Apologies for the spotty updates. It’s what happens when you run a one-man show and life pries you away from your keyboard.

Today’s first link is about Twitter, unsurprising given current events. (Twitter’s also somewhat to blame for the lack of updates here but I’m reluctant to jinx things by discussing it.) Helen Clarkson penned a great article on social media and how its penchant for “participatory democracy” is a boon for the sustainability movement.

Also: the non-secret of Apple’s big, green data center in North Carolina is aired; OS X Lion *hearts* SSDs; and SanDisk’s fortunes may lie with tablets and in more ways than one. Enjoy today’s insights!

Can Twitter change the world? – International Business Times
Not by itself, but it sure helps.

Apple: iTunes ascends to the heavens this spring – The Register
“iTunes and MobileMe services.” Shocker!

OS X Lion Adds Essential Function To Help Preserve SSDs – Cult of Mac
Good news for Mac users, sure, but also a sign that Apple’s betting big on the pricey storage tech.

SanDisk Staring At Rich Opportunity In Tablets – Forbes
Tablets and the rise cloud storage are a win-win for SanDisk, a flash memory company with solutions for both.

All this has happened before: NVIDIA 3.0, ARM, and the fate of x86 – Ars Technica
Though it’s tantalizing to picture ARM, the designer of low-power chips, take on Intel in the server space, history suggests a treacherous road ahead.

No Automation? Then No Cloud Either – IT Business Edge

Is carbon management software your new ERP challenge? – ZDNet | GreenTech Pastures

Contamination: When the data center environment goes to pot – DatacenterDynamics
Filed under “Ew!”

Silver Spring Networks takes smart grid to the classroom – Smart Grid News
Can Silver Spring’s scholarly strategy help combat smart grid NIMBY-ism?

One Sailor Beefs About Lights, Navy Responds with New High Efficiency LED Technology – CleanTechnica