Watch a fascinating introduction of this clock by Dr. John C. Taylor of Cambridge University’s Office of External Affairs and Communications.

If you’re like me, you would like to see this clock in real-time, or to say it another way, you’d like to see it up front and in person, as in Face-to-Grasshopper.

Will ingenuity never cease!

Just about every piece of fruit you pick up has a little sticker on it, and every vegetable has a scanning label associated with it, but I never really realized the numbers on that sticker are code for the way the produce is grown. For anyone trying to eat consciously or who wants to choose between options, here’s the way to tell what you’re getting by the specifics on the Product Look-Up Number (PLU):

FOUR DIGIT NUMBERS (they all begin with 3 or 4) denote conventionally grown, non-GMO produce (that is, grown with chemical pesticides and fertilizers and not genetically modified)

FIVE DIGITS BEGINNING WITH AN 8 means the produce is GMO, genetically modified

FIVE DIGITS BEGINNING WITH A 9 means it is ORGANIC

If you want to know more about this, here’s an blog post from Marion Owen who has a free ezine called UpBeet Gardener. Another interesting related topic is country of origin labeling (COOL). Check out information on the United Fresh Produce Association site.

“Sunlight has the greatest potential of any power source to solve the world’s energy problems,” said MIT’s David Nocera. “In one hour, enough sunlight strikes the Earth to provide the entire plant’s energy needs for one year.”

“This is a major discovery with enormous implications for the future prosperity of humankind,” says James Barber, a leader in the study of photosynthesis, who was not involved in this research. He called these developments a “Giant Leap” for generating clean, carbon-free energy on a massive scale.” Read MORE AND SEE NOCERA INTERVIEW….

This morning the NYTIMES has an article called “Scientists Find Trigger for the Northern Lights” that reports on recent findings beyond what we already know: the beautiful light shows are caused by charged particles emanating from the sun interacting with the Earth’s magnetic field.

A NASA team of researchers on mission called THEMIS devoted to understanding space weather has determined that a snapping of the electrical field causes a release of electromagnetic particles that cause the dancing lights. The NYT article has a multimedia animation showing the effect called “Substorms in Space.”

UC Berkley gives a detailed report on THEMIS mission, and an interesting announcement of the satellite mission launched in 2007 can be found HERE. It’s worth going to the original news item in SCIENCE, published July 24, 2008, to read more about it.

“Shedding Light on Nighttime Brights” explains that the earth and sun are locked in an eternal magnetic dance, with particles spewed from the sun being deflected or subsumed by the earth’s magnetic sphere. The phenomenon of lights seen at polar regions starts with the collection of particles that stretch, bend, and eventually snap our magnetic field. The snapping causes the release of electromagnetic energy we see as lights. More than just a pretty show, the energy in these substorms is enough to cause disruption of our satellites and communication systems on earth. With this research, NASA hopes to find ways to more accurately predict — and then prepare for — the storms that we enjoy visually as the Northern Lights.

A friend and I were on the outskirts of Taos, New Mexico a few years ago and became curious about a strange-looking community in the distance announced by a sign that beckoned us to discover these architectural wonders as known as Earth Ships.  See what some of them look like on a Flickr photo site devoted to Earthship biotecture.

These passive solar Earth Ship houses are totally off the grid, self-sufficient, sustainable, environment and climate controlled, have their own rainwater collection system, and are attractive and utterly fascinating.  The model house we visited on a very hot summer day was actually cool inside the more than 2′ thick walls, and not only had plantlife growing and a water cistern inside, but also a wonderfully substantial cocoon-like ambience and yet, it was filled with natural light from multiple skylights and windows.  It was one of the most interesting environments I’ve ever experienced. Perhaps most impressive of all, now Earth Ships are justifiably touted to help in the fight against global warming. Check out what people who like Earth Ships are saying.

And now, Earth Ships are going global. Their inventor, architect, designer and creator Michael Reynolds, who calls himself a ‘biotect’ is now building Earth Ships all over the world. See a video of Reynolds talking about Earth Ship construction methods and giving an informative tour HERE.

And don’t miss the DVD about Michael Reynolds and his bioarchitecturally sustainable Earth Ships called “Garbage Warrior.”