We are in US summer driving season, but Tom Whipple observes that both oil and gasoline stocks are unusually low :

A vimeo about the badass code weapon for Hungry Beast on Australia's ABC1. 

Another interesting vimeo by Patrick Clair is How Green is Your Internet?

The New York Times has an article, Rackets Provide Window Into Tennis’s Top Three Men, discussing the tennis racquets used by Nadal, Djokovic and Federer. I haven't paid much attention to racquets since 2001, but I used to obsess over them.

I found this rather long vimeo, Redefining Progress (25:10), on Adbusters.

In architecture school in the 1970s we learned a fair amount about passive solar design. We learned about orienting a building to take advantage of solar angles, about trombe walls, overhangs and brise-soleils. Although, back then, a lot of passive solar designs tended to look alike, it certainly seemed to us that in the midst of an energy crisis, we'd be doing energy-efficient buildings in our careers. 

New Society has published three new books telling us that we're doomed. Or are they? When you see that humanity is running up against a problem, and you write a book about it, are you actually a doomer?

Take Thomas Malthus, whose name has become synonymous with population overshoot. His contemporary, the Marquis de Condorcet, had written Outlines of an historical view of the progress of the human mind, which described a world getting better, for example:

I caught one large summer flick this weekend, X-Men: First Class, and one small art-house film, Still Walking. 

The Mazda 2 now for sale in the US is already one of the two most affordable green cars on the ACEEE list, but Green Car Congress talks about an advanced evolution of the Mazda Demio with, "hybrid-like fuel consumption at a lower price." 

Prius goes roomy

Toyota previews Prius v; first expansion of planned Prius “family”

Rafael Nadal vs Roger Federer

Rafa has owned Roger at the French in the past, but there were three reasons to think today might be different: 

1 - Federer looked sharp in dismissing Djokovic, who had been undefeated this year.

2 - The Babolat balls are very light this year. So Roger's serve will be more of a weapon.

I like to promote cycling, but The Infrastructurist notes that in many cities it isn't even safe to walk next to the roads much less to bike in traffic: 

The Truth About Cars  carries this story of a pair of local police officers beating up an old man on a bogus-sounding speeding charge, but there's more info in the source decision, a PDF. 

Li Na vs Francesca Schiavone

The match looks even in the first few games as both players hold serve twice. Francesca is relying on the serve to get ahead in rallies. If Schiavone doesn't keep her opponent moving or hits anything short, Li puts it away with a powerful, flat forehand to a corner. In case we were wondering, McEnroe observes that Li has more power.

2-2 15-40 - break points for Li. Schiavone saves one with a big serve that Li returns long. But Li converts with a deep return and a big, flat forehand to the corner. 

3-2 Li holds easily.

Andy Murray never gave up, but Rafael Nadal beat him in three competitive sets. That was not a surprise.

Not too long ago, tennis folk complained that there was no depth in the women's game. While a top male player could be upset by a journeyman having a good day of serving, the women's finals of most big tournaments usually featured Chris Evert vs Martina Navratilova, and later, Steffi Graf vs Monica Seles or Gabriela Sabatini or Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario, and later, the Williams sisters.