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Normally these academics would be fine without our fascination. They weren't looking for glory when they decided to study organisms most people either can't see or wish they hadn't. But when the Deepwater Horizon exploded in April 2010, our collective bias toward cute big creatures started to matter a great deal. That's because the instant the spill-cam was switched off and it became clear that there would be no immediate mass die-offs among dolphins and pelicans, at least not on the scale of theExxon Valdez spill deaths, most of us were pretty much on to the next telegenic disaster. (Chilean miners down a hole-and they've got video diaries? Tell us more!)

If we are able to harness space based solar power, we can overcome these shortcomings.

In the spectrum of the simplest solutions (turning lights off) and the most complex (fusion), you've categorised this solution at the right end of the spectrum

Interesting article from New Science describing how a "coronal mass ejection" from the Sun could melt down the electrical power gird. ".... Over the last few decades, western civilisations have busily sown the seeds of their own destruction. Our modern way of life, with its reliance on technology, has unwittingly exposed us to an extraordinary danger: plasma balls spewed from the surface of the sun could wipe out our power grids, with catastrophic consequences..." The article does offer a solution: upgrade the ACE solar satellite, to detect an electro magnetic surge and provide power grid operators with about 15 minutes to shut down their systems. The article does not discuss another possible option: stop building centralized power sources that demand increasingly massive power grids. Instead, concentrate on meeting energy needs using localized sources of power; like the highly portable Hyperion Power Module.

Can glorified glow lamps stop blackouts and slash energy costs? Manhattan-based ConsumerPowerline thinks so. This winter, about a thousand participants in the company's energy-conservation program will receive small plug-in boxes that glow red when power demand peaks, urging them to turn off space heaters, defer dishwasher runs, or otherwise save electricity.

Metrolight, which has just received $9 million in a third round of funding from Gemini Israel Funds and Richard Branson's Virgin Fuels, has been riding a surge of demand for its high-frequency electronic ballast, a device for controlling high-intensity discharge (HID) lights--those bright lights used for illuminating department stores, large interior spaces and freeways. The system effectively provides the same amount of light as more traditional magnetic or electromagnetic systems, but requires less overall power, the company says. Additionally, the HID lights can be dimmed when no one is present or, if the light fixture is connected to the Internet, dimmed by a utility to prevent a brown-out. Some customers have seen their electric lighting and maintenance bills drop by around 50 percent, according to Metrolight.

Metrolight, which has just received $9 million in a third round of funding from Gemini Israel Funds and Richard Branson's Virgin Fuels, has been riding a surge of demand for its high-frequency electronic ballast, a device for controlling high-intensity discharge (HID) lights--those bright lights used for illuminating department stores, large interior spaces and freeways. The system effectively provides the same amount of light as more traditional magnetic or electromagnetic systems, but requires less overall power, the company says. Additionally, the HID lights can be dimmed when no one is present or, if the light fixture is connected to the Internet, dimmed by a utility to prevent a brown-out. Some customers have seen their electric lighting and maintenance bills drop by around 50 percent, according to Metrolight.

Earlier this year, Pacific Gas & Electric, a major California utility company, signed an agreement to purchase hundreds of megawatts of power from Solaren, an SBSP company, beginning in 2016. Last month, another SBSP company, PowerSat Corporation, filed two patents for technologies that the company claims can shave billions of dollars off the launch costs for an SBSP system.

The Scientific basis for carbon reduction targets - video of meeting in UK Parliament\n\nWitnesses\n\n 1. Professor James Hansen, NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies and Tim Helweg-Larsen, Director, Public Interest Research Centre\n 2. Professor Robert Watson, Chief Scientific Adviser, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and Professor John Beddington CMG FRS, Government Chief Scientific Adviser and Head of the Government Office of Science

The latest word on the state of climate change.

Sorry, not strictly on topic, but I found this very gripping and wanted to share it.