This technology makes a huge amount of sense on a sailboat which is the market it was originally intended for. 1) Sailboats have to carry huge amounts of battery capacity on them to power..., well.., everything anyway. 2) Sailboats usually use wind power so, the limited range of the batteries is not a big problem. 3) The special planetary gear the the patent refers to makes it easy to use the sailboat prop as a way to recharge the batteries while under wind power. This method beats the pants off solar and wind power for electricity generation.
I'll also mention that a new 40hp marine diesel engine will set you back about $10,000 USD. so, there is a lot of interest for sailors looking for a way to re-power their boat in a more environmentally friendly way. Currently Solomon technologies solution is too expensive ($20,000 for the motor, batteries, etc.). But that should change soon.
I've been lusting for Solomon technologies electric wheel for my boat for years. The first thing that popped into my mind when I saw the Hybrid cars hit the market was "This should speed up the adoption of this tech in boats and make it affordable". If it turns out Toyota lifted Solomon's tech, Solomon deserves to be compensated. The market will find a way for this tech to continue to exist.
But, from a user point of view, the thing that really needs to happen is for batteries to get better and cheaper.
I'm not that person you refer to but, I'm an atheist that has often wondered how otherwise logical people don't arrive at the same conclusion I have. Here are a few reasons I'm an atheist: 1) I see zero evidence to indicate there is a god. Therefore, until something proves otherwise, I do not believe there is a god. When I go home tonight, I am going to assume that there is NOT a rhinocerous in my basement. It's possible there is one down there because I am too lazy to check, but, what reason would I have to think that there is a rhinocerous down there? 2) The majority of humans have believed in the supernatural throughout history. It seems there is something built-in to most humans that makes them predisposed to believe in god. Certainly a fear of death and the unknown helps to create a belief in the supernatural. As a scientific thinker, you have to be wary of this natural bias towards belief in god(s). You have to have some empirical evidence. I see none.
It's actually kind of hard for me to come up with reasons why something does NOT exist. Much easier to tell you why there is a phone on my desk.
You certainly paint an inconsistent picture: a few 400 disc changers in the past before going with a wholehouse MP3 distribution system.
Dont those changers take up a lot of space in the mobile home? we used to buy 3-4 CDs a week at Borders
That's 12-16 CDs a month. @ $15 each that's around $210/month and $2520/year!! I bet many people wish they were as poor as you! I've been putting more of my income into real savings (gold, silver, property) to weather to storm ahead.
Word up! ain't we all?!? I got'z da gold an da silver an I'z pickin up some property when I getz me check dis Fri/payday! Booyakasha!
A goal for society is a very subjective idea. Obviously people will disagree on what that goal should be. But, it's irrelevant because the truth is that humans are subject to the same evolutionary forces that the rest of the species on this planet are. As long as there is a group of people on this planet willing to put in the long hours and then use all their excess resources to bomb the piss out of anyone not like them, arguments about what a societal group _should_ do is irrelevant. Evolution does not take morality into account. The one who kills the other is the winner and that is not a "good" or "bad" thing. It just is.
One of Noam Chomsky's arguments is that if a media organizations starts publishing stuff that the powers-that-be dont like to hear (For example: Time magazine running an article every other week that wonders why we are in Iraq) then said media organization would lose access to the folks that generate the news, I.E., leaders.
Personally, since our leaders seems to be lying through their teeth most of the time, I dont think the media would be losing much if they were cut off from white house press breifings.
Private yachts that cruise to other countries generally do not carry guns because most every country on the planet has very strict laws against private citizens carrying firearms. That means that every port you sail into, in order to clear customs you need to give them your weapons. They lock them up for you until you leave their country.
I cleared my boat through Bermuda customs and had to "lend" them my plastic flare gun. It's a pain in the arse that very few cruisers want to put up with.
I sailed my boat from Toronto, CA to Port Huron Michigan USA and the customs official threatened to seize my vessel because I did not have an I-68 form. The main guy in charge thought that every boater was legally obliged to have one. Nope. It's a voluntary program. All a private citizen needs is a passport and a US customs decal for the boat.
Some of the people that work in the customs offices are normal people but, the higher-ups are real self-important assholes who dont even know what the laws are that they are supposed to enforce!
Re:I'd like to see this in a free and open society
on
Chinese Eco-Cities
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· Score: 1
Thats not what I'm saying. I'm saying that they have the capability to enact stiff environmental controls due to their more centralized form of government. A capitalist, democratic government is more likely to leave decisions regarding the environment up to the individual. In the case of competitive businesses, the environment always ends up damaged when they are given the freedom to pollute.
Just yesterday I was parked next to a car and saw inside: There were at least a couple hundred cig' butts in a pile where, I imagine, the ash tray was buried somewhere beneath. No exaggeration.
I've never smoked and don't plan to start but I can see a few strong reasons to do it:
1) Playing with fire is always fun. 2) I'm inviting jokes here but, I've always got something in my mouth (pen, stylus, gum, etc.) 3) Doing dangerous things is cool.
All the above reasons apply to ganja as well but with the added benefit of all that clever paraphernalia(sp?) like dugouts and bongs.
Re:I'd like to see this in a free and open society
on
Chinese Eco-Cities
·
· Score: 1
The environment is the first thing to suffer when people and businesses have too much freedom. It is cheaper and easier to pollute than it is to take pains to protect the environment. That is why we have (way too few) environmental laws here in the US - because without them we would live in a shit hole.
China has the advantage of more centralized power. They will be able to enact environmental laws without politicians worrying about businesses cutting off their campaign contributions. (Of course Chinese officials might just take bribes from polluting businesses but, the whole point of the Chinese Gov't's interest in the environment is to Do The Right Thing so, I assume that will happen less often).
You should care less about political idiology and more about quantifiable changes in the environment. If you die from cancer at 30, does it really matter if you were a communist or capitalist?
If there were dino-destroying size meteors; nuclear holocost; thousands of simultaneous earthquakes; and every active volcano blowing it's top - all on the same day - I would still prefer to be on earth than the moon. A bomb shelter (or abandoned mine) 2km down into bedrock would be a prefereable environment to the moon.
At the moment, when I talk to my girlfriend (who lives in Mexico) via Skype and I want to wash some dishes at the same time, I have to take my wireless laptop into the kitchen to do so. It would be nice to just carry a regular-sized phone instead. This would be even better for my girlfriend who does not have a wireless router (and is constantly destroying PC headsets).
You raise an interesting point. I've always thought the opposite. It seems that explanations for things are usually complex enough for the trained mind to comprehend and play with. For example, we categorize the study of Oceanography so that average joe college student can specialize in it and spend 4 years studying it. But what if the most important concept in nature is that of Evolution? You cant very well spend much time or thought on that subject because it is so inherently simple.
I think it is false to assume that the nature of the universe is neccessarily complex. It may be extremely simple or, on the other hand, it may be so terribly complex and inaccesible that we may never have answers to the questions raised by our telescopes (unfortunately).
Why should scientific theories fit the capabilities of the human mind?
When I read these papers, I feel like the dog in Simpsons listening to Bart. Or like in the Peanuts cartoons when the kids are listening to a teacher...
Slashdot Mirror
This technology makes a huge amount of sense on a sailboat which is the market it was originally intended for.
1) Sailboats have to carry huge amounts of battery capacity on them to power..., well.., everything anyway.
2) Sailboats usually use wind power so, the limited range of the batteries is not a big problem.
3) The special planetary gear the the patent refers to makes it easy to use the sailboat prop as a way to recharge the batteries while under wind power. This method beats the pants off solar and wind power for electricity generation.
I'll also mention that a new 40hp marine diesel engine will set you back about $10,000 USD. so, there is a lot of interest for sailors looking for a way to re-power their boat in a more environmentally friendly way. Currently Solomon technologies solution is too expensive ($20,000 for the motor, batteries, etc.). But that should change soon.
I've been lusting for Solomon technologies electric wheel for my boat for years. The first thing that popped into my mind when I saw the Hybrid cars hit the market was "This should speed up the adoption of this tech in boats and make it affordable".
If it turns out Toyota lifted Solomon's tech, Solomon deserves to be compensated. The market will find a way for this tech to continue to exist.
But, from a user point of view, the thing that really needs to happen is for batteries to get better and cheaper.
Seems to me she is either a liar or not very bright.
I'm leaning towards liar
Thanks for that disturbing insight into the nature of the human ego.
You'd think that would make ext2 unattractive....
I'm not that person you refer to but, I'm an atheist that has often wondered how otherwise logical people don't arrive at the same conclusion I have. Here are a few reasons I'm an atheist:
1) I see zero evidence to indicate there is a god. Therefore, until something proves otherwise, I do not believe there is a god.
When I go home tonight, I am going to assume that there is NOT a rhinocerous in my basement. It's possible there is one down there because I am too lazy to check, but, what reason would I have to think that there is a rhinocerous down there?
2) The majority of humans have believed in the supernatural throughout history. It seems there is something built-in to most humans that makes them predisposed to believe in god. Certainly a fear of death and the unknown helps to create a belief in the supernatural. As a scientific thinker, you have to be wary of this natural bias towards belief in god(s). You have to have some empirical evidence. I see none.
It's actually kind of hard for me to come up with reasons why something does NOT exist. Much easier to tell you why there is a phone on my desk.
That would sap my motivation to show up for class!
And yet, we continue to deny them equal rights to children/retards.
"I work with retards."
"Isn't that a little politically incorrect?"
"Yeah, maybe, but hell, no one's gonna tell me who I can and can't work with. "
It's a safe bet they are picking up BBC World Radio.
;-)
You certainly paint an inconsistent picture:
a few 400 disc changers in the past before going with a wholehouse MP3 distribution system.
Dont those changers take up a lot of space in the mobile home?
we used to buy 3-4 CDs a week at Borders
That's 12-16 CDs a month. @ $15 each that's around $210/month and $2520/year!! I bet many people wish they were as poor as you!
I've been putting more of my income into real savings (gold, silver, property) to weather to storm ahead.
Word up! ain't we all?!? I got'z da gold an da silver an I'z pickin up some property when I getz me check dis Fri/payday! Booyakasha!
Who is modding up the rich dude whining???
Is no one going to mention that crappy Bond movie you are referencing?
A goal for society is a very subjective idea. Obviously people will disagree on what that goal should be. But, it's irrelevant because the truth is that humans are subject to the same evolutionary forces that the rest of the species on this planet are.
As long as there is a group of people on this planet willing to put in the long hours and then use all their excess resources to bomb the piss out of anyone not like them, arguments about what a societal group _should_ do is irrelevant. Evolution does not take morality into account. The one who kills the other is the winner and that is not a "good" or "bad" thing. It just is.
Personally, since our leaders seems to be lying through their teeth most of the time, I dont think the media would be losing much if they were cut off from white house press breifings.
Private yachts that cruise to other countries generally do not carry guns because most every country on the planet has very strict laws against private citizens carrying firearms. That means that every port you sail into, in order to clear customs you need to give them your weapons. They lock them up for you until you leave their country.
I cleared my boat through Bermuda customs and had to "lend" them my plastic flare gun. It's a pain in the arse that very few cruisers want to put up with.
I sailed my boat from Toronto, CA to Port Huron Michigan USA and the customs official threatened to seize my vessel because I did not have an I-68 form. The main guy in charge thought that every boater was legally obliged to have one. Nope. It's a voluntary program. All a private citizen needs is a passport and a US customs decal for the boat.
Some of the people that work in the customs offices are normal people but, the higher-ups are real self-important assholes who dont even know what the laws are that they are supposed to enforce!
Thats not what I'm saying. I'm saying that they have the capability to enact stiff environmental controls due to their more centralized form of government. A capitalist, democratic government is more likely to leave decisions regarding the environment up to the individual. In the case of competitive businesses, the environment always ends up damaged when they are given the freedom to pollute.
Just yesterday I was parked next to a car and saw inside:
There were at least a couple hundred cig' butts in a pile where, I imagine, the ash tray was buried somewhere beneath.
No exaggeration.
I've never smoked and don't plan to start but I can see a few strong reasons to do it:
1) Playing with fire is always fun.
2) I'm inviting jokes here but, I've always got something in my mouth (pen, stylus, gum, etc.)
3) Doing dangerous things is cool.
All the above reasons apply to ganja as well but with the added benefit of all that clever paraphernalia(sp?) like dugouts and bongs.
The environment is the first thing to suffer when people and businesses have too much freedom. It is cheaper and easier to pollute than it is to take pains to protect the environment. That is why we have (way too few) environmental laws here in the US - because without them we would live in a shit hole.
China has the advantage of more centralized power. They will be able to enact environmental laws without politicians worrying about businesses cutting off their campaign contributions. (Of course Chinese officials might just take bribes from polluting businesses but, the whole point of the Chinese Gov't's interest in the environment is to Do The Right Thing so, I assume that will happen less often).
You should care less about political idiology and more about quantifiable changes in the environment. If you die from cancer at 30, does it really matter if you were a communist or capitalist?
If there were dino-destroying size meteors; nuclear holocost; thousands of simultaneous earthquakes; and every active volcano blowing it's top - all on the same day - I would still prefer to be on earth than the moon. A bomb shelter (or abandoned mine) 2km down into bedrock would be a prefereable environment to the moon.
Scenario: You are on the crapper; something goes horribly awry. Try calling the plumber/911 with a wireless microphone/headset.
At the moment, when I talk to my girlfriend (who lives in Mexico) via Skype and I want to wash some dishes at the same time, I have to take my wireless laptop into the kitchen to do so. It would be nice to just carry a regular-sized phone instead.
This would be even better for my girlfriend who does not have a wireless router (and is constantly destroying PC headsets).
You raise an interesting point. I've always thought the opposite. It seems that explanations for things are usually complex enough for the trained mind to comprehend and play with. For example, we categorize the study of Oceanography so that average joe college student can specialize in it and spend 4 years studying it. But what if the most important concept in nature is that of Evolution? You cant very well spend much time or thought on that subject because it is so inherently simple.
I think it is false to assume that the nature of the universe is neccessarily complex. It may be extremely simple or, on the other hand, it may be so terribly complex and inaccesible that we may never have answers to the questions raised by our telescopes (unfortunately).
Why should scientific theories fit the capabilities of the human mind?
When I read these papers, I feel like the dog in Simpsons listening to Bart. Or like in the Peanuts cartoons when the kids are listening to a teacher...