http://www.whatmattersweblog.com Tue, 16 Mar 2010 23:27:03 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="442" caption="Tokyo Tower, (C) Maximilian Staedtler, WHAT MATTERS WEBLOG"][/caption] The Tokyo Tower - one of the many landmarks of the Japanese capital - is the bright highlight of Tokyo's breathtaking night skyline. When I took this photo from the Tokyo World Trade Center in June of 2009, I ... http://www.whatmattersweblog.com/2010/03/16/a-new-tokyo-tower-under-construction/ Check my Bookstore on the Menu column. http://www.whatmattersweblog.com/2010/03/11/book-recommendation-hot-flat-crowded-by-thomas-l-friedman/ The recent surge of the U.S. dollar against other major currencies - most notably the euro due to Greece's financial woes - could potentially be severely damaging to the American economy. The strengthening of the dollar is obviously not accompanied by a strenghtening of the overall economy. Unemployment is still at 9.7%, President Obama ... http://www.whatmattersweblog.com/2010/03/08/stronger-us-dollar-could-undermine-us-recovery/ Just recently it became public that Chinese officials refused to authorize Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machines of China to purchase Hummer from GM. It is quite revealing to see how actively China is trying to become a leader in the green energy technology business. Tengzhong might have faced some difficulties and ... http://www.whatmattersweblog.com/2010/03/03/hummer-doesnt-fit-into-chinas-green-strategy/ Huge budget deficits as we can see them in all major countries in the world these days appear to have become an issue that people worry about, but somehow have learnt to accept. Except for China whose deficit is only at 2.9% of its GDP according to The Business Times - ... http://www.whatmattersweblog.com/2010/02/13/tax-increases-or-inflation-please-choose-one/ As part of the research for my research paper “On the Threshold to a New Energy Age“, I conducted a survey in order to find out how “prepared” people are for the transition to a new age of energy generation and use as well as to gather opinions on current ... http://www.whatmattersweblog.com/2010/02/12/new-energy-age-survey-questions-3-4/ As part of the research for my research paper “On the Threshold to a New Energy Age“, I conducted a survey in order to find out how “prepared” people are for the transition to a new age of energy generation and use as well as to gather opinions on current ... http://www.whatmattersweblog.com/2010/02/07/new-energy-age-survey-questions-1-2/ As part of the research for my research paper "On the Threshold to a New Energy Age", I conducted a survey in order to find out how "prepared" people are for the transition to a new age of energy generation and use as well as to gather opinions on current ... http://www.whatmattersweblog.com/2010/02/06/survey-results/ Who can save us from climate disaster? Well, probably those whom you'd the least suspect to care about climate change. Even if one in ten Americans turned into a tree-hugger, sold their car, moved downtown and commuted to work on a bicycle, that wouldn't have any impressive, lasting impact on global emissions ... http://www.whatmattersweblog.com/2010/01/30/who-can-save-us-from-climate-disaster/ Can politicians lead a global transition to a low-carbon economy of the future? I have my doubts. More than 12 years after the adoption of the Kyoto Protocol on December 11, 1997, no measures have been implemented to effectively reduce global emissions of greenhouse gases. Despite the perceptible surge of green ... http://www.whatmattersweblog.com/2010/01/25/twelve-years-after-kyoto/ You want to learn more about the smart grid? I've just come across a funny way to do this. 1.) Go to http://ge.ecomagination.com/smartgrid/#/augmented_reality 2.) Print out their Solar Panel Marker 3.) Wave it in front of your webcam and see a smart grid simulation pop out of your screen 4.) If you chose the wind ... http://www.whatmattersweblog.com/2010/01/17/plug-into-the-smart-grid-with-ge/ I'm pretty sure that by mid-century, China will be a developed country with an efficient economy generating a huge share of its energy needs of renewable energy sources. That's my prediction. Next to China, there are two other prospective candidates: Indonesia and Brazil. These three countries are growing fast despite the ... http://www.whatmattersweblog.com/2010/01/12/china-a-developed-green-economy-by-2050/ Currently I'm working on a research paper with the title "On the Threshold to a New Energy Age - America's shift towards renewable energy as a consequence of the energy crisis and climate change" and as part of my research, I conducted a poll to find out how prepared people ... http://www.whatmattersweblog.com/2010/01/09/the-true-cost-of-oil/ According to the CIA World Factbook, the United States of America has a population of roughly 307.2 million. (July 2009 estimate) (1) The total population of the world is estimated to be around 6.7 billion based on calculations of the World Bank. (data from 2008) (2) This means Americans constitue 4.5% of the ... http://www.whatmattersweblog.com/2010/01/06/on-the-unequal-consumption-of-oil-the-resulting-risks/ Currently I'm working on a research paper with the title "On the Threshold to a New Energy Age - America's shift towards renewable energy as a consequence of the energy crisis and climate change". Therefore I created two graphics, illustrating the total and per capita oil consumption of the ten largest oil consumers: ... http://www.whatmattersweblog.com/2010/01/04/top-10-oil-consuming-countries/