David Brin , SF author, in "The Transparent Society" advocates dropping cellphone cameras into 'tyrannical societies', with peer to peer coms, which he reckons would make tyranny obsolete.
I recall around 1972 when the first Sony portapak video camera-recorders arrived in New Zealand - the recorder was a separate case slung over the shoulder
I think Roger Donaldson was around, Griff was certainly central, in that upstairs space in Hobson St - near to Wah Lees?
The immediacy of the (B&W) image was arresting.
I recall one idea that occurred rapidly: This device would make injustice impossible, because it could be videoed and shown widely.
Specifically, Evictions by evil landlords would be rendered impossible, their injustice would be exposed.
Some other people had other ideas; they were beginning to realise the value of those inner city Auckland houses we were renting so cheaply. Capitalist types were buying them up and evicting the half-dozen hippie types inhabiting each villa. This trend became a flood, and Freemans Bay is now well gentrified. Video cameras failed to prevent injustice or inequality. Now chiefly used to extol the stainless upgrades in Herne Bay kitchens, I'll be bound.
Undaunted, or at least not yet fatally daunted, I propose 'Material Transparency' - Corporations must reveal all mass flows gas,solid,liquid. across their boundaries. Chemical formulae to be included. No exception due to 'commercial confidence' or 'corporate secrecy' would prevail. No 'secret ingredients'
This Materials Transparency would be easier to enforce than Financial Transparency - the rich will always seek to hide their money in secret offshore banks, no matter how much they trumpet 'new deals' which are about to 'eliminate money laundering' Once you are smuggling enough narcotics, you get entry into the same country clubs as the plutocrats.
Shortages
16 May 2009 BL reported that the coal shortage situation affecting major thermal power stations across the country shows no sign of abating. ... 23 thermal stations were facing critical coal stocks, with fuel in these plants expected to last less than 7 days.
Of these, the coal stocks position in 13 large stations have been designated as super critical, with stocks expected to last less than four days,
com
Kuwait’s Petroleum Industries Company (PIC) will shut its urea and ammonia plants at Shuaiba for a month starting in late May because it does not have enough gas.\
gulfjobsmarket
flickr
Shuttle & hubble against the sun
I presume this is authentic ... they say Atlantis was against the sun for 0.8 secs
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John Grunsfeld performs work on the Hubble Space Telescope as the first of five STS-125 spacewalk
Grunsfeld has like 55 hours of spacewalks, #4 of all time? Has grown almost old with Hubble
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Zombie Ants
"Zombie" Ants Controlled, Decapitated by FliesProject: design a device with 100,000 neurons that can fly, land, recognise an ant species, oviposit between exoskeleton gaps, produce a larvae that controls the ant to walk away from its nest, decapitates the ant , then emerges from the head...
Lab time: 50 million years
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Tahitian Humpbacks
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