EPA About to Declare CO2 a Public Danger

Photo: Gopal Chitrakar. A view of Mount Everest is seen during moon rise from Syangboche in Nepal December 3, 2009.

The Wall Street Journal published this on Saturday. If this happens this week, President Obama will have a better negotiating position when he attends the Copenhagen climate summit.  We don’t know yet if that’s good or bad, but it could at least help the EPA regulate greenhouse gas emissions if Congress fails in its obligation to do its job on the climate change and jobs front.

The article begins:

“The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will early next week, possibly as soon as Monday, officially declare carbon dioxide a public danger, a trigger that could mean regulation for emitters across the economy, according to several people close to the matter.

Such an “endangerment” decision is necessary for the EPA to move ahead early next year with new emission standards for cars. EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson has said it could also mean large emitters such as power stations, cement kilns, crude-oil refineries and chemical plants would have to curb their greenhouse gas output.

The announcement would also give President Barack Obama and his climate envoy negotiating leverage at a global climate summit starting next week in Copenhagen, Denmark and increase pressure on Congress to pass a climate bill that would modify the price of polluting.

While environmentalists celebrate EPA’s authority to regulate greenhouse gases, it has caused many large emitters to cringe at the potential costs of compliance.”

Aww.  No, don’t feel sorry for them. They have been destroying our climate for decades.

“According to a preliminary endangerment finding published in April, EPA scientists fear that man-made carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are contributing to a warming of the global climate. Senior EPA officials said in November the agency would likely make a final decision in December around the time of the summit.

Joe Mendelson, Global Warming Policy Director for National Wildlife Federation, said the endangerment decision, would happen at “absolutely the right time.” . . . .

Good, they are timing it.

Read more here.

Copenhagen Summit Starts with Virtually There Media

Look at the box on the left! The Climate Change Conference starts today in Copenhagen. Throughout the next two weeks, Futurism Now  will bring you a wide range of topics associated with the conference, and update you on news from Copenhagen as much as possible.   Some of our partners in this effort (there are many) include  Link TV and OneClimate.net.  They are both devoted to bringing up to date media from Copenhagen to everyone around the world who tunes in.   We are embedding their daily video here so you can check back here or visit their site for the latest media.

Your browser does not support iframes.

“Millions of viewers are expected to tune in December 7-19, 2009 during the climate summit, which has been called ‘the most important conference since World War II’.” The videos will include breaking stories, the lowdown with experts, and crowd-sourced video.

It’s called  “Copenhagen Live 24/7″ on the OneClimate.net channel.

And don’t forget, the official Copenhagen COP15 media channels are there for everyone too. Here is the page with everything on it from the UNFCCC, where you can also participate virtually, every day.

Pubblicità e propaganda. Ceramica e grafica futuriste at the Wolfsoniana

Pubblicità e propaganda. Ceramica e grafica futuriste

December 5, 2009 - April 11, 2010
*Vernissage Friday, December 4th - 6pm
Wolfsoniana (Genova, Nervi)
Curated by Silvia Barisione, Matteo Fochessati, Gianni Franzone and Maria Teresa Orengo
Catalog

PRESS RELEASE via STUDIO ESSECI

Nell’ormai immenso elenco di mostre dedicate al futurismo, eccone una di realmente originale. È quella dedicata a Pubblicità e propaganda. Ceramica e grafica futuriste proposta dalla Wolfsoniana dal 5 dicembre all’11 aprile.

Sempre nel filone della ricerca sulle arti applicate propria del Museo genovese, dal prossimo febbraio la mostra sarà affiancata da una seconda esposizione dedicata alla produzione dell’argentiere Arrigo Finzi e, in particolare, al nucleo contrassegnato dal marchio “Sant’Elia“.

La mostra Pubblicità e propaganda. Ceramica e grafica futuriste - curata da Silvia Barisione, Matteo Fochessati, Gianni Franzone e Maria Teresa Orengo e organizzata dalla Wolfsoniana - Fondazione regionale per la Cultura e lo Spettacolo di Genova e dalla Regione Liguria in occasione del centenario del manifesto di fondazione del movimento futurista - si concentra sulla presenza della persuasione pubblicitaria e politica all’interno della produzione ceramica e grafica futuriste degli anni Venti e Trenta.

La straordinaria stagione della ceramica e della grafica futuriste verrà analizzata mettendo in rilievo come, attraverso le sue peculiari e innovative sperimentazioni linguistiche e iconografiche, queste specifiche ricerche contribuirono alla diffusione di messaggi pubblicitari e alla celebrazione di quei motivi propagandistici che, peraltro, la retorica del regime elaborò in parte attraverso gli stessi modelli poetici del movimento futurista.

L’esposizione, oltre a documentare in maniera originale la molteplicità delle esperienze formali che si svilupparono in questo ambito di ricerca, rappresenta un momento di riflessione sulle dinamiche espressive di quella sottile linea di demarcazione che separa la persuasione pubblicitaria e la propaganda politica, a cui i principali esponenti del movimento adattarono i temi precipui della loro originaria poetica: il culto della velocità e della modernità, dell’aggressività e della guerra, l’idolatria della macchina, l’ideale di un uomo nuovo, sportivo e ardimentoso.

Non a caso la mostra si svolge a Genova. La Liguria giocò, infatti, un ruolo di primo piano nell’avventura della ceramica futurista.

Se è vero che esempi di ceramica futurista vennero prodotti a Faenza negli anni Dieci, una vera produzione fu per così dire istituzionalizzata solo intorno al 1927 all’interno della Casa Giuseppe Mazzotti di Albisola, diretta dal celebre Tullio che nel 1938 firmò con F.T. Marinetti il manifesto Ceramica e aeropittura.

Accanto al primato abisolese con opere degli artisti più noti (Nicolay Diulgheroff, Farfa, Fillia, Tato, Alf Gaudenzi, Giovanni Acquaviva e lo stesso Tullio), la mostra propone anche esperienze che, pur non potendo essere definite futuriste, presentano tangenze, soprattutto linguistiche, con le creazioni del movimento marinettiano.

Come certa produzione delle Ceramiche Rometti di Umbertide (Perugia), nel momento in cui vi fu attivo un artista del calibro di Corrado Cagli, o quella poco conosciuta della FACI (Fabbrica Artistica Ceramiche Italiane) di Civita Castellana nel viterbese.

Relativamente alla grafica, compaiono, oltre agli artisti già citati, i nomi di Fortunato Depero e Tullio Crali, mentre alcune opere rappresentano l’inizio dell’immagine promozionale coordinata per prodotti e aziende di livello nazionale, come Fernet Branca, Amaro Cora, Campari e Cinzano.

Come evento collaterale alla mostra, a febbraio, verrà presentata una significativa selezione di argenti del milanese Arrigo Finzi (Venezia 1890 - Milano 1973) che la figlia Olga Finzi Baldi ha affidato in comodato alla Wolfsoniana. Una parte della produzione di Arrigo Finzi fu infatti contrassegnata dal marchio “Sant’Elia“, depositato nel 1933, e riprendeva in chiave déco i modelli disegnati prima della guerra dal celebre architetto futurista Antonio Sant’Elia, con cui Finzi aveva stretto amicizia a Milano nel 1909.

PUBBLICITÀ E PROPAGANDA. Ceramica e grafica futuriste, Genova Nervi, Spazio Mostre della Wolfsoniana (via Serra Gropallo 4), 5 dicembre 2009 - 11 aprile 2010. Orario: martedì - domenica 10.00 - 19.00; ingressi: intero € 5, ridotto € 4, scuole € 2,80. Sono previsti programmi e laboratori didattici per le scuole.

Mostra a cura di Silvia Barisione, Matteo Fochessati, Gianni Franzone e Maria Teresa Orengo. Catalogo edito da Silvana Editoriale.

Informazioni e prenotazioni:

Wolfsoniana, tel. 010.3231329 - 5761393, info@wolfsoniana.it

http://www.wolfsoniana.it, http://www.fondazionecultura-liguria.it

Balla’s home scheduled to open in 2010

CASA BALLA, CROPPI: “ENTRO 2010 APRIREMO AL PUBBLICO”

“Qualche mese fa scoprimmo le condizioni in cui verteva la Casa di Giacomo Balla di via Oslavia e ci impegnammo per la sua salvaguardia, restauro e apertura al pubblico in accordo con gli eredi. Abbiamo avviato un gruppo di lavoro con la sovrintendenza comunale per il restauro conservativo dello famoso studialo di Balla, appena concluso, mentre con la sovrintendenza archivistica di stato stiamo lavorando alla catalogazione e messa a norma del materiale conservato. Con gli eredi stiamo arrivando ad un accordo che consentirà l’apertura in qualche modo al pubblico per far scoprire questo tesoro straordinario. D’altronde Balla e’ il più romano dei futuristi ed e’ giusto che la citta’ dia a lui il giusto rilievo e importanza”. Lo annuncia l’assessore capitolino alla Cultura, Umberto Croppi, oggi all’Ara Pacis a margine della presentazione del “Genio Futurista”. ” (omniroma.it)

link

previously

google map

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

Viva il Futurismo! (video trailer)

VIVA IL FUTURISMO!
Official Trailer

Artistic and cultural event series on the occasion of the 100th anniversary since the foundation of italian Futurism

Lectures • conference • exhibition • performance • music • cinema

Cologne + Bonn + Düsseldorf
from june 2009 until january 2010

futurismus.kulturserver.de
futurismus@kulturserver.de

Photos + video recording
Ludger F. J. Schneider
lichtbildgestaltung.kulturserver.de

Music
Diss Harmon
diemaschine.kulturserver.de

Translation + Montage
Donatella Chiancone-Schneider
donatella.chiancone.eu

Chinese Couple Sells Baby for Cellphone Money [Wtf]

Faced with the prospect of raising a child they couldn't support, a pair of young, unmarried lovers in China decided to sell their little baby boy for just enough money to buy a cellphone.

It sounds like the couple sought support from their parents before handing their child to a stranger for 2,500 yuan (roughly $366), but it's unclear if that was what pushed their decision. No matter why they did what they did, in the end the pair regretted their decision, and are now attempting to get the child back.

Apparently they may actually even stand a chance of getting the child back because the fellow who purchased him raised some sort of authorities' suspicions and the toddler ended up safe and sound in the care of a welfare center. Other than a truly happy ending, all that's left missing now is word on whether the lovers are returning the cellphone they bought with the proceeds from the child-sale. [Global Times]

Note: The picture above was taken by Micah Sittig, and the cutie in it is not the child from the story.







It’s Been a Good Week in Video Games [Roundups]

Updates to Diablo II, porn star gamer dating tips and the total of taxpayer dollars going to funding the Army's video game—all great stories you can read over on Kotaku this week:

Dead Space 2: Multiplayer, Bigger World, Space-Floating
This could be both fun and nauseating!

Ever Wonder How Much Money Has Been Sunk Into America's Army?
You don't want to know.

Five Steps to Total Pwnage of a Gamer Girl's Heart
In case you didn't have the attention span to take all 10 prerequisite steps.

Xbox 360 Game Helps You Talk To Girls
No it doesn't.

Pokemon Teaches Your Children To Worship Satan
No no, Pokemon IS Satan.

Blizzard Patches Diablo II, Beta Test It Now
My old discs are about 5 feet away...

PlayStation Home Director Wants "Mini-MMOs" On The Service
Interesting idea.

Frankenreview: The Legend Of Zelda: Spirit Tracks
Spoiler: the reviews deem it excellent.

EA CEO: "I Think Of Pirates As A Marketplace"
A marketplace that's just been robbed.







How To Talk Amongst Yourselves Using #whitenoise [Comments]

Here at Gizmodo we've created a special place for you commenters to post just about anything you want. We call it #whitenoise and here's how to use it...

#whitenoise is your place to talk about tech, news, gossip, cow fistulas or even things completely unrelated and off-topic. So, how do you get started? Direct yourself to the #whitenoise page here. At the top of this page there's something we call the "submit box."

Click where it says "Got a tip for us?" The box will expand, letting you type whatever you'd like. To make it public, click on the button that says "share."

This will post whatever you just said into our #whitenoise page.

Also note that you can start your own threads by creating your own hashtag. Want to start up discussion on your favorite gadget? Try #favgadget. If you want your comments to appear in multiple places, use multiple hashtags. Need a starting off point? Try any of our most popular tags featured above.

Once you start participating, you'll begin to see how addictive the conversation can be. To help you keep track of your conversations, be sure to make use of the new notifications feature. Clicking on "replied" will take you to the exact comment, while clicking the link at the end takes you to the original post. It's a great way to keep track of the conversations you're having while not interrupting your regular use of the site.







Is Apple Buying VoIP Provider iCall? [Apple]

Apple is flush with cash, and as it looks like we're coming out of the recession (fingers crossed!), it's in prime position to make some acquisitions. Last week, Apple purchased music startup Lala, for example, and it was sniffing around mobile ad network AdMob before Google acquired it.

So what will Apple buy next? One reader just sent us a message that Apple is in talks to acquire VoIP company iCall in a $50 million to $60 million deal.

Is this true? iCall co-founder and CEO Arlo Gilbert, reached by phone, would not confirm or deny any talks, but that's the response he's supposed to give us. We have not yet heard back from Apple. (Anyway, everyone talks to everyone, so it's worth discussing.)

So, should Apple buy a VoiP company — the way Google, increasingly a rival — has acquired two? (GrandCentral, now Google Voice; and recently Gizmo5.)

For its long-term strategy, it makes sense for Apple to at least have a VoIP product available — even if only for defensive purposes, even if it never launches.

In the short term, it would probably piss off Apple's carrier partners, which sell the majority of Apple's iPhones, and currently make the vast majority of their revenue by selling voice phone service. But for Apple's longer term strategy, it is a good idea.

Why? It's obvious to everyone but wireless carriers that wireless carriers are increasingly becoming dumb pipes. People are sick of carriers' ridiculous fees and policies, and just want a good device that can connect to the Internet and make calls.

As data networks evolve, it will be possible to make calls as well over the Internet as by using a voice network, and cheaper. (It's already getting there.) And that's when Apple may seek to increase its control over iPhone owners — and recurring revenue from them — by becoming a VoIP service provider. Moreover, as that becomes a bigger industry, Apple should not give that business to Skype, Google, or anyone else.

So for that long-term interest, Apple may already be hiring (or acq-hiring) today.

iCall has more than 100,000 iPhone users, its CEO tells us, so it already knows the business pretty well. It also owns the trademark to "iCall," which Apple may or may not want to own. And perhaps it has executives and/or technology that Apple could want.

So whether true or not, it would not be too surprising.







Gifts to Bring to a White Elephant Party [Giftguide]

There are generally two criteria for gifts at a White Elephant/Yankee Swap party: they've gotta be cheap, and they've gotta be hilariously bad. After all, what's the point if you can't stick someone with a total garbage gift?

BTW, if you hate the gallery format as much as the Grinch hated Christmas, click here.


Prank Gift Boxes: It doesn't matter what you stuff in these hilarious boxes, because the reaction of your recipient is the real gift. Be it the Beer Beard or the Griddle Alarm, you'll be sure to make someone very, very confused 3 for $20 [Link; PrankPack]

128MB Thumb Drives: They'll be able to fill them up with almost enough data to make them useful, but not quite. That's what makes this gift extra sadistic. It's full of potential, but still just not quite useful. $10 [Amazon]

Xbox 360 HD-DVD Drive: You should be able to find these for around $20 on eBay. And hell, maybe even cheaper if it doesn't work. Whether or not it works doesn't matter, as there's no way anyone would actually use one of these embarrassing mistakes of a product.

USB Hedgehog Hand Warmer and Massager: It's a USB device! It's a hand warmer! It's a personal massager! It's a hedgehog! It's...awkward! $13 [Brando]

Burrito Glasses: I have no idea either. $15 [Etsy via Fashionably Geek]

Penis Ice Cube Tray: The "dicks in your drink" jokes just write themselves, don't they? For added Christmas Spirit, throw their old ice cube trays away so they have no choice but to use this. $9 [Amazon]

Hooper DVD: Hooper stars Burt Reynolds as "The World's Greatest Stuntman." No need to worry about this coming out on Blu-ray, as it's fucking horrible. $10 [Amazon]

Reindeer Toilet Cover: Nothing says Holiday Spirit like pooping in Blitzen's mouth. $15 [Link via Nerd Approved]

Don't forget to recommend your own favorite White Elephant in comments-include pics and pricing if possible.

All Giz Wants is our annual round-up of favorite gift ideas, including amazing attainable objects and a few far-out fantasies. We'll be popping guides catered to different interests several times per day for the next week, so keep checking back.







CoolerBot Terrorizes Woodland Creatures [Robots]

Think of CoolerBot like the paparazzi of the woods. It's solar powered and waterproof, so it stops at nothing to get that perfect shot. Of course, it looks like it should be diffusing bombs, not taking nature photography.

CoolerBot uses a tail-dragger design with 14" wheels in front and a 10" castering wheel in the rear. The caster wheel is mounted using PVC pipe. The robot is capable of moving in either direction. CoolerBot uses two NPC-41250 motors powered by a 10 amp hour 12 volt SLA battery. The logic is powered by a separate 10 amp hour 12 volt SLA battery and both batteries are recharged by the two onboard solar panels. The motors are driven by two Parallax HB-25s are which are controlled by a Propeller. Currently the robot is remote controlled through a 912 MHz Transceiver.

As far as an "arsenal" is concerned, CoolerBot is equipped with an infrared video camera and a Nikon DSLR. Check out the terror in the eyes of the bunny in the shot above. It's just waiting for a missile launcher to pop out of the cooler and reduce him to a smoking crater. At any rate, it seems like overkill unless your objective is to capture lions with their cubs or dangerously unstable celebrities. Now that is a good use for this thing...a paparazzi-bot that goes in on the really dangerous missions. [Norris Labs via Make]







AT&T SMS and Data Services Are Down in San Francisco (Updated) [Att]

Twitter user Martin Hecko says that he's received confirmation from AT&T that SMS and data service are down in San Francisco and that things will take between 24 and 48 hours to fix. Yikes! Have any of you experienced anything beyond the usual troubles with the either data or SMS today? [Martin Hecko via lkahney]

Update: Our source at AT&T tells us that GSM and EDGE are both running fine, and that the outage was caused by a hardware issue that is rapidly being fixed:

AT&T has fixed the hardware issue and data services are quickly returning to normal. Speeds should be back to normal within about a half hour.







The Week’s Best iPhone Apps [IPhone Apps]

In this week's mildly paranoid iPhone app roundup: Prices, slashed for the holidays! iPhones, recklessly tilted! Amazing classic games, handily ported! A decent camera app, sold for nothing! Cheap tickets, booked! Dictations, taken! Movies trivia, two ways! And much, much more...

This Week's Apps

If you hate hate hate galleries, click here to view the apps as a single page.

Honorable Mentions


Google Mobile: This update keeps the app from launching into Safari as much as it used to, and widens its voice capabilities. A minor but useful upgrade.

My Name and Head Shoulders Knees & Toes: I suspect most of you don't reader these roundups to find ways to entertain your children. But if you do, My Name, which will teach your tot how to spell whatever is on his birth certificate, and Head, Shoulders Knees and Toes, which makes a simple touch game out of the children's song, will distract them long enough for you to gobble up enough Zoloft to keep the gears moving without anyone noticing.

Wolfram Alpha: Once a comical $50, this mega calculator app is now a slightly less comical $20.

Monkey Ball 2: Last week, I noted that this app seemed to have a widespread crashing problem, and therefore couldn't recommend it, despite the fact that it's a worthy—if not revolutionary—followup to one of the iPhone's best launch titles. The bug has been identified: If you have a jailbroken phone, avoid this one. If you don't, and you loved Monkey Ball numero uno, give it a shot.

iClassic: Replaces your music interface with a faux-clickwheel. Jailbreak-only.

Voltron: A name and a concept worth getting excited about, let down by mediocre execution.

Aqua Forest 2: Same deal as above: A game with a pedigree and a soild concept, but on which the developers didn't quite follow through well enough.

This Week's iPhone News On Giz


Mega-iPhone Dorks Who Idolise Rambo, Strap This On For Size

Apple Countersues Nokia

Analyst Claims iPhone Users Are Suffering From "Stockholm Syndrome"

Apple Patent Shows Dock Made From 'Elastic Sponge-Like Substance' That Conforms To Shape of iPod/iPhone

In Which a Telco Executive Makes Taking Sound Like Giving

This list is in no way definitive. If you've spotted a great app that hit the store this week, give us a heads up or, better yet, your firsthand impressions in the comments. And for even more apps: see our previous weekly roundups here, and check out our Favorite iPhone Apps Directory. Have a great weekend, everybody!







Intel’s New "Pineview" Atom Processors Benchmarked, Found Disappointing [Atom]

The new Atom D410 and D510 processors were just given preliminary benchmarking tests, and the scores actually came out pretty disappointing. The older Nvidia Ion configuration actually beat the Pineview procs in most tests—not what we'd call encouraging.

Of course you don't go for an Atom for muscle, and the Pineview processors do beat the Ion in power consumption and cost (the new guys are both under $100). But we expect performance to go up as well, and the Ion mopped the floor with the D410 and D510 in most real-world applications. The Pineview procs did win in raw processing power, however. These are early tests, so take them with a grain of salt, but we'd really have preferred to see some numbers that at least beat existing configurations like Ion. [CarTFT (German PDF) and SemiAccurate via Engadget