A Greenpeace action today exposed electronics giant Hewlett-Packard for backtracking on its public commitment to eliminate key toxic chemicals in its products by the end of this year (1). In Palo Alto, Greenpeace activists climbed to the top of HP's global headquarters and painted the message "Hazardous Products" in big, bold letters on the roof. The message, applied using non toxic children's finger-paint, covered over 11,500 square ft., or the size of two and half basketball courts.

This protest follows similar demonstrations against HP at its offices in China and Holland. HP employees were also greeted today by an automated phone calls from actor William Shatner, calling upon the company to phase out the toxic chemicals.

Finger paints? Shatner? That sounds like a nursery school art class being taught by Captain Kirk.

Greenpeace: Hewlett-Packard = Hazardous Products

Action at global headquarters highlights company's broken promises on hazardous chemical elimination

SAN FRANCISCO – A Greenpeace action today exposed electronics giant Hewlett-Packard for backtracking on its public commitment to eliminate key toxic chemicals in its products by the end of this year (1). In Palo Alto, Greenpeace activists climbed to the top of HP's global headquarters and painted the message "Hazardous Products" in big, bold letters on the roof. The message, applied using non toxic children's finger-paint, covered over 11,500 square ft., or the size of two and half basketball courts.

This protest follows similar demonstrations against HP at its offices in China and Holland. HP employees were also greeted today by an automated phone calls from actor William Shatner, calling upon the company to phase out the toxic chemicals.

"HP continues to put hazardous products on the market despite promises made years ago to phase out these toxic compounds," said Greenpeace International Toxics Campaigner Casey Harrell. "Apple has led the sector in phasing out of these toxic chemicals. HP should be following Apple's lead, instead of breaking its commitment and delaying action."

Earlier this year, HP postponed its 2007 commitment to phase out of dangerous substances such as brominated flame retardants (BFRs) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastics (2) from its computing products. Its delay shifts compliance up to two years from 2009 to 2011.

Apple's new computer lines, virtually free of PVC and completely BFR free (3) demonstrate the technical feasibility and supply chain readiness of producing alternatives to these hazardous substances. Competitors Dell, Lenovo and Acer have stayed ahead of HP by putting models on the market that are free of or at least significantly reduced in the use of PVC and BFRs. HP currently stands in 14th place in the quarterly Greenpeace Guide to Greener Electronics (4) having been penalized in the previous ranking for its backtracking on PVC/BFR phase out.

"Greenpeace will not stand idly by while companies that commit to environmentally responsible action backtrack on commitments," Harrell said. "As the number one seller of PCs worldwide (5), HP has both the responsibility and the ability to make sure the company no longer deserves the moniker ‘Hazardous Products'."

PVC and BFRs are highly toxic, and can release dioxin, a known carcinogen, when burned. With the growing tsunami of electronic waste being shipped to developing countries for open burning, workers who deal with e-waste are at the most significant risk for health impacts. Eliminating these substances will decrease exposure to workers and consumers and will increase the recyclability and reusability of electronic products.

[Image via Flickr]

About 100,000 customers were affected by the damage, which brought down internet, cell phone, and landline coverage. We'll keep you updated as we hear more. [SFGate]

Sure, fire tagging is relatively dangerous, what with a school in LA having been partially burned down from the practice, but as long as you're smart enough to not try it on the side of an old wooden barn it shouldn't be that bad. And some people are tagging with lighter fluid, making it less permanent than regular graffiti. Lighting wet paint on fire makes it permanent, but with burned accents, which is cool too. But something about making graffiti more of a performance and something to be witnessed right after it's done is especially pleasing to me.

Unless it was on the side of my convenience store, in which case I'd call the cops on those no-good punks. [Gothamist via Fast Company; Photo by Faith-Ann Young]

This incident even knocked out 911, so it's safe to say that everyone involved is pretty pissed right now.

AT&T OFFERING $100,000 REWARD IN BAY AREA NETWORK VANDALISM
Fiber Cables Cut at Locations in San Jose and San Carlos, Calif.

AT&T* today announced a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for incidents of vandalism to the AT&T network near San Jose and San Carlos, Calif.

Following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, AT&T's networks were declared National Critical Infrastructures in recognition of their importance to the nation's security. Anyone who tampers with, destroys or disrupts the company's network or its components is in violation of federal and state laws and AT&T will assist with any prosecution to the fullest extent of the law.

The early-morning vandalism incidents today involved cuts of fiber cables in manholes at two locations:

· The intersection of Monterey Highway and Blossom Hill Road overpass in San Jose.
· The intersection of Old County Road and Varian Road in San Carlos.

Restoration efforts were under way immediately.

Tips can be given to the San Jose Police Department at 408-277-4161 (ask for Detective Carlos Melo or Detective Dan Phelan);
Tips can be given to the San Carlos Police Department at 650-802-4423; and
Anonymous tip for either incident can be made to CrimeStoppers at 408-947-STOP.

[Photo Paul Chinn, The Chronicle]

"We're treating this as a crime scene," Lopez said.

Four AT&T fiber-optic cables were severed shortly before 1:30 a.m. along Monterey Highway north of Blossom Hill Road in south San Jose, police Sgt. Ronnie Lopez said. Sprint's cable in San Carlos was cut about two hours later, a company official said. The exact location was not immediately known.

With all of the economic turmoil going on, who would be surprised to find out that this was the work of some disgruntled employee? I, for one, would not be. As the article notes, The vandalism comes as AT&T talks with the Communications Workers of America about re-working a contract for 80,000 employees. A strike was authorized in March, but so far a date has not been set. Hit up SFGate to check out video of the scene. [SFGate]

UPDATE: A $100,000 reward has been offered by AT&T for information that leads to an arrest.

Called Biker's Revenge, the design is quite simple, and would definitely be effective from the looks of things. Personally, I won't believe these are real until I see substantial unedited video of creators Matt Braun and Jared Delorenzo wreaking havoc on the streets of Philly (and the subsequent arrests).

Anyway, the concept is simple enough. It's pretty much just the bottom halves of two keys; attached to plungers with a dash of malice; which you then insert into the hollow part of a bicycle's handlebars while cackling maniacally about the evils of society.

Just be careful when you go to park the bike in the garage next to your car. Things could get ironic. [The Record Player via Geekologie]

Though the vandalism industry hasn't had a technological innovation since the stencil, this impasse has ended with the introduction of Stuart Wood and Florian Ortkrass' PixelRoller.
Apparently working like a gooey dot-matrix printer on a stick, all the operator must do is stroke the head over the area to be painted, and the roller spurts in accordance with whatever it has been programmed to paint.

"Print anywhere, onto anything," is the marketing hook. "Both indoors and outdoors."

Gizmodo does not condone the misuse of new technology. It just slyly implies, on occasion, that it would be fun to do so.

PixelRoller [random-international.squarespace.com]