images: PCRM & MyPyramid.gov The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine filed suit last week against the US Department of Agriculture and the the Department of Health and Human Services in US District Court for the District of Columbia, alleging the the agencies violated federal law in failing to respond to a PCRM petition advocating a plant-based food pyramid as an alternative to USDA’s ” MyPyramid ” dietary guidelines. … Read the full story on TreeHugger
Continue reading …Kate Stohr, the co-founder of Architecture for Humanity , dropped me a note suggesting that I have a look at their Year in Review of their work in Haiti. I did, and couldn’t help but come to the conclusion that it was really boring. . I mean really, others like Kevin Schopfer are proposing floating cities ; Andre Duany is floating
Continue reading …Photo by Rennett Stowe via Flickr Creative Commons As the smart grid rolls forward, we’re seeing an upswing in wariness from consumers, utilities and other organizations who have serious questions about the security of our grid. Indeed, security has been an ominous issue that no one wants to ignore as the smart grid develops, yet few can really address the scale, let alone the solutions. Adrian Turner of Mocana , a device security solutions company, met with me to talk about some of the risks associated with having every… Read the full story on TreeHugger
Continue reading …Okay, we’ve seen an iPad on a dashboard . Ready for some in-car PlayBook action? Recent RIM acquisition QNX is all over it, showing off what it calls simply QNX Car. It’s a basic reference implementation of some technology that will be running the infotainment systems of cars in the coming years — though they’ll surely look very different than this by then. QNX is showing how it can pull media from multiple sources, like an iPhone , use Message Access Protocol Bluetooth to pull data from a BlackBerry , and even use Terminal Mode to replicate the UI of something like the PlayBook. Plus, the PlayBook was able to change climate control settings in the car. The company is also working on what it’s called the Simple UI Protocol. It’s basically a lowest-common-denominator smartphone integration — something like Ford’s AppLink that, in theory, will work regardless of the app or the hardware on the car. It’s very limited, allowing just two lines of text and a few icons to be sent from the phone to the car, and just two buttons (left and right) to be sent back to the phone as controls. The idea is to remove any aspect of driver distraction and to provide AppLink-like functionality in a standard, non OEM-specific way, which we like. But, it’s so limited in scope we’re not sure just how useful it would be. See for yourself after the break. Gallery: QNX Car hands-on Continue reading QNX Car concept with PlayBook integration hands-on (video) QNX Car concept with PlayBook integration hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 10 Jan 2011 12:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …One thing we’re learning at CES is that the future of transportation is, apparently, pretty weird looking. The EN-V or YikeBike not odd enough? Check out the Uno from BPG Motors, a tricycle that transforms into a self-balancing, two-wheeled… thing. It’s gained a wheel since the last time we saw it , a front fork that folds in between the rear wheels and the whole thing starts balancing when you need to go through some tight spaces and then, when it’s time to go faster (up to around 30 or 35mph) that wheel pivots out, the whole thing lowers, and away it goes. Unfortunately we weren’t allowed to pivot the thing at the show, but we have a video of the transformation after the break along with a little walk-around of the thing. Trust us: you’ll want to watch them both. Gallery: BPG Motors Uno Continue reading A look at BPG Motors amazing, transforming, self-balancing Uno (video) A look at BPG Motors amazing, transforming, self-balancing Uno (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 10 Jan 2011 11:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Several inches of snow and sleet coated Atlanta and other parts of the South, freezing the morning commute in many areas and cancelling thousands of flights at the world’s busiest airport. (Jan. 10)
Continue reading …Images and audio recordings trace the developments over two days in the shootings outside a Tucson, Ariz. grocery store that killed 6 and critically injured Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. (Jan. 10)
Continue reading …Harrison Ford reveals he’s a morning person while Rachel McAdams struggles to cope with the cold at the Berlin premiere their new comedy ‘Morning Glory.’ (Jan. 10)
Continue reading …Image credit: Transition Malvern From natural gas ‘fracking’ to burning tap water , we know all too well that natural gas is not exactly a clean, problem-free fuel. But what are sustainability advocates to do in a town that cherishes its gas street lamps as a nostalgic throwback to a bygone era, not to mention a draw for the tourists? Why, rol… Read the full story on TreeHugger
Continue reading …Judging from our comments section, people still have a lot of questions about the proposed changes in Social Security. Why should rich people be able to collect Social Security? What’s the big deal if people have to retire a couple of years later? Tonight on Virtually Speaking Susie, my Blog Talk Radio show, I’ll be interviewing Dr. Eric Kingston, professor of social work at Syracuse University, about Social Security. He was an advisor to the Obama campaign and is now the co-director with Nancy Altman of Social Security Works . He’s one of the top experts in the country, so if you, your family or co-workers have questions or concerns, he’s the person to ask. Also joining the discussion will be FDL political reporter David Dayen. The one-hour show begins at 11 pm EST (8 PM West Coast time) and we’ll be taking calls at 646-200-3440. Listen to internet radio with Jay Ackroyd on Blog Talk Radio
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