Baby Genius

I will leave it to you to figure out how this relates to Energy and Utilties, but I just read an article from the New York Times entitled, "Study on I.Q. Prompts Debate on Family Dynamics." The article is about a recent study which (in conjuction with a growing pile of evidence) found that elder children tend to have higher IQ's than their siblings (an average of 3 points). I happen to find the study ridiculous - I mean, not only is IQ a shaky indicator of intelligence in my opinion (I don't think there is a test which really can determine intelligence) - but 3 points does not seem to be very significant in my mind. Additionally, my little sis is a certified baby genius (we called her the BG in my family, for short).

Check out the article at:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/25/us/25sibling.html?hp

Also, there is a story on BBC (also, somewhat ambiguously related to Energy and Utilties, but interesting nonetheless) which features a group of scientists who believe that the current theory of HIV infection and spread is wrong. Check out it out at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6230580.stm


Now, back to the subject of energy - and here we look at energy use in homes. I begin by following a story on BBC's Green Room (really a wonderful place to check out). This week a man named Luke Nicholson wrote a piece about Smart Meters and energy efficiency in households. He writes that the household energy efficiency depends on two factors - the efficiency of the products we use in our homes, and the efficiency with which we use them. While the government and the private sector are largely in control of the first, consumer behavior is at the root of the second. The EU is considering making Smart Meters available which would allow people to exactly calculate the amount of energy that they waste on household appliances (such as plugged in chargers and heating). It is debateable how much of an impact a Smart Meter would have - but I feel optimistic. I think that if people are able to see in energy and dollar terms how much their sloppy habits cost themselves and the earth, they may make small changes in their behavior. To see the whole story, look at:


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6225938.stm

Finally, the following article is one that peaks my interest for a particular reason. Last semester, I wrote a long research paper on the possible evolution (both historical and future) of urban wildlife species. It turns out that certain species have coevolved with the human race for thousands of years, and have evolved traits which allow them to thrive in urban and other human modified environments. We forget about these species - the pests, the decorations on our sidewalks and the weeds growing in between the cracks. But it is interesting to consider how these species were able to evolve the ability to cohabitat and in some cases outsmart us humans. In any case, on BBC's the Green Room, Richard Fuller criticizes the current urban design of "compact cities" - arguing that losing urban greenspace has negative consequences. He points out that the the phenomenon of urban sprawl results in "car-dependence, a lack of exercise, and exhausting, environmentally damaging daily journies to and from scattered locations." The new hope is that future city growth will reduce urban sprawl and be better desinged to discourage cars. Few cities have been designed with environmental mandates in mind, in fact, I can only think of a single city (Curitiba in Brazil) which was built with green objectives in mind. And (at least certain articles have insinuated) Curitiba was built green because of the whims of a "benevolent" dictatorship. There is additionally quite a bit of debate over how environmental Curitiba really is - although there is no doubt it is quite a bit better than most US cities. The first link below is to the BBC article on urban wildlife, the second is to a blog on Green Economics which I just found. It has much of the New York Times article on Curitiba (as well as some commentary). Definitely worth checking out.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6754549.stm


http://greeneconomics.blogspot.com/2007/05/is-curitiba-brazil-green-city.html

Well, that's it for now. I hope people's summers are going well - the weather here has been extraordinary - this weekend was hot and dry, with a beautiful blue sky over head The plants were not too crazy about it - I had to water them nearly every 2 hours today - the dry treatment ones kept drooping their leaves sadly.