Mark Ontkush
Latest Stories from Mark Ontkush - Page 2
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Christmas Chemistry Suggests that Adults Must Give, Children Receive
As both a supplier and inducer of the 'Christmas Cheer' in the coming weeks, it will behoove you to get comfortable with a little chemistry. Now, a Savvy Tyro might stop me right there, knowingly reciting the tried-and-true formula of
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Can You Survive the Heat Death of the Universe?
Environmentalists are known for taking the 'long term' view - our sons' sons' sons' well-being, that kind of thing. This was ok with me until I got strange-tangled up with a physicist, a non-water related one,
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Survey: Who's Your Green Villain?
If you liked My Green Hero, you'll love My Green Villain; infamy has this appeal. Much like the first, the survey looks at U.S. consumers' darker archetypes in an attempt to provide better motivators for both consumers and
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Prosper.com Shutdown by SEC
You might have heard of prosper.com, a site where borrowers and lenders can get together in the absence of a legitimate bank and do business. It's an intriguing idea; lend your money directly to your planetary neighbor without
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Top 7 Green Categories of 7 Green Lists of 7 Green Things
In the never ending battle to beat out absurdities such as Stewie the Grape Stomping Reporter and the real 19th century vampire kit that is (apparently) a must have, here is a little contribution that picks up on my last
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Top 7 Green Lists of 7 Green Things
Seven, seven, seven, seven, seven, seven, seven! It's a magic number; people are addicted to the number seven. Doesn't it feel good, just looking at all those sevens? You get a thrill right, something deep down inside, a little
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Survey: Who's Your Green Hero?
Taking stock of the green public zeitgeist is always a good idea; the more meaningful numbers, the better this dirt clod will be run. In this groove, The SOAP Group (a (rare) certified B Corporation) has started
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How Far Would You Go, Literally, For Sex?
Once upon a time they were known as HTH's - HomeTown Honeys. This was the acronym ascribed to those undergrad, freshman dorm-dwellers who had had The Conversation with their high school sweetheart and decided that they were going to stick together,
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Organic Groceries - You're Buying Quality, Not Service.
Here's a little mystery to solve - a tub of sour cream purchased at Whole Foods yesterday. Right, it's a week past the expiration date, this being in addition to to getting credited with a double-counting of packaged walnuts at the checkout. Granted,
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Schoolhouse Rock "Energy Blues" Now 30 - An Annotated Perspective
Thirty years ago, a certain generation digested large amounts of Schoolhouse Rock on their way from being Sugar Bomb Eaters to 9-to-fivers; many a happy moment was spent staring at the glass screen figuring out how a bill becomes law, what the heck an
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Child Climate Cops? Way, Way Over the Top.
This just in from the you-couldn't-make-this-stuff-up-if-you-tried department. A new website designed by npower, a British electric company, is recruiting children using games, badges and cartoons to enlist as "Climate Cops"; their duties are to
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Will the MOAB Lead to TEOTWAWKI? Survivalists Think So.
If the Mother Of All Bailouts (MOAB) has got you a-seekin' some fortune-telling, then the Survival Blog might be for you. Unlike environmentalists, who prefer to concentrate their efforts on influencing the future, survivalists first predict and then
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No More Car Loans - Credit Crunch Limits Automotive Purchases
Nice summary over at at Kicking Tires about one of the more immediate effects of the Wall Street Giddyap - no more car loans. By now, even my cats are conversant in the underpinnings of the subprime mortgage crisis (knowledge gained from watching this
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Balin, Dwalin, and Palin - It's Freakin' Khazad-dûm All Over Again
Remember that massive mining complex from the Lord of the Rings called Moria (aka the Dwarrowdelf, aka Khazad-dûm?) Neither did I - over the last few years, my recollection of All Things Tolkien had been slipping into shadow (heh heh heh), but this
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The TH Interview: Cassatt's Energy Efficient Software for Data Centers
Utility Computing has been with us for a while, in fact since 1961. The idea is to sell 'cycles as a service'; just strap a meter onto a server and then the user pays for whatever computer time they use. It is much like any other utility such as gas,
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The Archdruid Nails It: Energy Conservation, Not Efficiency, Is Key
A good read for the eco-serious is The Archdruid Report, a collection of perspective on industrial society which is written by John Michael Greer. The posts are characteristically druid-like - long, thoughtful, laden with wisdom - and although
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Who's Not Your Typical Environmentalist?
Above is a photo of John Muir, a typical environmentalist. Didja ever wonder who/what/where a non-typical environmentalist is/is/is? A little Google searching turns up a few non-typical environmentalists, along with the reasons for the label. Let's
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Adspecs Eyeglasses Could Provide Sight for a Billion
Should the challenges of the world be prioritized? Usually I think no, but then this story came across the blotter; The World Health Organization estimates that there are currently a billion people in need of eyeglasses to go about their daily lives.
