Copenhagen - negotiating text

I wasn't surprised to read, in the Guardian, that the draft text for the Copenhagen climate change agreement is long, confusing and contradictory at this stage as all parties have added in their 'corrections' on the initial draft. The process is probably as important as the product but it's depressing to recognise that such agreements do often end up as the lowest common denominator. Pulling it together into a meaningful agreement will require a lot of different skills and understanding. As the article highlights, the big question is "How far will it go to address the traditional sticking points that have delayed progress?" i.e.

• How much are rich countries willing to cut their greenhouse gas emissions, and by when?
• Will large developing nations such as China make an effort to put at least a dent in their soaring levels of pollution?
• How much money must flow from the developed world to developing countries to grease the wheels and secure their approval? How much to compensate for the impact of past emissions, and how much to help prevent future emissions?"

Eco-font

No it's nothing to do with water-saving church ceremonies - it's hole-y fonts rather than holy fonts. Interesting to hear via Mark Yoxon that we could be saving 20% on ink if we download a Dutch ecofont which retains the pattern of letters without them being solidly inked-in.

Wonderful photos

So glad to see that Graham Jeffery, whose sensitive light pages I've much enjoyed in the past, is back behind his camera. He takes some wonderful pictures and of so many different subjects. This one I particularly like. How does he do that?

Digital habitats

I'm looking forward to getting time to read Digital Habitats: stewarding technology for communities, a new book just out from Etienne Wenger, Nancy White and John Smith. I've been very impressed by the communications skills and depth of understanding of the issues and the wealth of ideas shown by these people in the past and their blending of theory and practice. Promises to be a good read.