I would normally agree with you but Bin Laden was unusual because he started off wealthy. He was basically ignored until 9/11 and had everything set up and in place.
Relentless pressure prevented him from being effective again and mostly disabled his organization. I recognize that as George W. Bush Jr's successful strategy. (I think the Iran bit was some wacko "I'll show my Dad" thing tho).
I don't think the next group of leaders will be as effective as Osama was. I don't think they'll last as long as he did. And I think our "allies" were helping Osama in Pakistan.
I'm just a Cube Runner and I don't have a degree in Physics but I don't want some stranger to Take Me to My Car by reading my location file.
Yelp! I'm going to have Words with Friends and dance the Fandango if they have been sharing my information. I may use Device Locater but I don't want others to. Siri ously. They can build their own Empire and Tunein to their own location data but not mine!
My bad. "I'm stuck with XXXX" lead me to think it was a land line situation. You are never stuck with a particular satellite company. They can't take the sky away from you. There are other satellite companies.
Perhaps they mean, I am only willing to spend $50 a month and not $90 a month so I am stuck with this crappy company or "I signed an 85 year contract so I am stuck with this company".
Tell me about it. I was watching an 18" by 40" "Cleopatra' in the middle of my 55" screen on Direct TV and it was STILL visibly pixelated from 15' away on the couch.
They have way over-compressed the signal. It's just not worth it. I've been considering canceling it for about 3 months now.
The traditional meaning of middle class was not the middle income but a thin layer between the tiny upper class and the enormous upper class. Typically marked by an ability to set their own hours combined with high income.
I.e. Doctors, lawyers, etc.
So about $200k income up to $500k personal income.
So about the top 1%.
So 98% below them. 1 % above them.
Folks making $100k these days are really just upper lower class.
Equally good CEO's drive companies in india and china for about a million bucks total compensation.
The real reason they make so much money is a) They all went to the same private schools (seriously- I was reading an interview with a CEO about other CEO's and he had gone to 7th grade with them). b) They each decide each other's salaries. Not the shareholders. It's not quite as good as controlling your own salary but it's pretty damn good.
So Bob controls Jim's pay and Jim controls Bob's pay.
Exactly-- we are doing the easter island thing and prioritizing the wrong area of society for long term survival.
It gets even worse when you realize hedge fund managers don't even pay income tax. Get this-- they get to not take income, then BORROW against their deferred income and get the income tax free (now) against some unforeseen future day when they take it as income.
Lots more detail at the faq level but I summarized some of it here. This looks exciting! I was original interested in a turnkey AC unit that I could leave running during hte day which would prevent the real AC unit from starting and drawing power. In Houston, we pay a premium after a certain point (like 750 kwh or 500khw) so my primary goal is just to lop off that premium cost power.
FAQ.html
DC Powered Solar Air Conditioning | Solar Heating Frequently Asked Questions
Click here for Solar PV FAQ's
Click here for Solar Thermal (Solar Water Heating) FAQ
NOTE* This FAQ is for DC air conditioner, SplitCool DC18 (Runs on DC power from photovoltaic panels/batteries). Click here for Solar Absorption Chiller FAQ (Solar thermal powered HVAC, runs on hot water)
What is the SplitCool DC18 unit?
The SplitCool DC18 unit is an all-DC ductless air conditioning system that is designed to run off a battery bank. The battery bank is then supplied power from an array of photovoltaic modules or other DC power source.
SplitCool is ideal for off grid applications like remote sites where grid power is unavailable or unreliable, or requires generators (with potentially complex or costly refueling logistics). This unit can also be used in applications like construction office trailers, portable classrooms, remote medical facilities or other portable or remote structures. The native 48VDC system is also directly compatible with the 48VDC power systems used in many data center, telecom or tower site applications.
Does SplitCool provide heating as well as cooling?
Yes. The DC18 unit provides 18,000 BTU/hr of cooling, as well as 20,500 BTU/hr of heating.
How many square feet can SplitCool heat or cool?
This depends...On average, this unit can heat and cool a space of between 500 ft.^2 and 800 ft.^2. However, this is not an absolute...
Is there any difference between SplitCool and a heat pump?
The SplitCool is a 48 volt DC heat pump. Other than using a direct DC power supply, it is very similar to the latest generation of ultra-high-SEER heat pumps.
How many PV panels are needed to power the unit?
The amount... would start with 4 or 5 250W panels and go up from there depending....
How many batteries will be needed?
Depends... four batteries required (stable voltage) even daytime- but may need more if you want to use AC overnight (and then more panels to charge them).
What makes the SplitCool better than using a regular air conditioner with an inverter?
1. It doesn't lose power to conversion.
2. It runs at variable power levels depending on the thermastat (and humidity?) How is SplitCool different from the high-SEER âoeDC Inverterâ air conditioners that are becoming so popular?
Long details but basically say it's improved DC Inverter.
Interesting. How well does it handle the end of day drop in power? Any motor problems from brownout?
Is there a "turnkey" system for this anywhere you could recommend? I'd put this in my kitchen for now. It's the core of the house and cooling would spread from there to adjacent areas. so.. Got a link?
I like the LED's with the little fins on them. They produce good light in the pattern of an existing bulb that comes on instantly. The catch? Only 450 lumans (40watt bulb replacement). The 60 watts so far are very heavy (2 pounds?) and project like a flood, not 360 degree light.
I have a 20 watt bulb that only pulls 2 or 3 watts (and i think it acts like a 15 watt) and i use to to light an outside area 24/7. It doesn't it well-- but it's enough.
I hear "CREE" lighting has some good 60 watts but have been unable to make it to the local store yet.
There is a risk of solar becoming cheaper and more efficient- about the same as computers back in the 90's and early 00's. But.. like computers at some point, solar will be "good enough". I like "Nanosolar" technology- it's basically a roll of printed flexible, lightweight solar plastic. But it's entire production run is prepurchased for a german solar plant for another 14 months or more.
I'm a bit concerned rare earth might limit solar tho they have some new technologies which do not use the same rare earths and some which may not need rare earths.
My main goal is sufficient power to run the air conditioning during the day which is 50% of my power load 5 months a year when my power runs up to a little over 150 per month. (so hoped savings $385) and then misc a/c and weekend lighting and daytime fridge the other seven months (hoped for savings of $15 for 7 months off of my $60 to $80 power bills).
A $10,000 system with no battery backup can yield you about $500 a year in energy savings.
As you say... 20 year pay back.
But... then that $500 is tax free so if you are working, it's effectively double the actual return ($1000 a year).
But then... energy costs since the early eighties have risen from 5.5c/kwh to 12.5c/kwh to 15c/kwh. (Get just a little bit careless and you can be looking at 24c/kwh).
And then a solar system reduces your most expensive energy usage first.
In 10 years, energy costs could double (just inflation- not actual cost). Suddenly your 10,000 investment pays off in 15 years.. and then gives you 1k per year (effectively 2k per year since you don't pay taxes on savings).
There may be cheaper ways to get energy savings (for example a $24 LED bulb that lowers your energy usage from 40 watts to 10 watts). But once those are done, solar is not a bad deal. And it's a hell of a lot less risk than trying to invest it in the market ($10,000 invested in 2000 is worth about $9,000 right now).
I have 5 bars of signal and get connection errors on both my samsung phone AND my iphone. Things that used to work flawlessly 5 months ago now complain about "slow network" and "server not responding".
Actually we live in the same neighborhood a couple miles apart. Each in our own houses.
Until my dog died a few weeks ago she would come over during the day and feed the dog and watch TV.
She's old and not well-- about to go take her home from the doctor but for now able to keep her own place. She's extremely opposed to the idea of moving into a nursing home so I'm trying to help her prevent that. I've considered one of these "group homes" which only have 3 to 8 seniors but they can kind of keep an eye on each other.
She was fine until a few months ago and I guess she passed some line because things suddenly went downhill fast. Hopefully it is just an acute condition and once we find the reason she will be okay again for a while. But probably less than a decade left. I have less than three decades myself most likely.
I would have never come across "Wrist Cutters: A Love Story", "Night Watch", Caught some old columbo episodes I'd never seen, seen "Cottage to Let" without netflix.
And each of those has spawned off several other items to watch.
For expanding your "cable universe" just watch your friend's facebook pages or see what is recommended to them when you watch netflix with them.
The only reason I have cable is my mom who was coming over to feed the dog during the day and watching TV. And I'm probably going to a digital TV antennae and dropping cable within a couple months anyway.
It's hell living in a democracy with respect for the rule of law when the people coming to dominate the population don't respect democracy or the rule of law.
Yea, one child. Sue me. It's in line with my belief that we should spend a couple generations having 1 child per 2 people. Most of these problems would fix themselves.
You can have well watered land which won't grow crops. Water and dirt are not the ONLY basis for arable land. As monty python would put it, Among the many requirements for arable land, these include Water, soil, nutrients, a lack of plant poisons.
Arable land is not merely wet dirt-- you can grow crops in it. They can be picky.
From your tone, I'd assume that we never lose arable land and salt poisoning is rare instead of inevitable. Googling produces 2009 many for "Salinization of agricultural land is an increasing global problem. "
Meanwhile...China lost 123 million hectares of arable land from 1997 to 2009. It could lead them to internal strife and externally to war.
I have Direct TV and the other night could visibly see pixelation from 15' away on my couch of "Cleopatra".
Comcast has overcompressed their signals. It sucks. So did Dish Network (HD) and Comcast (Digital) before it.
They have compressed it so much HD doesn't matter-- even when you have HD except on the movie stations. Over the air digital antennae produces a clearer HD signal for my local stations.
I'll be headed that way once my mom passes. Cable TV is worth (at most) about 40 bucks. Every time I get it, it slips up from "26.95" to "80 bucks" in a heartbeat.
I have net flix and hulu plus some from specific sites (supernatural- which my DVR had missed from CW). The commercials are brief and well targeted. I watch them-- it's only 30 seconds til the show again.
Seems like less to really watch on cable tv all the time. I am not interested in ghost shows, reality shows, etc.
Been watching Colombo recently. Saw "Night Watch" last week.
Slashdot Mirror
Actually... no.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_11_attacks
More than 90 countries lost citizens in the attacks on the World Trade Center.
http://www.america.gov/st/washfile-english/2006/September/20060911141954bcreklaw0.9791071.html
I would normally agree with you but Bin Laden was unusual because he started off wealthy.
He was basically ignored until 9/11 and had everything set up and in place.
Relentless pressure prevented him from being effective again and mostly disabled his organization. I recognize that as George W. Bush Jr's successful strategy. (I think the Iran bit was some wacko "I'll show my Dad" thing tho).
I don't think the next group of leaders will be as effective as Osama was. I don't think they'll last as long as he did. And I think our "allies" were helping Osama in Pakistan.
I wonder why they are so interested in it.
Especially those evil pictures of naked cartoon characters, computer renderings, and people who are now dead of old age.
However, I read somewhere the largest source of new stuff is the kids themselves producing it on cell phones and then someone intercepts it.
I'm just a Cube Runner and I don't have a degree in Physics but I don't want some stranger to Take Me to My Car by reading my location file.
Yelp! I'm going to have Words with Friends and dance the Fandango if they have been sharing my information. I may use Device Locater but I don't want others to. Siri ously. They can build their own Empire and Tunein to their own location data but not mine!
My bad. "I'm stuck with XXXX" lead me to think it was a land line situation. You are never stuck with a particular satellite company. They can't take the sky away from you. There are other satellite companies.
Perhaps they mean, I am only willing to spend $50 a month and not $90 a month so I am stuck with this crappy company or "I signed an 85 year contract so I am stuck with this company".
Tell me about it. I was watching an 18" by 40" "Cleopatra' in the middle of my 55" screen on Direct TV and it was STILL visibly pixelated from 15' away on the couch.
They have way over-compressed the signal. It's just not worth it. I've been considering canceling it for about 3 months now.
I'm a subscriber.. paying $84 bucks a month.
I don't get it. I'm not offered it. It would be free if I was a NEW customer joining.
Pisses me off.
And it's only 6,000 titles.
AND this is the first step of there being 15 difference services, each of which has a tiny slice of content locked up and each charges $8 bucks.
Plus commercials in the middle of streamed shows I bet.
Netflix is awesome as it is. Part of that is because there was no competition for content in it's market slice.
Get satellite
I have a co-worker with satellite in the boonies like you and he gets great downstream- slow upstream for about $70 a month.
Sufficient information to steal my identity so that I can BUY their services?
All Sony should have is my payment each month and some security questions I can choose the answer to.
Grrr. Tiny upper class and enormous LOWER class.
Or they will do well and the scientists who care will piss off their manager by not playing ball and get fired for being difficult to work with.
Don't confuse middle income and middle class.
The traditional meaning of middle class was not the middle income but a thin layer between the tiny upper class and the enormous upper class. Typically marked by an ability to set their own hours combined with high income.
I.e. Doctors, lawyers, etc.
So about $200k income up to $500k personal income.
So about the top 1%.
So 98% below them. 1 % above them.
Folks making $100k these days are really just upper lower class.
Equally good CEO's drive companies in india and china for about a million bucks total compensation.
The real reason they make so much money is
a) They all went to the same private schools (seriously- I was reading an interview with a CEO about other CEO's and he had gone to 7th grade with them).
b) They each decide each other's salaries. Not the shareholders. It's not quite as good as controlling your own salary but it's pretty damn good.
So Bob controls Jim's pay and Jim controls Bob's pay.
This this this this this!
Exactly-- we are doing the easter island thing and prioritizing the wrong area of society for long term survival.
It gets even worse when you realize hedge fund managers don't even pay income tax. Get this-- they get to not take income, then BORROW against their deferred income and get the income tax free (now) against some unforeseen future day when they take it as income.
http://www.solarpanelsplus.com/solar-panels-faq/DC-air-conditioning-FAQ.html
Here is what I found...
http://www.solarpanelsplus.com/solar-panels-faq/DC-air-conditioning-
Lots more detail at the faq level but I summarized some of it here. This looks exciting! I was original interested in a turnkey AC unit that I could leave running during hte day which would prevent the real AC unit from starting and drawing power. In Houston, we pay a premium after a certain point (like 750 kwh or 500khw) so my primary goal is just to lop off that premium cost power.
FAQ.html
DC Powered Solar Air Conditioning | Solar Heating
Frequently Asked Questions
Click here for Solar PV FAQ's
Click here for Solar Thermal (Solar Water Heating) FAQ
NOTE* This FAQ is for DC air conditioner, SplitCool DC18 (Runs on DC power from photovoltaic panels/batteries).
Click here for Solar Absorption Chiller FAQ (Solar thermal powered HVAC, runs on hot water)
What is the SplitCool DC18 unit?
The SplitCool DC18 unit is an all-DC ductless air conditioning system that is designed to run off a battery bank. The battery bank is then supplied power from an array of photovoltaic modules or other DC power source.
SplitCool is ideal for off grid applications like remote sites where grid power is unavailable or unreliable, or requires generators (with potentially complex or costly refueling logistics). This unit can also be used in applications like construction office trailers, portable classrooms, remote medical facilities or other portable or remote structures. The native 48VDC system is also directly compatible with the 48VDC power systems used in many data center, telecom or tower site applications.
Does SplitCool provide heating as well as cooling?
Yes. The DC18 unit provides 18,000 BTU/hr of cooling, as well as 20,500 BTU/hr of heating.
How many square feet can SplitCool heat or cool?
This depends...On average, this unit can heat and cool a space of between 500 ft.^2 and 800 ft.^2. However, this is not an absolute...
Is there any difference between SplitCool and a heat pump?
The SplitCool is a 48 volt DC heat pump. Other than using a direct DC power supply, it is very similar to the latest generation of ultra-high-SEER heat pumps.
How many PV panels are needed to power the unit?
The amount... would start with 4 or 5 250W panels and go up from there depending....
How many batteries will be needed?
Depends... four batteries required (stable voltage) even daytime- but may need more if you want to use AC overnight (and then more panels to charge them).
What makes the SplitCool better than using a regular air conditioner with an inverter?
1. It doesn't lose power to conversion.
2. It runs at variable power levels depending on the thermastat (and humidity?)
How is SplitCool different from the high-SEER âoeDC Inverterâ air conditioners that are becoming so popular?
Long details but basically say it's improved DC Inverter.
Interesting.
How well does it handle the end of day drop in power? Any motor problems from brownout?
Is there a "turnkey" system for this anywhere you could recommend?
I'd put this in my kitchen for now. It's the core of the house and cooling would spread from there to adjacent areas. so.. Got a link?
I like the LED's with the little fins on them. They produce good light in the pattern of an existing bulb that comes on instantly. The catch? Only 450 lumans (40watt bulb replacement). The 60 watts so far are very heavy (2 pounds?) and project like a flood, not 360 degree light.
I have a 20 watt bulb that only pulls 2 or 3 watts (and i think it acts like a 15 watt) and i use to to light an outside area 24/7. It doesn't it well-- but it's enough.
I hear "CREE" lighting has some good 60 watts but have been unable to make it to the local store yet.
There is a risk of solar becoming cheaper and more efficient- about the same as computers back in the 90's and early 00's. But.. like computers at some point, solar will be "good enough". I like "Nanosolar" technology- it's basically a roll of printed flexible, lightweight solar plastic. But it's entire production run is prepurchased for a german solar plant for another 14 months or more.
I'm a bit concerned rare earth might limit solar tho they have some new technologies which do not use the same rare earths and some which may not need rare earths.
My main goal is sufficient power to run the air conditioning during the day which is 50% of my power load 5 months a year when my power runs up to a little over 150 per month. (so hoped savings $385) and then misc a/c and weekend lighting and daytime fridge the other seven months (hoped for savings of $15 for 7 months off of my $60 to $80 power bills).
A $10,000 system with no battery backup can yield you about $500 a year in energy savings.
As you say... 20 year pay back.
But... then that $500 is tax free so if you are working, it's effectively double the actual return ($1000 a year).
But then... energy costs since the early eighties have risen from 5.5c/kwh to 12.5c/kwh to 15c/kwh. (Get just a little bit careless and you can be looking at 24c/kwh).
And then a solar system reduces your most expensive energy usage first.
In 10 years, energy costs could double (just inflation- not actual cost). Suddenly your 10,000 investment pays off in 15 years.. and then gives you 1k per year (effectively 2k per year since you don't pay taxes on savings).
There may be cheaper ways to get energy savings (for example a $24 LED bulb that lowers your energy usage from 40 watts to 10 watts). But once those are done, solar is not a bad deal. And it's a hell of a lot less risk than trying to invest it in the market ($10,000 invested in 2000 is worth about $9,000 right now).
I have 5 bars of signal and get connection errors on both my samsung phone AND my iphone. Things that used to work flawlessly 5 months ago now complain about "slow network" and "server not responding".
Lol.
Actually we live in the same neighborhood a couple miles apart. Each in our own houses.
Until my dog died a few weeks ago she would come over during the day and feed the dog and watch TV.
She's old and not well-- about to go take her home from the doctor but for now able to keep her own place. She's extremely opposed to the idea of moving into a nursing home so I'm trying to help her prevent that. I've considered one of these "group homes" which only have 3 to 8 seniors but they can kind of keep an eye on each other.
She was fine until a few months ago and I guess she passed some line because things suddenly went downhill fast. Hopefully it is just an acute condition and once we find the reason she will be okay again for a while. But probably less than a decade left. I have less than three decades myself most likely.
I would have never come across "Wrist Cutters: A Love Story", "Night Watch", Caught some old columbo episodes I'd never seen, seen "Cottage to Let" without netflix.
And each of those has spawned off several other items to watch.
For expanding your "cable universe" just watch your friend's facebook pages or see what is recommended to them when you watch netflix with them.
The only reason I have cable is my mom who was coming over to feed the dog during the day and watching TV. And I'm probably going to a digital TV antennae and dropping cable within a couple months anyway.
A grammar nit... Really?
It's hell living in a democracy with respect for the rule of law when the people coming to dominate the population don't respect democracy or the rule of law.
Yea, one child. Sue me. It's in line with my belief that we should spend a couple generations having 1 child per 2 people. Most of these problems would fix themselves.
You can have well watered land which won't grow crops. Water and dirt are not the ONLY basis for arable land. As monty python would put it, Among the many requirements for arable land, these include Water, soil, nutrients, a lack of plant poisons.
Arable land is not merely wet dirt-- you can grow crops in it. They can be picky.
From your tone, I'd assume that we never lose arable land and salt poisoning is rare instead of inevitable. Googling produces 2009 many for "Salinization of agricultural land is an increasing global problem. "
Meanwhile...China lost 123 million hectares of arable land from 1997 to 2009. It could lead them to internal strife and externally to war.
I think we are mostly in violent agreement.
You must have good cable.
I have Direct TV and the other night could visibly see pixelation from 15' away on my couch of "Cleopatra".
Comcast has overcompressed their signals. It sucks.
So did Dish Network (HD) and Comcast (Digital) before it.
They have compressed it so much HD doesn't matter-- even when you have HD except on the movie stations. Over the air digital antennae produces a clearer HD signal for my local stations.
They are killing the goose.
I'll be headed that way once my mom passes.
Cable TV is worth (at most) about 40 bucks.
Every time I get it, it slips up from "26.95" to "80 bucks" in a heartbeat.
I have net flix and hulu plus some from specific sites (supernatural- which my DVR had missed from CW). The commercials are brief and well targeted. I watch them-- it's only 30 seconds til the show again.
Seems like less to really watch on cable tv all the time. I am not interested in ghost shows, reality shows, etc.
Been watching Colombo recently. Saw "Night Watch" last week.
Good stuff- entertaining. Cheap.