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China is now the biggest producer of solar power
You probably don't think of China as a clean energy champion given its frequent problems with smog and continued dependence on coal power, but you may have to rethink your views after today. The country's National Energy Administration has revealed that its solar power production more than doubled in 2016, hitting 77.42 gigawatts by the end of the year. The country is now the world's biggest generator of solar-based electricity in terms of capacity -- it doesn't compare as well relative to population (Germany, Japan and the US could easily beat it), but that's no mean feat for any nation.
National Endowment for the Arts grants now available for games
It looks like the affirmative side of the "Games as Art" debate just got a powerful player on their side: The National Endowment for the Arts. The government agency recently changed its "Arts on Radio and Television" category to the somewhat broader "Arts in Media." According to the official NEA guidelines, these include "media created for theatrical release; performance programs; artistic segments for use within an existing series; multi-part webisodes; installations; and interactive games." Hey, that's us! Developers seeking federal backing for their super artistic projects can apply on the NEA's official site before September 1. Considering the grants range from $10,000 to $200,000, we think it would be worth the effort.
More Steve Jobs Education Fallout
In February, we posted about Steve Jobs's anti-teacher's-union speech at a K-12 education reform conference. "I believe that what is wrong with our schools in this nation is that they have become unionized in the worst possible way," he said a few weeks ago. The education community continues to respond to that speech. Yesterday, in an OpEd News article called "Jobs against Jobs", Dale Hill a 34-year retired education veteran, took issue with Jobs and defended the NEA. He suggests that Jobs stick to making computers and gadgets and leave education to professional educators. Kind of harsh, no? Well, Hill is certainly not alone in his opinion and there are many supporters on the opposite side of the debate as well. A quick google for "Steve Jobs"+NEA reveals the very polarized response Jobs' speech has received from the Webosphere.
