"While some are enjoying reading their paperback novels, the rest of are waiting."
Isn't that backwards? Are you actually saying that the number of people who read scientific papers is greater than the number of people who read paperbacks and novels?
"The CRA (effectively forcing businesses to make sub-prime loans to keep regulators off their backs)..."
Sigh. Most of the institutions bitten the worse by the subprime crisis (like CountryWide) are not banks, and as such, NOT GOVERNED BY THE CRA. The CRA is simply a whipping boy trotted out in an attempt to focus the blame elsewhere...
"Why, we didn't have a choice! We were forced to hand out loans! Why, in some cases, we couldn't even be bothered to check credit scores or verify income! Oh, the inhumanity of it all!"
You realize, of course, that you've left a lot out?
You realize, of course, that the CRA did not force banks to make loans to individuals who couldn't afford them? What it did do was say that you could not refuse credit based on location or area (redlining) and instead had to base your loan evaluation on the INDIVIDUAL, and upon the individual's ability to pay. (Try reading the bill and not the Wiki.)
You realize, of course, that the vast majority of the subprime loans that are going belly-up were made by financial institutions like CountryWide... which are not banks, and as such, WERE NOT COVERED BY THE CRA IN THE FIRST PLACE.
You realize, of course, that in early 2005, the Office of Thrift Supervision (under GW Bush) implemented new rules that substantially weakened the CRA, and as such, its impact on credit markets?
You realize, of course, that a good portion of our current crisis is caused by the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, introduced by Senator Phil Gramm (R-TX), which in 1999 repealed part of the Glass-Steagall Act, opening up "competition" among banks, securities companies and insurance companies. Which in turn lead to our current set of mega-institutions that are so large and intertwined they can't be allowed to fail?
The same Phil Gramm, BTW, that was John McCain's presidential campaign co-chair and his most senior economic adviser. The same Gramm that in July explained the nation was not in a recession, stating, "We have sort of become a nation of whiners."
I could continue, but suffice to say that there's a lot of information that your oh-so-insightful post left out.
Do you work for the Republican campaign? I only ask because such blatant cherry-picking of the facts to suit your own position is a party trademark.
We should make a note of the people who "flipped" between the first vote and the second, and then examine the bill to see just how much it took to buy them off.
Republican congress-critter speaking before the House: "My friends, this bill is a trillion dollar insult against the American people and must not... eh?" Critter pauses as an aide steps up and whispers in his ear, "Sir, they just added $25 million in new highway funds for our district."
Republican congress-critter smiles and turns back to the floor: "My friends, I am proud to support this much needed bill that will secure American financial institutions and our way of life...."
One should note that we're still about 9 months out from the expiration date of the first 2-year contracts for the original iPhone. As such, the assumption that a given user is locked into a 5-year exclusive agreement is premature. Which means the lawsuit is premature.
No one knows--including you--what end-of-contract options Apple and/or AT&T may or may not introduce when that time comes...
"Part of the agreement involves not making a CDMA version."
Ah. So now Apple is expected to spend a bunch of R&D dollars designing and building and certifying new hardware, just so Joe Verizon can have an iPhone?
Where's the AT&T GSM Android G1, BTW? Or the AT&T Instinct? I'm on AT&T, and it's not fair at all that I'm FORCED to sign a contract with T-Mobile or Sprint just to get one of those phones.
Just that the parent doesn't seem to realize that the statement "These phones CAN work on all [sic] those networks" is false-to-fact. They can't. And the iPhone, and the iPhone 3G in particular, won't work correctly (or at all) on any network other than AT&T's.
"My original post was referring to plugin hybrids..."
And the Volt is a PHEV. And the upcoming Prius will be an PHEV. Mods to make an existing Prius a PHEV exist. You said, and I quote, "and would probably be riding on 1/4 of a tank most of the time."
To which I quoted facts on how far you can go in a Volt or PHEV Prius on a 1/4 tank. How you can probably go further in such a scenario than in a traditional vehicle (which many people also let go down to a 1/4 tank). (BTW, keep the 5 gallon emergency can of gas, add it to the the 1/4 tank in a Volt, and you're only good for, oh... 350 miles.)
About how PHEVs RECHARGE THEIR OWN BATTERIES. And so on.
"The whole "green" cult is so focused on getting away from oil, that they run off to something less efficient, dirtier, and less reliable."
Spouting more nonsense again, are we? You know, of course, the Prius has the fewest maintenance issues of practically any Toyota? That the engine, brakes, and so on need less maintenance than a traditional engine due to lighter use? That the "long tailpipe" is cleaner and releases fewer greenhouse gasses?
Like I said earlier, you'd be better off actually learning a few things about your subject, instead of simply showing your preconceptions.
"Customization of your own personal property is never an "exploit.""
No, but there's plenty of precedent for voiding the warranty when a device is "customized". Personal property or not. Especially when the customization involves opening things up and digging around under the hood in places never designed or intended to be user-accessible.
In short: You muck with it, and you're responsible when it breaks.
If you want to customize your iPhone, I think you should paint it pink and put a Hello Kitty decal on the back...
"Forcing people to buy one product in order to be able to buy another is a classroom example of an anticompetitive practice..."
Right. Good thing that there's a dozen or so other major cell phone manufacturers, and three other major service providers.
Apple is offering a phone that runs on AT&T's network. That's the product. No one is being forced to buy it, anymore than anyone is forced to buy an Instinct from Sprint.
"Apple wouldn't provide access to other carriers..."
Which, since since it's US law we're talking about, and since it's a GSM-based phone, I suspect the use of "carriers" (plural) is mistaken, as only one other mobile carrier in the US is GSM-based. (Leaves out Verizon and Sprint.) Further, in the case of the iPhone 3G, even unlocking the phone to use T-Mobile isn't much help, as T-Mobile's 3G network isn't frequency-compatible with AT&T's.
"You can't rely on the battery... and you can't charge the fucking thing"
Sigh. In the Volt, the onboard engine recharges the battery, and the battery powers the motors. In a Prius, the engine tops off the battery and usually shuts down completely in slow stop-and-go traffic. Either way, in most cases when you're not moving, you're not burning fuel.
This as compared to the idling engine of, say, your F-350 which is probably wasting as much fuel sitting at idle as it does creeping along in traffic. Tell you what, I'll put five gallons of gas in each, and we'll see how far each one gets in your "nightmare" scenario. Actually, gridlock is in fact the IDEAL situation for PHEVS. Why do you think a Prius gets BETTER mileage in the city vs. the highway?
Or to put it into language you might understand: maybe if you learned how the fucking things work, you wouldn't appear to be so fucking ignorant.
Fine. Plug it in. But I don't suppose you've heard of a new, top-secret invention that's just now making it's way out of the lab?
It's called a timer. Read the DOE study, and you'll see that timers and/or "smart" recharging systems eliminate most of the load-balancing issues. Heck, quite a few of the newer home A/C systems (since you brought them up) now negotiate with the grid and shutdown intermittently to reduce peak loads.
If they can do it, so can a car charger.
On a side note, I wish more people would actually do some research and consider SOLUTIONS to these kinds of issues, and not just spend their time smugly shooting entirely theoretical holes in other people's proposals.
"People who mainly commute could fill up as little as 2 or 3 times a year, and would probably be riding on 1/4 of a tank most of the time."
A Volt can do 100 miles on a quarter tank. A Prius 150. How far away do you need to be?
Further, in a crawling out-of-town emergency stop-and-go situation such as you envision a Prius PHEV would do even BETTER than a typical gas-power car as a Prius can and will shut down and conserve the gas motor in those kinds of conditions. It's just not needed.
Talk about a lame, ill-considered excuse for an argument...
To quote, "A new study for the Department of Energy finds that "off-peak" electricity production and transmission capacity could fuel 84% of the country's 220 million vehicles if they were plug-in hybrid electrics. If all the cars and light trucks in the nation switched from oil to electrons, idle capacity in the existing electric power system could generate most of the electricity consumed by plug-in hybrid electric vehicles."
Since you're already doing regenerative breaking, the on-the-go recharging system is already there. As such, adding a small engine and gas tank (think oversized lawn mower) isn't really adding all that much complexity and cost.
And the "backup plan" is there for when you need it... like most backups. Running home to get the trailer just so you can run a few more errands than previously anticipated? Sounds kind of dumb to me.
"What I want to know is, how big of a bath am I going to take when I want go on vacation and drive 600 miles without a chance to re-charge."
Well... why not consider the current Prius as a good indicator? With great aerodynamics, regenerative braking, battery assist, and so on, a Prius gets about 600 miles on a single tank of gas.
The Volt is said to get about 400 miles on a mere 9 gallon tank. Take away the "recharge" range of 40 miles, and that's 360 miles. So charge up before you leave home and you can do your 600 mile trip with just over 12 gallons of gas.
"Of course I'm curious how they will report the millage on these cars."
Most are reported as MPGE (miles per gallon equivalent). "MPGe is based on the quantity of heat energy that can be obtained by burning a US gallon of gasoline (115,000 BTUs). The equivalent in terms of another fuel is the amount of such other fuel that would produce that same amount of heat. That other fuel equivalent is then the unit that enables mileage per that unit. On this basis MPGe is a meaningful measurement."
"Since you treated your battery gently, only discharging it to ~60% charge, you avoided stressing it. So effectively that counts as 0.1 cycles subtracted from its life, not a full cycle. This method of always keeping batteries between 40-90%..."
Well... Apple's site discusses this pretty thoroughly in terms of iPhone battery life, and they're in the 30%=1/3 camp.
Unlike the Prius system of keeping batteries between 40-90%, an overnight iPhone recharge ALWAYS recharges the battery back up to 99% (effectively 100%). Perhaps always returning back to a full charge makes the difference between 0.3 and the 0.1 you suggest.
Realistically, however, some days it's 30%, some days it's 60%, and on a couple of days a month it might get as low as 10%. Varying conditions such as these could make the 30%=1/3 cycle the best "rule-of-thumb" guide, true?
"There are actually people out there getting sterilized so they won't produce offspring that would produce more CO2. Personally, I applaud their efforts and wish more like-minded people would do the same."
Have you talked to your parents about this? Maybe something could be done retroactively..... (grin)
Slashdot Mirror
"While some are enjoying reading their paperback novels, the rest of are waiting."
Isn't that backwards? Are you actually saying that the number of people who read scientific papers is greater than the number of people who read paperbacks and novels?
Yeah, noticed that after the fact. You can still [INSERT NAME OF FAVORITE CONGRESS CRITTER HERE] and end up with the same basic point, however.
$150 billion is a heck of a bribe.
"The CRA (effectively forcing businesses to make sub-prime loans to keep regulators off their backs)..."
Sigh. Most of the institutions bitten the worse by the subprime crisis (like CountryWide) are not banks, and as such, NOT GOVERNED BY THE CRA. The CRA is simply a whipping boy trotted out in an attempt to focus the blame elsewhere...
"Why, we didn't have a choice! We were forced to hand out loans! Why, in some cases, we couldn't even be bothered to check credit scores or verify income! Oh, the inhumanity of it all!"
You realize, of course, that you've left a lot out?
You realize, of course, that the CRA did not force banks to make loans to individuals who couldn't afford them? What it did do was say that you could not refuse credit based on location or area (redlining) and instead had to base your loan evaluation on the INDIVIDUAL, and upon the individual's ability to pay. (Try reading the bill and not the Wiki.)
You realize, of course, that the vast majority of the subprime loans that are going belly-up were made by financial institutions like CountryWide... which are not banks, and as such, WERE NOT COVERED BY THE CRA IN THE FIRST PLACE.
You realize, of course, that in early 2005, the Office of Thrift Supervision (under GW Bush) implemented new rules that substantially weakened the CRA, and as such, its impact on credit markets?
You realize, of course, that a good portion of our current crisis is caused by the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, introduced by Senator Phil Gramm (R-TX), which in 1999 repealed part of the Glass-Steagall Act, opening up "competition" among banks, securities companies and insurance companies. Which in turn lead to our current set of mega-institutions that are so large and intertwined they can't be allowed to fail?
The same Phil Gramm, BTW, that was John McCain's presidential campaign co-chair and his most senior economic adviser. The same Gramm that in July explained the nation was not in a recession, stating, "We have sort of become a nation of whiners."
I could continue, but suffice to say that there's a lot of information that your oh-so-insightful post left out.
Do you work for the Republican campaign? I only ask because such blatant cherry-picking of the facts to suit your own position is a party trademark.
$150 billion in pork?
We should make a note of the people who "flipped" between the first vote and the second, and then examine the bill to see just how much it took to buy them off.
Republican congress-critter speaking before the House: "My friends, this bill is a trillion dollar insult against the American people and must not... eh?" Critter pauses as an aide steps up and whispers in his ear, "Sir, they just added $25 million in new highway funds for our district."
Republican congress-critter smiles and turns back to the floor: "My friends, I am proud to support this much needed bill that will secure American financial institutions and our way of life...."
No, they've signed a 2 year contract with AT&T.
One should note that we're still about 9 months out from the expiration date of the first 2-year contracts for the original iPhone. As such, the assumption that a given user is locked into a 5-year exclusive agreement is premature. Which means the lawsuit is premature.
No one knows--including you--what end-of-contract options Apple and/or AT&T may or may not introduce when that time comes...
"Part of the agreement involves not making a CDMA version."
Ah. So now Apple is expected to spend a bunch of R&D dollars designing and building and certifying new hardware, just so Joe Verizon can have an iPhone?
Where's the AT&T GSM Android G1, BTW? Or the AT&T Instinct? I'm on AT&T, and it's not fair at all that I'm FORCED to sign a contract with T-Mobile or Sprint just to get one of those phones.
In fact, it's so unfair I should SUE!
Just that the parent doesn't seem to realize that the statement "These phones CAN work on all [sic] those networks" is false-to-fact. They can't. And the iPhone, and the iPhone 3G in particular, won't work correctly (or at all) on any network other than AT&T's.
Darn. Now he's not going to take the bet...
"My original post was referring to plugin hybrids..."
And the Volt is a PHEV. And the upcoming Prius will be an PHEV. Mods to make an existing Prius a PHEV exist. You said, and I quote, "and would probably be riding on 1/4 of a tank most of the time."
To which I quoted facts on how far you can go in a Volt or PHEV Prius on a 1/4 tank. How you can probably go further in such a scenario than in a traditional vehicle (which many people also let go down to a 1/4 tank). (BTW, keep the 5 gallon emergency can of gas, add it to the the 1/4 tank in a Volt, and you're only good for, oh... 350 miles.)
About how PHEVs RECHARGE THEIR OWN BATTERIES. And so on.
"The whole "green" cult is so focused on getting away from oil, that they run off to something less efficient, dirtier, and less reliable."
Spouting more nonsense again, are we? You know, of course, the Prius has the fewest maintenance issues of practically any Toyota? That the engine, brakes, and so on need less maintenance than a traditional engine due to lighter use? That the "long tailpipe" is cleaner and releases fewer greenhouse gasses?
Like I said earlier, you'd be better off actually learning a few things about your subject, instead of simply showing your preconceptions.
If it means they're not paying the highest rate for power? And staggered, intermittent shutdowns probably won't have a perceived impact anyway.
Cycle through a batch of homes and shut down each set of A/Cs for five minutes an hour, and you might have reduced the total grid load by 5 to 7%.
"If I spent a few thousand to get new copies of all my Adobe stuff, I could in principle switch my business over to Windows. "
Go right ahead. Adobe allows sidegrades.
"Customization of your own personal property is never an "exploit.""
No, but there's plenty of precedent for voiding the warranty when a device is "customized". Personal property or not. Especially when the customization involves opening things up and digging around under the hood in places never designed or intended to be user-accessible.
In short: You muck with it, and you're responsible when it breaks.
If you want to customize your iPhone, I think you should paint it pink and put a Hello Kitty decal on the back...
"Forcing people to buy one product in order to be able to buy another is a classroom example of an anticompetitive practice..."
Right. Good thing that there's a dozen or so other major cell phone manufacturers, and three other major service providers.
Apple is offering a phone that runs on AT&T's network. That's the product. No one is being forced to buy it, anymore than anyone is forced to buy an Instinct from Sprint.
"These phones CAN work on all those networks."
Okay... I'll make you a bet. If you can software unlock an iPhone to run on Verizon's CDMA network in, say, a week, I'll pay you a thousand dollars.
If you can't, you pay me a thousand. Deal?
I'll even go double-or-nothing for Sprint...
"Apple wouldn't provide access to other carriers ..."
Which, since since it's US law we're talking about, and since it's a GSM-based phone, I suspect the use of "carriers" (plural) is mistaken, as only one other mobile carrier in the US is GSM-based. (Leaves out Verizon and Sprint.) Further, in the case of the iPhone 3G, even unlocking the phone to use T-Mobile isn't much help, as T-Mobile's 3G network isn't frequency-compatible with AT&T's.
"You can't rely on the battery... and you can't charge the fucking thing"
Sigh. In the Volt, the onboard engine recharges the battery, and the battery powers the motors. In a Prius, the engine tops off the battery and usually shuts down completely in slow stop-and-go traffic. Either way, in most cases when you're not moving, you're not burning fuel.
This as compared to the idling engine of, say, your F-350 which is probably wasting as much fuel sitting at idle as it does creeping along in traffic. Tell you what, I'll put five gallons of gas in each, and we'll see how far each one gets in your "nightmare" scenario. Actually, gridlock is in fact the IDEAL situation for PHEVS. Why do you think a Prius gets BETTER mileage in the city vs. the highway?
Or to put it into language you might understand: maybe if you learned how the fucking things work, you wouldn't appear to be so fucking ignorant.
"People are going to plug in when they get home."
Fine. Plug it in. But I don't suppose you've heard of a new, top-secret invention that's just now making it's way out of the lab?
It's called a timer. Read the DOE study, and you'll see that timers and/or "smart" recharging systems eliminate most of the load-balancing issues. Heck, quite a few of the newer home A/C systems (since you brought them up) now negotiate with the grid and shutdown intermittently to reduce peak loads.
If they can do it, so can a car charger.
On a side note, I wish more people would actually do some research and consider SOLUTIONS to these kinds of issues, and not just spend their time smugly shooting entirely theoretical holes in other people's proposals.
"People who mainly commute could fill up as little as 2 or 3 times a year, and would probably be riding on 1/4 of a tank most of the time."
A Volt can do 100 miles on a quarter tank. A Prius 150. How far away do you need to be?
Further, in a crawling out-of-town emergency stop-and-go situation such as you envision a Prius PHEV would do even BETTER than a typical gas-power car as a Prius can and will shut down and conserve the gas motor in those kinds of conditions. It's just not needed.
Talk about a lame, ill-considered excuse for an argument...
To quote, "A new study for the Department of Energy finds that "off-peak" electricity production and transmission capacity could fuel 84% of the country's 220 million vehicles if they were plug-in hybrid electrics. If all the cars and light trucks in the nation switched from oil to electrons, idle capacity in the existing electric power system could generate most of the electricity consumed by plug-in hybrid electric vehicles."
http://www.metrics2.com/blog/2006/12/11/us_power_grid_could_fuel_180_million_plugin_hybrid.html
Since you're already doing regenerative breaking, the on-the-go recharging system is already there. As such, adding a small engine and gas tank (think oversized lawn mower) isn't really adding all that much complexity and cost.
And the "backup plan" is there for when you need it... like most backups. Running home to get the trailer just so you can run a few more errands than previously anticipated? Sounds kind of dumb to me.
"What I want to know is, how big of a bath am I going to take when I want go on vacation and drive 600 miles without a chance to re-charge."
Well... why not consider the current Prius as a good indicator? With great aerodynamics, regenerative braking, battery assist, and so on, a Prius gets about 600 miles on a single tank of gas.
The Volt is said to get about 400 miles on a mere 9 gallon tank. Take away the "recharge" range of 40 miles, and that's 360 miles. So charge up before you leave home and you can do your 600 mile trip with just over 12 gallons of gas.
Long way to go before nighttime recharging demand approaches daytime business/summer air conditioning demand.
And those working on the problem are also recommending "smart" recharging meters that will negotiate the best recharging time with the grid.
"Of course I'm curious how they will report the millage on these cars."
Most are reported as MPGE (miles per gallon equivalent). "MPGe is based on the quantity of heat energy that can be obtained by burning a US gallon of gasoline (115,000 BTUs). The equivalent in terms of another fuel is the amount of such other fuel that would produce that same amount of heat. That other fuel equivalent is then the unit that enables mileage per that unit. On this basis MPGe is a meaningful measurement."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MPGe
"Since you treated your battery gently, only discharging it to ~60% charge, you avoided stressing it. So effectively that counts as 0.1 cycles subtracted from its life, not a full cycle. This method of always keeping batteries between 40-90%..."
Well... Apple's site discusses this pretty thoroughly in terms of iPhone battery life, and they're in the 30%=1/3 camp.
Unlike the Prius system of keeping batteries between 40-90%, an overnight iPhone recharge ALWAYS recharges the battery back up to 99% (effectively 100%). Perhaps always returning back to a full charge makes the difference between 0.3 and the 0.1 you suggest.
Realistically, however, some days it's 30%, some days it's 60%, and on a couple of days a month it might get as low as 10%. Varying conditions such as these could make the 30%=1/3 cycle the best "rule-of-thumb" guide, true?
"There are actually people out there getting sterilized so they won't produce offspring that would produce more CO2. Personally, I applaud their efforts and wish more like-minded people would do the same."
Have you talked to your parents about this? Maybe something could be done retroactively..... (grin)