Zeke Yewdall,
Your point is well taken.
I like to think the humanities are more important than technology.
That people are more important than things.
You ask, "Is it that we hope to engineer a technological solution to our
environmental/social problems?" I say, yes.
environmental/social problems?" I say, yes.
I think some wind solutions is better than oil being the only solution. I have seen big oil sabotage other solutions with their wealth. I have been involved in environmental cleanup of spilled oil and the fascist beauracracies that governments has installed to solve the resulting environmental problems.
I see some downsides to an economy totally dependent on oil. I think we need some alternatives.
But on a philosophical level, I think societal issues are more on the humanities side than technology. That is where we need the most solutions.
Leon
----- Original Message -----From: TarynSent: 9/15/05 2:57:16 AMSubject: Re: [Biofuel] wind and current powerHi Zeke,
On 9/14/05, Zeke Yewdall <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:> That monitoring station suggested to me that such a flying platform could
...On a philosophical level, I often wonder why people are so excited
about fancy new ideas like fusion, or flying wind turbines, etc. Is
it that we hope to engineer a technological solution to our
environmental/social problems? As an engineer, I happen to like
technology too. But scientists have already made PV modules, cars
that can get 80mpg on vegetable oil, superefficient lighting, etc.
Pretty neat stuff I think, but for the most part, no one uses them!!!
Why would we assume that the next new technology to "save" us from
ourselves would be accepted any better than what has already been
invented?
I just find this societal facination with new technology, at the same
time we refuse to actually use new technology, rather paradoxical.
Oh man, it's a fair cop! You're absolutely right. I'm an engineer and constant tinker, love the blue sky tech. but try to make my production designs as simple and sturdy as possible.
Remember all those wacko ideas that showed up in the pulp magazines? I loved to spend time at my grandparent's place, partly because they had a huge cache of post-war Popular Mechanics, along with the usual cubic yard of National Geographic. I pored over those rags as a little girl, wondering why the personal gyrocopter, invented 25 years before, still wasn't in everyone's driveway.
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