Signs From Earth

Pondering the Future

2013-02-19T11:55:14-05:00

I'm pondering what to do with this Typepad "Signs From Earth" blog and my Posterous Signs From Earth Notes blog. Posterous will be shutting down April 30, according to its new master, Twitter. http://ddimick.posterous.com As you can see, this outpost has been on hiatus. Only so much bandwidth. Besides, Google...

Film: Stewart Brand, The Whole Earth Man

2012-04-09T11:24:50-04:00

I was recently interviewed by Miro Furtado, a young man who is very interested in environmental issues. A few bits of the interview were included in a new film he produced on a great hero of mine, Stewart Brand....This is a very interesting 10 minute film... Posted via email from...

To Stay Updated...

2012-03-19T15:49:19-04:00

For updates on what I'm doing these days please go here: https://twitter.com/#!/ddimick Posted via email from Signs From Earth Notes

Food Security: Five Steps to Feed the Planet (via @globalecoguy @UMNIonE)

2011-10-12T15:59:38-04:00

Jonathan Foley (@globalecoguy) describes "The Other Inconvenient Truth: How Agriculture is Changing the Face of Our Planet" in a TEDx talk earlier this year. A new analysis paper called "Solutions for a Cultivated Planet" has been published at Nature.com from Jonathan Foley and colleagues at the University of Minnesota's Institute...

2nd Lowest: Arctic Sea Ice Nears Minimum for 2011 (via @NSIDC_ArcticIce)

2011-10-04T16:08:05-04:00

http://nsidc.org/arcticseaicenews/ Posted via email from Signs From Earth Notes

Whole Earth and Hurricane Irene Aug. 26 (via @NASA_Goddard_pix @flickr)

2011-08-26T16:37:31-04:00

NASA Goddard: "NASA / NOAA GOES-13 satellite image showing earth on August 26, 2011 at 14:45 UTC (10:45 a.m. EDT). Hurricane Irene can been seen on the U.S. East Coast. "Irene Almost 1/3 the Size of East Coast. Irene has become a major hurricane, and NASA satellite data shows its...

Earthquake Damage in Arlington, Virginia

2011-08-23T19:16:29-04:00

Initial surveys indicate the displaced books likely can be salvaged. http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsus/Maps/US10/32.42.-85.-75.php Posted via email from Signs From Earth Notes

Map: Projected Course of Hurricane Irene - 5 am Aug. 23 (via @NHC_Atlantic)

2011-08-23T06:08:45-04:00

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/graphics_at4.shtml?5-daynl#contents Posted via email from Signs From Earth Notes

Study: Rising temps force species to cooler climes (via @sciencemagazine @sciencenow)

2011-08-22T10:25:12-04:00

The comma butterfly is among species whose range has changed. Photo from Creative Commons by Johnson Camerface/flickr A study appearing in the Friday August 19 issue of the journal SCIENCE indicates that rising temperatures globally are forcing plants and animals to move away from the heat towards cooler temperatures at...

July: 317th straight month of above normal temps (via @usnoaagov @climatecentral @nsidc)

2011-08-22T10:24:15-04:00

Large portions of North America, northern Africa, eastern Europe and Asia were warmer (red dots) than a normal July last month. Details here... http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/global/2011/7 ...and below from NOAA's National Climatic Data Center with analysis further below from Andrew Freedman at Climate Central: NOAA: Global temperatures were seventh warmest on record...

Must See Online Journalism: "Coal: A Love Story" (via @news21 @PoweringaNation)

2011-08-04T09:14:04-04:00

http://www.poweringanation.org/coal/# An amazing effort by young journalists. Check it out. http://news21.com/about/ http://unc.news21.com/ Posted via email from Signs From Earth Notes

Population: A special issue of @sciencemagazine #7billion

2011-07-31T08:13:49-04:00

Milan, Italy at night. Photo from Creative Commons by NASA/flickr http://www.sciencemag.org/site/special/population/ also see: 7 Billion a 2011 year-long series in National Geographic http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/7-billion also see: Population Reference Bureau: 2011 Population Data Sheet http://www.prb.org/ Posted via email from Signs From Earth Notes

Mashup: Map #twitter and #flickr together (via @flowingdata @enf) #geotag

2011-07-12T08:20:01-04:00

The United States from Eric Fisher's "See something or say something" map collection. Eric Fischer (@enf) has mapped geotagged tweets and flickr pictures in a new collection called "See something or say something." He has posted the maps to, where else, his flickr page. Fischer's previous projects include "The Geotaggers'...

Still Alive

2011-06-27T14:56:31-04:00

People Planet: Cairo, Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea at night from the International Space Station. Photo from NASA via flickr The dozen or so of you who have followed this thing, whatever it may be called, haven't seen much from me lately. This mostly because too much else has been...

Even Before Mississippi River Flooding Is Done, Its Toll Mounts (via @nytimes)

2011-05-18T07:06:14-04:00

Medical center in Vidalia, LA surrounded by flood water, May 16. Photo from Creative Commons by US Army Corps of Engineers/flickr http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/18/us/18river.html "...From Tennessee to Louisiana, the arteries and tributaries that normally supply the lifeblood of trade and business to the communities along the river's banks are now paralyzing them....

Dead Pool: Central China Hit by Drought, as Reservoirs Become ‘Dead Water’ (via @nytimes)

2011-05-17T13:17:45-04:00

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/17/world/asia/17drought.html Posted via email from Signs From Earth Notes

Joel Salatin: "Eco-Campus - Thinking Beyond Green to Truly Sustainable" (via @acresusa)

2011-05-16T07:19:49-04:00

http://www.acresusa.com/toolbox/reprints/june11_salatin.pdf From June issue of Acres USA, Joel Salatin on converting campuses to oases of agricultural productivity. Acres USA http://www.acresusa.com/magazines/magazine.htm Posted via email from Signs From Earth Notes

National Jukebox: Historical Recordings from @librarycongress

2011-05-16T06:38:26-04:00

http://www.loc.gov/jukebox/ Posted via email from Signs From Earth Notes

Hydropower’s Resurgence and the Controversy Around It (via @nytimes)

2011-05-16T06:32:07-04:00

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/16/business/global/16iht-green16.html?src=rechp Posted via email from Signs From Earth Notes

Warming Arctic opens way to competition for resources (via @washingtonpost)

2011-05-16T06:31:58-04:00

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/environment/warming-arctic-opens-way-to-competition-for-resources/2011/05/15/AF2W2Q4G_story.html?hpid=z4 Posted via email from Signs From Earth Notes

Living on Earth Radio's Brand New Website (via @livingonearth)

2011-05-15T08:03:01-04:00

Partial screenshot from new home page of Living on Earth's new website. (May 15, 2011.) http://www.loe.org/ PRI's Living on Earth Radio, which sadly does not air on any radio station in my town, has just launched a brand new version of their website, and apparently has christened a new handle...

World's Farmers Feel The Effects Of A Hotter Planet (via @NPR)

2011-05-07T08:25:11-04:00

http://www.npr.org/2011/05/07/135952277/worlds-farmers-feel-the-effects-of-a-hotter-planet Richard Harris NPR, May 7: "Scientists have long predicted that -- eventually -- temperatures and altered rainfall caused by global climate change will take a toll on four of the most important crops in the world: rice, wheat soy and corn. "Now, as world grain prices hover near record...

Hindered Harvest: Changing Climate Causes Crop Loss (via @sciencemagazine)

2011-05-06T16:10:24-04:00

Corn, Spain 2008. A study indicates that global corn harvests have declined as a result of rising temperatures. Photo from Creative Commons by SantiMB/flickr Science Magazine: Climate Trends and Global Crop Production Since 1980http://www.sciencemag.org/content/early/2011/05/04/science.1204531 Global corn and wheat yields have dropped over the past 30 years because of rising temperatures...

Mississippi Flood: Along The Mississippi, Slow-Moving Disaster Unfolds (via @NPR & @NASA_EO)

2011-05-05T14:24:14-04:00

Satellite image May 3, 2011 of Mississippi River below Cairo, Illinois after levee breaches. Photo from NASA Earth Observatory (link below) http://www.npr.org/2011/05/05/136009623/slow-moving-disaster-along-mighty-mississippi&sc=nl&cc=nh-20110505 NPR News May 5, 2011: "...The exodus in the Mississippi River Valley crept southward as floodwaters continued to wreak havoc Thursday, forcing thousands from their homes amid some...

Energy Markets Partly Blinded by EIA Budget Cuts (via @sejorg)

2011-05-05T07:08:50-04:00

Top Oil Producing Countries 1973-2009. From US DOE EIA, link below http://www.sej.org/publications/watchdog-tipsheet/energy-markets-partly-blinded-eia-budget-cuts SEJ Watchdog, May 4: "...In response to deep cuts in its budget, EIA announced that it would not be able to compile and publish products like its ongoing estimates of US oil reserves. In fact, EIA will not...