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I’ve been hearing so much about the DeepWater Horizon oil spill over the past two weeks I wanted to point out a few simple things that may not have caught your attention:

1) Halliburton was celebrating on the Deepwater Horizon when the initial explosion hit:
According to several news reports Halliburton (yes that Halliburton) had just finished cementing the rig and were on board celebrating this huge task. Remember, this platform was the biggest/deepest in the US.

2) This is not the Exxon Valdez, yet.
Many people have been comparing this to one of the largest ecological disasters, The Exxon Valdez disaster of 1989 when 10.8 million barrels of oil spilled into Prince William Sound. The Deepwater Horizon spill is still active (as of now) but not spewing out as much oil as the Valdez. The Valdez hit all at once as the ship ran aground. The DWH is slowing trickling out oil.

3) Size isn’t all that matters.
Many news reports, to make the size of the spill relative to their audience are comparing the size of the spill to geographic areas, such as “big as Deleware” or as big as the Houston/Beaumont area of Texas. While this helps people relate, it’s not truly precise. When discussing the size of this spill, one should talk about volume, not area. Below the surface of this spill is oil. Comparing this to the swimming pools may be a better measure.

4) There is a Christian perceptive on the spill.
I kid you not. Here is an article called: The Gulf of Mexico and the Care of Creation. We exercise dominion over creation not only when we use it, but also when we conserve it.

5) Oil dispersants are toxic.
Although they will help break up the DWH spill, the dispersants are toxic. This may make the surface appear to be clean, the chemicals will still impact wildlife for years to come.

written by tom

With three options for users of Windows business still plans on using Windows XP as support officially ends today.

Windows XP was introduced in October 2001 and became wildly popular as it showed dramatic improvement from Windows 2000, it’s predecessor.  Microsoft released Vista in January 2007 and saw immediate blow back from users.  Now with the beta version of Windows 7 in release users are starting to see that Windows can be improved and tcommenting that W7 is, “The OS Vista should have been”.

A new Information Week survey shows that 83% of companies still plan on staying with XP until 2011.  This is the smae scenerio Microsoft faced as they rolled out Vista.  This is all happening as Windows XP’s support ends today, April 14th.

In the past number of years users have switched the Apple OS X operationing system while buying new Macs and there has even been an inching up of Linux, the free open source operating system for PCs.  Linux’s rise in popularity may also reflect the price of Windows being too expensive for some business.

Along with the economics, compatibility was cited as a reason for delay in migration.  Even after 2011 only 42% of the business in the Information Week poll said they’d use W7 after 2011 and 17% said they would wait until 2014.

Although Microsoft has not made it’s release date official, watchers are estimating that Windows 7 will be released late in 2009 or early 2010.

written by tom

written by tom

Maybe people who teased you for being “such a girl” for drinking bottled water were right?

A group at Frankfurt University in Germany have proof that the water in plastic bottles are contain female hormones. The research project that included the German Environmental Ministry also showed that some water was as contaminated as water from the sewer system.

The chemical that acts like the female hormone oestrogen was detected in 12 of 20 bottles tested by the scientists.  Bisphenol A, which is an ingredient in some of the plastic bottles seeped into the water and acted like oestrogen.

Could this be a health risk?  The group would nat say, aside from saying elevated levels of bisphenol A in your system.

photo credit: http://www.thesun.co.uk

written by tom

Is this the new layout of your local Burger King or will this go they way of the “Burger King Flame” perfume?

photo credit: http://www.inquisitr.com/19632/whopper-bar/

written by tom