Crikey Creek

WOMAD passes the Crikey Creek test

Daniel Collins • Mar 18, 2010

I was enjoying the tunes at WOMAD last weekend, presided over by the Fuji-like volcano Mount Taranaki. When I heard Ojos be Brujo was going to be there, I was sold, but Calexico, The Skatalites and Babylon Circus pushed the gig beyond great. Several of the songs I heard not only rocked musically, but also hydrologically, winning … Read More

Happy St Patrick’s Day!

Daniel Collins • Mar 17, 2010

With Guinness in hand, let us toast the technical advancements of the Irish. Robert Manning – Origin of the Manning Equation for describing water flow in channels. Robert Boyle – Father of chemistry. So, who was the mother? Francis Beaufort – Beaufort scale for indicating wind force. George Boole – Boolean algebra. You either love it … Read More

Improving on-farm water management: Lessons from California

Daniel Collins • Mar 17, 2010

The Pacific Institute, based on Oakland, CA, has recently released a report describing seven case studies of how farmers in CA have improved water management. They illustrate… “…diverse strategies for innovative water planning, use of technology, institutional management, economic incentives, and environmental protection and restoration.” And they serve as lessons for other farmers in CA, but also in other … Read More

Nothing to see here

Daniel Collins • Mar 16, 2010

Unless you’re Technorati, in which case you want to read the string 67YTV55CAU9U to verify this blog. Ah, good old verification – crucible of fire – with one hand you pour praise on claims and hypotheses, and with the other you pour scorn. Your ends are unseen, because what matters are your means. Read More

El Nino brings drought to Venezeula, and exposes a flooded town

Daniel Collins • Mar 16, 2010

El Nino means different things to different people. “The boy”, in Spanish, in weather-related circles it is the warm phase of the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) climate pattern. The cold phase is La Nina (“the girl”). To Venezeulans, El Nino means a little more: drought. But this year’s drought brought a blast from the past – bitter-sweet memories. Water levels … Read More

Why water is so weird

Daniel Collins • Mar 15, 2010

I judged a book by its cover. There was this blue, amorphous blob in the throes of metamorphosis – yet frozen in time. The heading above it read: “The strangest liquid: Why water is so weird”. It was the Feb 6 2010 edition of New Scientist, which I spied when buying the Jan-Fen 2010 edition of New Zealand Geographic. Read More

Happy pi day!

Daniel Collins • Mar 14, 2010

Hop over to Circle of Blue. See how radial symmetry makes measuring stuff easier. And don’t get depressed when things start to suck. Read More

World water crisis: Myth or reality?

Daniel Collins • Mar 13, 2010

Asit Biswas, an expert in international water resource management, has changed his mind. He no longer believes a world water crisis is a crisis of physical supply. It is, instead, a crisis of management. He also does not believe wars will be fought over water. What gives? Have a listen. Read More

Bubble-shaped, water-filtering skyscraper

Daniel Collins • Mar 12, 2010

French firm Design Crew for Architecture has designed a novel water purifying tower. It consists of a series of large spheres attached to pillars. Brackish water is pumped up the tower, taken up by mangroves growing in the spheres, and transpired. Purified condensation is then collected for drinking or irrigation. Mangroves are chosen because of their tolerance of … Read More