There is...absolutely no reason to believe at this point that wind power can do anything more than contribute a small fraction of our energy needs. Nuclear will be the answer once we have found our way through this crazy posturing phase.Sensible chap, that Bryan.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Agreed
Bryan Appleyard believes in global warming but doesn't think a blight of windmills on every hill in the land is the answer:
A question or two
Lateline - 24/03/2009: US Govt plans to purge toxic assets
This segment on Lateline last night showed us one of the newly empty suburbs of America, where there are worthless "sub prime" houses the banks are happy to virtually give away.
One thing I don't understand is: where did the former occupants of these houses go? Was there an adequate rental market to absorb them immediately? You can't imagine the same thing in Australia, where housing demand is keeping rents up and vacancy down.
Another question: is there nothing much in the way of public housing in America? In Australia, I could imagine a push for governments to acquire a dirt cheap empty suburb or two as a way of boosting public housing.
This segment on Lateline last night showed us one of the newly empty suburbs of America, where there are worthless "sub prime" houses the banks are happy to virtually give away.
One thing I don't understand is: where did the former occupants of these houses go? Was there an adequate rental market to absorb them immediately? You can't imagine the same thing in Australia, where housing demand is keeping rents up and vacancy down.
Another question: is there nothing much in the way of public housing in America? In Australia, I could imagine a push for governments to acquire a dirt cheap empty suburb or two as a way of boosting public housing.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Cold fusion comeback
'Cold fusion' rebirth? New evidence for existence of controversial energy source
Pretty clear evidence is given that a certain type of cold fusion device is producing neutrons. (If fusion is happening, there must be neutrons.)
Whether cold fusion ever proves useful for energy production is, however, another question.
UPDATE: the New Scientist version of the story goes into more detail, and provides an alternative explanation to fusion. (Not sure how credible it is, though.)
Pretty clear evidence is given that a certain type of cold fusion device is producing neutrons. (If fusion is happening, there must be neutrons.)
Whether cold fusion ever proves useful for energy production is, however, another question.
UPDATE: the New Scientist version of the story goes into more detail, and provides an alternative explanation to fusion. (Not sure how credible it is, though.)
The limits of solar
The Solar Fraud - BraveNewClimate.com
Barry Brooks reviewed a skeptical solar power book last week, and thinks it has some value.
Brooks is promoting nuclear power quite strongly now, but whether or not he is making any inroads to the Green movement accepting it is another issue.
Still, if I were rich, having solar power to the house still appeals. Doesn't eveyone just like the idea of not being reliant on utilities?
Barry Brooks reviewed a skeptical solar power book last week, and thinks it has some value.
Brooks is promoting nuclear power quite strongly now, but whether or not he is making any inroads to the Green movement accepting it is another issue.
Still, if I were rich, having solar power to the house still appeals. Doesn't eveyone just like the idea of not being reliant on utilities?
Please let me see one...and in praise of Sony
How the Kindle will change the world. - By Jacob Weisberg - Slate Magazine
Meanwhile, here in the boondocks known as "Australia", there is no sign as to when epaper devices will arrive. Grrr. (I think I might prefer the Sony reader anyway.)
Speaking of Sony, here's an observation. I have been pounding away at work for the last 7 years or so on the same Sony laptop. (It is only used for wordprocessing and browsing the internet. With an upgrade of RAM, it still works fine.)
I type a fair bit everyday, yet I have recently noticed that there is absolutely no sign of wear or deterioration in the letters on the keyboard at all. This is quite different to the wireless keyboards in the office, as well as a couple of other brand laptops at home. It seems that for most keyboards, after a year or two, the most popular characters start to wear off, until some completely disappear.
How does Sony make their letters so tough? Why can't all keyboard manufacturers do that?
Meanwhile, here in the boondocks known as "Australia", there is no sign as to when epaper devices will arrive. Grrr. (I think I might prefer the Sony reader anyway.)
Speaking of Sony, here's an observation. I have been pounding away at work for the last 7 years or so on the same Sony laptop. (It is only used for wordprocessing and browsing the internet. With an upgrade of RAM, it still works fine.)
I type a fair bit everyday, yet I have recently noticed that there is absolutely no sign of wear or deterioration in the letters on the keyboard at all. This is quite different to the wireless keyboards in the office, as well as a couple of other brand laptops at home. It seems that for most keyboards, after a year or two, the most popular characters start to wear off, until some completely disappear.
How does Sony make their letters so tough? Why can't all keyboard manufacturers do that?
Crossing lines
Australian Story :: A Bitter End - Part 1
Australian Story over the last two weeks has been about the recent high profile euthanasia/murder case involving Graeme Wiley.
The shows are well worth watching to get an idea of the people and issues involved. It is done with the usual "Australian Story" soft bias, in the sense that hard questions are not asked or pursued, so that nearly all participants are allowed to put their own spin on events without challenge. (There was a bit of counterpoint by one of the daughters in this case, but I still reckon there was a general air of sympathy towards Caren Jenning, who has since killed herself.)
One of the things about the show that struck me was that, even allowing for my feelings against euthanasia as a wise policy, it always seems very hard to like the character of the people who get involved with the issue in a major way.
For example, Wylie himself, who apparently at least at some stage wanted to kill himself, was made to sound like an intelligent but stubborn bombastic type even by those close to him. To me, Caren Jennings came across a know-it-all busy body, and despite many people willing to sing her praises as a generous helper throughout her life, her good character did not extend to telling the truth to the police in the segment of the record of interview we heard.
The de facto of Mr Wylie (Shirley Justins, who is still alive) seemed, well, a little dim, and it is not clear whether some incidents she described were truthful or not. They were re-enacted in the show, which gives the viewer the impression they must be true, but they were certainly self-serving and later the daughter indicated she doubted them. But Justins portrayed herself as being somewhat manipulated by Caren Jennings, and one could imagine how that could be the case. However, it seemed they might have both been involved in the late change to Wylie's will, benefitting Justins, made at a time where his mental capacity was clearly going to be extremely doubtful.
And of course there was Dr Philip Nitschke, as usual hanging around any high profile case of a person who wants to kill himself for any reason. (He has a surprisingly short entry in Wikipedia; there is a lot more that should be inserted to give a true feel for the radicalism of his views.)
Many parts of the show were just a touch creepy, such as the bit where Nitschke and Jennings re-create for the camera the jolly meeting where (it would appear) he gave her a gift of alcohol to take after she swallows Nembutol. The issue of who may have supplied her the drug was never pursued in the show. (As I said, it is a "soft" version of events.)
Maybe it takes a certain aggressive character to be involved in euthanasia as a issue, and I generally react against that in people anyway. But I think they themselves might find it harder to get political support simply because of a reaction against their character. (Even though, logically, having fewer annoying suicide-inclined people around might be an argument for allowing euthanasia!)
Like the modern aggressive atheists, they allow for no shades of grey. Their view of the issue is right, and everyone who disagrees is an soft minded idiot.
Australian Story over the last two weeks has been about the recent high profile euthanasia/murder case involving Graeme Wiley.
The shows are well worth watching to get an idea of the people and issues involved. It is done with the usual "Australian Story" soft bias, in the sense that hard questions are not asked or pursued, so that nearly all participants are allowed to put their own spin on events without challenge. (There was a bit of counterpoint by one of the daughters in this case, but I still reckon there was a general air of sympathy towards Caren Jenning, who has since killed herself.)
One of the things about the show that struck me was that, even allowing for my feelings against euthanasia as a wise policy, it always seems very hard to like the character of the people who get involved with the issue in a major way.
For example, Wylie himself, who apparently at least at some stage wanted to kill himself, was made to sound like an intelligent but stubborn bombastic type even by those close to him. To me, Caren Jennings came across a know-it-all busy body, and despite many people willing to sing her praises as a generous helper throughout her life, her good character did not extend to telling the truth to the police in the segment of the record of interview we heard.
The de facto of Mr Wylie (Shirley Justins, who is still alive) seemed, well, a little dim, and it is not clear whether some incidents she described were truthful or not. They were re-enacted in the show, which gives the viewer the impression they must be true, but they were certainly self-serving and later the daughter indicated she doubted them. But Justins portrayed herself as being somewhat manipulated by Caren Jennings, and one could imagine how that could be the case. However, it seemed they might have both been involved in the late change to Wylie's will, benefitting Justins, made at a time where his mental capacity was clearly going to be extremely doubtful.
And of course there was Dr Philip Nitschke, as usual hanging around any high profile case of a person who wants to kill himself for any reason. (He has a surprisingly short entry in Wikipedia; there is a lot more that should be inserted to give a true feel for the radicalism of his views.)
Many parts of the show were just a touch creepy, such as the bit where Nitschke and Jennings re-create for the camera the jolly meeting where (it would appear) he gave her a gift of alcohol to take after she swallows Nembutol. The issue of who may have supplied her the drug was never pursued in the show. (As I said, it is a "soft" version of events.)
Maybe it takes a certain aggressive character to be involved in euthanasia as a issue, and I generally react against that in people anyway. But I think they themselves might find it harder to get political support simply because of a reaction against their character. (Even though, logically, having fewer annoying suicide-inclined people around might be an argument for allowing euthanasia!)
Like the modern aggressive atheists, they allow for no shades of grey. Their view of the issue is right, and everyone who disagrees is an soft minded idiot.
More on solar disasters
Last August, I noted a Scientific American article about the great danger that a large solar storm of could cause to modern infrastructure. A big event of the kind that last happened in 1859 could cause massive disruption for weeks or months.
Now New Scientist visits the issue, as a result of a new NASA sponsored study that looks at the possible disaster.
The basic problem is the nature of the damage to the electrical system:
The article notes that the main satellite which would give short warning of the coming storm (and perhaps allow some electricity utilities to take some action to limit damage) is aging and no replacement is planned. Sounds very obvious that this is one early warning system that should not be allowed to lapse.
Now New Scientist visits the issue, as a result of a new NASA sponsored study that looks at the possible disaster.
The basic problem is the nature of the damage to the electrical system:
According to the NAS report, a severe space weather event in the US could induce ground currents that would knock out 300 key transformers within about 90 seconds, cutting off the power for more than 130 million peopleThat's an amazing thought, isn't it?: a huge part of the world having a permanent black out for months. As the study notes, a blackout of that length affects everything; water supply, fuel supply, food supply. As least survivalists would finally feel their preparation was worth it.(see map) . From that moment, the clock is ticking for America....The truly shocking finding is that this whole situation would not improve for months, maybe years: melted transformer hubs cannot be repaired, only replaced. "From the surveys I've done, you might have a few spare transformers around, but installing a new one takes a well-trained crew a week or more," says Kappenman. "A major electrical utility might have one suitably trained crew, maybe two."
Within a month, then, the handful of spare transformers would be used up. The rest will have to be built to order, something that can take up to 12 months.
The article notes that the main satellite which would give short warning of the coming storm (and perhaps allow some electricity utilities to take some action to limit damage) is aging and no replacement is planned. Sounds very obvious that this is one early warning system that should not be allowed to lapse.
Monday, March 23, 2009
She-devil?
The Vatican's harmful views about condoms | Sex and sensibility | The Economist
The Economist's article on the Pope's African comments on condoms is not very fair, but I don't particularly care to go into that debate here.
Instead, I'll pray for forgiveness for trivialising a serious issue by joining in the question already asked by some Economist commenters: who is that person with the mountainous red hair standing next to the Pope?
By the way, I wonder how Quentin Bryce's African sojourn is going. If she needs a visit to the hairdresser while there, the result could be interesting.
(You can see photos of her visit here. For a moment there, I thought I spotted a pic which did not feature the GG herself. But no, when you enlarge the thumbnail, there she is on the poster in the background.
Ah no! I stand corrected. There is a pic without her image in any form whatsoever. A breakthrough!)
UPDATE: It appears that the Amazon women with red hair was earlier identified at Tim Blair's, but that massive hat concealing that massive hair makes her look slightly different.
The Economist's article on the Pope's African comments on condoms is not very fair, but I don't particularly care to go into that debate here.
Instead, I'll pray for forgiveness for trivialising a serious issue by joining in the question already asked by some Economist commenters: who is that person with the mountainous red hair standing next to the Pope?
By the way, I wonder how Quentin Bryce's African sojourn is going. If she needs a visit to the hairdresser while there, the result could be interesting.
(You can see photos of her visit here. For a moment there, I thought I spotted a pic which did not feature the GG herself. But no, when you enlarge the thumbnail, there she is on the poster in the background.
Ah no! I stand corrected. There is a pic without her image in any form whatsoever. A breakthrough!)
UPDATE: It appears that the Amazon women with red hair was earlier identified at Tim Blair's, but that massive hat concealing that massive hair makes her look slightly different.
More weekend viewing
Guardian Angels - Landline - ABC
Cute story on Landline yesterday about big white dogs that guard chickens and penguins in Victoria from foxes. It kept putting me in mind of the Looney Tunes sheepdog/coyote cartoons, except I didn't know that dogs were happy to guard birds too. (Actually, I see that it was sheepdog/wolf, just that the wolf looked almost exactly like Wile E Coyote.)
Cat lovers, show us what useful things they do, again?
Cute story on Landline yesterday about big white dogs that guard chickens and penguins in Victoria from foxes. It kept putting me in mind of the Looney Tunes sheepdog/coyote cartoons, except I didn't know that dogs were happy to guard birds too. (Actually, I see that it was sheepdog/wolf, just that the wolf looked almost exactly like Wile E Coyote.)
Cat lovers, show us what useful things they do, again?
Innovative insurance companies
Sunday Night Videos - Yahoo!7 TV
That Sunday night magazine program with the obvious name ("Sunday Night") actually had an interesting story yesterday on Vancouver's success with using "bait cars" to dramatically reduce car theft in the city.
The police and insurance companies work together to put highly favoured "bait cars" on the street; when they are stolen, a command centre monitors where it is and can disable the engine when the police are close enough to nab the driver.
Excellent idea.
There must be more innovative ways insurance companies can reduce claims or costs.
There was a lot of comment recently about the relatively low number of houses that were insured in the Victorian countryside, but what innovative means could be used to encourage taking up insurance? Gangs of masked men from the insurance companies wielding flaming torches appearing at random in front of houses they know are uninsured, maybe?
I guess the insurance companies could buy cheap houses, slap a fresh coat of paint on them, burn them down and then have the pretend owners bemoaning in the media how they didn't have insurance. Maybe a bit of an expensive exercise, though.
I'm sure there's a good idea lurking somewhere in the back of my mind, but it's not coming out yet.
That Sunday night magazine program with the obvious name ("Sunday Night") actually had an interesting story yesterday on Vancouver's success with using "bait cars" to dramatically reduce car theft in the city.
The police and insurance companies work together to put highly favoured "bait cars" on the street; when they are stolen, a command centre monitors where it is and can disable the engine when the police are close enough to nab the driver.
Excellent idea.
There must be more innovative ways insurance companies can reduce claims or costs.
There was a lot of comment recently about the relatively low number of houses that were insured in the Victorian countryside, but what innovative means could be used to encourage taking up insurance? Gangs of masked men from the insurance companies wielding flaming torches appearing at random in front of houses they know are uninsured, maybe?
I guess the insurance companies could buy cheap houses, slap a fresh coat of paint on them, burn them down and then have the pretend owners bemoaning in the media how they didn't have insurance. Maybe a bit of an expensive exercise, though.
I'm sure there's a good idea lurking somewhere in the back of my mind, but it's not coming out yet.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
The waterless way
Waterless urinals: Cheap. Green. But many think ‘gross’ | csmonitor.com
Here's an interesting article (honest!) about a device that's becoming more common. They are cleaner than regular urinals, apparently:
[Speaking of which, for years now, I have been wondering who it is was who thought up the terrible design of metal urinals that extend down and below floor level, with a metal grid on which to stand. For any women reading this who haven't partied with Rugby League players, the idea is for the man to stand on the grid so that any drips fall through it and into the urinal tray which extends below your feet. These are, I think, a universally unpopular design, as the tray beneath the feet does not usually drain well and smells, and the grid itself gets urine soaked and grotty anyway, to the extent that some men - especially if wearing thongs or other insubstantial footwear - will stand back from grid anyway, ensuring that the point of the design is completely lost.]
But there's something else to be learned from this article. If you are a journalist who gets an invite to attend the next WTO meeting, make sure you go to the right one:
Here's an interesting article (honest!) about a device that's becoming more common. They are cleaner than regular urinals, apparently:
Maybe. But they don't stop the problem of men who miss or drip onto the floor near the urinal itself.“In traditional urinals, the surfaces on the inside are wet much of the time, and you get biofilms of growing organisms,” says Prof. Charles Gerba, an Arizona State University microbiologist who has researched surface contamination in public restrooms.
Flushing further creates a spray that lands on the rim and floor, creating a breeding ground for microorganisms.
“If easily-maintainable, water-free urinals had been developed first, no one would use conventional urinals because of all the contamination they cause,” he adds.
[Speaking of which, for years now, I have been wondering who it is was who thought up the terrible design of metal urinals that extend down and below floor level, with a metal grid on which to stand. For any women reading this who haven't partied with Rugby League players, the idea is for the man to stand on the grid so that any drips fall through it and into the urinal tray which extends below your feet. These are, I think, a universally unpopular design, as the tray beneath the feet does not usually drain well and smells, and the grid itself gets urine soaked and grotty anyway, to the extent that some men - especially if wearing thongs or other insubstantial footwear - will stand back from grid anyway, ensuring that the point of the design is completely lost.]
But there's something else to be learned from this article. If you are a journalist who gets an invite to attend the next WTO meeting, make sure you go to the right one:
In rural regions of the third-world where sanitary infrastructure is nearly nonexistent, these urinals present the option of leapfrogging past systems that use up precious water, says Jack Sim, an advocate of compost toilets. In 2002, he launched the World Toilet Organization, a nonprofit group based in Singapore and committed to improving toilet facilities worldwide.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Election fizzer
The Queensland election has turned into a fizzer for the LNP, with a swing about half of what had been predicted and way too little to get close to winning government. So ends my alternative career as electoral pundit...
But, as I said in 2007:
Finally, I saw little of the election coverage on TV, but what I did see of Treasurer Andrew Fraser confirmed what I had heard on the radio. If you thought Kevin Rudd could be robotic, Fraser appears to be the perfect political android, but with less charm than Asimo. (He does have a wife and two kids at the age of 32, which I guess proves he is human, but you wouldn't guess it from his media manner.)
But, as I said in 2007:
People need to remember that the voters of Queensland are, shall we say, different. Look at how long Bjelke Petersen hung around, and Goss and Peter Beattie's respective electoral loss and win which neither of them deserved.Save for one short hiccup, it seems like Queenslanders only like to change governments about once every 20 years or so. Maybe the heat makes the incompetence or corruption of governments take an unduly long time to reach the collective brain of the electorate, rather like a brontosaur's (alleged) slow reaction to feeling its backside was on fire. But essentially, it's all a bit of a mystery to your humble blogger.
Finally, I saw little of the election coverage on TV, but what I did see of Treasurer Andrew Fraser confirmed what I had heard on the radio. If you thought Kevin Rudd could be robotic, Fraser appears to be the perfect political android, but with less charm than Asimo. (He does have a wife and two kids at the age of 32, which I guess proves he is human, but you wouldn't guess it from his media manner.)
Friday, March 20, 2009
Talking up LEDs
The next generation of electric lights | A brilliant new approach | The Economist
This article from the Economist talks up the promise of cheaper LED lights in the future, with a new manufacturing method potentially makes the process about 10 times cheaper.
But here's a figure that's handy to keep in your head for the next lull in a conversation:
This article from the Economist talks up the promise of cheaper LED lights in the future, with a new manufacturing method potentially makes the process about 10 times cheaper.
But here's a figure that's handy to keep in your head for the next lull in a conversation:
About 20% of the world’s electricity is used for lighting. America’s Department of Energy thinks that, with LEDs, this could be cut in half by 2025, saving more than 130 new power stations in America alone.
Ayn going nowhere
Thought Experiments : The Blog: Ayn Rand: Meditations on a Crock of ....
Good post from Bryan Appleyard succinctly critiquing Ayn Rand.
Good post from Bryan Appleyard succinctly critiquing Ayn Rand.
Against the wind
Wind energy blowing hot air - On Line Opinion - 20/3/2009
It's been quite a while since I've linked to a decent anti-wind power article, but this one is quite good.
It's been quite a while since I've linked to a decent anti-wind power article, but this one is quite good.
Things we learned from last night's Q and A
No transcript is up yet, but should appear here.
1. Peter Kennedy is pro-choice on abortion. What a surprise.
2. Peter Kennedy acknowledges that St Mary's doesn't run like a normal parish catering to local Catholics. It caters to the disgruntled left leaning Catholics of Brisbane, which makes the claimed "vibrancy" of the parish (700 or so attending masses on a weekend) not so impressive.
3. Peter Kennedy could not answer why it is essential that the church he (barely) presides over could not be run from virtually any location in Brisbane. The union building he has already been offered for weekends is probably less than 100 meters from the physical church he presently uses.
4. As already noted in this blog, the charitable projects for which his parish claims much credit are in fact primarily outsourced government funded projects. (I think he said government funding is $10 million, local parish support is $40,000. Maybe some parishioners work for free for this as well, but if so I would like to know the details.)
5. Peter Kennedy wants the Catholic Church to become a democracy in which women play a large role, because he thinks that is the way to make a church more relevant and vibrant, etc. I guess that explains why the Anglicans are doing so well then.
6. Tony Abbott is surprisingly soft on liberal Catholics. George Pell needs to smack him around a bit and toughen him up.
As a final note, Kennedy really did seem old and inarticulate at the start, but warmed up and sounded more "with it" later. But he clearly isn't going to be around forever, and "his" parish is going to have a succession crisis sooner or later in any event.
I certainly can't see why he would be considered charismatic, though.
1. Peter Kennedy is pro-choice on abortion. What a surprise.
2. Peter Kennedy acknowledges that St Mary's doesn't run like a normal parish catering to local Catholics. It caters to the disgruntled left leaning Catholics of Brisbane, which makes the claimed "vibrancy" of the parish (700 or so attending masses on a weekend) not so impressive.
3. Peter Kennedy could not answer why it is essential that the church he (barely) presides over could not be run from virtually any location in Brisbane. The union building he has already been offered for weekends is probably less than 100 meters from the physical church he presently uses.
4. As already noted in this blog, the charitable projects for which his parish claims much credit are in fact primarily outsourced government funded projects. (I think he said government funding is $10 million, local parish support is $40,000. Maybe some parishioners work for free for this as well, but if so I would like to know the details.)
5. Peter Kennedy wants the Catholic Church to become a democracy in which women play a large role, because he thinks that is the way to make a church more relevant and vibrant, etc. I guess that explains why the Anglicans are doing so well then.
6. Tony Abbott is surprisingly soft on liberal Catholics. George Pell needs to smack him around a bit and toughen him up.
As a final note, Kennedy really did seem old and inarticulate at the start, but warmed up and sounded more "with it" later. But he clearly isn't going to be around forever, and "his" parish is going to have a succession crisis sooner or later in any event.
I certainly can't see why he would be considered charismatic, though.
Gadget time
World's First Color E-Book Reader Goes on Sale | Gadget Lab from Wired.com
Hey, I didn't even know that coloured e-paper displays were in the pipeline.
This new Fujistsu e-book reader sounds pretty sexy, if expensive. But in Australia, no one is even selling black and white e-paper devices such as the Sony Reader or the Kindle. What gives? I just want to be able to see one in a shop, not necessarily buy it.
I am surprised that the Greens do not push the adoption of technology such as this as a way of reducing paper production.
Hey, I didn't even know that coloured e-paper displays were in the pipeline.
This new Fujistsu e-book reader sounds pretty sexy, if expensive. But in Australia, no one is even selling black and white e-paper devices such as the Sony Reader or the Kindle. What gives? I just want to be able to see one in a shop, not necessarily buy it.
I am surprised that the Greens do not push the adoption of technology such as this as a way of reducing paper production.
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