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Edward Ortiz

Libraries add 3-D copiers

Edward Ortiz Scripps Howard News Service

Last updated Wednesday, May 1, 2013 - 3:51pm

A whirring, mechanical sound fills the air inside a basement office of the Sacramento Public Library’s main branch. It’s the steely and determined sound of the MakerBot Replicator II -- a 3-D copier -- in the process of making a chain link bracelet.

Features, 3-D, Libraries Read more Comments

Entomologist a hit on Web for answer on squashed-bug query

Edward Ortiz The Sacramento Bee

Last updated Monday, May 7, 2012 - 10:07am

For anyone who has accidentally stepped on an insect and faced the vexing question, "Should I kill it and put it out of its misery?," there is one answer better than the others.

The question, posted last fall on the online question-and-answer site Quora.com, garnered a burst of celebrity for Matan Shelomi, an entomologist and Ph.D. candidate at the University of California, Davis.

Features, Entomologist, Internet Read more Comments

Halloween the least eco-friendly holiday

Edward Ortiz The Sacramento Bee

Last updated Wednesday, October 12, 2011 - 5:38pm

Few may give it much thought, but Halloween may be the least eco-friendly of holidays.

Last year, Americans spent $2 billion on Halloween costumes. Typically, such costumes are discarded the following day. The materials, many of which are made of polyester and plastic, eventually find their way to landfills.

A movement is under way to stem that tide. It's called National Costume Swap Day. This year, the official swap day was Oct. 8.

Environment, Features, Halloween Read more Comments