If you are in favor of renewable, clean, or solar energy, please sign this petition for FIT/CLEAN Program, accessible at http://sunisthefuture.net/?page_id=1065Thank you very much.
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Dear Friends & Readers,
To answer some of your questions regarding OLPC (One Laptop Per Child): why give a laptop/education to a child who may have no electricity or even running water?
The answer is: you don’t stop education until all other challenges are solved. It is important to educate while trying to solve all the problems because education is the foundation of all the solutions. That is why XO is designed to withstand rugged conditions, at low cost, low power (and can be charged with solar power), connected (so kids can access internet, share files with others, collaborate on projects). The XO has a screen that would allow users to read in direct sunlight (because many children using XO may be attending schools outdoors), built-in webcam for pictures and video clips, many education focused software, and many other features. Ultimately, the XO’s lead to engaged and inspired young students who want to learn, go to schools, to draw/write/do new things/solve new problems. One day, these young students may even help us to solve our problems/challenges. So, that is why those of us who believe in OLPC also believe in Give A Laptop Per Child = Change the World.
One Laptop Per Child at Kagugu Primary School at Kigali, Rwanda, Sep., 2009 (prior to XO 3.0) seen in Jan. 28, 2012 post of http://sunisthefuture.net
I would like to share this video clip below (there are actually 2 parts to it):
~have a bright and sunny day~
Gathered, written, and posted by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker
Any comments and suggestions are welcomed at sunisthefuture@gmail.com
Please also get into the habit of checking at these sites below for more on solar energy topics:
If you are in favor of renewable, clean, or solar energy, please sign this petition for FIT/CLEAN Program, accessible at http://sunisthefuture.net/?page_id=1065Thank you very much.
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Dear Friends and Readers,
This year, among many cutting-edge innovations that were seen at the CES 2012 (Consumers’ Electronics Show, in Jan. 10-13, 2012, at Los Vegas, NV), many solar products on display prove that the solar technology has gone mainstream. A solar-powered laptop was on display by Marvell Semiconductor, Inc. and One Laptop per Child (OLPC). OLPC is a non-profit organization whose mission is to help every child in the world to gain access to a modern education, using a low-cost, low-power water-proof tablet that can be charged with solar panels or hand cranks. To this end, OLPC have designed hardware, content, and software (Linux, emphasis in open source software) for collaborative, joyful, and self-empowered learning. Through these solar laptops, children from many developing nations will be able to engage in their own education, to learn, to share, and to create together. They will be connected to each other, to the world, and to a brighter tomorrow. Hurray from all of us who are in favor of education for every one throughout the planet earth, especially in this case, in the form of solar education! One hour of sunshine (XO 3.0 tablet with 4 W solar panel, 8″ tablet) will enable two hours of computer use. Below, let’s take a look at this XO 3.0 tablet at CES 2012:
~have a bright and sunny day~
written & posted by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker, sunisthefuture@gmail.com
Homepage: http://www.sunisthefuture.net
~have a bright and sunny day~
Gathered, written, and posted by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker
Any comments and suggestions are welcomed at sunisthefuture@gmail.com
Please also get into the habit of checking at these sites below for more on solar energy topics:
If you are in favor of renewable, clean, or solar energy, please sign this petition for FIT/CLEAN Program, accessible at http://sunisthefuture.net/?page_id=1065Thank you very much.
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Dear Friends & Readers,
I want to share a recent discussion by President Obama on clean energy from Buckley Air Force Base in Aurora, CO. Here, in this video clip, you will hear variety of ways of clean energy projects (of, course, Solar Energy was mentioned!) that will help to reduce US dependence on foreign oil, strengthen our national security, cleaner air for future generations, cheaper energy for businesses and families, and creation of lots of jobs in the process. Let’s look forward to his continued focus and support on boosting manufacturing jobs and training for skilled workers for clean energy future and how the US military is also taking in that effort. Below, is the video clip of President Obama’s speech, in Colorado.
In response to President Obama’s speech, I would also like to invite President Obama and all US legislators to view May 8, 2011-Aug. 4, 2011, and Nov. 11, 2011 posts at http://sunisthefuture.net in seriously considering to magnifying the impact/effectiveness of the incentive program of effective Feed-In-Tariff for our energy policy. The effective implementation of Feed-In-Tariff (FIT) for renewable/solar energy had proven to be the most effective method in creating jobs, cleaner air, energy independence, and reducing the chance of war among nations, in many nations on planet earth (but not in US, despite the fact that FIT originated in US.). So, President Obama, please ask our legislative body to re-examine and re-evaluate this incentive policy so it will be more effectively implemented. In so doing, we will all be able to take part in moving our world toward a cleaner, more energy-independent, free from wars, and better economic world.
~have a bright and sunny day~
Gathered, written, and posted by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker
Any comments and suggestions are welcomed at sunisthefuture@gmail.com
Please also get into the habit of checking at these sites below for more on solar energy topics:
If you are in favor of renewable, clean, or solar energy, please sign this petition for FIT/CLEAN Program, accessible at http://sunisthefuture.net/?page_id=1065Thank you very much.
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Dear Friends & Readers,
Remember our Jan. 1, 23 & 24, 2012 posts with regard to Kiva and Haiti Empowerment Project? I did get in touch with Dr. Terri Teal Bucci (contact person for Haiti Empowerment Project at Ohio State University) and received further response from Kiva, below:
Hello Susan,
Thanks so much for your interest and spreading the word about Kiva.
Please let Dr. Terri Teal Bucci know that I am happy to answer any questions directly about Kiva by contacting us at contactus@kiva.org.
I think the best way to answer your question is to direct you to a few links about Kiva. Please pass along these links about How Kiva Works and Kiva’s Field Partners to Dr. Terri Teal Bucci , as well.
I also encourage you to explore the Kiva site www.Kiva.org.
Please do not hesitate to reach out to us again.
Actually, these links will be helpful for any organizations (be it universities, empowerment projects of various kinds, or businesses) in having a better understanding of how Kiva works.
Let’s spread the small Green/Solar/Renewable Energy businesses throughout the planet earth like wild fire…cooperating together, we can make our world a better place !
~have a bright and sunny day, wherever and whoever you are~
written and posted by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker, sunisthefuture@gmail.com
If you are in favor of renewable, clean, or solar energy, please sign this petition for FIT/CLEAN Program, accessible at http://sunisthefuture.net/?page_id=1065Thank you very much.
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Dear Friends and Readers,
I’d like to share part of an email from Kiva, by one of its Customer Service Team members, below:
Kiva has piloted green lending with a small number of loans that have been posted on our website, and if you search, you can see that some green loans that have been funded on Kiva over the past year.
Now, we’re beginning to focus on expanding our green loan offerings. To do this, we are working on finding new Field Partners who offer green loans and we’re also working on creating incentives to encourage our current Field Partners to post more green loans. We hope to have more green loans posted that include both business and personal loans that reduce waste and pollution or deal with recycling and repurposing used materials.
In the meantime, you can check out this Field Partner in Kenya: http://www.kiva.org/partners/133 This field partner received a “innovation” social performance badge.
*I learned something new today, from the video clip below: Kiva means Unity and Agreement in Swahili
Dear Friends & Readers, please keep in mind that solar energy businesses would fall under the Green Business Attribute at Kiva because solar energy businesses would help to reduce waste and pollution. Examples such as solar cookers (please refer to Jan. 5-9, 2012 posts of sunisthefuture.net: Jan. 5, 2012 post of sunisthefuture.net ; Jan. 6, 2012 post of sunisthefuture.net; Jan. 7, 2012 post of sunisthefuture.net ; Jan. 9, 2012 post of sunisthefuture.net), solar hot water heater (April 6-7, 2011 posts of sunisthefuture.net , April 6, 2011 post of sunisthefuture.net , April 7, 2011 post of sunisthefuture.net ), and solar panels, etc. would help to reduce pollution (July 31, 2011 post of sunisthefuture.net , July 31, 2011 post of sunisthefuture.net) in developing countries. This will ultimately impact all of us, regardless which part of the planet earth you/we reside in. So, let’s wish Kiva the best in their future endeavors in finding more new Field Partners familiar with the possibilities of Green/Solar/Renewable Energy Businesses. Those of you reading this post, if you have more suggestions/comments/ideas for small solar/renewable energy businesses for developing nations and/or USA, please email me at sunisthefuture@gmail.com and I’ll be happy to share your suggestions with Kiva and various universities and project organizational groups . Let’s spread the small Green/Solar/Renewable Energy businesses throughout the planet earth like wild fire…cooperating together, we can make our world a better place!
~have a bright and sunny day~
written and posted by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker, sunisthefuture@gmail.com
Homepage: http://www.sunisthefuture.net
If you are in favor of renewable, clean, or solar energy, please sign this petition for FIT/CLEAN Program, accessible at http://sunisthefuture.net/?page_id=1065Thank you very much.
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Dear Friends & Readers,
This week, I have set out a task for myself, perhaps you can also assist me in magnifying the effect of my effort. Few days ago, I came across several articles about Ohio State University’s (OSU’s) commendable Haiti Empowerment Project.
One of the core Ohio State University’s values, according to the Academic Plan, is “making the world a better place and opening the world to our students.’ Through the experiences of the faculty participating in this project, OSU students observe and participate in the connections between culture, economics, and outreach. The result is a broadening of one’s perceptions of the various cultures of the world and an introduction of a vision of empowerment for global education in their own professional lives. Within the past four to five years, this Empowerment Project had grown both in application and vision, evolving from working with pilot schools to addressing the unique needs of Haitian business, medicine, English literature, and engineering. Below, I’d like to share with you a video clip of OSU’s Sun Solutions/Solar Energy Project under Haiti Empowerment Project.
How can I/you/we help to expand/magnify the effect of this commendable project? Firstly, my immediate thought after reading these articles and viewing video clips about this wonderful empowerment project was to contact those involved with OSU’s Haiti Empowerment Project to get in touch with the field partners of Kiva in Haiti, www.kiva.org/partners , for the collaboration between Haiti entrepreneurs-OSU-Kiva would bring forth the potential of a lasting prosperity to all. For those of you who did not read my post on Jan. 1, 2012, please go to http://sunisthefuture.net and look for Jan. 1, 2012 post under the Archives at right. Kiva Microfunds is an organization that allows people to lend money via the internet to microfinance institutions in developing countries and USA. If OSU’s empowerment project would also help to educate Haitian Kiva field partners, helping them to realize all components involved in various solar energy projects, this would help to speed up the process of local Haitian solar businesses to be established and to provide for a much more lasting economic impact for the people at Haiti. In the process, OSU will also have more business contacts with Haiti in the future. For those of you who are associated with universities/colleges other than OSU, have you thought of assisting in development of solar and/or renewable energy projects, not only in USA, but also in/for other countries near the equator? Please look over the list of Kiva field partners at www.kiva.org/partners so we can all become involved in speeding up the conversion to solar and/or renewable energy of the planet earth ASAP. If you are not sure what Kiva entails, please refer to my kiva post at http://sunisthefuture.net , http://sunisthefuture.net/?m=20120101
~Let’s all take part in making this world/planet a better place~
~have a bright and sunny day~
written and posted by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker, sunisthefuture@gmail.com
Homepage: http://www.sunisthefuture.net
(Please click on http://sunisthefuture.net/?page_id=1065 Thank you very much.
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Dear Friends and Readers,
If you have not yet read our post on Jan. 17, 2012, please do so. Today is the day of the Internet Blackout.
Google (English) blackout on Wed., Jan. 18, 2012 in protest of SOPA and PIPA
Wikipedia (English) Blackout on Wed., Jan. 18, 2012 in protest of SOPA and PIPA
This is due to the protest for the potential bad law (SOPA/PIPA) currently under discussion. Please do the research and become familiar with Senate Bill 968 and contact your legislators to convince them to vote against SOPA and PIPA. Since SOPA may potentially affect this and many other internet sites (such as Wikipedia, Reddit, WordPress, Facebook, SunIsTheFuture etc.), I would like to use today’s (Jan. 18, 2012) and yesterday’s (Jan. 17, 2012) posts to help all of us to become familiar with the topic of SOPA and PIPA and urge all of us to take action in defending our internet freedom (CONTACT YOUR LEGISLATORS!!!). Several other sites that you may also want to refer to, below
If you are in favor of renewable, clean, or solar energy, please sign this petition for FIT/CLEAN Program, accessible at http://sunisthefuture.net/?page_id=1065Thank you very much.
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Dear Friends and Readers,
Are you aware of the Senate Bill 968 (SOPA of the House/PIPA of the Senate) that may impact/jeopardize internet freedom? Since there is suppose to be internet blackout on Wed. 18, 2012, I took the liberty to post some information below to help to clarify SOPA/PIPA. You may also find additional views at consumerist.com .
Please do not sit idly by, be sure to contact your legislators and express your position on this matter.
Wikipedia is protesting against SOPA and PIPA by blacking out the English Wikipedia for 24 hours, beginning at midnight January 18, Eastern Time. Readers who come to English Wikipedia during the blackout will not be able to read the encyclopedia: instead, they will see messages intended to raise awareness about SOPA and PIPA, and encouraging them to share their views with their elected representatives, and via social media.
Why is this happening?
Nothing like this has ever happened before on the English Wikipedia. Wikipedians have chosen to black out the English Wikipedia for the first time ever, because we are concerned that SOPA and PIPA will severely inhibit people’s access to online information. This is not a problem that will solely affect people in the United States: it will affect everyone around the world.
Why? SOPA and PIPA are badly drafted legislation that won’t be effective in their main goal (to stop copyright infringement), and will cause serious damage to the free and open Internet. They put the burden on website owners to police user-contributed material and call for the unnecessary blocking of entire sites. Small sites won’t have sufficient resources to defend themselves. Big media companies may seek to cut off funding sources for their foreign competitors, even if copyright isn’t being infringed. Foreign sites will be blacklisted, which means they won’t show up in major search engines. And, SOPA and PIPA build a framework for future restrictions and suppression.
Do you care about infringement?
Yes. Wikipedians spend thousands of hours every week working tirelessly in reviewing and preventing infringing content. Their talk pages show tremendous care about protecting copyright and sophisticated study on the many nuances of what constitutes infringement as opposed to legitimate speech. Wikipedia is based on a model of free licenses. Every Wikipedian is a rights owner, licensing their work under free licenses. Infringement harms our mission; free licenses do not work with infringement. Wikipedia has a mission of sharing knowledge around the world, and that is not possible when the knowledge is tainted with infringement. So, yes, Wikipedians care deeply about protecting the rights of others and ensuring against infringement.
But this does not meean Wikipedians are willing to trample on free expression like SOPA and PIPA. The proposed legislation seeks to take down sites entirely, because courts and others simply don’t have time to worry about the nuances of copyright law and free expression. That is what is troubling. When the remedies are bludgeons, when entire sites are taken down, when everyone assumes that all content is infringing because some is, we lose something important. We lose the nuances of copyright about which our community cares, we lose our values based on protecting free speech, we lose what we represent. The Internet cannot turn into a world where free expression is ignored to accomodate overly simple solutions that gratify powerful rightowners who spend lots of money to promote the regulation of expression. There are better ways, like the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, to find the right approach to legitimate copyright enforcement without trampling on free expression. SOPA and PIPA don’t represent these values, and for that reason we ask you to oppose these bills.
Isn’t SOPA dead? Wasn’t the bill shelved, and didn’t the White House declare that it won’t sign anything that resembles the current bill?
No, neither SOPA nor PIPA are dead. On January 17th, SOPA’s sponsor said the bill will be discussed in early February. There are signs PIPA may be debated on the Senate floor next week. Moreover, SOPA and PIPA are just indicators of a much broader problem. We are already seeing big media calling us names. In many jurisdictions around the world, we’re seeing the development of legislation that prioritizes overly-broad copyright enforcement laws, laws promoted by power players, over the preservation of individual civil liberties. We want the Internet to be free and open, everywhere, for everyone.
Aren’t SOPA/PIPA as they stand not even really a threat to Wikipedia? Won’t the DNS provisions be removed?
SOPA and PIPA are still alive, and they’re still a threat to the free and open web, which means they are a threat to Wikipedia. For example, in its current form, SOPA would require U.S. sites to take on the heavy burden of actively policing third-party links for infringing content. And even with the DNS provisions removed, the bill would give the U.S. government extraordinary, ambiguous, and loosely-defined powers to take control over content and information on the free web. Taking one bad provision out doesn’t make the bills okay, and regardless, Internet experts agree they won’t even be effective in their main goal: halting copyright infringement. The Electronic Frontier Foundation has published a really great post about some of the more dangerous SOPA and PIPA provisions.
What can users outside of the U.S. do to support this effort?
Readers who don’t live in the United States can contact their local State Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, or similar branch of government. Tell them that you oppose the draft U.S. SOPA and PIPA legislation, and all similar legislation. SOPA and PIPA will have a global effect – websites outside of the U.S. would be impacted by legislation that hurts the free and open web. And, other jurisdictions are grappling with similar issues, and may choose paths similar to SOPA and PIPA.
Is it still possible to access Wikipedia in any way?
The Wikipedia community, as part of their request to the Wikimedia Foundation to carry out this protest, asked us to ensure that we make English Wikipedia accessible in some way during an emergency. The English Wikipedia will be accessible on mobile devices and smart phones. You can also view Wikipedia normally by completely disabling JavaScript in your browser, as explained on this Technical FAQ page.
I keep hearing that this is a fight between Hollywood and Silicon Valley. Is that true?
No. Some people are characterizing it that way, probably in an effort to imply all the participants are motivated by commercial self-interest. But you can know it’s not that simple, because Wikipedia has no financial self-interest here: we are not trying to monetize your eyeballs or sell you products. We are protesting to raise awareness about SOPA and PIPA solely because we think they will hurt the Internet, and your ability to access information. We are doing this for you.
In carrying out this protest, is Wikipedia abandoning neutrality?
We hope you continue to trust Wikipedia to be a neutral informational resource. We are staging this blackout because, although Wikipedia’s articles are neutral, its existence actually is not. For over a decade, Wikipedians have spent millions of hours building the largest encyclopedia in human history. Wikipedia’s existence depends on a free, open and uncensored Internet. We are shutting Wikipedia down for you, our readers. We support your right to freedom of thought and freedom of expression. We think everyone should have access to educational material on a wide range of subjects, even if they can’t pay for it. We believe people should be able to share information without impediment. We believe that new proposed laws like SOPA and PIPA (and other similar laws under discussion inside and outside the United States) don’t advance the interests of the general public. That’s why we’re doing this.
If you are in favor of renewable, clean, or solar energy, please sign this petition for FIT/CLEAN Program, accessible at http://sunisthefuture.net/?page_id=1065Thank you very much.
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Hi, Every One,
If you enjoyed our coverage of the Veolia World Solar Challenge in Australia last year during October, Oct. 31, 2011 post (http://sunisthefuture.net/?m=201110) and are interested in seeing solar car race in North America, then keep your calendar open in July of 2012 for American Solar Challenge (ASC),
previously known as Sunrayce. The American Solar Challenge and North American Solar Challenge, is a solar car race across the United States and Canada. Teams from universities and colleges of North America design, build, test, and race solar-powered vehicles on a route (from Tulsa (Broken Arrow), OK to Naperville, IL, about 1100 miles from June 20-26 of 2010
and from Dallas, TX to Calgary, Alberta, about 2500 miles from July 13-22 of 2008).
Originally called Sunrayce USA, the first race was organized and sponsored by General Motors in 1990 in an effort to promote automotive engineering and solar energy among college students. At the time, GM had just won the inaugural World Solar Challenge in Australia in 1987; rather than continue actively racing, it instead opted to sponsor collegiate events.
American Solar Challenge started at Austin, TX in 2005
the U.S. Department of Energy discontinued its sponsorship, resulting in no scheduled race for 2007. The race is now sponsored byToyota. The 1990 and 1993 races had a south-north orientation, intended to roughly match the Darwin-to-Adelaide, Australia, route of the World Solar Challenge. In 1995, race organizers opted for a mostly east-west route from Indianapolis to Colorado. In 2005, the ASC adopted its current route that follows a south-to-north orientation across the United States, then turns to the west upon reaching Canada.
Below are rules obtained from the Wikipedia. I will keep you posted if there should be any rules changes for this year.
Rules
Race consists of a series of timed stages between predetermined locations; all teams begin and end each stage in the same location
The team with the lowest overall elapsed time wins
The total area of all solar cells and related reflectors, etc. must not exceed 6 square meters
When the vehicle has stopped, the solar array may be reoriented toward the sun for charging batteries
Strict specifications and engineering scrutiny process is provided for vehicle configuration, safety requirements, and other standards
Teams in the race are divided into two categories; open and stock
Open class — Solar cells over $10 USD per watt (higher efficiency)
Stock class — From a pre-approved list of cells that are under $10 per watt
(Previous races also specified different battery technologies for the classes)
This year, 2012, the American Solar Challenge will take place between July 14-21, 2012, from Rochester, NY to St. Paul, MN, with the scrutineering process taking place between July 6-9, 2012, at the Monticelle Motor Club in Monticello, NY and the Formula Sun Grand Prix taking place between July 10-12, 2012, at Monticello Club in Monticello, NY http://americansolarchallenge.org/category/schedule/asc2012-schedule/
written and posted by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker, sunisthefuture.net
If you are in favor of renewable, clean, or solar energy, please sign this petition for FIT/CLEAN Program, accessible at http://sunisthefuture.net/?page_id=1065Thank you very much.
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Greetings, my friends and readers,
Let’s not waste such plentiful and beautiful sunshine and surface area at FLORIDA ! Let’s ask for effective Feed-In-Tariff (more on effective Feed-In-Tariff may be found from May 8-Aug. 4, 2011 and Nov. 11, 2011 posts of http://sunisthefuture.net ).
In my recent visit to Legoland Florida, I had a pleasant find, quite unexpectedly, that took my breath away….so, without any of my words, I would like to share with you what I’ve seen, such marvelous work of Solar Energy/Nature! You be the judge….
photographed and posted by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker, sunisthefuture@gmail.com
