Oakley Airwave ski goggles come with a little screen built into the visor. The screen displays your speed, altitude, and the air time of your last jump.

The sports accessories company dived into application-powered apparel early on. For several years, Oakley has made a pair of shades with built-in earphones and gear that can wirelessly connect to phones.

The Airwave steps deeper into science fiction.

The Cook Inlet Risk Assessment Advisory Team is asking for public comments and ideas on ways to reduce the chances of accidental oil spills or to reduce spills' impact on the area's waters.

The U.S. Coast Guard, Cook Inlet Regional Citizens Advisory Council and the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation created the Cook Inlet Risk Assessment to look into spill risk reduction measures, like policies, rules, equipment, systems and services, among others, according to a press release.

The Inuit Circumpolar Council says it is pleased with progress made in efforts to reduce global mercury levels.

Early this week, more than 140 countries adopted a global mercury treaty at the United Nations Environment Programme meetings in Geneva, Switzerland.

The treaty includes legally binding and voluntary measures to regulate mercury emissions, the related health aspects and other concerns.

"Maps are ideology," Christopher Connery, a professor of world literature and cultural studies, once wrote. If that is the case, then the map produced for the 2013 Arctic Frontiers conference is certainly an interesting case study.

In the depth of winter, whether it is snowy or icy, it is always a bit of slow-going getting our household underway in the mornings. Always a first step is to start the water kettle for coffee, often doing this in the glow of headlamps in a dark kitchen if the generator isn’t turned on yet. Even after thirty years of marriage and with many modern conveniences creeping into our backcountry lives, my husband insists on coffee being made the old-fashioned way by grinding beans at last minute and pouring hot water over the grounds through a filter.

Waffles benefit from a gentle hand. Just fold the ingredients together without over-stirring. In our recipe below, the eggs and buttermilk work best together if they are at room temperature. If you have the time, whip the egg whites and fold them in to create a lighter, fluffy version. Of course, there are many flavors that can be added to waffle batter and lots of toppings to try, but in our version this week, we added bacon, Cheddar and sharp green apple to the batter. We topped our waffles with simple sautéed apple compote.

Come February, a federal fisheries council will continue to discuss catch-sharing programs in Alaska trawl fisheries — this time with a bigger voice from Southwest fishermen.

This winter the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council (NPFMC) has heard from concerned parties in the state’s Southcentral ground fisheries, regarding a change over to catch sharing.

When the history of US politics in the early 21st century is written, two figures will stand out: Barack Obama and Sarah Palin.

The election of Mr. Obama to the highest elective office -- the first African-American to win the presidency -- did not necessarily signal a new era of post-racial politics. But coming just a generation after federal troops in the South (and a federal judge in Boston) were necessary to desegregate public schools, it was a huge milestone.