Rethinking Climate Change

Today's post is a short one, because I feel like there are others that can talk about climate change far better than myself.

There is an excellently produced radio series by the BBC called 'Costing the Earth'. I urge you to click here and listen to one episode called 'Rethinking climate change'.

This topic may be close to exhausted, but this is a gem. Give it a listen and then tell us what you think!

Keep e-volving.

Research that is truly 'in motion'

The environment is an important issue, no one is debating that, but it is only one half of what our business is about here at Pothast. Technology, and its advances, dictate what we see in our shop every day (which is why we have so many VCRs!). We see many old models of just about every electronic come through our doors, pieces of equipment that retailed for thousands of dollars just a few years ago.

Technology is increasing at such a rate that it is impossible to predict the next generation of gadgets. Just look at Research In Motion (RIM), out of Waterloo, Ontario. This company has grown solely because of the evolution and explosion of smartphones - they created and manufacture the exceptionally successful Blackberry line of 'smart-phones'. In fact they are so successful, that in 2009, Fortune Magazine named RIM the 'fastest growing company in the world', not a bad title!


However with every 'overnight' success, years of hard work have been forgotten. Starting in 1996 with their first pager models (remember pagers?), up until the latest unveiling of the new Blackberry Torch, RIM has been at the forefront of the smart-phone evolution.

What is a smart-phone you may ask? It is a mobile phone which offers advanced computing ability and connectivity than a basic mobile phone. For instance, on a Blackberry it is possible to check your e-mail, browse the internet, chat on Blackberry's own instant messaging network, and much more. Considering where mobile phones were ten years ago, it is truly amazing.

I suppose it must be asked though: are our lives better for it? Certainly we are more connected, that much is obvious. Any device where I can check my Facebook, Twitter, e-mail, text messages and phone calls is obviously very well-connected. But what does this connection give you? I mean, the short of it is that you can contact as many people as you know in the entire world pretty much, without actually speaking to them. The jury is out on whether your life will improve if you have a smart-phone, I suppose it depends on what you use it for.

However I urge you to watch this video which is comedian Louis CK with Conan O'Brien talking about how 'Everything's Amazing and Nobody's Happy'.

Keep e-volving

Finally, It's over...maybe

Thus far on the blog we have avoided mentioning the BP oil spill for a number of reasons. One is that it is so well covered by the media that updating you on progress seems redundant. Another is that there is no real 'opinion' to be had about the matter, as in no one wants oil to keep flowing, so everyone is obviously wanting the various solutions employed to work.

However, today I bring to you: Pothast on the BP oil spill.

Now as I said before, there really is no 'opinion' on the spill to be had. It is very easy to say that the whole disaster was handled badly by BP. Capping the oil well has taken far longer than it should have, Obama didn't intervene when some argued that he should have, and there still remains quite a large problem for those that live in the Gulf area.

In fact, although the amount of oil still flowing has reduced considerably, there remains 200 million litres of oil in the area. Let that sink in for a second, 200 million litres. I'm not sure how large your car is, but chances are it takes in anywhere from 30-60 litres of fuel per fill-up. That is a ton of oil.

Environmentally, the whole ordeal is a total and utter disaster. The ecology of the area has been hit and will take hundreds of years to recover, if it ever does. People in the area have seen their businesses destroyed, and an impending hurricane season is arriving.

However let`s take a step back. It`s very easy to criticize, but what have we learned? 

Well it's important to look at the balance of resource v. risk, that is to say if we keep tapping deep-sea oil wells, what is the risk that this sort of catastrophe will repeat itself? We as the public have been told that these oil wells are usually safe, and shouldn't be cause for concern. If that's true then what happened?

In the months and years to come we will learn more about this disaster, and the politics and policies surrounding it. However, as citizens of developed nations, we must ask: is it worth it?

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Think it's hot now? Wait a couple of years.

Everyone knows someone who doesn't 'believe' in global warming. "It's a myth!", "It's natural progression!", "It's all cosmic rays!"

Well my friends, the cold, hard truth is that the Earth is getting warmer. Don't believe me? Click here

In a well written article from the Globe & Mail, it is stated that there is undeniable fact behind global warming. In a report with contributions from more than 300 scientists from around the world, it is proven that the Earth is getting warmer.

"The conclusion is unmistakable - yes, the planet is warming," said Derek Arndt, co-editor of the report, which has been dubbed 'State of the Climate'. Its data was taken from 160 research groups in 48 countries, including Canada.

The report also shows that this past decade was the hottest recorded, and that the Earth has been steadily warming for 50 years, at 0.2 degrees Celsius hotter than the 1990s, while this year is shaping up to be the hottest on record.

Last year news broke that scientists in a world-leading climate institute had falsified data, which had a significant impact on the merit of the global warming movement. However this report has been reviewed by the strictest of measures, and is guaranteed to be purely factual.

For us Canadians, there is much to worry about. This past decade was an amazing 1.1 degrees Celsius above average, which is not good news.

Expect a reaction from the steadfast climate change deniers: there remains no study like this one which points the finger directly at human beings and their pollution output.

But ask yourself, is it helping?

Keep e-volving.

One man's trash in another man's treasure

A theme so far in these blog posts is that by recycling something, it can be used in another material. That, of course, is the main purpose of recycling: instead of throwing something away forever, it can be used to create something else.

Well a couple by the name of Tim Noble and Sue Webber have been able to create amazing human silhouettes out of every day trash.

One of many examples

I haven't the slightest idea how they arrange their trash, and it must take hours upon hours to get it all right without the trash collapsing in on itself.

Click here to see some more of their work, or click here to be linked to their Wikipedia article, that will tell you among other things that they are English.

Enjoy this small inspirational piece of work on your Friday, and have a great weekend.

Keep e-volving.

8.3 million handsets in 3 months

Telecommunication giant Motorola announced today that last quarter they shipped a total of 8.3 million handsets, with 2.7 million of those handsets being 'smartphones'. These sales amounted to $5.4 billion for the company in quarter two of 2010, which is below the numbers they recorded last year. Source

So there is some completely objective data. What can we discern from this information?

Firstly, 8.3 million handsets is a ton of phones. Some quick internet research has shown that New York City has a population around 8.3 million people. A more depressing statistic: 8.3 million people considered committing suicide last year. I don't think there is any correlation between being depressed and really wanting a Motorola Droid.

The fact that just one company, not even a major player in the smartphone race (that's between Blackberry's RIM and Iphone's Apple), has shipped out an enormous number of product in three months. As always however, the question must be asked: as soon as the next wave of technology comes out, where will these handsets go?

Some will sit on dressers, tables, and counters. Some will be resold. Some will be given away. Most will be thrown out.

Therein lies the problem: technology is progressing at such an incredible exponential rate that it is nearly impossible to dispose of yesterday's treasure, which is today's trash. That is where recycling comes in.

If humans can make something, then surely they should be able to 'unmake' it? It is very possible to take apart a cellular telephone and recycle every single component, from the plastic casing, to the motherboard inside. These components are then used in other materials.

Makes sense doesn't it?

Keep e-volving.

“Our environmental problems originate in the hubris of imagining ourselves as the central nervous system or the brain of nature. We're not the brain, we are a cancer on nature.” - David Foreman, co-founder of 'Earth First!'

Environmentalists usually view the human species as a force consciously destroying the natural environment in which we live. Mr. Foreman thinks so, as you can see above.

However it is my belief that although we do harm our environment through negligence or otherwise, humans, just as any other species of animals, are simply living our lives. We, as undoubtedly the most intelligent race to have evolved thus far, have created innumerable objects which make our lives easier. We have created machines that allow us to fly through the air at amazing speed; we have created screens which allow us to view images instantly from the other side of the world; and we have created medicine that allowed a member of our species to live to 122 and one half years. Our advancements have been remarkable.

With superior intelligence comes superior responsibility, and I believe this is where we have fallen short. Here in the 21st century we are harming our planet in many ways. Do we do it because of laziness, stupidity or lack of awareness? I suppose the answer is different for every person. Certainly the material is available for people to read and understand. So why do we continue to toss our trash on the ground, and endure that small pang of guilt that comes with it? In my opinion, it is because we don't immediately see the effects of what we are doing. If we got a small electric shock every time we littered, I can imagine that littering would become a thing of the past.

History has proven that the human race is not a far-sighted one, or we may have been able to avoid the BP oil spill, among other events. However as scientists write more and more about the 'tipping point' or 'the point of no return', one must wonder whether our short-sightedness will eventually lead to the destruction of our race. If so, then the advancements of air travel, carbon-fibre imaging, or medical technology will have really been all for naught.

To save all that we have worked so hard for, to make the 200,000 years of evolution worth while, pick your wrapper of the ground. Or better yet, just don't buy it.

Keep e-volving.