Readings for the week of 24 April 2006

Here are the readings so far:

CNN: GOP Urges Price Gouging Probe

Wikipedia: Demographic Transition

ScienceDaily: Prototype For One-metre Wide Vehicle Is Developed

ScienceDaily: MIT Study: Hydrogen Car No Environmental Panacea

This Wednesday we'll be meeting at class and going immediately to the Planetarium. If you wish to meet there, you may. See me after class Wednesday if you have any questions about Friday's Amnesty Day.

Special Notice: This Friday is Super-fun-easy quiz Amnesty Day.

Anyone needing to make up a super-fun-easy quiz will have this Friday to make it up. Check out the readings for the corresponding weeks and be sure to check out the blog later this week for more specific readings.

The readings so far for this week are

60 Minutes: Rewriting the Science

BBC News: New Japan-China Spat over gas

CNN: Senator Calls for gasoline price fix probe

Readings for various super-fun-easy quizes

Quiz 1
Wikipedia: Hubbert Peak
National Geographic: End of Cheap Oil
Energy Chain (ask me about this)

Quiz 2
Wikipedia: Tragedy of the Commons
Wikipedia: California Energy Crisis
Rule of 70 (you may want to review the Wikipedia article)
Wikipedia: Rule of 70

Quiz 3
Wikipedia: Laws of Thermodynamics
Wikipedia: Cogeneration
National Academy of Engineers Announces $1 million challenge
UCL News: Easy Access to Water Causes Baby Boom

Quiz 4
PBS Video: Global Warming, the Signs and the Science (ask to borrow this)
Wikipedia: Electric Vehicles
Beyond Oil (ask for handout, the website is currently down)

Quiz 5
Nova: Battleplan Under Fire
CNN: Bush blames lab's funding shortfall on mix-up
Wikipedia: Gasification
Wikipedia: FutureGen

Quiz 6
Wired News: Dung under pressure makes gas
Wikipedia: Coal, Coal Gasification, Liquifaction
Wikipedia: Fischer-Tropsch process
Wikipedia: Aerogels

Quiz 7
Wikipedia: Gasoline
Wikipedia: Coal, Origin of Coal
Wikipedia: Passively Safe
Wikipedia: Wood Gas

Quiz 8
Wikipedia: Switchgrass
Wikipedia: Hydroelectric
New Scientist: Hydroelectric Power's Dirty Secret Revealed
Scientific American Frontiers: Hot times in Alaska
Wikipedia: Biomass

Quiz 9
PBS Video: Tesla, Master of Lighting
Wikipedia: Nikola Tesla
Wikipedia: Geothermal Power
Wikipedia: Wind Power

Quiz 10
CNN: Senator Obama hits administration's energy policy
Professor's overpopulation views stir debate
Wikipedia: War of the Currents

Welcome Back

I hope everyone had a great Spring Break.

Special Notice: This Friday is Super-fun-easy quiz Amnesty Day.

Anyone needing to make up a super-fun-easy quiz will have this Friday to make it up. Check out the readings for the corresponding weeks and be sure to check out the blog later this week for more specific readings.

The readings so far for this week are

60 Minutes: Rewriting the Science

BBC News: New Japan-China Spat over gas

Readings for the week of 3 April 2006

Here are a couple readings so far for this week.

CNN: Sen. Obama hits administration's energy policies

Wikipedia: Nikola Tesla

CNN: Professor's overpopulation views stir debate

The title of the last one was quite an understatement/mistatement. The shouting going on as a result of what Prof. Eric Pianka said doesn't constitute intellectual debate. There is way too much truthiness going on in this particular case to be called 'debate'.

We've all seen the math on population growth. If the trend continues, things could get very, very bad.

Oh, and if I forget to say so in class, have a great Spring Break!