Ayiti: The Cost of Life

Yesterday’s post of a controversial videogame didn’t go over so well. It’s good to see that readers will speak up if they question the goodness of an item!

Anyway, today I thought I’d show a different game that is actually educational. It’s the most challenging game I’ve ever played – I can’t win at it all 🙁 Ayiti: The Cost of Life is the game and it’s a creative way to show how hard life can be for some people, it’s a really good educational tool.

What is it like to live in poverty, struggling every day to stay healthy, keep out of debt, and get educated?

Find out now in this challenging role playing game created by the High School students in Global Kids with the game developers at Gamelab, in which you take responsibility for a family of five in rural Haiti.

Climate Savers Computing Initiative

earth.jpgComputers are not the most efficient when it comes to energy use. It is great to see that a lot of computer manufactures have teamed up to create the Climate Savers Computing Initiative to improve the energy efficiency of electronics. Even if this is greenwashing, its better than having the companies ignore the environment.

Improving the energy efficiency of computers is a cost-effective way to reduce electricity consumption and the emission of greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change.

The Climate Savers Computing Initiative brings together industry, consumers and conservation organizations to significantly increase the energy efficiency of computers and servers.

Previously:
Greenpeace Influences Apple
Bamboo Ecobook
Sun is the Greenest
Use Linux and be Sustainable

Satellites Find Ancient Egyptian Settlements

Satellite imagery can be used to raise awareness about people in trouble, and now satellite imagery is being used to find ancient settlements.

Images captured from space pinpoint telltale signs of previous habitation in the swatch of land 200 miles south of Cairo, which digging recently confirmed as an ancient settlement dating from about 400 A.D.

Sorry, I Have Lightining on the Other Line…

Cellphones may soon be able to warn you of an impending lightning strike if some researchers from Nokia have their way.

Having a lighting warning system in your cellphone can help keep you safe when participating in outdoor activities (golf springs to mind). Cell phones can pick up frequency changes in the immediate environment by using the phone’s antenna.

Carbon Tracking Software for Cities

Not only has Clinton and comrades found $5 billion to spend to help cities green themselves, they have created software that tracks carbon outputs for entire cities!

The new software and Web applications are part of broader set of programs being introduced by the foundation led by former President Bill Clinton, who is speaking at the C40 climate summit this week for the mayors of the world’s largest cities.

The software tools aim to create a standardized way for cities all around world to measure their greenhouse gas emissions. With a common standard, cities would be able track the effectiveness of carbon-reduction programs