Category Archives: Uncategorized

Wearable computing is just in its infancy, but already some are taking it to places we wouldn’t have imagined.  While there will be many benefits to the technology, there is a real threat of decision making continually being outsourced to technology.  Two examples recently caught our attention:   Researchers in Japan have designed an organic,  Continue Reading »

In an August inFocus on the housing market, we wrote about some ways in which the buying public have re-prioritized what they value while also dealing with different financial realities.   The following are some recent facts and events that begin to illustrate the new reality of housing- that the majority of new construction will be multi-family, smaller and  Continue Reading »

According to a recent study, the ski and snow sports industries in 38 states have lost 27,000 jobs and as much as $1 billion in revenue over the past decade, because of reduced snowfall and shorter winters. The first 11 months of 2012 were the warmest to start any year in the contiguous 48 U.S.  Continue Reading »

Peru has the largest mass of tropical glaciers in the world, mostly part of the Cordillera Blanca. Studies have indicated that the glacier mass has shrunk 20-30 percent since 1970 and is currently decreasing by 3 percent per year and the decline is accelerating.   Most importantly, the Santa River which receives water from the  Continue Reading »

When is the best time to make a decision and more importantly, when should we not make decisions.   According to Roy Baumeister and John Tierney, we should make decisions when we aren’t fatigued.   In their 2011 book, Willpower: The Greatest Human Strength, Baumeister, a social psychologist, and Tierney, a science writer, describe the  Continue Reading »

In late October, Jordan’s intelligence department arrested 11 men who had allegedly been planning terrorist attacks aimed at western diplomats, foreign nationals and shopping centers.  The men are reported to have identified targets, carried out surveillance and been recruiting suicide bombers.  The Jordanian government said the men were inspired by the ideology of al-Qaida.  A  Continue Reading »

Our intelligence suggests that society currently lacks a grand narrative, an embodiment of its ideals, values and goals.  Historically, such narratives have given cohesion and direction to society, acting as an accepted vision of what society and its members seek.   We are monitoring the development of a new grand narrative for society, one that  Continue Reading »

During a massive U.S. Navy demonstration in July, dubbed the Great Green Fleet, the military flew 71 aircraft powered by biofuels.  The next generation biofuels came from camelina, algae and waste oils like cooking grease and chicken fat.  These biofuels can be used in regular ships and jets without modifying the engines because they are hydrocarbons  Continue Reading »

You would have to be actively avoiding the news to have missed hearing about the shootings that took place in Aurora, Colorado last month or outside of the Empire State Building last Friday.   Another attack which made headlines occurred August 5 when Wade Michael Page murdered six congregants and wounded a police officer at  Continue Reading »

In the past year, lawsuits have been filed against: –         A wind farm in Oregon –         A solar plant 130 miles outside of San Francisco –         A solar plant northeast of Los Angeles –         A 500-megawatt wind project in a remote part of Montana   These lawsuits haven’t been filed by coal, gas or oil companies, but rather by  Continue Reading »