Ed Dowding

Call of Duty.

Here’s fun: Open this link in Google: https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=define+duty Read the first definition. Click the big grey arrow at the bottom of the box to show more detail, specifically the ‘usage over time’ graph. Reflect on that a moment.

“Democracy is the best I can think of right now”

For all his greatness, Churchill screwed up when he said “Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others.” Firstly, it’s an absolute statement. Like the phrase ‘best practise’ is an absolute statement which says there is and can be no better way of doing something, so this statement about democracy doesn’t ...

Asking the right questions

An article at Youth Policy is saying that the age of effective mass-mobilisation is over. He has a point. It’s a lovely idea and the notion of ‘people-power’ is undoubtedly attractive, but it’s unlikely to work. It is a strategy that does not match the zeitgeist (spirit of our times) of the current age. […] ...

Government ideologically supports nuclear power.

If you happen to be making a list of “Milestones where people made bad decisions which held back Civilisation”, be sure to add this to it. The Government has agreed to pay twice the market rate for nuclear power to please the French builders and Chinese investors. This means that the owners of Hinkley Point ...

This Smart Wheel Makes Cycling in the City a Breeze [VIDEO]

As city planners and green-energy experts endeavor to find new ways to make our commutes more environmentally friendly, the popularity of bicycle-sharing has exploded in some of the world’s biggest cities. Via http://mashable.com/2013/10/16/flykly-smart-wheel-cycling/

Did Madeliene McCann kill 100,00 Syrians and cover up the IPCC report?

Excuse the contentious headline, but contentious headlines grab attention. At least that’s what the press would have us believe. After 6 years of covering Madeliene McCann, the BBC Today programme is discussing if BuzzFeed is irresponsible for distracting people from ‘real news’.

Obama is Outsmarting Everyone and Winning on Syria Without Firing a Shot

“During interviews on CNN and Fox News, President Obama’s plan to destroy Syria’s chemical weapons without launching a single missile became obvious, as he is outsmarting the media and his Republican critics.” Source: http://www.politicususa.com/2013/09/09/president-obama-outsmarting-winning-syria-firing-shot.html

You want to ration my what?

When Stan Cox’s Losing Our Cool questioned America’s fetish for air-conditioning in 2010, some very nasty comments reached his inbox. But Cox, an agricultural researcher at the Land Institute in Salina, Kan., is not one to back down from saying what needs to be said. Via http://grist.org/climate-energy/you-want-to-ration-my-what/

Ashton Kutcher Just Told A Bunch Of Teenagers How To Be Sexy, In The Smartest Way Ever

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuBSRC1zpHw Via Upworthy

Blue sky statistics

Since 2000 business flights by residents of the UK have fallen by 25%: a rate far beyond the general impacts of the recession. There are two likely reasons. Business travel is treated by many companies as a luxury, which is quickly cut when conditions tighten. And much of the perceived need to travel has been ...

Excerpts from John Ashton’s Alternative Mansion House speech

“My generation has done a terrible thing. We closed our eyes and surrendered our capacity to build the future. We surrendered it to a modern day secular cult. The cult has no single name, only labels that identify sectors within its sphere of influence.” Source: http://www.neweconomics.org/blog/entry/excerpts-from-john-ashtons-alternative-mansion-house-speech

Civilisation innovates, culture consolidates.

To make the distinction unmistakably clear: Civilization is the vital force in human history; culture is that inert mass of institutions and organizations which accumulate around and tend to drag down the advance of life; Civilization is Giordano Bruno facing death by fire; culture is the Cardinal Bellarmino, after ten years of inquisition, sending Bruno ...

Embrace Life – always wear your seat belt

httpv://youtu.be/h-8PBx7isoM

Profits Without Production

One lesson from recent economic troubles has been the usefulness of history. Via http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/21/opinion/krugman-profits-without-production.html

Does transparency lead to trust? Some evidence on the subject.

As open government gains traction in the international agenda, it is increasingly common to come across statements that assume a causal relationship in which transparency leads to trust in government. But to what extent are claims that transparency leads to trust backed up by evidence? Via http://democracyspot.net/2013/06/19/does-transparency-lead-to-trust-some-evidence-on-the-subject/

Zen courage.

The banks of the far shore are beautiful, but the turbulent river hides all but a few stepping stones. Courage. More will appear as you move.

With an Eye Toward Disaster, NYC Debuts Solar Charging Stations

Nerval’s Lobster writes “When hurricane Sandy pummeled New York City last fall, it left a sizable percentage of the metropolis without electricity. Residents had trouble keeping their phones and tablets charged, and often walked across whole neighborhoods to reach zones with power. Via http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/13/06/18/1832251/with-an-eye-toward-disaster-nyc-debuts-solar-charging-stations

What happened to political leadership?

I have no idea what happened to political leadership, and in many ways I don’t much care. What is where are the politicians with vision? It used to be that the greatest minds went into politics with the sole intention of helping the citizens they cared for navigate the future successfully.  Now it would appear ...

Ancient Roman Concrete Is About To Revolutionize Modern Architecture

schwit1 sends this news from Businesweek: “After 2,000 years, a long-lost secret behind the creation of one of the world’s most durable man-made creations ever — Roman concrete — has finally been discovered by an international team of scientists, and it may have a significant impact on how we bu Via http://tech.slashdot.org/story/13/06/15/1238226/ancient-roman-concrete-is-about-to-revolutionize-modern-architecture

Do-It-Yourself Brain Stimulation Has Scientists Worried – Slashdot

“Dave Siever always fancied himself as something of a musician, but also realized he did not necessarily sing or play in perfect key. Then he strapped on the electrodes of a device made by his Edmonton company, and zapped his brain’s auditory cortex with a mild dose of electricity. The result, he claims, was a ...