Science & Technology

Photo via zappowbang

Lawmakers have started taking a stronger stance with electronics manufacturers, requiring them to accept more responsibility for the end-of-life handling of the gadgets they produce. The recent noise in New York between city and state officials and manufacturers helped set the stage for other states to push companies into pulling their weight in the recycling of electronics -- the long-term effect of which could be products designed to last longer and be easier to recycle, since manufacturers will feel the economic pinch of a gadget's final throes. The latest state to toughen up on manufacturers is Wisconsin, which just passed an e-waste recycling law that moves the burden from local governments to manufacturers. Beginning January 1, 2011, it'll be up to manufacturers to provide collection and recycling for electronics.

Business & Politics

photo: Greenpeace

The saga of the two Greenpeace activists arrested over two years ago for stealing whale meat from a shipping depot, in an effort to expose corruption within Japan's whaling program, is over. Junichi Sato and Toru Suzuki were given one-year jail terms, suspended, for theft and trespassing. Prosecutors had wanted them jailed for 18 months.

Design & Architecture

Photos: Jasmine Van Hevel, Mauro Brigham and Olivier Papegnies via archdaily

A landmark water tower in the Belgian village of Steenokkerzeel has demonstrated again that almost any structure can be repurposed; in this case it has been converted into a single family house and meeting facility. Some might be a bit nervous living in it, such a tall structure so close to the airport, but if you like watching planes it is the place to be. The living room is on the top floor, so it is probably a good idea to like exercise, too.

Food & Health

Image credit: spratmackerel

A long time ago, George Monbiot argued that the "only ethical response" to the sharp rise in meat eating around the world was to go vegan. He clearly changed his mind a while back though, instead making the case that we should reserve meat eating for special occasions. While he's still an advocate of greatly reduced meat consumption, his latest article seems to be a lot more positive about even a moderate diet of well-raised animal proteins. So what's got him to change his mind?

Travel & Nature

A map of the planet's oldest living things, via Rachel Sussman

What are the oldest living things on the planet? If you're thinking 200-year-old tortoises, well, those are just whippersnappers compared to the organisms that give Methuselah a run for his money. Rachel Sussman has traveled the planet photographing living creatures that have celebrated at least their 2,000th birthday. She's found 500,000-year-old actinobacteria in the Siberian permafrost, and a 5,000-year-old bristle cone pine in California. Her photographs are meant to do two things: 1) show us these miracles of life on our planet and 2) show us the things that have withstood elements and time, but likely won't be able to outlive the damage humans are doing to the planet.

Design & Architecture

Living Steel commissioned an interesting article on the history of steel and iron prefabs. Professor Miles Lewis explains how Britain shipped wrought iron and corrugated steel houses to California and Australia during the gold rushes of the 1850s, when housing was in short supply.

Fashion & Beauty

(all photos NewMerino)

For well over 100 years Australia's prosperity was inextricably lined to the export of wool, and in particular, Merino wool. We even had phrase for it: "Riding on the Sheep's Back." But in the '60s wool's economic dominance was displaced by the likes of coal and iron ore. Years of drought have also taken their toll. But possible one of the more obvious hurdles to growth of the Australian wool industry has been the high-profile anti-mulesing campaign by US-based group, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).

Succumbing to such marketing pressure the industry body, Australian Wool Innovation (AWI), agreed in 2004 that it would, by 2010, phase out the practice of mulesing. However in 2009 NewMerino, who is now offering a chain of custody for ethically-produced Australian merino wool.

Travel & Nature

Photo via Virgin Media

Before your survival instinct kicks in and you grab a shoe to smack these spiders, beetles, snails, and other insects, keep in mind: They might be creepy, but that doesn't make them less important to the ecosystem. All the bugs shown here are endangered, so the chances of coming across one in your basement are pretty slim -- but if you do have a confrontation, it's best to remember you might be looking at one of the few examples of an extremely rare species.