But search engines have proved since 2004 that targeted text ads are a far more effective method of wringing dollars from the Web than display advertising.

FORBES: Climbing The Web Ad Landscape

It says that this is all part of a move from an old method of funding FE institutions to a more effective method, the changes have been planned since 2004 and colleges should be prepared for the new funding arrangements.

BBC: College fund fears spark protest

More recently, the 2011 Wendy Schmidt Oil Cleanup X Challenge spurred an Illinois company to create a cleanup method for oil slicks that is four times more effective than any previous one.

WHITEHOUSE: Unleashing Innovation & Deepening Democracy Through Prizes | The White House

Injecting sulphate particles into the stratosphere, for instance, would cool the Earth by reflecting more sunlight into space. (Nature has already shown that this concept can work, since volcanic eruptions that send sulphur-rich plumes into the stratosphere can temporarily alter the world's climate.) However, Dr Lenton notes that the method becomes less effective as the atmosphere becomes more saturated with particles.

ECONOMIST: Geo-engineering