Darkstar

Algae instead of oil?

Jamais Cascio over at WorldChanging notes some interesting developments in biomass chemistry that may have the potential to help us transition to an oil-free economy.

So what's the biomass-based alternative to using petroleum for fertilizer?

Algae.

Engineer-Poet at the Ergosphere breaks it down. Algae can be used to produce hydrogen, and hydrogen can be used to "fix" nitrogen. With the hydrogen production operating a mere 1% efficiency, a hectare of hydrogen-generating algae could produce the nitrate to fertilize around 20 hectares of agricultural production. That same hectare could fertilize 200 hectares if H2 generation efficiency is brought up to the 10% thought possible.

Verizon Treo 650 DUN

So I have been figuring out if it possible to hack the Verizon treo 650 phone to be used for DUN (Dial up Networking) as I am going on a business trip to a location that has no land lines and I don't want to type endless emails via treo keyboard.  Here's what I found:

Treo as a USB modem
http://www.junefabrics.com/palmnet/index.php

Treo as a Bluetooth DUN
http://www.shadowmite.com/

Fishpics Hawaii

Fishpics Hawaii (Keoki's Fish Corner) - Marine life identification guide for Hawaii & beyond is a nice site with pics and names of Hawaii marine life.  Soooo coool.

The Long Emergency

What are we going to do when there's no more cheap gas to guzzle?RollingStone.com: The Long Emergency by Kunstler paints a dire picture. I posted this on my mailing list a couple months ago, but don't think I threw it up on the blog. Enjoy the read and walk next time you want to jump in the car.

Cost of War

Cost of War website shows how much we are spending as a nation and also how much your state and county is spending as a whole.  The sad part is if you compare it to the cost of schools, health, housing, etc.