Saturday, October 25, 2008
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
the next generation better walk a little straighter
around that peak oil time (2005-2007), our society was built primarily to suck up as much oil as possible. this naturally lead to "advances" in technology for fuel-consuming applications that were substantially less efficient than the "obsolete" older models. most evident in the personal vehicles market, this tendency had started to play out in the realm of appliances and other durable goods, and in some cases i believe the industry might be caught with it's pants down.
case in point is the Tankless Water Heater. since it's introduction to the US market this replacement for the traditional tank-style water heater has been heralded as the future of domestic water heating. it's conveniently small, wall-mountable casing was considered an aesthetic advantage in the crowded mechanical rooms of businesses and homes. but the eco-friendly and penny-saving aspects of this delivery system were based largely on faulty science, or a lack of understanding of the variables of water heating. in my opinion, this design might be the Hummer of home appliances, due to it's high cost and gas-guzzling appetite.
the tankless heater purported to save energy because it only heated water at the moment of use. since there was no tank requiring constant heat to maintain desired water temperature, operating costs for infrequent use go down. what's not mentioned is that in order to instantaneously heat incoming cold water to the desired 120 F, an exceptionally large shotgun-blast of gas-powered is required, and for normal household rates of use gas bills are substantially higher. in short, as a device to reduce energy demand, this technology only works for vacation homes and other infrequently occupied areas as a cost-saving measure.
and how many people are going to have a primary home, not to mention a "summer home?"
case in point is the Tankless Water Heater. since it's introduction to the US market this replacement for the traditional tank-style water heater has been heralded as the future of domestic water heating. it's conveniently small, wall-mountable casing was considered an aesthetic advantage in the crowded mechanical rooms of businesses and homes. but the eco-friendly and penny-saving aspects of this delivery system were based largely on faulty science, or a lack of understanding of the variables of water heating. in my opinion, this design might be the Hummer of home appliances, due to it's high cost and gas-guzzling appetite.
the tankless heater purported to save energy because it only heated water at the moment of use. since there was no tank requiring constant heat to maintain desired water temperature, operating costs for infrequent use go down. what's not mentioned is that in order to instantaneously heat incoming cold water to the desired 120 F, an exceptionally large shotgun-blast of gas-powered is required, and for normal household rates of use gas bills are substantially higher. in short, as a device to reduce energy demand, this technology only works for vacation homes and other infrequently occupied areas as a cost-saving measure.
and how many people are going to have a primary home, not to mention a "summer home?"
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Wal-Mart what the fuck moment
right now, at the end of the cheap oil era, we are watching the commercial glass enclusure of land-usury capitalism fracture and crack apart, revealing the Real world we've been trying to ignore. here is an example of the strangeness i won't miss:
there is a radio ad making the rounds today, hawking the recent chinese manufacturing brought to you by the fabulous folks over at the People's Republic. apparently Robitussin is on sale, specifically the "drowsy" kind. "drowsy" is the corporate code word for dextromethorphan, one of those insane poisons that we lovingly add to our "medicine." what's curious about all this is that the advertisement calls the product "Robitussin DXM." DXM is actually a slang version of this drug's name; the bottle itself is labeled "Robitussin DM." also curious is that only the DXM version is mentioned, even though Robitussin is produced in non-DM varieties. could it be that Wal-Mart is subtly complicit in peddling dangerous hallucinogens to thrill-seeking kids?
oky, i don't believe that, but this instance is illustrative of the snake-oil peddling mentality that has consumed our pharmaceutical industry.
there is a radio ad making the rounds today, hawking the recent chinese manufacturing brought to you by the fabulous folks over at the People's Republic. apparently Robitussin is on sale, specifically the "drowsy" kind. "drowsy" is the corporate code word for dextromethorphan, one of those insane poisons that we lovingly add to our "medicine." what's curious about all this is that the advertisement calls the product "Robitussin DXM." DXM is actually a slang version of this drug's name; the bottle itself is labeled "Robitussin DM." also curious is that only the DXM version is mentioned, even though Robitussin is produced in non-DM varieties. could it be that Wal-Mart is subtly complicit in peddling dangerous hallucinogens to thrill-seeking kids?
oky, i don't believe that, but this instance is illustrative of the snake-oil peddling mentality that has consumed our pharmaceutical industry.
pennies from heaven
i suppose i've neglected this space recently. don't blame me, i've been busy preparing for marriage. shannon and i will be married on october 31 at noon, and already the world has changed, to a degree that is so drastic that many aspects of our daily lives seem trivial. so i'm commandeering the music portion of this site and using it to hopefully connect with a few understanding people. maybe, with whatever time we have, we will find some way to stay safe through this difficult time.
prospects are dim for the american working man, especially in his capacity to provide for his family on what have lapsed into depressed wages. but the new challenge for an adult is to find a way to assimilate his recently acquired skills, gained through whatever form of innoculation (university, unions), and retool this knowledge the dismantling of american capitalism.
if we're smart, and history proves we're not, we'll use the dimming of the american bulb as a sort of "quiet time" to gather the lost knowledge we will need to survive in a world without fuels. mechanics, construction workers, engineers, etc may even experience a temporary construction boom, as shopping malls are turned into schools, subdivisions into urban rowhomes, schools into hospitals, and whatever other retooling is necessary to accomodate the swelling mass of "economic refugees" we will encounter in this century.
futurists of the past have always come up with zany ideas of what the next three decades will hold technologically, from the Jetson's flying-saucer utopia to images of firemen flying on batwings to deliver hosewater to burning skyscrapers. as recently as last year, one could be forgiven for believing the future holds such marvels as quantum computing, or genetic therapies. in light of recent events, the voice of the capitalist seer is conspicuously absent. the average american seems to believe that the day-to-day shift of rather arbitrary number games as the DOW to be the best barometer for the entirety of our economy, and still has a tendency to think the economy is "stable" today if the index went up that day. a landfill's worth of lies festers deep under some of the basic elements of american lifestyle, and now the future looks as though we may have to live without our precious gadgets, and grow the fuck up.
i think any forward-thinking american should start to really ponder his/her personal energy diet, and figure out how he/she will find the resources required for a life without fuel. our journey into the tomorrowless era has only begun.
prospects are dim for the american working man, especially in his capacity to provide for his family on what have lapsed into depressed wages. but the new challenge for an adult is to find a way to assimilate his recently acquired skills, gained through whatever form of innoculation (university, unions), and retool this knowledge the dismantling of american capitalism.
if we're smart, and history proves we're not, we'll use the dimming of the american bulb as a sort of "quiet time" to gather the lost knowledge we will need to survive in a world without fuels. mechanics, construction workers, engineers, etc may even experience a temporary construction boom, as shopping malls are turned into schools, subdivisions into urban rowhomes, schools into hospitals, and whatever other retooling is necessary to accomodate the swelling mass of "economic refugees" we will encounter in this century.
futurists of the past have always come up with zany ideas of what the next three decades will hold technologically, from the Jetson's flying-saucer utopia to images of firemen flying on batwings to deliver hosewater to burning skyscrapers. as recently as last year, one could be forgiven for believing the future holds such marvels as quantum computing, or genetic therapies. in light of recent events, the voice of the capitalist seer is conspicuously absent. the average american seems to believe that the day-to-day shift of rather arbitrary number games as the DOW to be the best barometer for the entirety of our economy, and still has a tendency to think the economy is "stable" today if the index went up that day. a landfill's worth of lies festers deep under some of the basic elements of american lifestyle, and now the future looks as though we may have to live without our precious gadgets, and grow the fuck up.
i think any forward-thinking american should start to really ponder his/her personal energy diet, and figure out how he/she will find the resources required for a life without fuel. our journey into the tomorrowless era has only begun.
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