Category: News

by Auden Schendler

This is the time-honored question, one I get asked so frequently, from very qualified individuals, that I decided to answer it online. It is heartbreaking (and encouraging) how many skilled and interested people are looking for work in the sustainability field. The good news is the sector is growing exponentially.

If you ask anyone in the field they’ll probably tell you they got there by luck. That’s certainly true for me. I’m less smart, strong, and fast than other candidates, and much less skilled. But I happened to be in the right place at the right time. That said, there are a few steps we can all follow to improve the odds. Luck is good, but as the mountaineers say, you make your own luck. (To a point.)

The seven keys to one day finding a job in sustainable business:

1) Be ruthlessly opportunistic, taking low paid jobs, internships, and volunteer positions in the field in which you want to work to get experience;

2) Make your job a green job. Don’t take you eye off the ball even if you end up working in unrelated fields for a while to make ends meet; in fact, you might try to make your job in that unrelated field become the job you want. Several environmental directors I know have simply proposed that position with a company previously uninterested in such work.  In the end, EVERY job is going to have to become a job that focuses on climate change if we hope to solve this problem.

3) Work the hell out of the network, i.e., constantly network with people and keep their contact info—few people ever got a good job by responding to a want ad. And don’t worry about pissing someone off by contacting them too much: you are just reminding them you’re around, and people can’t keep track of everyone;

4) Don’t ever get discouraged, particularly if you’re currently doing something you don’t deem “environmental.”  We all have to survive. I cooked burgers, shoveled gravel, and drove a skid-steer.

5) Get your foot in the door. Since these sorts of jobs that are really cool are rare, sometimes you have to get into an industry as something other than the sustainability person, then either work to create that position or work your way into that part of the company. In other words, just being in the tourism industry, for example, is a start if you want to work in sustainable tourism. The whole business world is moving towards sustainable practices, so opportunities will start appearing;. And once you get your foot in the door, work HARD! Show up early. Be friendly and talk to everyone. Volunteer to clean toilets. Propose new projects. Find funding for stuff nobody knew about. Eat lunch at your desk. Look people in the eye when you talk to them. Squeeze hard when you shake hands.

6) Educate yourself constantly no matter what you’re doing. You should read every book on sustainable business you can get your hands on, so that when a good opportunity arises you can talk the talk, and know what people are talking about. Anyone who wants a job in this field MUST have read, and be able to discuss The Ecology of Commerce, Natural Capitalism, Power to the People, Cool Companies, Lean and Clean Management, Cradle to Cradle, Crimes Against Nature, Tom Friedman’s Hot, Flat and Crowded, Hell and High Water (Joe Romm’s book on climate change) and probably a dozen other related books by the likes of Bill McKibben, John Elkington, Gus Speth, Lester Brown, Herman Daly, etc. (Shameless self-promotional plug—you should also buy my book, written for people like you, called “Getting Green Done.” www.gettinggreendone.com.) You have to understand climate science and policy, green building design, and energy efficiency. It also doesn’t hurt to make sure you’ve read the background stuff: John Muir, Thoreau, Aldo Leopold, Rachel Carson, and philosophy, particularly ethics, including work by Peter Singer,  (“the Life you Can Save,” for context (the book “Mountains Beyond Mountains” by Tracy Kidder), as well as any work that answers the question: “how ought we to live?”  You should subscribe to Grist (www.grist.org) and read it daily to stay up to date on environmental issues.(And send them some money if you have it) You should also read www.climateprogress.org every day, like taking your vitamins.  You don’t have to agree with these books or websites, but you have to read them. In fact, you should listen to Limbaugh and Hannity as much as you can stand it, and read stuff that pisses you off and which you disagree with. Peter Schwartz from the Globl Business Network once said you should read everything—Bride magazine, techical manuals, even if you just skim that stuff, so you have a sense of what’s happening in a range of fields. I force myself to read, say, Redbook, at the dentist’s office. I hate it, but it gives me insight into other people’s lives and ideas.  Plus, you can do this because you have time-after all, you’re looking for work.

7) Learn how to write. Writing is thinking and writing is communication, and you’ll use it every day. Most people I interview say they know how to write, and they are almost always wrong. I spent 20 years working hard on learning how to write, getting my ass kicked by editors, and I still underwhelm myself on a daily basis and marvel at good writers. You need to work on this your whole life.

I’m sorry I can’t be more specific, but there’s nothing more specific out there, other than some cool internet green job sites. It’s a bewildering thing, trying to get into this, or any, field, and a lot of it is just random chance. Ask anyone with a dream job, and they’ll tell you that at one time, they were flipping burgers, or driving a skid-steer, wondering what the hell they were doing with their life. It was certainly true for me. And I bet it will be true again.

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For those who are eagerly awaiting the latest episode of PSN’s subscription-based interactive online magazine, Qore, this months update will feature four games that is sure to wet your appetite. From the hell bound Dante’s Inferno to

After a day full of jamming in stale meeting rooms all day, the Motorola’s club venue is a nice change. And we hear Motorola has something special to announce. I don’t know, maybe a new phone sort of thing. We’ll find out shortly.

We’re live at the Mirage’s Revolution Lounge. This is where all the cool kids probably hang. Maybe. I don’t know really. It’s the club next to the Beatles show.

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So Matt and I just got our hands on the Samsung E6, the company’s first electronic book reader. As a device it’s not bad, but compared to what’s out there you just know that Samsung was all, “We need to release something to get a foothold in the market.”

The 6-inch e-redaer slides open, quite possibly like a phone you once owned. It’s only black and white, too, so those of you expecting Samsung to usher in the era of color e-reaers will be disappointed.

The fact is, all of these e-readers are so similar that it really does come down to where you can get books from. For the E6, Samsung partnered with Google to bring its vast collection of public domain books to the reader. And while a partnership with Google is great, and may well lead to future fun and excitement, the idea of partnering up with someone just to get public domain books is sorta weird. Whereas the nook and Kindle are backed by the Barnes and Noble and Amazon bookstores, respectively, the E6 doesn’t have that same commercial relationship, at least not yet.

So, again, as a device not too bad, but e-readers are so similar these days (at least until a company releases a full-color one) that it’s sorta like choosing between an Xbox 360 an PS3: which exclusive games (read: books) are you most interested in reading? And you go from there.

It should be available in March (such are the current plans) for $399, with a 10-inch version costing $599.

From the press release:

SAMSUNG UNVEILS ITS FIRST E-BOOK FOR READING, WRITING AND SHARING ON-THE-GO

Samsung’s New E-book Series Boasts First-of-its-Kind Functionality with a Precision Stylus Pen

Las Vegas, January 6, 2009 – Samsung Electronics America, Inc., a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Corporation, today unveiled its first e-book devices, with six-inch and ten-inch screen size offerings, at the 2010 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. The E6 and E101 further solidify Samsung’s position as a global leader in display technology by raising the bar on the quality of writing capabilities for e-books.

“We’ve used our expertise to create a high-quality e-book with today’s on-the-go consumer in mind,” said Young Bae, director of display marketing, Samsung Information Technology Division. “Samsung is addressing a common frustration that users experience with many of today’s digital readers with a stylus that allows them to annotate their favorite works or take notes. Coupled with wireless functionality that enables sharing of content, this is a truly multi-faceted device..”

Handwriting Capabilities

Unlike other e-book devices, Samsung’s E6 and E101 enables handwriting directly onto the display, allowing users to annotate their reading selections, calendars and to-do lists with a built-in electromagnetic resonance (EMR) stylus pen. This dedicated pen prevents mistypes caused by hands and other objects that may graze the screen’s surface. A variety of pen and eraser thicknesses make the Samsung e-books perfect for drawing and writing.

Low Power Consumption

The Samsung e-book displays reflect light naturally and deliver an appearance similar to that of printed paper, allowing people to read more naturally than they would with other backlit electronic paper devices. The E101 boasts a ten-inch screen, while the E6, is the more portable sibling at six inches. Because Samsung’s e-book is not backlit, the power consumption is lower than that of other portable display devices. Only four hours of charging prepares the battery for up to two weeks of use, depending on the extent of daily use.

Bluetooth and Wi-Fi Wireless

Samsung’s e-books are equipped for wireless connectivity as well. Wi-Fi 802.11b/g allows users to download content such as books and newspapers from a server wirelessly, as well as to share certain content with other devices. Bluetooth 2.0 is also a built in feature.
The Samsung E6 and E101 will be priced at $399 and $699, respectively. They will be available in early 2010.

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LAPD officers were called to the home of reality star Tila Tequila after the petite minx got into a dispute with socialite Nicky Hilton and actress Bijou Phillips over possession of Casey Johnson’s dogs.

Oh brother….Nicky and Bijou — who were childhood friends of the late Johnson & Johnson heiress — went to Tila’s home Wednesday afternoon to pick up the dogs for Casey’s family.

Tila, Casey’s “wifey,” claims the pooches have been staying with her for more than a week and she refuses to hand them over. The star called cops with a report that Nicky and Bijou were trying to break-in to her pad.

Officers are still on the scene….

Sketch of a City vehicule under the Segway brand, done at school/

by Jonathan Zasloff

Long ago, in a galaxy far, far away—well, no, actually two months ago in Washington, D.C., President Obama and Indian Prime Minister Singh inked something called the U.S.-India Climate Dialogue. It was a pretty transparent attempt to salvage something from the fact that India would never agree to binding emissions cuts (and probably the U.S. wouldn’t, either).

And what was this Dialogue supposed to do? Your guess is as good as mine, but here’s one place to start: the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights accord, better known as TRIPS.

TRIPS intimately concerns climate change because intellectual property rights regimes might prevent developing countries from accessing the high technology that could reduce their emissions. For example, supercritical and ultra-supercritical coal technologies have significantly lower emissions than regular plants, and since India is going to rely on coal for a big chunk of its ongoing energy needs, it obviously makes sense for it to go with the best available supercritical technology.

But maybe it won’t be able to, because various developed country firms own the patents to this technology, and might object even if Indians developed new processes utilizing this technology. Oh yes, they would sell: at an exhorbitant price.

What to do? That’s where TRIPS comes in. Theoretically, American technology patent holders might argue that under TRIPS, India’s patent enforcement authority should enforce their U.S. patents. But here’s the catch: any objection to an Indian failure to enforce TRIPS must be made by the U.S. Government at the WTO, not the patent-holder in a private right of action.

You can see where this is going. The Dialogue could establish protocols concerning:

When the United States would bring such an action and when it would not;
how negotiations for compensation should proceed and under what basis, and;
anything that India might provide as emissions reductions in return for U.S. forbearance.

The point is that there is a negotiating space here for the United States and India to achieve a win-win on climate outside the Kyoto/Copenhagen mosh pit. Essentially, the Dialogue could work toward some sort of compulsory licensing scheme that could compensate U.S. patent holders more quickly (although less lucratively), transfer key technology, and give New Delhi incentives to work on reducing their own emissions in other ways.

These opportunities abound, about which more to come. But TRIPS is a good place to start.

Related Links:

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Panasonic is super into plasmas, being the king of them and all. But their LCD line is getting a top model with 1080p and LED backlights. They also have wide viewing angle high contrast IPS panels.

The models also have ipod docks and photo viewing capabilities, as well as 24 frame support, 4 hdmi inputs and well, I just wish they were a little bigger but you generally don’t go to Panny for LEDs anyhow.
[PRNewswire]

We’ve seen Panny’s standard-def camcorders, but here are Panasonic’s three new HD cams. The HDC-HS60, HDC-TM55 and HDC-SD60 are all compact, LCD touchscreen camcorders with 35.7mm wide-angle lenses and a healthy 25x optical zoom. And that’s just the basics.

They’re also the first Panasonic camcorders capable of recognizing up to six faces in view. And the zoom can extend to 35x for those occasions when you need to spy on the house one further down the block. They all have face recognition, allowing you to pick a face to keep focus on in a shot, as well as a wind noise canceller and an Eco Mode that turns off the power after five minutes of dormancy.

Pricing and availability will be announced “30 days prior to shipping date,” which we don’t know yet. But know that at least you’ll have a month to mull it over.

Panasonic Unveils New Full HD Camcorders, Ideal for Casual Shooters Looking for Portability and HD Quality

Equipped with Wide-Angle Lenses and Extended Zooms, Panasonic’s New HD Camcorders, including the HDC-TM55, Provide Increased Shooting Ranges

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Panasonic today introduces new full High Definition (HD) camcorders to its 2010 line, which includes three compact and stylish models, the HDC-HS60, HDC-TM55, HDC-SD60 – perfect for users wanting portability, without sacrificing HD quality. All new Panasonic HD camcorders feature a 35.7mm wide-angle lens, ideal for capturing a variety of different shooting situations, such as self-portraits, indoor group shots and outdoor landscapes.

Panasonic’s three lightweight and stylish introductory HD camcorder models, the HDC-HS60, HDC-TM55 and HDC-SD60 may be ultra-compact in size, but these models all feature a powerful 25x optical zoom. And with Panasonic’s new Intelligent Zoom feature, the new HD camcorders can extend to a 35x zoom. Intelligent Zoom corrects image degradation in ordinary digital zooming to deliver stunningly clear HD quality, even with the zoom fully extended.

“Consumer demand for High Definition camcorders continues to grow, so Panasonic’s 2010 line of camcorders introduces some models intended for users new to HD camcorders – so they are small, compact and easy-to-use,” said Chuck Kirkman, Senior Product Manager, Imaging, Panasonic Consumer Electronic Company. “The Panasonic HS60, TM55 and SD60 are intuitive camcorders that deliver full High Definition video that users will be proud to show their friends and family, either from a computer or a High Definition television.”

All three new models expand Panasonic’s iA (Intelligent Auto) with the addition of Face Recognition, a feature that lets the user register up to six faces and the camcorder will then automatically prioritize focus and exposure on the registered face(*1). In addition, the focus continues to track the subject as the person moves anywhere within the LCD frame, making it easy to focus on a specified person in a group. Other iA features include: AF/AE Tracking, Intelligent Scene Selector, Intelligent Contrast Control, Face Detection and POWER O.I.S. POWER O.I.S., new to the 2010 line of HD camcorder is approximately five times the corrective power of previous versions and helps suppress blurring from low-frequency vibration. Also, all models feature Active mode in POWER O.I.S. which minimizes the blurring while the user is moving and walking.

All Panasonic camcorders record content to SDHC/SD Memory Cards and the new SDXC Memory Cards, including Panasonic’s newly announced 64 GB(*2) SDXC Memory Card – to enable high capacity content storage and fast data transfer speeds. The hybrid HS60 camcorder can also record data onto its large 120 GB(*2) Hard Disk Drives (HDD) and can copy recorded video from a card to the HDD, or vice versa, with a simple one-touch operation. The Twin Memory version, the HDC-TM55, records to its 8 GB(*2) built-in memory and the SD60, recording to memory card only, is highly resistant to impacts since it has no drive mechanism.

Other features included on the 2010 Panasonic HD Camcorder line:

* Eco Mode(*3): Automatically turns off the power when the camcorder is not operated for five minutes, reducing wasteful energy use and saving battery power.
* Wind Noise Canceller: New feature that automatically detects and suppresses wind noise to help ensure natural sounds with lifelike ambience.
* Touch-Screen Operation: Touch-screen icons displayed on the LCD lets users operate a variety of functions intuitively without taking their eyes off of the subject they are recording.
* Auto Power LCD: Automatically adjusts the brightness of the LCD screen according to the shooting environment. In dark places, the screen brightness is reduced to 1/3 the normal level. In bright outdoor places, the screen brightness is double the normal level.
* VIERA Link(TM): Connect a Panasonic HD Camcorder to a Panasonic VIERA® HDTV via an HDMI mini cable, and operate the camcorder using the TV’s remote control and follow on-screen prompts.

Pricing and availability for the Panasonic HDC-HS60, HDC-TM55, HDC-SD60 High Definition camcorders will be announced 30 days prior to shipping date. All models will be available in black. For more information on these models, please visit www.panasonic.com/CES2010.

*1 Depending on background and facial expression, camcorder may not recognize a registered person. For family members with similar facial features, camera may not correctly identify the intended subject.

*2 GB = 1,073,741,824 bytes.

*3 Set to ON when shipped from the factory.

Sony’s MDR-NC300D digital noise canceling earbuds use the same technology found in Sony’s top of the line, and very much respected, MDR-NC500D over the ear headphones, and at $300 these earbuds ain’t cheap but they might actually be worth it.

Sony claims these earbuds have 98.4 percent ambient noise reduction, which is the result of their digital high-quality noise canceling technology. Using the same AI feature found in the over the ear bigger brother, the earbuds will have three noise canceling settings geared for plane, bus/train and office. The earbuds are powered by one AA batter with an approximate 20 hours of batter life and feature volume control and monitor button on the battery holder / controller.

The MDR-NC300D will be available next month for a whopping $300, but seeing how good their over the ear MDR-NC500D are for frequent flayers, these earbuds might be the right buy. For the right person that is…

Filed under: Hardware, Peripherals, Odds and ends, Other Events, iPhone

(image by Cult of Mac)

As expected, there are a number of iPhone and iPod-related accessories coming out of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week. Here’s a couple we’ve seen already:

• iHome’s got both audio systems and alarm clocks on display — the clocks even have a sync button that will pull the time in straight from your iPhone or iPod, so no more having to set it yourself.
• They’ve also got another unit for the kitchen, but is it just us or do these all look pretty much the same?
• Sharper Image has a clock that uses an app on the iPhone screen as the clock hands, while sitting in a dock that holds numbers around the handset. They also have a speaker dock that can pull sports, news, and weather information from a custom app and display it on a separate LED screen. Pretty cool, actually, even if an iPhone already gives you all of that information anyway.
• FLO TV and Mophie are trying to bring mobile television to the iPhone this year.
• And Tunebug is showing off “surface sound” speakers — you attach a little piece to a bike helmet or other surface, and it turns the whole thing into a giant speaker, sending the music into your head. Freaky.

So far, as you can see, it’s mostly clocks and speakers. Which sounds about right for CES, actually — not everybody gets to release an augmented reality helicopter. We’ll keep an eye on the show all this week, and let you know about any other iPod-related releases there.

TUAWCES Watch: More clocks and docks originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 06 Jan 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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