Disqus - Latest Comments for Steve_Barker

Re: Positive changes in light of increased gas prices in the USA

Steve_Barker — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 04:55:32 -0000

The cost of things in the States is amazing, to someone living in Europe.

A few weeks ago I bought a copy of Syllable 0.6.5 from Idaho. The cd and case was sent UPS took two days to arrive, and was signed for - the UPS bill was for $3, which is about 1.5 UK pounds, i.e nothing much. Makes you wonder if it is not time for more realistic prices in the USA.

Re: Sweden’s largest wind farm gets its first approval

Steve_Barker — Fri, 30 May 2008 13:58:53 -0000

Hi act developpement

We will be popping along to our local wind farm - link below

http://www.burtonwoldwindfa...

We watched them build the windfarm, and walked along the public footpath that crosses the area so as to get a good view. Now its complete it always cheers me up when I see the blades going round when I'm going to and from work.

Re: Chrysler promises car buyers $2.99 gas

Steve_Barker — Sat, 10 May 2008 11:30:50 -0000

Two Options - three years time:

Possitive: we will have invaded somewhere else and oil will be cheaper.

Negative: depreciation will be high and customers will lose money re-selling.

Re: Dell to sell eco bamboo computer later this year

Steve_Barker — Wed, 07 May 2008 15:04:10 -0000

Not quite the first:

http://www.treehugger.com/f...

Lets hope Dell make the Ubuntu option available, and visible on their web-site.

Re: Apple Doesn’t Like the Big Apple

Steve_Barker — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 15:30:20 -0000

You'd have to be an idiot to mix up the two logos!!!

Re: Global warming deniers and racists go hand in hand in Norway

Steve_Barker — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 16:24:21 -0000

Whilst not a major party, UKIP (UK Independence Party), is the only significant UK party that would seek to avoid climate responsibility - and again right of centre.

http://www.ukip.org/ukip/in...

Re: A Picture is Worth… Albatross Carcass

Steve_Barker — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 04:41:29 -0000

Last year we went to Gigha, a small island off the west coast of Kintyre, Scotland, for our holidays.

http://www.gigha.org.uk/ind...

If you want somewhere thats as near to paradise as you can get, Gigha is the place. However, even on a small island which feels remote from the world plastics rear there ugly presence. Near the top of the island aretwo beaches which are on either side of a piece of land connecting an "almost" island, see Twin Beaches pic below:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wik...

The southern beach is on an ocean current and is continually deluged with plastic, bottles, pill blister packs, carrier bags, etc - the northern beach (and the rest of the island) is sheltered from the the current and has the most wonderful beach/s.

Re: Apple is now greener than Microsoft

Steve_Barker — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 16:14:17 -0000

Mac greener than M/soft - would not doubt it. I would argue that anything which helped stop Microsoft having a monopoly of the IT world was green (I see green as more than just environmental). I would argue that any PC can be made greener, install Linux of FreeBSD.

With respect to Nintendo, the Wii uses a fraction of the energy when playing intensive games, that that the PlayStation uses when in standby mode - but this is not included in Greenpeaces "green" calculation.

Re: How green is your computer?

Steve_Barker — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 15:54:04 -0000

Q5.

"More than 80 percent of the lifetime energy consumption of a PC occurs before you buy it.
Your Answer: True
10 out of 10 points.

True. Not only does manufacturing a PC use a lot of energy, it also usually requires ten times the PC's weight in fossil fuels and chemicals, most of which are toxic. So, even though you might be tempted to get a new PC every three years (as the average person does), the longer you can keep your current PC in service, the better for the environment."

Further proof that Linux is greener. It is good to keep equipment going/functioning. See:

http://green-pc.blogspot.co...

Re: Ford Transit Connect Taxi Concept

Steve_Barker — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 07:30:18 -0000

Thinking of local Taxis (Corby, Northamptonshire), for two or three years there was a big shift to the van derived Taxi. However, now the traditional London cab is making a comeback.

http://www.lti.co.uk/

It might be a lot more expensive to buy, but the coachwork panels, and traditional chassis mean that reapir cost / time off road are a lot less.

Re: Ford Transit Connect Taxi Concept

Steve_Barker — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 06:17:17 -0000

In our town we have the following as Taxis

Fiat Doblo:

http://www.globalautoindex....

and

Peugeot Partner

http://www.globalautoindex....

Both work very well, so I expect the Transit Connect will be a good Taxi, but 19 mpg is still not that good! Even the traditional London cab can do that.

Re: Will we eat laboratory-grown meat in the future?

Steve_Barker — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 07:18:58 -0000

Makes Quorn look a natural product

http://www.quorn.co.uk/CMSP...

and Quorn has come in for some critisism

http://en.wikipedia.org/wik...

However, In Vitro Meat, may well have a useful place in our future.

Re: 4% of the world’s emissions come from ships

Steve_Barker — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 14:19:34 -0000

But if all the goods that were transported by ship, were transported by plane, the emissions would be........

Re: Subscribe to green podcasts via iTunes

Steve_Barker — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 08:13:37 -0000

As a greenie person I do not do iTunes, Apple are trying to monopolise download music - and I do not see why i would want to limit this media to one private company.

For and over view of iTunes and see:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wik...

I opt for Linux and open souce formats such as ogg.

I have iTunes an the Mac because iTunes comes with it. Yet the Mac can not play a cd single video in QuickTime format from 2000! You have to open OS 9, and run QuickTime from there. If Apple had their way we would be paying them per hearing for any music we listened to.

Re: Getting your games the green and easy way!

Steve_Barker — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 05:14:35 -0000

Even with a global product, such as computer games, I believe it is good to have local shops that sell over the counter.

Try cycling to the shop, and refuse the plastic bags - and chat to a few people in town as you go - and contribute to keeping your local community vibrant!

Our Wii and DS came from a local shop, and helped keep a couple of nice young local people in jobs, where they can talk much of the day about things they find pleasurable.

PS Now that the Wii browser can support a USB keyboard I must say that I really enjoy surfing on the Wii.

Re: An Ecosocialist Manifesto

Steve_Barker — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 05:56:34 -0000

In the future I would hope there will be a range of "Green Parties", but for the moment in the UK the electoral system only just allows space for one. Hence, such developments always provoke mixed feelings - exchange with others and broadening co-operation is good, however, potential spliting of the Green/Alternative vote is not.

Therefore, I look forward to positive developments.

Re: Green (and ugly) PC from Lenovo

Steve_Barker — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 13:10:58 -0000

I do not think the Lenovo ugly, I think its purposeful!

I would say that IBM has tended to make ugly machines though, especially the PS2:

http://members.chello.nl/ml...

An interesting url re Chinese production:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/...

I would ask how Green is a Lenovo?

Re: Our destructive impact on the planet

Steve_Barker — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 15:07:19 -0000

A set of pictures worth bookmarking.