-new-flig

TECH - Gun Shoots DNA Bullets to Tag Criminals

Paintball guns get a new twist by firing pellets filled with DNA instead of dye. -&gt ...
http://news.discovery.com/tech/biotechnology/gun-shoots-dna-

TECH - It's still on: Silver Spring Networks could finally go public within a month

In contrast to the findings of a research note on Tuesday that says Silver Spring Networks could soon shelve its IPO, I've been hearing that Silver Spring is actually getting ready to finally go public within the next four weeks, a year and a half after filing its S-1. A delay that long between filing and finally trading is not ideal, but it's not unheard of for companies to wait through difficult market conditions, particularly as they negotiate ...

http://gigaom.com/2013/01/29/its-still-on-silver-spring-netw

TECH - Jail for Cell Phones Sets Mandatory Tech-Free Time

This lock-up for cell phones makes sure you take a mental health break from your cell phone during the day ...

http://www.treehugger.com/gadgets/jail-cell-phones-mandatory

TECH - Jasper Wireless plans to shape traffic over the internet of things

Jasper Wireless, a company that runs the embedded device management systems for some of the world's largest mobile carriers, is buying policy servers from telecom equipment maker Telekec. Let me translate that into English: Jasper supplies some of the key enabling technology for the internet of things, and it is installing some of the same equipment that operators use to shape traffic on their networks. It may sound like another arcane bit of tel ...

http://gigaom.com/2013/01/30/jasper-wireless-plans-to-shape-

TECH - Micro-LEDs Multitask as Wi-Fi, Info Display and Lighting All In One

The technology could lead to things like LED road signs that light the roadway, display traffic updates and transmit internet information wirelessly to passing cars ...

http://www.treehugger.com/clean-technology/Micro-LEDs-multit

TECH - Microsoft Introduces the Surface Tablet

http://www.forbes.com/pictures/elee45gifd/microsoft-introduc

TECH - Microsoft retools Office for touch screen, Web use

Microsoft is selling a retooled version of its Office software to consumers as an online subscription service for the first time in an attempt to extend one of the company's key franchises beyond personal computers ...
http://phys.org/news/2013-01-microsoft-office-internet-cloud

TECH - Report: YouTube will start charging for premium content

YouTube plans to launch paid subscriptions as early as this spring, according to unidentified sources cited in AdAge. The sources say that YouTube is asking media companies that have already gained large a YouTube following - like Machinima, Maker Studios and Fullscreen - to submit ideas for paid channels that would cost "somewhere between $1 and $5 a month." A Google spokesperson confirmed to AdAge that YouTube is "looking at" subscriptions. You ...

http://paidcontent.org/2013/01/29/report-youtube-will-start-

TECH - Silicon Valley's most important document ever

Netflix has long been famous for giving its employees unlimited vacation time. Netflix CEO Reed Hastings justified this move in a slide deck he first published online in 2009, which also outlines the company's approach towards hiring (no "brilliant jerks," please) as well as firing (only keep the people that you'd fight for if they wanted to leave). Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg praised the deck in a new GQ magazine story about Netflix, saying: "I ...

http://gigaom.com/2013/01/29/netflix-company-culture

TECH - So that 128GB iPad? It's real, and it's available from Apple on Feb. 5

If 64GB isn't enough storage space for you to deal with on your iPad, Apple's got another option for you. Starting next Tuesday, Feb. 5, Apple will begin selling a 128GB iPad, the company announced Tuesday. It will come in black or white and will be available with Wi-Fi only for $799 or Wi-Fi + Cellular for $929. It's unusual to move from an Apple rumor to actual product in the course of just a few days, but that's what happened this week. In a p ...

http://gigaom.com/2013/01/29/so-that-128gb-ipad-its-real-and

TECH - Wristwatch To Combat Sexual Violence in India

The wristwatch would be equipped with a video camera, GPS and would send texts to authorities and family members in the event of a threat. -&gt ...
http://news.discovery.com/tech/gear-and-gadgets/wristwatch-c

URBAN - Aether Store Is a Standout in Temporary Container City

Popup clothing store fits right in to a neighborhood in transition ...

http://www.treehugger.com/slideshows/modular-design/aether-s

URBAN - Cute Organic Bakery in Amsterdam Boasts Recycled Shipping Pallets Interior

Read the rest of Cute Organic Bakery in Amsterdam Boasts Recycled Shipping Pallets InteriorPermalink |Add todel.icio.us | diggPost tags: "green furniture", Amsterdam, ana lisa alperovich, Architecture, bakery, cafe, cakes, De Laatste Kruimel, ecycled Materials, green materials, green packaging, organic food, recycled pallets, scone ...

http://inhabitat.com/cute-organic-bakery-in-amsterdam-boasts

URBAN - Golany Architects Unveils Plans for Sustainable New Centre for Higher Education in Ashdod, Israel

Israeli design firm Golany Architects recently unveiled plans for the new Centre for Higher Education in Ashdod, the fifth-largest city in Israel. The design of the building is based on colonnades with columns that support the growth of vines, referencing the Mediterranean region's long tradition of using vine-covered pergolas to escape the heat. The building is enveloped with green walls, which serve the dual function of beautifying the building ...

http://inhabitat.com/golany-architects-unveils-plans-for-sus

URBAN - House H: Y Beams, Hanging Floors and Irregular Cutouts Transform a Tiny Japanese Home

Read the rest of House H: Y Beams, Hanging Floors and Irregular Cutouts Transform a Tiny Japanese HomePermalink |Add todel.icio.us | diggPost tags: Chiba Prefecture, Daylighting, eco design, green design, green renovation, hanging floors, Hiroyuki Shinozaki Architects, House H, Japan, Japanese minimalism, Matsudo City, Minimalism, sustainable design, sustainable renovation, Tokyo, Urban design, Y beam ...

http://inhabitat.com/house-h-y-beams-hanging-floors-and-irre

URBAN - Inhabitat Tours Blu Homes' First Prefab Breezehouse on America's East Coast (PHOTOS)

Blu Homes just opened their first prefab Breezehouse on the east coast of the United States, and Inhabitat editor and founder Jill Fehrenbacher was at the scene for an exclusive tour. Located in Copake, New York, the 2,420-square-foot home is the first of twelve located on an eco-development overlooking the verdant Berkshire Mountains. Solar-ready and super energy-efficient, the prefabricated Breezehouse is also LEED Silver certifiable. Hit the j ...

http://inhabitat.com/inhabitat-tours-blu-homes-first-prefab-

URBAN - Loopcamp: Giant Musical Recycled Paper Cylinders Rise From The Dusty Desert Plain at Burning Man

Read the rest of Loopcamp: Giant Musical Recycled Paper Cylinders Rise From The Dusty Desert Plain at Burning ManPermalink |Add todel.icio.us | diggPost tags: Black Rock City, Black Rock Desert, Burning Man, desert, eco design, festival art, festivals, france, giant paper towel cartons, green design, Loopcamp, Malka Architecture, musical architecture, musical art, musical paper cylinders, Recycled Materials, recycled paper, sustainable desig ...

http://inhabitat.com/loopcamp-at-burning-man-giant-musical-r

URBAN - Recycled Shipping Pallet Pavilion Springs Up in Christchurch, New Zealand

Christchurch, New Zealand suffered a number of devastating earthquakes in the past 2 years, which left almost 200 people dead and thousands without a home. Now artists and architects are rebuilding the city with innovative projects that seek to revitalize open spaces. One of these brilliant projects is the Summer Pallet Pavilion in central Christchurch - an impressive venue made entirely from recycled materials and wooden shipping pallets. Gap Fi ...

http://inhabitat.com/recycled-shipping-pallet-pavilion-sprin

URBAN - Restored Airstream Trailers Perk Up Santa Barbara Park

Architect Matthew Hoffman mixes nostalgia with modern desig ...

http://www.treehugger.com/modular-design/restored-airstream-

URBAN - Sharon Neuman Architects' Minimalist Herzelya Home Keeps Cool With Energy-Efficient Design

Read the rest of Sharon Neuman Architects' Minimalist Herzelya Home Keeps Cool With Energy-Efficient DesignPermalink |Add todel.icio.us | diggPost tags: asymmetric, contemporary, energy efficient, Herzlyia, insulation, Isreal, rainwater collection, residence, Sharon Neuman Architects, solar thermal, thermal mas ...

http://inhabitat.com/minimalist-israeli-home-by-sharon-neuma

URBAN - Sleeping Around: Belgium's Pop-Up Shipping Container Hotel Is Always On the Move

Read the rest of Sleeping Around: Belgium's Pop-Up Shipping Container Hotel Is Always On the MovePermalink |Add todel.icio.us | diggPost tags: "sustainable architecture", Antwerp, belgium, Cargotecture, eco design, eco hotel, green architecture, Green Building, green design, green hotel, pop-up hotel, shipping container hotel, shipping containers, sleeping around, sleeping around hotel, sleeping around pop up hotel, Sustainable Building, sustaina ...

http://inhabitat.com/sleeping-around-pop-up-shipping-contain

URBAN - Sure Architecture's Perforated Yinchuan Exhibition Center Reflects Islamic Architecture in Northwest China

Read the rest of Sure Architecture's Perforated Yinchuan Exhibition Center Reflects Islamic Architecture in Northwest ChinaPermalink |Add todel.icio.us | diggPost tags: arabic axis, chinese arabic style, double skinned facade, eco design, green design, Islamic design, north west china, polyhedron building, Sure architecture, sustainable design, Yinchuan Exhibition Cente ...

http://inhabitat.com/yinchuan-exhibition-centers-perforated-

URBAN - Sustainable Design Is MIA at Toronto's Interior Design Show

It used to be a big deal, marketing design products as green. It doesn't appear to be anymore ...

http://www.treehugger.com/slideshows/sustainable-product-des

WIND - EU Installed More Than One Offshore Wind Turbine Per Working Day In 2012

More than one offshore wind turbine was installed per working day in European waters in 2012, bringing the total to 1,662 in 55 offshore wind farms spanning territorial waters of ten European countries, according to year-end data compiled and presented in a European Wind Energy Association report released January 28.Installation of 293 offshore wind turbines with a total rated capacity of 1,165 megawatts (MW) represents a 33% increase from 201 .. ...

http://cleantechnica.com/2013/01/29/eu-installed-more-than-o

WIND - Top 10 Countries on Wind Power

These countries are taking wind energy to the next level ...
http://news.discovery.com/tech/alternative-power-sources/top

WIND - Wind Energy Surpasses Nuclear As China's 3rd Largest Source Of Electrical Power

Wind energy is now China's third largest source of electricity, according to a report from People's Daily Online. Wind power generation in China totalled 100.4 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) in 2012, a 0.5% year-on-year increase and surpassing nuclear power generation, according to data presented over the weekend by the China Wind Energy Association (CWEA).Ambitious state renewable power targets and government support for wind energy manufacture .. ...

http://cleantechnica.com/2013/01/29/wind-enegy-surpasses-nuc

WORK - 4 Ways To Get More From Your Website Redesign

By Natalie Bur ...
http://www.forbes.com/sites/capitalonespark/2013/01/29/4-way

WORK - 50 Cent's Career Advice: Make Your Own Business Decisions

In 2007, 50 Cent released the music video for "I Get Money", the third single from his third album. While most artists at the time were waiting for marketing budgets to be approved and allocated from their labels, 50 Cent (whose real name is Curtis James Jackson III), decided he was tired of waiting for budgets to shoot and promote his music - especially when he was inspired and motivated. Instead, 50 Cent shot the video with his own money and wa ...
http://www.forbes.com/sites/kellyclay/2013/01/28/50-cents-ca

WORK - One Man's Attempt To Live A Year Off Sponsorships

Zach Bussey has $12,000 Cdn to pay for his rent, heat and electricity and Internet for the year. Everything else he hopes to gain through social media and sponsorship ...
http://www.forbes.com/sites/reneesylvestrewilliams/2013/01/2

WORK - Top jobs of the week in digital media

January isn't too early to be thinking about spring, is it? While the weather on the East Coast has been anything but balmy, our editorial team is already thinking ahead to April, when our paidContent Live event will take the stage at the Time and Life Building in Manhattan. Turn up the thermostat and peek at the lineup. And while you have content on the brain, check out our latest job listings from across the country: Akamai: Senior Engagement M ...

http://paidcontent.org/2013/01/30/top-jobs-of-the-week-in-di

WORK - Why Your Future CEO Won't Mind You Aren't Working Hard At Your Desk

With Jocelyn Aucoi ...
http://www.forbes.com/sites/sap/2013/01/28/why-your-future-c

AIR - ABC News and Daily Show Miss Point on Beijing Air Crisis

While The Daily Show and ABC News report on China's toxic air pollution, their framing misses an opportunity to connect dots to climate crisis.

http://www.treehugger.com/climate-change/ABC-News-Daily-Show-Miss-Poin

ANIMALS - Omega-3 can help laying hens avoid bone damage

Most of us are aware of the potential health benefits of omega-3 found in fish oil and flax seed. Now researchers have found that omega-3 could help laying hens avoid bone damage, which affects millions of hens each year, and the research may also help human patients suffering from osteoporosis.

http://phys.org/news/2013-01-omega-hens-bone.htm

ANIMALS - Scientific paper challenges assumptions about bark beetles' link to wildfires

Don't blame bark beetles for catastrophic wildfires such as the blaze that blackened more than 23,000 acres of Kittitas County in Washington state last summer, some scientists say.

http://phys.org/news/2013-01-scientific-paper-assumptions-bark-beetles

BIRDS - Cats in US kill billions of birds, mammals, study finds

Domestic cats in the United States kill up to 3.7 billion birds and as many as 20.7 billion mice, voles and other small mammals each year, biologists estimated on Tuesday.

http://phys.org/news/2013-01-cats-billions-birds-mammals.htm

BIRDS - Cultural evolution changes bird song

Thanks to cultural evolution, male Savannah sparrows are changing their tune, partly to attract "the ladies."

http://phys.org/news/2013-01-cultural-evolution-bird-song.htm

BIRDS - With hot air treatment, bacteria fly the coop

Poultry producers can reduce bacterial cross-contamination in poultry cages by treating the cages with forced air that's been heated to 122 degrees Fahrenheit, according to a study by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists.

http://phys.org/news/2013-01-hot-air-treatment-bacteria-coop.htm

BOOKS - Bezos: With ebook sales up 70% in 2012, Amazon has hit "transition" it expected

Amazon announced fourth-quarter earnings slightly below investor expectations Tuesday afternoon - but operating income, widely viewed by investors as an important measure of the company's overall health, rose, driving shares up in after-hours trading. Net income for the quarter was $97 million, or $0.21 per share, on revenue of $21.27 billion - compared to profits of $177 million on revenue of $17.43 billion a year ago. Operating income rose 45 p ...

http://gigaom.com/2013/01/29/amazon-reports-increased-profits-and-eboo

BOOKS - Inside Forbes: The Rise of the Entrepreneurial Journalist in a World Seeking Credible Voices

Who's your source? It's a question I would ask reporters all the time when I was an editor at two different national newspapers, a newsweekly and during my first stint at FORBES 15 years ago. The right source was critical to a story's veracity. That's why I was so pleased to learn that Roberton Williams, Howard Gleckman and Len Burman -- three of our expert contributors -- were quoted 21 times over 12 months by New York Times reporters writing for the newspaper about the fiscal cliff and taxes. I was just as thrilled that Williams alone was quoted 24 times in the The Wall Street Journal. For two of the most respected news brands, our writers were their sources.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/lewisdvorkin/2013/01/29/inside-forbes-the-

CLIMATE - Nicholas Stern: Climate Situation 'Far Worse' Than Previously Thought

Nicholas Stern, the British economist who made a big splash worldwide with his government-commissioned Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change in 2006, is now saying that things are even worse than he let on in his famous report.

http://www.treehugger.com/climate-change/nicholas-stern-climate-situat

CLIMATE - Spring may come earlier to North American forests, increasing uptake of carbon dioxide

Trees in the con­ti­nen­tal US could send out new leaves in the spring up to 17 days ear­lier in the com­ing cen­tury than they did before global tem­per­a­tures started ris­ing, accord­ing to a new study. . These climate-driven changes could lead to changes in the com­po­si­tion of north­east­ern forests and give a boost to their abil­ity to take up car­bon dioxide.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/01/130129171427.ht

EARTH - Sinkhole Swallows Building in China

The hole opened up near a construction site, where workers were building a new underground train station. ->

http://news.discovery.com/earth/weather-extreme-events/sinkhole-swallo

ECONOMICS - America's Hardest Working Cities

http://www.forbes.com/pictures/eemh45egmjj/the-25-hardest-working-citi

ECONOMICS - Housing Recovery: Be Careful What You Wish For

Everybody is so happy that the housing industry is recovering, but is it real, and is it a good thing?

http://www.treehugger.com/urban-design/housing-recovery-be-careful-wha

ECONOMICS - How To Use Social Media To Make Sales

http://www.forbes.com/pictures/elee45gild/how-to-use-social-media-to-m

ECONOMICS - Would a Facebook 'Like' Make You Buy A Sweater?

By Scott Goodson, author of best selling book Uprising: How to Build a Brand and Change the World by Sparking Cultural Movements (McGraw Hill, April 2012) and founder and chairman of StrawberryFrog

http://www.forbes.com/sites/marketshare/2013/01/28/would-a-facebook-li

EDUCATION - Ants' behavior leads to new method for optimizing product development time, costs

Trying to find just the right balance of time spent in meetings and time performing tasks is a tough problem for managers, but a Wayne State University researcher believes the behavior of ants may provide a useful lesson on how to do it.

http://phys.org/news/2013-01-ants-behavior-method-optimizing-product.h

EDUCATION - Silicon Valley's Mentoring Gap

Silicon Valley is widely viewed as the world's best Start-up Common. But it may be vulnerable due to a mentoring gap. And that could spell opportunity for other regions of the world seeking to attract world-class entrepreneurial talent.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/petercohan/2013/01/28/silicon-valleys-ment

EDUCATION - World wide web creator sees open access future for academic publishing

Activists pushing for free, open access to academic papers will eventually defeat publishers who seek to lock scholarly findings behind paywalls, the founder of the world wide web said today.

http://phys.org/news/2013-01-world-wide-web-creator-access.htm

ENERGY - A Tale of Iran, Syria and a Busy Oil Tanker

Although sanctions have forced Iran to cut back dramatically on its shipping traffic, some Iranian-linked vessels continue to slip through the net. For a brazen example, take the case of an Iranian-flagged oil tanker named the Tour 2, currently off Cyprus, which earlier this month paid a call at the Syrian port of Tartous.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/claudiarosett/2013/01/29/a-tale-of-iran-sy

ENERGY - How to keep innovation alive in the smart grid

The harsh reality of the smart grid sector is that making an actual sale of networking technology, analytics tools or devices to utilities - not a pilot trial - is hard and takes a really long time. Companies that are lucky enough to test out their tech with utilities in trials aren't guaranteed to get a commercial deal, despite the time and money invested. That's one of the reasons why some smart grid startups struggle and are sold off for smal ...

http://gigaom.com/2013/01/29/how-to-keep-innovation-alive-in-the-smart

ENERGY - ICE Energy From Waste Conference

Here's a guest post on an upcoming conference in the UK that looks quite interesting. Have a look and see if you'd like to attend:The UK doesn't currently have sufficient capacity to process all waste that could be utilised for energy - an estimated 30 million tonnes go unexploited every year and more is exported to Europe. At a time when government is trying to cut carbon emissions and shore up energy supply, it's increasingly crucial that th ...

http://cleantechnica.com/2013/01/29/ice-energy-from-waste-conference

ENERGY - Why Boulder Has To Buy Out Its Electric Utility For A Clean Energy Future

In late 2011, citizens of Boulder, CO, voted to boot their incumbent electric utility, Xcel Energy, and form a municipal electric utility. It was the culmination of a multi-year battle to get more clean, local energy from their corporate electric overlord. In the end, city leaders and citizens agreed that the only credible option for significantly reducing their contribution to climate change was to go it alone. Now, the city is embarked on t ...

http://cleantechnica.com/2013/01/29/why-boulder-has-to-buy-out-their-e

FASHION - Apple Patents Smart Shoes

Wear-out sensors send you an alert when it's time to get a new pair of kicks. ->

http://news.discovery.com/tech/gear-and-gadgets/apple-patents-smart-sh

GARDENS - HarvestGeek Automates Your Entire Garden

Created for the urban food movement, this system is an open-source, wireless Internet of Things for your farm or garden.

http://www.treehugger.com/gadgets/harvestgeek-automates-your-entire-ga

HOMES - Folding Bathtub from 1915 Would Make Sense Today

Why take up so much space with a tub when you can just unfurl it when you need it?

http://www.treehugger.com/bathroom-design/folding-bathtub-1915-would-m

HOMES - Man builds most energy-efficient home he could

Saving money was never on Dennis Kaech's mind when he built his Olympia, Wash., home. But saving energy was.

http://phys.org/news/2013-01-energy-efficient-home.htm

PEOPLE - Elon Musk

http://www.forbes.com/pictures/mlg45mddh/elon-musk

SCIENCE - Einstein Also Studied This Obscure Geological Law

Einstein also studied Baer's Law, the law that governs the erosion of rivers, and gave us his version of its mechanics.

http://news.discovery.com/earth/rocks-fossils/einstein-also-studied-th

SCIENCE - Explanation as to when a liquid on a rough surface will form a thin film and when it will form droplets

(Phys.org)-The phenomenon of liquids coating rough surfaces in the form of films or droplets is commonplace. The morning dew converts grass and leaves into scenes of magical beauty, while a thin film of rainwater on the road can pose a danger to every driver - especially if it freezes. But how can we tell in what conditions a liquid will form a continuous film or just isolated drops? Existing theories generally describe ideally smooth surfaces, which are not so relevant in the real world. Now, for the first time, scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organisation in Göttingen have developed a general theory that provides an answer to the question of film or droplets for rough surfaces. It is based on amazingly simple mathematical expressions - and could make it possible to predict, for instance, whether (and when) short circuits are likely to occur in transformer substations.

http://phys.org/news/2013-01-explanation-liquid-rough-surface-thin.htm

SCIENCE - Of Einstein and entanglement: Quantum erasure deconstructs wave-particle duality

(Phys.org)-Quantum physics presents several counterintuitive features, including entanglement, tunneling and - as demonstrated in double-slit experiments - wave-particle duality. When studying wave-particle duality, however, so-called interferometric quantum eraser experiments - in which wave-like behavior can be restored by erasing path information - allow researchers to perform differential measurements on each of two entangled quantum systems. (Double-slit experiments not involving quantum erasure utilize superposition of single particles, while in quantum eraser experiments two particles are entangled.) Specifically, the particle feature's welcher-weg (which-path) information is erased (or not) from one system, and interference-based measurements in the other system are used to observe (or not, as the case may be) its wave feature.

http://phys.org/news/2013-01-einstein-entanglement-quantum-erasure-dec

SOLAR - New ERCOT Report Shows That Texas Wind And Solar Are Highly Competitive With Natural Gas

An interesting fact seemed to go unnoticed in all the press around the Electric Reliability Council of Texas's (ERCOT) Long Term System Assessment, a biennial report submitted to the Texas Legislature on "the need for increased transmission and generation capacity throughout the state of Texas." ERCOT found that if you use updated wind and solar power characteristics like cost and actual output to reflect real world conditions, rather than the previously used 2006 assumed characteristics, wind and solar are more competitive than natural gas over the next 20 years. This might seem a bit strange since we've been told for years by renewable energy skeptics that wind and solar power can't compete with low natural gas prices. Let me back up a second and explain what's going on here, and what it means for both the energy crunch and Texas' ongoing drought.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/edfenergyexchange/2013/01/28/new-ercot-rep

SOLAR - Solar Net Metering Equals Net Benefits In California And Vermont

Two new reports from California and Vermont show that net metering creates significant net benefits for consumers while strengthening one of the US solar market's strongest drivers of new installations.Rooftop solar installation image via ShutterstockNet metering is essentially a guarantee that utilities will provide their customers a fair retail credit for excess electricity they generate that flows onto the grid instead of into their homes - ...

http://cleantechnica.com/2013/01/28/solar-net-metering-equals-net-bene

SOLAR - Solar power prices to continue falling through 2025, experts say

Prices for solar modules—the part of solar panels that produce electricity—will continue to fall, in line with the long-term trend since 1980, according to a survey of experts by Near Zero, , a nonprofit energy research organization. However, for prices to keep falling for the long term will require continued committment to research, such as on materials used for making solar modules.

http://phys.org/news/2012-12-solar-power-prices-falling-experts.htm

SOLAR - SolarCity Announces Pricing of Its Initial Public Offering

SAN MATEO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--SolarCity Corporation, a provider of clean distributed energy, announced today the pricing of its initial public offering of 11,500,000 shares of common stock at a price of $8.00 per share. The common stock is expected to begin trading on The NASDAQ Global Market on December 13, 2012 under the ticker symbol “SCTY.” A total of 11,434,988 shares are being offered by SolarCity and 65,012 shares are being offered by selling stockholders.

http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20121212006723/en/SolarCity-Anno

SOLAR - Top Solar Power States vs Top Solar Power Countries (CleanTechnica Exclusive)

I think you all are going to love this one. But before getting into the numbers and charts, here's one quick caveat on the ranking below: my solar power installation data for the countries was for the end of 2011, whereas my solar power installation data for the states (courtesy of GTM Research, via Scott Burger) was for the end of Q3 2012. So, basically, the states had a 9-month advantage (which can be rather significant when it comes to sola ...

http://cleantechnica.com/2013/01/29/top-solar-states-vs-top-solar-coun

SOLAR - Using Darwin to Develop More Efficient Solar Panels

Use of "artificial" natural selection can be used to trap light (photons) longer so that energy can be harvested more efficiently in organic solar cells.

http://www.treehugger.com/biomimicry/using-darwin-develop-more-efficie

SPACE - Billionaire Space Race

These Forbes rich list members are investing in the technology to take both humans and payloads like satellites into space.

http://www.forbes.com/pictures/mlg45lmkj/the-first-of-its-kind-3

SPACE - How Much Will It Cost to Live on Mars?

What would it actually cost to set up a long-term home on the Red Planet? Browse this infographic to find out. ->

http://news.discovery.com/space/how-much-will-it-cost-to-live-on-mars-

SPACE - Iran's Space Program Isn't Monkeying Around

The Islamic Republic of Iran says it successfully sent a monkey into space on Monday and retrieved the animal alive. If true, the mission represents a major step towards the nation putting human astronauts into orbit.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidewalt/2013/01/28/irans-space-program-

SPACE - See the Andromeda Galaxy in a Cool New Light

The European Herschel Space Observatory has stared deep into the famous Andromeda galaxy, exposing the intricate beauty of its cool spirals of gas and dust.

http://news.discovery.com/space/galaxies/herschel-andromeda-galaxy-coo

SUSTAINABILITY - Sahara Forest Project Grows Green Jobs From Sand, Saltwater, & CO2

It's been a while since we checked in on the Sahara Forest Project, but its first pilot facility just online went a few weeks ago so now is a good time to do some catching up. As for the goal of re-vegetating the Sahara desert, why stop there? With large chunks of the U.S. facing historic droughts, the project's creative use of open space, saltwater and carbon dioxide to create new green jobs and re-vegetate desert lands sure sounds like a con ...

http://cleantechnica.com/2013/01/29/sahara-forest-project-grows-green-

TECH - 10 Thin, Light And Fast Ultrabook Laptops

http://www.forbes.com/pictures/fgfk45gdgl/acer-aspire-s3-3

TECH - Billions of sensors power professor's vision of interconnected world

A professor at Wichita State University plans to create a university center with an ambitious name: The Center for the Internet of Everything.

http://phys.org/news/2013-01-billions-sensors-power-professor-vision.h

TECH - Facebook Is Down In New York, Texas And Elsewhere In U.S., Cause Unknown

The Next Web and Gizmodo are reporting that many users in the U.S. are reporting that Facebook is down tonight. Here, in Maine, it's working fine, so I can confirm that the outage, though large, is localized. Instagram does not sem affected. Gizmodo suggests that "typing 'www.' before the usual facebook.com into your browser has helped a few users get through." Give it a try if the site is down for you.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/anthonykosner/2013/01/28/facebook-is-down-

TECH - German court says the internet is pretty much required for modern life

The German high court has weighed in on the value of a web connection (as well as faxes and VoIP lines) and determined that the internet is pretty much essential to modern life (hat tip to TechDirt). This puts the German court closer to agencies such as the ITU and countries such as Finland where internet access is considered a right. Apparently back in Dec. 2008, a German citizen found himself disconnected from his DSL line because of some erro ...

http://gigaom.com/2013/01/28/german-court-says-the-internet-is-pretty-