I ran across a good article in the Christian Science Monitor about Finland and happiness with a lack of consumerism that spoke to the fan of frugality in me:
Finns value time and solitude – along with a high quality of life for all citizens.
New York – What is true luxury? Just when I thought I’d settled on my answer – a flat-screen TV the size of Kansas and a leather-upholstered car that can travel at triple the speed limit – I made several visits to Finland. Shortly after my return the financial crisis hit. Finland has been on my mind ever since. In these hard times, we could learn a few things about luxury from the Finns.
Several people have told me that the interview I did with KUT (local NPR radio station) about native prairies and native plants in central Texas is airing today! Let me know if you hear it! To listen online, go to the 9:00 minute mark of this mp3 on KUT’s site.
We discussed how native tallgrass prairies and savannas are the native ecosystem for much of central Texas, how tallgrass prairies are the most endangered large ecosystem in North America, how using native plants in landscaping can increase water quality and quantity, the future potential for cellulosic ethanol and native grasslands to supply fuel for our society and restore native prairie, and other related topics. They also interviewed several other folks about grassland birds, water quality, and cellulosic ethanol.
The organizations I mentioned during the original interview:
Last week I spoke at CEDEC 2008 in Tokyo, Japan about "Recent Trends in U.S. Game Development Processes". And then I followed it up with lots of sight-seeing!
CEDEC is the CESA Developers Conference, the Japanese equivalent to the GDC’s Game Developer Conference in the United States.
My presentation covered Agile development and Scrum, SCM tools including Perforce, and the emerging role of a build manager or build engineer on projects. It was great meeting so many Japanese developers and discussing game development processes, comparing the differences between US and Japanese development.
To view the slideshow of my presentation, click "more…" below and use the presentation controls.
Notice the Little Bluestem in the background, and the Buffalograss growing on the ground the bride is standing upon. Both plants are important native prairie grasses, and Little Bluestem was the dominant plant of the tallgrass prairies of North America.
The tan and copper color of the Little Bluestem is last fall’s growth weathered through the winter and spring. Buffalograss is a terrific and beautiful native grass that makes a great drought tolerant lawn grass that rarely needs mown.
The prairie grasses can be seen in the background of the following photos by Shealah Craighead : 1, 2, 3
CNN also reports that "the decor and the wedding party — known in Texas as the "house party" — were dressed in colors that reflected the hues of the landscape, including native Texas wildflowers: greens, blues, yellows and lavenders, the White House said."
Tallgrass prairie is the most endangered large ecosystem in North America, with less than 1% of Texas’ original 20 million acres estimated remaining. In addition to beautiful prairie flowers and lush native grasses, our prairies are habitat for grassland birds, the most declining group of birds in North America, butterflies and other pollinators, and other prairie wildlife. We must protect these special places to save Texas’ prairie heritage.
Tallgrass prairies also sequester large amounts of carbon, so tallgrass prairie restorations could be used to help fight global warming. In addition, native grasslands increase water quality and quantity, a vital issue for our growing state. Tallgrass prairie plantings on marginal cropland have been identified as the best source of low-input cellulosic biofuel that would not impact our food supply.
Just before daybreak last Sunday, I found myself huddled in a wood trailer atop a grassy knoll in northwest Missouri, squinting through a small window and waiting.
Also in the trailer were a dozen other bundled-up nature lovers who had driven from across Iowa to this remote, windswept spot to witness a wonder of the animal kingdom: the spectacular courtship dance of the male greater prairie chicken.
As we peered out the windows facing the dancing ground called a lek, the chickens appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, and began their show.
Tallgrass prairie is the most endangered large ecosystem in North America, with less than 1% estimated to remain in Texas. In addition to beautiful prairie flowers and lush native grasses, our prairies are habitat for grassland birds, the most declining group of birds in North America, butterflies and other pollinators, and other prairie wildlife. We must protect these special places to save Texas’ prairie heritage.
Tallgrass prairies also sequester large amounts of carbon, so tallgrass prairie restorations could be used to help fight global warming. Tallgrass prairie plantings on marginal cropland have been identified as the best source of low-input cellulosic biofuel that would not impact our food supply.
Check out NPAT’s web page for an up-to-date listing of events.
In about 1859, an awestruck New York journalist got his first look at the prairie grass that once blanketed much of Central Texas.
“We came out suddenly, as if a curtain had risen, upon a broad prairie, reaching in swells like the ocean after a great storm,” wrote Frederick Law Olmsted (who would later design New York City’s Central Park).
Remnants of this legendary sea of grass that covered Central Texas several millennia before Europeans arrived with their steel tools, turning the soil, and later fencing the prairie, can still be found in parts of Bell County today.
You just have to know where to look.
During fall and winter, a bunch grass commonly called little bluestem is easily identified – even to city folk. ….
