"Impact from the Deep" by Peter D. Ward

http://www.chicagocleanpower.org/ward.pdf

This short article from Scientific American, by Peter D. Ward, provides short overview with clear illustration of the mechanism of Mass Extinction he describes in detail in his book, Under a Green Sky: Global Warming, the Mass Extinctions of the Past, and What They Can Tell Us About Our Future.

Mass Extinctions have fascinated me since I was a little boy reading about Dinosaurs,  Peter Ward's books are the primary way I indulge that fascination as an adult.

I recommend the pdf if you want a short concise explanation, but strongly suggest the book if your looking for a deeper understanding, or if like me your fascinated by Mass Extinctions or Paleontology.

Institute for Redwood Ecology

http://www.humboldt.edu/redwoods/sillett/

Professor Sillett is an leads an interesting life, at least in my opinion,  he studies Forest Canopy Ecology, from what I understand he pioneered the study of Redwood Canopy, by climbing to the tops of Giant California Redwoods, to observe first hand the life and ecology that lives way up there.

He has also studied Cloud Forests, which in addition to Redwoods, are my passions for life sciences, if Mosquitoes didn't like me so much, I might have pursued more first hand learning in the great forests.

I have to make do by studying the work of people like Professor Sillett, whose work I greatly appreciate and admire.

So if you have any interest in Redwoods, or Forest Ecology, or Cloud Forests, take the time to learn from Professor Sillett's work.

Bike Head Light

Got my girlfriend a new bike this weekend, so started looking around for a good light for her morning commutes.

This light, NiteRider MiNewt 600 Cordless Rechargable Headlight, gets very good, even exceptional, reviews on Amazon & REI. Flashlight, and related, technology continues to impress me.

On the high setting this like will put out 600 Lumens! Only a little over $100 at the moment on Amazon.

I also found this Portland Design Works Danger Zone Tail Light

REALLY bright tail light. Uses same LED's used in Car taillights.

Improved Solar Cell Power Production: "Solar ‘towers’ beat panels by up to 20x"

It seems, based on this story by ScienceBlog, that 3D Solar structures offer more efficiency than normal flat ones, especially in higher latitudes.

That story is based on Solar Energy Generation in Three Dimensions, by Marco Bernardi, Nicola Ferralis, Jin H. Wan, Rachelle Villalon, Jeffrey C. Grossman.

Solar Energy Generation in Three Dimensions abstract here, full PDF here.