The building that fried an egg on the sidewalk

This story, which I've been following on the British BBC News as well, is just too funny, especially for anyone interested in solar power and building design.

But it also will help me develop useful themes in general education classes for years to come, related to the management and institutional problems caused by hubris and ego, as well as technological, geological and ecological ignorance.

A rhetorical question for the B-school theorists among us, especially those very few still tolerant of what I sarcastically term the "Fuhrerprinzip" of hierarchical leadership:

If this hapless architect, and the cost-cutters that contributed to the ruin of his already-flawed design, had collectively crowd-sourced even a little constructive criticism from experts and well-informed lay commentators, wouldn't they have then saved a lot of time, money, and their careers?

They obviously thought consultations would waste time and money. How wrong can you get?

Natural consequences. Because the only employment this poor fellow is good for now, unless he can pull off a successful Reggie Perrin, is the design of concentrating solar power plants!

Actually, on reflection, he might make a good comedian too. His comments (mentioned at the bottom of the Grauniad article) blaming the elevation of the sun in the sky and climate change show that he really knows how to milk a good joke.


Unless, of course, he's serious.

Fritz Haber

Grading rubric for ESS first assignment

Here's your rubric. Remember -- it's your rubric! You made it.

Therefore, you ought not be dismayed when we apply it stringently to your work!

https://docs.google.com/a/unity.edu/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0An721mV8y-nydEZWSHhSU2ZzdEwxb1BlSDhBeW1pMnc&usp=sharing

Blog articles from CAT -- for college planning

http://blog.cat.org.uk/2012/07/03/we-need-more-engineers-for-the-growing-renewable-sector/

http://blog.cat.org.uk/2013/09/04/solar-wind-and-hydro-a-rebe-students-experiences-at-cat/

Alzheimers and hygiene -- for EII

Having had two parents who died of variants of Alzheimer's Disease. I can tell you from first hand experience what a horrible disease this is and how it impacts the lives of all around, especially close family members and care-givers.

This new research result is surprising, and adds weight to the claims of those of us who advocate more local and regional food systems and the greater spread of rural self-reliance. Clearly gardening, composting and food-growing in general are one way to get exposed to the dirt that is now required, if you want to reduce your chances of Alzhiemers.

It's going to be fun to watch the health nuts and the snake-oil industry scramble to provide good regular doses of all-American entrepreneurial free-market dirt to the gullible.

I'm also pleased to find out that my sister's and my own chances of contracting this disease are much less than I previously thought. This since, obviously, we otherwise have greater genetic susceptibility.

Both of us are gardeners, and raise our own vegetables.

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/sep/04/alzheimers-disease-link-hygiene

"Food Matters"...

...is the title of a new blog available at Scientific American. Who knew? You, now. Read it and weep.

Struggle

http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2012/11/struggle-means-learning-difference-in-eastern-and-western-cultures/