Archive for the 'NSW' Category

1000 random Sydney people vote on emissions schemes at the Powerhouse Museum

Published on December 2, 2009 in Biology, Climate, Energy, Facts and Figures, For Beginners, Fuel, Monthly Talks, NSW, News, Technology, The Future, Transport, Water, events, mathematics, modeling, modelling and science. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , .

Over the last week over 1000 Sydney people have cast their votes in the Museum’s ongoing climate change pre-election. And they categorically want serious action from the government on emissions targets.

Sydney votes on emissions targets
When offered 4 choices from continuing as we are through 5, and 15% reductions to >25% reductions 57% want the highest targets and more than 71% want the high to very high targets.

Only 29% want no to little action. People are showing that they believe this is an important issue.

Here are the comments people have been leaving behind:

Comments Sat 27 Nov

This long ago stopped being about good science.

That we have been polluting our home to death for many years. That it is a fact it is a no brainer for anyone that has gone out and looked at our world and experienced the beauty of our environment…. And at the same time experienced the dirty filth/pollution all around us. Take a look guys! For the last 30 years I’ve taken trips overseas; often on planes when you look out over the supposed to be pristine environment and all you see is dark clouds of filth sitting (and extending for large amounts of space – miles and miles to the horizon actually…. Sitting there. How long do you think our “??” can survive us!! Duh… Tuly R.

If we are really serious about climate change and threats are real, then governments should prohibit all private travel – all travel should be by public transport. If we are serious then no one should exchange/renew/update their TVs/mobiles/computers etc. Only really, absolutely necessary air travel – all meetings/conferences by video conferencing – have if these overseas junkets!!
Get serious!!

Untill the shore based oil refineries sink into the sea destroying the oil industries political hold on the world – move to higher ground

I could cange the world and to do nothing

Climate change – the biggest scam since the Millenium Bug.
You are all suckers!
- I so Agree with you!!

GLOBAL WARMING ALARMISM IS BAD POLITICS SUPPORTED BY BAD SCIENCE.
RELEASE THE DATA WITHOUT MANIPULATING IT!!
IPCC SHOULD BE ASHAMED!

1. SOLAR PANELS ON EVERY ROOF AND A WATER TANK IN EVERY BASEMENT… SIMPLE!!

• Should the temperature at the surface of the Sun drop 1 degree C, the Earth will be plunged into an Ice age. Do you know what the Sun’s surface temperature is?

2. ME
I think it’s a lot of fuss about nothing the world has continued and will continue; the records of mankind are miniscule in time and we cannot know but I think it is all natural events and should be left as is.

ETS etc is just another tax scheme to raise money for govts to wate on hair-brained schemes

1. If we are going to a place which is in a short distance from where we are, then try to walk not to drive
2. Try not to turn on the heater or cooler while we can stand the cold and heat.
3. Be green always, reduce our temptation to things. Recycle all things that are recyclable.
4. Not to use to much of disposable dishes, cups and plates. Say NO to plastic bags

Comments Sun 29 Nov

We’re being dreadfully
HOODWINKED!
It’s the millennium bug all over
MAKES ME
ASHAMED to think we can all be fed so much rubbish.
People have been needlessly
FRIGHTENED.

No major change in history has occurred without social upheaval For once – can’t we agree and recognise the need for change and plan and act to minimise the negative impacts. Stop thinking of yourselves alone – think of all!
Mark

Reduce population all over the world so 3rd world emissions/capita can grow to western levels.
Adrian

Put plastic over it.
Save the footure.

There’s no point in “saving the planet” unless people know what they should do with it.
If climate change is real, why not use our air conditioners to cool the planet?

Comments Mon 30 Nov

I will wash my clothes less
Wash my body less.
Flush the toilet less
Eat less.
Sleep more.
Talk more.
Laugh more.

PS someone else can use bottom of this paper
- Ping

Eat more cow
Cow = 4 stomaches = Maximum Methane = Die :I

Stop the bruning of rain forests etc – AMAZON!
BORNEO/INDONESIA
ETC
We all breath out CO2 –
Trees convert CO2

Just fix it And don’t argue
- Love Perth CVC!
[signed with ten names]

You should stop using paper for an exhibit on climate change!

Comments Tue 1 Dec

All we can do to help the environment. We should be good tennets to the Earth as it is the only place we can inhabit. There is no where else. We have not looked after the Earth that well causing things to go extinct and pollution that is bad for our health.

At least Rudd is trying to listen and act. The liberals are a train wreck. Vote for Tim Flannery!!

Have your say – leave us a comment or visit the museum until Dec 7th

Sydney continues to vote for serious emissions reductions!

Published on November 27, 2009 in Climate, Energy, NSW, News, Recorded Talks and Podcasts, Reviews, Technology, The Future, Transport, Water, events, modeling, modelling and science. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , .

Our climate emissions targets vote continues – here are results to Thursday November 26th.
(286 total votes)

The daily track:
carbon emissions votes 22-26 nov small

The running total:
carbon emissions total votes 22-26 nov small

What do you think? see the options here

Thursdays comments:

We should do something Quick!

If the Governments of the world dont put effective means in place to get back to 350ppm CO2 at Copenhagen – then popularist/peoples governments should take over. Remember govts only rule by the consent of the people!!!!

We should do whatever will be the best for our environment!!

Climate change is not good

Darwin in museums

Published on March 20, 2009 in Biology, History, NSW, News and Reviews. 0 Comments

Last chance to see Darwin at the NMA, Canberra

Darwin’s original notebooks used on the Beagle and a reconstruction of his study share the stage with living plants and animals in the Darwin exhibition at the National Museum of Australia, Canberra. The exhibition, which is organised by the American Museum of Natural History, New York, will be closing on Sunday 29 March.

The accompanying NMA exhibition, Darwin and Australia, showing Darwin’s experiences and encounters during his visit to Australia, closes on the same day.

Maritime exhibition on Darwin at sea opens in Sydney

Join Charles Darwin aboard the Beagle in Charles Darwin – voyages and ideas that shook the world, at the Australian National Maritime Museum, Sydney, opening Friday 20 March. See how Darwin lived aboard the Beagle and examine some of the specimens he collected on the voyage which set him on the path to his theory of evolution.

Coinciding with the opening of the exhibition, a symposium In the wake of the Beagle: Science in the Southern Oceans from the Age of Darwin is being held at the National Maritime Museum on 20-21 March. Internationally acclaimed speakers will explore the work of Darwin and his contemporaries, Joseph Hooker, Thomas Huxley and Alfred Wallace, and their influence on current scientific research.

And also at the ANMM, Happy Birthday Mr Darwin on Thursday 26 March. What were the contributions of artist Conrad Martens, who spent a year on the Beagle, and Joseph Hooker, who classified Darwin’s Galapagos plants and became his greatest friend.

So who wants to live forever?

Published on December 19, 2008 in Biology, Health, NSW, News and The Future. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .

Prof. David Handelsman, Director, ANZAC Research Institute
http://www.anzac.edu.au asks

What is the SECRET OF HEALTHY AGING IN MEN?

A research team at the Andrology Department of Concord Hospital’s ANZAC Research Institute is interested in this question and collaborates with the Prince Henrys Institute of Medical Research in Melbourne to evaluate the testosterone levels of healthy Australian men over 40 years of age.

Thanks to improved health Australia will see men over the age of 65 nearly triple from the present 1.4 million to an estimated 3.6 million in 2051. As a result a key National Research Priority is to promote healthy, enjoyable and productive independent living for older men for as long as possible.

One widely discussed possibility to improve the health of older men could be testosterone treatment. Testosterone is the major male sex hormone and it decreases gradually with age. Restoring levels to those of young men might reverse some physical ailments of older men. However, it is not yet clear if and when such treatment is needed or whether it is beneficial. That probably depends on how well maintained or low a man’s own blood testosterone levels are.

A crucial first step in deciding whether testosterone treatment for middle aged and older men might be useful is to establish reliable normal ranges for blood testosterone levels of healthy men as they get older. This would help work out which men might benefit from treatment and who do not need treatment. Though it is already known from other studies in Australia and overseas that testosterone levels do decline slowly with age, previous studies had methods that were not sufficiently reliable to provide a proper guide for such treatment for Australian men.

For this purpose the research team is evaluating the health of 200 men at 5 short visits over a period of three months. No drug treatments are administered, but extensive blood testing will be performed.
This study is supported by the MBF Foundation.

If you are interested in being a part of this study that may be changing the way aging is treated in the 21st century you can be a part of this study.

OR if you know a man over 40 who feels very well, he might be an ideal candidate for the “HEALTHY MAN STUDY”!

Interested men please call the Andrology department on: (02) 9767 7222 or e-mail to: healthyman@anzac.edu.au

Sydney commuter race

Published on August 1, 2008 in NSW, News and Transport. 4 Comments

Home bound - image source - http://www.flickr.com/photos/suburbanbloke/404514102/

Sydney’s public transport has been put to the test as six commuters raced into the city using different modes of transport. Train, bus, car, scooter, bike and foot competed for the perhaps unenviable prize, arriving at work on time.

The course started in Ryde on Sydney’s North shore, competitors arrived later in the heart of the city at Parliament House a distance of 15.5km according to the organisers of the race. The interesting bit, was how much later. The results;

  1. Scooter – 25 min
  2. Bicycle – 32 min
  3. Car – 37 min
  4. Bus – 1hr 12 min
  5. Train – 1 hr 14 min
  6. Foot – 1 hr 20 min

Embarrassingly, public transport only managed to beat a commuter who jogged into the city! The race was run by the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper, their story and photojournal of the race can be found here.

Thankfully the two, two-wheelers which came in at the top represent fuel efficient, and apparently time-efficient modes of transport.

Do you think this one of race gives an accurate depicition of the transport / congestion problems in the city?

Share your stories and transit times.

Rice grower goes against the grain

Published on July 30, 2008 in NSW and Water. 0 Comments
Rice Crop - Image Source - http://www.flickr.com/photos/khedara/1336696010/

Rice Crop - image source - http://www.flickr.com/photos/khedara/1336696010/

If you believe what you hear in the news, NSW rice farmers are queuing up to make the move up north. The reason? To grow rice on the state’s North Coast which enjoys natural rainfall… who’d have thunk it?

The excitement was prompted by a single farmer’s successful entry into the rice growing world. Gary Woolley, now the region’s only rice grower has demonstrated the potential for a rice crop in the area.

Mr Woolley’s impressive yields are the envy of irrigation-dependent rice growers from the state’s south and for many, have prompted exit plans from the parched Riverina area. It seems that irrigation’s promise of increased yields has lost it’s allure, especially as many irrigators received no water allocation this season.

Such a northward move may provide a sustainable rice industry, given the bleak outlook for the Murray Darling system. An ‘out’ for irrigators will free up water allocations, but to what end? Hard decisions still need to be made to ensure a sustainable future for the region.

Read more here

Peak Oil and Preparing for $8 petrol

Published on July 11, 2008 in Energy, Fuel, NSW, News, Technology and The Future. 1 Comment

image courtesy of CSIRO

The CSIRO Future Fuels Forum has released a report on surviving the increasing costs of transport energy.

The Fuel for thought is about the ways Australia (and Australians) can respond to the increasing cost of fuel, both in the short term but more importantly into the longer term future. Australia is very dependent on oil to fuel our transport – both personal and economic. It is this dependence on road transport that in the immediate future will see costs of nearly everything from fresh food to toothbrushes climb higher and higher.

Director of CSIRO’s Energy Transformed Flagship, Dr John Wright, said Australia’s transport fuel mix will substantially change in response to issues such as climate change and oil prices.

“Securing access to affordable and sustainable fuel underpins Australia’s economy and way of life and as a nation with relatively high vehicle use, we are vulnerable to the economic, environmental and social impacts of rising oil prices and rising temperatures,” he said

You have probably seen that there are predictions that petrol will reach $8 per litre in the foreseeable future, meaning the average family would be spending $220 a week on petrol. I couldn’t afford that so I know I would need to be making lifestyle choices.

Here are some ideas from the report;

Australia’s fuel mix will shift in the near term to include the expanded use of;
diesel,
gaseous fuels such as LPG and
hybrid electric vehicles,
with even greater diversity beyond 2020 that might include;
hydrogen,
synthetic fuels from coal or gas and
advanced biofuels that will not impact food production.

Holden barina
Yesterday i filled our little Barina – costing nearly $70, now that is crazy. So what am I doing about it. Well I rarely drive much – fortunately I live and work close to the train line, and am happy to walk where possible. For those other times I have a scooter which is an exceedingly efficient mode of personal transport. And the car – well we do our best to use it as little as possible – but these are all things done before fuel prices went up because as this report says the other petrol problem is carbon emissions.

Perhaps the most telling part of this report is the single statement;

Results such as this could be seen as a catalyst for early action on the development and roll-out of alternative fuel options, low emission vehicle technologies and infrastructure that supports sustainable transport.

So much of our future fuel resilience will come from clever infra-structure projects that allow everybody to access efficient, reliable, safe, convenient mass transport.

How round are your marbles

Published on July 1, 2008 in History, NSW, News, Technology, The Future and Uncategorised. 0 Comments

This is the roundest object in the world;
The roundest object in the world

Made by The Australian Centre for Precision Optics (part of CSIRO) The balls are designed to assist scientists around the world to create the next, most accurate, standard of a kilogram.

For the first 100 or so years the kilogram was held in a French laboratory and was a 1 kilogram lump that all other masses (at least in France) were compared to, to determine their mass (in kilograms).

This was the early days of metric – kilogram and metre, and eventually the emergence of an international standard of measures for science, the SI system. In the last 100 years all of the standards of measurement as described by the SI system have been changed from a basis on an artefact to a measurable description – all except for the kilogram – which is still defined by a standard kilogram kept in a vault in France.

Prototype kilogramThe prototype Kilogram in Paris at the BPIM.

Anyway back to our super round balls. The aim is to use these balls of pure silicon to calculate how many atoms of silicon in one kilogram and so create a new way of standardising this very important unit of measurement.

If you are interested in a career in science you could think about that of optical engineer Achim Leistner who was brought out of retirement to create these masterpieces of modern technology – with 300 year old techniques.

So how round are they – well if they were the size of the earth the deepest ocean would be 6-7 millimetres deep and the highest mountain about 6-7mm tall so they are incredibly smooth, while the radius in any direction would only be out by a few metres.

You can read more about the project at;
New scientist
Australian Centre for Precision Optics – Avogadro project

More about measurement and units at;
Bureau international det poids et mesures
Australian National Measurement Institute

How much danger are you in from climate change

Published on April 30, 2008 in Climate, NSW, News and The Future. 0 Comments

Yesterday the CSIRO released a map of likely climate impact zones around Sydney. The map highlights areas where climate impact will be greatest due to either the actions of changing climate or the inability for government to make changes rapidly enough, or of course both.

CSIRO vulnerability map

The vulnerability assessment was released by CSIRO and the Sydney Coastal Councils Group (SCCG) to assist local government in susceptable areas to understand the threat of climate change and to develop measures to reduce those impacts within their areas.

“The consequences of climate change in Sydney’s coastal region will be driven as much by socio-economic factors and decision making as by climate hazards such as heat waves and storm surges,” says research leader Dr Benjamin Preston, from the CSIRO Climate Adaptation National Research Flagship.

This is one part of the project with the final part, a consultative process to engage local government in looking at the processes which might prevent effective management of the threat. This analysis will study institutional issues affecting adaptation – decision making processes, planning schemes, community aspirations and infrastructure demands – to help councils adapt to climate change through future management decisions.

“This vulnerability assessment is an essential first stage in a journey to better understand the potential impacts of climate change on the region, and move towards more effective and adaptive management,” says SCCG executive officer Geoff Withycombe.

SKA looks a little brighter

Published on March 12, 2008 in NSW, News, Reviews, Technology and The Future. 0 Comments

ska-aus-localboolardy_img1951_crpdsml.jpg

The square kilometre array (SKA) is a $2 billion international radio-astronomy project to create the largest radio-telescope in the world. In simple terms the SKA project will compose hundreds of small radio antennas centred on the desert in northern Western Australia and stretching across the Australian mainland to New Zealand.

Well that is if Australia wins the bidding to host this international behemoth of science. Currently it is a race between us and South Africa. The bidding process has been going on for three years. The original 4 competitors are down to just 2 now and the final decision is not due in 2012. This is truly a 21st century undertaking.

The technology to undertake the task doesn’t exist anywhere in the world YET, but a recent announcement by the CSIRO and Germany’s Max-Planck-Gesellschaft to cooperate in the research brings it all a little closer.

Technologies like;

The telescope’s computing and communications systems will need to cope with very high data transport rates. In the inner array the data will be transported to a central processor at the rate of 80 Gigabytes per second per antenna, while long haul links servicing the outer and remote array-stations may need a capacity of 2 Terabytes per second per station. This is more than the current total internet traffic in Europe!

The German – Australian partnership adds weight to the Australian bid to host the SKA. The rewards to Australia would be enormous; in the short term building the infrastructure would create many jobs. The development of expertise in the local economy to deliver this truly next generation device would place Australia at the fore-front of the world in communication and information technology.

In the long term SKA would become another way Australia utilises our vast resource of space for more than just mining, the expertise for this project would be an exportable commodity.

For NSW, host to the Australia Telescope National Facility (ATNF), the CSIRO organisation managing Australia’s bid, this would mean development of whole areas of technological expertise and access to the many brilliant minds that will come to work here throughout the life of this exciting project.

For more information
CSIRO ATNF
Aus SKA
“>SKA international

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