Ed Dowding

Month: January 2011

How to make your savings work harder

We’re all looking for ways to “do our bit” with less effort, hence the popularity of such simple actions like taking your own bags, buying organic, eating less meat, cycling more and so on. If you have any financial savings, here’s a few simple things you can do which only take 20 minutes to do ...

Fish, Forests, and the 21st Century commons

An extract from a letter I’ve just written to my MP, George Freeman, the PPS to Gregory Barker as Minister of State, Department of Energy and Climate Change. In the meantime I wonder if I might press home one or two contemporary issues? Firstly you are no doubt aware of the “Hugh’s Fish Fight” campaign. ...

Superstruct future forecasting game

I can’t believe I’ve only just heard of this. Superstruct is a forecasting game designed to anticipate new ways of being / doing this human being thing on planet Earth. It was massively multiplayer and played by more than 7000 people from September – November, 2008. The Institute for the Future published the results. Some ...

Gaming for a better world.

It’s all just a game, really, this whole life business. We’re in it for a good time, to be fulfilled, amused, creative, challenged, active, careful, and much more. In games we often perform better if the pressure is off. So too in life. Relaxing into it and knowing that one way or another it’s pretty ...

Reasons to be cheerful: Peak Phosphorous

Graphs like this make me very happy because they hint that thing might all work out OK. via Peak Phosphorus: the sequel to Peak Oil. I’m sure you know that phosphorous is one of the critical components to the most abundantly used fertilisers. I’m sure you’ll also know that it’s what causing algal blooms, feeding ...

Give me half a chance and I’d be taking off my clothes and living in the jungle

In man’s evolution he has created the cities and the motor traffic rumble, but give me half a chance and I’d be taking off my clothes and living in the jungle. Quite a fun little thing from the Darwin pages at the Open University which allows you to take a photo and see yourself as ...

Time to use those ‘insurance files’ on Rupert Murdoch?

Julian Assange Says He Has ‘Insurance Files’ on Rupert Murdoch. If he does, now seems like a good time to use them: The BBC have just revealed that Ofcom thinks there are big problems with Murdoch’s BSkyB power grab. Their report says the Competition Commission needs to be involved. But Jeremy Hunt is refusing to ...

Today's hero: Mark Kennedy

The trial of six green campaigners has collapsed after an undercover policeman who had infiltrated their group offered to give evidence on their behalf. via BBC News – Trial collapses after undercover officer changes sides. What a dude! Goes in to find out if anything bad is going on, does his job, a few protests ...

EU organic food push

The European Union (EU) is co-funding a $2.8m (£1.8m) publicity campaign to convince UK residents that organic food is good. According to the industry body, the Organic Trade Board (OTB), the aim is to democratise organic foods and make people aware of their benefits. In other words, the OTB wants people to buy more organic ...