Last month’s Wired focused on the advent of a new revolution in environmentalism that eco-pundits are calling the Neo-Green Revolution. At the forefront of this new movement is none other than 2000 president-elect Al Gore, who believes that the solution to our dependence on dirty fuel is not to change our lifestyles, but to put our technological strides to use in creating more efficient, eco-friendly solutions.

I couldn’t agree more with this philosophy. There is no reason we cannot overcome our dependence on fossil fuels through advances in technology rather than a recession of lifestyle. In my opinion, a sustainable future relies on the following coming to fruition:

1. Tighter vehicle emissions standards. Car companies are currently getting away with eco-murder with SUV’s that leave an immense footprint on our environment and drive gas demand through the roof. As much as I disagree with big government, these regulations are necessary to curb automobile emissions and fuel usage. Hybrid and fuel-cell vehicles need to replace gas-guzzling vehicles.
2. Environmentalism goes chic. In order to generate enthusiasm for our lowly environment, it needs to have a strong marketing department. Western society needs to shift its frame of mind from “bigger is better” to “greener is better.” This includes marketing campaigns advocating the immediate advantages of green products, as well as public service announcements denouncing industrial gluttony.
3. Computers, meet the environment. Computers have been used in every facet of industry, from mechanized production to accounting to marketing and beyond. Their role in environmentalism is equally important. On an industrial level, computers can be used to schedule power usage and create more efficient factories and offices. Such “green facilities” would curb energy usage by using advanced scheduling techniques to determine what parts of a building are in use and power them accordingly. This can be mirrored in the home, with “smart houses” partially powered by solar arrays dominating the mainstream. These solar arrays can be connected to our current power grid, creating a decentralized energy infrastructure.
4. Organic synthetics. Companies like Fabri-Kal are already creating organic solutions to our plastic addiction. Synthetics companies need to begin researching eco-friendly solutions to the disposable products we use on a daily basis. The foodservice industry is not going away and we need disposable tableware that doesn’t take millenia to decompose.
5. Renewable energy (duh). Oil is dirty. It is the single most deadly drug that has ever plagued the human race or the Earth, yet this often goes unheeded because we love our Hummers so much. Wars with oil as their motive kill thousands every year, and this number is growing. If we can turn to cleaner, renewable sources of energy such as wind, solar, and biofuel, this madness can cease and we can find something else to fight about. Watch for these industries to explode in the near future.
6. Government and corporate support. This may go without saying, but there’s no hope for change without support from those with the power and money to foster it. World governments (the United States, China, and India, in particular) must realize the dilemma that we currently face and act accordingly to curb our reliance on dirty fuel. Contact your congressmen and voice your concerns!

Two articles on the BBC caught my eye over the course of the past couple days:

• Planning the US ‘Long War’ on terror — apparently, the War on Terror isn’t going away, and the government wants us to know.  From here on out, the War on Terror will be known as the Long War.
• British ‘hacker’ fears Guantanamo — As a proponent of the hacker ethic, this could be one of the most horrendous events I have heard in a long time.  This just goes to show that information is the world’s new commodity.

Today I put together a web site with some information and links about the nuclear standoff with Iran. Many people are unaware of the possibilities, and even fewer of the implications even a small-scale nuclear strike on Iran could have on the world. Take a look at the page — constructive criticism is always welcome. If you have an event or link you would like promoted on the site, please let me know.

Iran is Next…

Our first nuclear winter is only months away as the Bush Administration gears up for phase III of its systematic destruction of the Middle East. News reports yesterday told of a report leaked from the White House detailing the administration’s plan for a small-scale nuclear assault against key targets in Iran. These targets include underground facilities believed to be housing nuclear laboratories.

This comes amid rising tensions over Iran’s nuclear capabilities. No one wants a nuclear Iran. However, no one wants a nuclear United States, nor does anyone want an actively proliferating, nuclear-warfare-bound United States. The hypocrisy is overwhelming.

We live in a nation in which over 65% of its people do not agree with its government’s actions. A nation in which 50% of tax dollars fund the military or military-related expenses. A nation that will most likely pass a bill into congress that will render illegal immigrants felons. This is no land of the free. What happened to the American dream? Equal oppurtunity for all?

We live in a corporate oligarchy. Democracy is a buzzword. I urge each and every one of you to stand up to this nonsense and fight for what you believe in at every avenue of the system’s exploitation. The state cannot hold without the support of the masses. Put your dollar where it counts: Out of the hands of gangsters and tyrants.

Business is “booming” as it were, and as such, it’s time to expand.  Flex is the name Alex and I have given our new web venture.  Our goal is to be a cost-effective solution for small businesses and non-profit organizations, while still maintaining status as a professional web firm.

We will also be collaborating network resources with Moving Box Studios, a production company in Ithaca.  This will afford us many opportunities for collaboration — power in numbers.

Hopefully we will begin work on our web site soon.  In the meantime, I have to find myself a secretary.  And maybe an intern.  I’ve always wanted an intern.

Today marks the three-year anniversary of the United States’ invasion of Iraq.  It also marks what many are calling the beginning of an Iraqi civil war.  Are we any more free?  Is the world safer?  Here’s what the Bush administration has been up to in the last three years on a few key topics:

Freedom

• USA PATRIOT Act
• NSA Wiretapping
• Guantanamo Bay

War on Terror

• Igniting anti-Americanism across several cultures around the globe
• Triggering an Iraqi civil war

Economy

• Driving the gap between our nation’s rich and poor to an unacceptable size with tax cuts for the rich
• Allowing Iraq to become the breeding ground for anti-Western hatred that it is today, thereby reducing our ability to import its oil
• Creating the biggest trade defecit our country has ever endured
• Cutting domestic programs such as Medicare in favor of miltary spending

There are only two options at this point:  communist revolution or nuclear holocaust.  Happy anniversary.

Recent developments in the so-called War on Terror have led many to believe what some have always known: a war with Iran is imminent. Tehran’s unwillingness to compromise combined with Euromerica’s muscle flexing will undoubtedly launch us into yet another war.

That is, unless we do something about it first. I have started a small offshoot site from my main page entitled Iran is Next. Right now the content is sparse, but if anyone has anything to add, please let me know.

In the coming weeks I will be writing letters and making phone calls to my congressmen and I urge you to do the same. The Bush Administration has already made several cuts to domestic programs in favor of military spending (Medicare, anyone?) and appears ready to make more. We must stop this nonsense before we realize we’re living in an Orwellian dystopia.

I just finished up midterms week at school and am prepared to “kick back” and “bask in the sun” during my week off.  That is, if “kicking back” is doing a lot of work and “basking in the sun” is trudging through a foot of snow.

I will never understand the false sense of security colleges like to portray when naming breaks.  If they called spring break “winter misery week” I would have no complaints.  False advertising is one of my biggest pet peeves. 

So what’s on the agenda for the week, you ask?

• linnadolph.com — This is a local glass artist that I have been working closely with to create an informational page for her artwork, complete with a gallery section for some of her pieces.
• Purple Dragon Co-op Online Store — This is an online store system I am developing for the Purple Dragon Co-op in Glen Ridge, NJ.  I am writing it in Ruby on Rails.  Mr. Alex Weber (a.k.a. FelixWonderland) is aiding in the site design.
• Jizualizer — My Advanced Networks class aims to expand the JiST and SWANS network simulation projects to include better support for ad-hoc protocols and add some new features.  One such feature is a simulation visualizer that we have lovingly called Jizualizer.  I’ll be working closely with my professor on this one.

With all of this on my plate, it’s looking to be an exciting, albeit busy, “spring” “break.”  Maybe I’ll even have time to go to Florida or something.  Pssh… right.

Free weekend number three of the new semester was an amazing experience.

Friday afternoon I submitted my final invoice to WICB and completed the site to specification.  I am so relieved that that project won’t be occupying my time any longer.  This started a high that lasted through the weekend.

Saturday could have been the single coldest day thusfar this winter.  Coincidentally, the annual Ithaca Chili Cook-Off was this Saturday as well.  After volunteering at 10,000 Villages I made my way around the Commons once, took a look around, realized my face was frozen, and proceeded to have my own chili cook-off with a nice bowl of freeze-dried chili at home.  It might not have been made with delicious fresh ingredients, but I sure did enjoy it more than anyone at the actual cook-off could have.

Saturday afternoon was spent singing and playing guitar with the robots.  I believe our all-time greatest hits that afternoon were “Put It In Your Bum” and “We’re the Robots.”

Saturday night was a blast.  We had what turned out to be a really enjoyable party at our house.  It epitomized everything I love about Robot House in one glorious, climactic night.  Hookahs littered the living room; acquaintances of past, present and future came and went.  I love parties that have a distinguished dynamic to them.  There was a diverse crowd of people, making way for some very interesting exchange.

Back to the grind…

From The New York Times:

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told a Senate panel today that she plans to ask for $75 million to promote democracy in Iran, but she met with sharp questioning from Democrats about whether Bush administration policies were promoting the rise of anti-American governments around the world.

Ms. Rice told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that the money for Iran, on top of $10 million already provided in the current budget, would be used to “support the democratic aspirations of the Iranian people,” and to counter the influence of Tehran’s new hard-line regime.

With innumerable instances of anti-West fury due to recent foreign policy blunders, it could be said that the Bush administration is propelling us into a spiral of worldwide hatred and dismay. I’m not sure how buying democracy works, but I assume it would be through the use of propaganda and military force.

On our side it’s promoting democracy — the administration fails to see that on their side, it’s cultural imperialism.