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User: WindBourne

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  1. Actually, they need to refocus on NASA Looking To Build 'Gas' Stations In Space · · Score: 1

    They need a pluggable TUG approach. Seriously. Climbing out of the gravity well is good for chemicals. But once out of here, we should use a NERVA or other tug to move around. Likewise, in the well, for cargo, we can use either vasimr or a tether. The point is, that there will be no single gas station. HOWEVER, if we have multiple tugs and each can plug in and unplug, then all is good.

  2. I would be more worried about .... on NASA Looking To Build 'Gas' Stations In Space · · Score: 1

    space herpes.

  3. Re:Elon is on drugs on SpaceX Aims To Put Man On Mars In 10-20 Years · · Score: 1

    And yet, Musk has said exactly where Tesla and SpaceX would be at this point, and he has actually been pretty close. Is it possible for Musk to be wrong? Sure. But I give him better than 1 in 10 chance of succeeding. In fact, I would give him better than 6 out of 10. So far, he has done 5 companies. 3 of them were in America's fourth worst economic situation. The worst company that he has done so far, has been Tesla which by most definitions has been successful. And the other 4 have already been shown to be VERY successful. Show me any other entrepreneur that is this successful and I will show you a person to follow.

  4. Re:Elon is on drugs on SpaceX Aims To Put Man On Mars In 10-20 Years · · Score: 1

    Yes, but the difference is, that you do not control your future on that. OTH, SpaceX does.
    My guess is that if you had to pick one number out of 1-10, you would still not have as good a chance as SpaceX does.

  5. Re:Good, but there is always an issue on US Funding Five Game-Changing Energy Projects · · Score: 1

    A number of states can not run them unground. For example, Florida is way too wet to run them underground. As such, most are above ground. Then you have places like Texas, NM, AZ, Nv, Southern cal in which the ground is HARD and expensive to cut. As such, they string them up.
    Regardless, all transformers are above ground. That makes them prone to car crashes.

  6. Re:Call me a jerk, but... on Iran Says It Has Detected Second Cyber Attack · · Score: 1

    While I agree with much of what you say, the average Iranian does not care one way or another about America. My understanding is that they hated W, in the same way that many of us do not like Iranian leadership (not sure how they think of Obama). However, you will find that the average Iranian is just an person that simply wants to live life freely.

    But, I agree with you about the nukes. If we can stop them long enough for sanctions to kill their government, then we have done OK. Personally, I am sick and tired of all of the wars that we are in and part of. Obama putting us in Libya is just plain stupid.

  7. Awww, that is just too bad. on Iran Says It Has Detected Second Cyber Attack · · Score: 1

    Keep hitting them. We need to stop the nukes long enough for sanctions to take out their government. As it is, common ppl in Iran are getting VERY irate with their government since they are spending more on helping Venezuela, AQ, etc than they are on improving their local economy. With oil sales in the crapper, Iran's tanks are FULL. And Iraq is replacing all of the Iranian oil. Of course, it is highly likely that we will see loads of attacks on Iraq and possible saudi arabian oil fields in an attempt to stop them from making up the difference.

    Regardless, this is a waiting out game.

  8. Wrong on Why Science Is a Lousy Career Choice · · Score: 1

    You are better off with a Science or engineering bachelor combined with an MBA OR an MBA AND an advanced science/engineering degree. With that approach, you are far more likely to capitalize on new ideas than is either a pure business toady, or a pure science geek

  9. Re:SHould be REQUIRED on new homes on Solar Panels Increase Home Value · · Score: 1

    Actually, you are talking about changing an OLD home. I was talking ONLY about changing NEW homes. With a new home, the payback on geo-thermals is less than 5 years (and that is without subsidies) through the entire lower 49 (my understanding is that even Alaska has quick paybacks on geo-thermal).

    Triple pane low-E argon Thermopane is the current high-end standard on new homes, however, they still have 5-7x the loss of a aerogel window.

    When it comes to older homes, you have probably done all that really can be done economically. What I am suggesting is to get NEW homes up to high standards so that they do not compete with older homes like yours. Basically, we do not need/want a race to the bottom.

  10. Re:You are an idiot on Rep. Bill Posey Introduces 'Back To the Moon' Bill · · Score: 1

    Here you go. You should read up a bit more about it.
    Many economists is about 25%.

    Personally, I would think that some of their policies were detrimental. Kind of like when Nixon/Ford did price controls on us and Carter had to back out of those, or how reagan, and W borrowed heavily during good economic times. All you do is shift the agony down the road, with the possibility of making things worse. it is far better to let FREE markets sort things out. When the number of companies are too few, break them up. While I am not a fan of the GM/Chrysler bail-out, I think that had we broken them up, we would see a VERY different situation today.

  11. Re:Good, but there is always an issue on US Funding Five Game-Changing Energy Projects · · Score: 1

    Sure, but other than your road paving, that has nothing to do with politics. The blackout issue is about economics.

  12. Re:If you don't give them the jobs they go home wi on US Funding Five Game-Changing Energy Projects · · Score: 1

    I could not agree more. That is a SERIOUS issue and we have stepped deep into it.

  13. Re:If you don't give them the jobs they go home wi on US Funding Five Game-Changing Energy Projects · · Score: 1

    What you describe are multiple issues wrapped up in one. For starters, the science/engineering students vs. nation is because we make available the same grants to foreign students as to American. China comes along and simply adds to the top of that, so that Chinese students here make double what an American does. Total BS. That needs to stop.
    However, once we educate these ppl, and they have learned our culture, we should offer up green cards. Many times we do not.

    Now, as to China taking our tech, yes, that is what is happening. Regularly, we have tech in the university that goes to a company which China then approaches and offers up all sorts of deals. Total subsidization. That is how they obtained the LED work. The same is true of solar and wind. When we cracked down on direct investment, China simply did an end-run by buying investment companies.

    As to the shuttle, well, we both know that it was dead. However, much of the real tech resides not in the 3000 that will be laid off buy ppl in L-Mart, Boeing, and PWR. In addition, we have the ability to say no to tech. transfer. Hopefully, we will run away from SLS and will instead put forward a COTS-SHLV, in which we get two SHLV of 130-150 tonnes for a fraction of the price that SLS will cost to build and operate.

  14. Re:Good, but there is always an issue on US Funding Five Game-Changing Energy Projects · · Score: 1

    Actually, she is not. A free and open market DOES make a difference. The problem is that we no longer have free markets. We are look at oligopolies that have lost competition in its blood. GE would much rather move production to China, lowering their costs and produce the same large coal plant. OTH, with storage and routing, it will compete against that once this goes into place. Basically, it will gut their coal operations. Instead, Nukes and AE will overtake it quickly. In addition, with storage, there is no call for building new plants.

  15. Re:Good, but there is always an issue on US Funding Five Game-Changing Energy Projects · · Score: 1

    could and will are two different things. There are established companies that would rather move production to cheaper nations and simply disregard any new invention that will compete against them.

  16. You are kidding, right? on US Funding Five Game-Changing Energy Projects · · Score: 1

    This is the EXACT kind of R&D that used to put America in the TOP SLOT. The reason is that it is taking on currently estalished companies that do not want to change. Routing power and storing energy will enable AE, but it will also make today's power companies VERY EFFICIENT. Right now, they have baseload and demand generators. The demand Generators are inefficient to run. With cheap storage, then we can pick up energy during the night and meet demand during the day. Heck, last year, we wasted something like 4-10 GW of power. WHy? Because we had to feather wind generators because other fossil fuel generators were on-line. If we have storage AND ROUTING, then we can separate energy production from delivering electricity, which would allow us to have SMALL monopolies. That means true free markets.

    But you think that gov. has no place? Aviation? Trains? Roads? Water? Telecommunications? Rockets? POWER COMPANIES? All of these were developed by gov. directly and indirectly. The research on Aviation, rockets, and telco came dominatly from gov. grants.

    This kind of R*D is good. It just needs to stay here, or at least in nations that have true free economic competition. Allowing another nation to manipulate their money and the situation while they are bound by treaty not to, is BS.

  17. Re:Good, but there is always an issue on US Funding Five Game-Changing Energy Projects · · Score: 1

    Actually, compressed air is considered the cheapest and the best at this time. Thermal is really where we want to be.

  18. Re:Good, but there is always an issue on US Funding Five Game-Changing Energy Projects · · Score: 1

    Where have you read politics causing blackouts and where are you reading about blackouts in the USA?
    The last time that I had a blackout was in '78 in northern ill. when a massive snow storm struck. Now, we have had power outage for up to 30 minutes, but that was due to cars hitting transformers or lines (normally a lose of life). I do know that part of Denver had a blackout, but that was due to a LARGE transformer going out. The issue is that Xcell (our power company) not doing their maintenance. But that is not politics.
    The only black-outs that I have heard elsewhere was due to American snowstorms(snowstorms in locations that occur once every half century), coastal hurricanes, midwest/southern tornadoes, midwest storms (ferocious; rooms with small windows will be lite up brighter than 150 watt bulb for 5 minutes at a time, while the room will be lite up like a 40-60 watt bulb all night long; thunder rattles house all night ), or western earthquakes. But I do not think that you can call that politics.

  19. Re:Good, but there is always an issue on US Funding Five Game-Changing Energy Projects · · Score: 1

    First problem is that most all new techs were helped by govs.. THat is true in just about every nation.
    The second problem is that I am a huge beliver in free market. It really works great once a line is established. The problem is that China is NOT free or fair. They have their money fixed, their subsidies increasing, they dump on the markets,etc. The purpose of our trading with other nations is to help EVERYBODY. The idea being that as a nation comes into its own, that their money rises against others. But with China, there is nothing free or fair. There is really no reason to trade with them.

  20. Good, but there is always an issue on US Funding Five Game-Changing Energy Projects · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I love this R&D. We have a solid science base (in spite of the gutting of during the 80s and through the 00's). We have loads of inventions and developments. The problem is that we simply allow other nations esp China to simply take it. That has to stop. China has been subsidizing companies to go there, which is total bs. This R&D needs to require that any company picking it up remain in the USA with the tech. Simple as that. All of Asia does. All of EU does it. Only US and UK do not do this. We need to rebuild our own economy.

  21. You are an idiot on Rep. Bill Posey Introduces 'Back To the Moon' Bill · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Kennedy was more conservative then reagan, poppa bush, or W. Back then they could balance budgets. Now, we have uneducated masses voting in neo-cons who speak of balancing budgets, stopping illegals,and getting to the moon, but do the exact opposite. Sadly, these followers ignore results and simply listen to rhetoric. Neo-cons have fucked up education in America. Hell, reagan and W grew gov more than all other president EXCEPT for lincoln and FDR who were dealing with real issues.

  22. Only by dropping SLS on Rep. Bill Posey Introduces 'Back To the Moon' Bill · · Score: 2

    The SLS is a joke and should be dropped. If we do COTS-SHLV for 2 vehicles (140 tonnes to LEO, 5 billion or less for build out and below 400 million to launch), then we can do a sustained base. In addtion, we need to get Bigelow and IDC Dover going with both of their space stations (which are actually transhabs).

  23. You miss the point on Solar Panels Increase Home Value · · Score: 1

    First off, the 20K is for solar installs of existing homes that are trying to cover all of their electricity usage. I am speaking of NEW homes in which they are designed in. By requiring a builder to have solar for 1/2 HVAC, the builder will have to make a choice. Either spend the money on about 15K of solar, OR spend it to better insulate their homes and then use either a air heat pump or a ground based one. The reason for the insulation is easy to see. better insulation, less costs. Aerogel windows are expensive, but will double the insulation value of the best triple pane windows out there (which are even more expensive and heavy). A ground source heat pump on a NEW install is about 2-4 K above and beyond installing a gas furnace AND AC. However, it will use a fraction of the energy that an AC would. Missouri and Tennese are funny places. They are ones that can actually do air based heat pumps VERY cheaply (you do not suffer temp extremes), while most others can not.

    In addition, keep in mind that 13% of our homes are unoccupied. Why? Because banks are sitting on foreclosures. Yes, 13%. Huge amount (better than china; they are thought to be sitting on 1/3 and about equal to EU and UK). In the USA, construction has come to a relative standstill. It is still going on, but not that much. It is higher-end and business. Now, if ppl start building low-end homes, then those banks will have ZERO CHOICE but to dump the foreclosures on the market. Do you have any idea what will happen to your house value? You will not be able to MOVE IT. Not for the next decade. Not even if you wanted to.

    However, if we use this time to build BETTER HOMES, then the foreclosed homes can be released over time, as they will keep their value. In addition, many Americans will like picking up homes that have energy bills of $15-$40/month.

    BTW, as to energy prices, some ppl get upset about all sorts of things. Your .08 is about 1/2 of top price which is east coast. CA is around .13/KW.

  24. Re:SHould be REQUIRED on new homes on Solar Panels Increase Home Value · · Score: 1

    There are a number of panels that hold up just fine to hail. Here in Colorado we get much more hail then you do, and much bigger than anywhere in the south. In fact, it is the only real issue that we have here. Ppl here get all scared about F1s, while since I grew up all around the USA including tornado alley, I only get interested in F3's and above. Most solar panels are covered with a glass designed to resist hail damage, but even if so, then the glass is replaced, not the solar cells.

  25. Re:SHould be REQUIRED on new homes on Solar Panels Increase Home Value · · Score: 1

    False. The reason is that home builders will simply insult more (better insulation, aerogel windows), as well as use geo-thermal heat pumps. And other than Alaska, ALL states will do fine with 1/2 hvac if they minimize their HVAC needs.