Cloud computing in Germany

Well, I never thought that I would ever see the inside of a MacDonalds but here I am in Bonn at the railway station using a wireless hotspot to catch up on my diverse responsibilities.

Weather is typically miserable, cold at 5 deg C and wet.

Addendum

And I forgot to mention the bearded, cardinal and goldentailed woodpeckers, hoopoes, edible chrysanthemum, oregano, thyme, strawberry spinach, mizu and turnips!

And here's a photo of the truly amazing anise-flavoured perennial Mexican mint/tarragon which I nurtured from seed courtesy Baker Creek through the cold winter months! One seriously cool plant to add to "Po-ke" if you're into raw fish and herbs a la south Pacific!

gardens speak for themselves!

Pre-rain November garden !

And... on from bottom left moving up and around and about, we have spearmint, strawberries, avocado, rhubarb, mizuma, dahnia, florence fennel, lolo rossa, dwarf oriental greens, horseradish, chives, brinjal, soya-beans, sunflowers, symbolic maize, sage, mustard lettuce, kale, radishes, garden beets, calendula, salad rocket, climbing beans, nasturtium, sorrel, samoan chillies, green peppers, tomatoes, lots more dahnia (coriander), pakchoi, comfrey, borage, oakleaf salad, giant parsley, lovage, gooseberries, tansy, catnip, multi-coloured chard, peppermint, pennyroyal, mugwort.  There's lemongrass, a curry-leaf tree, thai lime, cherry guava, bay leaf,  rosemary, grenadilla, southernwood, lemon balm, geranium, alfafa, curly parsley, regular basil, thai rosella (hibiscus), strawberry husk tomatoes,  thai dill, lemon basil, hairy kaproa basil, mexican 'mint' (tagetes sp.), zuccinni (giant courgette), petite panne squash, snake gourd, fenugreek, green globe artichoke, and red kohlrabi.  There's a bunch of different basil variants - dark opal, sweet thai, lime, cinnamon, liquorice scented - and several berry-producers - sunberry, huckleberry, tomantillo, naranjilla, and the mysterious fast-growing melocoton creeper (photo to follow:-)).

Now that the rain has come to Windhoek, we can sigh with relief - nearly 40 mm of rain in two days since our last drops of rain in early May this year!  It does assure us that there won't be any bush fires to deal with in the next few weeks.  It may also mean that the unusually high diversity of insect-eating birds in the vegetable garden will disperse.  I've introduced several "spit-beetles" to counter the impact of slugs and other vegetarian pests, and there are several skinks, toads and frogs actively feeding on the same.

And the mostly insect-eating bird list - thanks to a pesticide free gardening venture - inside the netting - since May 2010 includes

Crimsonbreasted Shrike
Three-streaked Tchagra
Familiar Chat
Marico Flycatcher
Pririt Batis
Dusky Sunbird - gleaning spider webs
Scarlet-chested Sunbird
Crombec
Barred Warbler
Chestnut-vented Titbabbler
Ashy Tit
Carp's Tit
Blackchested Prinia
Shorttoed Rock Thrish
Greybacked Cameroptera (Bleating Warbler)
African Reed Warbler
Pied Barbet
White-eye
Whitebrowed Sparrow weaver
Great Sparrow
Greyheaded Sparrow
Burntnecked Eremomela
Lesser masked weaver
Redheaded finch

EV, batteries and renewables - where to?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_vehicle
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_vehicle_battery
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patent_encumbrance_of_large_automotive_NiMH_batteries

provide a concise summary of the EV and related issues


China has set an industrial policy with the objective of becoming the largest EV developer and manufacturer in the world, enabling the country to leapfrog internal combustion engine (ICE) technology and go straight to electric transport. China is the world’s second largest consumer of oil behind the U.S., which historically has led the ICE vehicle market, and ahead of Japan, the leader in hybrid technology. By 2020, China is expected to rely on 65% of foreign oil imports.

HSBC research predicts that China’s share of the global EV market will grow from 2.7% this year to 35% by 2020. During this time period, China will overtake Japan by 2016 and the U.S. by 2019 in dominating the global EV market.

Better Place and Chery will jointly develop switchable-battery EV prototypes with the goal of securing regional Chinese government EV pilot projects.