How elephants could solve the biofuel problem - Green Living, Environment. A biochemical cocktail based on enzymes and micro-organisms found in elephant faeces and in rotting vegetable matter has the potential to revolutionise biofuel production by making it possible to mass-produce eco-friendly gasoline for the first time without relying on food crops, say the scientists.
A Dutch technology giant, DSM, has signed deals to introduce its new fermenting technique in test plants across Europe and the US, meaning ethanol, which currently makes up 4 per cent of all petrol in Britain, derived from crop waste and wood chips, could be available at the pump by 2015. Research shows the new technology, along with other second generation or "2G" biofuels, could produce up to 90 billion litres of bio-ethanol in Europe by 2020 and displace more than 60 per cent of conventional petrol use as well as reducing reliance on crops such as maize, which has been blamed for fuelling the global food crisis.
Ifttt tool for data journalism. Tool of the week: ifttt, shorthand for “if this then that”.
What is it? This tool is still in private beta but it is worth applying for an invitation and waiting to see when it goes public as it promises interesting possibilities for journalists. The best way to understand it is to read this description of ifttt, which explains that the tool works on the premise of “if this then that” or “when something happens (this) then do something else (that)”.
The ifttt site explains it clearly: Here is an example of a task that tweets every new bookmark from my Delicious account tagged “tweet”: The ifttt blog offers further explanation: ifttt isn’t a programming language or app building tool, but rather a much simpler solution. A quick look at ifttt on Twitter will give you a sense of what is happening in the development of the tool.
How is it of use to journalists? Similar posts: L'à-Côté de l'Actu (30 Août) Le US Open met en garde contre Twitter. Le tournoi de Tennis US Open a démarré ce lundi à New York au lendemain des restes de l’ouragan Irène, transformé en tempête tropicale.
Mais même si le vent ne souffle plus sur les courts, il subsiste quand même une légère brise, celle de la méfiance envers les réseaux sociaux. Et particulièrement envers Twitter comme en témoigne l’avertissement suivant, pris en photo dans le vestiaire des joueurs par un journaliste de CNBC Sports. Le tournoi tient à rappeler aux joueurs que tweeter pendant un match est interdit… Ainsi que de poster des informations qui ne sont pas du domaine public. Il ne faut pas non plus utiliser de téléphone mobile, de lecteur mp3, de iPod, ou tout autre gadget électronique du genre. Bon d’accord, mais je verrais quand même mal Roger Federer appeler sa femme pendant le match, ou bien se dandiner avec son lecteur mp3 ou encore tweeter qu’il vient de faire le break. [via] Les chatons de Bouygues Telecom font le buzz sur la toile ! Un Chinois fortuné s'apprête à acquérir un bout d'Islande.