Good news about energy
The Long Now Blog
For a quick overview, here are some of the best recent news stories we found about the future of energy:
A Tale Of Two Overkills
Two seemingly unrelated events on opposite sides of the globe occurred this past week.
One was the closure of an aluminum plant in Montana, and the other is the president of a European metals association threatened to move production overseas citing environmental rules and energy costs escalating due to emissions trading schemes.
The Dog Whisperer: What Your Pet Can Teach You – By Cesar Millan
The Dog Whisperer is Teh Awsumz.
I am honored that so many people look to me to help them enjoy more fulfilling relationships with their dogs, but the truth is that the dogs themselves have been my teachers. The most valuable lessons I’ve received have come from animals. Here are some of the ways dogs have helped me become a better, happier, and more-balanced human being.
Live in the moment.
People often wonder how I get such quick results with the dogs I rehabilitate. The answer is simple: Dogs live in the moment. They don’t regret the past or worry about the future. If we can learn to appreciate and focus on what’s happening in the here and now, we’ll experience a richness of living that other members of the animal kingdom enjoy.
Nurture a balanced life.
I tell my clients to follow this simple rule with their dogs: Offer exercise, discipline, and affection every day. Do the same for yourself. We humans are happier if our routines include physical activity, a sense of structure, and the opportunity to give and receive love on a daily basis.
Trust your instincts.
Animals don’t care about words. They recognize that what’s really going on in any interaction is beneath the surface. Many of us have lost touch with this all-important instinctual part of our natures. By paying attention to nonverbal cues such as body language and energy, we can learn more about our friends, our loved ones, and ourselves.
Be direct and consistent in your communication.
Many of my clients only intermittently enforce rules, leaving their pets confused about what is and isn’t acceptable behavior. Great relationships, no matter the species, begin with clear and consistent communication. This is a lesson we should carry into other areas of our lives—with our family, our friends, and at work. Remember: We teach people how to treat us.
Learn to listen.
Make the time to lend an ear to those you love or those who want to transform their lives. But don’t try to fix their problems, and don’t take their problems personally, either. A great leader is also a great follower and knows that everybody counts.
Don’t hold grudges.
There’s a remarkable lack of conflict in dog packs. That’s because members resolve the situation when disagreements arise, then move on. Imagine what our world would be like if we dealt with our conflicts before they escalated out of control. Holding onto negative feelings tends to make them multiply and prevent us from moving forward.
Live with purpose.
When dogs are bored, they develop issues ranging from anxiety to aggression. But when given a job and a way to contribute to the pack’s well-being, they turn around almost immediately. All animals—including humans—have an inborn need to work for food and water. Ask yourself how you can contribute more to your job, your family, and the world around you. You’ll feel much better about yourself if you earn your food and water, too.
Celebrate every day.
For a dog, every morning is Christmas morning. Every walk is the best walk, every meal is the best meal, every game is the best game. We can learn so much by observing the way our pets rejoice in life’s simplest moments. Take time every day to celebrate the many gifts that are hidden in the ordinary events of your own life.
Cesar Millan is the author of “A Member of the Family” and star of the National Geographic Channel’s “Dog Whisperer.”
Miracle Drug’s Benefits – Without the Miracle Drug
FuturePundit: New Drug Prevents Weight Gain In Mice
It would be hard to get a drug such as this approved to slow general aging. But fortunately the benefits against weight gain and insulin resistance mean the drug has very specific clinical benefits that make approval for disease treatment easier.
A potential longevity-enhancing drug has passed its final animal testing challenge, pushing closer to reality the dream of all-purpose drugs against diseases of aging.
Mice given the new drug, called SRT1720, gorged on high-fat food for four months without gaining weight or developing diabetes, and ran twice as far on a treadmill as their control-group counterparts. Similar drugs are expected to follow down the pipeline.
The drug called SRT1720, which acts through the protein SIRT1, enhances running endurance in exercised mice and protects the animals against weight gain and insulin resistance even when they eat a high-fat diet, the researchers report. The drug works by shifting the metabolism to a fat-burning mode that normally takes over only when energy levels are low.
I have alluded to this phenomenon previously, but this is a very specific finding, and deserves further notice.
The “fat-burning mode that normally takes over when energy levels are low” (and this is, by the way, a remarkably stupid condensation of what actually is going on) is called “lipolysis,” and it is what the body does when it does not have available carbohydrates circulating in the bloodstream to fuel the standard energy-creation process called “glycolysis.” When carbohydrates are not available to initiate glycolysis, the body switches over to a different process (which is the one alluded to here) called “lypolysis” which involves the breaking down of stored fat (lipids) into fatty acids which are then used by the cells as sources of energy.
Now, here is the important part: You don’t need an as-yet-unreleased drug that will probably be initially prescription-only and quite expensive, to induce lipolysis. A diet sufficiently low in carbohydrates will accomplish exactly the same thing.
So – want to gorge on high fat foods without gaining weight or developing diabetes or insulin resistance, and quite possibly live a lot longer as well?
Go on a very low carbohydrate diet (under 25 grams per day). Best of all, you can do it today, and within a week or less, you, too, will be getting the benefits offered by SRT1720 – without having to take SRT1720.
Air Car Gooooood!
Compressed Air Car On Track For Production This Year
The vehicle, which uses a motor powered by 4,000 psi of compressed air stored in carbon fiber tanks, will actually start production in India soon – after 15 years in development – thanks to some help from India’s biggest automaker, Tata, which itself just unveiled the world’s least expensive car called the Nano. The MDI Citycat and Minicat are built from lightweight materials and offer large passenger and luggage space with zero emissions motoring. The energy required to refill the compressed air tanks reportedly costs about $2, and there are optional propulsion units to extend the roughly 90-mile (at speeds of 40mph or below) range of the vehicle so you aren’t stuck if your air car runs out of breath.
It’s going to get better with age. Five years, it’ll have the air compressor onboard to “refuel” the tanks, and I’m expecting more speed… and LARGER cars, of course.
