I seem to recall Japanese auto makers had a tough time dealing with the earthquake/tsunami. Not only were their latest ready-to-ship inventory flooded out, substantial portions of their supply chain for parts and equipment were similarly impacted by quake/flood damage. Given how much electronics are in automobiles these days, it kind of counts doesn't it? Granted, a lot of the tech that goes into cars are not exclusive to the auto industry.

Which part of "Does't the rest of habitat need saving as well?" do you not understand?

Ocean acidification, although a daunting problem, isn't irreversible. The idea of saving just coral sperm and eggs doesn't sound like a well thought out solution, though. A coral reef is more than just bare coral. It is a matrix upon which an entire ecosystem is based. Does't the rest of habitat need saving as well? Imagine saving a place on land from soil erosion, but the hill or valley is completely barren with no plant or animal diversity.

I was a manufacturing technician at Genentech until late last year. Even though we in the manufacturing end of the business rather than R&D have little reason to regard him either way, he is universally regarded within the whole company with not only respect and admiration, but inspired loyalty for how he steered the company during the worst of our growing pains. When I actually met him, it was easy to see why. Although he is the boss of the place, he regularly eats with everyone else at one of the South San Francisco campus' cafeteria. If you've worked up the courage to talk to him while waiting in line as I finally did once, he won't hesitate to return a friendly "How are you?"

There is a story I overheard about how he once attended a high society function for big pharma big shots and later told confidants in the company how horrified and disgusted he was that all everyone else talked about was the size of their private jets and most recent compensation packages. It doesn't matter if he wears a suit or not, the guy is a scientist - a dedicated professional through and through. He is featured significantly in the 2009 documentary "I Want So Much to Live" that tells the story of the breast cancer drug Herceptin for his role in the early research phase. Genentech had grown to a company of 10,000+ employees by the time Roche took the company private recently. It would have been easy for corporate culture to seep in with that size. But throughout Art's leadership, the drive to remain focused on all those patients who depend on our drugs dampened (although didn't eliminate) that seepage.

If it isn't obvious by now, yeah - I'm a fan of the man. Apple? meh. I received an iPad2 recently. I think it is okay, but still waiting for it to really grow on me.

Implicit in the lack of fresh water is the presence of obstacle to overcome that scarcity. Many of us living in first world countries take for granted a plentiful supply of cheap plastic and tinfoil or the existence of infrastructure that facilitate their creation, use, and safe disposal.

Often the places where people need water the most are also places that rains the least (or least conveniently). Fires require fuel, which is also not always available or cheap.

If the solutions were even remotely simple, communities and market forces would have solved this problem a long time ago. Thanks for trying, but no cigar.