Just a thought, but are there any shops in Bluewater that sell hoodies? Is there a branch of fcuk? And are the managers there so stupid that they can’t understand that a short term boost from having the centre’s name plastered across the news doesn’t necessarily translate into a long term trend?

Technorati tag: Bluewater

Obviously not of much use here in the UK, reflective roof tiles could be a boon nearer the equator when it comes to saving on air conditioning costs.

Technorati tag: Roofing

Calcutta is India’s most polluted city, with nearly 50% of its residents suffering some form of respiratory problem. As a first, major step toward cleaning up the local authorities have passed a law requiring cars built before 1990 be taken off the road or convert to cleaner fuel. An earlier law ordering cars made before 1975 off the road was overthrown when owners challenged it.

via Sepia Mutiny

Technorati tag: India, Transport

I was just checking a few of the photos in the gallery for comments. These ones are a little disturbing, I much prefer the reminiscences about Rheda Mansion.

Technorati tag: Photos

City Life had an article in its last issue about local activist groups.

I used to be a regular at Critical Masses. Nowadays my involvement tends to be slapping myself on the forehead on the last Saturday of every month in a Homer-ish D’oh! kind of a way. There isn’t a CM website listed in the article but ridemanchester, a collective dedicated to resurrecting abandoned bikes is mentioned.

Other links from the article-
Do Summat
Northern Arts Tactical Offensive
Indymedia
UHC

And one of my own-
Manchester Environmental Resource Centre initiative (MERCi)

Technorati tag: Manchester, Activism

The same psychologist who calculated that January 24th was the most depressing day of the year has worked out that today is the best day make (or reaffirm) any resolutions.

Mr Arnall’s formula is in the great tradition of wacky science. Experts have, in recent years, formulated the equation behind the perfect biscuit for dunking in tea; manipulated the mathematics of the ideal fried potato chip; explored the ideal geometry for stone-skimming across a pond; calculated the relative flatness of pancakes and the plains of Kansas; and even the established the variables in the formula for the perfect joke.

Technorati tag: Resolution, Silly

Apparently we’re falling out of love with tea, with sales of teabags down 16% in the last two years.

Though you wouldn’t be able to tell this from the excess of tea making paraphernalia and supplies at Casa Spinneyhead.

Technorati tag: Tea

The US Patent Office’s 5,000,000th patent is for a strain of E.Coli that can convert biomass to ethanol at 90-95% efficiency. Treehugger examines the pros and cons of industrialising this technology.

Technorati tag: Ethanol

Car Free City USA

CarFree City, USA’s goal is to provide Americans with an alternative: carfree cities. By creating new neighborhoods and cities or redeveloping existing areas on a scale that is for people and not cars, yields a host of personal, community and global benefits. It’s an ambitious task, but not mere wishful thinking. It doesn’t require futuristic technologies, just common sense and a willingness to try something new. And it’s no more expensive than traditional development. The pages of this website describe how carfree districts work and the benefits and challenges of creating them. We hope that you will join with us in creating the first carfree city in the United States of America.

via Treehugger

Technorati tag: Transport

The Official Dukes of Hazzard movie website and the trailer- Large, Medium, Small. A quick appraisal, just from the trailer

For-
Real stunts, not the cut up and cgi that has been passed off in a lot of recent car chases (or if it is all done with effects then the effects have gone to another level). Johnny Knoxville. Seann William Scott being funny. Burt Reynolds as Boss Hogg.

Against-
Seann William Scott being annoying- there’s at least one sub Stiffler moment in the trailer. Another example of the movie industry’s inability to come up with anything new and its need to raid old TV series for inspiration.

On balance….. What am I talking about? Balance or no balance I was always going to go and see this movie.

via Sepia Mutiny

Technorati tag: Movies, Nostalgia

Strange/ creepy/ sad pictures of an abandoned amusement park somewhere in Asia. This is only one collection, there appear to be several other galleries of decrepit buildings.

via BoingBoing

Technorati tag: Abandoned

Some time will be devoted during the rest of the week to putting together Discontinuous Infill 2. I should have started yesterday but the seething anger got in the way. These two pictures may make it into the book.

You can still buy the first issue.

Technorati tag: Photos

52% of those questioned in a Newsnight poll said they don’t think nuclear is the answer to the UK’s energy problems. 57% said the renewable sources were the best bet. You could argue that nuclear has a future as a way of cutting down on CO2, but with that level of antipathy it’s going to take so much longer to build the things that they’ll be pointless.

Technorati tag: Renewable energy, Nuclear

Can too much sustainable development be dangerous? Yes, according to this opinion piece. However, Brian Gongol’s argument would only make sense if we were all ‘back to the land’ hippies so it’s a pretty obvious straw man argument. The average proponent of sustainable development is more in touch with comparative advantage than Mr Gongol thinks.

Technorati tag: Sustainable development

Another event I’m unlikely to get to because it’s in London- the Camden Green Fair & Bikefest 2005.

via hippyshopper

Technorati tag: Green Events, London