Walking Away from the American Dream
By Carlton Meyer
2009-01-06

While over one trillion dollars of American taxpayer money disappears into the murky world of bank balance sheets, housing prices continue to plummet. The most optimistic predictions are that the bottom will be reached next summer. However, there are several factors that should cause prices to fall for several more years, which would wipe out most middle class wealth in the USA.

La naissance ou l'avortement
By John Busby
2008-12-09

Nuclear power currently provides only 6% of the world's primary energy as heat, with 36%, 24% and 29% of it coming from the combustion of oil, natural gas and coal respectively. A MIT study estimated that in 2050 1500 MWe of nuclear electricity would be available but that will come at a time when only 10% of the oil, 15% of the gas and 35% of the coal will be left. As all three tail off to insignificance by the end of the century, to meet the world's anticipated energy needs beyond 2050, some 30,000 MWe of nuclear generation would be required, or 20 times the 1500 MWe specified by MIT. . . .

Perhaps because nuclear power stations are of an immense size an illusion of great capacity is conveyed, leading to a mirage of sufficiency. In reality there is no comparison with the great energy content of fossil fuels. Nuclear power has no chance of replacing the oil, gas and coal on which our daily lives depend, other than to a very minor extent.

Take Note of New Tech
By Carlton Meyer
2008-12-04

Most people do not follow technological advances because they assume it will not affect them. They are shocked to learn when it does, often as part of an unpleasant experience. An SRA exclusive from last May, “Data Mining Your Life,” explains how massive databases profile every citizen. Everyone in the U.K. is aware of automated speed traps, where cameras record the license tag of speeding motorists and send them a bill. Several other technological advances lurk to snare the uninformed.

The Generals Have No Clothes
By Carlton Meyer
2008-11-25

In 1919, historian Joseph Schumpeter’s book, Imperialism and Social Classes, described ancient Rome in a way that sounds eerily like the United States in 2008:

"There was no corner of the known world where some interest was not alleged to be in danger or under actual attack. If the interests were not Roman, they were those of Rome's allies; and if Rome had no allies, the allies would be invented. When it was utterly impossible to contrive such an interest -- why, then it was the national honor that had been insulted. The fight was always invested with an aura of legality. Rome was always being attacked by evil-minded neighbors. The whole world was pervaded by a host of enemies; it was manifestly Rome's duty to guard against their indubitably aggressive designs."

American political and military leaders fear that President-elect Obama lacks “foreign policy experience.” He has no track record of supporting the American empire and its array of thousands of overseas bases and installations. As the nation faces bankruptcy and an economic depression, they fear he may question the need to spend over a $100 billion a year to maintain all these foreign bases against a vague host of enemies. Moreover, Obama may ask embarrassing questions about the rational for specific military bases, and thus threaten billions of dollars in annual spending flowing to powerful corporations.

Cloud Computing Part 4 : The Rise and Fall
By Railton Frith
2008-11-20

In a perfect world, cloud computing could be the ideal means of providing software applications to the mass market.  Simplicity of use to allow rapid expansion of the cloud computing market is achieved by obscuring many of the technical issues.  Complexity is consigned to remote internet servers housed in data centres managed by others within the cloud.  Users and businesses need only concern themselves with a basic interface that can be as simple as a web browser or remote desktop.  Freed from constraints, cloud computing is now able to grow exponentially.  However, the looming peak energy crisis will impact the availability of energy and most probably provoke a profound change in the nature of cloud computing.