What I've been reading lately

Just an archival catch-up of recent The Beach House Weekly—my Paper.li auto summaries—of an interesting few weeks in science, space and Australian politics.

From rockets to meteorites, Roxon to Rudd, novas to Nobels, planet hunters to metric hunters.

25 March 2013
18 March 2013
11 March 2013
4 March 2013
25 February 2013
18 February 2013
11 February 2013
4 February 2013
28 January 2013
21 January 2013
14 January 2013
7 January 2013
31 December 2012
24 December 2012
17 December 2012
10 December 2012

Intriguing to look back through actually. Something in there for everyone.

Can a solution for Canberra's Bunda Street Shared Zone be salvaged from these proposals? My submission.

The ACT Government is planning to redevelop a key roadway in the Canberra CBD called Bunda Street. At present this corridor is heavily choked during weekdays, with numerous pedestrian crossing points, almost continuous streams of pedestrians moving between major destinations, and car drivers who simply can't get it into their skulls that this is a really dumb place to try to drive through at lunch time...

It's not clear from the documentation on the Community Consultation website, and the terms of reference for the design competition are not given, but the public announcements made by the Government at the launch time indicated that a Shared Zone solution was desired.

Following is my submission. I've also taken the opportunity to pass on my thoughts about the design of the rest of the Civic Cycle Loop that is currently under construction (has been for many months, dragging on endlessly...).

You can also comment on the proposals—by 5pm Monday 4 March 2013.


GTA consultants: The Bunda Street shareway.

The GTA concept is the most faithful implementation of the Shared Zone concept. However, it fails to incorporate footpath and roadway blended seamlessly, with traditional kerbing removed. Only through such treatment will car drivers realise they do not have right of way and treat it as a traditional roadway. The proposal to raise the "roadway" to the footpath height will present flooding risks. The solution is to instead remove the kerbs and blend the entire corridor from facade to facade into one unbroken line, with central drainage.

This new paving treatment should go from building to building and not stop at the lot line as is happening around Moore Street, leaving jumbled paving treatments. Implement a benefited area levy to cover additional costs if necessary, with agreement of building owners.

The idea of actually placing tables and chairs in the choke points is silly and dangerous and fails to recognise that there will still be cars and cyclists on this corridor.

The stick-on stencilling could be subject to early failure and expensive maintenance.

The concrete embossing is interesting but it is likely the indents will hold dirt etc as well as presenting a significant trip hazard for people in heels. Overall, this treatment may be overpowering over such a large area.

There remains a risk that cyclists and pedestrians will not respect or notice each other enough, with incidents highly likely. A segregated bikeway would resolve this.

Spackman Mossop and Michaels: The separated cycleway.

My readings over the last month or so...

Another catch-up of my readings via various sites and social media forums, for anyone interested (but mainly just for my own record), through the Paper.li automatic magazine tool.

There's something in here for everyone...

Week to 26 November
Week to 19 November
Week to 12 November
Week to 5 November
Week to 29 October
Week to 22 October
Week to 15 October

Cyberbully pot-kettle, Greens launches, telescopes, more. The week that was.

Alan Jones learns what it's like on the receiving end; the ACT Greens campaign powers towards 20 October; the first stage of the Square Kilometre Array is turned on; a Nobel laureate yanks the rug out from under Newspoll; iPad Mini confirmed; and much more.

The week that was - my readings and posts.

ACT Greens launch plan to deliver light rail for Canberra

Regular readers would know that I believe that Canberra's transport woes (and resulting budget woes) can be helped in large part by embracing a combined light rail/bus public transport solution. So I'm very happy to be a part of the launch of this policy today by the ACT Greens.

We are sick of old party promises made just before each election. The ALP commissioned and received a cost-benefit analysis by PriceWaterhouseCoopers that showed that the ACT would be in front by more than a billion dollars if it built a light rail network. To my mind that says to not go ahead is to actually be fiscally irresponsible with the ACT Budget. But the ALP just put the report on the shelf.

It's time Canberra got the transport solution it deserves and needs.

Here's today's official media release:

The ACT Greens have launched a key election initiative that would see a light rail public transport system built in Canberra, with the first tracks laid in 2015. Greens Transport spokesperson, Amanda Bresnan MLA, launched the plan which will see the first funding commitment to light rail in Canberra. “Canberra is ready for light rail. It’s achievable, a sound investment, and the best available option for the long term liveability and sustainability of Canberra,” said Ms Bresnan. “After more than a decade of Government talk, this ACT Greens initiative will ensure action, making the financial commitment to finally see a light rail system built. “The Greens plan commits the initial $200M of capital funding, which can join financing through private partnerships, land development opportunities, and Federal Government funding. "Light rail is experiencing a renaissance in cities around the world for good reasons. It has many advantages over buses, including speed, reliability and appeal to passengers.

Despicable. Only way to describe this desperate ploy from the Heartlands "Institute".

Well the latest turn from the global warming denialist front really does take the prize for the most cretinist, pathetic ploy one could possibly imagine.

This fossil fuel funded PR mouthpiece commissioned a bunch of billboards in Chicago featuring some of society's lowest of the low who apparently believe in global warming - the Unabomber, Charles Manson, and even Osama Bin Laden!

This is a shallow attempt to paint everyone who believes that the world's climate experts are not trying to snowjob us as somehow as bad as these insane madmen.

And perhaps it is a sign that the denialists are getting truly desperate. Australia's emissions trading scheme comes into effect in two months. South Korea has just resolved to implement an emissions trading scheme. And so has China.

Canberra - we have a serious light pollution problem. And it's costing us all...

ANU's big dish is a much favoured location for politicians
launching big environmental promises that often don't go anywhere...
Photo: The Australian

An amazing body of work was released today by the ACT Greens' Shane Rattenbury. It's a "Report Card" on the ALP Government's performance in meeting the promises they made in 2007 through their Weathering the Change climate change action plan.

I was there in 2007 representing the Gungahlin Community Council when John Stanhope launched this new action plan in the shadow of ANU's big dish solar concentrator. I was pleased to see a number of the initiatives in the plan, but as always, the delivery is more important than the promises.

So it's good to see the ACT Greens have done this work to hold the ALP to account. The ALP - through Environment Minister Simon Corbell - continue to make grand promises about greenhouse reduction targets, but what has their delivery been like to date? According to the Greens' report card, not too well, despite some good intentions and some action.

And what of my pet hate of streetlights lighting the sky?

ALP Promise #13:

Undertake energy efficient street light replacement.

Greens Assessment:

• 1713 lights replaced in 2007
• 5600 installed through 2008-09 budget
• LED trials underway
• future roll-out plans unclear.

Hmm ... not much chop...

To which I'd add criticism of the woeful controls on the Land Development Agency - wilfully rolling out new streetlights 10 to the dozen that all have protruding luminaires, thereby ensuring that we all will be locked in for decades of paying for maybe 30% of the electricity to go straight up into the sky!

Surely the first step in fixing a problem is to stop making it worse??

ACT Greens statement on Gungahlin to Civic Public Transport Priority Study release - comical list of prior promises...

ACT Transport Minister Simon Corbell released an important study study that has given estimates of time savings that would result for both public transport and car-bound commuters between Gungahlin and Civic, if priority bus lanes or light rail was built.

And viewed in isolation, this report and the words couching its release would sound very promising for a long-overdue solution to Canberra's worst commute.

Except that we've been here before.

The following release by the ACT Greens Transport spokesperson Amanda Bresnan includes a timeline of past reports and statements that really would be funny if it didn't read like such an indictment of the ALP Government, and such a litany of lost opportunity, lost revenue and increased costs/taxes.

Why it's safer to travel in groups...a funny public transport campaign

Just because they are funny...

CSIRO builds a strawbale house and torches it...

The CSIRO put strawbale building to the bushfire test today. It took a licking but it's still ticking!

First they had Joost build their structure - strawbale walls with steel frame:

From cherry-picking denialists to space games and squealing sheilas: weekly wrap of The Beach House

What I've been reading and writing about for the week to 5th of February, all in a neat little magazine for you.

GPS meets farming - Aussie research reshaping grazing management

Researchers from Australia's premier science and research agency the CSIRO are working with graziers to develop new management systems that blend farming with GPS and computer technology.

RFID tagging has reformed livestock management, allowing tracking of individual animals, their movements between properties, their health and progress, and their lineage. Now adding GPS tracking to the mix is allowing their movements within a property to be monitored and even managed.

Things are really changing down out in the paddock. And Australian scientists are leading the way.

"Australia has unwittingly become a social experiment..."

istock photo

At the hands of the so-called 'shock jocks' and Rupert Murdoch's News Ltd media outlets - primarily among them being The Australian.

There's a bit of false advertising for you - because there is little that is Australian about The Australian beyond the masthead. Owned by an American who calls LA home, and very very far from the Australian ethic of a 'fair go'.

Outstanding Australian science magazine Cosmos recently published this good analysis by Stephan Lewandowsky of the pitiful state of 'debate' on climate change. Not - let's call it what it is - global warming!

No need for me to rephrase:

Another major Canberra eco-product retailer has fallen...

How do businesses fail in booming markets?

Enviro Friendly Solutions has been a mainstay of sustainable design and product retailing in Canberra for years, and indeed were forerunners in the field.

But the firm went into administration last week, with debts of $750,000. Other major players have also fallen - such as the national firm Solar Shop. Many of those debts will be individual homeowners and they will be hurt badly, and will retain ill-will towards the renewables industry as a result. Solar Shop also owed thousands to the Gungahlin Community Council following a very successful group buying project run by GCC.

Boeing and CSIRO are collaborating to change global aviation. Aussie media how'd you miss this?

Australia's premier science research agency CSIRO signed an agreement this week with Boeing that has massive potential for affecting how aviation operates around the world. And it has received almost zero media coverage.

CSIRO has been working on aviation sustainability for some time. This agreement formalises development of feedstocks for renewable aviation fuels - right here in Australia.

Just look at the numbers:

“The roadmap made a compelling case for the development of a new Australian bio-based aviation fuel industry generating some 12,000 clean energy jobs over the next 20 years, especially in regional areas, cutting greenhouse emissions and reducing Australia’s reliance on aviation fuels imports by $2 billion per annum.”

Watch in awe as a 30-storey apartment block goes up in just two weeks.

We've had pre-fab homes for years, so why not do the same thing for high rise?

This is an amazing timelapse video of just such an exercise in China. An earthquake-proof (to 9.0 on the Richter scale) and energy efficient building in 360 hours, not including the foundations. Note the way that all the bits and pieces for each floor are loaded onto the individual floor panels for that level and lifted in one hit? That alone must save hours of crane work.



Incredible.

Via Treehugger

Podcars: could this be the future of light rail?

While our local ACT Government struggles to discuss light rail as a serious contender for commuter transport, other governments continue to get on with doing it. The Gold Coast's light rail is moving ahead nicely, Sydney's may be expanding soon.

And in India and at the Heathrow Airport, these nifty little 'podcars' are taking light rail to a whole new level of 'light'.

And Stokholm in Sweden is planning a much more extensive network, as this video shows:

Wow. Simply wow. Showing #NASA how to better promote itself (with inspiring words from Carl Sagan)

You've probably heard how NASA has quit space missions right? Or if you know better (I hope you do) then you've had friends say much the same thing.

Quitting the Space Shuttles has been equated to quitting space altogether. NASA has to do something about its PR. They do amazing things (still!) yet still have so much to learn about how to tell the world about it all. The #NASATweetups are good starts. The HD streaming of NASA TV help heaps.

But where's the "sizzle"?

A NASA fan has had a red hot go at showing them how, bringing some of the late and lamented Carl Sagan's greatest words to bear. (He even got Sagan's trademark "youmans" in there.)



Well done Reid Gower!

While you're there, check out some of the other Carl Sagan picks.

via @Summer_Ash and Brain Pickings

Those trees, those trees, those truffula trees - The Lorax is being made into a movie!

Most self-proclaimed greenies, and a lot of "I'm not a greenie but..." people have read Dr Seuss' The Lorax to their kids.

We know that there really isn't much that will change the habits of the current generations other than waiting for us all to die out. So the trick is to kick off the next generations on the right path. And The Lorax has been a staple part of laying that foundation ethic.

So many people will be pleased to see a movie version is to be released in March.

To mimic chlorophyll - surely the holy grail of solar energy research?

Discovery of a new type of chlorophyll has many people excited at the prospect of being able to produce artificial systems to replicate the way natural systems convert the power of the sun into power for people.

One of the researchers at the forefront of this work is Dr Min Chen, right here in Canberra at the Australian National University.