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Pioneer is developing a head-up display for cars that links in with the navigation function available on many modern smartphones. A prototype of the device is on show this week at Japan's Ceatec electronics show, and the company said it hopes to have a commercial model available in 2012.
The prototype uses a laser to display bright, high-contrast, full-color images on a screen that would be mounted above the dashboard, between the driver and the windscreen. To the driver the projected images would appear in the lower part of the windscreen.
The screen used in the prototype is about double the size of a car's rear-view mirror, which makes it larger than most current head-up display systems.
A demonstration model was hooked up to an Android-based phone and displayed a navigation map on the left-hand side and an animated Android robot on the right-hand side that passed on information to drivers. (A video of the display can be seen on YouTube.)
The cell phone provides the visual output and network connection that keeps the system updated with road conditions and other information.
"We are currently aiming for an after-market product, but we are talking with car manufacturers," said Masaya Hashida, tech manager at Pioneer's smart vision business development department.
A network link is becoming an increasingly popular feature in navigation systems. About 20 percent of systems sold in 2010 will include network connectivity and this will rise to 90 percent of systems, amounting to 27 million units, in 2017, according to forecasts released Thursday by InStat.
The most common feature in connected navigation systems is the ability to download the latest road conditions. Some systems use the link to update databases of convenience stores and gas stations, and some provide daily updates to gas prices.
"Static databases will become a thing of the past in automotive navigation during the next 10 years," Egil Juliussen, principal automotive analyst and fellow for iSuppli, said in a statement. "Connectivity means motorists will have multiple options in terms of on-board and off-board navigation resources."
Martyn Williams covers Japan and general technology breaking news for The IDG News Service. Follow Martyn on Twitter at @martyn_williams. Martyn's e-mail address is email@example.com

subset: commoncrawl


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As of approximately 09:00 this morning (1st of May) a reddit post appeared on the Eve Subreddit showing skins on ships that currently do not exist in the current Ship SKIN system. Within hours, the thread was filled with pictures of various ships with exotic skins such as a golden Hel and Nyx Super Carriers. A selection of these ships that have been skinned can be viewed at the bottom of this article.
Within two hours of the Reddit post going live, CCP_Cognac posted the following:


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As is often the case, I'm a day (10 days?) late and a dollar (more than a dollar, but who's counting?) short. It was my intention to post this recipe on St. Patrick's Day, but my good intentions got blasted by real life. And snow. And spring skiing.
These tasty treats should actually be called gluten-free, Scotch-Irish, wild-west, Montana oat cakes. I know that's a mouthful, but so are these hearty little cakes. I'm always on the lookout for bread substitutes and this recipe hit the spot.
First, let's deal with the controversial "oats" question. Should people with gluten intolerance eat oats? Maybe, maybe not. Here's my take on it, but remember I'm a celiac-specializing nutritionist, not a celiac-specializing lab researcher/doctor. I do have celiac, so that makes me a bit of an expert in my own little bio-world, but everyone is different. What works for me, may not work for you.
Current research shows that pure, uncontaminated oats in moderate amounts are safe for most people with celiac disease. The key word here is "most." Some people don't tolerate oats at all and others, not used to the high fiber load, experience digestive problems while getting used to them. Check with your health care professional first and then start with a small dose (1/4 cup before cooking). Try a bowl of gluten-free, hot oatmeal once or twice the first week and see how you do.
Oats are a high-fiber, nutrient-dense, hearty cereal grain. They contain a specific fiber called beta-glucan, which studies show helps lower cholesterol and enhance immune function. Most Americans don't get nearly the fiber they need and oats are a great way to boost intake. They're also high in vitamins, minerals, are packed with bioavailable antioxidants (Journal of Nutrition) and they also help maintain blood sugar levels. They're perfect for people with diabetes or metabolic disorders and are rich in manganese, selenium, tryptophan, phosphorus, thiamin and protein. Plus, they taste good. I love oats, absolutely love them.
Blah, blah, blah. I don't want to bog you down with geek talk, but trust me, oats can be a healthy addition to anyone's diet (almost anyone). As I said above, proceed with caution if you're gluten intolerant.
I found several recipes for oat cakes and most were very similar. I tested three and found this one, taken from Vegetarian Times Magazine, worked the best. I "tweaked" it just a touch.
gluten-free Scotch-Irish wild west Montana oat cakes
what you need
1 cup + 2 tablespoons gluten-free oat flour (more for shaping the cakes) *
2 cups gluten-free, old-fashioned oats *
1/4 cup light brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup Earth Balance "butter" or "shortening"
what you do
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Oil a baking sheet. You can also use parchment paper or a silicone baking mat (which I used).
2. Mix together oats, brown sugar, baking soda and salt in a medium-sized bowl.
3. Place oat flour in a large mixing bowl. Cut in Earth Balance and mix with fingers until crumbly.*
4. Add oat mixture and then buttermilk to the oat flour/Earth Balance combination and combine until well blended.
5. Using an ice-cream scoop (or about that amount), work the mixture into a flat patty about 1/4 inch thick. You may need to dust your work surface or your hands to shape and flatten out the "cake." Work with them and add a tiny touch more flour if you think they're too wet to shape properly. Be careful though, you want them moist. My pre-baked patties ended up about the size of a rice cake, but a lot thinner.
6. Place them on the prepared baking sheet about an inch or two apart. Bake on center rack for 15 minutes and then rotate the pan for even baking. Continue baking for another 5 to 15 minutes. I baked mine for almost 30 minutes, but the original recipe called for 15 to 20 minutes. They should be a nice, light golden brown.
7. Cool on a wire rack.
8. Serve with peanut butter and honey or jelly, just like you would a rice cake. YUM! They make a perfect "holder" for all kinds of good things (almond butter, cheese, etc.). Be creative!
* I use Montana Gluten-Free Processors pure and uncontaminated oat products. They're tested and certified GF and kosher. Check here for details.
* One of the best ways to mix butter or shortening into flour is to freeze it first and shred it into the flour mix with a cheese grater. I always have butter and shortening on hand in the freezer and ready to shred. It also works great in pie crusts and crumble toppings.
Cheers and happy late St. Patrick's Day!
Tags: Celiac & Gluten Intolerance, gluten-free, gluten-free oats, Montana Gluten-Free Processors, Scottish oat cakes


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Below is the trailer for the 65 minute documentary, Doula! The Ultimate Birth Companion, which was launched in London on June 7, 2010. It looks really good.
The film's director/producer, Toni Harman, is hoping to get the word out about this film so that the more people who learn about doulas, the more people will hire one and have a better birth experience. If you would like to see this film, you can purchase it on Amazon, or you can visit the film's website to learn about hosting a public screening.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Doula! The Ultimate Birth Companion: Film Trailer
Posted by Brittany at 9:31 AM
1 comment:
As the film-maker behind DOULA! THE ULTIMATE BIRTH COMPANION, thanks so much for posting the film trailer and links.ReplyDelete
The film's been made completely independently and so it's only going to be through word of mouth and through mentions on brilliant blogs like yours that I can make people aware of the film.
I'm on a mission to raise awareness about doulas as I truly believe that if expectant parents hired a doula, they'd have a much more positive birth experience which makes for a better happier world!
Big time thanks again!
Toni Harman, Producer / Director,
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Legendary Master of Macabre Cartoonist Gahan Wilson Appears at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery on Saturday, February 13!
February 2, 2010 – Seattle, WA. Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery is pleased to host a rare appearance by the incomparable Gahan Wilson. Best known for his grotesque gag cartoons commenting on contemporary culture, the revered artist commemorates the publication of GAHAN WILSON: Fifty Years of Playboy Cartoons with an exhibition of original art and book signing on Saturday, February 13 from 6:00 to 9:00 PM.
Gahan Wilson's singular aesthetic with decidedly low brow sensibilities has roots in his adolescent exposure to lurid horror comic books and pulp magazines. ''I was a creepy little kid," Wilson recalls. "I did the whole comic book thing, and then I discovered Weird Tales — instantly homed right in on that around high school, and just loved it." His early illustrations found their way to the pages of the pulps and were later published in prestigious periodicals like Collier's, The New Yorker, and Playboy.
His delightfully demented sense of humor is celebrated in GAHAN WILSON: Fifty Years of Playboy Cartoons, an exquisite 3-volume slipcase edition from Fantagraphics Books that includes over 1,000 comics and illustrations by the acknowledged master of the macabre as well as all of Wilson's prose fiction in Playboy. Don't miss this rare opportunity to meet an American original, one week short of his 80th birthday.
Also on display on February 13 for one night only is a recently completed sculpted portrait of comix legend R. Crumb by Seattle artist Michael Leavitt (pictured below). Commissioned for a private out-of-state collection, this will provide the only opportunity to view the fully articulated wood carved figure — the latest addition to Leavitt's ongoing "Art Army" series.
The reception on Saturday February 13 coincides with the colorful Georgetown Second Saturday Art Attack featuring visual and performing arts presentations throughout the neighborhood, just in time for Valentine's Day. What better place for art mavens of all ages to observe this romantic occasion than in the enchanting industrial arts quarter of Georgetown.
Listing Information:
Gahan Wilson: Fifty Years of Playboy Cartoons
Saturday, February 13, 6:00 – 9:00 PM
Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery
1201 S. Vale St. (at Airport Way S.) Seattle, WA
Phone 206.658.0110
Open daily 11:30 – 8:00 PM, Sundays until 5:00 PM.
ALSO: Be sure to tune in to KUOW 94.9's "Weekday" show from 9AM to 10AM, on Friday, Feb. 12th, when Gahan will be talking to host Steve Scher about the event and his legendary career.


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Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Let's Talk About Writing on a Cookie!
40 comments:
Love this post! You found some really fun fonts that I'll have to check out. Bradley hand has been my go to font recently :)ReplyDelete
Your writing is perfect!
- AnonymousJune 19, 2012 at 10:05 AM
oh my goodness.... finally! im always looking for posts that talk about how all you talented cookiers accomplish such beautiful, perfect wordsReplyDelete
so grateful
thank you so much!!!
This is a GREAT post!! I love writing on cookies........but find that lower case "e" s are the bane of my existence esp if icing is too "runny"....bad!ReplyDelete
Thanks for sharing this
Oh my gosh!!! e's!!! And we have a ton of them in my family's names! Those s's aren't so friendly either....Delete
I so agree, if the "e" melts into itself, well, that seems to be the case a lot. I know I need to thicken, but then I worry about lumps, and I get frustrated!!! Thank you for letting all of us struggling writers (in RI that is) know that practice does indeed make perfect!Delete
Amazing!! You make this look oh so easy that I definitely want to try it out for myself!!! Thank you for sharing!!ReplyDelete
Thank you for this! Your piping is super awesome - I need to practice, practice, practice!ReplyDelete
So glad you shared some tips on this!! I have always admired your writing/piping skills!ReplyDelete
This post is amazing!! Thank you so much for sharing this tip!! I have cookies to make for my daughters Bday...ad I was going to avoid lettering all together...but I think I might just give it a try;)ReplyDelete
- MichelleJune 19, 2012 at 12:47 PM
I've always admired your lettering - what size are the round cookies? - I think I try to write on too small a cookie and then get so frustrated when it looks like a child had a tantrum wiht an icing bag!ReplyDelete
Wow, what a great post! I never write on cookies, I'm going to have to practice!ReplyDelete
Okay, I would like you to come to my house tomorrow and write happy birthday on the cake I'm making. Thanks much. :)ReplyDelete
- AnonymousJune 19, 2012 at 6:35 PM
What program do you use? MS word? I use Open Offfice and I am not sure how to get new fonts. Any ideas?ReplyDelete
Pinned this....AWESOME! Thanks for sharing! Maybe my next birthday cake won't look like a 4 year old wrote on it! ;)ReplyDelete
Wow! This is why you're a rock star with cookies. Patient, artistic and attuned to detail. When you talked about the letter 'g' I had visions of teaching children to print their letters with icing... Wouldn't that be fun?!ReplyDelete
<3 Christina at I Gotta Create!
Stopping by for a peek from Whimsy Wednesdays - would love to be able to letter like that - tricky for a lefty like me! Would love to know what recipe you use for your 'pipig-consistency' frosting - thx!ReplyDelete
Your work is awesome! Do you mind me asking where you get all your alphabet fonts? Microsoft Word is so limited!ReplyDeleteReplies
Of course you can ask!!! You can find lots and lots of links on my Pinterest Board!Delete
sorry...can't figure out hyperlink on a reply ;/ anyone have a pinterest board with instructions for that?
I think I just need to practice this. Thanks for the great tutorial.ReplyDelete
fonts? I'm lucky if I get the letters on there! I am inspired however, thank you!ReplyDelete
Hi Lizzy!ReplyDelete
I enjoyed reading this tutorial. I always admired you lettering and wondered if you had favorite fonts. They always look so perfect. I knew it took talent but thanks for sharing the steps you take to get your beautiful results.
Thanks for sharing at my party!
xoxo Bunny Jean
Wednesday's Bunny Hop Party!
Who's the superstar, you are!!ReplyDelete
Always inspiring.
Love the tutorial! Found you at Something Swanky. Pinning this for the future!ReplyDelete
Your writing always looks so nice, now I know why! Thanks for sharing!ReplyDelete
Wow...I am so envious right now! You print better free hand than I do with my Kopykake. I know it takes a lot of practice, but I always struggle getting my icing the right consistency! I hate when I have to empty the piping bag and start over, so I tend to get lazy and try to "make do"...wrong, I know! I have been using "Girls are Weird" font because it is not written in a straight line and is a little more forgiving. Love that Bosshole font...so fun!ReplyDelete
Thanks for sharing your tutorial!
Way to go with the lettering!!ReplyDelete
Thanks so much for sharing this at The DIY Dreamer.. From Dream To Reality! I can't wait to see what you'll be linking up this evening!
Lizzy, Another great post. You are so very talented. Thanks so much for sharing each week on Show and Tell Wednesday at SNAP!ReplyDelete
xoxo, Tauni
I love this post! I used to hate writing on cookies but the KK has made it so much easier!ReplyDelete
Your piping is wonderful! I'm a bit confused, though: you still have to pipe them directly on the cookies, right? I'm lazy, so I'm wondering if it's possible to pipe them on wax paper, freeze it, and peel them off then lay them on the freshly frosted cookies?ReplyDelete
I finally had a chance to read this post and it's excellent! Thanks for all the tips. I don't have a KK but have had some success with writing on cookies. I'll just keep practicing!ReplyDelete
I have the same question as Katie B. For those of us that don't have a KopyCake, how do you pipe the font perfectly on the cookie?ReplyDeleteReplies
It's not as hard as you think. Trace your cookie cutter onto a piece of paper and practice writing on the paper. Just keep practicing until you get it! Pick an easy font to start with, bradley hand is good. Keep in mind that no one will be looking at the cookie and comparing it to the same words written on a piece of paper. You don't have to match the font perfectly, just enough to give it some style!Delete
You are simply amazing!ReplyDelete
Thanks so much Lizy B!!!ReplyDelete
this is super helpful. (If you saw how I do my writing you would laugh. It's so labor intensive.) Great post!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousJanuary 16, 2013 at 10:20 PM
Nice, I also love to write on cookies.I use PME #1 and 1.5 those are the bestReplyDelete
- AnonymousJanuary 16, 2013 at 10:31 PM
Very nice,I also like to write on cookies with the help of my KK. I use PME tips #1 and 1.5 i love those there the bestReplyDelete
You are amazing! I fall into the category of "I hate writing one cookies!" I am working on it though! You inspire me to get some paper and start practicing more. Thanks:)ReplyDelete
Great tutorial! This is extremely helpful! :-)ReplyDelete
Do you write directly onto the cookie just with the Kopykake? I don't have one but cannot imagine how do it just by looking :( Any tips on this?ReplyDelete
I love to read your comments (yup...I read each and every one!!!), thanks for taking the time to type out your thoughts! They truly make my day!
Your questions are so much fun, and I try to answer them by emailing you back directly. Please make sure you are not a 'no-reply' blogger so I can reach you!
Thanks everyone!


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text:
Francis Sejersted
The Nobel Foundation gives no permission to publication in electronic form
(for instance on internet) otherwise than in summary.
Copyright © The Nobel Foundation, Stockholm, 1997
The Nobel Peace Prize 1997
Oslo, December 10
International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL)
Jody Williams
Speech of Professor Francis Sejersted, member of the Norwegian Nobel Committee
Your Majesties, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,
There are those among us who are unswering in their faith that things can be done to make our world a better, safer, and more humane place, and who also, even when the tasks appear overwhelming, have the courage to tackle them. Such people deserve our admiration, and our gratitude. We are delighted and honoured to welcome some of them to the Oslo City Hall today. Our warm welcome to you, the representatives of the ICBL, the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, and to you, Jody Williams, the campaign's strongest single driving force. You have not only dared to tackle your task, but also proved that the impossible is possible. You have helped to rouse public opinion all over the world against the use of an arms technology that strikes quite randomly at the most innocent and most defenceless. And you have opened up the possibility that this wave of opinion can be channelled into political action.
We all know that the largest part of the task still lies ahead. Many nations, among them the largest, have been reluctant, at least so far, to commit themselves to not using this weapon. There is still the almost hopelessly huge and resource-consuming task of destroying the landmines - over one hundred million of them - that have been deployed. And the effort to build up opportunities for dignified lives for the many millions of innocent mine victims has only just begun. But through your self-sacrificing work, you have won support and created an organization that lead us to believe that it will be possible to reach the goal: a world completely free from anti-personnel mines. The course has been set, and the inspiration given. That is no small achievement, but a first step of very great and perhaps decisive importance. That step is what we honour you for today.
The mobilisation and focussing of broad popular involvement which we have witnessed bears promise that goes beyond the present issue. It appears to have established a pattern for how to realise political aims at the global level. The ICBL is an umbrella organization for over one thousand non-governmental organizations, large and small, which have taken up the cause. The Norwegian Nobel Committee wishes to honour them all, and to draw attention to the impact which such broad coordination can achieve.
A second characteristic feature of this process that ought to be noted is how, in the next instance, the political level was mobilised. A week ago, in Ottawa, 121 countries signed the total ban on anti-personnel mines. Through Foreign Minister Lloyd Axworthy, the Government of Canada took the decisive initiative in that mobilisation when, in October 1996, it invited all countries to the Ottawa meeting. "Such a treaty ," Axworthy said in connection with the invitation, "can be a powerful force that establishes the moral norm - that the production, use, stockpiling and transfer or anti-personnel mines is to be banned forever." The strategy adopted, in other words, was not to water the treaty down with a lot of exceptions aimed at inducing the hesitant to join in, but to convey a clear message. Though this may have frightened some countries off, it has of course, because of the overwhelming support for the process, placed the larger nations under considerable political pressure.
The problem of landmines has been on the international agenda for a long time. It was discussed in 1980, in connection with the Landmine Protocol to the Conventional Weapons Convention. It was when negotiations on the revision of that Protocol were being held in 1995-96 that frustration at the lack of progress made itself felt.
In November 1991, the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation in Washington D.C. and Medico International in Frankfurt agreed to launch a campaign aimed at banning anti-personnel mines. When the first International Conference on Landmines was held in London in May 1993, representatives of 40 voluntary organizations attended. The following year, in Geneva, 75 organizations were represented. Today, over one thousand organizations are members of the ICBL. It was by hooking into this popular involvement that the Ottawa process came to mark a new political beginning, lifting the cause out of the backwater it had drifted into.
It is interesting to watch this initiative apparently feeding back into the United Nations and the whole system of international negotiations, and giving them new life. Effective political action is dependent on cooperation at several levels. At the national level, that is old news, first given memorable expression over 150 years ago by de Tocqueville in his famous analysis of democracy in America. Representative political bodies can not carry on politics in a vacuum. They need in some way or other to be rooted in public opinion. And public opinion must be formed and directed by the active involvement of individual members of society in society's manifold organizations or associations. These are the fundamental institutional elements of what we have learned to know as - a civil society.
The problem at the international level is that no global civil society has existed. Perhaps it is not so surprising that the UN has not always been able to be as effective as we might have wished. But in the extensive cooperation we have been registering between the multitude of non-governmental organizations, the many national governments, and the international political system, first and foremost the UN, we may be seeing the outline of what may turn into a global civil society. We have glimpsed similar features in other connections, but hardly as clearly as in this particular case. In the bold hope this gives us for further development in the same direction, we see promising signs of a more peaceful world.
How did landmines come to be the problem that generated this kind of international concern? Weapons exist that in many ways are more terrible and pose a greater threat, nuclear weapons in particular. And is it not the case that by banning certain types of weapon, one indirectly legitimises the use of others, and thereby also legitimises war? What sort of peace policy is it just to ban certain types of weapon?
Certainly we have seen similar types of commitment, directed against nuclear weapons in particular, and the Norwegian Nobel Committee has on a number of occasions, most recently in 1995, called attention to active opposition to the build-up of nuclear arms. There is a vast difference between nuclear weapons and landmines. The former are the weapons of the rich, the latter of the poor. Yet they also have something in common. Both hit victims at a vast remove from the actual warfare. They strike mainly at civilian populations, and their effects continue for generations after the end of the armed conflict. They are weapons which cast the shadow of war also across peace. War's threat to life and limb is everywhere and never-ending. To set limits to war's repercussions for civilian populations and its impact on times of peace has always been an important aim of genuine work for peace.
At this very time, while nuclear war casts its shadow over us all - and perhaps for that very reason has remained an unrealised threat since 1945 - landmines are exploding every single day. Nearly all those killed or maimed are the poorest and most defenceless among us, and probably number some 26,000 each year. Yet the most alarming aspect of the situation may not be that total itself, but the constant threat to the much larger numbers who live in the danger zones, who do not know where they can send their children out to play, or who can only gather fuel or work in the fields at great risk to their own lives. Such people have been robbed of the opportunity to use the land to build their own societies.
The ICBL and Jody Williams's work is work for disarmament. The Norwegian Nobel Committee has frequently honoured disarmament efforts, or work for the "reduction of standing armies", to use Nobel's own words. Disarmament reduces tension and thereby the threat of war. The work of the ICBL and Jody Williams is, however, primarily aimed at what I have just mentioned: sheltering civilian populations from war. It is a humanitarian project. The Norwegian Nobel Committee's tradition of honouring humanitarian efforts goes right back to the first Peace Prize, awarded in 1901 to Henri Dunant, the founder of the Red Cross. Humanitarian work prevents war by seeking to eliminate the underlying causes of violence and war, the causes in the human mind. A humanitarian effort aims at "fraternity between nations", again to quote Nobel. It is a hand outstretched to the victims, both those who have been maimed and those in danger. It is a demonstration of care and compassion that transcends all national boundaries.
It is a paradox that what we find inside landmines is Nobel's brilliant invention, dynamite. Nobel was a profoundly moral man, and was deeply concerned about the potential of dynamite in weapons technology. At one time he developed a doctrine of deterrence. He wrote to his close friend, the peace activist Bertha von Suttner, that perhaps his factories were more effective in preventing war than her peace congresses. He can not have been completely convinced, however. When he decided to establish a peace prize, the idea probably came from Bertha von Suttner, and it was not a fear-ridden peace he wished to honour, but a peace of reconciliation and brotherhood. The inspiration from Bertha von Suttner is reflected in the special mention given in his will to the organization of peace congresses as a criterion for the award. Bertha von Suttner was to become the first woman Laureate when she was awarded the Peace Prize herself in 1905, after Nobel's death. There have not been many women among the Laureates, and no doubt there should have been more. But let us at least take credit for having made an early start. With her self-sacrificing, untiring and fruitful service to humanity and peace, Jody Williams is a worthy successor to Bertha von Suttner, who inspired the Peace Prize and brought Nobel to the realisation that peace must be rooted in the human mind.
An important step has been taken. The vast problem of landmines has effectively been placed on the international agenda. The worldwide opinion has been formed that something must be done about the problem. And the practical work of freeing the world from landmines has begun. It is in admiration, and in gratitude for their efforts to achieve that aim that we honour the ICBL and Jody Williams today with the Nobel Peace Prize for 1997. The vast and laborious task of putting an end to the production and sale of mines, destroying existing mines, and helping the victims has, however, only just begun. Let us therefore also express the hope that the process will win still greater support, so that the work can be intensified and a world without anti-personnel mines can become a reality in the foreseeable future.
Sejersted, Francis
, b. 1936. Professor of Economic and Social History. Cand.philol. (MA) 1965. Reader at the University of Oslo 1971, Professor 1973. Chairman of the Norwegian Student Society 1962. Member of the Nobel Committee since 1982, Chairman since 1991.
"General permission is granted for the publication in newspapers in any language. Publication in periodicals or books, or in digital or electronic forms, otherwise than in summary, requires the consent of the Foundation. On all publications in full or in major parts the above underlined copyright notice must be applied.
We will not give permission to publication in electronic form (for instance on internet) otherwise than in summary."
The "above copyright notice" refered to is:
Copyright © The Nobel Foundation, Stockholm, 1997
Tun Channareth
Rae McGrath
Francis Sejersted
Jody Williams
BOES.ORG Main INDEX
LandMine & Nobel Prize Website


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Chart air quality data
What's new
The Department of Environment and Science is introducing smoke sensors to provide more Queensland communities with local indicative measurements and health action advice during smoke and dust events. This sensor network will continue to expand into more locations over time. Sensor measurements can be viewed in the data table under the new 'Sensor' tab, or via the smoke and dust health action levels page.
Hydrogen sulfide monitoring is being undertaken in the Swanbank area by the department in response to community concerns around odour.
Particle PM2.5 at Burleigh Heads, Monday 3 October 2022 about Particle PM2.5
Burleigh Heads station overview
None of the data is validated (0% validated, 0/24 records)
Some data is unavailable for this time period (4%, 1/24 records)
Legend to air quality category colours about category values
- Good
- Fair
- Poor
- Very poor
- Extremely poor
No wind direction data available to create wind rose charts.
About air quality categories
Air quality categories are used to make it easier to interpret air quality data by reducing the complexity associated with different pollutant concentration units and air quality guideline values.
Each air quality measurement from a monitoring station is assigned an air quality category rating based on comparison of the measurement value against the relevant air quality guideline. Five colour-coded air quality categories are used, being 'Good' (green), 'Fair' (yellow), 'Poor' (orange), 'Very poor' (red) or 'Extremely poor' (dark red). Values greater than the air quality guideline will be appear as 'Poor', 'Very poor' or 'Extremely poor'.
About Particle PM2.5
Airborne particles less than 2.5 micrometres in diameter, referred to as PM2.5, can be hazardous to human health or cause a nuisance when present in the air at elevated levels. They are capable of penetrating the lower airways of humans and can cause possible negative health effects.
The guideline for Particle PM2.5 is 50µg/m³ (1hr avg) and 25µg/m³ (24hr avg).
Particle PM2.5 is measured in micrograms per cubic metre.


text: South Carolinaby Stacie Shaw0 Share this post Previous Next Stacie ShawStacie is the COO of Pitch Deck Fire and has had years of experience developing pitch decks, and preparing founders to pitch. Related Posts What is a Startup Accelerator? Newsletter: Week of May 13th 2019 What is your "One-Thing"? Founders Disease & How to Combat it Pitch Perfect: Top Five Tips For Your Best Pitch Ever Pitch Deck Examples: How to Create Killer Content


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Calculate the Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) and the Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR)
|On this page, the calculator allows the user to calculate the Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) and the Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) based on gender, age, weight and height. BMR and RMR are estimates of how many calories you would burn while at rest. The calculator will help you determine how this relates to your food intake and your weight loss or weight gain.
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Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) and Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR)
Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) and Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) are estimates of how many calories your body needs if you were to do nothing.An accurate BMR is measured under very restrictive circumstances when a person is awake, but at complete rest, it requires that the person's sympathetic nervous system not be stimulated.A more common and closely related measurement, used under less strict conditions, is
RMR. RMR and BMR are similar and yield extremely similar results. We can estimate the value of BMR/RMR using a same formula.
Calculating BMR and RMR
To calculate the number of calories you burn in a day while at rest, you can work out the Harris Benedict formula or The Mufflin equation for your own height, weight.
The Harris-Benedict formula
The Mufflin equation
A more accurate formula is the Katch-McArdle formula based on lean body mass:
Katch-McArdle formula
|Top Use: Calculate BMR/RMR - Gender:Female Age: 52yr. Weight:138Lbs Height:1.6m
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In stock
The most powerful amplifier in the Topaz range offering an immense 100 watts per channel, backed by a dedicated subwoofer output as well as two sets of speaker outputs. It also features analogue inputs, digital inputs, a phono stage, an FM receiver and an MP3 input, so it will connect and play virtually anything you throw at it.
Thanks to it's onboard Wolfson DAC (Digital to analogue converter) the SR20 provides three digital audio inputs, allowing the connection of digital sources such as streamers, TVs or laptops and it will then play them all with incredible detail and depth.
Continuing the comprehensive specification and attention to detail, the SR20 features a built-in MM Phono stage, bringing your vinyl to life! Turntables fitted with phono cartridges of either the Moving Magnet (MM) or high output Moving Coil (MC) type (between 2-6mV output and 30-50k load impedance) can be used.
We strive for audio perfection, which is why SR20 features a powerful toroidal transformer. We were one of the first manufacturers to use toroidal transformers in the 1970s, and we continue to use them today. Some of the benefits of a toroidal transformer, over the cheaper, inferior EI transformers used by most other manufacturers are:
Electronics (and therefore sound quality) are particularly susceptible to vibration; that's why we've used a low resonance, acoustically-dampened metal chassis to eliminate as much vibration as possible, ensuring that the most sound quality is extracted from every source.


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When was the last time you reviewed your insurance coverage? The beginning of the year is a great time to review your personal insurance. Most of us know that major life events can make it necessary to update our insurance coverage. But did you know that even subtle changes can have an impact on your financial needs and plans? Call our office today, and we can help you find the right combination of coverage and price.
Did you have any of these changes in the last year?
1. Bought a new car or sold a car
2. Changed your marital status
3. Bought a boat, RV or ATV
4. Change of address
5. Welcomed a new baby into the family
6. Major inheritance
7. Have a new teen driver in the family
8. New purchase of guns, jewelry or art
9. Child headed off to college
10. Child over the age of 26
11. Purchased second home
12. Plan foreign travel
13. Started a home based business
14. Retirement
Insurance "To Do" List
· Review my insurance to make sure I have the right coverage
· Take the time to read my insurance policies
· Consider increasing my umbrella coverage
· Check my credit score
· Get a quote for earthquake insurance
· Consider an alarm system
· Clean my gutters
· Have I replaced all the batteries in my smoke detectors?
· Does my insurance agent have all my correct information, including new phone number, address, and newly purchased property?
· Consider increasing my auto deductibles on my older vehicles
· Make sure I have identity theft insurance
· Combine my auto and home insurance to save money
· Complete a home inventory to ensure my property values are correct
· Do I have enough life insurance?
· Do I need life insurance for my spouse?
Call us today and allow us to help you manage your insurance program.


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Giuliana Rancic Plans to Undergo a Double Mastectomy Next Week [VIDEO]
E! News correspondent Giuliana Rancic announced her battle with breast cancer back in October, and now she's going in for a double mastectomy sometime next week.
Rancic told the Today show on Monday that she went public with the decision for several reasons, including a desire to help erase the stigma associated with the surgery. "[It's] come a long way from 20 years ago," she told the Today show. "The results can be incredible. Not only can it save your life, but you can come out feeling healthier and with a positive self-image."
She also thanked everyone for their support after her initial diagnosis, and encouraged other women "to be proactive with their health and get checked out."
About the procedure itself, she said, "I'll have scars, but I like scars. Scars are beautiful because they tell a story. I'll be able to say that I survived something major and it's made me stronger. I will be a better woman for it."
Rancic's husband Bill, who appeared with her during the Today show interview, added, "2012 is our year. We're going to ring in the New Year happy and healthy."
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy


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HowTo Forge has a new tutorial posted on installing a Lighttpd web server on a Mandriva linux system and including PHP and MySQL support:
Lighttpd is a secure, fast, standards-compliant web server designed for speed-critical environments. This tutorial shows how you can install Lighttpd on a Mandriva 2008.0 server with PHP5 support (through FastCGI) and MySQL support. I do not issue any guarantee that this will work for you!
Thanks to the urpmi package manager in Mandriva, installation of the software is just a matter of a few simple "install" calls. There's a little bit to configure - the MySQL credentials and the php.ini file - but it's a quick and easy setup for your system.


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If irony is a crucial ingredient for comedy, the House of Representatives can be a laugh riot. Lately, there's been some serious silliness about sequestration and Pentagon spending.
In September, the House took up a bill to fund the government for another six months — a stopgap measure to kick funding decisions for fiscal year 2013 to the next Congress. On the very same day, the House passed legislation introduced by Rep. Allen West (R-FL) to halt military spending cuts mandated by the Budget Control Act, yet another stopgap measure.
The irony behind West's "National Security and Jobs Protection Act," is stunning.
First, West — along with many of the new bill's supporters — was among the 343 members of Congress who passed the Budget Control Act last year. Second, the bill was debated amid a flurry of hearings and reports on wasteful Pentagon spending. And finally, the bill prescribes the very same kind of government-sponsored economic stimulus that the Florida Republican claims to despise.
West says he voted for the Budget Control Act to ensure that President Barack Obama doesn't get "a blank check to continue his spending binge." But his new bill — which the Senate won't touch and the White House vowed to veto — would lower the budget cap on discretionary funds while removing the "firewall" between defense and non-military spending. That means the Pentagon would get off the hook while civilian agencies like transportation and energy take an even bigger hit than anticipated.Yet on the same day the bill reached the House floor, there were several hearings on problematic security spending and waste. The House Oversight and Government Affairs Committee held a hearing on a Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction report revealing that hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of fuel in Afghanistan had gone missing. The House Armed Services Committee simultaneously held a hearing on deadly cockpit malfunctions in the F-22 Raptor, a ridiculously expensive white-elephant aircraft that some members of Congress are trying to revive after its cancellation three years ago.
The very next day, there was another House Armed Services committee hearing on waste in Pentagon contracting, followed by one later that week questioning the Defense Department's slow progress toward achieving an audit. Oh, and the National Research Council reported that missile defense — the most expensive military program ever at $200 billion and counting — is a flop.
The opponents of allowing military spending cuts to be subjected to sequestration — the automatic, across-the-board budget cuts that kick in if Congress fails to meet certain budget-cutting goals — are also launching a strangely partisan fight over the role of government in job creation.
Consider Majority Leader Eric Cantor's take. When the Virginia Republican touched on the national security consequences of sequestration, he spent the bulk of his floor time complaining about its effect on jobs in his district, down to the grocer who provides produce to military bases. The contradiction inherent in his arguments — that government-driven jobs programs are bad unless they involve defense — seemed lost on him. You can't have it both ways.
There's a simple fix for sequestration. In fact, it's written right in the Budget Control Act: Cut the budget by $1.2 trillion to shrink the deficit. My organization, Taxpayers for Common Sense, came up with $1.5 billion in proposed cuts last year, and in a few weeks we will release a proposal that would cut billions more in spending.
If lawmakers really want to stop blank checks for spending binges, they should start with the Pentagon, not stop short of it. Any fiscal plan that refuses to take on the military budget — which has more than doubled in the past decade, constitutes nearly 60 percent of our discretionary spending, and is rife with waste to boot — isn't just inefficient, it's dangerous. Our economic strength is our first line of defense, and the best way to protect it is to make every part of government vigilant against waste.


text: Some heady confidential financial documents get passed around on iPads at Blackstone Group, a publicly traded alternative investment and financial services firm based in New York City managing over $200 billion in largely private equity and real estate."The iPad is really the most convenient way to consume these documents," says Bill Murphy, CTO and managing director at Blackstone.At Blackstone, iPads began arriving on the enterprise scene 18 months ago. Today, there are some 600 iPads among nearly 2,000 employees that tap the corporate network for confidential documents and emails. Most of them are privately owned BYOD, or bring your own, devices."The percentage of iPads to employees will continue to go up, based on the number of iPads we're adding each month," Murphy says. "My gut is that it will go from 600 to more than 1,000 in the next year."Blackstone spent a lot of time and energy finding ways to secure confidential documents on BYOD iPads, even looking at possibly purchasing iPads for employees. The company leveraged two main technologies\u2014MobileIron and WatchDox\u2014to solve the security problem.Slideshow: 15 Ways iPad Goes to WorkBut Blackstone isn't out of the woods yet. With Android and Microsoft Windows 8 and Windows RT tablets bearing down on the market, Murphy faces the daunting challenge of opening up BYOD beyond iPads. His IT team isn't staffed to handle an increasing number of different devices with the same level of customer service.And then there's the idea of just buying iPads for everyone. Can Murphy find a way to justify it? CIO.com talked with Murphy about his iPad in the enterprise experience, tablet security and the future of tablet computing at Blackstone.What kick-started iPads at Blackstone?Murphy: We're BYOAD right now, or bring your own Apple device. The iPad was the driving factor in wanting to increase the flexibility at the enterprise level, with people saying, "This is a new tool for work, and I want to use it." They immediately saw the value of not bringing their laptops when traveling and having all their documents with them at all times.The firm was unwilling to buy iPads, but we couldn't say no to those who brought their own.How important was iPad security? Is today's technology up to the task?Murphy: Putting confidential information on unmanaged mobile devices was obviously something we didn't want to do. How do we secure the device in a way where we can feel comfortable that the device can be blown up and secured in the event of being lost, stolen or if the employee was let go? This was the gating factor to getting going at all.How did you overcome this challenge?Murphy: We restricted the use until we solved that problem with mobile device management. We implemented MobileIron and enabled applications such as email\u2014still far and away the heaviest trafficked work application for mobile devices. Now we have the ability to control centrally. MobileIron enforces a password, and we have relatively complex password requirements. We can track the device and expire it from afar when it connects to the Internet. This really shrinks down the ability for someone to attack that device to a very small window. We feel comfortable that no company confidential information is going to get stolen. Bill Murphy, Blackstone CTO and Managing DirectorThen we implemented WatchDox to secure documents even further. WatchDox embeds digital rights management in the document itself. Unlike Dropbox, Box or any of these file sharing systems that give access to a document, WatchDox requires an authentication on top of the download. The stuff on the device is also encrypted. There's no chance of someone forwarding the document and being able to open it without being authenticated to the secure WatchDox repository.[Disclosure: Blackstone is a minority investor in WatchDox.]Any blind spots with BYOD security?Murphy: Nothing that keeps me up at night.Android and other types of tablets are something we haven't allowed in the environment. On the Android front, the ability to do whatever you want as a manufacturer or a hacker doesn't make us feel overly comfortable. Also, the enormity of the different types of devices would put a significant strain on our IT staff.Do you have plans to move from BYOD to company-owned iPads?Murphy: There are lots of huge benefits going to an iPad. We've bought a few iPads and are trying to figure out if we can generate the ROI [return on investment] to justify issuing company-owned iPads. It's still inconclusive whether or not you can cut paper costs and other things enough to justify the full cost of the device. The jury is still out.We've loaned iPads and offered WorkDox documents at our investor conferences instead of handing out enormous paper books, which are costly to print. People like it because iPads are lighter to carry around. They can try out new technology that enables annotation and different types of note-taking. We've seen major savings: 80 to 90 percent of our printing costs have gone away. For conferences, we've totally justified iPads. But on the day to day, can you really go paperless? If you go paperless, can you quantify the dollars saved? There are other obvious benefits, in terms of speed and having everything with you all the time. We're trying to better quantify the benefits of tablets. It's not an absolute slam dunk where we want to issue them to everybody in our firm. We do have the benefit of spending a lot in the past on messengering documents around, printing books and Fedex-ing materials to our board members. For certain people, there is a clear iPad ROI. If you send four major Fedex [packages] a year to various places around the globe, you can pay for an iPad pretty quickly.Are you going to crack that ROI this year?Murphy: We looked at it quickly, hoping it would be extremely easy to justify. We found it wasn't a slam dunk, where you'd go to the hoop, get the funding and make it happen. So we de-prioritized it in favor of other more clear-cut projects. If we focused on it, I would give it a 50-50 chance of getting to justification. I'd say the odds are pretty low because both those things would have to come to together.With BYOD, you said you're an Apple-only shop. How much longer can you hold on to this position?Murphy: I don't know, probably for a while at Blackstone.Of course, the minute someone comes out with the latest, greatest thing that trumps Apple will probably be the point where we will start to succumb to some of those problems. The audience is very fickle. They'll dump you and move to the next cool thing if it solves use cases better than the predecessor.We've purchased a number of other tablets, testing them to see how we feel about it. We want to stay a step ahead of our users. We've tried Microsoft Surface and feel the Surface Pro has a chance to be interesting because of the ability to run full Office. However, the usability in my view still isn't close to the iPad. Until [Microsoft] can skin that cat, I think we'll have relatively few problems.Are you dreading the day a top executive comes to work with a new Android tablet?Murphy: A little bit. I think the mobile device management companies and WatchDox are working on [support] across all different types of devices. We have put a few foundational pieces in place and can expand relatively easily.The biggest change that we'll have to make at that point is to change the expectations of our users, in terms of support.The main reasons we're Apple-only is: one, the lockdown nature of the Apple devices make us feel better about security. But I think we can get over that security hurdle. The bigger thing is the assumption of enterprise support. As we proliferate new devices, we'll need to change the culture in order to make that something we can support economically.Right now, the amount we do for our users as it relates to mobile devices is vast. If we had to support 15 types of devices, we wouldn't have the staff to be able to handle it. If we change expectations to, "hey, listen, you're on your own," then it wouldn't be that bad technically to support them all.Tom Kaneshige covers Apple and Consumerization of IT for CIO.com. Follow Tom on Twitter @kaneshige. Follow everything from CIO.com on Twitter @CIOonline and on Facebook. Email Tom at firstname.lastname@example.com


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Excessive militarization of Police Documented by John Oliver's Last Week Tonight
(Image by HBO John Oliver's Last Week Tonight) Details DMCA
In a brilliant August 17 segment of Last Week Tonight, HBO host John Oliver ripped into small towns that have equipped their police with war-like military equipment. One town was Keene, New Hampshire, where their military-grade armored personnel truck was acquired to protect critical targets ---- like the annual Pumpkin Festival. Another was Doraville, Georgia. Oliver showed a wild video clip from the Doraville Police Department's website, with a Ninja-dressed SWAT team going for a joyride in a souped-up armored personnel carrier, all set to a heavy metal song called "Die MotherF***er Die."
In a visit to Doraville last week, I asked Officer Gene Callaway why his sleepy town of 8,000, which hasn't had a murder since 2009, needed an armored personnel carrier (APC). "The vehicle provides Doraville with a scalable response and ensures the safety of police officers," he answered. Scalable response? Safety of police officers? Doraville has never been a crime-ridden town. "We at Doraville are proud to be ranked 39th in safest cities in Georgia," Callaway himself bragged. It seems the most useful task the APC performed was pulling 18-wheelers back onto the salted lanes of Route 285 during snowstorms. Oh, and let's not forget that "the kids love playing on it" when it rolls up to the county fair, Callaway told me.
Doraville's armored vehicle is a gift from Uncle Sam, as part of the billions of dollars' worth of military equipment now flowing from the federal government to state and local police departments. Not only is it an incredible waste of taxpayer money, but it gets people--including children--accustomed to seeing military vehicles on their streets. Worst of all, it is causing police to act like soldiers, especially since one of the stipulations of getting this equipment is that it must be used within one year of receipt.
The Doraville Police, embarrassed by the negative publicity from their video, took it down (they insist that the theme music was unauthorized). Now on their website you can see much more benevolent images, such as three smiling police officers, one dressed as Santa Claus, with two young girls who are the recipients of the "Santa Pop Program" that pairs police with "less-fortunate children."
But let's face it. Military toys, constantly dangled before the police at law enforcement exhibits and fairs, are hard to resist. And with the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security giving out this stuff for free, why not get some hand-me-downs? Doraville and Keene are just two of thousands of cities and towns throughout the nation that have successfully applied for surplus equipment from a federal government agency.
Your head will spin if you take a look at this map the New York Times published on August 21. It lists the counties that have received military surplus and the supplies they've received. The acquisitions under the Department of Defense (DOD) program since its inception in 1991 are valued at $5.1 billion, with $449.3 million given out in fiscal year 2013 alone. In just the past 5 years, as part of Section 1033 of the National Defense Authorization Act of 1997, the Pentagon has given away "tens of thousands of machine guns; nearly 200,000 ammunition magazines; thousands of pieces of camouflage and night-vision equipment; and hundreds of silencers, armored cars and aircraft" to counties in every state throughout the country.
While attention is now focused on the DOD's program, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has a program that is three times the size. This year alone, DHS plans to give away $1.6 billion worth of military equipment for counterterrorism, border security and disaster preparedness. Thanks to DHS, every squad car in Fargo, North Dakota, has assault rifles and kevlar helmets and 1,500 beat cops in Philadelphia are trained to use AR-15s.
DHS is also giving out money for a few dozen police departments to experiment with drones. When the Federal Aviation Administration opens US airspace to drones in the coming years, civil liberty advocates fear that the nation's 18,000 police departments will be lining up for DHS grants to get their latest toy--a toy that has the capacity to spy, stun, maim and kill.
This is already starting. In May 2012, DHS began distributing $4 million in experimental grants to help local law enforcement agencies buy their own small drones, opening a new market for politically connected drone makers as the wars overseas shrink. The sheriff's department in Montgomery County, Texas received a $250,000 grant to buy a drone, which in April 2014 crashed into Lake Conroe and was destroyed. In 2013, citizens of Seattle pressured police into returning two drones they had received from DHS grants for $82,000. The drones were then pawned off on the LA Police Department, which is now facing a citizen backlash to get rid of them.
In the past, Congress has done nothing to rollback the handouts. When Congressman Alan Grayson introduced legislation in June to limit funding to the 1033 program, it was quashed by an overwhelming vote of 355-62, including 35 members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus who voted against it. House Democrats reportedly voted against Grayson's legislation because it's "hard to say 'no' to your local police chief when they are explaining to you how this equipment could help and in what type of situation."
But the killing of Michael Brown and Ferguson's subsequent conversion into a warzone is leading to a critical discussion on racism and police power in America, and also to a new awareness about how our police forces have become more and more like the military.
United States Representative Hank Johnson (D-GA) has plans to try again in September, when Congress reconvenes. He is introducing a bill that would ban police departments from receiving armored vehicles, armored drones, high caliber weapons, gun silencers, and stun grenades under the Defense Department's 1033 Program.
Given the roadblocks to get any bill passed in Congress, though, it's critical to put pressure on state and local governments to opt out of receiving military equipment. CODEPINK has launched a campaign for people to pressure their local governments to pass resolutions pledging not to apply for nor accept military gear from the Defense Department or the Department of Homeland Security and to decommission supplies they already have.
Our police departments should not become dumping grounds for weapons makers looking for new clients to replace sales for waning wars abroad. Nor should they be repressive agencies that treat the public, especially black men, like enemies. Nor should they be militarized to deal with real or imagined threats of terrorism. Counterterrorism is supposed to be under the purview of the Pentagon, FBI, CIA, NSA and more.
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).


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In the context of disclosures about federal scanning of everyone's Internet and phone usage, I chuckled at its irony and almost tossed it away. On careful reading, I found it was warning me that if I didn't want to be part of its CPN I needed to notify Verizon within 30 days, after which I would be receiving materials from Verizon and firms related in some way to Verizon.
I had just finished watching a news update and reading a Time magazine piece on Edward Snowden's disclosures of deep-secret information about how the National Security Agency is compiling information on virtually every individual and business in America.
This subject is of some personal interest, as I handled media coordination for the First Conference on Computers, Freedom & Privacy, known as CFP1, held in Burlingame in 1991. I also was involved with several subsequent conferences in between stints as a full-time journalist. The conference, chaired by Jim Warren, then of Woodside, brought together an astoundingly broad range of perspectives, from a privacy zealot from Australia, youthful hackers/crackers and law-enforcement officials to representatives of the FBI, Secret Service and even CIA.
The multi-day conference spawned multiple dialogues involving people who rarely if ever had contact with each other, outside of some adversarial brushes from an institutional distance. One then infamous cracker (an illegal hacker), John Draper (aka "Captain Crunch") at lunchtime beckoned Warren and me over to his hotel-restaurant table to introduce us to "my arresting officer, and prosecutor."
The Australian privacy advocate warned that the foundations of our freedoms were being "white-anted" -- a term that stopped me cold when I was transcribing his comments for what became a book on the topic. The book, still online, became one of the first textbooks for college courses on the new subject. After repeated emails, I learned that "white ants" was an Aussie term for termites.
Another prophetic image emerged from a subsequent CFP conference planning session, when I relayed to conference Chair Bruce Koball and others a comment from a friend: "I'm not interested in computers!"
"Well, she may not be interested in computers, but there are a lot of computers interested in her," Koball instantly replied. A variant, "You may not be interested in computers but there are a lot of computers interested in you," became the motto of that conference. I still have a T-shirt with a keyhole-and-eyeball logo over the motto.
After two decades, the shirt is badly faded and frayed.
But not as faded and frayed as Americans' privacy rights, I fear. One of the early organizers of the CFP conferences concluded when asked a few years back that the battle for any meaningful privacy has been lost, forever lost, stamped out like many ill-equipped resistance movements of years, even centuries, past.
In the face of highly focused, well-funded interest groups -- the marketing industry, law-enforcement, national security in the vanguard of an army of lobbyists -- we've been truly white-anted in the privacy front.
The intensity of focus never materialized on the pro-privacy side on a scale to mobilize the termite inspectors and exterminators. The "opt-out" policy in Verizon's mailer won the debate over opt-in/opt-out that was a hot topic in the early 1990s. In virtually every aspect of our lives, our data tracks are being monitored and utilized in unimaginably complex ways.
But the PRISM program is so vast, so secret, so pervasive of everyone who uses telephones or the Internet that it is staggering. Under the mantel of tracking terrorists and saving lives, anything is permissible, it seems -- even to abridging the historical constitutional right to associate and assemble. As the Arab Spring has shown, online is today's assembly hall, or living rooms of early Christians with fish marks on their doors.
We may have more to learn about Snowden's motives or intent in taking the federal contract position. I am not in any way defending him or his actions.
But it is increasingly clear that the international manhunt is rapidly supplanting news coverage of the extremes of PRISM itself. Snowden is now painted as the one damaging U.S. relations around the world -- not the secret spy program itself under which innocent millions are being scanned with questionable supervision and unknown guidelines.
For the national media, which tends toward "pack journalism" anyway, it is far simpler to cover an exciting manhunt and bad-guy story than to probe the details buried in piles of documents.
But there's still the bottom line reality: There are a lot of computers interested in all of us -- and vastly more of them today.
Note: Former Weekly Editor Jay Thorwaldson can be e-mailed at email@example.com with a copy to email@example.com. He writes regular print columns for the Weekly in addition to his Town Square blogs.


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Utah ushers its frogs toward oblivion
In the middle of the last century, thirsty pioneers traveling along the Humboldt Trail through Utah knew how to find potable water: If there were snakes and frogs in a spring or pool, it was safe to drink.
This method never failed them. When Brigham Young and his plucky tribe of Mormon refugees from persecution made it to the southern shores of the Great Salt Lake in 1847, that rule of thumb may have provided as much daily sustenance as the teachings of founder Joseph Smith.
Young and his people drifted southward along the towering western wall of the Wasatch Mountains, crossing the Provo, Weber and Bear rivers. They passed through surprisingly fertile meadows, and ponds engineered by beavers on the knolls rising above their future capital. In the evenings, egrets, herons and cranes sailed into the backwater sloughs to feed on frogs, toads, salamanders and other creatures. Lining the larger river channels were cottonwood galleries, and at the foot of the mountains, marshes and sheltering pools were thick with tadpoles in the spring.
Utah was a mosaic of exceptional amphibian and reptile habitat because it contained such varied geography. Not only did the snowfall trapped by the Wasatch Mountains feed a moist nexus of wetlands where frogs bred, but the bottoms of ancient Lake Bonneville and the Salt Lake Valley historically held a network of interconnected sloughs. Even to the west of the Great Salt Lake, in the stark deserts of the Great Basin, seasonal pools provided refuge for frogs. And in the south of the state, in the Colorado Plateau's red slickrock canyon country, there was a diversity of snakes, lizards and anurans (frogs and toads).
This country has been good to the Mormons. A century and a half after settlement, Young's messianic vision of a prosperous religious colony has borne fruit. Utah is rich, thanks most recently to a tidal wave of urban emigrants from California, corporate business relocations, and a construction boom. From Salt Lake City to Provo, new construction is racing down the Wasatch Front in anticipation of the 1998 Winter Olympic Games. Around St. George and Cedar City, in the downstate counties of Washington and Garfield, developers are clearing the scrub for dream homes and shopping centers where once there were cows and unbroken desert. In Moab, the outdoor recreation mecca of the inland West, tourists are making cash registers sing. And just beyond the borders of Zion National Park, developers hope to dam the Virgin River and send its water to golf courses and swimming pools.
Boom days have arrived, but the frogs that guided the first settlers no longer sing. In a landscape bearing less and less resemblance to the one the pioneers encountered, they are disappearing at a prodigious rate. Although the decline is accelerating with the latest boom, the stage was set years ago. An irrigation network started by early settlers now delivers water from rivers and wetlands to towns and farms along the Wasatch Front. The system is huge; it has some 7,500 ditches and trenches.
The frogs are not the only casualties. Those charged with studying and protecting the frogs are also in jeopardy. One, a mild-mannered herpetologist named David Ross, has worked for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) since 1991.
"You need to know," he said one evening at a Mexican restaurant in Salt Lake City, "that Utah is different from any other place in the country."
Ross was raised in Maryland, not far from the famous estuaries of Chesapeake Bay. Rachel Carson tracked the residues of DDT in the Chesapeake, Aldo Leopold took great delight in watching the spectacular annual convergence of waterfowl there, and countless scientists owe the beginnings of their fascination with the natural world to this vast mosaic of water and land.
"I didn't go to school or become a biologist in order to be politically subversive," Ross says. "But I didn't want to become a doctor or lawyer, either. I wanted to make a contribution because I just can't see the utility of ignoring the fact that species are being eliminated from our world every day. Science for me was a way of helping to understand why."
After completing a master's thesis on aquatic turtles at the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point and spending five years working as an ecologist for a regional public utility, Ross was elated to land a job in Utah. He quickly earned a reputation for thoroughness in his field work. One species in particular - Rana pretiosa, the pretty spotted frog - caught his attention.
R. pretiosa has unmistakable, brilliant markings that make it resemble a salmon-colored gemstone in the rough. "It can be the color of king salmon or pumpkin orange," the 38-year-old Ross says enthusiastically. "The tint on the skin is supposed to help it evade predators. When it moves, the flash of color alarms its pursuer and has a dodging effect, like a firefly at night, only this occurs in the water. These are remarkable animals."
But herpetologists believe the populations of R. pretiosa have fallen so precipitously along the Wasatch Front that it may be close to the point of no return. Biologists say that the long-term viability of a species is threatened when the population drops below 500 individuals. Although spotted frogs were once abundant and widely distributed, Ross was able to document only patchy islands of R. pretiosa, all disconnected from one another and all far below the crucial demographic threshold.
Two reports Ross co-authored in the early 1990s, the first on frog populations along the Wasatch Front and another on spotted frogs in Utah's western desert, verified the species' shrinkage. The causes of the declines were cattle grazing, pesticide spraying, the introduction of hatchery-raised trout for sport fishing and especially the draining of wetlands for development. These land uses Ross cited are all dear to the heart of the so-called Cowboy Caucus, a loose-knit group of powerful, pro-development Utahns.
It didn't take long for Ross to start feeling the heat. It began in early 1993, when he heard rumblings that "my job would be toast." In July, he was called upstairs.
"When my boss dragged me up to the director's office, I had no idea what was going on," Ross said. "I was the first one in a whole line of people they wanted to get rid of." He was told to take a position studying brine shrimp in northern Utah, or leave the department altogether. In the ensuing months, some 50 scientists were reassigned or pressured to leave.
The official reason for the changes was to save Utah taxpayers money though a "restructuring plan." But Ross was unconvinced. When he asked Tim Provan, who directed the agency, why the nongame positions were being eliminated, Provan replied: "All I can tell you is it's political."
Gov. Mike Leavitt says flatly that there was no collusion between his administration and developers.
The Utah Association of Herpetologists believes differently: "Apparently Dave Ross has been able to open a few eyes which were, politically, better left shut," the association declared in its newsletter Intermontanus. "So all in all the Utah Department of Wildlife Resources has decided to let the Wasatch populations of the spotted frog go extinct, and to ignore the rest of the state's herpetofauna."
"There wasn't any mystery to what happened," says Ken Rait, public-lands director for the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA). "David was essentially made an example of by the Leavitt administration and by Ted Stewart's Department of Natural Resources of what will happen to any biologist who tries to practice science that does not jibe with the politics of the Cowboy Caucus. That's why Utah is now headed for an ecological crisis."
Although state divisions of wildlife have historically been seen as involved only with game animals and catchable species of fish, they actually have broad responsibilities. In Utah, the DWR is responsible for 630 species, only 71 of which are game animals. Nevertheless, some 85 percent of the DWR's $26 million budget in 1995 went to game species. These numbers contrast with a 1991 report showing that more people are involved in nonconsumptive enjoyment of wildlife in Utah than in hunting and fishing.
A disappointed Provan left the agency in August 1995. He says "realignments' of wildlife departments are not unique to the state, "but none have been as extreme as what went down in Utah. There's a power struggle being waged between governors, legislatures and fish and game departments that are perceived by development interests as having too much power. The legislatures want to reign them in."
Provan's replacement, Bob Valentine, was a favorite of the state legislature. A former personnel manager at an aerospace firm, Valentine had no biology experience. He became director only after the Legislature changed a rule that the position be filled by a wildlife professional. As a duck hunter, Valentine filled the new requirement that the director "have an interest in wildlife."
Valentine maintains that the shakedown among the nongame biologists was merely a staff consolidation: "What we did was fold the nongame people into either the aquatic or wildlife section. I don't think it was an unprecedented thing. It's been done in other states ... the reductions and consolidation were really based on a six-month review of the division by the Wildlife Management Institute out of Virginia. That was their recommendation. To suggest anything else is a blatant falsehood."
The Wildlife Management Institute's recommendations looked at ways to "streamline and consolidate," but they did not suggest purging the nongame division. And Met Johnson, a downstate rancher, two-term state legislator and a champion of the wise-use movement, paints a different picture than Valentine. He says he helped pull the strings that got Ross and other biologists ousted.
"The first year of the reduction in staff (1994)," Johnson says, "we shut down the funds for the nongame division. Seventy employees got the ax. Whenever we spoke, they (Valentine and Division of Natural Resources head Ted Stewart) jumped because they knew we meant what we said. Just to list the damn frog and put all that land in jeopardy is wrong and we won't have it ... if it presents a problem for private-land owners, you're dead, which they knew meant they'd be out of funds."
Johnson runs the Western States Coalition and makes no bones about its mission: "We've dedicated ourselves to making a difference in failed public policy and to counteract the strategies of the extremist environmental movement that do more harm than good."
The coalition, says Johnson, aims to prevent the federal listing of the spotted frog, desert tortoise and any other imperiled species. "The Fish and Wildlife Service (the agency which lists and protects endangered species) would be damn fools," not to cooperate, he says. "We have the potential to generate enough outcry that not only can we do away with two-thirds of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service but we'll have them crawling to us on their hands and knees. That's not a threat. That's reality. They're making themselves enemies everywhere. Pretty soon there will be enough enemies and we'll derail the whole Endangered Species Act train. If they don't accommodate us, they are stupid."
Not all of Utah saw things Johnson's way, and the housecleaning that swept away Ross and other scientists was sharply criticized: "You can bet most of the agency's employees are not working there for the money," wrote Deseret News columnist Ray Grass during the purge. "They're there because they love, or loved, their work and care about their charges, be they deer or barn owls. (The Cowboy Caucus) went after the DWR and it looks now like they won. They taught the agency a lesson: 'Mess with us and you'll be sorry.' "
SUWA led an investigation into the shakedown. The grassroots group filed a Government Records Access and Management Act request (the state equivalent of the Freedom of Information Act) that sent state government members scrambling. DWR officials initially responded to SUWA's request by threatening to bill the organization $40,000 to copy its documents. The agency backed down after SUWA staffers offered to go through the files themselves.
SUWA's probe uncovered numerous examples of meddling by the Leavitt administration in the management of Utah's wildlife and science programs. The governor's own family had a sticky situation to fix. In the early 1990s, outbreaks of whirling disease surfaced across the West in wild trout streams (HCN, 9/18/95). Spread of the pathogenic protozoan Myxobolus cerebralis - which deforms the skeletal systems of wild fish species like rainbow trout - was traced to hatchery-raised fish.
Although the state of Utah prohibits the release of hatchery-raised fish into wild streams unless they are proven to be disease-free, whirling disease was discovered in 1991 and traced to the Road Creek Ranch hatchery, owned in part by Governor Leavitt and two of his brothers. The investigating agency was none other than the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.
The Leavitts initially denied culpability, but they were eventually charged with 30 violations of state aquaculture laws. They pled no contest to eight violations; the rest were dismissed.
By his own admission, Division of Natural Resources head Ted Stewart didn't investigate the family as aggressively as he might have: "I have not been able to take some of the actions I would have liked out of fear that I would do your son, the Governor, more harm than good," he wrote in a letter to Leavitt's mother unearthed during the SUWA investigation.
There is no way to establish cause and effect. But the state fisheries chief, Bruce Schmidt, who had a hand in the investigation, found his job had disappeared, along with 18 other mid- and upper-level management jobs in his department. He now works in Oregon.
However, skirmishes over frogs and fishes were only part of a much larger story, according to Bruce Johnson, who oversaw the state's habitat protection programs for all endangered species. Looming large was the Cowboy Caucus' fear of what protecting the habitat of threatened desert creatures might do to the exploding suburbanization of southwestern Utah. Prominent among these species were the desert tortoise and the Gila monster.
"The best tortoise habitat happens to be on land where residential subdivisions and shopping centers are being built," Johnson says. "When development in St. George started booming, landowners who saw that (endangered) prairie dogs were allowed to be killed in certain situations wanted the same provisions for the tortoise. Our department took a lot of heat for upholding the law."
Met Johnson (no relation to Bruce) of the Western States Coalition appears to agree. "If you saw your neighbor's property taken away and rendered useless because of a desert tortoise, what would you do the next time you saw one of them tortoises on your property? I'll tell you this: You know them tortoises aren't going to last long. People are going to do the shoot, shovel and shut up routine."
In the early 1990s, Bruce Johnson, a practicing Mormon, got tired of the political interference. He and his staff knew they were up against powerful opposition, but they vowed to enforce the Endangered Species Act anyway.
"We said anybody who drives over a tortoise with a bulldozer is going to be prosecuted," says Johnson. "No one ever told me directly to stay out of the area, per se, but I received word second- or third-hand many times that the Cowboy Caucus would retaliate. And it did. The governor let it be known that his Director of Natural Resources, Ted Stewart, was pretty upset with our stand and that we were supposed to be kinder and gentler and turn the other cheek. A few of us kept doing enforcement work anyway, but at the same time, I notified the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that there was trouble."
Funding for enforcement shrank, and it got more difficult for Johnson's staff to do its job. "We were already short of funding, although there was a surplus (of as much as $200 million in the state treasury) available at the time, and things got worse. We had truck-mileage restrictions and boat-mileage restrictions. As a way of keeping us from doing our job, it was very effective."
Johnson, a top-level manager with 23 years experience with DWR, was privy to budgetary matters: "We know for a fact that the executive director of Natural Resources and the interim director of Wildlife Resources were offered the money to cover whatever shortfalls were allegedly imagined, but they turned it down. They didn't want the money. They had another agenda ... The only people who were spared were fence-sitting, older managers who had never done a damn thing for wildlife and knew very little about threatened and endangered species ... It was never a money issue. That was all a lie."
When his job was eliminated in early 1994, Johnson took a DWR regional law enforcement position in Ogden, but left after five months. He now divides his time between running a nursing-home management company and teaching wildlife enforcement part time at Brigham Young University.
A year after the blitzkrieg of early 1994, the number of biologists working at DWR has returned to pre-purge levels. But protection for nongame species has not. The agency's biologists are working to provide plenty of pheasant and mule deer for the state's hunters. They are not investigating the state's fast-disappearing frogs and tortoises.
"Friends who escaped the layoffs tell me morale is in the gutter," Johnson says. "No one is willing to stand up and do what is right. They do what they're told, which is to not rock the boat. Gutting science is the name of the game. A lot of the pressure came down not just from the Cowboy Caucus, but we had a feeling it came from the highest levels of state government because (of) particular families' involvement in businesses from insurance to fish farms."
Bob Williams, the Utah state director for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said the mechanism for tracking the status of amphibian and reptile populations has been dealt a serious blow. "We relied so much on DWR nongame biologists to give us on-the-ground decisions, and without that resource it will be more difficult to make good decisions. It would appear they (the state) don't have much concern for snakes or frogs or other herps that don't bring in the money."
His complaint is not new. Zoologist Vasco M. Tanner, who published Amphibians of Utah in 1931, delivered the following message to the Utah Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters in 1948: "(We have) ignored the 69 species of amphibians and reptiles in the state," he noted. "Without the help from toads, frogs, lizards and snakes (in controlling bugs and rodents) the agricultural interests would be greatly changed."
He called on the state to support its nongame biologists. "We should have the best-trained personnel that the state can produce and provide them with the best equipment and facilities at our disposal. This personnel would not be tied to political apron strings, but be free to carry out a program in keeping with the findings, and with our peculiar conditions. No group should be able to dictate a short-sighted program which deals with a few species at the expense of the whole. We need more science and biology in our management ..."
One could argue, as has U.S. Rep. James Hansen of Utah and other enemies of the Endangered Species Act, that species have always come and gone, and that threats to survival have always existed. Yet herpetologists point out that worldwide, frogs are declining much faster now than ever (see story page 11).
Almost single-handedly, Peter Hovingh, a Salt Lake City biochemist and well-respected naturalist, gathered and delivered data to the Utah Nature Studies Society, which petitioned to list the spotted frog as an endangered species. The effort was derailed by the Utah congressional delegation. Although there is enough supporting evidence to justify the listing, the Fish and Wildlife Service was forbidden until this spring from listing new species by the Republican-controlled Congress. Earlier attempts at listing were repelled by the Cowboy Caucus.
"Utah is basically a (Mormon) theocracy and if these species aren't important to leaders of the theocracy - if they can't benefit financially from them - they won't be of importance to the people down below," Hovingh explains. "It doesn't matter how much you wreck the environment on earth because everything will be rosy in heaven. Maybe a frog will be up there, too, maybe all of them will be, because they're not long for here, that's for sure."
Hovingh says there is far more public interest in biological diversity than the politicians assume. "There are people who like these animals," he says. "I know a farmer who found spotted frogs and his wife told him that she liked having them around, so he made sure they remained by protecting the habitat."
As far as David Ross is concerned, the story of his career in Utah is part of a much larger picture.
"The state seems to have zero interest in why the frog populations are crashing and what effect that is going to have on bird life and the rest of the food chain," he says. "Recently, scientists discovered that skin extracts from certain frogs are effective in fighting cancer, but that's not the reason we should care.
"Frogs are the ultimate indicator species. If a marsh or stream is suddenly vacant of frogs and it's caused by siltation from construction or livestock grazing or water diversion, that should be a strong warning that maybe we should think about how it is affecting the quality of our drinking water. The state just doesn't want to see the connection."
Frogs are barometers of change on a macrocosmic and microcosmic level, Ross adds. They exist where there is clean water, as the Mormon pioneers astutely recognized.
Before he changed jobs, Ross completed his own regional summary on "species of special concern" in Utah (i.e. amphibians and reptiles deemed vulnerable to habitat alteration). Here's what he found in addition to the precarious status of R. pretiosa: A relict subspecies of the leopard frog, the Utah frog (R. onca), is already extinct from the Virgin River in Washington County and from almost all of Utah and Nevada; the lowland leopard frog (R. yavapaiensis) is rapidly declining, the southwestern toad (Bufo microscaphus) is in trouble along the Virgin River. Further, the Western toad (B. boreas), the northern leopard frog (R. pipiens) and the Pacific chorus frog (Pseudacris regilla) are either significantly declining or occupying a limited and withering range.
Utah's only population of Gila monsters (Heloderma suspectum) lives in southern Washington County and is declining due to habitat fragmentation and poaching; and the future of the lizard-like chuckwalla (Sauromalus obesus) is questionable at best.
During his spare hours on his new job, Ross had continued to document the decline of amphibians in northern Utah. But this month the division told him to limit his focus to brine shrimp or lose his job completely. It means that in a state that historically held a rich bounty of frogs, toads, salamanders and reptiles, not a single biologist employed by the state is currently paid to study them full time.
Ross is considering leaving the state and going back to school. "I would like to get out of here because it's damned frustrating," he says. "I don't feel like I'm doing anything for the resource ... really, how much controversy is there in studying the behavior of brine shrimp? We've got three people detailed to brine shrimp and none to declining amphibians only because brine shrimp are a multimillion dollar cash cow." Monitoring brine shrimp isn't exactly what Ross had in mind for a career in biology.
From his office in Ogden, he can gaze, on clear afternoons, over the expanse of the Great Salt Lake and imagine what the first Mormon settlers encountered, and the frogs that led them to water.
"I think in some cases Utah will easily end up being a biological black hole, especially in those limited habitats where there is already solid evidence of species' declines. I hate to paint a pessimistic picture, but I don't know how I can paint an optimistic one."
"Conservation is a cuss word around here. What I've learned is, if you care for organisms that don't have antlers or quack, don't take a job in Utah. If you want to protect the diversity of amphibians and reptiles that the desert Southwest is famous for, don't go to Utah. They don't want you, and they certainly don't want those animals. It's one of the saddest places I've ever seen in my life."
Todd Wilkinson lives in Bozeman, Montana, and researched this story as part of a book he's writing about scientists under fire. He has been a long-time contributor to High Country News.
The following sidebar articles accompany this feature story:
- Frogs: The ultimate indicator species
- There's plenty of money to study Utah's game
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Anton Orlov, a San Diego based collector of vintage photography equipment, recently visited an antique shop where he purchased a unique French stereoscopic camera called a Jumelle Bellieni. While he was cleaning the device — and much to his surprise and delight — it contained eight undeveloped photographs taken in France during the First World War.
All images courtesy Anton Orlov; top image shows an officer investigating the ruins of a destroyed French village.
Orlov, who blogs at The Photo Palace, is no stranger to such discoveries. Back in 2005 he found a larger collection of photos taken during the Russian Revolution. "I absolutely love finding images that likely have never been seen by anyone in the world," he writes.
This image shows a house that has collapsed and fallen into a river. Perhaps not surprisingly, the photographs capture much of the devastation wrought by the Great War.
In regards to the new discovery, Orlov describes how it all unfolded:
When I got home I was anxious to figure out everything about the inner workings of this camera. First order of business was to clean it. Everything in the collection that was acquired by that store is covered with a thick layer of dust and grime and it took quite a few Armorall wipes to get the leather to gain a presentable look. Then came the Carl Zeiss lenses - I carefully took them apart and wiped them to the best of my ability. I can't say they are in great shape, but at least I got the majority of fog off of them. I started to run out of things to clean on the outside of the camera, which naturally made me wonder what it looks like on the inside. After a good while of looking for the back release I realized that there is none present entire back can be slid to one side. The plate pressure springs jumped out at me like a couple of live and angry rabbits (the Monty Python And The Holy Grail kind). Naturally I thought something was awry as I am not yet used to camera parts charging in attack mode. Luckily I soon realized that I was out of the danger zone and that the two parts acted as they should have been expected to. Here is where things got incredibly interesting.
Soldiers investigate the ruins of a crashed biplane.
Inside each film chamber I found a stack of neat little glass plate holders (12 total). While 4 of them were empty the rest contained the original thin plates of glass. The last thing that I ever expected to find though were negative images on those plates! Each of them seem like they were fully developed! The glass is clear (I am not sure if dry glass plates had antihalation backing on them and am in touch with an expert to try to find that out) in the dark areas and fully exposed and dark in the light areas. I am completely baffled by this find, but the images were so intriguing that I decided to scan them.
Two soldiers proudly display a rather large bomb amid the clutter of what appears to be a destroyed ammunition site.
Check out Orlov's entire post, which includes some other images. Orlov also has an Indiegogo campaign you may want to support.
UPDATE: As readers have pointed out, the camera did not contain film, but plates — hence Orlov's claim that the pics were already "developed."


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RelayRides, the world's first peer-to-peer car sharing service, is breaking out of San Francisco and Boston and is launching nationwide today. "Anybody in the country will be able to enroll their car and rent [out] their cars right away," says Shelby Clark, the company's founder and Chief Community Officer. RelayRides introduces us to the revolutionary concept of neighbors renting out their cars to fellow neighbors. A renter can get a car for as little as $5 an hour.
What are the benefits of personal car sharing? It is "more affordable, more accessible, and more efficient," according to Clark. The average shared car "takes 14 other cars off the road," thus allowing people to meet their mobility needs using far fewer cars. Clark explained. It is "really good for the environment, community, and local economy."
RelayRides makes a lot of sense financially in this down economy and in general. Car owners should think of it this way: That car you drive only a few days a week can make you some money when you aren't using it. On average a car owner using RelayRides can earn $200-$250 a month. (That's $2,400-$3,000 dollars a year!) Clark personally makes around $400 a month renting out his Yellow Mini Convertible, which he told me is a lot of fun on sunny San Francisco days.
Renters who take part in RelayRides reap benefits as well. "Car sharing is a more attractive alternative to car ownership," said Clark. On average a person can save $500 a month not owning a car and taking part in car sharing. "It is really convenient and affordable. The car is located right in your neighborhood," said Clark.
The personal car sharing concept might be hard for some people to understand. When Clark initially pitched the idea to friends he faced a bit of resistance. "People were polite and raised their eyebrows, "So you want a stranger to drive my car?" Clark emphasized the difference in opinion now, "The typical reaction I get from people now when I tell them about RelayRides for the first time is, "Huh, that makes a lot of sense!"
RelayRides currently has 200 cars in the two city fleet and 6000 members. By launching this innovative service nationwide, Clark expects these numbers to grow significantly. "We have learned a lot over the past two years of operation. We feel ready to bring this to the masses," he told me.
There is a lot of room for growth. According to Clark there are only about 1 million car-sharing members in North America. With 260 million cars on the road, that equals around 1.2 cars per person in the US. Shelby thinks this is incredibly wasteful. He believes that personal car sharing is an ideal solution. Besides, most cars are only used about 8% percent of the time; the rest of the time they are just parked.
RelayRides is covered by a $1 million insurance policy and market-leading security safeguards. It is backed by over $13M in venture capital funding from leading investors, such as Google Ventures and GM Ventures.
What impressed me while talking with Clark was not only his enthusiasm, optimism, and drive to make car sharing a viable option for everyone, but his attitude toward the competition. I thought other car sharing services might be unnerved by the news of RelayRides going national. However, Clark sees car sharing companies as being in this together, working for the greater good. He feels there is room for more than one company and that collaboration could be helpful to everyone.
This is a "big step forward for car sharing," Clark told me. I think it certainly is and the future looks bright for RelayRides.