Reader Ron Reasoner, ridiculing the idea shown here, writes, “A 30% increase in production raises a PV solar panels output from 15% efficiency to 19.5% efficiency. All that for double the price plus added installation costs.”
It’s actually worse than that. The idea that light reflected off any surface could cause anywhere near a 30% increase in efficiency is preposterous.
A fellow who is five years my senior at the Quaker-based independent school William Penn Charter in Philadelphia (pictured) went on to graduate from Princeton University. Because Quakers are pacifists and Princeton is such a venerable institution, when I reconnected with him on Facebook recently I had expected that he’d be sharing articles on world diplomacy, environmental stewardship, the inherent equality of all humankind, or perhaps the wisdom of Confucius. (more…)
The threat of an alien invasion has rightfully entertained the attention of all Earth people since the late 19th Century. And there have been certain times in the interim that it was the greatest putative threat against our population. Perhaps the mid-20th Century? Orson Wells?
Few people feel that way nowadays. Our sociopathic president, our escalation of the nuclear arms race, the prospect of world fascism, the concept of a planet so warm that it’s rife with superstorms, droughts, wildfires, loss of land mass, and famines–all these things seem so much more likely to take us down.
Aliens. Really?
Pictured here, Jonathan Metzl is a doctor and professor at Vanderbilt University. In his book Dying of Whiteness, he examines how it’s possible that the life expectancy for white males has fallen for three consecutive years–the first such instance since World War I and the 1918 flu pandemic. (more…)
I hope you’ll take a few minutes of your day and check out this fine piece that presents what each president since Jimmy Carter said and did for the country in tragic times.
Powerful stuff.
My mom and I engaged in yet another enjoyable and mutually respectful political discussion the other evening. As usual, neither one of us succeeded in changing the other’s belief system one iota, but that’s not the point; it’s always fun nonetheless. During our talk, Mom asserted that Democrats perceive that the only way for them to come into and stay in power is to get as many needy people into the country as possible, promise them free stuff, and thus attract their votes. (more…)
Someone wrote: Ann Coulter went on an early Sunday morning Twitter tear, calling President Donald Trump “the most disloyal actual retard that has ever set foot in the Oval Office.”….never in my wildest dreams did I think I would agree with her….ever…but look.
Such a good point. In the last five years I’ve found myself rooting for James Comey, Robert Mueller, Rex Tillerson, and a few U.S. Army Generals. Sure didn’t see that coming.
Back to Ann Coulter, this is both hilarious and extremely encouraging. How often does one encounter those two joys at the same time?
Trump’s efforts to divide the nation have been incredibly successful, and they’ve brought about all-too-predictable consequences. One, of course, is the empowerment of white supremacists and the threat these dolts represent to everyday Americans. Fifteen years ago we lived in fear of al Qaeda. Five years ago it was ISIS. Now it’s a bunch of hateful morons in white hoods and robes, carrying confederate flags, and packing AR-15s.
The First Amendment guarantees the right to peaceably assemble (emphasis my own).
This guy is offering for sale: All in one solution, solar freezer, solar tv, solar cooker and solar fan.
Is he saying that he can power appliances with solar energy? Didn’t we already know that?
I did a live television show in New York City years ago where the first question out of the interviewer’s mouth was, “OK, Craig, so what can we do with renewable energy?” To which I replied, as politely as I possibly could, “Anything you can do with energy from traditional sources. Your toaster doesn’t care where those electrons come from.”
If you want a powerful experience, read (or at least skim) through this speech to the very end.
