rantlust

Posted by Suman on December 12th 2007 in Earth, Environment, Government, Politics, Society, Technology
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As you may know, the U.S. House of Representatives passed an energy bill last week (H.R.6) that among many other things raises mpg standards for cars (to 35 mpg by 2020), extends and raises the tax credits for residential solar energy (thru 2014, and to $4k from $2k), and eliminates tax breaks for oil companies (currently $13.5 billion - that’s $13.5 thousand million, for our readers who speak U.K./European English).

The bill is currently being debated by the Senate, which may reject all or portions of it, and the President may also use his veto powers.  If you are a U.S. voter, please send a quick note to your elected representatives to let them know your views on the matter.

To write in support of H.R.6, click here.

To write in opposition to H.R. 6, click here.

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Posted by hari on October 26th 2007 in Environment, Government, Politics, Rants, Science
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Historically scientists applied very rigorous standards to what they called science. Many things in science are known as theories even though there is hardly anything to dispute their validity. In fact there is very little difference between what is called a law, as in Newton’s laws of motion; law of gravity etc and what are referred to as theories.

However lot of people think of the word theory as in “I have a theory”. Or the way economists use the word theory. For an illustration, I live a few miles away from the Creation Museum which was established to showcase evidence that the theory of evolution is wrong. The folks behind the museum say evolution is just a theory and it is wrong. Opened this year, the 60,000-square-foot museum is so successful they are trying to expand the parking lot.

However the theory of evolution is established science. The annual flu shots are nothing but evolved flu virus. Without doubt scientist knows that the microbes evolve. We also know from documented history that the silk worm used to fly. We know that silk worm or perhaps even cows cannot live without human anymore. We also know that the digestive mechanism of a pig is not very different from humans and that is why insulin made from pigs was used to treat humans.

However now we have people who challenge the theory of evolution. The museum, few miles away from my home, is a case in point. In this environment; it is anybody’s guess what will be the fate of the theory of global warming which is far from maturity. No one knows enough to accept or reject that theory entirely. However that does not mean, the global warming will wait for the mankind to understand the phenomena. The planet might be in peril.

It was not a physicist’s decision to nuke Hiroshima. It would not be and it should not be. The people through their elected representatives make that kind of decisions. Similarly global warming, while being a scientific question, will be decided and acted upon by the political process. Another case, the thing that pops up on your screen, is it a adware or spyware? Who gets to decide that? Engineers?

We can wait until the scientists conclude the science of global warming. But there are two problems with that approach. One, do we have time? Two, without activists, would there be vigorous research to conclude that issue any time in near future?

The (often) sarcastic comment on Al Gore inventing the internet and the current Al Gore bashing for his environmental activism have common lessons. The internet as a technology existed from the 60s. A few computers connected together is not the biggest deal on the world. Be it the defense network or the Stanford to UC network, the stuff was there. However until 90s it never even came close to what is referred as internet today. Far from being just interconnected computers, internet is a way of life today. There is a political, social legal environment that nurtured and brought it to its current form. While no stretch of imagination would conclude it is all Al Gore’s work, the guy’s role is not to be disputed. Not as the engineer or scientist who invented the internet, but as the politician who ‘invented’ the social political framework for internet without which internet is perhaps no internet, just the 60’s internet. Oh’ I exaggerated a bit, so note just the narrow point.

Similarly if the planet were truly in peril, though the science is far from concluding either way, may he will be the person who ‘invented’ global warming.

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Posted by tafkap on October 24th 2007 in Environment, Nature, Photography, Science
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A view from space (courtesy NASA)

For the image (and others) in hi-def see here

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Posted by crewcut on September 25th 2007 in Economics, Environment
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When we moved into our new home, we made sure all the lights we used most often had CFLs. Following the 80-20 rule on lights seemed the most practical option given that I would have to spend only an extra Rs 1500 on those few CFLs instead of > Rs 5000 if we had CFLs everywhere.

Recently, I identified the “Tier II” lights that could use CFLs. So I bought a Rs 200 CFL to replace the existing Rs 10 bulb in a light that was used for about an hour everyday. The problem that I didn’t expect to face, was that I had no idea what to do with the perfectly good bulb that was replaced.

There weren’t any empty sockets to plug it into. I didn’t want to keep it as a spare, because if another bulb blew, that would be a good opportunity to use yet another CFL. It could have been donated to the domestic help to use at their house but that wouldn’t save any electricity at the macro level. The last option was to break the bulb and dispose it.

This bulb dilemma is a good reflection of most energy efficiency initiatives and or initiatives to reduce CO2. When there is a new initiative or project and if there is enough money to invest, it’s easy to “buy new CFLs” and save money through efficiencies. The problem is with existing assets. How much money can one spend to upgrade these and what does one do with the residual value of replaced assets? It’s difficult to find projects with no upfront or ongoing costs.

Now the question is, what do I do with the bulb lying on my table?

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Posted by anupcs on August 12th 2007 in Business, Cars, Design, Environment, Food & Wine, Rants
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Yesterday, when I rolled into an In-N-Out Burger drive-thru, the line didn’t seem long. There was a guy waiting near the menu board wearing the familiar red and white uniform taking orders. I should have been out of there in five minutes max under normal circumstances. But for some unexplained reason, it took me more than 15 minutes (no exaggeration) to get through.

During this long, impatient wait for a burger with onions (protein style!), I noticed that the minivan in front was covered with stickers touting eco-responsibility and warning against global warming and the extinction of penguins, whales, and baby seals. There was also a faded “Gore/Lieberman 2000″ sticker. I couldn’t help but chuckle at the hypocrisy of its occupants. Fifteen minutes of idling in a minivan that probably has a mileage close to the SUVs that the environmentalists love to bash. If you are so much for saving the environment as clearly the minivan occupants were, why drive a minivan? And why go through a drive-thru on top of that? Can’t you park the car and go inside and order thus saving fifteen minutes of harmful emissions from idling?
(Read more…)

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Posted by Suman on August 06th 2007 in Environment, Raves, Technology
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I’ve been asked this question fairly often ever since I had a PV solar array installed on my roof in early 2006.  The short answer is yes, but many factors are involved.

The main components of a PV system are the solar panel array, which converts light into DC electricity, and the inverter, which converts the DC electricity into 110 Volt AC electricity that can be used by the house.  The system is designed to run the house on solar power first and only switch to the grid when electrical demand exceeds the PV system’s power output.  It operates seamlessly, so no manual intervention is ever necessary.

During winter and early spring, my home’s electrical demand is low enough that I use solar power exclusively.  In fact, for a few months I generate more electricity than I consume, and sell the excess to my power company, which applies a credit to my bill during those months.  During the summer, however, air conditioning (a necessity in Phoenix) requires more power than my array provides.

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Posted by anupcs on July 09th 2007 in Earth, Entertainment, Environment, Music, Science, World
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Thanks to TiVo, I was able to watch a lot of footage of the Live Earth concerts on July 7. The gigs were held in all seven continents in nine cities (New York, London, Johannesburg, Rio de Janeiro, Shanghai, Hamburg, Sydney, Tokyo, and Adelaide Island in Antarctica) to highlight the inconvenient truths regarding global warming. A large number of music stars ranging from Metallica to Madonna and some newly revived oldies such as The Police and Genesis (sans Peter Gabriel) participated. Eco St. Gore appeared as well with his hybrid driving buddies Leo DiCaprio and Cameron Diaz though there were no PowerPoint slides this time.

This is all good but as Ricky Gervais (of the British “The Office” fame) cynically hinted at Wembley while introducing an act, all these celebrities came to these concerts from all over the world, some of them with their entourages in private jets and is that a good message to convey when dealing with carbon offsets and the like? The BBC’s coverage of the concert ended with the following telling paragraph:

“Thousands of plastic cups were left on the Wembley Stadium floor at the end of the London concert, despite organisers urging the audience to put them into recycling bins provided.”

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