So Alphabet Inc, which has lobbied the Federal Government with $7.26 million and is subsidized by state governments at $2,058 million will get to determine which stories are told? I don't know how much the government is paying for Google Workspace. But in 2010 it was $6.7 million. In 2012 it was $34.9 million. So really you will have different state and federal government agencies leaning on Google to change the news. Which is already the case. But now the cause and effect is even easier to follow.

I'm finishing up my second degree. Man, what I didn't need during this process was streaming services. When Netflix banned password sharing (remember when they advertised password sharing as a perk?) I dropped it like a rock. I didn't even think to look if there was a student discount. Back in the day I bought a student edition of Access. But there is no reason to do that now when open source has such things covered. Amazon keeps offering me free trials of prime. Why would I do that? I'm out here building a better world in my backyard.

Recently I've been fascinated by Living Energy Farm's approach to solar power. A whole lot of electric motors are universal motors, they can run on AC or DC. So Alexis set up some solar panels and runs equipment directly off of them. No batteries, which means no charge controllers. He calls it "Daylight Drive." By pairing blowers with a passive house design they store heat from the sun in their floor.

For small electronics and lighting at night they use 12 volt nickel-iron batteries. Because those just keep going, as long as you refill the cells once a month.

Alexis gives a tour of the systems in this video

In a cold climate, 65% of one person's energy consumption involves heat. The solutions must be to make people luxuriantly warm while saving them a lot of money. - Microheaters to heat the people instead of the whole house. This cuts the heating bill by 90%. Do as much or as little as you want. - Using electric microheaters to cut 20% off your heat bill while on electric heat in a cold climate cuts 6 tons - Using electric microheaters to cut 80% off your heat bill while on electric heat in a cold climate cuts 23 tons - Using electric microheaters to cut 80% off your heat bill while on natural gas heat in a cold climate cuts 7 tons - Rocket mass heaters. This cuts the heating bill by 98%. A wood burning contraption you can build. Compared with a conventional wood stove, it heats with one tenth the wood and one thousandth the smoke. - Switching to rocket mass heater from electric heat in a cold climate cuts 29 tons COOLING - Plant deciduous trees or vines on the south and west sides of your house cooling shade in the summer. Added bonus: have the trees/vines produce food for you! - Open windows at night Use cross ventilation to cool down your house during the night, and bring in fresh air. Close up the windows during the day to keep the cool air in. Use white/reflective curtains or window shutters to keep the house cool during the day. Food Choices - 50% of our petroleum footprint and 35% of our carbon footprint is tied to our food. - Growing 10% of your food cuts 1 ton - Growing 50% of your food cuts 5 tons - Growing 90% of your food cuts 10 tons - Growing 90% or your food plus 10% for ten other people cuts 19 tons - Growing 90% or your food plus 90% for ten other people cuts 110 tons - When you eat an apple, put the seeds in your pocket. Plant the seeds when you see a spot. An apple a day could result in cutting you carbon footprint 100 tons per year! 100 Ways to Cut One's Personal Carbon Footprint

Yeah. This list is a list of things that individuals can do. If you can create heat directly from the sun or from solar electricity, that is one great solution!

That is a really cool house, q__e_t!

Here is a list of ways that you could reduce your carbon footprint: Heat in a Cold Climate the average montana house heated with natural gas puts 8.9 tons of CO2 into the air per year. the average montana house heated with electricity puts 29.4 tons of CO2 into the air per year the average montana house heated with a conventional wood stove puts 4.4 tons of CO2 into the air per year the average montana house heated with a rocket mass heater puts 0.4 tons of CO2 into the air per year Switching from electric heat to a rocket mass heater in a montana home can cut 29 tons per year. Using electric microheaters to cut 20% off your heat bill while on electric heat in a cold climate cuts 6 tons Using electric microheaters to cut 50% off your heat bill while on electric heat in a cold climate cuts 15 tons Using electric microheaters to cut 80% off your heat bill while on electric heat in a cold climate cuts 23 tons Using electric microheaters to cut 80% off your heat bill while on natural gas heat in a cold climate cuts 7 tons 50% of our petroleum footprint and 35% of our carbon footprint is tied to our food. Growing 10% of your food cuts 1 ton. Growing 50% of your food cuts 5 tons. Growing 90% of your food cuts 10 tons. Growing 90% or your food plus 10% for ten other people cuts 19 tons. Growing 90% or your food plus 90% for ten other people cuts 110 tons Sources and discussion here

This video has a list of things you can do to reduce your carbon footprint to zero. I've put up a clothesline, which will reduce my footprint by 4 tons. But it also saves me money. Your Carbon Footprint to 0 - 11 Things

One of the best technologies to use in a cold climate is a rocket mass heater. They work by conductively warming your butt. They burn so cleanly and efficiently that they capture the vast majority of the energy inside your house while emitting almost zero smoke. You can learn more about them by watching the Free Heat Movie

There are a number of ways to reduce your carbon emissions while increasing your comfort level. One way is to build a rocket mass heater, which can warm your butt directly. They use far less fuel than most other forms of heat. Some people run theirs all winter with just the sticks that fall in their yard. You can compare different kinds of heat by looking at this infographic.

Speaking of visualizing data from Lord of the Rings, the Middle Earth DEM project has just released a 3D viewer in collaboration with Outerra. You can get the announcement and download directions at the Outerra forums. http://www.outerra.com/forum/index.php?topic=1491.0

Which makes this whole kerfluffle look a bit ridiculous. But more than that, how does Canonical have control over the money that Banshee is donating to GNOME? Does Banshee send a check to Canonical with a request that it be forwarded to GNOME?