This article on waste-to-energy is a reminder that there are areas of technology that seem to attract people who have no compunction about exaggerating their claims, among which is WTE. Of course, this is easily understood, as this discipline has so many moving parts. Unlike, e.g., solar, wind, hydro and geothermal, WTE is not a black and white subject. (more…)
It’s the birthday of W.S. Gilbert (pictured), who, with musical partner Sullivan, wrote some wonderful comic operas of the late 19th Century, including H.M.S. Pinafore (1878), The Pirates of Penzance (1879), and The Mikado (1885).
I bring this up to show how greatly our society has changed (fallen?). To gauge this, I ask you listen to my very favorite piece of theirs, and ask yourself how this would be regarded by our pop culture today.
Not only have we changed in so many important ways, but the rate of change continues to increase; more of our world has changed in the last 10 years than it had in the previous 50. It’s scary stuff, insofar as it appears that our civilization is in chaos, spinning wildly out of control. But perhaps this is part of a progression towards higher goals, like a sustainable approach to life on this planet. Could be.
For some reason I’ve been running across a spate of humorous and terrifically well done pieces that make important points. Here’s one on climate change deniers that got me laughing so loudly that I’m sure the people outside my office here thought I must be having some sort of mental breakdown.
We think that our scientists take an attitude to all this that is, well, scientific. Here’s what happens when frustration builds up and one of them has a guitar.
Enjoy.
Driving is not as expensive as it has traditionally been in recent years, largely because gas prices– one of the largest day-to-day expenses with driving– have been low. While over 200,000 oil workers have lost their jobs, many consumers have been celebrating the cut in price.
For simplicity, gas prices are usually measured by the price of a barrel of oil. To put the situation into perspective, by October 2015, the price of a barrel of oil had been cut by about half since June 2014. This represented price levels not seen since the 2009 recession. (more…)
(Note: Calling a car with a 608 HP 8-cylinder engine “eco-friendly” is REALLY misusing the phrase, but whatever; I let guest bloggers say pretty much what they want. -ed)
Luxury cars are in trend right now, and it looks like major car manufacturers have already started focusing more on eco-friendly engines. From Rolls Royce to BMW, every famous brand seems to have thought of a hybrid for their line of exclusive vehicles. Porsche has recently joined the group, too. The company’s latest 918 Spyder is a hybrid supercar.
If readers see 2GreenEnergy popping up with increasing frequency on social media, that’s not an accident. My friend and colleague Brian Bernhard of Blight Productions has been helping us become more active on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, as well as Instagram and all these new platforms that are so popular among young people. (more…)
I love media that makes its point in a fun, appealing way. This piece on climate change by cartoonist Mark Fiore is a work of art.
Note the naiveté of the little green man, and compare that to the guy asking Robin Williams about the invention of golf in this classic (pardon the foul language).
I thought I’d write a post for the sole purpose of calling readers’ attention to the work of 2GreenEnergy super-intern Fabio Porcu. Another interesting story here: Fabio hails from Sardinia and had just completed his master’s degree in energy and engineering when he decided to spend the entire autumn here working with me; next month he’ll be returning to Europe where he’ll be taking a job in Prague.
Over the years, we’ve had a dozen or so interns from all over the world, but I can’t think of one who’s been a greater joy to interact with than Fabio. There may be people on this planet who have better attitudes toward life, but I sure haven’t met any.
Here’s a link to Fabio’s work so far; note that it’s covered a wide gamut that ranges from articles on the pros and cons of various battery chemistries to public opinion on climate change mitigation. I’ll post another photo on Thanksgiving when he is up here having dinner with my family and me, joined by some local companions.
I’m very grateful to have made another life-long friend.
It’s so easy to be cynical about the prospects for justice in the world. Even here in the U.S., the land of the free and the home of the brave, our big corporations have taken near-complete control of our law-making process, in large part by virtue of the horrific Supreme Court decision in 2010 “Citizens United,” which grants corporate entities the right of free speech previous reserved for natural persons, and enables them to spend as much as they wish influencing our elections. The result: we now have a democracy in name only; the will of the people is all but irrelevant at this point. (more…)
Last Thursday was the birthday of feminist Elizabeth Cady Stanton (pictured), who said: “The moment we begin to fear the opinions of others and hesitate to tell the truth that is in us, and from motives of policy are silent when we should speak, the divine floods of light and life no longer flow into our souls.” (more…)
