As it it begins to cool down, again, this week its the perfect weather for curling up with a good book, or white paper, or two. Here are a few recent publications to get lost in:

“Perspectives on Energy Policy” from Sandia National Labs is an overview of what we should do as a nation to overcome the fact that we’ve not been doing much of anything.

Spending three days in a meditation retreat center in western Massachusetts for labor day weekend reminded me how complex and busy my life has become in the hustle and bustle of Boston.  It is easy being green out in the woods, where you are not tempted by the daily conveniences of fancy coffees, take out foods, and the countless other goodies to consume at ones whim.  On a number of occasions I have lived in the countryside practicing permaculture and other eco-techniques like raising chickens, vermiculture, and biking as my sole mode of transportation.  While these options are available here in Boston, finding the time to fully practice being green is an incredible challenge.

Collin Beavan, also known as No Impact Man, decided to try living impact free for… [view entry]

Amazon has just released the new version of their book reading device, the Kindle 2. The new hard drive (2GB) holds 1500 books and features a new “Read to Me” feature which allows the…. user to hit a button and let the Kindle read for you. In other words it’s a book that comes with it’s own ‘Books on Tape’ mode. All improvements over the first Kindle, which was essentially a high resolution black & white screen with a hard drive attached.

Many media pundits are using this launch to dust the cobwebs off their Books Will Soon Be Extinct storyline. Many of these people have also speculated that if Amazon can’t make the leap to digitally delivered products, their future looks awfully shaky. An ironic twist given  many of… [view entry]