by Adam Greenfield
9 customers reviewed this article averaging 4.5

Isbn-13: 9780321384010

Ubiquitous computing–almost imperceptible, but everywhere around us–is rapidly becoming a reality. How will it change us? how can we shape its emergence?Smart buildings, smart furniture, smart clothing… even smart bathtubs. networked street signs and self-describing soda cans. Gestural interfaces like those seen in Minority Report. The RFID tags now embedded in everything from credit cards to the family pet.All of these are facets of the ubiquitous computing author Adam Greenfield calls “everyware.”…

God and Gold: Britain, America, and the Making of the Modern World (Vintage)

by Walter Russell Mead
17 customers reviewed this article averaging 4.5

Isbn-13: 9780375713736

A stunningly insightful account of the global political and economic system, sustained first by Britain and now by America, that has created the modern world. The key to the two countries’ predominance, Mead argues, lies in the individualistic ideology inherent in the Anglo-American religion. Over the years Britain and America’s liberal democratic system has been repeatedly challeged—by Catholic Spain and Louis XIV, the Nazis, communists, and Al Qaeda—and for the most part, it has prevailed….

Recently we have had some tough debates in the Nethelands on the effects of large-scale farming of animals, like pigs, in so-called pig-flats. Multiple-stories high buildings to breed pigs. According to animal health specialist a pig will not know the difference between ground-floor or second-floor, but others fear landscape-polution, too much density of traffic or waste or even Sars or birdflue like hotspots. A proposed solution was to move the flats to the harbour where food, breeding and meat-production could concentrate… is this debate rediculous or is it a real scenario by : Vertical Farming

Out of every car sold, 50% is not going to private users but to lease-companies. Lease-drivers don’t pay for fuel so there is no incentive to start driving a hybrid car. As a private users, you are taxed on the vehicle retail-price, not its usage. So indeed you get a little bonus on purchasing a less-bad-for-environment car but why don’t we tax the consumption of the car. Wetter you drive an expensive car or a cheap car seems to me less relevant than the fuel its using and the polution its creating. Interestingly enough there are many many initiatives for hybrid cars out there… just not with the Big car manufacturers…

I wanted to share this short piece of audio of an interview with Ewald Vanvugt. He is coming weeks going to give three lectures on the history of our culture, especially on our role in colonial times, something that is under-represented in our view on history. Just listen for 5 minutes how he draws a straight line from Europeans crossing the ocean for the Lord, to bring Christianity, later civilization, than trade, now democracy? Always with the excuse that a ‘tiran’ need to be removed from the devil to the tribal chief, to current dictators? - If you are interested, he just wrote a book ‘Zwartboek van Nederland overzee’.

‘Wie zijn verleden niet kent, kan zijn heden niet begrijpen en zijn toekomst niet vormgeven‘ - Historian Johan Huizenga

Please help me out here with this reasoning: I requested a subsidy to install about 14 sun-panels on my roof. Costs are approximately 1.000 euro a screen and 2.000 euro installation cost, so 16k in total. I was granted a subsidy which provides me with a kick-back on every unit of energy the screen delivers. The calculation (average sun hours x screen-efficiency (approx 15%) - 1% efficiency per year for deterioration) shows that in 10-15 years I have earned the screens back and I have free energy which is about 20% of my household. So I felt good… financially wise and full of good for the world vibrations untill I woke up this morning……

Recently many books landed on my table about the ME vs WE-dilemma. Also inside the Lab this topic has been discussed over and over again varying from a debate on communities till spiral dynamics etc. This weekend I visited France and the motto the French Republic caught my attention: ever since the French revolution they have described the balancing act of WE vs ME with: Liberte, Egalite & Fraternite, The big question after the famous revolt was whether the revolutionists were to idealistic, that they tried to put their pragmatism not only on society but also on politics, something which might not be pragmatic (rational)  by nature (according to philosopher Burke). This brings me back to an earlier statement: Is there a difference if you are an idealist or that you have idealistic ideas (lifestyle vs state of mind?). Another interesting statement from Burke stresses this point as well. His two differences of defining freedom: (1) Letting go or (2) specific rights in the Law. Just some thoughts to work on…

This weekend in the USA, “TV Networks getting a beating: Survivor hitshow -20% ratings”. Wauw that sounds serious especially since it is not just Survivor, the downturn is industry wide even worsened by advertisers who stop spending due to the credit crunch. I asked a few members of our Board of Inspiration who have close ties to the media-industry: What is going on?   One replied:” It’s hard to judge the reason. It looks like a of perfect storm….