How to Alleviate
Junk Mail Pollution

Koomey

In a editorial that appeared in yesterday’s Wall St. Journal, Berkeley Lab environmental energy technologist Jonathan Koomey and two other academicians discuss the challenge of stemming spam e-mail, which they say costs the global economy an estimated $50 billion each year. While major e-mail providers have come up with a couple solutions — user authentication and sender bonds — these systems are unavailable to most users, mainly because they are not clamoring for providers to install them. Koomey and the other authors advocate a hybrid system that would allow users to choose their preferred system. Full editorial.

Did Baptistina Asteroid
Kill the Dinosaurs?

Gruber Prize Award
Bestowed at Ceremony

From l-r, Goldbhaber, Perlmutter, Kim, Renald Pain, and Nugent

The 2007 Gruber Prize in Cosmology will be awarded in a ceremony in Cambridge, England today, with Saul Perlmutter on hand to accept on behalf of himself and the team members of the Supernova Cosmology Project, who share the four-way award with Brian Schmidt and the members of the High-Z Supernova Search team for their mutual discovery of the accelerating expansion of the universe. Seven Supernova Cosmology Project team members are currently on staff or guests at Berkeley Lab, including Greg Aldering, Gerson Goldhaber, Don Groom, Alex Kim, Peter Nugent, and Carl Pennypacker. Read more about the Gruber Prize here.

Traffic, Pedestrian
Changes Near Z Lot

Construction is scheduled to start today to replace a natural gas pipeline under the Z parking lot near the cafeteria.  To accommodate this work, the entire lot will be closed, parking along the road above the lot will be prohibited, and the road near the lot will be closed this weekend and next. Next week, flag persons will control two-way traffic flow. A path along the parking lot and nearby stairs leading to the road will be provided for pedestrians. All are asked to use caution when traversing this area, either by vehicle or on foot.