Jared Diamond: Why societies collapse

Why do societies fail? With lessons from the Norse of Iron Age Greenland, deforested Easter Island and present-day Montana, Jared Diamond talks about the signs that collapse is near, and how -- if we see it in time -- we can prevent it.

Source TED

Home Sweet Office: Telecommute Good for Business, Employees, and Planet

Ever since OPEC vexed Jimmy Carter into wearing a cardigan, telecommuting has been touted as a fix for what ails the US office worker — the agony and expense of commuting, the drudgery of cubicles, the shortage of family time.  Situation in Russia IQblog: Вне зоны офиса. 

Read more.

Source WIRED, Brendan I. Koerner (brendan_koerner@wired.com) is Wired's Mr. Know-It-All.

Nomadic Homes

Getting its inspiration from the nomadic Romani people, more commonly known as gypsies, the N55, or Walking House takes urban modular dwelling to a whole new

 level.

Now when you get tired of the neighbors, there will be no n

eed to pack up and move; you can simply walk your house away. We’re not talking a hasty getaway here, the speed of its six “legs” is comparable to that o

f a human walking.

Providing a “green” lifestyle, the N55 has minim

al environment impact as it relies on solar power, windmills, collection of rainwater, and solar power to heat water. I’m not so sure about the composting toilet walking around but hey, I’m sure they thought it through.

If you’re into growing your own green, there is an optional greenhouse addition.

Those in northern climes would most definitely want to opt to integrate the wood burning stove option.

The designers envision an entire walking villages, where the dwellers are not dependent on infrastructure such as roads and utilities. The N55 Walking Houses can travel just about anywhere, as the units move on all terrains.

Although each module is designated to accommodate four people, on a permanent basis, it might feel more like camping, than an actual house.

More photos here

Source Trendhunter

Cell Application to Track Your Carbon Footprint

Based start up company have developed a cell phone application which automatically calculates your carbon footprint. Frustrated by the impracticable and time-consuming nature of similar Eco-calculators, Carbon Diem collects speed and distance data via GPS, and identifies modes of transport using a motion-sensing algorithm. The application encourages users to reduce their energy usage, by setting personal energy targets and comparing their results with others. Carbon Diem developers believe their software will help businesses to reduce energy consumption by monitoring employees travel information. Privacy is obviously an issue, but inventor Andreas Zachariah assures the software only tracks carbon impact, not travel paths.
Source PSFK