Sunday, May 4, 2003

Bite me? What Your Genes Want You to Eat. The new science of nutrigenomics wants to create the ultimate personal menu. By Bruce Grierson. [New York Times: Science] A fascinating article, both for its "heads up" to the subject -- As a workable concept, "eat right for your genotype" may be a decade or two -- or more -- down the road -- and for the potential implications. The notion of real time nutritional monitoring takes my mind right to the notion of real time environmental monitoring. That, plus principle-based & class-based [in place of substance-based] environmental regulation -- and the holy grail of "getting the prices right" could go a long way to replacing command and control environmental regulation with something both more tolerable, more economical -- and more effective. 8:04:50 AM    comment []  trackback []

Deja vu? Fuel Economy Hit 22-Year Low. The average fuel economy of the nation's cars and trucks fell to its lowest level in 22 years in the 2002 model year. By Danny Hakim. [New York Times: Science] Cars and light trucks -- S.U.V.'s, pickups and minivans -- account for about 40 percent of the nation's oil consumption and a fifth of its carbon dioxide emissions, which many scientists see as the leading contributor to global warming. Industry lobbyists say the industry could not force consumers to buy fuel-efficient vehicles and oppose tighter fuel efficiency standards -- but don't seem as attentive to the continue erosion of market share, and profits, to Japanese automakers. Could this be a repeat of the 1970s? Back then Detroit thought it more important to lobby against the Clean Air Act than to deliver competitive vehices, and watched a huge boatload of market share sail across the Pacfic as fuel efficiency imports sailed in. 7:46:45 AM    comment []  trackback []

The darker side of "Self-reliance" It's Emerson's Anniversary and He's Nailed 21st-Century America. Individualism run amok, transformed into a cruel self-absorption, is a good description of much of American life right now. By Adam Cohen. [New York Times: Opinion] Who remembers, for example, that he also sneered at charity? 7:36:46 AM    comment []  trackback []

Power drain How to Sidestep a Two-Pronged Vampire. Old transformers waste about 5 percent of the power in the country. There are some solutions on the horizon, however. By Peter Wayner. [New York Times: Science] The opportunities to save energy are everywhere -- Computers, televisions and other devices may be turned off for most of the day, but the black boxes run unless the device is unplugged -- and the payoff is so compelling that even the Bush Administration is on the attack against these vampires. 7:27:31 AM    comment []  trackback []