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Wikipedia is in the midst of its sixth annual fund raiser to keep the site going. Run by the Wikimedia foundation, a non-profit organization, and with no revenue source of any kind, Wikipedia relies solely on donations to finance its operations and pay its 35 employees. The 2009 fund raiser has been running for more than a month now and a recent plea from Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales has managed to shatter all previous record for the amount donated in a single day.

“I started Wikipedia in 2001, and over the past eight years, I’ve been amazed and humbled to see hundreds of thousands of volunteers join with me to build the largest encyclopedia in human history,” Wales’ appeal reads. “Wikipedia isn’t a commercial website. It’s a community creation, entirely written and funded by people like you. More than 340 million people use Wikipedia every month – almost a third of the Internet-connected world. You are part of our community.”

The message has resonated with Wikipedia’s users as it has managed to draw in $430,000 from about 13,000 people in the first day and another $345,000 in the second, meaning that the organization is well on track to raise the kind of sums it’s looking for, though it’s still only about half way towards the goal of $7.5 million.

It was actua… (read more)

Eco Factor: Sustainable office building relies on renewable energy for heat and power.

Sauerbruch Hutton has been announced the winner of the international competition to design a new home for Hamburg’s BSU office of urban development and environment. The building will be constructed in Hamburg and is slated for completion in 2013.

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Hey, good on Samsung for trying to make their own OS. I’m sure it will be wonderful for them. It saves them from having to, I don’t know, use Android? But what’s with all the Nokia Series 60 font usage in the UI?

These screenshots, which are floating around right now, show some of the UI elements of the new OS, Bada. The font they’re using is approximately (or exactly, I’m not a font scientist (fontographer?)) the same font used on most Series 60 Symbian phones.

Considering Samsung used to use Symbian it’s not a far reach to think that their UI team just hung on to some bad habits but S60 brings up a lot of bad memories for people.

Or could the worst be happening and is Samsung building Bada on top of Symbian, which is now ostensibly open source? We’ll ask, but we probably won’t want to know the answer.

Crunch Network: CrunchGear drool over the sexiest new gadgets and hardware.

The headline today is that emissions pledges don’t match needs. A leaked UNFCC secretariat memo indicates that current commitments hit 3C.* A ClimateInteractive reference is scrawled in the margins. It’s interesting that this is regarded with surprise, as we said it in March, Rogelj et al. said it in Nature in June, and it was intuitively evident before that. Climatescoreboard, climateactiontracker, and others are now monitoring the possible outcome in near-real-time. Our dream, over beers in Copenhagen on Thanksgiving in 2008, was to provide fast feedback to inject some reality into negotiations. It’s working!

* Update: As Joe Romm points out, the Guardian and other coverage is just wrong. The secretariat analysis covers current commitments prior to COP15, not possible deals. The various drafts circulating (as you can see in analysis here this week) yield a wide range of outcomes, including 1.5C. There’s no way to nail down the final outcome until the contested bracketed text in the drafts is finalized.

Update 2: We at ClimateInteractive are doing lots of evaluation of draft language using C-ROADS and a simpler emissions model that I developed, but we’re not going to report on the outcome until there’s a definitive text. Some of the insights from that analysis are reported in posts here this week, but obviously it’s all hypothetical at this point.

Article Tags: Barry Napier, ClimateGate

Met Office has “cherry-picked climate change figures in a bid to increase evidence of global warming.”

The UK’s Meteorology Office has been accused by the Russians of lying. Well, I never! They say the Met Office has “cherry-picked climate change figures in a bid to increase evidence of global warming.”

I don’t like to keep on about it, but I said this in my book last year! I got the information via a science forum I belong to, populated by high-level scientists, including IPCC contributors. To get into my book I had to have had the information in early 2008, meaning that the truth about the Russian weather stations was made at least in 2007!

What we knew at that time was simple: the Russians closed down a huge number of temperature measuring stations, at the same time as Western scientists were collating world figures subsequently used in the IPCC Reports. Suddenly, there were incomplete data from a vast area of the northern hemisphere. But, the westerners continued without these vital figures! And, make no mistake, proxy measurements, whether tree-rings or satellite, are not equal to thermometer measurements and should never be mixed.

Source: canadafreepress.com

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It looks like Google is trying to recoup on the past year going on an acquisition spree after staying quite on that front for a while. It has done some pretty big deals, AdMob, On2 and some smaller ones and is now said to be in talks with local business directory and review site Yelp and is apparently willing to shell out $500 million for it.

Things aren’t final and nothing has been signed yet, but the deal makes a lot of sense for both companies. However, there are some saying that $500 million is a bit low considering the valuations other startups have been getting while some are even suggesting that the details on the deal were leaked precisely to drive up the price.

Yelp enables users to find and review local businesses and is built around a social networking core. The site claims it has about 25 million users at this point and the four-year-old company is growing at a steady pace. It is an established player in the local business market and its biggest asset is likely the brand recognition it managed to build up.

Despite the growth though, this is the time to sell. The local market is heating up and Google, to name one, is pushing strong in this space. If it were to continue to compete with Yelp and, most likely, increase its efforts, it has the resources to become a serious threat to th… (read more)

There’s obvious been a lot of talk about James Cameron’s new epic movie Avatar. One of the interesting things about the movie is that, yet again, it’s showing why Hollywood probably isn’t in as much trouble due to “piracy” as studio bosses keep insisting. Avatar is designed to be the type of movie you absolutely want to go see in the theater, with amazing special effects, and an incredible 3D setup, like none you’ve ever seen before, and certainly one that you can’t replicate at your house, no matter how cool your home theater system might be. And yet… it seems that they’ve still decided to lock the movie up with DRM, and rather than helping things, that DRM is fouling stuff up. Some theaters in Germany have discovered that the DRM is preventing them from showing the film in some theaters. So, here they are, with a movie that, by its very nature, is resistant to any problem from “piracy” (if anything, pirated copies might make people more interested in seeing the amazing effects), and they still try to DRM it up, and all that does is make it harder to see the special effects. So, what good does DRM do again?

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Eco Factor: Pavilion designed to make the best of natural resources.

Shanghai Expo 2010 will see the largest ever Japanese Pavilion covering an area of about 6000-square-meters. The 24m high pavilion will also be among the largest pavilions at the Expo. Dubbed the “Zi Can Dao”, the sustainable pavilion is designed as a breathing organism.

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Jamais at Open The Future has a post on the second biggest contributor to global warming – “black carbon” – None More Black.

An aerosol known as “black carbon,” a primary component in soot, looks to be a key driver of anthropogenic global warming in tropical locations around the world — most notably, in the Himalayan region.

…new research, by NASA’s William Lau and collaborators, reinforces with detailed numerical analysis what earlier studies suggest: that soot and dust contribute as much (or more) to atmospheric warming in the Himalayas as greenhouse gases. This warming fuels the melting of glaciers and could threaten fresh water resources in a region that is home to more than a billion people.

[…] Nicknamed the “Third Pole”, the region in fact holds the third largest amount of stored water on the planet beyond the North and South Poles. But since the early 1960s, the acreage covered by Himalayan glaciers has declined by over 20 percent. Some Himalayan glaciers are melting so rapidly, some scientists postulate, that they may vanish by mid-century if trends persist. Climatologists have generally blamed the build-up of greenhouse gases for the retreat, but Lau’s work suggests that may not be the complete story.

He has produced new evidence suggesting that an “elevated heat pump” process is fueling the loss of ice, driven by airborne dust and soot particles absorbing the sun’s heat and warming the local atmosphere and land surface.

Globally, black carbon looks to be the second most-important warming agent after CO2.

Here’s the twist: much of the production of black carbon comes from the combustion of biofuels and diesel, the two leading “greener” fuel technologies.

Aerosols last for months in the atmosphere, as opposed to the decades that greenhouse gases can last. This is good, as it means that policies that reduce the production of black carbon can start showing positive results in a matter of weeks.

We get a close look of the Mercedes E-Class cabriolet in these videos, which give us a run-down of the new technology and style of the latest inclusion in the E-Class range. After the jump is another video where we can see the much hyped Aircap system, which might or might not be fully appreciated by the canine passenger. See more pics of the E-Class cabriolet in our gallery.

Twitter doesn’t have the best record when it comes to stability or security and it looks like all the recent hires haven’t done much good. Twitter’s famed Fail Whale doesn’t show up as often as it once did, but the site still goes down more than other similar services its size. This time, things are more serious though, the site has been hacked and defaced by Iranian activists. Twitter is now back up and it has responded officially, though there aren’t that many details at the moment other than it was a DNS attack and that users were redirected from twitter.com and several subdomains to a site set up by the attackers.

“As we tweeted a bit ago, Twitter’s DNS records were temporarily compromised tonight but have now been fixed. As some noticed, Twitter.com was redirected for a while but API and platform applications were working. We will update with more information and details once we’ve investigated more fully,” Twitter co-founder Biz Stone wrote.

The attack started at about 10 pm PST at which time visitors to the site we’re greeted with a message from a group billing itself as “Iranian Cyber Army.” Also targeted seems to be mawjcamp.org which is still sporting the message at this time. A cached version of the site dating from two days ago shows it has been like this for at least since the… (read more)

Anything taken too much is bad for the health. A little stress is actually good, as it could serve to help you function at your best. However, stress that seems a little too much could take a physical, as well as mental, toll to your body. Stress should be managed in order for depression or anxiety to be prevented.

So how should you do it then? The following are tips and advice to help manage stress.

Write it out, schedule it out.

It is best to write down everything that seems to be overwhelming. You will find a things-to-do-list much easier to manage than having errands all crumpled up in your head. Writing down the tasks, and putting a specific schedule and time to do them, helps anyone manage activities one chunk at a time. Crossing out an activity that has already been accomplished is very rewarding and could actually help you feel more relaxed when doing the other tasks at hand.

One at a time works.

Focus and put all your attention specifically on one task at one time. It does not help to feel panicky about the other undone or to-do tasks. Thinking about them only adds unnecessary stress and could even hamper in doing the task you are attempting to accomplish at present.

Relax and take it slow.

At least, try not to expend too much energy on activities that are currently not priorities. This is in order for your energy to be not easily expended on the tasks that are not that important, at least for now.

Delegate, delegate, delegate.

You need not do everything all at once, and you need not do everything on your own. Ask for help, get help, or pay for help. When there is a feeling of being overwhelmed that is cropping up, hire someone to mow the lawn or get a sitter for your children. The feeling of being pressed to finish something on time will somehow be eliminated if tasks are delegated. It takes a load off unnecessary worry and anxiety. Moreover, it is easier checking up on how things are, than worrying yourself sick doing everything on your own, all at once.

Give yourself a reward.

You deserve it. Acknowledging your accomplishments, no matter how big or small, is an effort that is necessary before getting on to the next tasks and activities. It reduces stress and could even make you happier in doing the next task.

Give yourself a break.

You need it to be more productive. A ten to fifteen minute break during your work is necessary. Go visit a café nearby, take a quick brisk walk, or do anything to put your mind off work, at least for a while. This is necessary to refresh and recharge. Believe it or not, you can also stay in your work and sit with your eyes closed as you visualize a peaceful landscape or a relaxing scene. This frees the stress from your muscles and your mind.

Relax and be cool. Doing so makes you healthier, happier, and a lot more productive.

According to reports the new Megane C-C will be the first Renualt with twin-clutch technology, to be called EDC or Efficient Dual Clutch. The technology comes from collaboration with Getrag and will appear on the 1.5-litre Dci engine with 105 hp. From there, it will migrate to other Renault motors, and was originally planned to debut on the Megane or the Scenic; with the arrival of the cabriolet in March at the Geneva show, we should see it earlier.

The Megane CC will incorporate the front of the coupe with a large rear to accommodate the folding metal roof. After the debut at the 2010 Geneva show, sales should start in spring, when other versions of the Megan should also start to offer the new dual-clutch transmission.

Source | Autointernationaal

Eco Factor: Road printing machine runs on solar energy.

The Road Printer by industrial designer Hoyoung Lee, Doyoung Kim and Hongju Kim is a conceptual device that can be used to print signs onto the road surface by harvesting solar energy by an onboard solar panel.

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Lebanon’s Al-Nahar will host the 2010 annual meeting of the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers. The June meeting will be the first time in its 63 year history the congress will beheld in the Arab world.

“The time is right for the world’s press to meet in the Arab world, which has so much influence on world affairs, where the media is developing at a rapid rate, but which continues to struggle with repression of the basic human right to freedom of expression,” Timothy Balding, co-CEO of the WAN-IFRA), was quoted as saying.

“And it is particularly appropriate to hold these meetings in Beirut, where the independent press has played a leading role for freedom and the right to speak out, not only in Lebanon, but in the entire Arab world.”

• WAN-IFRA multiblog:www.wan-ifra.org/blogs/wanindia2009
• World Editors Forum blog:www.editorsweblog.org
• Twitter: @WANIndia2009, @NewspaperWorld and the M&G’s Trevor Ncube, @3bucn
• Twitter Search: WANindia09 or #WAN

Eco Factor: CEA partners with EarthEra for the implementation of sustainable solutions.

The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) has partnered with EarthEra to implement sustainable and energy-efficient solutions at the 2010 International CES. Owned and produced by CEA, the 2010 International CES, the world’s largest tradeshow for consumer technology, is scheduled January 7-10, 2010 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

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Maple-glazed root vegetables, slightly sweet, and a charming accompaniment to winter time suppers, satisfy and nourish.  In our home we love to combine fresh, crisp and local carrots and parsnips with clarified butter and organic, grade B maple syrup for a nourishing side.  Well-suited to lamb and pork, this side dish is easily prepared and appeals to even picky children who may otherwise avoid fresh vegetables (learn more about encouraging your children to appreciate fruits and vegetables).

Carrots and parsnips are widely available during winter months, and are rich in micronutrients including many anitoxidants.  Parsnips are a good source of vitamin C and food folate, which is essential to fetal development and reproductive health while carrots are rich in the antioxidant and vitamin pre-cursor, beta carotene.

While we serve these vegetables in our home at the supper table, they’re equally well-suited to the breakfast and brunch. I prefer Grade B maple syrup to Grade A; it’s more richly and complexly flavored and considerably less expensive.  More flavor for less cost, always makes for a winner in our home.

Maple-glazed Root Vegetables

Maple-glazed root vegetables are featured in this month’s edition of Recipe Cards by Nourished Kitchen which are 25% OFF through New Year’s Eve.

Ingredients for Maple-glazed Root Vegetables:

• 3 Large Organic Carrots, Peeled
• 3 Large Organic Parsnips, Peeled
• 2 Tablespoons Ghee or Clarified Butter from Grass-fed Cows (see sources)
• 2 Tablespoons Organic Grade B Maple Syrup
• Dash Unrefined Sea Salt

Method for Preparing Maple-glazed Root Vegetables

1. Julienne the peeled parsnips and carrots by cutting them into thin matchsticks no thicker than ¼-inch.
2. Melt the ghee in a skillet over medium heat.
3. Add the julienned carrots and parsnips to the melted ghee, and stir continuously over medium heat until the vegetables become slightly tender – or about 5 – 6 minutes.  Note that some of the parsnips and carrots may become slightly caramelized.
4. Gently stir in the Grade B maple syrup and season with a dash salt.  Continue to stir the carrots and parsnips for about 1 to 2 minutes or until the vegetables are well-glazed by the maple syrup.
5. Serve warm.

Yield: Approximately four to six ½-cup servings.

Like these photos? View the photostream.

We got a great response to our recent article looking through the lessons learned from the MIT team’s quick victory in DARPA’s “find the red balloons” challenge. JP Werlin pointed out one additional interesting point however: despite this being a task involving searching, finding and aggregating information, Google search was useless for this particular project:

Google didn’t matter because Google is a file cabinet of the past. Yes, we know that supposedly this week Google Real Time Search is launching and it will be the next great thing. We also know there are Google Alerts that help us stay current. But there was no real time search or alert that helped us on Saturday, December 5, 2009. Now Google documents were great (we used Spreadsheets) and Google Maps with Street View was indispensable. But Google’s main function, it reason for being, was 100% irrelevant. Google is great for looking at yesterday. In its current form, Google is a complete failure for looking at today. And when I mean today I do not mean today’s Wall Street Journal or Techcrunch as arguably those are both looking at history as well. I am talking about what is happening right now, this moment. And do you want to know the best place to find out what is happening right now? Twitter Search.

Perhaps that changes (as noted) with Google’s real time search offering, but it is notable. Google positions itself as wanting to be the place where you can find any relevant information, but that information is backwards looking.

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