"When an individual is seen gliding through the woods and close to the observer, it passes like a thought, and on trying to see it again, the eye searches in vain; the bird is gone."

J. J. Audobon’s 1842 description of the (now extinct) passenger pigeon. Quoted in Anthony Doerr’s essay “Phantoms and Prey.”

Thank you, Caribou, for giving me a way to get my caffeine fix, support my local NFL franchise, and save the planet all at once!

Exelon is working with SunPower to put a solar photovoltaic plant on an old brownfield site on Chicago’s South Side. The 10-megawatt plant will have 32,000 solar panels and should be able to power between 1,200 and 1,500 homes.

“The Future of Electric Power” in Businessweek. (via smartercities)