#1 The best milage comes from the most conservative driving.
True. Buy you also see significant gains in mileage vs. gas-only vehicles when not driving conservatively all the time.
#2 The batteries are more toxic than those in a normal car- and with each hybrid carrying between 5 and 7 of those batteries, they are not better for the environment.
False. The batteries in a Prius are no more toxic than any other battery. Also, they can be **completely** recycled at end of life.
#3 The total energy used to manufacter a hybrid vehicle is higher than what it is for a regular vehilce of same size. Perhaps slightly. But luckily that energy is most likely electricty which is being generated at a plant with strict emissions control in Japan. That extra energy used offsets the petroleum energy that would be used by a gas-only vehicle, as well as the pollution said gas-only vehicle would cause (you have to take into account that the Prius is a SULEV vehicle).
#4 The depreciation rate is held up by popular opinion. This is true in all vehicles, but the steep cliff at year 6 is going to make most people unhappy, and the battery replacement at year 8 will be a very large cost to shoulder and may drive many people out of this market all togeather.
Can you prove this steep drop off in value at year 6? If not, than why state it? Let's assume for a moment that this year 6 valuation drop-off occurs. How much is that going to matter to someone who has held the car for 6 years? Probably little at that point.
#5 There is currently no plan for the recycling of these batteries.
Now you're simply sputtering off nonsense. Don't spout bullshit unless you know someone isn't going to catch you:
Is there a recycling plan in place for nickel-metal hydride batteries?
Toyota has a comprehensive battery recycling program in place and has been recycling nickel-metal hydride batteries since the RAV4 Electric Vehicle was introduced in 1998. Every part of the battery, from the precious metals to the plastic, plates, steel case and the wiring, is recycled. To ensure that batteries come back to Toyota, each battery has a phone number on it to call for recycling information and dealers are paid a $200 "bounty" for each battery.
Don't think brain implant. It's a very crude method for a very advanced idea. When the time comes, the interface won't be physical (like in The Matrix). It'll be completely wireless. The technology/method behind this is called Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation.
It's still very much in it's infancy, but this is the future of the human/silicon interface. No physical device to cause problems with biological systems. No need to "upgrade" the hardware in your head. And of course, it's not permanent.
I agree with your point that we shouldn't be accessible 24/7, but I also think that the next technological leap forward is going to be the result of increasing the data transfer rate between the brain and non-biological systems.
From a purely technical perspective, it's expensive as fuck to get bandwidth to the middle of nowhere. That's why Iridium satellite calls are $2/minute and Imarsat calls (usually used over oceans) are $7-8/minute. But lets put the money issue aside, as the DoD usually has blank checks. Only so many Gb/s can be pushed over the Iridium network. This ain't fiber optic they get to ride on.
Some, but not all. Two data centers in Chicago that I manage equipment at (both carrier facilities) don't cover the EPO with any sort of plastic/glass.
I work in a datacenter, and while I can appreciate the need for the EPO in emergency situations (fires, etc), I think they should need more then a push (perhaps a turn and a push) to prevent accidental power offs. Several fire alarm triggers I've seen through my career have a two stage process (lift and pull, turn and push, etc) to prevent accidental triggers, and I hope to see this carried over to EPOs someday.
Keep in mind, the telco system was built out with those high uptime and high level of compatibility requirements. VoIP is trying to shoehorn cheap service into the place of rock solid reliability. Phone service *needs* to be always available because of the 911 component. People in the 1st world (the US specifically) have grown accustomed to having emergency services available no matter what. VoIP is currently a step backwards. Yes, it's cheaper. Yes, it's more convenient. But it's not as reliable. Instead of the telco guaranteeing the reliability of the copper to you (and the power running over it), the infrastructure is now the end user's problem. Power goes out, router dies, and you need to call 911? Better have an UPS on all your network gear. In the end, the infrastructure is going to need to be rock solid, just as the copper was. My personal opinion is that cities, towns, etc. should do fiber build outs, and then lease capacity to service providers. You then have a solid infrastructure, while also having competition.
For your Tivo, I suggest using an ethernet adapter, and letting it grab it's data over the net. Also, a proper ATA adapter that supports T.34 (fax capability) and a service provider that supports the same should allow you to fax without any problems. Those possible solutions should fix the problems you're having until rock solid infrastructure is deployed. Or, you could always stick with POTS.
By definition, any company that has to outlay huge amounts of capital to start up is in a high barrier-to-entry market. This applies not only to phone companies, but also airlines, petrochemical companies, etc. Could I go out and start laying fiber? Not at all. Could I talk to several people in the boonies to get permission to place wireless base stations (i.e. Motorola Canopy system) on the top of their highest farming equipment, and provide telco-type service to the covered areas? Yes (and comparatively cheap I might add).
In developing countries, the landline buildout is being skipped entirely in favor of wireless technology for both mobile and fixed users.
I suggest not using SunRocket. I've had them for almost a year, and every week or two technical problems crop up. Either a problem with the voicemail system, their website is down, or I can't receive calls. I'll still keep them for a while, since there is no cell service where I currently live, but in the next month or two I plan to move away to cellular service only.
I agree with worrying about several issues at once, I'm just tired of congress wasting their time on filler issues and ignoring the big problems. They're there to fix the big problems, and if they don't want to do it, it's time they get the hell out of the way and let others fix said problems.
It's hard, but not impossible. There are several precedent-setting cases where only circumstantial evidence was used to successfully prosecute murder cases.
I'm a US citizen. I get my music from iTunes (paid for), I get my Battlestar Galactica and Heroes from Tivo/Comcast Cable (paid for) and I purchase my software outright. Why do I love the Pirate Bay? Because they exist within the laws of their country. I dislike the fact that our government tries to export it's copyright law/policy to other countries, and strong arms/threatens countries that don't tow the line.
I believe people should pay producers of content for their work, but I also believe the US needs to mind it's god damn business about copyright outside of it's borders.
Wow. God forbid you actually include research/cited information in your argument instead of simply
Your quoted stats don't mean shit in regards to the point we're discussing.
Very true. I guess my problem is that in the current situation, the legislative and executive branches are deadlocked due to their opposite viewpoints. While I wish the legislative branch could override the executive branch (and call shenanigans on them), it would defeat our checks and balances system.
Agreed. Obviously, threatening schools is a higher priority then:
1) Dealing the the Iraq war
2) Dealing with the Afghanistan war
3) Dealing the the swelling public debt
4) Dealing with poverty in america
5) Dealing with the issue of healthcare
and so on...
A dam holds back the majority of water. Sometime, a little water overflows. This is unavoidable. The important part is that the dam holds back the majority of the water.
Now, I hate analogies as the next person, so forgive it, but I'm not sure I can get my idea across this late in the evening. Basically, the Constitution will provide us the rights to prevent a large amount of oppression, but there will always be issues/events that remind us why it's there and make us take action (insert your examples here). I believe Thomas Jefferson said it best, "The price of freedom is eternal vigilance."
Well put. With regards to storage, your water heater at home is a thermal battery. If everyone switched to more efficient tankless hot water heaters (simple heat exchanges), huge amounts of energy would be saved (since energy is used only when water is flowing) but since more energy is drawn down to heat water from 50 degrees F to 115 degrees F, utilities would have a higher peak demand to plan for. With water heaters, more energy is lost to standby heat but the water heater buffers demand for the utilities.
I should have mentioned I did a thesis on the reuse of materials in the waste stream (as well as intelligent energy/resource management).
My mistake though for missing the "do some research" part of your post. I read your comment too quickly).
Some info from the EPA:
http://www.epa.gov/msw/recycle.htm
# In 1999, recycling and composting activities prevented about 64 million tons of material from ending up in landfills and incinerators. Today, this country recycles 32 percent of its waste, a rate that has almost doubled during the past 15 years.
# While recycling has grown in general, recycling of specific materials has grown even more drastically: 50 percent of all paper, 34 percent of all plastic soft drink bottles, 45 percent of all aluminum beer and soft drink cans, 63 percent of all steel packaging, and 67 percent of all major appliances are now recycled.
# Twenty years ago, only one curbside recycling program existed in the United States, which collected several materials at the curb. By 2005, almost 9,000 curbside programs had sprouted up across the nation. As of 2005, about 500 materials recovery facilities had been established to process the collected materials.
Slashdot Mirror
True. Buy you also see significant gains in mileage vs. gas-only vehicles when not driving conservatively all the time.
#2 The batteries are more toxic than those in a normal car- and with each hybrid carrying between 5 and 7 of those batteries, they are not better for the environment.False. The batteries in a Prius are no more toxic than any other battery. Also, they can be **completely** recycled at end of life.
#3 The total energy used to manufacter a hybrid vehicle is higher than what it is for a regular vehilce of same size. Perhaps slightly. But luckily that energy is most likely electricty which is being generated at a plant with strict emissions control in Japan. That extra energy used offsets the petroleum energy that would be used by a gas-only vehicle, as well as the pollution said gas-only vehicle would cause (you have to take into account that the Prius is a SULEV vehicle). #4 The depreciation rate is held up by popular opinion. This is true in all vehicles, but the steep cliff at year 6 is going to make most people unhappy, and the battery replacement at year 8 will be a very large cost to shoulder and may drive many people out of this market all togeather.Can you prove this steep drop off in value at year 6? If not, than why state it? Let's assume for a moment that this year 6 valuation drop-off occurs. How much is that going to matter to someone who has held the car for 6 years? Probably little at that point.
#5 There is currently no plan for the recycling of these batteries.Now you're simply sputtering off nonsense. Don't spout bullshit unless you know someone isn't going to catch you:
http://www.toyota.com/about/environment/technology /2004/hybrid.html
Is there a recycling plan in place for nickel-metal hydride batteries?Toyota has a comprehensive battery recycling program in place and has been recycling nickel-metal hydride batteries since the RAV4 Electric Vehicle was introduced in 1998. Every part of the battery, from the precious metals to the plastic, plates, steel case and the wiring, is recycled. To ensure that batteries come back to Toyota, each battery has a phone number on it to call for recycling information and dealers are paid a $200 "bounty" for each battery.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transcranial_magnetic _stimulation
It's still very much in it's infancy, but this is the future of the human/silicon interface. No physical device to cause problems with biological systems. No need to "upgrade" the hardware in your head. And of course, it's not permanent.
I agree with your point that we shouldn't be accessible 24/7, but I also think that the next technological leap forward is going to be the result of increasing the data transfer rate between the brain and non-biological systems.
From a purely technical perspective, it's expensive as fuck to get bandwidth to the middle of nowhere. That's why Iridium satellite calls are $2/minute and Imarsat calls (usually used over oceans) are $7-8/minute. But lets put the money issue aside, as the DoD usually has blank checks. Only so many Gb/s can be pushed over the Iridium network. This ain't fiber optic they get to ride on.
Hot damn, you bitch slapped the parent post.
Biofuels are a dead end. It takes too much energy (as well as resources) from petroleum to make biodiesel (i.e. farming industry).
I think it's comparable to a transmission. Lets not dump money into the problem and work on eliminating the ICE.
Some, but not all. Two data centers in Chicago that I manage equipment at (both carrier facilities) don't cover the EPO with any sort of plastic/glass.
I work in a datacenter, and while I can appreciate the need for the EPO in emergency situations (fires, etc), I think they should need more then a push (perhaps a turn and a push) to prevent accidental power offs. Several fire alarm triggers I've seen through my career have a two stage process (lift and pull, turn and push, etc) to prevent accidental triggers, and I hope to see this carried over to EPOs someday.
.....all without George Lucas at the helm.
For your Tivo, I suggest using an ethernet adapter, and letting it grab it's data over the net. Also, a proper ATA adapter that supports T.34 (fax capability) and a service provider that supports the same should allow you to fax without any problems. Those possible solutions should fix the problems you're having until rock solid infrastructure is deployed. Or, you could always stick with POTS.
In developing countries, the landline buildout is being skipped entirely in favor of wireless technology for both mobile and fixed users.
I suggest not using SunRocket. I've had them for almost a year, and every week or two technical problems crop up. Either a problem with the voicemail system, their website is down, or I can't receive calls. I'll still keep them for a while, since there is no cell service where I currently live, but in the next month or two I plan to move away to cellular service only.
I agree with worrying about several issues at once, I'm just tired of congress wasting their time on filler issues and ignoring the big problems. They're there to fix the big problems, and if they don't want to do it, it's time they get the hell out of the way and let others fix said problems.
Any online resources or books you could suggest to help someone looking to write web apps in Python?
It's hard, but not impossible. There are several precedent-setting cases where only circumstantial evidence was used to successfully prosecute murder cases.
I believe people should pay producers of content for their work, but I also believe the US needs to mind it's god damn business about copyright outside of it's borders.
Not shocking for Slashdot discussion of course.
Very true. I guess my problem is that in the current situation, the legislative and executive branches are deadlocked due to their opposite viewpoints. While I wish the legislative branch could override the executive branch (and call shenanigans on them), it would defeat our checks and balances system.
That's like saying you're expecting great savings from a fuel management system on a V12 Aston Martin.
1) Dealing the the Iraq war
2) Dealing with the Afghanistan war
3) Dealing the the swelling public debt
4) Dealing with poverty in america
5) Dealing with the issue of healthcare
and so on...
A dam holds back the majority of water. Sometime, a little water overflows. This is unavoidable. The important part is that the dam holds back the majority of the water.
Now, I hate analogies as the next person, so forgive it, but I'm not sure I can get my idea across this late in the evening. Basically, the Constitution will provide us the rights to prevent a large amount of oppression, but there will always be issues/events that remind us why it's there and make us take action (insert your examples here). I believe Thomas Jefferson said it best, "The price of freedom is eternal vigilance."
Thank you!
Well put. With regards to storage, your water heater at home is a thermal battery. If everyone switched to more efficient tankless hot water heaters (simple heat exchanges), huge amounts of energy would be saved (since energy is used only when water is flowing) but since more energy is drawn down to heat water from 50 degrees F to 115 degrees F, utilities would have a higher peak demand to plan for. With water heaters, more energy is lost to standby heat but the water heater buffers demand for the utilities.
My mistake though for missing the "do some research" part of your post. I read your comment too quickly).
Some info from the EPA:
http://www.epa.gov/msw/recycle.htm
# In 1999, recycling and composting activities prevented about 64 million tons of material from ending up in landfills and incinerators. Today, this country recycles 32 percent of its waste, a rate that has almost doubled during the past 15 years.# While recycling has grown in general, recycling of specific materials has grown even more drastically: 50 percent of all paper, 34 percent of all plastic soft drink bottles, 45 percent of all aluminum beer and soft drink cans, 63 percent of all steel packaging, and 67 percent of all major appliances are now recycled.
# Twenty years ago, only one curbside recycling program existed in the United States, which collected several materials at the curb. By 2005, almost 9,000 curbside programs had sprouted up across the nation. As of 2005, about 500 materials recovery facilities had been established to process the collected materials.
A person who gets their scientific information from a Penn and Teller show frightens me. It's entertainment. Just like Mythbusters.