An interesting article on the architecture 2030 website about energy consumption as it relates to buildings. The article shows three pie charts with the first two showing U.S. energy consumption and the third one showing worldwide energy consumption. Surprisingly, it shows that transportation only accounts for 1% of energy consumption and buildings for 76%.  That energy comes from electricity produced from oil or gas. Sometimes the heating uses oil or gas directly. But in both cases, oil or gas is used. Energy requirements are for heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) as well as lighting, elevators, security systems and all other systems using electricity. The charts include energy required for construction, renovation and maintenance of the buildings.

Most of that energy requirement could be reduced by having more intelligent HVAC systems, better insulation and heat management. But most importantly, large buildings could incorporate energy producing features such as harnessing wind and solar energy as well as geothermal energy.

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• China's low carbon and sustainability problems I came across an interesting article about the low carbon emissions and sustainability problems facing China as the country moves increasingly towards urbanization. It is predicted that china will have 75 percent of urbanization by 2050, which means much more energy consumption and green house gas emission. China currently lacks......
• GM files for bankrupcy--the end of the car era ? I wrote a little essay on the future of the automobile,"The end of the car era ?"in it, I talk about how the snootiness and myopic visions of American auto manufacturers led to this current situation. I also talk about whether it is a good thing to keep pushing the......
• Masdar to be the first zero polluton city The city of Masdar near Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirate wl be the first city to produce its energy entirely by way of renewable energy such as solar and wind energy. They wil also recycle all their waste and as such, have a "zero carbon" footprint. Of course,......

• Gas up your car with your HELOC This article on MSN.com -- Oil Spike Won't Cause Oil Shocks of Past -- didn't exactly send a cold chill down my spine, but I'd still worry about it. High oil prices are a tax on our economy. There's only so much oil. If more people want more of it,......
• What You Wish To Know About Solar Power Solar power is everywhere because it comes from the sun. Solar power can be used to power electricity, pump water, to heat your home or workplace and power vehicles. With all that we have a tendency to can do with solar power you've got to wonder why we tend to......
• Pelosi Flexes Her Muscles, Republicans Point and Laugh; Democrats Sigh Congress is a never ending battle of words.  Thankfully one party usually has a majority and legislation gets passed.  Sadly, our current majority is more like Pop-eye without his spinach.  The Democrats are lead by Speaker Pelosi, the mascot and perfect case study for weakness.  If the Republicans, lead......

Foreclosures, mortgage industry collapse, bank collapse. With all those bad housing industry news, one wonders who sets the prices on a house.

The old real estate adage is well known: To succeed in real estate, there are three things you have to know: Location, location, location.

A house in Beverly Hills may be worth $3 Million and an identical house in Missouri may  be worth $200,000. It’s all in the location. 6 months later, the stock market collapses,fortunes are lost, people in Beverly Hills scramble to sell their houses, there is a surplus of houses for sale and not enough buyers, price plummets in that location.

Location can also mean where are you in time. One day its up, one day its down.

The price we put on things is equal to the value we put on the darn things. And the value has to do with scarcity, demand, desire, etc…  It’s all very emotional.

One thing to remember, though is that a house can be worth as much or as little as one puts value to it. If someone were to tell you: ”Your house will be flooded 6 months from now, but I will swap your house for a brand new house of equivalent size.” Would you do it?

How much will your house be worth when it is flooded ? (or put any natural disater you want, hurricane, eartquake, fire). Would you still get that house swap deal ? Probably not.

Money and finances are in fact very abstract notions. Yet, these abstractions have very real consequences on the lives of many people.

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• French train breaks speed record 574.8kph (356 mph). The previous TGV record was 515kph (320mph), set in 1990. The absolute train speed record was set by a Japanese magnetic levitation train is 581km/h (361mph) set in 2003. See a video of the train here That is fast! Faster than most single propeller planes such as......
• Cap and Trade - off I read an interesting article in the Washington Post about Cap and Trade. It gives an example about how a polluter can simply purchase carbon credits from an industry that is in a naturally low polluting field of activity and which would not even engage in that field of activity.......
• Are you being truthful ? Tim Ferriss sent a message on Twitter earlier today about an online service that allows you to analyze, in real time, whether or not the person you are talking to on the phone is telling the truth or is nervous for one reason or other. LiarCard.com calling cards, is the......

• Collection of Good Human Book Reviews Over the last three months, I have been trying to read one book a week, with my focus on environmental and political issues. Those of you who know me know that I am not a fiction reader; instead I want to read about the companies ruining our environment and about......
• Retirement Tax Burdens If you want to retire somewhere with a low cost of living, you need to consider the tax burden imposed in that location. Many people think only about state and local income taxes but the picture is much bigger than that. Retirement Taxes:  Factors to Consider Baby boomers and other......
• Renting Vs Buying: How To Live Beyond Your Means! The debate over renting versus owning isn't dead. According to the WSJ, you can buy a 2 bedroom condo in Miami with a  wrap-around  balcony and stunning, jaw-dropping views for $400,000 (and this is after the market has already correctedly significantly). Apparently they come fully loaded too! "You'll have at......