| Author | Message | ||
     Aesquire |
https://www.wsj.com/articles/john-kerry-crusade-ag ainst-oil-gas-fracking-climate-banks-fossil-fuels- biden-energy-prices-11639603757 | ||
| Aesquire |
Basically a plan to take personal vehicles away from you Peasants. https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-administratio n-imposes-new-fuel-efficiency-regulations-aiming-f or-zero-emissions-future | ||
| Aesquire |
https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2021/12/let s-not-imitate-europes-disastrous-energy-policies.p hp | ||
| Ebutch |
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| Aesquire |
https://gizmodo.com/giant-kite-will-pull-a-ship-ac ross-the-ocean-next-month-1848233992 MORE ON THIS DUBIOUS IDEA: Giant Kite Will Pull a Ship Across the Ocean Next Month. So if I recall correctly, 100 square feet of sail will generate about 1 horsepower equivalent in a 15 mph breeze. With a kite area of 5,380 square feet, that’s about 53 horsepower, which is what 1960s vintage VW Beetles had. How much acceleration will that impart to a ship 505 feet long? They don’t give its weight, but it’s a lot heavier than the Beetles, which didn’t move very fast . . . 432Posted at 7:00 pm by Glenn Reynolds I've been watching this for a year, as they test deploying a huge parafoil kite and retracting it. The math Glenn used in his comment doesn't apply here. The wing is not a sail fixed to a mast, thus the pounds push per square foot thrust produced is all wrong. The wing flies in a path through the wind window and generates lots more power, IF the wind is blowing the right way. I have a little 4.2 meter kite that pulls my canoe pretty quickly, to the vast amusement of the speedboat guys we pass on the lake. It pulls hard enough the front half of the canoe is off the water if I make it pull up. ( how kiteboarders make those huge jumps ) I'm planning on going to a 9 meter kite next year. Or a 23 meter version without the canoe and just fly with it. Despite, or perhaps Because I understand the technology, I consider the Airseas design a bit of a gimmick. Not vaporware! They have real hardware and it really works, but it's complex and expensive. Tests show it does provide enough thrust to make a potential cost savings in fuel ( and thus taxes ) to pay itself off, for the hardware. A lot of work has gone into automating the launch & retrieval robotics as well as the robotic flight control system. But despite the promise, this isn't my first exposure to "add a sail to save oil" schemes. They were popular in every energy crisis ( Jimmy Carter era especially ) during my lifetime. Cover of 1960s Popular Mechanics, Scientific American, etc. Not as sexy as flying cars or jet packs, but the sailing ship keeps coming back. But it won't be Clipper ship square sails with huge crews clambering up ropes to trim and furl vast sheets of canvas. Or kevlar. Modern ships just don't have the massive crews needed for manual multi sail operations. The few tall ships are Navy & Coast Guard training vessels, extremely valuable for teaching wind and wave, but not commercially viable cargo ships. Bahamas vacation, yes, private yacht, sure, Sails are awesome. Container ships? Not so much. But it's "free, renewable, Green ( water ) Power!" . ... Actually expensive, inconsistent, part time, and requires expert knowledge. Still, it can in some cases save a Lot of money. http://stonefig.com/cylindrical-sails/ Magnus Effect rotors are more likely to win favor with shipping lines than giant robotic kites. Pity, since they are quite boring to watch unless you Paint cool stripes on the rotors so you can see them spin. Great Big Kites doing figure 8s are much more photogenic. And you can take great ship selfies! And Magnus Effect rotors can be fun... https://wordlesstech.com/rc-kfc-bucket-magnus-effe ct-aeroplane/ | ||
| Aesquire |
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2021/12/whirl ing_triffids_are_now_invading_our_seashores.html I don't know about the claim that building and installing a wind turbine takes more energy than it produces. That they consume vast quantities of expensive, energy intensive, and rare materials, and are not easily, ( or ever ) recycled, that's true. Ditto on the bird kill. | ||
| Aesquire |
https://www.cfact.org/2016/03/04/are-wind-turbines -killing-whales/ Uh, guys? | ||
| Ebutch |
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| Aesquire |
https://slate.com/technology/2021/12/dont-look-up- scientists-denialism-asteroids-dinosaurs.html I've been complaining about the "Boy who cried Wolf" effect on science for years. I disagree with the editorial above in a few basic ways. I agree lots of people are ignorant. Too many believe, or pretend to, to fit in, the Climate Con that has since the 1970s repeatedly predicted Armageddon, yet it doesn't happen. In my not so humble opinion it's the Doom!!!! exploitation industry that has led to the completely rational skepticism of End of The World predictions. And I agree that Actual Disasters not only HAVE occurred, but inevitably WILL occur, someday, really, no kidding. Where I disagree is that a hysterical scientist on a Morning Talk show would be ignored as a crank, BECAUSE we are "denialists" and too stupid to care. That's the propaganda dismissal of any skepticism of repeated lies. If such a scientist is ignored, it is Because enough people have noticed that the Lies and personal attacks, professional destruction, authoritarian demands, and, indeed, the massive wealth acquired by folk pushing the "you can't disagree or you are evil" scam. ( for example the "alternative energy" millionaires who exploit Saint Greta of Thunberg ) So if the world ends because we ignored the warning, it's partly the author's fault, because he's part of the death of respect. Chicken Little! | ||
| Aesquire |
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2021/12/t he_left_unwittingly_spoofs_self_in_dont_look_up_.h tml I'm not going to watch this and my comments above stand. But the Left is a self parody every day. A dictatorial, authoritarian, murderous parody of the Worst of us. | ||
| Hootowl |
Oops. https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2021/12/t he_new_climate_of_panic_among_the_panicmongers.htm l | ||
| Aesquire |
https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2022/01/a-d ry-run-for-tyranny.php Climate change is an acceptable excuse for Anything. According to the Cultists. They plan to take away your rights, your motor vehicles, and your life if you don't Obey their Sacred Enlightenment. After all, it's for the children ( which they will allow their Elite to have ) the Planet, ( ditto ) and For Your Own Good. You'll be happier this way. Which is what some dog Owners tell their male property before having their testicles removed. That's not a metaphor. That how they regard you. | ||
| Aesquire |
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2015/10/19/ glenn-reynolds-tax-blue-zones-climate-change-coast al-flooding-column/74186596/ | ||
| Aesquire |
https://twitchy.com/dougp-3137/2021/10/21/promise- illustrated-warning-of-what-washington-dc-might-lo ok-like-if-climate-change-isnt-addressed-backfires / Al Gore bought beach front Malibu property, AFTER telling us the seas would rise. His Actions show he knows he lied. Ditto Barack Hussein Obama. Actually Barry has 2 properties in the Rising Seas zone, the beach Mansion and the Manhattan walled compound. | ||
| Ducbsa |
Don't forget Kerry and the Gateses. | ||
| Hootowl |
Tesla update: I am in the self driving beta tester group. Tesla offered a beta request feature that, when activated, monitors your driving habits. If you score high enough on their safety scoring system, you are allowed into the beta. The latest update is very good. With this version, they have allowed the self driving computer to use regenerative braking to slow the vehicle, as it does with a human in control, for much smoother stops. It handles roundabouts very well, though it is still programmed to stop at the entrance, rather than yield. And it, by design, favors the center of the road on unmarked roads, which was apparently requested by drivers. Seems it was spending too much time avoiding trash cans, etc. in previous releases. I would prefer that it hug the right side. Maybe they’ll make that behavior selectable at some point. The car drove me home from the airport last week, with no disengagements (manual intervention), a distance of some 30 miles, which included both freeway and surface streets. There was some hesitation when making right turns, but it did make them. It is very good at 4 way stops, as long as there are cars present in the oncoming and cross directions. If there are no other cars present, it hesitates. I guess its confidence is diminished if it can’t detect other cars. If there are other cars, it waits its turn, and goes. The other day, it stopped for a pedestrian waiting to cross the street. Sometimes it surprises me with its capabilities, and other times it completely fails to act correctly. But, beta. It gets better all the time. | ||
| Ebutch |
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| Ebutch |
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| Aesquire |
Hoot, good to hear. On my Rav-4 I found the radar cruise control shuts off in heavy snow. By driving in some. Haven't checked to see if I can select no-radar cruise yet, suspect not. With stock, high mpg oriented all season Michelins, it feels reasonably planted in the wet. I'm going for serious studded snows, but am shopping for rims, to avoid tire changes. The Caravan is on it's "last season for these " Studded Generals. So I have time to shop. Best price for steel rims so far is $125 each. So @ $200 a year saved it's a 3 year payoff. Pity the Dealer didn't have a sale, like my VW dealer had, of take off steel rims w/tires, from customers that upgraded to alloy sets. I liked just swapping rims twice a year, in the driveway, and doing a visual inspection & Never-sieze on hub and studs. Made maintenance easier. Brake jobs etc. | ||
| Aesquire |
I'm curious how the Tesla handles snow & tire choice. ( and your weather range ) I have had decades of "Sheriff asks all non-essential people to stay off the road" days, and was on the road all of them. So I'm a winter driving nerd. Came over a pass in Tennessee in a storm and the police at the bottom stopped me because, you know, they closed the road while I was up the mountain. Caravan with 3 people, full of gear, studded snows, NY plates. "Hey, buddy, the road's closed, how the ... ( looks at snow tires, registration ) Oh! You all from New Yawk! " I gave him a condition and traffic report, and they waved me on. 4" broken ice. ... I go out to a parking lot each year & do donuts. And drifting under control. Have since before they predicted the Ice Age back in '77.  | ||
| Hootowl |
Having never driven it in snow, I don’t have first hand knowledge. However, it does have a fairly sophisticated awd system. Open diffs, and it uses the abs sensors to detect wheel spin. The spinning tire gets its brake applied, which makes the opposite wheel get driven. Sounds cheesy, but it works, and is cheaper to build than a limited slip diff. My car does 0-60 in as near as makes no difference three seconds, with no tire spin/chirping. That is a good indicator for excellent traction control. I also have pilot sport summer tires. I live in houston, and leave them on year round. If I were to live where it snows, I’d either switch to all seasons, or get an extra set of rims with snow tires. There is an option to tell the computer what kind/size wheel you’re running so it can adjust the speedometer and range estimate. The standard rim with the plastic aero wheel cover increases range by 10% vs. the larger sport wheels. Plenty of videos on youtube of folks driving them in snow, though, and they appear to be pretty capable. Not sure about self driving in snow, though they technically do not require lane markings to operate. They do read lane markings, though, including turn only indicators. Not sure how it would handle that. Maybe the same way that a person who can’t see the lane marking would. No idea. People and computers don’t learn the same way. | ||
| Hootowl |
Of significance, I think, is that there is an option in the car controls to allow a small amount of tire spin in low traction situations. That tells me that it won’t allow any without that enabled. Curious. | ||
| Ratbuell |
My Grand Cherokee will kill the throttle when it detects wheelspin, as a default. That is part of the traction control system. "Snow" mode will allow some wheelspin, but still kill the throttle before you get up that hill. I have to turn off the traction control when I want to power my way up a slippery hill. | ||
| Chauly |
Patrick. I just put a set of Michelin Climate2 tires on my Es-ca'pe (Ess-ka-pay). They resemble MotoGP Rain Tires, and are (so far) fantastic in crap weather, such as the current winter "storm" (Joe, ya got much?) | ||
| Hootowl |
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| Hootowl |
"there is an option in the car controls to allow a small amount of tire spin in low traction situations. That tells me that it won’t allow any without that enabled." Nope Found a video of a guy who got his model Y stuck (while seeing if he could get it stuck) and all four wheels were spinning even without "slip start" enabled. And slip start did not get him unstuck. | ||
| Aesquire |
The Fast Lane Truck/Car guys in Colorado did a traction test. My Rav-4 has open diffs & braking "slip control". https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WDXLczT_iaY And a Rav-4 Prime vs. Tesla. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8kDQvycMpmg | ||
| Hootowl |
Here's a better one, from a guy whose opinion I respect. He produces good content. | ||
| Aesquire |
Cool! The Fast Lane Car guys get one thing, the customers for the Toyota Hybrid & Tesla are different. Not mortal enemy different, but happy/wanting different things. Tesla is a technology company learning to build cars. Toyota is a car company learning to sell technology. There's no comparison in the infotainment systems. Or drag strip performance! It's not the engine or hybrid technology that Toyota is behind on. There, they lead the other car companies. It's the infotainment approach. Toyota learned from the Scion that "kids today" want Phone Stuff Everywhere. And don't care about mechanical. But they're way behind the Tesla approach of Big Screen Everything. I didn't go for the Tesla because I see Electric Only as a Second ( primary commuter ) vehicle, and need a truck/van for hauling lumber, aircraft, boats, etc. If Tesla made a Second gen Dodge shorty van equivalent, like my beloved '76 with slant 6 & 3 on the tree, I'd buy it. I have near zero interest in a sports car. My Buell satisfies my adrenal road needs. Heck, I'm still shopping for a good used van to replace the 208,000 mile Caravan. Next year? But I'm not typical. Not today's cell phone obsessed or the soccer mom generation. I wasn't typical in '76 either. ( and I read Mother Earth News for electric van conversions ...back then ) | ||
| Hootowl |
"It's not the engine or hybrid technology that Toyota is behind on. There, they lead the other car companies." That's generally true. They mainstreamed the hybrid (Prius). But Tesla has them beat on the efficiency of their motors, and in the world of electric vehicles, that's key. Efficiency translates to power and range. I would like to see a vehicle that flips the narrative on the hybrid concept of small battery and big motor. Why not a mostly electric vehicle that has a small on-board generator that you could selectively engage, or would automatically start when the battery got below 5%? It would only have to make enough power to keep the vehicle moving down the freeway. The battery still powers the motor, and could, even at 5%, easily provide the energy needed for acceleration. A small, highly tuned, fixed RPM engine mated to a generator head would provide all the power you'd need, and wouldn't add much to the price of the car, given that you can buy a 5KW generator for a few hundred dollars. That would solve the "range anxiety" issue, and eliminate the need to install charging stations everywhere. If Toyota, GM, or Ford built something like that, they'd corner the market. I think that's what the Volt was supposed to be, but then politics happened and the engineers were pushed aside. |
