Gene Becker's Page

Folks, I barely made it through the first season. It has been a ton of hard work to play this game, and it has dragged me kicking and screaming from my comfort zone on more than one occasion. I've spent countless hours in research, reading other agents' evidence, doing quests and missions, creating my own personal transformation, combating spam and trying not to feed the trolls. It has definitely been fun, but it's kind of a peculiar definition of fun. More at flow,… Continue

My town's Climate Change Action Plan includes a broad spectrum of strategies for reducing greenhouse gases. A 2005 audit estimated that the city and community collectively produced the equivalent of over 500,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions. Of this total, 46% were from cars and other vehicles, 30% from commerical and industrial activities, and 11% from residential sources. Out of concern for both the local… Continue

Early on in the game I highlighted the efforts of Ann Cotton, founder of CAMFED, whose mission is to provide young African girls with access to education as a route out of poverty and oppression. The EVOKE mission on empowering women gave me the impetus to circle back and take direct action by making a donation to support CAMFED's efforts in Africa. I wonder what the CAMFED team will make of a donation designated "in honor of Alchemy and the EVOKE Network"?

Reading through the Crisis Communication materials, I found the section on managing risk, hazard and outrage just fascinating. There is a very low correlation between how hazardous an outbreak is, and how emotionally concerned people are about it. However, there is a strong correlation between people's "outrage" level and their willingness to take action. This leads to… Continue