[Vo]:Earth Hour...yeah....
Howdy, Unfortunately, as my good friend John Schnurer is no longer of this world, he can't do this with me, so I'll have to do his share of it. He loved mischeif, even towards the end when his Parkinson's made it almost impossible for him to type (and sometimes communicate at all) effectively, so I'm sure he'd have gotten a kick out of this latest Evil Plan (tm) of mine. The local dumbass greeners (save the world! Kill a human!) have informed me I am to participate in something called Earth Hour. Not watching TV nor listening to talk radio, I didn't know what this was. I googled it, and my retinas almost shit a Christmas tree when I saw how /dreadful/ the white-text-on-black looked on my LCD monitor (low power...). From 8 to 9 pm tonight, I is 'sposed' to turn off all unnecessary electricity to show good faith in doing something to save the planet. Excuse me a moment while I grab my Pepto-Bismol... ...Ahh, much better. Where were we? Oh yes. The Hour of Doom. Now, being someone who wants to use a .44 Automag on any vehicle that displays an assload of 'awareness ribbons', seeing as they are quite hypocritical in most cases (I'll make some exceptions for the truly good out there), I have to ask myself a few things. Is this gonna do jack shit? Nope. Bet not. Is Al Gore the Boring going to stop using more electicity in a single month than I use in a year? I bet not. Does he have his mansion at 58 F in the winter? Bet not. Oh, but he uses GREEN energy sources. Bullshit, this is just pushing the cards around. Mark my words: the carbon credit/carbonocracy is going to be as bad or worse than the petrocracy we have right now. Back to me...well, now, what do I do to do my part to bring peace on Earth to all mankind? (the preceding sentence was supposed to look terrible) 1. Heat is OFF during times I'm at work. I superinsulated the attic, and I can tolerate 40-45F for a couple hours while it warms back up. I use about 25-30% less natural gas per month of winter by doing this. 2. I use almost exclusively fluorescent lighting in my place, and encourage the landlady to do the same. She has heeded my words, and we use a lot less power. I also go around turning stuff off when it is not used. I hate leaving a light burning for no reason. The only incandescents I use are for applications where one must do so: hard-duty worklights that are used in the cold, bench tools that require smaller bulbs for which no LED substitute exists. (I ADORE LEDs. Why aren't there screw-in LED devices? Are there??? Tell me!) 3. I don't use A/C. Who the hell needs it in western NY? I don't...of course, the superinsulation helps keep the heat out, so, there's a start. 4. No TV for me, except the occasional movie with my wife. I like the old transistor radio myself, but I like chasing numbers stations down, and dislike talk radio, so...yeah... 5. Flat-panel LCD monitor. 'Nuff said, uses very little. 6. A few other things from time to time, but these are low-duty things. 7. I maintain my car carefully, and keep the air levels up in the tires. As such, I maximize gas mileage, and with a little careful planning, get the most out of a Saturday morning of 'making my rounds.' Electric bill this month: $37, rounded up. Gas bill this month: $79, rounded up. Gasoline used: 1 tanks-worth, or 15 U.S. gallons, or about $50 worth. This was actually a BAD week for gasoline for me, as I had to go many more places than usual, for reasons that are no environmentalist's f**king business. Did I mention the heat source for my place is a 99% efficient ventless heater? It also humidifies the air, so, it helps my sinus problems a good deal. I use glassware and ceramicware, I don't like paper plates or styrofoam cups. I try to use everything I can, and waste as little as I can. Tonight, however, from 8 to 9 pm, I'm going to take a vacation from that, and prove *my* point to these worthless scumbags who scream that 'someone should do something!' but then say 'Not me!!!' when the cannon of change is pointed at them. Tonight, I will operate during that hour, the following: 2x four-foot fluorescent light fixtures, dual bulbs, 40W each. 2x 500W halogen floodlights. 1x Tektronix 465B oscilloscope. 1x Tektronix 475 oscilloscope. (actually gonna use this...) 1x Hartley oscillator (with the above 'scope) 1x 100W incandescent light. 1x Drill press...I'm just gonna let her idle... 1x 6 bench grinder. Same as above, let her spin... 1x soldering iron, set to MAX, or 40W. 1x shortwave radio. 1x Television + DVD player + amplifier and speakers...maybe I'll watch Dances With Wolves, ain't seen that in a while...or some anime? Maybe listen to Johnny Cash? 1x Computer. 1x Oscillating fan. Too cold for it, but hey, maybe I'll run it outside. ***BONUS!*** 1x 1HP 3450rpm motor, connected to nothing, for NO GOOD REASON. 1x charcoal BBQ grill, for NO GOOD REASON. Idle my Buick Regal for one hour. It's actually good for the motor to run it out a while. Give me the opportunity
Re: [Vo]:Earth Hour...yeah....
From Kyle, ... Electric bill this month: $37, rounded up. Gas bill this month: $79, rounded up. Gasoline used: 1 tanks-worth, or 15 U.S. gallons, or about $50 worth. ... I'm impressed! Knock yourself out tonight! Regards, Steven Vincent Johnson www.orionWorks.com' www.zazzle.com/orionworks
Re: [Vo]:Earth Hour...yeah....
--- OrionWorks [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I'm impressed! Knock yourself out tonight! Heh, thanks Steven. I /probably/ was being mostly sarcastic in my evil plan statement of action, as I'll probably be making Hartley oscillators all night, as well as chasing down the rumors I hear from a friend that there are a few nice, old 1940's style 365pF air-variable capacitors just hanging around an old dump, gathering dust. Unclaimed, I might add. If weather permits, we're gonna go fetch 'em. Thing is, I am, despite appearances, very concerned about the environment, particularly destruction of rain forests. That's something that bothers me badly. But I can't stand the way the issue has been so politicized. People are making money off this, when they should be spending money to fix it. But I try to conserve as much as I possibly can, whilst not destroying my quality of life. It's been saving me a hell of a lot of money, too, but that's not why I do it. If I absolutely KNEW for a dead certain fact that it would be used to build EFFECTIVE solar collectors, or wind farms, or what have you, I'd bite the bullet and pay an extra $1 per gallon, starting right now. But I have no proof this will happen. I live in New York, the land of taxes that pay for the lazy to do no work, or for hookers for the Governor, and so on. I trust no taxes here. I'm opposed to more taxes on gasoline, because I know it will not be used to solve the problem. One thing I don't get is why solar costs so much more than nuclear or coal fired. There's almost no moving parts, and much less to break down, it seems to me. There's got to be some politics in this somewhere, but I don't know exactly where. As much as we disagree on things, I'm wondering if Jed can shed some light on this. Where _really_ is the cost discrepancy coming from? If we build the damned things in the desert, where there's plenty of Sun, what's the deal? If it is efficiency, hell, you just build more for less cost per unit. Big deal. The fuel is free...what gives? I'm a heck of a fan of solar heat for houses...but it seems like no one likes that idea any more. Pity, it can work wonders. Even up here, people have made thermal cisterns to store up heat over the summer, and they heat their homes in the winter with the hot water. In the end, it seems to boil down to one thing: the more you tax, the more it's wasted on 'special interest groups,' which nowadays can mean ANYTHING. As for me, once was a Republican. Not any more. Just an American, blue-collar man, who tries to be the best he can for his wife, and tries to help those he can. That's about all I am. Sworn to no political party. I'm also told I'm pretty weird. Might be true. --Kyle, who in the past couple of days, has come to the conclusion that nothing oscillates when you want it to, but always will when you DON'T want it to. Special deal for Yahoo! users friends - No Cost. Get a month of Blockbuster Total Access now http://tc.deals.yahoo.com/tc/blockbuster/text3.com
Re: [Vo]:Earth Hour...yeah....
In reply to Kyle Mcallister's message of Sat, 29 Mar 2008 16:53:36 -0700 (PDT): Hi, [snip] I'm opposed to more taxes on gasoline, because I know it will not be used to solve the problem. [snip] The point of the extra taxes isn't to raise money to solve the problem, it's to raise the price so people buy less. Regards, Robin van Spaandonk The shrub is a plant.
Re: [Vo]:Earth Hour...yeah....
One thing I don't get is why solar costs so much more than nuclear or coal fired. There's almost no moving parts, and much less to break down, it seems to me. There's got to be some politics in this somewhere, but I don't know exactly where. A broad subject... One factor is that the amount of power can only be the maximum number of watts/sq metre... multiplied of course by the overall system efficiency. All seriously limiting of course. Add computerized tracking and we have a huge capital cost increase. Another factor is the fact that these collectors (photovoltaic or thermal) tend to become wonderful sails under windy conditions, so they have to be installed ruggedly. On roofs, that costs lots. In addition, installing them on roofs means that the roofing membranes have to be made watertight... You get the drift. The overall question is: How many watts can be obtained from a huge system and at what capital cost. Used to be a no-brainer. Wasn't financially justifiable. Now, I dunno. My (somewhat educated) opinion on the uses of solar, was that small independent systems in very hot, sunny climates could be justified based on the alternative: expensive power from the grid. A decent application was the installation of smallish systems that would drive the ceiling fans in apartment blocks in India. Power up around 10:00 am and power down around 2:00 or 3:00 pm - the hottest period of the day. A system, some wires, some inexpensive DC fans. Then there was a proposal we undertook to pump water using small solar pumping stations, for irrigation in the Sahel region of Africa. Couldn't get the political guys to see the sense in that to the point of funding it. Better to sell (or give) guns and bombs to the Africans. P. - Original Message From: Kyle Mcallister [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: vortex-l@eskimo.com Sent: Saturday, March 29, 2008 7:53:36 PM Subject: Re: [Vo]:Earth Hour...yeah --- OrionWorks [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I'm impressed! Knock yourself out tonight! Heh, thanks Steven. I /probably/ was being mostly sarcastic in my evil plan statement of action, as I'll probably be making Hartley oscillators all night, as well as chasing down the rumors I hear from a friend that there are a few nice, old 1940's style 365pF air-variable capacitors just hanging around an old dump, gathering dust. Unclaimed, I might add. If weather permits, we're gonna go fetch 'em. Thing is, I am, despite appearances, very concerned about the environment, particularly destruction of rain forests. That's something that bothers me badly. But I can't stand the way the issue has been so politicized. People are making money off this, when they should be spending money to fix it. But I try to conserve as much as I possibly can, whilst not destroying my quality of life. It's been saving me a hell of a lot of money, too, but that's not why I do it. If I absolutely KNEW for a dead certain fact that it would be used to build EFFECTIVE solar collectors, or wind farms, or what have you, I'd bite the bullet and pay an extra $1 per gallon, starting right now. But I have no proof this will happen. I live in New York, the land of taxes that pay for the lazy to do no work, or for hookers for the Governor, and so on. I trust no taxes here. I'm opposed to more taxes on gasoline, because I know it will not be used to solve the problem. One thing I don't get is why solar costs so much more than nuclear or coal fired. There's almost no moving parts, and much less to break down, it seems to me. There's got to be some politics in this somewhere, but I don't know exactly where. As much as we disagree on things, I'm wondering if Jed can shed some light on this. Where _really_ is the cost discrepancy coming from? If we build the damned things in the desert, where there's plenty of Sun, what's the deal? If it is efficiency, hell, you just build more for less cost per unit. Big deal. The fuel is free...what gives? I'm a heck of a fan of solar heat for houses...but it seems like no one likes that idea any more. Pity, it can work wonders. Even up here, people have made thermal cisterns to store up heat over the summer, and they heat their homes in the winter with the hot water. In the end, it seems to boil down to one thing: the more you tax, the more it's wasted on 'special interest groups,' which nowadays can mean ANYTHING. As for me, once was a Republican. Not any more. Just an American, blue-collar man, who tries to be the best he can for his wife, and tries to help those he can. That's about all I am. Sworn to no political party. I'm also told I'm pretty weird. Might be true. --Kyle, who in the past couple of days, has come to the conclusion that nothing oscillates when you want it to, but always will when you DON'T want it to. Special deal for Yahoo! users friends - No Cost. Get a month of Blockbuster
