Publications

Water Politics


Water for Peace: What Bangladesh Wants from the Ganga Water Treaty

Via EcoBusiness, commentary on the Ganga Water Treaty which – signed in 1996 – expires next year, and there are unresolved issues with regards to water sharing arrangements. Both Bangladesh and India will need to negotiate a more thorough, equitable and climate-resilient deal. The Ganga Water Treaty is crucial to India-Bangladesh relations because it guarantees […]

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What Does the World’s Largest Dam Mean For India and Bangladesh Downstream?

Via The Conversation, a look at China’s plans to build the world’s largest dam – but what does this mean for India and Bangladesh downstream? China recently approved the construction of the world’s largest hydropower dam, across the Yarlung Tsangpo river in Tibet. When fully up and running, it will be the world’s largest power plant – […]

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Colorado River Is Drying Up and Scientist Finally Know What The Mystery Is

Via AS.com, an article on the concerns that reservoirs could reach deadpool levels in the next few years are very real, with water levels down 20 percent over the past century: The Colorado River is one of the few perennial water supplies for some of the hottest and driest zones of the United States. It provides water for over 40 […]

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Wildcats & Black Sheep


Saudis Plan $100 Billion AI Powerhouse to Rival UAE Tech Hub

Via Bloomberg, a report on Saudi Arabia’s plans to build an AI powerhouse: Entity would build on kingdom’s efforts to emerge as AI hub PIF, Google AI partnership may serve as model for project Saudi Arabia is planning a new artificial intelligence project with backing of as much as $100 billion as it seeks to […]

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Russia Explores Plan to Merge Oil Giants Into Mega Producer

Via the Wall Street Journal a look at Russia’s plans to merge its oil giants into a mega producer which would be the world’s second-biggest crude producer, after Saudi Arabia’s Aramco, pumping almost three times the output of Exxon Mobil: Moscow is working on a plan to merge its biggest oil companies into a single […]

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Why Has High Speed Rail Failed in Kazakhstan?

Kazakhstan once harbored grand plans for a high-speed rail network. The Diplomat examines why – while its neighbors have pushed ahead with such projects – HSR fallen out of favor in Astana: High-speed train travel can be a challenging prospect for any nation. To achieve speeds of 250 kilometers per hour, high-speed rail (HSR) requires […]

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Watergy Nexus


In New England, Canadian Hydropower Has Slowed To An Ominous Trickle

Via Grist, a report on the weekslong disappearance of Canadian hydropower from New England’s grid exposes risks for the region On March 6, at the start of the still-simmering trade war between the U.S. and Canada, hydropower generator Hydro‑Québec quietly stopped exporting electricity to New England. At a time of year when Canadian hydropower typically supplies up […]

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Dam Plan Busted? World’s Biggest Hydropower Project In The Balance

Via BBC, a report on a planned dam in Africa: From a set of roaring rapids, comes a grand vision. There are plans to build a magnificent, multi-billion dollar mega-dam on the Congo River – one that would produce enough renewable electricity to power vast areas of Africa. The structure would be called the Grand […]

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Grid Unlocked


Residential Solar Is Becoming Residential Solar + Storage + VPP

Via Volts, an interesting interview examining how residential solar is becoming residential solar + storage + VPP: Hello everyone, this is Volts for November 13, 2024. “Residential solar is becoming residential solar + storage + VPP.” I’m your host, David Roberts. Last month, I was in Brooklyn for the third annual DERvos conference celebrating distributed […]

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Why One Developer Won’t Quit Fighting To Connect America’s Grids

Via MIT Technology Review, an article on efforts to connect the U.S.’s grids: Michael Skelly hasn’t learned to take no for an answer. For much of the last 15 years, the Houston-based energy entrepreneur has worked to develop long-haul transmission lines to carry wind power across the Great Plains, Midwest, and Southwest, delivering clean electricity […]

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Seeds of A Revolution


Thailand: Stop Chinese Land Grabs

Via Bangkok Post, commentary on growing Thai concerns around Chinese land purchases: The latest report on Chinese investors buying protected forest land to expand their durian plantations is worrying. This is more than just an illegal land grab, however. Soon, the whole durian supply chain will feel the impact. As such, these blatant land grabs […]

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North Dakota: A Leader In Limiting Chinese Land Purchases

Via Associated Press, a report on North Dakota’s efforts to limit Chinese land purchases in its state: It’s been three years since a Chinese company’s plan to develop a swath of farmland near a North Dakota Air Force base prompted local security concerns and led to a rush of legislation across the country, but calls for restrictions keep coming. If anything, the […]

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Grain Pains: Tensions With West Fuel China’s Anxiety About Food Supplies

Via The Economist, a look at how tensions with the West are fuelling China’s anxiety about food supplies American soyabean farmers could draw some comfort from the tariffs that China imposed on an array of American imports on February 10th. Foodstuffs like theirs were not affected by China’s countermeasures against the 10% levy on Chinese imports […]

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SynWorlds


How AI Brought 11,000 College Football Players to Digital Life in Three Months

Via the Wall Street Journal, a report on Electronic Arts’ use of new tech to scan photos for its videogame after securing players’ likeness rights for the first time A character artist works on the new ‘EA Sports College Football 25.’ PHOTO: EA SPORTS It has been over a decade since Electronic Arts released a college football videogame. To […]

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How Generative AI Could Reinvent What It Means To Play

Via MIT’s Technology Review, a report on how how AI-powered NPCs that don’t need a script could make games—and other worlds—deeply immersiv First, a confession. I only got into playing video games a little over a year ago (I know, I know). A Christmas gift of an Xbox Series S “for the kids” dragged me—pretty easily, […]

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Gym Class VR Builds On Popularity With NBA Logos and Venues

Via Sports Business Journal, a look at how Gym Class VR is building on its popularity with the addition of NBA logos and venues: The mid-range jumper may be a lost art in the NBA game, but I sank one from just inside the free-throw line at the TD Garden, as the PA announcer called out the basket. […]

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Roof Options


Rain Could Be A Clean Way of Generating Electricity

Via New Scientist, a report that scientists have found a way of using rainfall to create renewable electricity: Water droplets falling through a tube have generated enough electricity to power 12 LED lights. Such an approach could one day be used in roof-based systems to harvest lots of clean power from rain. “Rain falls on Earth every […]

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Machine Learning Helps Map Solar and Green Roofs

Via Sustmeme, a look at how machine learning helps map solar and green roofs: Data visualisation of roof shapes. Image credit: © Ordnance Survey Brand new roofs data, extracted with the help of machine learning, will benefit sustainability and energy sectors by supporting carbon net zero initiatives and retrofits, plus map solar and green installations. […]

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The Global Buffetts


Inside A Baby Berkshire Hathaway

Via Forbes, a look at how Markel’s Chief executive Thomas Gayner has quietly turned insurer Markel into a mini-conglomerate. Meet Richmond’s answer to the Oracle of Omaha:  Thomas Gayner gets a kick out of telling the story. It was 1983. He had just graduated from the University of Virginia with a plan to return home to Salem, […]

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Constellation Software, Tech’s Berkshire Hathaway

Via The Economist, a look at a firm which many consider as technology’s Berkshire Hathaway: For older startups these are tough times. The weak recent stockmarket debuts of Arm, a British chipmaker, Instacart, a grocery-delivery group, and Klaviyo, a software firm, have dampened enthusiasm for initial public offerings. Venture capital (vc) has dried up. Data […]

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The ‘Next Warren Buffett’ Curse Isn’t Always Fatal

Via Bloomberg, interesting commentary on how many – such as crypto billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried couldn’t survive the comparison – but others who actually invest somewhat like the Berkshire Hathaway chairman fare better: A couple of months ago, crypto billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried was peering out from the cover of Fortune magazine above the words “The Next Warren Buffett?” Now he’s at […]

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Networked Nature


Could AI Text Alerts Help Save Snow Leopards From Extinction?

Via BBC, an article on how AI text alerts help save snow leopards from extinction: Snow leopards cannot growl. So when we step towards one of these fierce predators, she’s purring. “Lovely,” as she’s called, was orphaned and rescued 12 years ago in Pakistan-administered Gilgit-Baltistan. After years of relying on staff to feed her, she […]

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Google Is Training AI to Speak Dolphin

Via Scientific American, an article on Google’s efforts to develop an LLM that could help us communicate with dolphins: Dolphins are renowned for their intelligence and social skills. These large-brained marine mammals communicate using individualized signature clicks and whistles and even seem to recognize their own “names.” Big advances in artificial intelligence have renewed some scientists’ dream of eventually […]

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Underwater ‘Doorbell’ Helps Scientists Catch Coral-Eating Fish in Florida

Via The Guardian, an article on the use of innovative cameras to identify fish species hindering coral reef restoration: Marine scientists in Florida working to help reverse a calamitous decades-long decline in coral reefs caught fishy “porch pirates” in the act with an innovative underwater doorbell-style surveillance camera. The footage showed that three corallivorous species – redband […]

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