Talk of the Towns 8/28/09

Producer/Host: Ron Beard, University of Maine Cooperative Extension
Studio Engineer: Amy Browne
Topic: Protecting Dark Skies
What are “dark skies” and why are they important to people, from prehistoric times to present? Including professional and amateur astronomers, who else appreciates clear night skies? What trends are threatening our ability to see the night sky in this part of Maine? What can be done about it? What is the “Dark Skies Celebration” that will be taking place in September?
Guests: Peter Lord, Island Astronomy Institute; Anne Krieg, Town Planner, Bar Harbor; Jill Weber, Bar Harbor Conservation Commission; John Kelly, Acadia National Park; Stephanie Clement, Friends of Acadia

RadioActive 8/27/09

Producers/Hosts: Meredith DeFrancesco and Amy Browne
“Harmful if swallowed, absorbed through the skin, or inhaled. Avoid contact with skin, eyes or clothing”….”When handling this product, use chemically resistant gloves”…”Remove contaminated clothing. Rinse skin immediately with plenty of water, for 15 to 20 minutes” and “Call a poison control center or doctor for treatment advise”. “Do not use in or near a greenhouse”. “This product is toxic to fish”. Sounds like something you want to run out and dump in a lake, right? That’s just part of the warning label for a herbicide that Maine’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) plans to dump into Salmon Lake, which flows into Hatchery Brook in North Belgrade, in order to kill Eurasian Milfoil. Today we’re talk with John McPhedran, Invasive Programs Manager at DEP and with Hillary Lister, a Maine IndyMedia reporter who has been working on this issue— she’ll also update us on legislation that would give renewable energy credits to companies burning biomass.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 8/27/09

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell

Thought you had cookies on your computer under control? Think again – here come Flash cookies. Here are links to information that tells you more about how they work and how to control them on your computer.

The paper by researchers at the University of California’s Berkeley School of Law (Note – to download the paper you may have to register for a free SSRN account.) papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1446862

To get the new Firefox broswer “Better Privacy:”
addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/6623

Site for “Ccleaner,” which works on Windows machines:
www.ccleaner.com/

Link to download “Flush,” which works on Macintoshes:
machacks.tv/2009/01/27/flushapp-flash-cookie-removal-tool-for-os-x/

To find the Flash cookie files on your own hard drive:
Windows: Look for files with an ³.SOL² extension, within each user¹s Application Data directory, under Macromedia\FlashPlayer\#SharedObjects.
Mac OS X: ~/Library/Preferences/Macromedia/FlashPlayer/##SharedObjectgs and ~/Library/Preferences/Macromedia/FlashPlayer/macromedia.com/Support/flashpla
yer/sys

For a more full report on Flash cookies, see www.wired.com/epicenter/2009/08/you-deleted-your-cookies-think-again/

RadioActive 8/20/09

Producers/Hosts: Meredith DeFrancesco and Amy Browne
Topics: Mainers working on healthcare reform and efforts to bring peace to Afghanistan.
Segment 1: “Maine Change that Works” Healthcare Reform Tour;
Guest: Greg Howard, Maine Change that Works Campaign, a project of SEIU (Service Employees Internation Union). FMI: [email protected];
Segment 2: “Rethink Afghanistan” film and discussion with an Afghanistan war veteran, sponsored by CODEPINK Maine and others, and other local efforts to stop the war. Guest: Lisa Savage, CODEPINK Maine, The film will be shown at the Colonial Theater in Belfast, 7p.m. on Thursday, August 27th, as well as other locations around the state. FMI: www.codepink4peace.org or 207-643-2356.