Trends in global CO2 emissions: 2013 Report and the Link to the interactive presentation “Actual global emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) reached a new record of 34.5 billion tonnes in 2012. Yet, the increase in global CO2 emissions in that year slowed down to 1.1% , which was less than half the average annual increase of 2.9%… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: November 2013
Urbanisation in emerging markets: boon and bane for insurers
“The world’s urban population is forecast to grow by about 1.4 billion to 5 billion between 2011 and 2030, with 90% of the increase coming in the emerging markets. Swiss Re’s latest sigma study Urbanisation in emerging markets: boon and bane for insurers reviews the rapid growth of towns and cities in emerging markets. It… Continue Reading
Mind the risk – A global ranking of cities under threat from natural disasters
“For the first time in human history more people live in cities than in rural areas. The United Nations expects 6.3 billion people or 68% of the world’s population to be living in urban areas by 2050, with the highest increase occurring in high growth markets. Many of these cities are located on the coast and are threatened by… Continue Reading
Transforming cities with transit
Suzuki, Hiroaki; Cervero, Robert; Iuchi, Kanako. 2013. Transforming cities with transit: transit and land-use integration for sustainable urban development. Urban development. Washington, DC: World Bank. November 2013 “This study explores the complex process of transit and land-use integration in rapidly growing cities in developing countries. It first identifies barriers to and opportunities for effective coordination of… Continue Reading
Annenberg Learner helps teachers and students increase their knowledge
“Annenberg Learner uses media and telecommunications to advance excellent teaching in American schools. This mandate is carried out chiefly by the funding and broad distribution of educational video programs with coordinated Web and print materials for the professional development of K-12 teachers. It is part of The Annenberg Foundation and advances the Foundation’s goal of encouraging the… Continue Reading
New GAO Reports – Central America, Intelligent Transportation Systems, Biomedical Research, Personnel Security Clearances
Central America – U.S. Agencies Considered Various Factors in Funding Security Activities, but Need to Assess Progress in Achieving Interagency Objectives, GAO-13-771, Sep 25, 2013 Intelligent Transportation Systems – Vehicle-to-Vehicle Technologies Expected to Offer Safety Benefits, but a Variety of Deployment Challenges Exist, GAO-14-13, Nov 1, 2013 Biomedical Research – NIH Should Assess the Impact… Continue Reading
Waste Lands – America’s forgotten nuclear legacy
WJS.com: “During the build-up to the Cold War, the U.S. government called upon hundreds of factories and research centers to help develop nuclear weapons and other forms of atomic energy. At many sites, this work left behind residual radioactive contamination requiring government cleanups, some of which are still going on. The Department of Energy says… Continue Reading
Healthcare.gov and the Inevitably Digital Future of American Governance
It’s remarkable how inexperienced Washington is when it comes to developing complicated technology unrelated to national defense. by Zachary Karabell “It’s safe to say that Congress has never before passed a federal law whose primary mode of delivery is a web portal that will be used by tens of millions of people. And not just… Continue Reading
The Risk of Putting Our Knowledge in the Hands of Machines
Nicholas Carr – We rely on computers to fly our planes, find our cancers, design our buildings, audit our businesses. That’s all well and good. But what happens when the computer fails? “The experience of airlines should give us pause. It reveals that automation, for all its benefits, can take a toll on the performance… Continue Reading
The New Yorker Cover on Heathecare depicts obsolete tech as metaphor
Via The New Yorker” “When I heard that the troubled Obamacare Web site was built by a Canadian company, of course I felt personally responsible,” says the Montreal-born Barry Blitt, who drew next week’s cover, Reboot. “I’ll be happy when the glitches are all worked out and everything’s running smoothly, so I can put this… Continue Reading
The Zen of Web Discovery
The Zen of Web Discovery by John Hubbard, University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, 10-1-2013 “Many libraries have revitalized their role by offering an updated resource discovery layer. This article gives an informal overview of design principles and best practices for implementing a web-scale discovery system. Emphasis is placed on the proper service philosophy of supporting… Continue Reading
Report on U.S. Portfolio Holdings of Foreign Securities at End-Year 2012
News release – includes data: “The findings from the annual survey of U.S. portfolio holdings of foreign securities at year-end 2012 were released today and posted on the Treasury web site here. The survey was undertaken jointly by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, and the Board of… Continue Reading
