Austin, Texas, approves plan to become zero waste by 2040

On December 15, 2011, the city council in Austin, Texas, voted unanimously to approve the Zero Waste by 2040 plan. And now the program is starting to take effect. Starting with the comprehensive master plan (pdf), the executive summary: Zero Waste is a design principle that goes beyond recycling to focus first on reducing wastes …

Apple Campus II – 3,600 jobs and the big push into Austin, Texas

Pushing ahead with plans to invest $304 million in Austin, Texas, Apple has secured a deal for three large patches of land adjacent to its existing campus, which — when developed — will expand its presence in the area and result in the creation of more than 3,600 jobs. The State of Texas offered Apple …

Surfline adds 34 new/upgraded cameras to its lineup – from Ireland to CA, NC

Surfline has added/upgraded 34 cams in the last five months with many more to come. Make sure you check back because there’s a good chance there will be a new or upgraded cam near you.   NEW HD CAMS Beacons, CA (Feb 2012) Oceanside Pier SS, CA (April 2012) Salt Creek, CA (Jan 2012) Ponce …

U.S. global warming affects Texas, Midwest, and Northeast – the most

The United States recently went through the hottest 12 months ever, since record-keeping began in 1895. National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration said that for the period from May 2011 to April 2012, the nationally averaged temperature was 55.7 degrees, 2.8 degrees higher than the 20th century average. The national average temperature for April was 55 …

Housing recovery hits some areas – top growth in U.S. cities

Metros with the Most Construction Permits in 2011 Houston, TX – 31,271 Dallas, TX – 18,686 Washington, DC – 16,501 New York, NY – 13,973 Austin, TX – 10,239 Los Angeles, CA – 9,895 Phoenix, AZ – 9,081 Seattle, WA – 8,664 Atlanta, GA – 8,634 San Antonio, TX – 7,127 More permits were issued …

Sin City 2: A Dame to Kill For – finally moving forward

Robert Rodriguez‘s long-awaited sequel to Sin City, his 2005 adaptation of the Frank Miller comics, is finally moving forward. Dimension Films announced that Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, has secured financing from AR Films, the company founded by Alexander Rodnyansky, and will be released domestically by Dimension. It will begin casting next week with a plan to shoot this …

A portrait series of the modern American Cowboy/girl

Some excerpts from the series by Jay B. Sauceda: BILL PRYOR – Bill runs a ranch in between Alpine and Marfa. He’s a friendly guy with what may be the raspiest voice I have ever heard. BROOKSIE – Brooksie spent 27 years working the coal mines of Utah until settling down on an 80 acre …

SpaceX test fires the new SuperDraco propulsion engine

SpaceX successfully test fires SuperDraco, a powerful new engine that will play a critical role in efforts to change the future of human spaceflight. These engines will power a revolutionary launch escape system that will make Dragon the safest spacecraft in history and enable it to land propulsively on Earth or another planet with pinpoint …

Bureaucrats around the around – they pretty much look the same

From a fantastic new book called Bureaucratics come these photos of bureaucrats around the world. For the full story check out brain pickings review.