Updates from Derren Brown and the Enigma Crew

“A survey of 1,000 U.K. office workers has found that efforts to make office paper use more efficient are proceeding sluggishly at best, wasting huge amounts of resources and stymieing IT managers’ attempts to rein in energy and paper use. The survey, conducted by research firm Loudhouse on behalf of Kyocera, found that the average employee uses 10,000 sheets of paper per year, and as many as 6,800 of those sheets are wasted.

On top of piles of unneeded print jobs, the survey found employees feeling less concerned about the environment and printing more often — a sign that ‘green fatigue’ is taking its toll on participation in environmental and conservation initiatives. Only 68 percent of respondents said they were personally concerned about the environment in this year’s survey, down from a high of 77 percent in 2008. Kyocera and Loudhouse have conducted this study for three of the last four years.

Despite a drop in environmental concern, 70 percent of IT managers surveyed said that their companies could do a better job encouraging workers to print smarter, largely through employee education about the cost benefits of more efficient printing.”

Read more at GreenBiz

As most of you know, Derren has a love for parrots and is the patron of the Parrot Zoo Trust.

The Parrot Zoo have just received planning permission to construct the Rainforest Experience, an amazing all weather development, allowing anyone at anytime to experience the creatures that live in the Rainforest set within the Parrot Zoo who recently received the honour of being within the top 100 visitor attractions to visit in the UK, this will no doubt enhance what is already a superb facility.

The proposed development incorporates a large open-plan landscaped interior with a series of enclosures for a variety of animal species. Giving a totally unique educational experience showing the different levels of a rainforest and the creatures that live within, offering the Parrot Zoo the availability to diversify into alternative animals creating an overall better experience.

Visit the Parrot Zoo Website where you can find out more information about the above project, sponser parrots and also make a donation to support ‘The Rainforest Experience’ project. (Thanks @_Craigy)

Lizzie Velasquez weighs just four stone and has almost zero per cent body fat but she is not anorexic. In fact, the 21-year-old from Austin, Texas, must eat every 15 minutes to stay healthy.

Despite consuming between 5,000 and 8,000 calories daily, the communications student, has never tipped over 4st 3lbs.

“I weigh myself regularly and if I gain even one pound I get really excited,” said 5ft 2 ins Miss Velasquez, who wears size triple zero clothes. ”I eat every 15-20 minutes to keep my energy levels up.

“I eat small portions of crisps, sweets, chocolate, pizza, chicken, cake, doughnuts, ice cream, noodles and pop tarts all day long, so I get pretty upset when people accuse me of being anorexic.” She was born four weeks prematurely weighing just 2lb 10oz. Doctors found there was minimal amniotic fluid protecting her in the womb.

“They told us they had no idea how she could have survived,” said Miss Velasquez’s mother Rita, 45, a church secretary.

Doctors speculated Lizzie might have the genetic disorder De Barsy syndrome but soon ruled it out as it became clear she did not have learning difficulties.

“They kept on trying to figure out what was wrong with her but we treated her like any other child,” said Mrs Velasquez, who charted her daughter’s health in dozens of notebooks. She was taken to see genetic experts but they still could not diagnose her.

Full story at Telegraph

Scientists working on the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) say they have moved a step closer to their aim of unlocking the mysteries of the Universe. The world’s highest-energy particle accelerator has produced a record-breaking particle collision rate – about double the previous rate.

The collider is now generating around 10,000 particle collisions per second, according to physicist Andrei Golutvin. The LHC is housed in a 27km circular tunnel under the French-Swiss border.

The vast machine is operated by the European Organization for Nuclear Research (Cern), based near Geneva in Switzerland.

Physicists say this marks the start of turning the LHC into the world’s most powerful particle collider. ”It’s clear that the LHC is the new boy in town, but in two years running we’re going to put Fermilab out of business,”

BBC