Okay, so, you charge and use your phone, and charge it again. You usually pay for charging your own battery through your car or home outlet.
What about all that media you use?
As much as I criticize Apple, they've done some good to reduce their energy demands on the grid.
For Earth Day, they took a poke at someone with this advertising and also had a video about their accomplishments.
If you remember the rolling blackouts in California not so long ago, you know how bad the energy demand can be. It got to the point where the Standby mode for electronics became a problem, and people were unplugging their electronics, and waiting for them to be powered again when they wanted to use them--like the old days.
I remember working at a hospital outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (before and) after a new shopping center with Best Buy and Barnes & Noble had opened. It was hot and the extra drain from the shopping center and the air conditioning caused brownouts. Since our main computer system was on a generator and a battery back up, there should have been no problem but the people who sold the system never considered a voltage regulator and when things were switched, the computer system crashed, due to bad power. Hospital systems aren't supposed to crash--ever.
So, being self-sufficient is so important. Obviously, the day is coming (slowly) that every house or apartment complex will have alternative energy sources. Not every area is right for solar panels, or wind turbines, or hydroelectric generation.
Even when solar panels work, they're not quite efficient enough. I've recently seen some technology to turn heat into energy, which would work in conjunction with solar panels. I could also imagine capturing other radiation to use as energy.
If none of these techniques work, we'll have to get Gilligan (Gilligan's Island) to ride the bicycle to generate electricity.
What would happen if every company in the U.S.A. would take the cost and effort to make themselves self-sufficient in energy usage? Would there be a glut of energy? Could coal usage drop to minimal levels and only natural gas be used? Could the air be less toxic?
I'm not an activist, but maybe I should be--maybe we all should be. The more we put the planet right, the better off it will be for everyone.
Update 2014.05.08: I noticed a Tweet this morning that had India acknowledging that New Delhi was no more polluted than Beijing, but they disagreed with the UN's WHO's report about it. Maybe these people could look at standards already in place for California, as the brown cloud over Los Angeles is much smaller than it used to be.
Showing posts with label natural gas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label natural gas. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Happy 2013!
So, we're still here, and the U.S.A. is more-or-less over the fiscal cliff because the Congress was too busy the last two years.
I noticed that gasoline prices were increased about $0.20 per gallon in just a few days. I expect refinery executives needed extra party money for New Year's Eve. Perhaps, they'll drop a bit but given the cold here, I expect that the prices will continue. Thankfully, I use natural gas to heat.
Since the world didn't come to an end, I hope people have a plan to pay for Christmas gifts. I would imagine that credit cards have been increasing their rates, so it's infeasible to carry a balance. In many states, credit is barely regulated. I wonder how many lost their cars to title loans, while trying to afford Christmas gifts. I'm so cynical but it always seems that there are people to take advantage of other people. I suspect 300 years from now, there will still be a few people taking advantage. Congress will have reformed by then, I hope.
Technology is continuing to advance. I noticed recently that Samsung et al. were fined for price fixing of some components. I'm not sure how they can continue to do this and not be banned from the market for a period of time, but it probably has something to do with consumer demand needing to continue. For all the demand, has anyone's economy improved since 2008?
I noticed DPReview's Camera of 2012 poll has finished:
The results were rather surprising, considering that DPReview has been rather anti-Olympus past the E-1. I'm not exactly as thrilled with Olympus as I was in 2004, but everything changes. Nikon and Canon have definitely become better than they were in 2004 and Olympus is, for the most part, worse. The E-M5 (E-PM2 and E-PL5) has certainly changed opinions with its image quality. I'd say that people who voted recognized this, as it takes a 135 format frame sensor to produce clearly noticeable differences.
The rumor is that Olympus will produce a replacement for the E-5 by the end of 2013. That seems reasonable--it's been three years. The body is apparently not a Four-Thirds body but micro Four-Thirds with a smarter adapter to enable Four-Thirds lenses to operate at full capability. My only concern is that they'll provide an OM-D series body that is far too small and slippery. If the adapter works on the Panasonic GH3, I'd be much more happy, especially if the adapter is ready (and available) ahead of the new body. Of course, if Olympus produce a body like the E-1, I'd be at home.
I saw that Volkswagen have given in and are selling hybrid vehicles now. The Jetta and Touareg (I saw a news report that the Tuareg people were fighting. Does that sell vehicles?) have hybrid versions. It's amusing that a vehicle with 380 horsepower (what is that in reindeer power?) should be focused on economy or that 24 mpg highway would be an accomplishment. Don't people with US$50,000 have unlimited fuel supplies? I was hoping for diesel hybrids but I suppose that would take much more time since no one else is doing it. Many people comment that hybrids produce a herky-jerky mobility that's an unhappy compromise. I can't imagine that so many bought such a vehicle. Of course, I didn't realize at the dealership that my 1999 Golf would be a constant source of trouble.
I'm so glad I bought snow tires, but I haven't been through the fallen snow so much, as the scraped road that still has snow and ice. The tires perform well, but what works really well on ice, a tank? I'm really loath to go into the cold anyway, but I can't hibernate forever.
I had considered driving to Los Angeles, California for Christmas to enjoy something different, and my buddy the singer-songwriter replied to me that he was possibly going to be out on tour with someone until the 22nd. I guess Christmas Day is not on the 25th in Los Angeles. I would have missed all the lovely weather here anyway. Prior to the 31st of December, we'd had nearly half of 2012's snowfall in one week's time. The 31st's snowfall was lovely indeed, but I'm sure we're going to have a covering every week until April. It's a great thing, despite my dislike for winter--we need the moisture in the ground. Having brown lawns as early as July just isn't good.
I hope that 2013 will be an incredibly wonderful year for all. I don't need surprises but a steady decrease in problems would be appreciated. Being able to go where I want would be a wonderful advantage.
I noticed that gasoline prices were increased about $0.20 per gallon in just a few days. I expect refinery executives needed extra party money for New Year's Eve. Perhaps, they'll drop a bit but given the cold here, I expect that the prices will continue. Thankfully, I use natural gas to heat.
Since the world didn't come to an end, I hope people have a plan to pay for Christmas gifts. I would imagine that credit cards have been increasing their rates, so it's infeasible to carry a balance. In many states, credit is barely regulated. I wonder how many lost their cars to title loans, while trying to afford Christmas gifts. I'm so cynical but it always seems that there are people to take advantage of other people. I suspect 300 years from now, there will still be a few people taking advantage. Congress will have reformed by then, I hope.
Technology is continuing to advance. I noticed recently that Samsung et al. were fined for price fixing of some components. I'm not sure how they can continue to do this and not be banned from the market for a period of time, but it probably has something to do with consumer demand needing to continue. For all the demand, has anyone's economy improved since 2008?
I noticed DPReview's Camera of 2012 poll has finished:
- Olympus OM-D E-M5
- Nikon D800
- Canon 5D MkIII
The results were rather surprising, considering that DPReview has been rather anti-Olympus past the E-1. I'm not exactly as thrilled with Olympus as I was in 2004, but everything changes. Nikon and Canon have definitely become better than they were in 2004 and Olympus is, for the most part, worse. The E-M5 (E-PM2 and E-PL5) has certainly changed opinions with its image quality. I'd say that people who voted recognized this, as it takes a 135 format frame sensor to produce clearly noticeable differences.
The rumor is that Olympus will produce a replacement for the E-5 by the end of 2013. That seems reasonable--it's been three years. The body is apparently not a Four-Thirds body but micro Four-Thirds with a smarter adapter to enable Four-Thirds lenses to operate at full capability. My only concern is that they'll provide an OM-D series body that is far too small and slippery. If the adapter works on the Panasonic GH3, I'd be much more happy, especially if the adapter is ready (and available) ahead of the new body. Of course, if Olympus produce a body like the E-1, I'd be at home.
I saw that Volkswagen have given in and are selling hybrid vehicles now. The Jetta and Touareg (I saw a news report that the Tuareg people were fighting. Does that sell vehicles?) have hybrid versions. It's amusing that a vehicle with 380 horsepower (what is that in reindeer power?) should be focused on economy or that 24 mpg highway would be an accomplishment. Don't people with US$50,000 have unlimited fuel supplies? I was hoping for diesel hybrids but I suppose that would take much more time since no one else is doing it. Many people comment that hybrids produce a herky-jerky mobility that's an unhappy compromise. I can't imagine that so many bought such a vehicle. Of course, I didn't realize at the dealership that my 1999 Golf would be a constant source of trouble.
I'm so glad I bought snow tires, but I haven't been through the fallen snow so much, as the scraped road that still has snow and ice. The tires perform well, but what works really well on ice, a tank? I'm really loath to go into the cold anyway, but I can't hibernate forever.
I had considered driving to Los Angeles, California for Christmas to enjoy something different, and my buddy the singer-songwriter replied to me that he was possibly going to be out on tour with someone until the 22nd. I guess Christmas Day is not on the 25th in Los Angeles. I would have missed all the lovely weather here anyway. Prior to the 31st of December, we'd had nearly half of 2012's snowfall in one week's time. The 31st's snowfall was lovely indeed, but I'm sure we're going to have a covering every week until April. It's a great thing, despite my dislike for winter--we need the moisture in the ground. Having brown lawns as early as July just isn't good.
I hope that 2013 will be an incredibly wonderful year for all. I don't need surprises but a steady decrease in problems would be appreciated. Being able to go where I want would be a wonderful advantage.
Thursday, December 20, 2012
The end is near...oh emm gee!
I joke frequently about the end of the world being the fault of the Spanish, whose troops killed the Mayan calendar maker so no more calendars were made.
It's not so different than my joke about 666 being upside down and the correct number was 999, and as FORTRAN programmers will recall, "GOTO 999" was often paired with "999: END" in that language's programmes to cease programme execution. Truly the end.
If anything truly happens, I'll be surprised and delighted. For once, someone will be correct about the end of the world. However, it will likely just include the human infestation (Star Trek: The Motion Picture), and the cockroaches will continue.
People might arrive on the planet millennia later and think that we obliterated ourselves with our stupidity. How could a people be able to put a computing device in their pocket and couldn't stop ridiculous violence?
The whole world has felt the sting of murders, such as those in Newtown, Connecticut and Toronto, Ontario recently. Canada is much less in love with guns than the U.S.A., yet a similar incident happened. How do military weapons end up outside the military?
Oh, and there is another end: the fiscal cliff. This Congress has been in session for 2 years and didn't accomplish anything that I can recall. I can't recall a Congress so useless, even when Pres. Nixon and Carter were in office. This Congress spent all their time trying to undo the previous 2 years and achieved nothing of their own. Now, they're blaming everything on the president, who as they might recall, has no ability to make laws. They are the anchor to this sinking ship.
We've had some tremendous weather today. I'm not talking about sunshine and moderate temperatures. We've had high winds, rain, and overnight, it'll all turn to snow and ice, as the temperatures drop steadily. I just had someone at the door to tell me how some company from New York got the state of Indiana to invest in a natural gas facility. It's awful outside and they couldn't organize months ago? Besides, they should know by now that the holiday season has left a lot of empty pockets by now.
Well, if the end is near, it'll be a welcome change. Life is too stressful at this point, and only a major catastrophe could change that. You never know. Maybe, aliens (from space) will come and take us all away to be enslaved on another planet to serve milk and cookies to Santa Claus.
Hmm...I think we missed out. Durn. I'm still here. You're still here. We had Christmas Day and plenty of people will have to pay their credit card bills for those once-in-a-lifetime items they bought just because the world was ending. Oops.
It's not so different than my joke about 666 being upside down and the correct number was 999, and as FORTRAN programmers will recall, "GOTO 999" was often paired with "999: END" in that language's programmes to cease programme execution. Truly the end.
If anything truly happens, I'll be surprised and delighted. For once, someone will be correct about the end of the world. However, it will likely just include the human infestation (Star Trek: The Motion Picture), and the cockroaches will continue.
People might arrive on the planet millennia later and think that we obliterated ourselves with our stupidity. How could a people be able to put a computing device in their pocket and couldn't stop ridiculous violence?
The whole world has felt the sting of murders, such as those in Newtown, Connecticut and Toronto, Ontario recently. Canada is much less in love with guns than the U.S.A., yet a similar incident happened. How do military weapons end up outside the military?
Oh, and there is another end: the fiscal cliff. This Congress has been in session for 2 years and didn't accomplish anything that I can recall. I can't recall a Congress so useless, even when Pres. Nixon and Carter were in office. This Congress spent all their time trying to undo the previous 2 years and achieved nothing of their own. Now, they're blaming everything on the president, who as they might recall, has no ability to make laws. They are the anchor to this sinking ship.
We've had some tremendous weather today. I'm not talking about sunshine and moderate temperatures. We've had high winds, rain, and overnight, it'll all turn to snow and ice, as the temperatures drop steadily. I just had someone at the door to tell me how some company from New York got the state of Indiana to invest in a natural gas facility. It's awful outside and they couldn't organize months ago? Besides, they should know by now that the holiday season has left a lot of empty pockets by now.
Well, if the end is near, it'll be a welcome change. Life is too stressful at this point, and only a major catastrophe could change that. You never know. Maybe, aliens (from space) will come and take us all away to be enslaved on another planet to serve milk and cookies to Santa Claus.
Hmm...I think we missed out. Durn. I'm still here. You're still here. We had Christmas Day and plenty of people will have to pay their credit card bills for those once-in-a-lifetime items they bought just because the world was ending. Oops.
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