Link Salad - Rainy Day Edition

[chris_gerrib]

It's raining in Chicago, but warm (for March) and my energy level is low, so links in lieu of content.

First, I mentioned that ann_totusek is going to Haiti at the end of this month. Here's an article about the hospital she'll be working at, and here's the link to chip in if you would like to help.

Second, you may have heard of the Bloom Box, a supposedly cheap fuel cell. What might make this invention revolutionary is transmission losses. For example, North Dakota has enough wind energy to power 1/3 of the United States, but as discussed here and here, just putting that power on a wire and sending it to places people actually live isn't very efficient. This is besides the obvious problem of matching power needs to the unpredictable nature of the wind. If the Bloom Box is as good as it sounds, then making hydrogen and shipping it to your home (or a local "generator") is much more viable.

Third, from the always-interesting jaylake, here is a fascinating (if a bit long) article on how the cure for scurvy was found, lost and found again over the period from 1700 to 1932.

Lastly, one of the mechanisms libertarians propose to use in place of actually regulating businesses is shaming and reputational risk. This lengthy article shows with a real-life example how that idea is Full Of Fail.

Comments

[ann-totusek.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the shout-out Chris, but small error- you put the ChipIn url in both spots. The CDTI link can be found at

http://health4haiti.wordpress.com/2010/02/15/the-need-to-save-cdti-hospital/

[chris-gerrib.livejournal.com]

fixed.