Article

2006-02-10 Home Front: Culture Wars

Archived material is restricted to Rantburg regulars and members. If you need access email fred.pruitt=at=gmail.com with your nick to be added to the members list. There is no charge to join Rantburg as a member.

Posted by tipper 2006-02-10 09:37|| || Front Page|| [10 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 All the more reason to get our assess off of oil.

Toshiba has created a battery that will recharge up to 80% capacity in a few minutes. Scale that, take GM's hydrogen car skate-board idea and replace the hydrogen with big batteries. This is tech that is five years off. Screw hydrogen, this is better. Make them hybrids so they don't waste the whole battery getting up to speed and you can have bigger cars and something usable instead of the stupid dinky electrics we have now.

America loves big vehicles. Trucks and SUVs run all over the place. Start mixing biodiesel into the diesel mix. Lesson the hydrocarbins, clean the air, and get rid of the McDonalds' fry grease. This can be done now. In some warmer areas you could go with pure biodiesel and a small heater on the oil pan.

Biodiesel sucks for faster cars. We should mix more ethanol/methanol into the fuel system to cut down on our oil usage. This would help keep the current cars running with slightly less gas usage as we shift over to electric cars.

We need to bulk up the power grid to support the increased use of electricity with pebble-bed nuclear reactors or other types of power before the electric cars become reasonable. Come on Bush, lead. There is more to the war on terror than just military.

Posted by rjschwarz">rjschwarz 2006-02-10 11:35|| 2006-02-10 11:35|| Front Page Top

#2 go rj! We could also use better mass transit in major metro areas. The unions need to be fought on this issue as well. Don't know if it's still true, but in CA the taxi's union prevented mass transit from going to the airports and other useful locations.

Posted by 2b 2006-02-10 12:20|| 2006-02-10 12:20|| Front Page Top

#3 In addition, nuclear-generated electricity will tend to replace natural gas, currently being wasted at power plants, also gas is skyrocketing in price due to a relative scarcity. Natural gas is a great fuel for motor vehicles like city busses.

Posted by Whutch Threth6418 2006-02-10 12:51|| 2006-02-10 12:51|| Front Page Top

#4 The scarcity of natural gas is self-imposed via a series of lefty lawsuits blocking all attempts at buidling port facilities to handle imports of LNG. Three port facilities exist, twenty five are planned and all are either bogged down in litigation and/or hopelessly entangled in regulatory red tape.

Posted by AzCat 2006-02-10 13:43|| 2006-02-10 13:43|| Front Page Top

#5 Since this is the web, and readers deserve footnotes instead of empty claims I thought I'd footnote my screed above.

Toshiba's battery with increased charge speeds. Methonal/Ethonal according to Robert Zubrin the rocket scientist. Dead Cat biodiesel to make the folks at PETA extra confused and lastly pebble-bed nuclear reactors.

Posted by rjschwarz">rjschwarz 2006-02-10 13:55|| 2006-02-10 13:55|| Front Page Top

#6 Imported LNG is still imported. On the other hand, I would very much like to pay the $2 per 1000 cubic feet I was paying in 1980 to heat my home, rather than the $13.50 I paid last month.

Posted by Snuns Thromp1484 2006-02-10 19:37|| 2006-02-10 19:37|| Front Page Top

#7 Nice graphics, RJ! I'll hafta come back after the gin has worn off.

Posted by Bobby 2006-02-10 21:12|| 2006-02-10 21:12|| Front Page Top

14:59 Sock Puppet O´ Doom
00:00 Flaitle Snomong3190
23:12 JosephMendiola
23:04 JosephMendiola
22:59 JosephMendiola
22:51 .com
22:46 .com
22:42 .com
22:28 .com
22:08 Jules
21:53 Barbara Skolaut
21:38 .com
21:33 .com
21:30 RWV
21:28 Zenster
21:22 Danking70
21:22 Ebbeagum Sheth4081
21:19 Redneck Jim
21:18 .com
21:16 RD
21:15 Redneck Jim
21:13 xbalanke
21:13 .com
21:12 Bobby