Random. Just Random.

[Don Edwards 558]

14 hours ago, Darth Fluffy said:

Re: Tesla, I think they should use the front portion of a donkey, with his head turned toward you, grinning, as their logo, and change their name to half-assed motors.

For this particular vehicle, I think the other half of that animal is more appropriate.

IMHO it is, for a number of reasons, a pickup you should consider only if you have absolutely no need for a pickup.

[ProfessorTomoe 1,332]

1 hour ago, Don Edwards said:

IMHO it is, for a number of reasons, a pickup you should consider only if you have absolutely no need for a pickup.

I disagree. Buy one, and you'll need to be picked up from the side of the road when it breaks down. 

[mlooney 3,564]

3 hours ago, ProfessorTomoe said:

I disagree. Buy one, and you'll need to be picked up from the side of the road when it breaks down. 

Assume you can even get it on the road

[Darth Fluffy 334]

On 6/22/2024 at 1:58 PM, mlooney said:

And that's about the only point.  Total life cycle carbon release is equal to or greater then a normal vehicle for less than 5 years.  And that's not including the ecological disaster that lithium mining is.

I concur. There are emerging battery technologies that may make future EVs a feasible option, but we are not there yet.

[mlooney 3,564]

50 minutes ago, Darth Fluffy said:

I concur. There are emerging battery technologies that may make future EVs a feasible option, but we are not there yet.

I'd rather they solve the hydrogen storage problem and make hydrogen powered cars.

[Don Edwards 558]

Solving the hydrogen storage problem would be nice, but I suspect it isn't solvable. (As opposed to soluble - that's actually the problem, molecular hydrogen is soluble in pretty much anything.)

My long-term hope is for truly synthetic hydrocarbons - made from air, or some abundant and rapidly-renewable (thus not wood, coal, or oil) carbon source, and water.

[mlooney 3,564]

3 hours ago, Don Edwards said:

Solving the hydrogen storage problem would be nice, but I suspect it isn't solvable. (As opposed to soluble - that's actually the problem, molecular hydrogen is soluble in pretty much anything.)

My long-term hope is for truly synthetic hydrocarbons - made from air, or some abundant and rapidly-renewable (thus not wood, coal, or oil) carbon source, and water.

Any hydrocarbon fuel would still produce carbon dioxide, which sorta defeats the whole reason for alternate fuel.

[ijuin 590]

2 hours ago, mlooney said:

Any hydrocarbon fuel would still produce carbon dioxide, which sorta defeats the whole reason for alternate fuel.

Yes, but the concept is that the synthetic hydrocarbons would be produced via capturing carbon from carbon dioxide—if hydrocarbon + oxygen = CO2 + energy, then CO2 + energy = hydrocarbon + oxygen. This makes for a closed cycle.

[Darth Fluffy 334]

18 hours ago, mlooney said:

I'd rather they solve the hydrogen storage problem and make hydrogen powered cars.

I'll root for both, but it seems that much better batteries holds more promise, move broadly applicable beyond powering vehicles. Also there are possible options on the horizon.

Hydrogen is actually easy to concentrate and store, which is why it powered the Saturn V. All you have to do is cryo-cool it and keep it cold and liquid. Not exactly a practical solution for day to day use.

 

10 hours ago, ijuin said:

Yes, but the concept is that the synthetic hydrocarbons would be produced via capturing carbon from carbon dioxide—if hydrocarbon + oxygen = CO2 + energy, then CO2 + energy = hydrocarbon + oxygen. This makes for a closed cycle.

There is a nice closed cycle process that does this; it involves plants and photosynthesis and takes a while.

Any nominally closed cycle that involves burning and reconstituting hydrocarbons and produces an energy output is going to require energy input. THe plant based cycle is nice because it is solar powered. What alternative did you have in mind?

[ijuin 590]

9 minutes ago, Darth Fluffy said:

There is a nice closed cycle process that does this; it involves plants and photosynthesis and takes a while.

Any nominally closed cycle that involves burning and reconstituting hydrocarbons and produces an energy output is going to require energy input. THe plant based cycle is nice because it is solar powered. What alternative did you have in mind?

Likely also solar powered—solar-electric.

[Darth Fluffy 334]

1 minute ago, ijuin said:

Likely also solar powered—solar-electric.

Hmm. Maybe in an 'as if a battery' sense. Solar is too slow to directly power a vehicle on the surface of the earth.

 

One thing that works really well, and it is old technology, is electric trains. Places that use them can mass move people, but only in a coarse sense, you still need a way to get to your precise destination.

 

[ijuin 590]

2 hours ago, Darth Fluffy said:

Hmm. Maybe in an 'as if a battery' sense. Solar is too slow to directly power a vehicle on the surface of the earth.

Oh, I’m sorry, I thought I was referring to using solar electricity to power the industrial production of synthetic hydrocarbons from CO2 and water in factories.

[Darth Fluffy 334]

13 hours ago, ijuin said:

Oh, I’m sorry, I thought I was referring to using solar electricity to power the industrial production of synthetic hydrocarbons from CO2 and water in factories.

That is essentially using the hydrocarbons as an ersatz battery system, in the storing the power sense. It loses something if you want electricity back out.

Basically TNSTAAFL, but we can hone the technologies and approach 'better'. When we throw side issues such as 'Be sure it's green!' into the mix, often the true nature of the tradeoffs are obscured. Are solar cells 'green'? I thought so, but I'm seeing good arguments why they aren't, if used on a large scale; they disrupt habitats. (The ones on the roof of your home are probably fine.)

I don't think there are good answers, not ones we want to embrace.

The Amish are interesting from an environmental and economic perspective. Their farms are about as green as you can go, and they are one of the few segments of the farming community that is profitable and growing. It is an arduous lifestyle, though, as Weird Al documented. Me, I like my tech toys, and driving to see my kids and friends.

[The Old Hack 2,486]

On 6/23/2024 at 8:35 AM, Don Edwards said:

IMHO it is, for a number of reasons, a pickup you should consider only if you have absolutely no need for a pickup.

If I found myself the owner of one, I think I'd badly need a pick-me-up.

[mlooney 3,564]

52 minutes ago, The Old Hack said:

If I found myself the owner of one, I think I'd badly need a pick-me-up.

You could always get the Chinese version.  Looks a lot better and has a better tent option

https://www.theautopian.com/dong-feng-shows-a-pretty-decent-looking-cybertruck-knockoff/

[Darth Fluffy 334]

4 hours ago, mlooney said:

You could always get the Chinese version.  Looks a lot better and has a better tent option

https://www.theautopian.com/dong-feng-shows-a-pretty-decent-looking-cybertruck-knockoff/

It looks better than the real thing. I'd hold off about a year before I'd invest in an EV at this point; battery technology is poised to make a leap forward.

[Pharaoh RutinTutin 1,614]

 

Asault that battery.

 

[ProfessorTomoe 1,332]

I spent $76.99 for a font. A smegging font, fer cryin' out loud. It's called Scherzo.

Granted, it is a music font as opposed to a text font (an SMuFL font, to be precise), which means I can drop it into Dorico Pro in place of the default music font, Bravura, and it looks much nicer. I'm converting my unpublished pieces over to it, so I'm already getting a lot of mileage out of it. I guess it was worth it after all. I hope.

[mlooney 3,564]

[ProfessorTomoe 1,332]

For two consecutive days now, I have had major diet soda spills in my lap in front of my laptop as I've dozed off in front of it. This is not good. Part of it is due to the fact that I've had to switch to Morphine from my usual Dilaudid, since I can't get a refill of my usual painkiller. Things are likely to get worse. AAUUGGHH.

[mlooney 3,564]

Just got a text from the census bureau to take a survey.  I did, because I didn't have any thing else to do.  Any other Americans get this?

[Darth Fluffy 334]

9 hours ago, mlooney said:

Just got a text from the census bureau to take a survey.  I did, because I didn't have any thing else to do.  Any other Americans get this?

I have gotten one within the last couple of years. It was short.

[mlooney 3,564]

4 hours ago, Darth Fluffy said:

I have gotten one within the last couple of years. It was short.

Yeah it took about 5 minutes.

[mlooney 3,564]

I used to get spam that said I won power tools.  Today I got spam that I won a generator/power inverter.  Is the fact that I'm an older white male part of my spammer's profile?  I never get "hot women in your area" spam any more.

[mlooney 3,564]

It's a sign of the end times.
https://freedomfunnelusa.com/