Alternative fuel — a back to the future proposition

Loved this mention of the SAAB steam powered car plus the electric starter as sounding the death knell for everything NOT gasoline powered.

“Plug-in hybrids, that could provide a completely electrical ride for 40 miles, satisfying 78 percent of the average daily U.S. commute, are being developed by some of the major automakers. Unfortunately, they still appear to be a few years away from the showroom floor. It may surprise some Americans to learn that the electrical vehicle we wish we could buy now is not a new idea to the auto industry. In fact, the internal combustion engine we’ve grown up with was just one of three significant schools of automotive engineering thought. The first electric car was designed by William Morrison of Des Moines, Iowa, in 1891 (Men, Money and Motors, T. MacManus, Harper Bros. 1929). For whatever reason, maybe because they represented the older generation, Henry Ford didn’t dig electric cars. Early on, steam-power was the third front in the engineering war over which technology would dominate the industry. Speed and absence of vibration were steam’s external combustion engine virtues. The drawback was taking more than a minute to warm up before being able to drive away. Mostly it’s a forgotten technology, but something reminiscent of today’s pain revived the idea, even if it never reached full-scale production. During the Arabian oil embargo of 1973, Saab engineered a prototype steam-powered car. It used an electronically-controlled, lightweight, multi-parallel circuit generator about the size of a car battery that could generate 160 horse power. Quick start-up was achieved by storing compressed air which powered the car until sufficient steam-pressure was built up. What killed both steam and electric vehicles back in the day was invention of the electric starter for gasoline engines. Before that you had to use a hand crank to fire that baby up. In cold weather when the crankcase oil was thick this could be nearly impossible for anyone not having considerable upper body strength. Occasionally starting could be dangerous, with many an arm broken when the engine back-fired and spun the crank around like a shot. What a different world it might be today if electrical vehicles circa 1910 had left internal combustion buggies in the ditch instead of the other way around.” - Source

Politics, Agendas and Then… Science

Separation of church and state, separation of science and politics.

“In what is becoming a continuing battle between science, politics and special interest groups, more than half of the 1586 EPA scientists who responded to an independent survey from the Union of Concerned Scientists claimed they had experienced some kind of interference from lobbyists and political leaders. This interference usually came in the form of some sort of suppression or distortion of scientific findings, or the selective use of data to push forward a specific regulatory outcome. Some cases even included political figures directing a scientist to alter or omit inconvenient data from a report. Francesca Grifo of the Union of Concerned Scientists states, “Distorting science to accommodate a narrow political agenda threatens our environment, our health and our democracy itself.” However, a government spokesman denies the administrative manipulation saying that scientific findings are merely being balanced with policy concerns.” - Source

UV Invention kills resistant diseases; MRSA to dust mites tremble

The price is high for these initial units but with production orders increasing, it will go down. I understand you can do the same thing with RIFE frequencies broadcast on CB radio or modulated light.

“Inventor Ed Neister has developed the technology to kill Noroviruses, C. diff, MRSA and other problem viruses and bacteria using a section of the ultraviolet light, or UV, spectrum to bombard them with killing high-energy photons. Several of the units have been sold and are being tested in this country and abroad. The Neisters say their own research shows Sterilray is astoundingly effective, up to 10,000 times more deadly than chemical cleaners. But they are waiting for results from government and private industry now trying out the new units, and for word to spread that Sterilray performs as advertised. Then the market for their hand-held disinfection wands could be worldwide — and huge. The problem Sterilray targets has been quietly growing in hospitals worldwide as overuse of antibiotics has created strains of resistant microorganisms that cause everything from annoying intestinal distress in the case of the Norwalk virus to staph infections that can kill weakened patients. Several years ago, health officials began to see infections occurring outside hospitals. There is new awareness that adequate cleaning is needed not just in hospitals but also hotels, workplaces and public gathering places such as cruise ships. In 1993, there were fewer than 2,000 reported MRSA infections in U.S. hospitals. By 2007, 880,000 cases or 2.4 percent of all patients, were infected. MRSA stands for methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, a staph superbug. How dirty are hospitals? A recent survey of 49 operating rooms in four New England hospitals found that over half the surfaces in the operating room that were supposed to be disinfected by hospital cleaners were left uncleaned,” said McCaughey. The most common method has been to use a solution of various disinfecting chemicals and water, often a 10 percent bleach solution. In other applications, such as sewer plants, ultraviolet light has been used for years to incapacitate germs by exposing water to UV rays in what is known as the “germicidal” spectrum. This works by interfering with the germ’s DNA so it cannot reproduce. This can come undone, however. After research in conjunction the University of New Hampshire, Neister found that by directing photons from the “far” UV spectrum he not only inactivated the germs’ DNA but actually broke it up, killing them. Neister began working on manufacturing a small device that could generate far UV in a mobile disinfecting unit. He has applied for and has had 22 patents accepted related to the Sterilray light wand. Once Neister knew he’d found the right UV frequency, he focused on designing a functional device that could be carried from room to room and easily used by a cleaning worker. The first prototype of his light wand weighed 11 pounds. Neister since has reduced it to 4 pounds. It looks like a clothes iron with a thin light bulb tucked into its hot iron end. The wand emits a purplish light that is shined 2 to 6 inches above a surface to disinfect it. Results take less than a second. Its power comes from the larger power pack the wand is stored in. They will not be cheap, costing roughly $26,000 each. But the cost should come down as more units are produced. Ed believes his far UV frequency also will kill dust mites and allergens. Soon he plans to begin offering a home disinfection service for $100. Information about this will be available at www.sterilray.com. For more information about the company, Healthy Environment Innovations, go to www.he-innovations.com or call 879-0503.” - Source

Solutions ala Ghandi

I can’t imagine how drastic things would have to be before the majority of people would EVER pursue the tactic of non-compliance but its an interesting concept.

“Being able to free your MIND–being able to escape the mindset of a slave–and then trying to help others do the same, will not only reveal a power and a freedom you never knew you had, but will plant the seed which will, slowly but surely, grow into the solution that will end all tyranny. As Steven Biko said, the greatest weapon the oppressor has is the mind of the oppressed. So are you ready to wrench YOUR mind out of the grip of your enslavers? Or are you still too attached to the cult of “government”? Peasants must never be allowed to realize the power they have. Their power can be “deadly” to your regime, even if they do not resort to violence at all. Gandhi led millions of people in India in a bizarre “revolution” that crippled British control of the country. Amazingly, they did this without any violence. To a large extent, they defeated an empire by doing nothing. Mere passive noncompliance with the commands of an empire (a.k.a. “doing nothing”), if done by enough of the subjects, spells certain doom for any tyrant. If one day all of your victims decide not to pay your “taxes” any more, there is nothing you can do to preserve your power. If they all decide to ignore your laws, your “laws” cease to exist. Always remember: your “authority” exists only in the minds of the peasants. If they ever stop perceiving you as an “authority,” your reign is over. And it probably won’t even be a dramatic, violent end. Instead, you may simply fizzle into irrelevant oblivion, as the peasants, including your enforcers, simply “forget” to bow to your will. They won’t even need to oust you; they will simply ignore you out of existence. Choose any historical tyrant and imagine what would happen if one day everyone in his regime woke up and said: “That guy is looney-tunes, and I’m not listening to him any more (and his mustache looks stupid too).” Would they then feel the wrath of the tyrant? Nope, because there would be no one to enforce that “wrath.” The power of every tyrant is 100% illusion, and you darn well better know how to keep that illusion alive if you want to stay in power.” - Source

Energy In The Slow Lane

Such an ‘on point’ article. Where are all these fabulous inventions we keep hearing about?

“Everyone seems to have a “story” to share. By that, I’m referring to a recollection, or perhaps an energy legend, of something that was once heard, but then never heard of again. My story goes like this: When I was in grade school, we were handed a small publication each week called the Weekly Reader, which offered stories on current events and other tidbits with an emphasis on science, history, mathematics or other academic realms. I recall reading one particular story around 1970 or so about a man in New England who had invented a device that could stretch gas mileage in vehicles far beyond normal levels. To prove his point, he attached the device to the engine of a school bus and drove it from New Hampshire to Washington D.C. on one tank of gas. He wanted to demonstrate to lawmakers what his wondrous little device could do for energy conservation in this country. Now, I’ll grant you that the bus probably had a huge gas tank, but the fact that it could travel so far on one tank of fuel struck me as amazing. Thus, my story ends with this question: What happened? As I said, it seems everyone knows a story like this. They’ve heard of people developing devices that could operate a vehicle on pure alcohol, or could stretch gas mileage out to 80 miles a gallon. They’ve heard of things like Willie Nelson’s biofuel efforts. The rumors and dreams go on and on. But then something happens - or nothing happens. Perhaps, some of us tend to speculate, the oil companies are making sure these revolutionary devices simply vanish from the marketplace. Are they ensuring that Americans consume oil by generous gulps and not prudent sips? Are we being kept addicted to fossil fuels in the names of greed and profit? I honestly don’t know. All these tales and legends of great new devices that could alter the way we operate automobiles remain little more than rumors, in spite of the fact that these things should have been happening for decades, and they should be happening now. Instead, we are held hostage to the distant past and/or a dead-end (energy) future.” - Source

Hybrid Risk - Hybrids and Electromagnetic Fields

Sounds like a subject ripe for study since electric, rechargeable cars appear to be in our future.

“ALMOST without exception, scientists and policy makers agree that hybrid vehicles are good for the planet. To a small but insistent group of skeptics, however, there is another, more immediate question: Are hybrids healthy for drivers? There is a legitimate scientific reason for raising the issue. The flow of electrical current to the motor that moves a hybrid vehicle at low speeds (and assists the gasoline engine on the highway) produces magnetic fields, which some studies have associated with serious health matters, including a possible risk of leukemia among children. With the batteries and power cables in hybrids often placed close to the driver and passengers, some exposure to electromagnetic fields is unavoidable. Moreover, the exposure will be prolonged — unlike, say, using a hair dryer or electric shaver — for drivers who spend hours each day at the wheel. Some hybrid owners have actually tested their cars for electromagnetic fields using hand-held meters, and a few say they are alarmed by the results.” - Source

Focusing on Solar’s Cost

Check out the temperatures inside this solar box!

“Sunrgi, which emerged out of stealth mode last week, has created a concentrated photovoltaic system that uses a lens to focus sunlight up to 2,000 times onto tiny solar cells that can convert 37.5 percent of the sun’s energy into electricity. Stronger concentrations of sunlight allow engineers to use much smaller solar cells, making it more economical to use higher-efficiency–but higher-cost–cells. Sunrgi, for example, will use cells based on gallium arsenside and germanium substrates. Sunrgi estimates that its system will be capable of producing electricity at a wholesale cost of five cents per kilowatt-hour. Prototypes have been built and tested both in the laboratory and in the field, and the company expects to start commercial production in 12 to 15 months. The intense heat created by concentrating the sun so much can reduce both the efficiency and the life of the solar cell. At 2,000 times sun concentration, temperatures can exceed 1800 °C–similar to the heat from an acetylene torch, and hot enough to melt the solar cell.” - Source

CCTVs Don’t Work in the UK

A waste of money and loss of privacy for nothing.

“People who give up a little bit of liberty for a little bit of security deserve neither, the saying goes. But what happens when people give up so much liberty their entire country resembles an Orweillean dystopia — but the pervasive monitoring doesn’t help to solve any crimes? That’s what is happening in the United Kingdom today. While the Guardian tries to put a good spin on the entire fiasco, the fact remains that CCTVs only help with 3% of all street robberies, the very crimes they were supposed to be best at protecting. Should England finally move to eliminate its troubling state surveillance program?” - Source

Phone-unlocking SIM-shim

You buy something and find out it has all these neat functions but they are locked? Here is a hack to get around it for your cellphone.

“This SIM unlock is made of a very thin piece of FPC (0.10mm) with a Microcontroller mounted on, that goes between your Operator’s SIM card & the phone’s SIM socket. Because of it’s very thin & slim design it fits into almost all phone’s on the market and can also be easily removed again. It’s got Gold Immersion and makes perfect contact with the card and the socket at ALL times.” - Source

Solar Lanterns Transform Lives in Malawi, Africa

Such a cool thing and I love that they build it themselves using locally available materials!

“The average African household uses 55 or so liters of kerosene per year, at an approximate cost of £80 [US $158]. This contributes to health problems as the burning of kerosene inside houses is a major cause of respiratory illness, fires, burns, accidental poisonings, eyesight problems and death in the developing world. Kerosene is far more expensive and far less efficient than electric lighting: the cost of useful light energy ($/lumen hour of light) for kerosene is 325 times higher than the inefficient incandescent bulb and 1,625 times higher than compact fluorescent light bulbs. The training that SolarAid is doing involves teaching your Malawians to convert a standard, medium sized kerosene “hurricane” lanterns (not pressurized or “tilly” lanterns) into LED solar lanterns. Conversion of the lanterns involves putting rechargeable AA batteries into the chimney and using 3.3V, 25mA LEDs (wired in parallel) to direct light down onto an improvised cone reflector, which sits over the top of the old wick. The reflector is constructed from locally collected materials such as aluminium foil, gift wrap, or the inside of a cigarette packet, and is configured in a conical shape to provide uniform reflection. The torches are guaranteed for three years. Batteries are designed to be recharged up to 1000 times without “memory effect.” SolarAid tests have shown a solar LED lantern can go for up to 10 days non-stop on a single battery charge, meaning the batteries could last 20 years or more if only used once a week. The batteries are recharged with one-watt solar panels, which are made locally with imported amorphous silicon and wooden frames. The PV panels do not degrade over time and are sold in the West with at least a 10-year warranty. All other components can be replaced when needed as they are sourced locally.” - Source