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Posts archive for: October, 2009
  • Blog Action Day 2009: Climate Change

    As with many problems, economic concerns tend to rear their ugly heads and assume precedence with phrases such as, 'first and foremost we must ask if this is economically viable', on a business scale, and the more humble - and arguably more viable - cry of actual people that, 'we can't afford this'. But it is futile to attempt an argument which this beginning implies - viz. doing away with money - because that solution is not a readily foreseeable development in the world; and it is hardly helpful to talk in such hypothetical terms as 'it'll be alright when everyone lives without money and we can live as ecologically sound lives as possible' because we need a solution now, in this world, with our ever-evolving technology and despite our ever-constraining world economy.

    The first assumption is that climate change is happening, and that it is a dire problem. As such, it is logical to suggest that, if possible, solutions must be devised to, if not reverse it, then slow it down or stop it. This possibility is the second assumption - either that it is or that it isn't possible - with me holding the view that it is possible to devise solutions for at least slowing down climate change. Let me not speak in hypothetical terms as to how whole businesses and countries may be able to alleviate climate change, because it isn't whole businesses or countries which will be reading this, but real people not too dissimilar to you.

    Simple things such as turning off electrical gear when it isn't being used - lights, computers, TVs (which some absent people presume to use as thief-deterrence devices) - maintaining a compost heap (which, as well as providing the benefits of fertiliser for growing ones own food, saves on the weight that the waste would otherwise add to the dustbin lorries' cargo), and travelling with fuel efficient forms of transport. Many of these things would also be economically viable, since using less electricity leads to lower electricity bills, maintaining a compost heap and growing ones own food can lower food bills, and travelling with fuel efficient forms of transport may lead to lower fuel bills or lower total cost of travelling per year depending on the form of transport. However, some people may be sufficiently wealthy not to be affected by such economic concerns, and some (possibly similar) people may be unwilling to suffer the least inconvenience to them so that the greater population (potentially the entirety of life on Earth) will benefit.

    We can try to reason with these people, help them change their ways, but we know that although you can give a hyena a guitar you can't make it play. The best thing we can do in honour of Blog Action Day is to forget about this "economic viability", and replace it with the concern to be "ecologically sound". From now and for the future, the first phrase to come to mind will be, 'first and foremost we must ask if this is ecologically sound'.

  • A Little Later

    I know, I know, but what with Blog Action Day waiting just around the corner you must concede that it is both more logical and organised to get this out of the way before proceeding with my travelogue. An alternative would have been to dive headlong into it only to resurface straight away for Blog Action Day; or I could simply have done the article for Blog Action Day and then gone on to my travels. However, since I'd previously promised that I will "next week start my long-overdue travelogue", I though an explanation would be nice as to why I haven't. Let us agree that the immediate commencement of the travelogue and sudden interruption for Blog Action Day would be out of the question.

    But since I won't have a chance to appraise you of recent developments until after my travelogue is complete, let me add a little more. Just a little.

    My course has started, and I've begun learning how to freewrite. It is a strange experience this freewriting, with one way I've thought to describe it being that it "makes me feel young, like I'm (re)discovering something about which I'm very unsure" (in my exercise book). It'll need more practice for me to fully appreciate its benefits, and so I'll be doing at least twenty minutes of it each day for the rest of this week (over to Monday), and probably continue after that.

    Finally there have been a few mishaps recently, in various forms. Just a list, if you don't mind:

    1. The XFCE configuration on my laptop seems to have screwed itself up - (re)moving the ~/.config/xfce4 directory does nothing, though, and I'm now suspecting it may be a problem with my X configuration, but don't know where to start fixing it. I'm now using Fluxbox, after a long time of not doing so, and finding it really sexy.
    2. On TV today (8/10/2009), when we were going into the adverts between Star Trek: Voyager, we were shown the title screen for Star Trek: The Next Generation instead.
    3. On this Monday's edition of Countdown, a rogue "E" had found its way amongst the consonants in the eighth round, sending the rest of the programme into chaos with poor old Rachel not entirely sure that she'll be pulling consonants and vowels out of their expected boxes or even that she wouldn't find one of those amongst the numbers!

    And on the subject of Countdown I have to say that there are few things sexier than Rachel Riley solving a very hard maths problem.

    Next time will be Blog Action Day, and then my travelogue.

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