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[Public] Why I'm Voting for Obama -- Gas Tax Holiday Stupidity
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May. 4th, 2008 @ 08:30 pm
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Of the three contenders for the White House, only Barack Obama has had the courage to point out what a stupid idea the Gas Tax Holiday -- supported by both Hillary Clinton and John McCain -- truly is.
Sooner or later we're going to have to stop using so damned much gasoline, even if only because there is less and less of the stuff, and our insistence on buying everything imaginable from China has finally enabled them to get into the 20th century and pollute their air the same we we had in the 1950s and '60s.
What Obama needs to do next is even more offensive to the "But my gasoline costs so much!" crowd -- he needs to announce that as part of preparations for an era when fuel economy is dramatically higher, the federal motor fuels tax is being doubled. That's right -- doubled. Because if the CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) target is to have teeth, there is only one way to do that -- act like it is a foregone conclusion. And when CAFE doubles, motor fuels tax collection will halve. Rather than find ourselves energy efficient with broken down roads, let's get the motor fuels tax up to where it needs to be, and give people an incentive to actually raise CAFE.Current Music: Black Sabbath - Black Mass |
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[Public] Cheap Chinese Crap -- H-P battery charger
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Apr. 16th, 2008 @ 08:14 am
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Today's installment of "Cheap Chinese Crap" involves the AC adapter for my Hewlett-Packard Pavilion ZV6000 notebook. For the second time since buying this laptop (now you all know what I use to surf the interwebs), the strain relief where the cord meets the plug which goes into the back of the laptop has failed to protect the cables from failure due to flexing. The cable is a multi-wire assembling with power and measurement being contained within a white insulating layer, and some other power wire being a braided shield. The braided shield wire fails, one since strand at a time, due to insufficient protection and that boundary.
This is easy stuff, guys. And the fact that the first one failed,and you sold me a second adapter with the exact same design defect tells me you've outsourced to China because you don't give a damn about quality and only care about price. HP quality used to mean something. Apparently HP quality now means "We're resting on our laurels -- keep giving us money until you figure it out, stupid!"
I'll be sending them photos and a nasty letter.
I'm going to start making these posts public so people can link them.
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Cheap Chinese Crap -- battery charger
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Apr. 10th, 2008 @ 06:40 am
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Last fall, faced again with a Corvette battery that had sulfur deposits on the lead plates, I decided to buy a $100 car battery charger capable of properly correcting all manner of problems. Unlike the typical Cheap Chinese Crap battery chargers, this one had a "desulfate" cycle along with an "equalize" cycle. Ignore these terms if they don't make sense -- some of us worship at the altar of lead acid battery maintenance.
ANYWAY, I went to help some friends one morning with their dead battery. The result was that the charger seemed to die. A puff of smoke, some interesting readouts, and then ... death. I took it back to the house and tried it on some batteries I had. It seemed to work -- because I keep my batteries charged, it would turn on, display a few amps of charge, then pronounce them "FUL".
And then there is the Corvette, once again showing signs of an aging battery. Even with a trickle charger on the newest battery. I'll have to check and see if the trickle charger is also Cheap Chinese Crap. When the semi-dead charger failed to do its thing on the now-known-to-have-problems Corvette battery, I realized the charger really was broken. It was time to do what I do best -- take stuff apart in hopes I can fix it myself because returning poorly built or designed crap for repair means I own poorly built or designed crap that is going to break again.
It was then that I realized that instead of being a high quality product, I was dealing with ... Cheap Chinese Crap. The product was not designed to EVER be taken apart. Many fo the screws had broken off (!) inside the charger during the manufacturing process. Digging deeper, I found the part that let go its smoke -- a half-bridge rectifier, SBR20100CT -- responsible for converting high frequency AC from a switching power supply into DC. According to all the manufacturer spec sheets I could find for this part, this part requires being attached to a heat sink. Which makes sense -- they deal with large amounts of power, they should have heat sinks. These weren't. Oh, there were parts that -- if designed correctly -- might have functioned like a heat sink, but they weren't designed correctly. Firstly, the metal tab on the part is connected to the center electrode, which means they really needed two electrically separated heat sinks. Being Cheap Crap, they didn't do they. They tried to thermally attach the parts to a large metal front piece by pressing the two parts against an electrically insulating sheet that then pressed against this large metal case. The metal part used to apply pressure didn't actually do that -- both parts were several millimeters away from the metal case. Secondly, there was little or no thermal compound to be found anywhere, not that it would have made any difference. In short, designed to BREAK.
Haven't figured out how I'm going to fix it. The parts are $1.65 a piece, and I should replace both of them. But I need to find a proper method of cooling them, and the existing heat sink parts will never work.
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[Public] Energy wastage
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Jan. 24th, 2008 @ 08:00 am
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(Updated to include 9/20/07 statement.)
A few months back, fed up with a teenager who refuses to turn off lights, I decided to take matters into my own hands -- I replaced the bedroom and bathroom lights with compact fluorescents.
The drop in electric consumption was so dramatic, so immediately obvious, that I ran out and replaced all the bulbs in my entire house, almost. There are still a few I've not replaced, but they are almost never turned on. For those of you who've not made the switch yet, here's my electric bill for over a year. You can see the dramatic drop in kilowatt hours used.
I'm making this public so y'all can link it however far and wide you like, and I encourage you do to so. My average monthly savings is $47.00. That's just too much money for me to pass up.
(Just to add a bit of explanation, the January bill has no appreciable savings in it, so it should be compared to the February bill. The March and April 2007 bills should be compared again the March and November 2006 bill. I'll update the photo from time to time on Photobucket, so the changes will continue to be visible as the summer approaches)
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More On Energy Wastage
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Jun. 8th, 2007 @ 08:18 am
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In an earlier post, I detailed my journey from incandescent lights to compact fluorescent lights. Keep in mind, this journey started because I wanted to make sure I could run my house on a natural gas powered backup generator for those occassions when I manage to lose power. Which happens more often than it should.
In that other post I mentioned that the house remains much cooler because there is less heat generated by light bulbs. What I've found is that I actually have to open the windows and let fresh air in because otherwise the house winds up smelling stale without the A/C. This makes a lot of sense as modern houses are constructed to be fairly air tight, and the routine odors of a house slowly accumulate.
With the last statement came the need, finally, to start running the A/C to keep the house comfortable. Since I had 3 good months of "little or no A/C" running data for my little data gathering exercise -- remember, the goal is to make sure the house can operate through an extended power outage -- I decided to start pushing really hard on energy conservation through lifestyle changes.
Although the house does have a programmable thermostat which does a good job of keeping things cool and not wasting energy when I'm not home, I decided to take matters directly into my own hands. I just ... turn it off entirely. Rather than allowing the thermostat to decide I'll be home every day at the same time, when I come home, I just turn it back on. I now have a recording thermometer, so I'll be able to chart the daily ups and downs of the temperature when I'm not here, and it will be interesting to see what's going on behind my back.
The current monthly electric consumption estimate is right around 770kWH. If you read that other post, based on what the load is when the A/C is running on its own schedule, consumption should be 1125kWH. The bill is due in 2 weeks. I can't wait to see what it is.
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| » [Public] Is alternative energy a smart thing to do? |
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(I've opened this up as a public post because I wish to talk about it in public.)
I recently posted about saving energy, but what I didn't post is why I was driven to so dramatically cut electricity. Yeah, the teenager is part of it, but not all of it.
Last summer we had a number of power problems and there was a threat of rolling blackouts here in Cat Ranching country. Having lived for days on end in New Orleans where I often didn't have power, I'm not interested in repeating that here at home. I started to investigate having a natural gas powered standby generator installed so that I could survive any storm or power company related outage. The estimates were in the range of $10K to $12K, with an upper limit of $15K if I went with a really large generator capable of powering the entire house and running the A/C. Considering how much home equity I have (which is probably the subject of another post -- how to pay off ones house well before retirement, unlike the majority of Americans who own a mortgage and not a house ...), I figured a generator could be financed with a second mortgage with no difficulty at all.
After getting the first electric bill since going to fluorescent lights, I realized that my peak daily average consumption was well within the limits of a solar powered inverter. With a peak average load of about 1,200 watts, or 28.8 KWH per day, a four to six hour outage, which is about the maximum for severe weather caused outages, a solar charged standby system with a 7.2 KWH storage capacity and 3,000 watt inverter was sufficient for most of my needs. I looked at components and concluded that a 9.6 KWH battery array and 5,000 watt grid-tied inverter was a nice configuration. It would provide all the power I should need to survive 4 to 6 hours without electricity from the power company. The system would operate at 48 volts and store electricity in 4 200 amp hour batteries.
Then came the matter of charging the batteries and keeping them topped up. The largest commonly used panels provide approximately 200 watts power. A goal was to be able to recharge in a reasonable period of time, so I decided that 4 KWH was an approximate goal for a day's solar generation. This would recharge the batteries in two days, using an average of 4.5 hours equivalent worth of sunlight. Even though the sun shines more than 4.5 hours a day here, even in the winter, the angle of the sun during the day, and over the course of a year, means that a solar array behaves as though it is operating at full output only so many hours a day on average. That figure is approximately 5 hours per day here.
Now that I had a backup system designed, I was able to contact a local installer. I described my goals and proposed system to them and was quite surprised that it was competitive with a natural gas backup system. As an added bonus, because I've specified that the system be grid-tied, I will produce approximately 120 KWH of electricity that will offset the electricity I get from the grid. The net result, for those of you who've read that other post, is that I will be able to further reduce my consumption, net of heating and cooling, from 630 KWH per month to 510 KWH per month. Assuming there was a prolonged outage, I should almost be able to live completely off-grid with the remaining major power consumers -- television (I only own one -- a smaller one would be a wise idea as an emergency backup), stereo (the big one, not all of them ...), computers, etc. -- cut off. I say "almost" because refrigeration is an unknown quantity, and I suspect it accounts for a sizable fraction of what remains. I've not checked to see what my mini-fridge consumes, but in the event of a prolonged crisis, I suspect I'd move the absolute essentials to it and run that off the solar inverter.
So there you have it -- for less than $15,000 a homeowner can create a system that would likely allow them to reasonably well survive prolonged loss of power from the electric grid. Each year hundreds of thousands of electric customers wind up without power for days on end. It's not all that improbable that some day I'll be without power for more than just a few hours.
Apr. 22nd, 2007 @ 09:41 pm
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| » [Public] My Journal is Friends-Only. Comment to be added |
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Most of my journal entries are set to only allow "Friends" to view them. If you have found a comment of mine in another LJ interesting, please let me know what you found interesting and I'll consider adding you to my Friends list. If you're just out looking for people to add you to their Friends list, and you've never read any LJ posts by me, please consider pestering someone else.
Mar. 31st, 2007 @ 08:00 am
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| » [Public] Boycott: Nedra Johnson |
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I don't believe in boycotts, but in this instance I don't see any other way to get the attention of this musician and let her know that her behavior is inappropriate.
In a recent discussion about women-only space, Nedra remarked that she would welcome men into women-only space before she welcomed transsexual women.
The controversy surrounding transsexual women in women-only space is one that is remarkably contentious and creates significant friction between different groups of women with differing political philosophies.
Regardless, all too often transsexual women are compared adversely to men. Suggesting that transsexual women should be treated as third class citizens in women-only spaces, behind men, is simply wrong. The transsexual women I'm fortunate to know live and function, day in, day out, in this world as women, experiencing all the joys and sorrows that come with being women in a society that is often women-hating.
Those of you who have influence over which artists are brought to your town, college, university, or other music event, please make them aware of what Nedra has said.
Those of you who are so inclined, I invite you to send her a note asking that she apologize for her remarks, as well as publically renounce her opposition to transsexual women in women-only spaces.
Aug. 19th, 2006 @ 12:54 pm
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| » [Public] BK Holiday Remix |
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Last year someone sent me to the It's a BK Holiday web-site. Well, there's now an MP3 remix of the music from that page here.
Dec. 9th, 2005 @ 11:08 pm
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| » [Public] Some weird food meme |
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(Stolen from someone else)
The BBC asked people to vote for the top 50 things everyone should try a bite of in their lifetime. Bold the ones you've eaten. (even a bite counts, coward...)
The top 50
1. Fresh fish
2. Lobster
3. Steak
4. Thai food
5. Chinese food
6. Ice cream
7. Pizza
8. Crab
9. Curry
10. Prawns
11. Moreton Bay Bugs - an Australian saltwater crustacean that looks a bit like a bug. It's sweet succulent flesh is reminiscent of lobster. Also called bay lobsters, shovelnose lobsters or squat lobsters if you like.
12. Clam chowder
13. Barbecues
14. Pancakes
15. Pasta
16. Mussels
17. Cheesecake
18. Lamb
19. Cream tea
20. Alligator
21. Oysters
22. Kangaroo
23. Chocolate
24. Sandwiches
25. Greek food
26. Burgers
27. Mexican food
28. Squid
29. American diner breakfast
30. Salmon
31. Venison
32. Guinea pig
33. Shark
34. Sushi
35. Paella
36. Barramundi (an Australian fish)
37. Reindeer
38. Kebab
39. Scallops
40. Australian meat pie
41. Mango
42. Durian fruit
43. Octopus
44. Ribs
45. Roast beef
46. Tapas
47. Jerk chicken/pork
48. Haggis
49. Caviar
50. Cornish Pastry
He and I only differed on two items. Apparently weird food is a fairly constant experience, even among total strangers.
Nov. 28th, 2005 @ 10:24 am
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| » [Public] Stop Ethnic Cleansing In New Orleans |
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(Please link to this and spread it as far and wide as possible.)
In the rush to remove everyone from New Orleans, a major political victory has been handed to residents of the North Shore. Beginning in the late 1970s, white New Orleans residents fled the city in droves and moved to a number of small towns located on the northern coast of Lake Pontchartrain. For decades these same people have spoken about getting rid of the black population in New Orleans. Thanks to Hurricane Katrina, they are getting their wish.
( Much has been made of the flood waters within New Orleans ... )
Sep. 8th, 2005 @ 05:00 pm
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| » [Public] Name Furry's Dummy |
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I've opened this to everyone, so feel free to tell everyone you know about this post and have them send their suggestions.
I finally, after years of procrastinating and whatnot, found and bought a dress making dummy. I've decided to let everyone else on the planet have a go at naming the dummy. Some interesting facts about her is she is 59" tall at the shoulder, she has no arms, no legs, no head, and has a burgundy (I think that's right -- she's in the other room, wearing a dress I'm making) knit covering.
Here's the rules -- if you come up with a new name, add it as a comment. If you like someone elses name, add it as a response. Name with the most responses wins.
As this is a contest, the prize is a $36 donation to the charity of your choosing. I'll contact the winner at the end of February.
Here's the list of names currently in the running as of 2/5 --
Ladyquin
Anita Outphitt
Ima Justible
Feb. 5th, 2005 @ 07:00 am
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| » [Public] Nerd Test |
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Jan. 13th, 2005 @ 04:15 pm
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| » [Public] Logical, Mathematical, Oh My! |
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 | You scored as Logical/Mathematical. You like to work with numbers and ask questions. You learn best by classifying information, engaging in abstract thinking and looking for common basic principles. People like you include mathematicians, biologists, medical technicians, geologists, engineers, physicists, researchers and other scientists.
Logical/Mathematical | | 96% | Intrapersonal | | 79% | Bodily/Kinesthetic | | 75% | Verbal/Linguistic | | 75% | Musical/Rhythmic | | 61% | Interpersonal | | 61% | Visual/Spatial | | 57% | </td>
The Rogers Indicator of Multiple Intelligences
created with QuizFarm.com |
Jan. 13th, 2005 @ 04:09 pm
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| » [Public] Interesting Quiz |
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This is a fairly interesting quiz. Not sure how I scored this level ...
 | You scored as Upper middle Class. Your determination have soared you this high, yet not high enough to enjoy the luxuries of the upper class. Your most valued posession is your country club membership which is kept framed in the office.
Upper middle Class | | 88% | Middle Class | | 63% | alternative | | 42% | Luxurious Upper Class | | 38% | Lower Class | | 13% | </td>
What Social Status are you?
created with QuizFarm.com |
Dec. 19th, 2004 @ 01:30 pm
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| » [Public] The rugrat made me do it. |
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 | | You are professor Membrane, inventor of SuperToast, and all that stands between Earth and chaos!. There is only Science ...and occasionally it's unfortunate intersection with your family.</p> I'm glad you asked. |
Take The Mighty Invader Zim Test!
Mar. 21st, 2004 @ 05:40 pm
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furrycatherder's journal
