Creating Energy, rather than Conserving.

It seems to me, all the folks who are upset about climate change, and greenhouse gasses, and energy conservation, are thinking incorrectly.

We shouldn't be focusing on CONSERVING energy, because of expensive supply.  I want to have all the energy I need, and I want it to be cheap!  I want you to have the same.  I want EVERYBODY to have abundant, cheap energy.  Conservation is short sighted, and only gets more expensive, the longer you do it.  More production is the solution to more demand!

At the same time, I don't want to pollute more, and I don't want to do this cap and trade stuff.  Burning stuff is not the solution.

Fortunately, Nature has provided us with solutions.  Ready?  Here we go.

When nature wants to grow something, it takes energy.  Now, nature usually doesn't do it all at once, it takes it's time, and grows most things slowly.  Like trees.  They need energy to grow, and they grow slowly.  They save energy in their wood, and release it when they burn.  Usually this works in our favor.  When we burn wood, in a controlled way, it releases energy for us in a nice way, and does good things for us.

When nature grows things fast, it often causes destruction.  Like Hurricanes.  They grow fast, and they transfer a LOT of energy.  I won't get into it here.

So how does nature grow a tree?  Slowly.  With Sunlight.  Shining on LOTS of leaves.  I can't think of any trees in nature, that have only ONE, LARGE leaf.  Or, that grow well with short bursts of intense light.

The problem, is we need LOTS of energy, quickly, for it to be useful to us.  We move faster, and do more, than trees.  Or, we just need lots of energy, collected slowly, but on a steady basis.  The principle is there.  We need to set up solar energy collection cells, in LOTS of places, to collect LOTS of small amounts of energy, but constantly.  Like leaves on trees.  For example, if we had solar cells everywhere we have shutters on windows on houses.  Think about how much energy that would produce.  

The second source of energy, that is available to be collected in this way, is Wind.  I don't think we need these massive, expensive wind turbine farms, that nobody wants in their backyards.  Well, we do need them, but we need more.  We should have a small, 4' diameter, 6' foot high wind turbine on top of every telephone pole.  It may not turn as much as a 50' turbine on a wind farm, and may not be as efficient, and may not produce as much power, and may not turn 24/7,  but if you make them cheap, and make lots of them, and make them easily replaceable, together they will create a LOT of power.  Which is what we need.  Add to that, every home should have one the same small size, on the roof.  Just like every house has a chimney, or every house has a TV antenna/satellite dish.  Run the power line to batteries in the basement (or wherever), and have the batteries run the dishwasher, or the dryer, or your nightlight.  A light comes on, tells you the batteries are charged, and you flip a switch, and dry a load of laundry.  If you need to run a load, and the batteries are not fully charged yet, flip the switch, and run it off the grid, as usual. 

Pastor's wife's letter

How's this for apocalyptic literature.  This was written by a pastor's wife in biblical prose as a commentary of current events.  It is Brilliant. 

And it came to pass in the Age of Insanity that the people of the land
called America , having lost their morals, their initiative,and their will to
defend their liberties, chose as their Supreme Leader that person known as
"The One". 
He emerged from the vapors with a message that had no meaning; but He hypnotized the people telling them, "I am sent to save you. My lack of experience, my questionable ethics, my monstrous ego, and my association with evil doers are of no consequence. For I shall save you with Hope and Change.
Go, therefore, and proclaim throughout the land that he who preceded me is evil, that he has defiled the nation, and that all he has built must be destroyed."  And the people rejoiced, for even though they knew not what "The One" would do, he had promised that it was good; and they believed. And "The One" said "We live in the greatest country in the world. Help me change everything about it!"
And the people said, "Hallelujah!  Change is good!"
Then He said, "We are going to tax the rich fat-cats." And the people said "Sock it to them!"  
"And redistribute their wealth."
And the people said, "Show us the money!"
And then He said, "Redistribution of wealth is good for everybody"
And Joe the plumber asked, "Are you kidding me? You're going to steal my money and give it to the deadbeats??" And "The One" ridiculed and taunted him, and Joe's personal records were hacked and publicized.
One lone reporter asked, "Isn't that Marxist policy?"  And she was banished from the kingdom!
Then a citizen asked, "With no foreign relations experience and having zero military experience or knowledge, how will you deal with radical terrorists?"  
And "The One" said, "Simple. I shall sit with them and talk with them and show them how nice we really are; and they will forget that they ever wanted to kill us all!"  
And the people said, "Hallelujah!! We are safe at last, and we can beat our weapons into free cars for the people!"
Then "The One" said, "I shall give 95% of you lower taxes."  
And one, lone voice said, "But 40% of us don't pay ANY taxes."
So "The One" said, "Then I shall give you some of the taxes the fat-cats pay!"
And the people said, "Hallelujah!! Show us the money!"
Then "The One" said, "I shall tax your Capital Gains when you sell your homes!"  
And the people yawned and the slumping housing market collapsed.  
And He said, "I shall mandate employer- funded health care for EVERY worker and raise the minimum wage.. And I shall give every person unlimited healthcare and medicine and transportation to the clinics."  
And the people said, "Give me some of that!"
Then he said, "I shall penalize employers who ship jobs overseas."  
And the people said, "Where's my rebate check?"
Then "The One" said, "I shall bankrupt the coal industry and electricity rates will skyrocket!"  
And the people said, "Coal is dirty, coal is evil, no more coal! But we don't care for that part about higher electric rates."
So "The One" said, "Not to worry.. If your rebate isn't enough to cover your expenses, we shall bail you out. Just sign up with ACORN and your troubles are over!"
Then He said, "Illegal immigrants feel scorned and slighted. Let's grant them amnesty,Social Security, free education, free lunches, free medical care, bi-lingual signs and guaranteed housing..."  
And the people said, "Hallelujah!!" And they made him King!
And so it came to pass that employers, facing spiraling costs and ever-higher taxes, raised their prices and laid off workers. Others simply gave up and went out of business and the economy sank like unto a rock dropped from a cliff. The banking industry was destroyed. Manufacturing slowed to a crawl. And more of the people were without a means of support.
Then "The One" said, "I am the "The One" - The Messiah - and I'm here to save you! We shall just print more money so everyone will have enough!"  
But our foreign trading partners said unto Him, "Wait a minute. Your dollar is not worth a pile of camel dung! You will have to pay more..."  
And the people said, "Wait a minute. That is unfair!!"  
And the world said, "Neither are these other idiotic programs you have embraced. Lo, you have become a Socialist state and a second-rate power. Now you shall play by our rules!"
And the people cried out, "Alas, alas!! What have we done?"  
But yea verily, it was too late. The people set upon "The One" and spat upon him and stoned him, and his name was dung. And the once mighty nation was no more; and the once proud people were without  sustenance or shelter or hope. And the Change "The One" had given them was as like unto a poison that had destroyed them and like a whirlwind that consumed all that they had built.
And the people beat their chests in despair and cried out in anguish, "Give us back our nation and our pride and our hope!!"  But it was too late, and their homeland was no more.
You may think this is a fairy tale, but it's not.
It's happening RIGHT NOW !!!  

Caleb was the son of a good buddy of mine from High School.

AUSTIN

Caleb Koke, 1992-2009

Shoreline pastors' son dies in car accident

By Joshunda Sanders
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Caleb Koke had earned another patch for his Summit Christian Academy letterman jacket, Shoreline Christian Center Church receptionist Estela Swanner said, but he did not live to see it sewn to his sleeve.

Koke, the 17-year-old son of the interdenominational church's co-pastors, Robert and Laura Koke, was driving home from a bowling event early Tuesday when he fell asleep at the wheel and his vehicle hit a tree, Executive Pastor D.R. Dickey said.

Department of Public Safety officials said Koke was driving a 2007 Chevrolet Denali east on RM 2243 about 3 a.m. when the wreck happened just east of Ronald Reagan Boulevard in Williamson County. Authorities said he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Dickey said the family could not comment on the death.

"They're just heartbroken," he said.

Dozens gathered inside the chapel of the 5,000-member church Tuesday afternoon to mourn Koke's death — the second family tragedy in a week. Robert Koke's father died last week in a boating accident in Florida, members of the church said.

By early evening Tuesday, hundreds of people from around the country had posted their condolences to the family on the church's Web site.

"The Lord promises to be close to the heartbroken," said Curtis Rutherford, 41, a church member who went to the chapel in the afternoon to pay his respects. Because of their faith, he said, the Koke family "will walk through their pain differently than a family of the world might."

The church chapel was open all day and into the evening so church members could write notes to the family and mourn. A picture of Caleb Koke appeared on a screen in the chapel's vestibule, and church members wept in each others' arms.

Koke was the middle child of three, said Tammy Frank, an assistant with the children's ministry.

Church staff recalled him as a tall, quiet presence at the church who was loved especially by children who attended the summer camps held there.

Koke was a sophomore at Summit Christian Academy, where he played both guard positions on the basketball team, the Rev. Mike Collins said.

"He could have done anything. He was smart, with charm and charisma with a disarming smile," Collins said.

Koke also adored animals, particularly snakes. Collins said the boy once moved a snake out of the road after a game of disc golf, "kind of like the Crocodile Hunter would do."

"That was a huge part of him, just looking out for others," Collins said.

At Shoreline's regular service tonight, counselors will be on hand to help the congregation, church staff said.

Services are pending.

jsanders@statesman.com; 445-3630

Doors and Energy

Doors and Energy

I work in an office building.  As part of my job, I am required to travel through the building often to see people.  I have to go through a lot of (secured) doors.

This brings up some questions.

At the entrance to the building:

Does it use more of my energy, to go through a heavy revolving door, or to pull open 2 heavy entrance doors (one after another)?

If someone has gone through the door ahead of me, and the door is closing slowly, does it use more of my energy, to pull that same door open again, or to pull open (for myself) the closed door that is next to it?  (I am pulling against the closing inertia, or pulling from zero.)

At the building elevator:

The elevator is run by a motor.  The motor coils or uncoils a cable, which makes the elevator go up or down.  The motor goes at the same speed, all the time.

Does it take more power, to lift more people, than if the car is empty?  Since the elevator motor still has to run to lower the car, again, does it take less power to lower a full elevator?

If the answer is no, because the motor just runs, no matter how much weight is in the car, shouldn’t we all be bringing some extra weight up with us?  This weight would then become Potential energy, which we could release somewhere, and create motion, which becomes Kinetic energy.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

Potential energy can be thought of as energy stored within a physical system. It is called potential energy because it has the potential to be converted into other forms of energy, such as kinetic energy, and to do work in the process. The standard (SI) unit of measure for potential energy is the joule, the same as for work or energy in general.

Potential energy is energy that is stored within a system. It exists when there is a force that tends to pull an object back towards some original position when the object is displaced. This force is often called a restoring force. …. when a weight is lifted up, the force of gravity will try to bring it back down to its original position. The initial steps of … lifting the weight both require energy to perform. According to the principle of conservation of energy, energy cannot be created or destroyed; hence this energy cannot disappear. Instead, it is stored as potential energy. If … the weight is dropped, this stored energy will be converted into kinetic energy by the restoring force — … gravity in the case of the weight.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potential_energy

Or, are we losing energy through the elevator motor, in BOTH directions?  Seems like somebody should do something about that.  I’d say we’re throwing away a great deal of potential energy.

Anyway, back to doors.

If I go through a door, and someone is following a few steps behind me, it is normal for me to hold the door a few extra seconds for them, so they don’t have to open it.  Everyone does this.  As I said, it’s normal.

Do I need to be thanked for this?  Think about it.

If I didn’t hold the door, I would be a jerk.  So you are thanking me, for not being a jerk.  I don’t need that.

Of course, if I go out of my way, and open the door, but let you go through FIRST, or, hold the door open for you, for more than a few seconds, then I think it is reasonable to expect a small thank you.

If you have a burden, or are pushing a cart, no thanks are needed.  I’ll take a few extra seconds, and go out of my way, to help you. I would expect you to do the same for me.  If I didn’t, again, I would be a jerk.  A standard greeting is sufficient.

Good day.  And, thank you.  For not being a jerk.

Smoker Rant

I despise Smokers.  That is, people who smoke cigarettes.  Now, mind you, I have some family members who smoke, whom I love, but I still hate that they smoke.  Other than them, most smokers, I despise.

Why?  Because they are stupid.  And obnoxious, and stink. Wasteful. Worst of all, they are ALL inconsiderate.  I have yet to meet one, who is not inconsiderate.

Let’s start from the beginning.  A smoker creates a demand for tobacco.  So, our farmers grow tobacco.  Growing tobacco is bad for soil.  You must use a lot of pesticides, and fertilizers, which are bad for soil, and gets into the water supply.  Wouldn’t if be better if those farmers could grow food, so the world would have more food, or corn, so we would have more gasahol, or whatever we need to grow more of?  By the way, you cannot use “natural” fertilizers, like manure, because it negatively affects the taste of the tobacco.

Making and selling cigarettes is a lucrative business.  Our Government likes to tax them, and organized crime likes to undercut the taxes, and smuggle them. Stolen cigarettes are very easy to move and sell on the black market. Taxes and crime.  Hmmmm.

So, the corner store sells cigarettes.  While they are at it, they also sell lottery tickets, and porn magazines to the same customers.  Stupid customers, who are spending   money they should be spending on something else.  Like, food, rent, and diapers, for instance.  And perhaps some night classes, so they can get a better job.

Now the stupid smoker has bought his cigarettes, and smokes them.  Obviously, he’s harming himself.  Not enough to die quickly, mind you, but they hang on for years, making everyone around them depressed, until they finally die in a pothole of misery. He’s stinking up the air, even when he’s outside.  I’m highly allergic to cigarette smoke, so even mild whiffs make me sick.  When they come back in from their smoke breaks, (which I don’t get, mind you) they stink up the elevator.  Their breath stinks.  Their clothes stink.  Their teeth are yellow.  Smoking makes attractive people ugly, which is bad for the gene pool.  Their voices, raspy, with that hacking nasty cough. The second hand smoke hurts KIDS for God’s sake!  The MOST stupid smokers will even smoke while pregnant!  Talk about a need for retroactive abortions!

But, the worst thing they do, is throw away their cigarette butts on the ground.  Or, toss them out their cars.  Even the most intelligent smokers, who will use the ashtray in their cars, still dump out the ashtray in the parking lot at the grocery store.

In-Con-Siderate!  Cigarette butts are NOT bio-degradable!  They are NOT made of cotton and paper.  They are made of PLASTIC.  They NEVER go away.  The disgusting, saliva covered things are here for the duration of our lives.  They contain a multitude of toxins, which then go straight into our water supplies.

Oh, and tossing your butt out the window, while you are driving?  Starts brushfires.

And the ashes you flick around?  Where do you think dust comes from?  Even the smokers, who come to my house, and are nice enough to go outside for a smoke, still crush their butts and leave them in the street.  I’ve never seen an “outside” smoker throw a crushed butt in the trash.

I have to tell you, I can’t understand how stupid some people can be.  Would you hire a person who smoked?  Why? They are so obviously stupid!  They may be skilled, and they may be intelligent, but that doesn’t make them any less stupid.  Nurses, smoking outside the ER.  People, who, after a lifetime of smoking, have emphasema, and are on bottled oxygen, but still smoke.  Then they blow themselves up, and burn down their house.

Hotels, have to set aside rooms for smokers.  If a hotel is close to full, they ask if you will take an available  “smoking allowed” room.  What are you going to say, “No thanks, I’ll sleep in my car.”?  Now, your trapped for the night with that STENCH.

If you are reading this, and you are a smoker, you deserve to have all the rights that anyone else has. But I’m tellin’ ya, you stink, and plenty of people think you are stupid.

The opinions expressed in this blog, are extreme, and sarcastic, and are subject to change, without notice or logic.   If I have offended you, then you get offended too easily, and should probably try to figure out a way to offend me.  Because your smoking sure does!

The Story behind my Tagline.

   A long time ago, when I was just a wee lad, before we moved to the house I grew up in, my parents lived in a house.  Across the street, lived an older woman, who happened to be rather prim, but also more than a bit nosey and opinionated.  Next to our house, my father had a small vegetable garden, as he has had wherever we have lived.

   One day, my father was working in his garden, with his back to the street, and he noticed that Mrs. Nosey was on her way over from across the street, presumably with some sort of advise for him.  Well, he really didn't want to talk to her, but at the same time, he couldn't just ignore here either, she being a neighbor and all.

   Just as she got to within conversational range of him, my dad let out a tremendous toot.

   Of course, Mrs. Nosey was now stymied.  She could not now get my father's attention, without causing an embarrassment.  What else could she do, except turn right around, and go back home.  Which is what she did.  Which is exactly what my father wanted.

   After finishing his work in the garden, my father went inside, and, chuckling, told my mother what had happened.  Of course, my mother was flabbergasted, and told my father he should be ashamed of what he had done.

   My father's response?  "Honey, it's a sad day when a man can't fart in his own garden."

   And I agree.