Bookmarks for April 19th

Apr 19, 2010

When I'm not blogging, I'm browsing. Here are sites and pages that I bookmarked on April 19th:

Is Internet Civility an Oxymoron?: Peer News, a new site launching in Hawaii and funded by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar, will not permit comments at all. Editor John Temple said anonymity had so reduced responsibility that comments sections have been dominated by "racism, hate, ugliness" and "reflect badly on news organizations that have them."
UH Mānoa College of Engineering to offer new computer engineering degree: Students interested in pursing careers in computer software design, hardware manufacturing and robotics will now be able to remain in Hawaii for their undergraduate college education. Beginning in fall 2010, UH will begin accepting applications for a new bachelor of science degree in computer engineering.
College of Engineering awarded $2.5 million to develop clean energy program: UH Mānoa's College of Engineering has been awarded a $2.5-million American Recovery and Reinvestment Act stimulus grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to train students and current workers for emerging jobs in clean and renewable energy technologies in the electric power industry.
School space center could get cut: The Challenger Space Center at Barbers Point Elementary School faces the biggest challenge of its 17-year history: budget cuts. The center, which has seen more than 5,000 students a year, is on a long list of possible cuts provided to state lawmakers.
Aiea firm gets grant to build biorefinery: Aiea-based ClearFuels Technology Inc. will receive the first $7.7 million of a $22.6 million grant to build a biorefinery to convert sugarcane and wood waste products into renewable diesel and jet fuel.
Local researchers study Icelandic volcano: University of Hawaii researchers, including a student from Iceland, are closely watching the explosive eruption of a volcano beneath a glacier in Iceland.
Mauna Kea gets new telescope today: Mauna Kea's newest, smallest telescope should reach the summit today. A flatbed truck carrying Hoku Kea was scheduled to leave Hilo early this morning for the three-hour trip to the site of the former University of Hawaii-Hilo 24-inch telescope.
2010 FIRST Robotics Championships: Over 100 Hawai‘i high school students, making up seven high school FIRST Robotics teams, represented the Aloha State at the FIRST Robotics World Championships in Atlanta, Georgia. Waialua High School competed in the quarter finals in the Archimedes Division and McKinley High School competed in the quarter finals in the Curie Division.
Too many stacked crop trait genes?: Scientists at the Western Society of Weed Science annual conference in Hawaii were told that the issue of weed resistance to classes of herbicide will not go away, even with multi-trait varieties. It actually may become more complicated. It was symbolically appropriate that the discussion of herbicide resistance took place in Hawaii.