Friday, June 27, 2008
To showcase achievements of Taiwan’s Internet industry, the Institute of Information Industry of Taiwan (III) held the 2008 IDEAS Show this Wednesday June 25. The IDEAS Show is similar from the DEMO, an Internet investment trade show in United States since 2006.
| The IDEAS show is not just an industry show but an investment demonstration from the Internet industry, we [the III] hope more talents can be developed and discovered in this Web 2.0 era in conjunction with innovation economy. | ||
Chris Shipley, Producer of DEMO Conference, was invited to make a speech in the opening keynote. She mentioned about evolutions and transformations of the Internet, especially on business models and change of leaders. Her words mostly echoed some theories proposed during the 2008 Google Developer Day in China by Kai-Fu Lee, Founding Chairman of Google China.
In this exhibition, thirty websites from mobile networking, Web 2.0, social networks, application services, and hardware integrations were showcased there. The website evaluation from professional judges was also held during the showcase to encourage excellent websites promoted into the world.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has released a comprehensive report on the current state of the global environment. Climate change, food and water shortage and a decline in biodiversity threaten humanity’s survival, so urgent action is necessary, the report warns.
UNEP’s Global Environment Outlook: environment for development (GEO-4) report involved the work of about 390 experts in various fields from around the world.
| Selected key figures and facts from the reportClimate changeThe global average temperature has risen 0.7 °C since 1906 and will rise a further 1.8 °C at best by the end of this century.Some scientists believe a 2°C temperature rise would cause major and irreversible damage.Meanwhile, average temperatures in the Arctic are rising twice as fast as elsewhere.Rising sealevels threaten the 60 percent of the population living within 100 kilometres of coastal lines.Water and foodIncreasing irrigation demands will eventually cause 1 of every 10 major rivers to dry up.Population growth, over-consumption and a continued shift from cereals to meat will raise food demand to a level 2.5 – 3.5 times higher than at present.The slackening expansion of cropland stands in contrast with the fact that by 2030, developing countries will need 120 million extra hectares to feed themselves.BiodiversitySpecies are becoming extinct a hundred times faster than the rate shown in the fossil record. |
While the GEO-4 report salutes some improvements, for example the increased public awareness of environmental issues and political interest, it also warns that “There are no major issues… for which the foreseeable trends are favourable.” Although the report sets out a gloomy scenario, its main aim is to call for action.