tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56524935013915351182024-03-20T04:25:27.471-05:00Sustainabili-CityUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger125125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5652493501391535118.post-47091376995927710962011-06-16T16:24:00.002-05:002011-06-21T09:00:57.631-05:00Data Centers: The Next Sustainability Red-Zone?So today I walked past two of my workplace's "data centers." I put these in quotes because to be honest, two closet sized server farms pale in comparison to the new-aged data centers that are being ramped up (I'm talking zettabyte centers, SON!).<br />
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However, despite their relatively small sizes, I could definitely feel a temperature change when being near these rooms. This isn't terribly surprising because electronics throw off a ton of heat and require large amounts of climate control measures to keep them from overheating and shutting down.<br />
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Combining seeing these rooms with the fact that I had WAY too much coffee this morning led to me thinking about the issues that data centers are going to present us in the very near future. Recently there was a study that showed that Netflix is the new majority holder of internet bandwidth usage in the United States due to video streaming.<br />
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<b>Data Center Scaling</b><br />
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I am certainly guilty of abusing the hell out of Netflix streaming as I have watched all the episodes of Dexter and Scrubs multiple times over, and I am soon going to be moving on to Sponge Bob Square Pants (yes, I am a nerd).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFo0JnwpKrgASAcREfiqt4zZgmy5w0-LyFIe3hTLWvxip2A7apsxFEE30wrn1aZ3MqODRndThcS9LxbaIAJxECiY6l2frRZRKZ_2ULsRm7-y08UTItepmGd16YoBAm6edzE2fLLeq-1_s/s1600/SpongeBob-SquarePants-p41.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFo0JnwpKrgASAcREfiqt4zZgmy5w0-LyFIe3hTLWvxip2A7apsxFEE30wrn1aZ3MqODRndThcS9LxbaIAJxECiY6l2frRZRKZ_2ULsRm7-y08UTItepmGd16YoBAm6edzE2fLLeq-1_s/s320/SpongeBob-SquarePants-p41.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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However, video steaming is only the tip of an iceberg that is only going to get bigger. Google is placing a huge bet with its Chromebooks that computers are going to be cloud-based in the future, and more and more services are being migrated to the virtual world. This is all wonderfully convenient, and I wouldn't change a thing about it - but it is going to ultimately lead to the necessary scaling of data centers.<br />
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<b>The Problem</b><br />
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This means that there is going to be an increase in energy consumption, and to make things worse, this energy consumption is going to come at night, which traditionally is when energy rates have been cheaper.<br />
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Why at night? People spend the most time online at night streaming television shows, stalking their exes on facebook, etc. This will end up putting a higher demand on the baseline energy producers and increasing the need to scale up our energy production.<br />
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I'm not saying that this will happen all at once, but it isn't too farfetched to see how these dominos can fall.<br />
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<b>The Solution</b><br />
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One way to address this is to obviously build more clean energy sources. If data is going to increase at night, raising a demand for nighttime electricity, then it is logical to build more wind turbines seeing that they produce most of their energy at night.<br />
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This is why I believe Google is investing so much into clean energy sources, whether it is the offshore windfarm network they are investing in, the new deal they struck with SolarCity, or the EV charging network they penned with Coulomb. They recognize that there is going to be a larger demand on their data centers, and the best way to green-up their operations is to offset their energy usage with clean electricity.<br />
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Ultimately, our need for increased data supplies and speeds will correlate directly with energy consumption, and it would be irresponsible to scale up these centers without cleaner means of energy production.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5652493501391535118.post-2539104776440577252011-06-13T17:47:00.001-05:002011-06-13T17:47:48.875-05:00Electric Vehicle Adoption: Ready Or Not - Here It ComesI want to rant about something before I write this post... Why one earth did this person walk into the an essentially empty coffee shop and sit across the table facing me? Now whenever I let my mind wander and look away from my screen, I am forced to make awkward eye-contact with this creep.<br />
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Annoying... but I digress.<br />
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As if it a huge surprise, people seem to be talking more and more about electric vehicles these days. Lets recap if you are having trouble wrapping your brain around this phenomenon:<br />
<ol><li>Gas prices are ridiculously high and continue to be relatively volatile.</li>
<li>The Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf have been rolled out to a highly demanded market.</li>
<li>Ford and Toyota have announced their upcoming plugin vehicles respectively.</li>
<li>President Obama is still aiming at the (relatively unachievable) goal of 1 million EV's on the road by 2015.</li>
<li>Steven Chu has been sexing it up with Coulomb Technologies in California after they reached their 500th charging station in North America.</li>
<li>Google announced the largest corporate charging infrastructure to date.</li>
<li>Almost every day there is announcement on technology promising to make charging faster.</li>
</ol><div>It would seem that there is a definite trend towards EV adoption, but there are still people that are resistent to the adoption of this technology. Putting aside the tired commentary that these people are the same as the crowd that was "against automobile adoption when horses are just fine," these people do bring up some fine points that I am going to systematically attac...I mean address now.</div><div><br />
</div><div><b>EV's Are More Carbon Intensive To Produce</b></div><div><b><br />
</b></div><div>I am not going to argue against this point mainly because there are 500 different environmental studies of what is actually going into the production of these batteries...mainly because the companies that are producing these batteries guard their intellectual property as if their lives depended on it.</div><div><br />
</div><div>However, the carbon emissions from vehicles is well documented and the numbers don't lie. They are terrible. I seriously find it hard to believe that the one time environmental impact expenditure of producing a battery for a EV is more damaging than the repeated beating of extracting, producing, and burning gasoline.</div><div><br />
</div><div><b>Electricity Is Just As Dirty As Gasoline</b></div><div><b><br />
</b></div><div>Coal is filthy. No doubt about that. However, this argument is assuming that going forward we are going to continue building more coal-fired electricity plants as we continue to maintain our infrastructure.</div><div><br />
</div><div>This simply isn't the case because the world is moving towards more renewable energy production, the most recent case being Boulder, CO who is aiming to get 90% of their electricity from clean sources. It is unrealistic that all of America is going to get all of their electricity from clean sources in the near future, but eventually we are going to have a much high percentage which will make this argument of electricity not being any cleaner than gasoline pointless.</div><div><br />
</div><div><b>EV's Don't Have Adequate Charging Times Or Driving Distances</b></div><div><b><br />
</b></div><div>I don't have a great argument here because the fact is that both of these points is true. Until EV's can get longer driving distances, there is going to be a need to charge your vehicles more frequently which is disappointing if you just think about the charging times.</div><div><br />
</div><div>However, by ramping up charging infrastructure, you can mitigate these concerns of charging because people don't drive super long distances very often and parking and charging your car while you go shopping or while you are at work becomes less of a big deal.</div><div><br />
</div><div>With that said, Steven Chu has been motivated to have cheaper, longer ranged EV's for consumers in the near future, and I am not one to bet against that guy.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Thats all for now... and you guessed it - I really just wrote this post so I could post my favorite photoshop of Steven Chu.</div><div><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3OsnbxtbmQVrLHiQRMQK0UA1KIOACSJFk_1MmMSS__TdCArwUsQ6iFacoXjbYeDQvmvSVBKhwrfe_ccVGl2mPVZ1hpKgKW_g57Q4Xd7GFgoewkb5yzFpVTYw0gZOZy7PAiXSrXJiPBac/s1600/chu.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3OsnbxtbmQVrLHiQRMQK0UA1KIOACSJFk_1MmMSS__TdCArwUsQ6iFacoXjbYeDQvmvSVBKhwrfe_ccVGl2mPVZ1hpKgKW_g57Q4Xd7GFgoewkb5yzFpVTYw0gZOZy7PAiXSrXJiPBac/s400/chu.png" width="400" /></a></div><div><br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5652493501391535118.post-76381184988307338842011-06-12T13:59:00.001-05:002011-06-12T13:59:51.957-05:00Site News: Back From Unofficial HiatusI would like to apologize for the lack of posting updates on this blog as of late. I have been really throwing myself into work because:<br />
<ol><li>I really love all the things I am doing in the office.</li>
<li>My personal life has been moving at the pace of a snail so it is easier to just focus on the job.</li>
</ol>In any event, I have received a few emails from people wondering why I haven’t been gracing the Internet with my witty-banter. My first reaction, as always, was wondering, “how the hell did they get my email,” but that reaction quickly faded when I received this heartwarming message:<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">“Are you dead?”</div><br />
No. No I am not, but thanks for jumping to that conclusion.<br />
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So in an attempt to get you nerds to stop emailing me, I will try and update this blog more often, but I’m not going to make a promise on a set posting schedule, because let’s face it – I proved that I am not good at that.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5652493501391535118.post-60137263732547440892011-05-25T12:21:00.000-05:002011-05-25T12:21:20.216-05:00Site News: Posting RestructureI am going to only post articles on Monday and Friday (as well as comics on Sunday).<br />
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The reason for this is that I am just too busy with work to constantly be trying to research and properly write articles 3 times a week.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5652493501391535118.post-3908166954959393122011-05-21T10:21:00.000-05:002011-05-21T10:21:46.108-05:00Electric Vehicles: Coulomb Charging StationI maintain that one of the most exciting changes that is going to develop in the next 10 years is the continued introduction of electric vehicles.<br />
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Whether these vehicles are PHEV (plugin hybrid electric vehicles) or straight EV (electric vehicles), the issue of charging infrastructure is going to be one of the most important (and potentially lucrative) issues that will need to be addressed.<br />
<br />
Coulomb Technologies has been on a mission to address this issue, and recently their name has been popping up more and more in the news. Recently, Steven Chu congratulated Coulomb Technologies on their 500th charging station in the United States.<br />
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Coulomb already has an international presence with nearly 4,000 stations shipped worldwide, but it is still impressive to see that there have already been 500 installed in the United States (most of which are meant for public use).<br />
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I am personally excited about plugin vehicles because it opens the door for the following:<br />
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<ul><li>New automotive innovations.</li>
<li>American jobs (if the big producers get ahead of the curve and begin ramping up EV production).</li>
<li>Clean energy production because people aren't going to want to expand the grid with traditionally dirty production to support this new clean transportation technology.</li>
<li>More sustainable city living because these cars are currently perfect for short driving distances, and city residents typically never drive more than the ranges that these cars have to offer.</li>
</ul><div>Either way, it was good to see Coulomb in the news with Steven Chu because this signals that the technology is catching on, and lets face it, I always love to have an excuse to post this picture of Steven Chu.</div><div><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3OsnbxtbmQVrLHiQRMQK0UA1KIOACSJFk_1MmMSS__TdCArwUsQ6iFacoXjbYeDQvmvSVBKhwrfe_ccVGl2mPVZ1hpKgKW_g57Q4Xd7GFgoewkb5yzFpVTYw0gZOZy7PAiXSrXJiPBac/s1600/chu.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3OsnbxtbmQVrLHiQRMQK0UA1KIOACSJFk_1MmMSS__TdCArwUsQ6iFacoXjbYeDQvmvSVBKhwrfe_ccVGl2mPVZ1hpKgKW_g57Q4Xd7GFgoewkb5yzFpVTYw0gZOZy7PAiXSrXJiPBac/s400/chu.png" width="400" /></a></div><div><br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5652493501391535118.post-68638570598898078352011-05-18T16:55:00.001-05:002011-05-18T16:57:44.690-05:00And We Are Back!Sorry for the absence.<br />
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<b>[insert excuse you don't care about]</b><br />
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Here is a comic to make up for it.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghuRtIfP6O3OBagWG35v6wRARGSmcrqWpd5rSItNx0jbqH6LBnoCfc6FTA0g3L1hn2_ZTiT8NefxVCQiT3s3fIjuRK2e6TXq4CGQh9oDsb4kTefFEP-DD6an17B1qK2AlOxcHs4L2SP_M/s1600/4-2011cartoon-large.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghuRtIfP6O3OBagWG35v6wRARGSmcrqWpd5rSItNx0jbqH6LBnoCfc6FTA0g3L1hn2_ZTiT8NefxVCQiT3s3fIjuRK2e6TXq4CGQh9oDsb4kTefFEP-DD6an17B1qK2AlOxcHs4L2SP_M/s400/4-2011cartoon-large.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5652493501391535118.post-79064815853679988272011-04-23T09:33:00.002-05:002011-05-05T11:40:27.767-05:00HiatusWork has been demanding for the past week, so I have been taking a break. Posts will begin again this coming Monday (5/16).<br />
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I appreciate your patience, and as a reward, here is a picture of the most awesome dog ever.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjphW7y2uzFmOCZXzm2fujcs9Z4FvteNCySdjIyk_plNTQw8jXKOoaMMdqI01k7nG2QBzrt_URQhgSbWlCBE82dTrvPOqdMP2ZkntPNqUfTbwhcfs_mXG6csQWyLqDuEU_m4YIrY8m765g/s1600/biscuit-ron-schmidt.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjphW7y2uzFmOCZXzm2fujcs9Z4FvteNCySdjIyk_plNTQw8jXKOoaMMdqI01k7nG2QBzrt_URQhgSbWlCBE82dTrvPOqdMP2ZkntPNqUfTbwhcfs_mXG6csQWyLqDuEU_m4YIrY8m765g/s320/biscuit-ron-schmidt.jpeg" width="310" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5652493501391535118.post-45157936504640553322011-04-13T19:12:00.000-05:002011-04-13T19:12:59.038-05:00High-Speed Rail Is NOT Dead After Budget FartTwitter is great for a lot of things:<br />
<ul><li>Kim Kardashian non-sequiturs.</li>
<li>Helping assholes make money even after everyone knows they are assholes (Charlie Sheen).</li>
<li>Spam.</li>
<li>Limited writing space.</li>
<li>A false sense of community.</li>
</ul><div>Did I say great? My bad. Twitter is <b>terrible</b>.</div><div><br />
</div><div>I guess this is why it comes as no surprise that it is not a great source for accurate information about real-world issues. The most recent panic that Twitter has caused is through inaccurate reporting of what has been killed by the most recent Federal Budget nonsense.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Contrary to popular Tweets, highspeed rail is not dead in the water. In fact, the FRA (Federal Railroad Administration) will soon be dealing out a cool $2 billion in federal HSR grants for projects around the nation.<br />
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So the money is definitely still there. The trick is making sure that local politicians don't go screwing the pooch and not pursuing the money in a cheap political ploy to give the illusion that they are pursuing other avenues of job creation, which is totally misguided, short-term thinking.<br />
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Lets not forget that fuel prices are going to continue to rise at a quicker pace in the coming years, and alternative forms of transportation will be necessary.<br />
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If all of my rambling above hasn't convinced you that high-speed rail is alive and necessary, then you leave me no choice but to pursuade you with a picture of Thomas the Train.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIOaxwMyi6wOOkFkxl6LAsMVCDUG2T0-TPNYG-Rt22_htDhxIGmlaTiw00fhssJZz9roaj-9nADFCTAXx1QwGU1rSymDCZ8kg9zGL8-3nj6da0PtFpKmKeZ8JGUO88zkcsL9ktCxaXA5U/s1600/how-thomas-the-tank-engine-works-1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIOaxwMyi6wOOkFkxl6LAsMVCDUG2T0-TPNYG-Rt22_htDhxIGmlaTiw00fhssJZz9roaj-9nADFCTAXx1QwGU1rSymDCZ8kg9zGL8-3nj6da0PtFpKmKeZ8JGUO88zkcsL9ktCxaXA5U/s320/how-thomas-the-tank-engine-works-1.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5652493501391535118.post-86469359317429059672011-04-11T07:00:00.000-05:002011-04-11T07:00:18.230-05:00Texas Cities Get More Electric Vehicle Charging<a href="http://www.nrgenergy.com/about/index.htm">NRG Energy</a> (editors note: I get it!) has announced that they are going to be installing 70 EV charging stations in the Dallas-Ft. Worth metro area and 50 more in Houston by the end of next year, which is exciting considering Texas's traditional focus on oil.<br />
<br />
NRG has holdings in wind, solar, and nuclear energy which is good considering one of the complaints about electric vehicles is that a majority of the electricity that will be used to power these vehicles is coming from dirty sources such as coal.<br />
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Yes, I realize that nuclear isn't completely clean and has risks which have become painfully apparent with the happenings in Japan, but I still maintain that it is a better technology than coal which essentially poisons everything it touches.<br />
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The only lame part of this story is the fact that NRG is planning on calling these stations "freedom stations." Nothing against freedom, but seriously? So weak.<br />
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In any event, the EV's success is going to be initially determined by the southern and western states which all have ideal climates for EV operation (warm, dryish, not too many hills). Because of this, it is good to see that cities are getting ahead of the curve and providing a charging infrastructure for the initial adopters of these vehicles.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5652493501391535118.post-81912675920771780162011-04-10T07:00:00.002-05:002011-04-10T07:00:07.800-05:00Sunday ComicsNot quite a comic today, but this is my blog and I still found this comical, so deal with it, nerds.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP9ajp5OO0H-KhjEoO6EwAKz9cl-zV40eNSWu7ipMXvnSvIOOpfdKEfJ6ljmf-onKhbpcb_7hWQHsEA6Lc2PEexBpYb3XukAcvaSMx_m2TDK7OntTGG5xgy4GI1gX1r6YaIIsHGfFuBgI/s1600/Veloncino+bike.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP9ajp5OO0H-KhjEoO6EwAKz9cl-zV40eNSWu7ipMXvnSvIOOpfdKEfJ6ljmf-onKhbpcb_7hWQHsEA6Lc2PEexBpYb3XukAcvaSMx_m2TDK7OntTGG5xgy4GI1gX1r6YaIIsHGfFuBgI/s400/Veloncino+bike.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>For only <a href="http://www.grist.org/list/2011-04-05-portable-velocipede-is-the-ultimate-steampunk-hippy-mashup-bike">$800 you could be the proud owner</a> of a bike that is guaranteed to have hipsters everywhere telling you "I knew of this before you did."<br />
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Aside from the initial ridiculous look and about a 80% kill-rate when you hit a pothole, I kind of want one.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5652493501391535118.post-7110464200939896012011-04-08T07:00:00.000-05:002011-04-08T07:00:13.765-05:00The Finer Things: Solar-Powered BackpackI spend a good amount of time talking about how renewable initiatives and sustainable lifestyles will ultimately save money, mainly because that is the only way that these things are going to take hold in mainstream America/R.O.W.<br />
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However, lets face it, I'm high maintenance and I like the finer things in life. Those of you that know me totally know this is true seeing that I dine exclusively at Subway and wear my ripped jeans whenever I can get away with it.<br />
<br />
So OBVIOUSLY this new item that is hitting the market caught my eye:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzY6KVtgtYE6EmEG3C5aWAfcvUESri7RCDfVMVnScjcCAA05ZNom_UmqscH8coUnY-6wHs2BCSv6HfJx2277zbCf13ehQQiD9XcsZraccChGSACJ5iAAZN1dIVkLbT1Py6NbBWB8QZPmI/s1600/Ralph+Lauren%252C+Ralph+Lauren+RLX%252C+solar+fashion%252C+solar+clothing%252C+solar+clothing%252C+solar+power%252C+solar+bags%252C+solar+backpacks%252C+eco-fashion%252C+sustainable+fashion%252C+green+fashion%252C+ethical+fashion%252C+sustainable+style%252C+men%2527s+eco-fashion%252C+wearable+technology.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzY6KVtgtYE6EmEG3C5aWAfcvUESri7RCDfVMVnScjcCAA05ZNom_UmqscH8coUnY-6wHs2BCSv6HfJx2277zbCf13ehQQiD9XcsZraccChGSACJ5iAAZN1dIVkLbT1Py6NbBWB8QZPmI/s400/Ralph+Lauren%252C+Ralph+Lauren+RLX%252C+solar+fashion%252C+solar+clothing%252C+solar+clothing%252C+solar+power%252C+solar+bags%252C+solar+backpacks%252C+eco-fashion%252C+sustainable+fashion%252C+green+fashion%252C+ethical+fashion%252C+sustainable+style%252C+men%2527s+eco-fashion%252C+wearable+technology.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ralph Lauren solar-powered backpack.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>For only <a href="http://www.ecouterre.com/ralph-lauren-launches-800-solar-powered-waterproof-backpack/">$800 dollars</a>, this little ditty can be yours. Finally, I can promote clean energy and my cutting edge fashion-sense all in one move.<br />
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What's that, you say? You are wondering how much power this provides? Enough for your iPad 2, suckah!<br />
<blockquote>The bag zaps up a 3.45-watt current, which charges a small device in two to three hours when the sun is at full strength.</blockquote>Did I say iPad? I meant iPhone, but Google's webcrawler doesn't pay as much attention to old products, and I like attracting all sorts of misguided webtraffic.<br />
<br />
In all seriousness, having solar panels on your backpack, briefcase, or whatever is a cool idea and someday will definitely be a reality, but until panels are more efficient at extracting energy from the sun's rays, these things are pretty much worthless.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5652493501391535118.post-26994505609846208192011-04-06T07:00:00.001-05:002011-04-06T07:00:10.640-05:00The Best And Worst Of Each State<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Lately I have been doing a lot of research on single-use bag reform and various renewable energy initiatives for work. I love trying to be an overachiever, so I have been doing a lot of work outside of the office, but an unintended result of that is I have been finding it difficult to find the time to really dive into a blog post.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Luckily, one of my readers submitted a link to me last night and I figured that this would be a fantastic opportunity for me to not do any outside research OR write original material!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>A round of applause for procrastination, please.</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/responsible-living/stories/infographic-united-states-of-the-environment">The charts below come from the Mother Nature Network</a> and outline each states most positive environmental statistic along with its most negative. You can click each picture to make them bigger, but I personally find the Texas statistics the most hilarious.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheAtsrwtfY4fvNaBFUL6Y65btJzs2smZK1x03rYTwKtK7Rj6ZaeGJ1J7Sr5H8xttLQZgXMn_HUUaUn_cG-ixO0INVtU7jCvzXzV9LDDntgUJKaxyjhCTnhtrqDyTDi4WlbnDV0CyRljVM/s1600/us_good_NEW_9.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheAtsrwtfY4fvNaBFUL6Y65btJzs2smZK1x03rYTwKtK7Rj6ZaeGJ1J7Sr5H8xttLQZgXMn_HUUaUn_cG-ixO0INVtU7jCvzXzV9LDDntgUJKaxyjhCTnhtrqDyTDi4WlbnDV0CyRljVM/s400/us_good_NEW_9.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPBqDZ3WZL4MQf-FFARutq7ooTJgXbNSzpV1H7XFZ6JnNwebwdIY8Q0glZotasWu53w4LJd_zTxAnRA7oZ6QkbrmX6udKr5Kbii1y6OPbJ-YCHN4nYruuDb-ZbIEtF-58gz2yU50WkuGM/s1600/us_bad_NEW_7.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPBqDZ3WZL4MQf-FFARutq7ooTJgXbNSzpV1H7XFZ6JnNwebwdIY8Q0glZotasWu53w4LJd_zTxAnRA7oZ6QkbrmX6udKr5Kbii1y6OPbJ-YCHN4nYruuDb-ZbIEtF-58gz2yU50WkuGM/s400/us_bad_NEW_7.png" style="cursor: move;" width="400" /></a></div><br />
There is something ironic about a state having both the largest presence of clean wind power along with the most carbon dioxide emissions, but it is what it is.<br />
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It is probably safe to say that you shouldn't write any term papers on the correlations between these two charts, but if you do, pick Utah and title your paper "Breast Feeding Is Destroying Green Jobs."<br />
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You'll get an A just for creativity.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5652493501391535118.post-72732294992258431112011-04-04T14:36:00.008-05:002011-04-04T16:13:28.384-05:00Guest Post: A Step Forward For Electric Cars?Recently during my spring break I have been doing a lot of mindless browsing on the internet since contributing to society is so mainstream. Even though mostly what I was browsing through involved sports and websites that remind me that I still have the humor of a 13 year old, I stumbled upon something that prompted me to write another article for Sustainabili-City. BMW recently launched a program named BMW i that is focusing on designing and producing electric vehicles in the future. After spending twenty minutes reading through their website and watching their videos, they really caught my attention.<br />
<br />
For the most part, what I read didn’t seem vastly different from other companies that are entering the electric car market. They promise to produce cars that are sustainable in every possible aspect. They promise to invest time and money to advance current sustainable technology and discover new ways to engineer their electric vehicles. They even have sexy, well-edited videos that make me wonder why my life doesn’t look as awesome as they portray it to be. What has my attention is frankly quite simple.<br />
<br />
They’re BMW.<br />
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Now before I go any further, I can honestly say that I barely know anything about cars. You put some form of energy in and you drive to your desired destination. You can’t explain that. But what I do know is that BMW is a widely respected company that produces cars that people want. A major problem with electric cars right now is most people don’t desire to own them. As great as the Toyota Prius is, a lot of people are turned off by it’s physical appearance. I would know since my family owns a Prius. When I drove the Prius to tennis practice my friends made fun of our car by calling it ‘a box with wheels.’ I personally don’t mind how the Prius looks, but if BMW or some other well known company made a sexy electric car that was just as good or better than what is out now, then it would be hard to disagree with my friends.<br />
<br />
Fact is people want to drive a car that they are proud to own and be seen in. With BMW planning to enter the market, I am fairly excited to see what the future holds for electric cars. It seems pretty reasonable why when thinking about it in economic terms: if people demand something then it will be supplied. In the past, electric cars have been seen almost as a downgrade when compared with the ordinary gas powered car. It’s exciting now that BMW can prove this false as long as they carry through with their plans and provide us with something such as the i8 or the i3.<br />
<br />
But this isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. One problem that is most likely going to happen is the price range of these new vehicles. Even though it’s great that BMW, Lexus, and Chevy are coming out with electric cars, they are more likely going to be tailored for those whom are willing to write a hefty check for their products. But as we have seen in the past, there is typically an inverse relationship between the amount of time that passes by and the price of newly introduced products. It will be interesting to follow BMW i and see what happens in the coming years. You can learn more about BMW i at www.bmw-i.com.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbXv_uxybLub2CG3yvePPWZrcgMveeMx_QmaHaMge8WJ_fL8VKMX4SuwGu_pd4a3IekoSv07RxStxcMocvsR2p_DzskaLpAd0GZtQnXF5nNzAbLMcEHg4R8y0V_q9LiBIzyvJQrTSVTK4/s1600/BMWi_i8_article_kl.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbXv_uxybLub2CG3yvePPWZrcgMveeMx_QmaHaMge8WJ_fL8VKMX4SuwGu_pd4a3IekoSv07RxStxcMocvsR2p_DzskaLpAd0GZtQnXF5nNzAbLMcEHg4R8y0V_q9LiBIzyvJQrTSVTK4/s400/BMWi_i8_article_kl.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>Connor Brownellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17216798208714009358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5652493501391535118.post-15771609923152420032011-04-03T21:27:00.000-05:002011-04-03T21:27:01.428-05:00Sunday ComicsA little late in the day (9:30 PM is still counted as the daytime, right?), but here is your Sunday Comic!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAe-SpM3-xTm48__cA050se4fLtpbJdOZVvi9-KQo9HLS0nDYM55t2V0CywLCnZTB37gLxmDtbXAd_gYXqstruXHfILtR4z-BLdz-5gBK1KWU9s2QDmy5J9TQARUzoqnixBtd9GTkgqJ8/s1600/environment_cartoon_15.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAe-SpM3-xTm48__cA050se4fLtpbJdOZVvi9-KQo9HLS0nDYM55t2V0CywLCnZTB37gLxmDtbXAd_gYXqstruXHfILtR4z-BLdz-5gBK1KWU9s2QDmy5J9TQARUzoqnixBtd9GTkgqJ8/s400/environment_cartoon_15.jpeg" width="317" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5652493501391535118.post-29761978652360124602011-04-01T07:00:00.001-05:002011-04-01T07:00:12.393-05:00Obama's Renewed Focus On Clean Energy: Why Did We Stop Again?A few days ago, President Obama rekindled his focus on domestically produced clean energy.<br />
<br />
My reaction: Why did we stop hammering this point in the first place?<br />
<br />
Clean energy provides solutions to our current political issues:<br />
<ul><li>Job Creation</li>
<li>Market Volatility</li>
<li>International Relations</li>
<li>Sexiness</li>
</ul><div>President Obama has wanted a large reduction by 2035 since he was first elected, but you wouldn't know it considering that there has been little to no actual legislation helping this become a reality. However, there is still hope that <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2011/03/30/30climatewire-obama-to-focus-on-clean-energy-daring-republ-45993.html">this issue will be revived again</a>:</div><div><blockquote>Obama will veer into domestic issues today, when he will announce new goals to reduce the nation's dependency on foreign oil while increasing homegrown energy supplies, <b>including cleaner electricity</b>. </blockquote><blockquote>"Tomorrow's speech will mark a transition in our public communications," a senior White House official told reporters yesterday, referring to Obama's energy speech today and others. "<b>You will see a concerted focus on energ</b>y." </blockquote><blockquote>The White House's role in developing the electricity standard is reassuring to supporters, some of whom criticized the president's casual effort to pass climate legislation last summer. Key experts in the administration, including economist Nat Keohane, special assistant to the president, and Dan Utech, senior adviser to Energy Secretary Steven Chu, are working on the standard, according to sources.</blockquote>Once this becomes a political issue, I believe that it will be hard for any politician to deny clean energy's need for growth. The NY Times makes a great point by saying "Republicans might suffer on Election Day if they're perceived as old-fashioned politicians supporting oil and gas companies while opposing alternative energies."<br />
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One can hope that things play out this way.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5652493501391535118.post-8050012005284898972011-03-30T11:36:00.000-05:002011-03-30T11:36:14.395-05:00China Is Winning The Clean Energy RaceYou read that title correctly. China is winning, and no, I'm not defining winning the say way as Charlie Sheen.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkwBA7CpNO-V_vD6ByVQ1TcSuSIivx1jHcILr9NEJO8S901LWRfTG-rEzDffOO30nXgcBJLFD4SqjJLEPxQFb8JJm2muHYQzyJE8Crg2D3LxA4_pOd0jbsc6Yi6uWh9FtXF_8rdhtky3g/s1600/charlie-sheen-winning-t-shirts_design.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkwBA7CpNO-V_vD6ByVQ1TcSuSIivx1jHcILr9NEJO8S901LWRfTG-rEzDffOO30nXgcBJLFD4SqjJLEPxQFb8JJm2muHYQzyJE8Crg2D3LxA4_pOd0jbsc6Yi6uWh9FtXF_8rdhtky3g/s200/charlie-sheen-winning-t-shirts_design.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Charlie Sheen... what a douche.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I won't bore you with the details (which you can find over at FastCompany.com), but here is the important part of the story:<br />
<blockquote>China's national action plan is helping the country use more hydro, wind, and solar power. The country has goals of 150 gigawatts of wind capacity by 2020 (it looks like they're going to meet this goal five years early) and 20 gigawatts of solar by 2020. For comparision, the U.S. currently has .6 gigawatts of solar and 33 gigawatts of wind.</blockquote>It all comes down to national policy, and right now China has made it clear to investors that they want alternative energy as a large part of their infrastructure's future. America on the other hand is only in 3rd place, but is constantly sending mixed signals on how much investment they really want making it difficult for investors to jump on board.<br />
<br />
The good news is that the industry in general is trending upwards, I just wish that America would quit playing games with my heart<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">*</span>.<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">*</span>Sorry, couldn't resist a Backstreet Boys reference.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5652493501391535118.post-6029392468676929092011-03-28T16:32:00.004-05:002011-03-28T17:07:19.873-05:00Guest Post: Sustainable Development at the University Of St. Andrews<i>Connor Brownell is a freshman at The University of St. Andrews in Scotland.</i><br />
---<br />
<br />
You know that old proverb that some wise person in your life would tell you after failing to achieve something at first, “If at first you don’t succeed, try try again?” Well I am fairly certain that my brother – the usual writer for this blog – has brought that phrase to a whole new level. After what has seemed to be 37 years of him harassing me to write for his blog, I finally accepted the challenge to write a post for Sustainabili-City. <br />
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So you’re probably intrigued by the fact that there is a new face on this blog to write articles and are wondering what I have to offer. Well frankly Colin and I are alike in many ways and… WHOA THERE, don’t give up and click out of the page. What I mean to say is he and I are strongly interested in sustainable development and the impact it has on our lives. We also have a superior appreciation for humor, so one could say it’s a privilege to read what occurs in our brilliant minds.<br />
<br />
Now let’s cut the cute intro and get to the point. I believe that there is a crucial role for sustainability that sadly most people neglect to realize. The cause of this misjudgment is a current issue brings all types of people together to have mature and professional debates on whether sustainability is truly a threat to our planet<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">*</span>.<br />
<br />
I can vouch to this since I am currently studying sustainable development at the University of St. Andrews. Four days a week at I go to a 9 a.m. lecture to learn about sustainable development. So far I have experienced many different incidents where there is a lot of skepticism towards sustainable development. My personal favourite is when we got into small groups and reflected about a current lecture. One of my fellow students took the time to talk about sustainable development and how he believed that it’s a waste of a major to study. Before you get all concerned, I didn’t do anything drastic or stupid at the time to vent my rage towards him. I looked at my WWCSD bracelet and focused my anger into thinking about how bi-winning I am. <br />
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What’s great about this blog is it enables people like you and me to share what we find and think about important issues that are affecting us or will in the near future. I plan on posting articles that reflect what I am experiencing here at St. Andrews or what I find elsewhere. There needs to be a thorough push to promote the education of sustainable development and what it entails. I hope to help ignite the spread of sustainable development education by writing here and sharing my thoughts. In the next couple of weeks I am going to be working on a behavior change assignment and what it takes to make people act in a more sustainable manner. <br />
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It’s been pretty interesting writing my first little blog post for Sustainabili-City. Next time I plan on having a more focused topic, so hopefully this wasn’t too long and hard for you to read<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">**</span>.<br />
<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">*</span>A screaming competition is a closer statement but I like to give society the benefit of the doubt.<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">**</span> Successful sexual joke.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5652493501391535118.post-32425882357394000452011-03-27T20:25:00.001-05:002011-03-27T20:26:37.597-05:00Sunday ComicsI love Futurama's take on global warming. Enjoy!<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="289" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/2taViFH_6_Y" title="YouTube video player" width="480"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5652493501391535118.post-76146873058676144732011-03-25T07:00:00.001-05:002011-03-25T07:00:10.164-05:00The Future Is Now...(!)? Qatar's Vision Of An Artificial CloudI don't often report on highly speculative technological visions because there are about 500 floated onto the internet daily, but I had to make an exception for Qatar's Artificial Cloud being proposed for the 2022 World Cup.<br />
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I have recently become more and more interested in soccer (football), mainly because I have a brother going to school in the UK and I figured I should probably go ahead and pay attention to what is going on beyond this most recent World Cup (Team USA!).<br />
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Qatar winning the bid for the 2022 World Cup still stings because Chicago got robbed (I'm not biased or anything because I live in Chicago). With that said, a solar powered floating "cloud" could definitely make up for the hard feelings I am harboring:<br />
<blockquote>Artificial cloud will move by remote control, made of 100 per cent light carbonic materials, fuelled by four solar-powered engines and it will fly high to protect direct and indirect sun rays to control temperatures at the open playgrounds.</blockquote>Are you kidding me?!<br />
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Aside from the fact that I am 90% sure this technology does not exist yet and some pretty significant engineering and power transferring hurdles need to be solved, this would be awesome.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibCOOKt85tNCU-S9bvmHvEMeJqAWUmKJ59yqTeGA05Nro_mXLv6xCZ4eZ0FkrXfT3LMLNMmRZWGO3wS8hl49710bTgMvABKiH0zVDjUmYySnzVCD-ftX251DiF_BX1o62Ng2Q1P5YHiM4/s1600/thejetsons.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibCOOKt85tNCU-S9bvmHvEMeJqAWUmKJ59yqTeGA05Nro_mXLv6xCZ4eZ0FkrXfT3LMLNMmRZWGO3wS8hl49710bTgMvABKiH0zVDjUmYySnzVCD-ftX251DiF_BX1o62Ng2Q1P5YHiM4/s1600/thejetsons.jpeg" /></a></div><br />
Just look at it. Hilariously awesome. I want to live on top of it.<br />
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Granted, if it got cloudy I suppose we would have to deal with a mechanical cloud massacring an entire stadium of soccer fans - but these are just details.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5652493501391535118.post-71769730651999522642011-03-23T13:02:00.001-05:002011-03-23T15:59:27.169-05:00(Don't) Blame Canada - Toronto's Bike Sharing ProgramFor those of you that have been steady readers since I first started this blog last year (there are about 150 of you from what I can tell… *internet high-five*), then you probably realize that I am somewhat obsessed with riding my bike even though it is a relatively crappy mountain bike that I treat like a road bike.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFcgBAA9bfl-F2y3MoQn_iiYYBSWAUQQQxBij3du8hREo1Z7az5OsuGXexBK0ziSXSOLqHt_A5MYCRCkLLl_ZOhN6p0hyP9PhY-LXi_K31LBerUDLP56lDt33-_siP_DE4L255EHWWN9I/s1600/sp_0715_09_v6.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFcgBAA9bfl-F2y3MoQn_iiYYBSWAUQQQxBij3du8hREo1Z7az5OsuGXexBK0ziSXSOLqHt_A5MYCRCkLLl_ZOhN6p0hyP9PhY-LXi_K31LBerUDLP56lDt33-_siP_DE4L255EHWWN9I/s200/sp_0715_09_v6.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
So, it probably comes as no surprise that I am going to keep on punching away on bike-sharing topics. The most recent development comes from Toronto where they are starting a new bike sharing program as an extension of their public transportation system.<br />
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I love these programs because they address two topics which I think everyone needs to take seriously:<br />
<br />
<ul><li>Carbon Emissions</li>
<li>Personal Health</li>
</ul><br />
Here is how Toronto’s program will work:<br />
<blockquote>In order to rent bicycles through BIXI’s program, users are encouraged to subscribe to an annual membership, however, occasional users are also welcome and can take out bicycles using credit cards. Similar to bike-sharing programs around the world, BIXI’s annual members can rent bicycles for free for the first half-hour, with additional charges for extra time of usage.</blockquote>Bike sharing is awesome because instead of one person owning a bike and parking it for an entire day where it isn’t used, multiple people can enjoy a whole system of bikes. This alleviates traffic, carbon emissions, and fat people - all things I would like to see resolved in the near future.<br />
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Either way, take a look at the full article, it is good stuff: <a href="http://thecityfix.com/toronto-set-to-launch-bike-sharing-program">Full Article</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5652493501391535118.post-73656093692152089302011-03-21T11:23:00.000-05:002011-03-21T11:23:20.393-05:00Samsung's Solar Powered TelevisionWith all the negative events happening in Libya and Japan, I found it pretty difficult to motivate myself to write something witty and meaningful about topics related to sustainability. Because of that, I gave myself a little bit of a break to research some interesting topics for the blog, so this week will be full of new material.<br />
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That brings us to today’s topic: Solar Powered Television<br />
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When I first saw this on twitter I thought to myself, “Wow, a television that is solar powered. That would be cool if it weren’t for the fact that the sun is outside and most televisions are inside.”<br />
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I was swiftly put in my place when I read on to discover that the televisions themselves did not actually require the sun to power them, but just ambient light in a room - much like calculators that we have been enjoying for the better part of 2.5 decades.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://solar.calfinder.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/samsung-solar-power-tv.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://solar.calfinder.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/samsung-solar-power-tv.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Samsung has been working on a prototype that operates almost completely independent from electrical outlets:<br />
<blockquote>The 46″ prototype TV, shown at CeBit in Germany, includes solar panels that produce energy from the ambient light in a room – because it was engineered to use very little energy, no additional power sources are needed. Another major breakthrough behind the concept is that the thin screen can display images and information while allowing objects behind it to be visible.</blockquote>This is fairly exciting because this technology will have applications that go far beyond televisions. Laptops, cellphones, car windshield HUDs, and anything else with a screen could benefit from this technology. Screens have classically been some of the most power hungry applications out there (just ask any smartphone), and with this technology, that level of electricity needed to power these devices can been sharply reduced.<br />
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Obviously, because this is a prototype, it is most likely a few years away from release, and even then the technology will probably be expensive - but like most new television releases, this price will drop and become more widespread after a short while.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5652493501391535118.post-90503135434668842842011-03-16T15:39:00.001-05:002011-03-16T19:06:22.221-05:00Plastic Vs. Paper: A Gap In LogicI've been doing a lot of reading about the pros and cons of both paper and plastic bags that you get at a grocery store, and the bottom line is they both suck.<br />
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Paper is bad because you are chopping down trees and it is more difficult to transport to end consumers, and plastic is bad because while it is less energy intensive to recycle, only 5% of plastic bags are ever turned in to be recycled, leaving 95% of the bags created to floats around the waste stream for 1000+ years.<br />
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One solution to this problem was to apply a bag tax on consumers in Washington, DC. This worked wonderfully for their situation because the money collected through these fees was turned around and used to clean up the Anacostia River. However, I realize that this isn't the solution for everywhere because you don't always have an environmental concern to apply the taxed money towards.<br />
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With that said, I still don't understand the gaps in logic displayed by some readers in the comments section of websites. Here is a truly inspired response from a person I will call <b>Stubborn McAsshat</b>:<br />
<blockquote>"If a tax happens, I'll simply request paper...Additionally, I will probably visit grocery stores in other towns more frequently, get my stuff in the plastic bag and drive the bags to be recycled some time down the road."</blockquote>Here is a person that knows that plastic bags are bad, but they are still so stubborn towards any form of a tax that they are willing to burn more gas just to avoid an additional plastic bag fee. Keep in mind that the tax they are referring to is a $0.05 fee for each plastic bag.<br />
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I truly do believe that incentive programs are the way to go so that you are rewarding consumers who use reusable bags instead of penalizing consumers with taxes, but when I see people acknowledge that their current habits are bad and still continue forward with them - it makes me angry.<br />
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But I digress! It is 60 Degrees outside and I'm going to ride my bike for the first time in forever!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5652493501391535118.post-76712168931380530492011-03-13T14:19:00.000-05:002011-03-13T14:19:31.698-05:00Sunday Comics<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig-DTWXm3qxQ_CTSZIgH3yEJW42oNWfkZ-W4suay5iUvAUYBl2XIWiR376hHzZ9NvLEaAHsnP_fDEGleV3C7HrtR2UT28OelcLHBh1nrjVHc0aktgHtz-BowJrYwEVGG_icXEZL44AnSk/s1600/Lesson901.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig-DTWXm3qxQ_CTSZIgH3yEJW42oNWfkZ-W4suay5iUvAUYBl2XIWiR376hHzZ9NvLEaAHsnP_fDEGleV3C7HrtR2UT28OelcLHBh1nrjVHc0aktgHtz-BowJrYwEVGG_icXEZL44AnSk/s400/Lesson901.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
I figured this comic was appropriate for the political climate that is developing around the EPA and the CAA. I probably won't comment again on it for a while, but this sums up my feelings on the matter.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5652493501391535118.post-91981201976058868282011-03-12T07:17:00.000-06:002011-03-12T07:17:36.511-06:00Saturday Comic: St. Paddy's Day SpecialWell, since I missed Sunday's comic last week, I promised that I would post something on Saturday AND Sunday this week, so here we go!<br />
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</tbody></table>There are few days I enjoy more than celebrating St. Paddy's Day in Chicago, but be safe out there!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5652493501391535118.post-65665615898801185622011-03-10T07:00:00.000-06:002011-03-10T07:00:20.772-06:00EPA Under FireWell, I suppose it is going to be impossible to avoid this topic, so why don't we dive into this whole EPA issue right now.<br />
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<b>EPA: Evil Placebo Agency</b><br />
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Ammi' Right?! <b>YEAH</b>! Take THAT environmentalists! *<i>High-fives a coal plant and skips away</i>*<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtHSNl8ggpBYWMDUK7GYU9GrBBYxvbhhRg5KNffzMoXHwrzuvlBQe95xL1lQ_kwVqDBviWYz7FNH9h6EBSXzp-kUIq2bEWp7jJaQfglkObxQ_JZ3__CYfP1Q1jwufH5qkSVvbaO_lfWPs/s1600/Jim-Carrey---Dumb-Dumber--C10102378.jpeg.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtHSNl8ggpBYWMDUK7GYU9GrBBYxvbhhRg5KNffzMoXHwrzuvlBQe95xL1lQ_kwVqDBviWYz7FNH9h6EBSXzp-kUIq2bEWp7jJaQfglkObxQ_JZ3__CYfP1Q1jwufH5qkSVvbaO_lfWPs/s200/Jim-Carrey---Dumb-Dumber--C10102378.jpeg.jpeg" width="161" /></a></div><br />
Recently, some Republicans in the House have decided to set their crosshairs directly on the EPA and their ability to adequately regulate GHG emissions. For those that are paying attention, it goes without saying that I think this is an absolutely terrible idea.<br />
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The following is a rundown of what the EPA will face, and I have bolded the things that are making my face melt off:<br />
<blockquote>Republicans argue that the EPA’s plan to combat global warming is “<b>bad economic policy</b>” and could be the biggest threat to job creation the nation faces. The Houses spending bill proposes a <b>30% cut in the EPA’s budget</b>, which would <b>limit</b> the agency’s ability to enact and enforce environmental protections in California and across the nation. <b>[Editors Note: limit should read "break the agency's kneecaps"]</b></blockquote>This is just another great example of private interests groups pressuring certain politicians to make bad long term decisions for short term gains. Sure, maybe some heavy polluting industries will be able to make a profit for a while, but a large part of the nation will never see this new influx of money and instead be subjected to dirtier air and a rapidly deteriorating global climate situation.<br />
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Also, by loosening up regulations on emissions, you are handicapping the adoption of cleaner technologies. Obviously I am against that, but the government should be as well. Every day I read an article about some other country investing in and advancing clean tech, a problem for America's desire to remain a leader in the global market place.<br />
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If you are like me and want to United States to advance its policies and not cut them off at the knees, I suggest you follow this link and voice your opinion: <a href="http://elpc.convio.net/site/Advocacy?s_oo=a7JgxhKAv5rDmczze3gueQ..&amp;id=561">Contact Your Government</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0