Consider, though, that large power plants are massively more efficient, well-maintained and clean than millions individual ICEs combined.
One hope for H2, though, is that production can be massively distributed on rooftop solar or other micro plants.
I really hope that the distributed generation model evolves to replace the pretroleum infrastructure (think P2P nodes & Open Source) rather than central companies owning/controlling everything (think Disney, Microsoft & GE).
Or not. That depends on whether one looks at spectacular video or at the facts behind it.
In terms of undeserved bad raps, H2 safety must be at the top the all-time list. Hydrogen burning was *NOT* the disaster of the Hindenburg.
I hope that/.ers and the general public can appreciate how safe hydrogen really is in comparison to other fuels.
How about some higher profiles to hydrogen safety demonstrations?
Anything that burns has safety hazards. H2 safety with proper engineering will be far safer than the gasoline bombs we now haul around under our vehicles.
I would prefer fusion, but that hasn't been done yet. Next on my list would be space based solar power, but sadly that might take longer to be ready than fusion...
Ironic isn't it? Indeed, we already have *BOTH* of those things! We have a nice, safe (assuming we get real about greenhouse gasses or start wearing a lot of sunscreen) space-based solar power from, get this, nuclear FUSION. As a bonus, it's 93,000,000 miles away in case something goes wrong. Plus, we all have great view seats so we can keep an eye on things.;-)
Other benefits: CLOSED LOOP Energy (use this solar income to convert to H2 via Hydrolysis) 2H20 + Fusion --> 2H2 + 02. No changing to the balance of sequestered carbon, distributed conversion plants (could be rooftop-based micro plants), and worldwide, to benefit all.
To paraphrase Bucky Fuller, here goes mankind, drawing down our energy endowment savings account (oil) while our paychecks (solar energy) go un-cashed. Sad, really.
LifeBits? That's nothing! Buckminster Fuller archived everything from 1920-1983. His mass storage was a warehouse:-)
His Dymaxion Chronofile was one of his many human guinea pig experiments. For those of the/. generation who've never heard of the guy, he's one of the 20th century's great thinkers--probably most famous for the Geodesic dome. Read Operating Manual for SpaceShip Earth once in a while for a wake up call on priorities.:-)
I saw a documentary recently which detailed just such an occurrence.
It seems that this dufus-looking Earth-Guy with a deep voice (Commander Goldblum) uploaded just such a virus from some primitive GUI-based system into one of our motherships, causing it to broadcast said virus to the other ships in our attack party. In short order, the whole attack party went down in a ball of flames, setting the whole conquering of Earth back many periflecs (several Earth-months)!!! It was worse than the time the ensigns scrubbed down all the base toilets with disintatrives, causing the whole plumbing system to dissolve at once! (But I digress.)
Having an insecure root mac-emulator running over wifi wasn't a great idea, in retrospect, but who would've guessed at the time?
Don't take such threats lightly. Even horribly primitive societies can take you down hard when you don't do the basics. 'Nuff said.
Slashdot Mirror
I really hope that the distributed generation model evolves to replace the pretroleum infrastructure (think P2P nodes & Open Source) rather than central companies owning/controlling everything (think Disney, Microsoft & GE).
In terms of undeserved bad raps, H2 safety must be at the top the all-time list. Hydrogen burning was *NOT* the disaster of the Hindenburg.
I hope that /.ers and the general public can appreciate how safe hydrogen really is in comparison to other fuels.
How about some higher profiles to hydrogen safety demonstrations?
Anything that burns has safety hazards. H2 safety with proper engineering will be far safer than the gasoline bombs we now haul around under our vehicles.
I would prefer fusion, but that hasn't been done yet. Next on my list would be space based solar power, but sadly that might take longer to be ready than fusion...
;-)
Ironic isn't it? Indeed, we already have *BOTH* of those things! We have a nice, safe (assuming we get real about greenhouse gasses or start wearing a lot of sunscreen) space-based solar power from, get this, nuclear FUSION. As a bonus, it's 93,000,000 miles away in case something goes wrong. Plus, we all have great view seats so we can keep an eye on things.
Other benefits: CLOSED LOOP Energy (use this solar income to convert to H2 via Hydrolysis) 2H20 + Fusion --> 2H2 + 02. No changing to the balance of sequestered carbon, distributed conversion plants (could be rooftop-based micro plants), and worldwide, to benefit all.
To paraphrase Bucky Fuller, here goes mankind, drawing down our energy endowment savings account (oil) while our paychecks (solar energy) go un-cashed. Sad, really.
It's high time we work on getting a real energy policy--something that works for all humankind, sustainably, forever.
I keep hearing about a "Manhattan Project for Energy", and now an Apollo Project for Energy.
Why not? Spread the idea! It's catching.
LifeBits? That's nothing! :-)
/. generation who've never heard of the guy, he's one of the 20th century's great thinkers--probably most famous for the Geodesic dome. Read Operating Manual for SpaceShip Earth once in a while for a wake up call on priorities. :-)
Buckminster Fuller archived everything from 1920-1983. His mass storage was a warehouse
His Dymaxion Chronofile was one of his many human guinea pig experiments. For those of the
John Naisbitt did this back in 1982, scouring word frequency in various periodicals to come up with Megatrends.
It's a sensible idea, and really can be forward looking, in a sense, as trends begin by deed, but spread by word.
we're doomed to repeat it.
I saw a documentary recently which detailed just such an occurrence.
It seems that this dufus-looking Earth-Guy with a deep voice (Commander Goldblum) uploaded just such a virus from some primitive GUI-based system into one of our motherships, causing it to broadcast said virus to the other ships in our attack party. In short order, the whole attack party went down in a ball of flames, setting the whole conquering of Earth back many periflecs (several Earth-months)!!!
It was worse than the time the ensigns scrubbed down all the base toilets with disintatrives, causing the whole plumbing system to dissolve at once! (But I digress.)
Having an insecure root mac-emulator running over wifi wasn't a great idea, in retrospect, but who would've guessed at the time?
Don't take such threats lightly. Even horribly primitive societies can take you down hard when you don't do the basics. 'Nuff said.