ENVIRONMENT - With the cost of crude oil at $74 per barrel entrepreneurs in the Gulf of Mexico have clued in to an opportunity. Collect the oil and sell it.
1 oil barrel is 159 litres and since the BP Oil Spill started over 800,000 litres were spilling into the Gulf of Mexico every day. Most of it has stayed in a giant oil slick that is now roughly the size of the state of Vermont.
That initial estimate of 800,000 litres per day is now being touted as wrong. BP announced today its been semi-successful in managing to halt some of the flow from the burst oil well, claiming it is now collecting 15,000 barrels of oil a day and hopes to boost that to 28,000 barrels a day in the next several days.
The admission that the spill was bigger than they originally claimed has the US government now looking to correct its estimates on the size of the spill. The new estimate is 100,000 barrels per day (16 million litres).
The burst well has been gushing oil since April 20th, a total of 50 days thus far... 5 million barrels worth approx. $370 million on the open market. BP cannot possibly hope to recoup their financial losses through the collection of this oil.
But that is not stopping cash starved people in Louisiana from recognizing an opportunity to make money and clean up the environment in the process.
In related news BP has purchased a number of Google ads in an effort to save its reputation and appear more transparent to the general public.
June 9, 2010
Babyboomers becoming lost in the Digital Divide
By Charles Moffat - June 9th 2010.
TECHNOLOGY - Are you over 50 and can't tell a search engine from a web portal? You're not alone. Baby Boomers are slow to embrace surfing, online videos, downloading of music and movies... in fact they're so slow at it that seniors (the over 70 age group) on average know more about the internet than the 50 to 70 age group according to a 2007 Statistics Canada survey.
According to a May 2010 study conducted in the USA only 53% of the over 50 age group has used the internet to watch a video online. Compared to 84% among 18 to 29 year olds and 74% among 30 to 49 year olds. The average was 69% overall.
It should be noted women on average are more internet savvy than men, by a 2% margin.
I admit my mother and father fall into this category of Baby Boomers who haven't yet figured out the internet. They're still using a dial-up modem because my mother refuses to pay the extra $10 per month it would cost her to upgrade to Sympatico Lite so instead she keeps using the local dial-up provider in their farming community.
The speed is a mere 1 to 2 kbs per second. In contrast my Rogers cable internet gets about 500 to 2,000 kbs per second depending on the server I am downloading from. Upgrading to a Bell Sympatico Lite account would allow my parents to get approx. 40 to 100 kbs per second, but my mother is as stubborn as they come and firmly believes that they can't even get Bell Sympatico service on the farm (despite advertising to the contrary).
My father won't even touch the computer. He firmly believes he will break it. Thus my mother is the only one in their household who uses it and the internet is only used for the occasional email, ordering seeds online for her gardening and that is about it.
According to statistics however this is a large chunk of the North American population that is very hesitant about using the internet. The Baby Boomers (god bless them) have been a cultural force since the 1960s, the result of frequent post WWII lovemaking which created a bumper crop of children between 1943 to 1960. Their influence was so big it shaped the entertainment industry, politics and changed how companies advertise. Everyone wanted their ears, their votes and their money.
But as the internet era grows and TV becomes slowly obsolete the Baby Boomers have split into two groups:
The Web Savvy Boomers - They check their email daily, they're likely to be on Facebook, they do research/shop/download media online, they might even have their own website for a hobby of theirs. (If you're a Baby Boomer and you're reading this, you're probably in this group.)
The Haven't-Got-A-Clue Boomers - Which includes my parents sadly. These Boomers rarely check email, rarely touch a computer and frankly don't seem to care. They don't see the advantage of instant media.
I'd argue however there is some definite personality differences between the two groups. The 1st group is also more likely to enjoy outdoor activities such as kayaking, rollerblading, cycling, playing road hockey with the grandkids and trying new things. The 2nd group prefers TV, playing Euchre, long drives to see the Autumn leaves change colour and sticking their head in the sand.
For web developers the 2nd group is a difficult nut to crack. They won't even go online in the first place so its very hard to market to them online. They would look at a web development Toronto website and get confused quickly about what is meant by the word development.
Such people are more likely to know more about portable toilet rentals than they know about the internet. This may be an exaggeration, but my point is made. These people don't know s**t about the internet. (Sorry mom, but its true.)
Only 58.5% of Baby Boomers in the USA have ever used the internet according to February 2010 statistics. This contrasts with the 93.2% of 12 to 24 year olds who use the internet, and the 85.6% of 25 to 49 year olds who use the internet. The moment they are over the age of 50 there is a steep decline in internet usage.
This digital divide between young and old is already a source of Generation Gap confusion. If I mention Facebook, my mother thinks its some kind of blog. Which is better than my father who does not even know what a blog is.
Part of this might be because many of the Boomers in the 50 to 65 age group are still working in tradition non-computer based jobs. They have yet to retire and they have not been forced to use computers as part of their work schedule and thus learning how to use a keyboard (typing speed is considered a problem for people not used to the internet) and the internet in general is a foreign concept to them.
There are other factors too, which include: Poverty, illiteracy, lack of interest, addiction to other activities, worry they might become internet addicts and even paranoia thanks to films like The Net (which is wholly inaccurate and ridiculously out of date by today's standards).
We can hope that once these people do retire that maybe they will have enough money saved up they can finally afford a computer, start using it and make an effort. But maybe not. It seems more likely that once people are stuck in their ways they will stay that way until they die.
Sometimes you just can't teach an old dog new tricks. Not because they're not smart, but because they're too stubborn to try something new.
TECHNOLOGY - Are you over 50 and can't tell a search engine from a web portal? You're not alone. Baby Boomers are slow to embrace surfing, online videos, downloading of music and movies... in fact they're so slow at it that seniors (the over 70 age group) on average know more about the internet than the 50 to 70 age group according to a 2007 Statistics Canada survey.
According to a May 2010 study conducted in the USA only 53% of the over 50 age group has used the internet to watch a video online. Compared to 84% among 18 to 29 year olds and 74% among 30 to 49 year olds. The average was 69% overall.It should be noted women on average are more internet savvy than men, by a 2% margin.
I admit my mother and father fall into this category of Baby Boomers who haven't yet figured out the internet. They're still using a dial-up modem because my mother refuses to pay the extra $10 per month it would cost her to upgrade to Sympatico Lite so instead she keeps using the local dial-up provider in their farming community.
The speed is a mere 1 to 2 kbs per second. In contrast my Rogers cable internet gets about 500 to 2,000 kbs per second depending on the server I am downloading from. Upgrading to a Bell Sympatico Lite account would allow my parents to get approx. 40 to 100 kbs per second, but my mother is as stubborn as they come and firmly believes that they can't even get Bell Sympatico service on the farm (despite advertising to the contrary).
My father won't even touch the computer. He firmly believes he will break it. Thus my mother is the only one in their household who uses it and the internet is only used for the occasional email, ordering seeds online for her gardening and that is about it.
According to statistics however this is a large chunk of the North American population that is very hesitant about using the internet. The Baby Boomers (god bless them) have been a cultural force since the 1960s, the result of frequent post WWII lovemaking which created a bumper crop of children between 1943 to 1960. Their influence was so big it shaped the entertainment industry, politics and changed how companies advertise. Everyone wanted their ears, their votes and their money.
But as the internet era grows and TV becomes slowly obsolete the Baby Boomers have split into two groups:
The Web Savvy Boomers - They check their email daily, they're likely to be on Facebook, they do research/shop/download media online, they might even have their own website for a hobby of theirs. (If you're a Baby Boomer and you're reading this, you're probably in this group.)
The Haven't-Got-A-Clue Boomers - Which includes my parents sadly. These Boomers rarely check email, rarely touch a computer and frankly don't seem to care. They don't see the advantage of instant media.
I'd argue however there is some definite personality differences between the two groups. The 1st group is also more likely to enjoy outdoor activities such as kayaking, rollerblading, cycling, playing road hockey with the grandkids and trying new things. The 2nd group prefers TV, playing Euchre, long drives to see the Autumn leaves change colour and sticking their head in the sand.For web developers the 2nd group is a difficult nut to crack. They won't even go online in the first place so its very hard to market to them online. They would look at a web development Toronto website and get confused quickly about what is meant by the word development.
Such people are more likely to know more about portable toilet rentals than they know about the internet. This may be an exaggeration, but my point is made. These people don't know s**t about the internet. (Sorry mom, but its true.)
Only 58.5% of Baby Boomers in the USA have ever used the internet according to February 2010 statistics. This contrasts with the 93.2% of 12 to 24 year olds who use the internet, and the 85.6% of 25 to 49 year olds who use the internet. The moment they are over the age of 50 there is a steep decline in internet usage.
This digital divide between young and old is already a source of Generation Gap confusion. If I mention Facebook, my mother thinks its some kind of blog. Which is better than my father who does not even know what a blog is.
Part of this might be because many of the Boomers in the 50 to 65 age group are still working in tradition non-computer based jobs. They have yet to retire and they have not been forced to use computers as part of their work schedule and thus learning how to use a keyboard (typing speed is considered a problem for people not used to the internet) and the internet in general is a foreign concept to them.There are other factors too, which include: Poverty, illiteracy, lack of interest, addiction to other activities, worry they might become internet addicts and even paranoia thanks to films like The Net (which is wholly inaccurate and ridiculously out of date by today's standards).
We can hope that once these people do retire that maybe they will have enough money saved up they can finally afford a computer, start using it and make an effort. But maybe not. It seems more likely that once people are stuck in their ways they will stay that way until they die.
Sometimes you just can't teach an old dog new tricks. Not because they're not smart, but because they're too stubborn to try something new.
June 7, 2010
Is Nuclear War the answer to Global Warming?
By Ai Lung Nguyen - June 2010.
ENVIRONMENT/POLITICS - Trust the Americans to try and find the easy way out of a problem instead of actually trying to fix it.
In 2009 John Holdren, President Obama’s science advisor, offered the opinion that the detonation of multiple nuclear warheads in an effort to create a modest nuclear winter might be a solution to global warming and prevent the worst effects of climate change. His idea calls for launching a "relatively small" salvo of nuclear missiles, probably "a few dozen at most."
For years now the United States has been rattling the sabre against nuclear proliferation in Iran and North Korea. While Iran denies having a nuclear weapons program, North Korea has gone the opposite way and openly brags about it... threatening nuclear war against South Korea, Japan and the USA and testing long range intercontinental missiles. North Korea has gone out of its way to show off its missiles in it parades and other public functions, making them a major part of its weapons program.
Following the sinking of the South Korean ship the Cheonan a war with North Korea looks increasingly likely, arguably inevitable. That means South Korean and Japanese cities would be likely targets for nuclear strikes.
For their part North Korea only has two cities with populations bigger than 500,000 and only 10 cities bigger than 300,000, some of which aren't likely military targets because of cultural significance.
However the potential targets aside, it should be noted that a nuclear war doesn't have to be very big to have global cooling side effects. The amount of dust blown upwards by a nuclear blast depends on the size (# of megatons) of the bomb being used and individually they can effect a small amount of global cooling.
The problem is the question of how many bombs (and how many megatons) would cause significant global cooling and possibly even a nuclear winter which would cause a shut down in global food production for several years.
During the 1980s, the height of the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States, computer models were made which showed that an all out nuclear war between the two nations would cause a nuclear winter so devastating it would kill all the plants and leave the world in a state of permanent winter that would last decades. The human race would be decimated back to prehistoric levels, if not extinguished entirely.
Similar computer models were conducted to predict the effects of a nuclear war between Pakistan and India and determined that even a small nuclear war could create a nuclear winter which causes a miniature ice age lasting several years, but still enough to devastate plant life.
Food shortages and squabbling over resources would only create more problems and potentially larger wars.
Even an extremely mild nuclear winter would not be a solution to global warming. It would cause too many problems.
Thus while a small nuclear war between Israel and Iran, North Korea and South Korea, or any other potential warmongers the effects of such a nuclear war would actually be extremely harmful to the planet, plant life and ultimately the human race. It is NOT a solution to global warming. The risks of nuclear winter far outweigh any potential benefits.
ENVIRONMENT/POLITICS - Trust the Americans to try and find the easy way out of a problem instead of actually trying to fix it.
In 2009 John Holdren, President Obama’s science advisor, offered the opinion that the detonation of multiple nuclear warheads in an effort to create a modest nuclear winter might be a solution to global warming and prevent the worst effects of climate change. His idea calls for launching a "relatively small" salvo of nuclear missiles, probably "a few dozen at most."For years now the United States has been rattling the sabre against nuclear proliferation in Iran and North Korea. While Iran denies having a nuclear weapons program, North Korea has gone the opposite way and openly brags about it... threatening nuclear war against South Korea, Japan and the USA and testing long range intercontinental missiles. North Korea has gone out of its way to show off its missiles in it parades and other public functions, making them a major part of its weapons program.
Following the sinking of the South Korean ship the Cheonan a war with North Korea looks increasingly likely, arguably inevitable. That means South Korean and Japanese cities would be likely targets for nuclear strikes.
For their part North Korea only has two cities with populations bigger than 500,000 and only 10 cities bigger than 300,000, some of which aren't likely military targets because of cultural significance.
However the potential targets aside, it should be noted that a nuclear war doesn't have to be very big to have global cooling side effects. The amount of dust blown upwards by a nuclear blast depends on the size (# of megatons) of the bomb being used and individually they can effect a small amount of global cooling.
The problem is the question of how many bombs (and how many megatons) would cause significant global cooling and possibly even a nuclear winter which would cause a shut down in global food production for several years.
During the 1980s, the height of the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States, computer models were made which showed that an all out nuclear war between the two nations would cause a nuclear winter so devastating it would kill all the plants and leave the world in a state of permanent winter that would last decades. The human race would be decimated back to prehistoric levels, if not extinguished entirely.Similar computer models were conducted to predict the effects of a nuclear war between Pakistan and India and determined that even a small nuclear war could create a nuclear winter which causes a miniature ice age lasting several years, but still enough to devastate plant life.
Food shortages and squabbling over resources would only create more problems and potentially larger wars.
Even an extremely mild nuclear winter would not be a solution to global warming. It would cause too many problems.
Thus while a small nuclear war between Israel and Iran, North Korea and South Korea, or any other potential warmongers the effects of such a nuclear war would actually be extremely harmful to the planet, plant life and ultimately the human race. It is NOT a solution to global warming. The risks of nuclear winter far outweigh any potential benefits.
June 4, 2010
Apple gadgets becoming lame
TECHNOLOGY - I am sorry, but I just can't hop up and down over the new Apple iPad. If we want to get technical Hewlett-Packard came out with roughly the same product 3 years ago but discontinued it due to low sales figures (it was a tad expensive but did have more options).
The HP Touch Pad came with a removable keyboard and a pen and except for the software is basically the exact same product as the new Apple iPad. If you can call it new. The HP product was essentially a touch pad laptop...
And now with the popularity of the iPad they're releasing a new version of the product: The HP Slate.
But here's the thing. They're all rubbish. Its just another tech gadget for people who have money to burn and love to show off their gadgets to their friends. (I know quite a few gadget geeks and they're all braggarts at heart. Their primary goal is kewlness by being the first kid (or adult) on the block with the new toy: "Nyah nyah! I got one and you don't!")
But really its just a gimmick. Its just like 3D TVs, SmartPhones and SatNav in your car. Its just another gimmicky gadget which in theory is supposed to make your life easier, but in reality it just proves how many people can't use a map, follow directions, are addicted to their email, and are obsessed with having a big 3D TV because that's what they think is important.
However these gadgets don't necessarily make your life easier. If anything they complicate your life by making you chained to your Facebook account, your email inbox, your Twitter account... and you ultimately end up stressed out because of some miscommunication, an email feud with a soon-to-be-ex-friend, frustration from the inadequacies of the technology and eventually burnout...
There's also another two factors which should not be overlooked:
#1. Obsoletism: The gadgets you buy very quickly become obsolete from a technical standpoint because every 6 months roughly there will be a new better product out there and you will be questioning why you wasted your money on a product which so quickly became lame.
#2. Compatibility: In the future (according to Windows, Apple, etc) the goal will be to make computing devices all compatible with each so that you can easily network and switch from one device to the next easily... like the video below:
A lot of these gadgets aren't very compatible however. The iPad isn't even fully compatible with regular Apple products, let alone non-Apple products.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs is very insistent that his company control both the hardware and software used on their products. This makes it very difficult to create compatibility and results in a micro-monopoly wherein only Apple users buy Apple products. The rest of the population is looking for more practical, affordable and compatible products.
But none of this matters to the losers in the lineups waiting to buy the newest gadget. To them its the constant effort of trying to be kewl. Its like bling, crack cocaine and a new toy all rolled into one.
It starts out "Mommy mommy, I want one!", but after awhile its just another toy tossed in the corner with all the other toys. Worse than a 4-year-old with a Hot Wheels addiction.
The silly thing is how often people don't NEED these gadgets. They're just buying them for the sake of greed: I see therefore I want.
See Also: The Future of Phones
The HP Touch Pad came with a removable keyboard and a pen and except for the software is basically the exact same product as the new Apple iPad. If you can call it new. The HP product was essentially a touch pad laptop...And now with the popularity of the iPad they're releasing a new version of the product: The HP Slate.
But here's the thing. They're all rubbish. Its just another tech gadget for people who have money to burn and love to show off their gadgets to their friends. (I know quite a few gadget geeks and they're all braggarts at heart. Their primary goal is kewlness by being the first kid (or adult) on the block with the new toy: "Nyah nyah! I got one and you don't!")
But really its just a gimmick. Its just like 3D TVs, SmartPhones and SatNav in your car. Its just another gimmicky gadget which in theory is supposed to make your life easier, but in reality it just proves how many people can't use a map, follow directions, are addicted to their email, and are obsessed with having a big 3D TV because that's what they think is important.However these gadgets don't necessarily make your life easier. If anything they complicate your life by making you chained to your Facebook account, your email inbox, your Twitter account... and you ultimately end up stressed out because of some miscommunication, an email feud with a soon-to-be-ex-friend, frustration from the inadequacies of the technology and eventually burnout...
There's also another two factors which should not be overlooked:
#1. Obsoletism: The gadgets you buy very quickly become obsolete from a technical standpoint because every 6 months roughly there will be a new better product out there and you will be questioning why you wasted your money on a product which so quickly became lame.
#2. Compatibility: In the future (according to Windows, Apple, etc) the goal will be to make computing devices all compatible with each so that you can easily network and switch from one device to the next easily... like the video below:
A lot of these gadgets aren't very compatible however. The iPad isn't even fully compatible with regular Apple products, let alone non-Apple products.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs is very insistent that his company control both the hardware and software used on their products. This makes it very difficult to create compatibility and results in a micro-monopoly wherein only Apple users buy Apple products. The rest of the population is looking for more practical, affordable and compatible products.
But none of this matters to the losers in the lineups waiting to buy the newest gadget. To them its the constant effort of trying to be kewl. Its like bling, crack cocaine and a new toy all rolled into one.
It starts out "Mommy mommy, I want one!", but after awhile its just another toy tossed in the corner with all the other toys. Worse than a 4-year-old with a Hot Wheels addiction.
The silly thing is how often people don't NEED these gadgets. They're just buying them for the sake of greed: I see therefore I want.
See Also: The Future of Phones
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Featured Posts
|
The Sarcasm Symbol
Ever had some confusion online or with your cellphone when someone fails to catch the sarcasm? Well now with the SarcMark you can ge... |
|
Behold, the Scorpion Hydrogen Supercar
CARS - To the right is the future of supercars... it is a hydrogen supercar called the Scorpion. The Scorpion from Ronn Motors in Texas is t... |
|
Documents show Stephen Harper misusing public funds
CANADA - According to 950+ pages of documents obtained by the Canadian Press under the Access to Information Act the Privy Coun... |
|
Pink's Rosie the Riveter
ENTERTAINMENT - What I like about this video is how it meshes different social movements like feminism, veganism, anti-capitalism... |
|
California's Dustbowl
ENVIRONMENT - The photo on the right is a farm in California that has been put up for sale. Its just one of thousands of farms that are n... |
|
Is Steampunk the New Goth???
GOTHIC - Watch out what you see on the subway late at night because while in 2001 you might have seen some pretty freakish goths, by 20... |
|
Do you have enough Ice Water in your diet?
HEALTH - A Calorie (large C) is a measurement of the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of a litre of water (1 kg's worth) ... |
|
North Korean timeline towards Inevitable War
POLITICS - The following is timeline of events that have occurred on the Korean Peninsula. 1945 - Japan surrenders to the United States a... |
|
Judgment Day is Tomorrow, so sayeth Cult
RELIGION - According to a cult based in California, Judgement Day is tomorrow (May 21st 2011) and Jesus Christ will return to the Earth a... |
|
Sex in Space Forbidden
SEX/TECHNOLOGY - Sex in outer space is a big no-no according to NASA. Not for professional astronauts at least, but the growing numb... |