A useful benchmark for consumption is Tonnes of Oil Equivalent. Mineral oil (petrol, diesel, gasoline and friends) has a very high energy content per volume. That means less weight per joule which is important if you’ve got to move or carry fuel, eg in a car fuel tank. This comparison list from Wikipedia shows the …
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Author:astraea
Peace on earth. Can it happen again?
Chuck Lorre Vanity Card #392 From what little I know of prehistory, man roamed the Earth for hundreds of thousands of years in small tribes — probably no more than two hundred people per group. During this time all wisdom was passed along according to the oral tradition. Everything you needed to know in order …
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Dearman engine prototypes high tech eco-steam power.
The BBC headline this morning Liquid air ‘offers energy storage hope’ looked interesting. I usually start looking at “new solutions” cynically because so often they are misconceived with a “command and control nature” mentality. But this looks interesting. The oil companies might not like it. Though car companies should be ok with it. The idea …
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EU austerity drive by country
EU austerity drive by country by BBC A succinct picture. In Ireland’s case, a good start would be to cut the interest rate on the loans. They must be soft or the numbers don’t work. But moral hazard must be expunged and transaction cots reduced.
Arctic ice disappearing faster …
4 million square kilometres and falling. That number doesn’t mean much, but when you read that ten years ago it was 5.6 million or 40% more you realise that it’s about to disappear. At a rate of 1.6 million square kilometres loss a decade it will be gone in 40 years. And it hasn’t reached …
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Why is oil so expensive?
Oil probably should be as expensive as it is, whether you buy gasoline, petrol or diesel. But the price should be paying for the pollution and opportunity cost, not profits of executives working for big oil. So, this article from REpedia caught my eye: The Oil Industry’s Monopoly on Transportation Once again, high gas prices …
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Fire and Ice – sad news at both ends of the spectrum.
A couple of headlines today caught my attention. Unimportant news to most of us, which probably won’t even make the TV version. In the heat of Tibetan politics, two teenagers self-immolated in protest against repression, while in the chill of the Arctic there is less ice than ever before. The stories might get some play …
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Climate change is here — and worse than we thought
Climate change is here — and worse than we thought By James E. Hansen, Published: August 4 The Washington Post When I testified before the Senate in the hot summer of 1988 , I warned of the kind of future that climate change would bring to us and our planet. I painted a grim picture of …
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Now we have heart disease in primary school children.
Another study has reiterated the foolishness of stuffing children with chocolate and chips. The health problems of middle age are now occurring in children from as young as two years old who are obese. Either the love or carelessness of parents is killing children. Parents want to give the children what they want, or don’t …
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Sitcom Church
How can a sitcom (like The Big Bang Theory) facilitate communion with god? Well, … CHUCK LORRE PRODUCTIONS, #263 ME: I believe that watching tonight’s show might constitute a spiritual experience. YOU: That’s a pretty bold statement. How do you figure? ME: Glad you asked. Since the concept of past and future is entirely man-made …
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