now taking Smart reservations!

"Coming to the USA in 2008"

Not so sure its just right for where we live, but I'm keeping my eye on the Smart fourtwo.

Climate Savers Computing Initiative

So this is a good idea, and overdue. The fruits of green computing could be considerable, not to mention lowering my utility bill.

longevity risk

So, I was thinking about retirement savings today. An article in the NY Times talked about the (horrifyingly low) median amount of retirement saving the average boomer has socked away.

Found a couple of relevant articles:

1) from FDIC: Outlook Spring 2006

There are many risks to retirement saving, for example, inflation. Another one I found particularly interesting was the concept of "longevity risk". Yep, with increased and increasing progress in health care and health science, our savings are subject to, I guess, bring outlived.

2) From July of 2006, an article from Marketwatch: America's savings hoax exposed

The point of this article seems to be that many of us are willfully blind about our savings posture, and important factors in society encourage us in this blindness, as, from the subtitle:

"Politicians, bankers and CEOs all want you to spend, not save."

What follows are a number of scary quotes and observations about our savings. And the theory that only a catastrophe could bring us to our senses.

Ironically, some of the scientific research I've been following recently demonstrates optimism about the possibility of healthy life extension. I guess we better adjust our financial models and savings plans as well. Or, what the heck, go with the 50" plasma high-def.

xkcd

...Well, blogs I frequent reference something funny in xkcd, more than you might expect. So I should probably track it..

Prospects for extending healthy life

Aubrey de Grey's talk recorded via Google video.

Not sure I can really accept all the arguments, but this is a provocative talk, and worth the hour or so to watch if you have an interest in research about aging.

John Doerr: Seeking salvation and profit in greentech

Great talk (18 minute video) by John Doerr at TED regarding greentech; no doubt this is heartfelt and compelling. From the TED site:

"I don't think we're going to make it," John Doerr proclaims, in an emotional talk about climate change and investment. Spurred on by his daughter, who demanded he fix the mess the world is heading for, he and his partners at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers embarked on a greentech world tour -- surveying the state of the art, from the ethanol revolution in Brazil to Wal-mart's (!) eco-concept store in Bentonville, Arkansas. KPCB is investing $200 million in green technologies to save the planet and make a profit to boot. But, Doerr fears, it may not be enough.

network neutrality

From isen.blog, one of the more articulate posts on network neutrality that I've read, Making Network Neutrality Sustainable: SMART Letter #100.

How to Talk to a Climate Skeptic

Thanks to Grist, here is a collection of information which can be used to refute refuters.

I know there is a strong emphasis on the right-hand side of the political spectrum to debunk global warming, apparently because they see it as a liberal or big government attack on free markets and capitalism. It seems to me that global warming, while threatening, is also a fantastic opportunity for entrepreneurs and our free market economy to address the problem in ways that help grow the economy. And it seems to me that many small and large players in the market are taking this view, as previously blogged. Hmmm...

songbird

Well, Songbird looks pretty interesting, and perhaps a candidate to add to my collection of useful open source apps.

google green

Coding Horror has this article:

When Hardware is Free, Power is Expensive

about Google's focus on efficient power supplies. It includes a link to a Google whitepaper on the subject.

Google's efforts at scaling identify the issues, like power, that occur in internet-scale infrastructures. The great benefit is that theses technologies will trickle down to PCs we ordinary humans will purchase.