cedar sprig's blog

Virtual reality has been inching closer to the real world, but the recent developments in the massive, (multiplayer!) online role-playing game, Entropia Universe, are a significant milestone. Like many other RPGs (such as Sony's Everquest), the game is set in a virtual world where players collect skills and game money. Unlike many of those RPGs, Entropia encourages real money sales of virtual items. Or at least the money can be converted to cold hard cash, at an exchange rate of 10 Entropian dollars to 1 American dollar.  Read More »

Hundreds of bottlenose dolphins have washed up on the beaches of Zanzibar, an island along the lower east coast of Africa. Originally there were "only" 200 estimated dead, but in the few hours since the first articles were put online, the estimates have gone to twice that. No one is sure what caused the mass beaching. One of the locals commented, "“We started noticing them last night...We could do nothing but photograph them."  Read More »

Nelson's Column in Trafalgar square (stone lions, tall monument, major tourist spot in London, for you non-BBC addicts) is undergoing refurbishment. That in itself is not especially interesting. But the scaffolding up around the column is a work of art...

(And in case you actually wanted to see the picture...)

Any large building that has been covered in scaffolding is reminiscent of artist Christo's wrapped buildings/parks/landscapes, of course. Christo most recently was responsible for The Gates in New York Central Park, dozens of orange banners hung from orange frames. He also wrapped the Reichstag, not to mention the Australian coast.  Read More »

Brazil has finally gotten itself a very big oil rig. With the price of oil rising every day, the country is understandably pleased to finally have enough production to cover its consumption. The last time oil prices peaked, back in the 70's, Brazil was pushed to the edge of bankruptcy in trying to afford its oil imports (see this article from Mercury News). Now, however, the the new rig is expected to even produce a little more than Brazil uses. It couldn't come at a better time, considering the delicate position of global oil supplies.  Read More »

Siakor, 36, has just been awarded the Goldman Award for his role in ending illegal logging in Liberia. The small country is on the 'chin' of Africa, and its forests--which cover twice the area of Vermont--are some of the largest and most complete of West Africa. Liberian president Taylor, who was forced into exile in 2003, had secret contracts with logging companies. In return, he received weapons shipments, which helped him keep hold of power through violence.  Read More »

Finding the right way to start off an article is often the hardest part. I've been looking at that "why blog?" category for a couple of weeks now, and still don't know quite what to say.

I know why I blog, so that's not the problem. Like a lot of people on this site, I was originally attracted by the scholarship. Not to mention the idea of blogging somewhere that people do care about what they're saying. "What an opportunity!" I thought. "I can practice having an informed opinion!" Even more alluring, I could practice reporting: find out what's important, research it, write it up and inform the world. I'm still young enough to be a starry-eyed journalist who believes in the ethics of journalism. Be objective and present the whole picture, not just the parts you feel like ranting about. Try and get a feel for what's really going on. There's not a lot of call for global news in my town, and if there was I wouldn't know how to deal with it. But a blog...now a blog gives you both the platform and the feedback.  Read More »

Following the creation of the Kyoto treaty, a new market has arisen: trading carbon emissions. Under Kyoto protocol, countries that signed onto the deal promise to cut their greenhouse gas production by such and such a percent between 2008 and 2012. Now, companies and countries have come up with a market strategy to provide themselves with a loophole. By paying someone else to reduce emissions, a country can free itself from its obligation to Kyoto.  Read More »

One of the ever-popular questions of journalism, "What sort of immunity should reporters get?", is once again showing up in the news. Following the death of columnist Jack Anderson, the FBI is trying to sweep up all the classified documents he had lying around. Reportedly the documents are valuable in an ongoing investigation related to AIPAC, and Israel lobby group. However, Anderson's family says the FBI is trying to get everything in the late columnist's files since 1980, not just AIPAC papers. (Classified documents out on their own are an especially prominent issue right now, thanks to all the CIA-related links. But it's odd that the real legal retribution is coming at journalists, who did not, after all, create the leaks in the first place...)  Read More »