To commemorate this auspicious occasion, I’ve decided to share some of the links I found were both interesting and revealing. Enjoy!

• BBC’s Climate Change: BBC’s comprehensive site has a plethora of sources and links covering climate change. If you wanted an informative and descriptive take on the topic, this is a site you’d definitely have to read.

• Guardian’s Climate change section: Another awesome, educational source. Guardian’s climate change section has news, Q&As, pictures, videos and a lot of up-to-date content packed together nicely for our viewing pleasure.

• Information technologies vital to tackling climate change: A timely message from UN’s secretary general Ban Ki-moon: “ICTs are also very vital to confronting the problems we face as a planet: the threat of climate change. Indeed, ICTs are part of the solution. Already, these technologies are being used to cut emissions and help countries adapt to the effects of climate change.”

• Avoiding False Dichotomies: Chris Guillebeau dispels the perceived, false dichotomy of being either totally pro or against the environment. Chris also touches on a very important aspect that all of us trying to make a difference should be mindful of: balance is key.

Source: SorbyRock’s photostream

I’ve been struggling to get back in the writing mood since I moved to DR. I can’t seem to find a quite, nice place to do this, mainly because I haven’t actually gotten a respite. Life’s been a constant barrage of chores and work, and I’ve only been back for a little bit over 3 weeks now. I expect this situation to change soon. There are a lot of cool ideas that I’d like to explore and share with you. The pusillanimous writer in me is not making more excuses though. I’ll be right back with some cool stuff.

Oh, I’ve picked up Twitter recently. So if you want to follow my updates, feel free to do so here.

View of the Dominican Republic from an airplane during landing. I’ve seen this view many times throughout the years. It never gets old.

Source: iconise’s photostream

• The Fountainhead: I came to know about Ayn Ryand’s work after I read Mark Cuban saying that every hopeful entrepreneur should scrutinize The Fountainhead. I shared the following comments with a friend of mine upon finishing the book (slightly edited):

“The book is amazing! Ayn’s cogent ideas blew me away. At first, I thought Roark was nothing but a rebel, an antagonist, as I made clear to you in my previous remarks. Even as I found Roak’s ways charming, I still couldn’t really understand why he was so adamant, so unyielding and borderline stubborn in his views. ‘What’s up with this guy?’, I thought more often than not. But it all eventually made sense. Howard is not a second hander. Howard was, as you so adequately put it, true to himself. He wasn’t looking for recognition. He wasn’t looking for money. He just wanted to create. He aspired to create, and create, and create some more for the sheer sake of creating, as any other earnest creator in any field would naturally do. His devotion was not to other men or their approval, but to his true passion. This is one of the most important messages I’ve received from any book, fictional and non fictional alike, in a long time. I now understand why this book is a recommended reading to any aspiring entrepreneur. I’m glad I read it.”

• Sustainable Energy — without the hot air: The debunking of many misconceptions about sustainable energy ensues. From the free book’s section “Can we live on renewables?”:

“You can’t power  a TV with cat food, nor can you feed a cat from a wind turbine. Energy exists in different forms — chemical, electrical, kinetic, and heat, for example. For a sustainable energy plan to add up, we need both the forms and amounts of energy consumption and production to match up. Converting energy from one form to another — from chemical to electrical, as at a fossil-fuel power station, or from electrical to chemical, as in a factory making hydrogen from water — usually involves substantial losses of useful energy.”

• Silas Marner: I found Silas Marner at a Barnes & Noble bookstore when I was looking for a short novel to keep me busy during class breaks. George Elliot’s story was first published in 1861. The moral of this story is far from outdated though. I highly recommend it.

• When I’m dead, how will my loved ones break my password? I think this is a question many of us should entertain at least once to some extent. Doctorow’s overly sardonic tone is just a plus.

• Why do the rich keep working? Yet another interesting question. From the article:

“Some of the men craved the chance to keep proving themselves, perhaps to a doubting authority figure from their past. Others saw work as a getaway from a stale marriage. Still others said they wouldn’t know what to do with themselves if they weren’t working. More time with friends? Many of them had no close friends. Hobbies? You can only play so many rounds of golf. Travel? “They probably want to burn their passports,” says Mintz.”

• How much of live are you actually living? The existentialist element of this list that’ll undoubtedly make you go “Huh?”. Forget about the author’s metaphorical twists and rethorical gymnastics for a second. Focus on the crux of the matter. And? You’re welcome.    ;-)

There you have it. Suit yourselves. Now, if you’ll excuse me, yours truly needs to log off and focus on some heavy-duty coding. Ciao.

Oh, hai! Wana codez too?

Source: ju.ju.bees’ photostream via Flickr.

So this is how it feels to have your work recognized… Let me tell you something, it feels pretty damn good! This makes me want to do a better job at future installments. Unfortunately, I won’t be at RIT next year. As a result, there won’t be anymore opinionated articles at Reporter from yours truly. I’ll now have to find another wacky, too-smart-for-her-own-good editor at a gritty college magazine willing to cope with my patronizing and overly satirical tone. Oh, wait. I can always blog!  

You can see Reporter’s People’s Choice 2008 – 2009 here.

I’m a big fan of the Wonder wheel and Timeline options. Good stuff!