Google CEO Eric Schmidt's Eco Forum Talk

Somebody just sent me a link to this YouTube video capturing Eric Schmidt's talk at the Eco Forum about how companies (and even private citizens) can help reduce the environmental degradation going on today. Schmidt does not lay the responsibility for humanity's survival on the earth in the hands of politicians; he places it squarely on the shoulders of private firms and individuals, who, he says, are much more easily able to effect environmental change than any American politician/administration. That changes the whole context of the global warming debate, as it puts the onus of action back on people and companies, rather than letting us wait for our slow-moving governments to do the things we should be doing.
Schmidt continues in the speech by talking about an idea that I think is exactly on the mark: ultimately, it will not be sweeping innovations or governmental mandates that will increase our chances of survival on the earth. Rather, it will be the continuing drive towards efficient production/consumption that will lead to a more sustainable tenure on earth for humanity. We have to learn how to produce and consume the things we need (and want) in ways that allow for the upcoming generations of humanity to be able to produce and consume those things as well. Schmidt explains how he hopes to make Google more efficient, talking about the solar and wind power projects already in place around Google campuses, and provides suggestions for how the US, as a whole, can shift towards reduced resource consumption and improved alternative energy production (here, he sometimes leans on government help).
Overall, it's a really good talk from somebody who is in a position to do something about the global warming problem and actually seems to be doing his bit. It also reassures me, despite the Chrome privacy snafus, etc., that Google still has its head in the right place...

[via YouTube]

Google Chrome (and Browsers) Supposedly Make Microsoft Windows (and Operating Systems) Irrelevant

The author of the article linked below makes the claim that operating systems (like Microsoft Windows, GNU/Linux, Mac OS X, etc.) are being made irrelevant thanks to internet browsers (like Microsoft Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, Opera, etc.)... I am sure many have already thought this but, in order to run Google Chrome, you need Windows (as it doesn't quite run on anything else yet). Therefore, while I'd love to think that computing has reached a point where the internet is the ubiquitous platform that makes everything available to everyone all the time, regardless of everything else, I don't think we've quite reached that singularity yet.

[via NYT]

Google + Conservation

People already use Google extensively in almost every aspect of their lives. So, apparently, a German non-profit decided to create a site that uses Google's search engine but diverts all search-based ad revenues to Nature Conservancy donations. Interesting, eh?
The "search engine" frontend for Forestle is located at, you guessed it, http://www.forestle.org

[via Ars Technica]