Check out the new local recycling search engine on LiveScience.com brought to our readers in partnership with Earth911.org. The widget allows you to find a local recycling center categorized by type of material. The results are displayed within the Google Maps application. Very cool, very green. Check it out…

While economists argue over whether or not we are on a recession, we are all feeling it to some degree, rendering the argument somewhat meaningless or academic.

It has long been the common wisdom that hollywood, and comedies in particular, do better in a recession. I did some “research” this weekend by going to see Adam Sandler’s new comedy You Don’t Mess with Zohan. It was a guilty pleasure– totally stupid but mostly funny and often hysterical. The audience was packed and, in my view, laughing particularly hard. A wonderful respite from the 95 degree heat, $4.50 gas prices, wars, falling housing prices, etc.

In addition to comedies, the slate of movies built off comic book and graphic novel heroes has never been stronger. The traffic to Imaginova’s genre enternatinment website Newsarama is setting records every month. This is another reflection of consumer escapism.

On the Commerce side of Imaginova’s business we are experiencing record sales of our Orion Telescopes and accessories business. In our marketing we are pointing out the benefits of such a rewarding and inexpensive hobby. You don’t need to use any gas to carry a telescope into your backyard or on to a field, drop down a blanket, gather with friends and enjoy your favorite, age-appropriate beverages.

These are just a few data points, but as the period of economic challenges extends, we will continue to witness distinct changes in consumer choices of leisure activities and expenditures.

As I was taking the train in to work this morning enjoying a cup of coffee, my Blackberry and a Wall Street Journal, a man sat next to me reeking of smoke. 

I got off the train and starting walking down Park Avenue to our offices and the person in front of me was smoking with the wind blowing the smoke in my face. 

Smokers hovered around the entrance to our building casting fumes around the entrance–a phenomenon repeated throughout the streets Manhattan as smoking is no longer allowed indoors.

I then took the elevator up to the office and the elevator reeked of smoke as one of the people in the elevator who had been smoking out front wheezed away.

So much of the discourse now on the environment is focused on Global Warming caused by hydrocarbons.  Let’s not forget about a more personal kind of pollution–the smoke that kills smokers and makes an otherwise pleasant trip into the office so unpleasant and unhealthy for non-smokers.

Why should it be incomprehensible as it seems to many that governments are not taking Global Warming more seriously when individuals still smoke despite the fact that the warnings about the dangers of smoking have been around so much longer and, with the exception of the tobacco industry, there are few (including smokers) who do not find the dangers to be irrefutable.

I have two indelible images from my childhood that make it inconceivable for me to consider lighting up.

As a child growing up in Boston, I was treated to the radio calls of Johnny Most calling yet another successful Celtics season (for those of you who are under 30, the Celtics used to have good teams). Johnny was the classic homer— every foul called on a Celtic was undeserved and every foul not called on an opponent was a crime.  What made his impact even stronger was his raspy voice caused from years of smoking.  An example of one of his historic calls: “Now there’s a steal by Bird!  Underneath to DJ who lays it in!!…Right at one second left!! What a play by Bird! Bird stole the inbounding pass, laid it up to DJ, and DJ laid it up and in, and Boston has a one-point lead with one second left! OH, MY, THIS PLACE IS GOING CRAZY!!!

But as the effects of lung disease set in, Johnny was forced to retire.  He eventually had both of his legs amputated.  The Celtics kept a special spot for Johnny, his wheelchair, and his oxygen tank on the floor behind the basket at the Boston Garden.  Upon seeing this myself in person, I was struck by how sadly he had become a shell of himself.  And then to my amazement, he lit up a cigarette and stuck it into his breathing tube through a hole in his neck.

Closer to home, my grandfather lived with my family the last 6 years of his life.  He smoked multiple packs of unfiltered cigarettes each day for over 60 years.  His strong heart from a life of hard work kept him alive despite the deterioration of his lungs.  All those years he knew that he would eventually suffocate to death– and he ultimately did.

So while we are busy saving the environment by stopping Global Warming, I hope that one day I can come into work without smoke in my face and see ALL of my family, friends and colleagues live longer, healthier lives.

Last night I attended to the IMAX premiere of Happy Feet, the new socially conscious CGI feature from Warner Bros. with animation from the Australian company Animal Logic.  The animation is breathtaking– it is so good that it almost looks real– and since the story line borrows a lot from March of the Penguins, sometimes it actually looks real (although I just learned this morning that the color of the snow in March of the Penguins was actually doctored to look white because of the inevitable result of thousands of penguins standing around in the no-longer-pristine snow for weeks on end…).

The problem, as with so many CGI movies, is the story line.  The movie was about 30 minutes too long for my taste and the loose ends of the plot were tied together hurriedly in the last 5 minutes (my guess is that the Director wanted it to be 30 minutes longer!).  A little less CGI and a better crafted story line would have worked better.  It would have also better illustrated the plight of the penguins.

Oh yeah, more music too.  The music and dancing was very entertaining– I particularly liked the Barry White and Chaka Khan pieces (I’m showing my age…). It’s kind of like a laser show where the laser images gets old but the music keeps you engaged.

Bottom line:  go see the movie and bring your kids for sure– best idea, see it at an IMAX theater for the full CGI majesty.

 

I was in a meeting earlier this week with a well known media exec talking about Imaginova (the parent company of LiveScience) and all the trends increasing society’s interest in Science and Technology.  He agreed with the trend and further believes that “Science is the ‘new art’ “. 

It made me think about the research study OMD Worldwide did on behalf of Imaginova profiling the Intellectually Curious market.  The study found that of the 60 million “Intellectually Curious” adults in the U.S., about one-third, or 22 million, consume science media as a way to be smart and relevant– and this group is eager to share their science knowledge with others, say at a cocktail party.  This is a group that would historically be found at art galleries.

For this group in particular , I think science is the definitely the new art.  Do you agree? Do you think it applies more generally to people interested in Science and Technology?

A few weeks ago I would have thought that my TV viewing this weekend would be focused on the wonders of Return to Flight 2006 with STS-121 completing a successful mission. Instead the TV is filled with death, destruction, violence, and hatred. The wonders of technology that have allowed humans to travel in space and the payoff of international cooperation embodied in the ISS are overshadowed by the international proliferation of weapons technology. The money which could otherwise be used in support of peaceful uses of nuclear power, such as Project Prometheus which will allow us to use nuclear power to go further and faster into space, is instead being focused on keeping nuclear weapons technology out of the hands of radical governments.

This weekend reminded me of one of my favorite Star Trek episodes starring Frank Gorshin called “Let That Be Your Last Battlefield” in which two men chase each other around the universe for eternity trying to kill each other. Captain Kirk can’t understand why until the combatants point out to him the one is black on the left and white on the right while the other is white on the left and black on the right. Kirk tries unsuccessfully to point out the absolute absurdity of the situation.

Now we know that many of the original Star Trek episodes were rife with social commentary that was fertile ground in the 60s when the episodes first aired– in this case, the episode pointed out the absurdity of judging people by the color of their skin. But I wonder if Gene Roddenberry was foreshadowing another message? That is, despite the technological advances embodied in the Star Trek world of the future, old fashioned, low-tech bigotry, hatred and killing will be as ubiquitous as ever. Whether or not that was his intent, it has unfortunately turned out to be true.

This weekend I went to see Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth”.  While it is hard to call the experience “entertaining”, it was certainly engaging… and very troubling.  Gore presents fact after fact which makes a compelling case that Global Warming is real and something really to worry about. Now I am not a scientist so I can’t vouch for the scientific findings.  However, the data presented by Gore certainly appears to show correlations that indicate that we have something very real to worry about.  LiveScience.com has been chronicling many studies that appear to support this thesis.

It is unfortunate that the reviews and discussions about the movie have focused on liberal vs. conservative labels on an issue that is about as bi-partisan as you can get. Gore does not help this problem.  While it is fair to point out that politics could be preventing serious consideration about the issue, Gore makes it too personal.  If you follow his logic, the combination of the Supreme Court and candidate Bush’s false promise to limit greenhouse gases, prevented Gore from being President and solving Global Warming.  I respect his efforts in the support of the cause but I think his personal frustrations and travails divert from the issues and help fuel the speculation of a politically motivated agenda.

Gore makes a very effective analytical case that Global Warming is real and something to be very concerned about.  His comparison to Winston Churchill’s famous quote warning about appeasing the Nazis made a very strong impression.  But I come away a bit confused.  If all his data is accurate, why aren’t more people beating the drum of impending doom?  Is it really true that all scientists agree with his position but that the Bush administration and big oil are obfuscating the truth?

Coincidentally, I saw the movie in the same theater that I saw “March of the Penguins” with my 10-year old son.  Sharing that wonderful movie with him and watching the awe it inspired in him is something I won’t soon forget.  And the next day I celebrated Father’s Day with him while still haunted by the images from the night before.  Will Global Warming interrupt my son’s bright future?  I want the truth! I can handle it.

Thomas Friedman’s runaway bestseller The World is Flat bemoans the declining competitiveness of the U.S. versus emerging economic powerhouses like China and India.  He attributes much of this decline to our woeful lack of educational emphasis on math and science.  The U.S. government has initiated the No Child Left Behind program in part to address this problem.

Is there hope for the U.S.?  I believe so.

In the seven year history of Imaginova, parent company of science related brands like LiveScience, SPACE.com, Starry Night, Space News and Orion, we observed that our readers and customers comprised much more than just the hardcore science enthusiasts.  So we commissioned a study by OMD, the global media & communications agency, to size and profile the market of adults who are “intellectually curious” about science.   The study determined that 60 million adults 25-54 fall into the “intellectually curious” category—but only about 20 million of these are the hard core enthusiasts (which we affectionately call ‘geeks’).  That means there are 40 million adults who define themselves in other ways—i.e., by their careers or social status– but are, in varying degrees, just as fascinated and intrigued by science.

The 60 million “intellectually curious” adults is just the start.  Many of these adults have children to whom they promote math and science interest and send their kids to schools who nurture this interest as well.

Part of the problem in converting this broad interest to passion and science-oriented career choices have been the role models of success.  Despite the mind boggling advances in scientific research over the last 30 years, the heroes of our day have too often been entertainers and athletes and the measure of career success has been defined by investment bankers and lawyers.  By their very nature, scientists are humble and shun the spotlight—becoming somewhat inaccessible to the youth.  Photogenic, entertaining physicists like Carl Sagan and Neil Tyson have been few and far between.

But there is hope. 

The internet boom beginning in the mid-90s is now over 10 years old.  Larry Page, Sergey Brin, Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos, etc. are ‘rock stars’.  These are the type of high profile success stories that can be role models that turn intellectual curiosity into careers, new discoveries, and enhanced U.S. competitiveness.  

I am optimistic.