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And have you noticed how big and heavy a Diesel locomotive motor is? Its pretty much the entire size of and much of the weight of the entire locomotive.

It isn't, either. The engine takes up a small fraction of the volume of the vehicle, comparable to a pickup truck.

You aren't fitting one of those motors in an 18 wheeler, let alone a small sports car.

You aren't fitting the engine you're imagining in a locomotive, either! Around as much volume is dedicated to the crew compartment as to the engine itself!

According to this page http://www.copper.org/applicat... you are right. And the rime frame matches exactly. I should turn my geek card in. Last time I was out digging cables was back in 2004.

Even when they're not used for cleaning hands materials like this are useful for keeping surfaces cleaner to reduce germ transmission. I've read that simple brass and other copper alloys also have similar properties and there was a brief campaign to use it for things such as door handles in hospitals. Brass would most likely be much more economical to produce and has the added benefit of being very easy to recycle.

Roger that...there are still Telco lines out there that are wick...eh, I mean paper insulated "dry" core.

It is completely acceptable to bury/embed both hard drawn and annealed copper water tube in concrete. Decades of satisfactory service experience with the use of copper tube for in-floor radiant heating systems, water distribution systems and snow melting systems attest to the compatibility of copper tube embedded, encased or in contact with concrete

http://www.copper.org/resources/properties/protection/underground.html

That site says that concrete does not corrode copper. My experience seems to back that up. (Yes, I've built and I've demolished buildings.)

One problem that might cause corrosion, is allowing anything to be electrically grounded through the copper. Read the link. Using a double insulated pump would be a good idea, but not necessary.

btw doesn't concrete corrode copper which is the reason why it isn't placed in the slab anyways.

Not really. According to this article, copper should be fine when embedded in concrete so long as the sulfur content in the concrete additives are minimal.

He lives in northern Tasmania, not Hawaii. I believe freezing -- or hard freezes -- are fairly rare there. Even then, copper embedded in concrete has been used for many decades and it isn't as big an issue as you seem to think. http://www.copper.org/applications/plumbing/benefits/benefits_main.html

"Use PEX instead. Copper will eventually fail. Look at the material that is used for radiant flooring."

Negative.

http://www.copper.org/applications/plumbing/techcorner/problem_embedding_copper_concrete.html

They use PEX because it is cheaper and easier to install, NOT because of its longevity.

They do, but that isn't the case here. These monopolies did not spontaneously generate from natural market forces: they were imposed on the market by the government. This same government has proven, time and time again, that they do not help the market; they hinder it.

Perhaps you think this is a good idea? There's a reason that we want fewer companies running cables. If by "hurting" the market you mean that companies cannot use right of way to gouge customers and forget about rural areas, then yes I suppose your right. Of course I believe companies must serve a greater good.. if they don't want to, then they should yield right of way, and each land owner should be able to charge whatever rent they like to run wires on their property.

The solution to fix this problem is simply; the problem with getting to that solution is corruption, which is always a problem even without government. But if you really want free market, start by arguing that no company ever gets a grant of right of way from individuals or communities.

The ideas Adam Smith put forth in The Wealth of Nations with regards to unregulated capitalism actually work, as they built not only our country, but the wealth of the western world. Das Kapital doesn't have the same track record.

Yes, the unrestrained market works. That's why trusts never form on their own, and of course there's no problems. Of course I suppose it depends on your definition of "works." If by "works," you mean that a few people end up very well off, while children ended up losing limbs or dying and the majority of people where not benefiting at all.

These conditions lead to communist revolutions in Russia and other countries; the reason they didn't happen here is because goverment began regulating the market, and those regulations lead to the formation of a middle class. So, some people don't make as much as they could, I really don't care. Marx was right in identifying problems with capitalism, just not with the solution. We don't need radical socialist revolution, just need to make things even for the working class.

Such waves would travel at the speed of light except that they are slowed down slightly by the effects of the insulating material surrounding the wire. Speeds of one-third to more than one-half the speed of light are typical.

OTOH, http://www.itarchitect.com/article/NMG20010416S000 6 states:

In more ordinary media, such as certain commercial single-mode optical fiber products, the propagation velocity of a signal is 68 percent of c or 205,000km/s ... In comparison, electric waves or signals in commonly used copper wire travel at speeds between 55 percent and 80 percent of c.

So don't take it for granted that just because an electric signal doesn't travel at c in copper that it's slower than light in fiber!

On a barely-related tangent: As someone who put up with a satellite internet connection for 4 years, I can state authoratatively that the speed of light isn't nearly quick enough for a variety of purposes....

http://energy.copper.org/motor-text.html

There are lots more.

Try http://innovations.copper.org/1998april/cable_evol ution.htm. Or search Google for "underwater cable".

In the James Burke series, "The Day The Universe Changed", one episode includes a part on how the ship which was first used to lay trans-Atlantic cable ended up doing that (hint: it wasn't built for that). Of course, you could also go here: http://www.oldcablehouse.com/cablestations/history .html. BTW, you can read James Burke "Connections" pieces at Scientific American (http://www.sciam.com or in the magazine each month.

woof.

Quit all the whining about moderation! Don't like how it works? Tough. I don't like your variable declarations, but I'm not pissing about them, am I? Oh wait, I just did.

This might be a little off topic, but just as important to consider is power quality also, which includes proper grounding, as mentioned in an earlier post. An UPS can take care of a lot of these problems, but if you have poor power quality, it is very taxing on your UPS. There's a few easy checks you can do with a multi-meter and the outlet you plug your computer into. You can do these checks both with your computer on and off, just use one of the other sockets in the outlets or power strip.

(Sorry, only applies to US, if anyone else wants to add on for European and other international standards feel free) 1) check your hot to neutral voltage: set your multimeter to Voltage AC and make sure the probes are plugged in for voltage, not current, measurement, consult your meter's manual. Put the red probe in the smaller outlet slit (the hot) and the black in the larger slit (the neutral) (although it really doesn't matter which one, its AC) You should read some where around 120volts +/- up to 2%, any more or less and you might want to check with your electrician.

2)check ground connection: Although this doesn't help with checking the current capacity of your ground, it at least is a decent check to see if its connected. Keep the red probe where it is (in the hot) and move the black probe to the ground hole (semicircular shaped), You should get about the same reading you got for step one, usual a little higher especially if there is a lot of current on the neutral. If you don't, make sure you have the red probe in the hot, try the red probe in the larger slit just to make sure. (your hot and neutral may be reversed, although this is pretty rare)

3)check your neutral to ground voltage: which if you do the math from steps one and two you can figure out. Put the red probe in the larger slit and leave the black in the ground. This reading is usually in the tenths of volts if anything. If it is much higher, and your step one reading is not in range, then you may have an over-loaded, or poorly supplied circuit. (i.e. you have to much current current on the netural, or a highly resistive neutral, or a low volate on the hot)

I hope that helps, an even easier way to check that just your hot, neutral, and ground are connected properly is to get one of those outlet testers at your local hardware store. And as long as you don't touch the probes together, or to yourself, when they are in the outlet, you should be safe, but if you are unsure read the multi-meter manual or use the outlet tester...Here's a decent intro to power quality issues, they mention stuff about switching power supplies, like those found in computers and other interesting topics on power quality...