Links for the week of February 5th, 2010

If you want to follow my shared links in real time instead of as a weekly digest, head over to Delicious. You can search them there easily too.

  • Greenest City – Vancouver, BC seems to understand the magnitude of our unsustainability, and have the guts to do something about it. They've already met their Kyoto obligations, and have the right goal for emissions: zero, and solid waste: zero, they want more than 50% of all trips to be by bike, foot, or transit by 2020, all new buildings to be carbon neutral, mostly use passive energy systems… etc, etc. It's almost as if the city government believes what the physicists have been telling them, and have decided not to argue with the sun and the sky.
  • A Rant About Women – Clay Shirky thinks that part of why women remain behind in the workplace is that they're less willing to engage in blatant self promotion, and potentially public failure, than men are. I could see this being true. Not exactly sure if I like the idea that the solution is to just normalize self-promotion and overconfidence for everyone… but that's one option.
  • Picture China – A photographic exploration of modern China.
  • State lawmakers take aim at free parking – CA SB 518 has passed, encouraging cities to curb the supply of so-called "free" parking. It sounds like someone in Sacramento has been listening to Don Shoup. "The problem with free parking is, it isn't free."

Published by

Zane Selvans

A former space explorer, now marooned on a beautiful, dying world.

2 thoughts on “Links for the week of February 5th, 2010”

  1. OK, what about greenest *small town* in the pacific NW – now that would appeal 🙂

    I’m digesting the rant about women. My gut reaction is that I don’t really want whatever I would have to get by being arrogant, my second reaction is that, yes, most of my best job experiences have come from telling the interviewer that I would be great at the job when I’m scared to death I can’t do it. My third reaction is that I need to use those self-aggrandizing behaviors to promote my ecoplex in the local media and try and get attention and grant money out of it so I can do some really cool things with it and give people an example of more sustainable living (though sadly we still produce 64 gallons of garbage for 4 households…about 4 times as much as your households! Plenty of things to work on in all arenas!)

    1. Yeah, I’m not sure I really like the “solution” that Shirky is putting forward. Actually, I’m not sure he likes it either. It does have the advantage of being implementable by the people who currently seem to be at a disadvantage, if they feel like it’s important enough, whereas it’s very hard to imagine convincing all the macho males to chill out with the self-promotion… especially if it works.

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