Every year I'm realizing more and more just how important the environment is to our well being. In the past, it's always been a concern to me but I didn't do much about it. Now, in the 2008 elections, I will be weighing environmental issues heavily against whatever candidate I vote for. This I know for sure.
In my opinion it really isn't just about saving the planet for future generations, it is also very much about saving it for those who are here now. We could be healthier and live happier lives in a more well cared for environment.
On the news today I heard about this trend called carbon offsetting, of which I really don't know what to think yet! Has anyone heard of this?
Offsetting your carbon (or climate) footprint allows you to become part of the solution to climate change by supporting the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions equal to your carbon footprint. ~ CarbonFund.org
So pretty much what you do is you figure out just how much carbon dioxide you create (with your car, just yourself, etc) and then on CarbonFund.org you calculate your totals and donate a certain amount of money to the organization that equals those numbers. The money goes toward projects that will be able to create additional energy to "offset" your own CO2 emissions, thereby "neutralizing" you.
I really don't know what I think about that yet, but apparently it's "all the rage" with celebrities and politicians like Al Gore, according to the news on ABC tonight. What's funny is that someone being interviewed about it said that it reminded them of the middle ages, where people would buy indulgences to forgive sin and then turn right around and sin again, so to speak. That does make some sense if you think about it.
I wanted to plug this amazing book that I found the other day! Bulletproof Web Design by Dan Cederholm of SimpleBits.com is a very helpful resource when trying to make your CSS and XHTML more flexible, or work well with web standards and accessibility.
I just knew this was the book for me when I flipped to the first chapter and it answered one of the big questions I've been wanting to know about, which dealt with font sizes and what kind of CSS syntax could work for all browsers! Of course, this might sound like rubbish to you, hehe, but if it means that I get to learn exactly why setting a percentage or a keyword over a pixel size in my CSS is better then woot!
Oh and for those of you wondering, if you set your font at a pixel size (like 11px) then certain browsers (like IE) won't be able to manipulate the font size. This manipulation is really important for those people who can't see very well and need to increase the size using their browser settings.
If you use keywords (small, medium, etc) and percentages (110%, etc) then your design will become more flexible for the visitor. Just step out of the selfish mind set that "wah wah my design will be messed up". So what? Let it be more accessible! It's not just little old ladies who can't see very well. 
Something to mention...my last official appearance on the UCF Digital Media Podcast is the next episode, releasing soon! Be sure to listen! 
Your super cool links of the day are: 53 CSS Techniques and the CSS Time Switcher, since we're on a CSS roll, hehe! Have a great rest of the day! 
It was pretty basic stuff, but it answered a lot of my questions. I loved the link to the 53 CSS Techniques and the CSS Time Switcher is a brilliant idea!
Lol, nooo its ok, I love your commentary, Dan.
I didn’t mention much about global warming itself in my entry because I’m not super knowledgeable about it…so all of that info you talked about is really interesting! The bits and pieces I actually have read about actually relate to the whole natural causes thing, which I pretty much believe is a more valid reason then “omg the world will esplode!” kind of thing.
This would really be something I’d like to research even more…if you know of any websites and whatnot that are good references lemme know!