Not Wholly Unlike a Blog

World Community Grid

I am a huge fan of free energy. Yes, I know, I took physics. I even mostly know the Laws of Thermodynamics. Well, I mean, I can read them and understand them but can't actually recall which is which. So no, energy is neither created nor destroyed. But that's actually the point! All energy is preserved so the trick becomes how can you cheaply transform that energy back into something useful. I do have a few favorite examples of this reclamation in action.

Regenerative Brakes - Stopping a car usually transforms the forward motion of the car, or specifically the kinetic energy, into heat and unsightly brake dust. Hook up a generator to the wheels, engage the load and now some portion of that energy becomes electricity that can charge a battery. Heat becomes usable electrons.

Spring Generators - These are popping up in several manifestation. Some are put in mats in train stations. People walking across the mat cause the spring to compress and expand. A small inductor generates a current. Another application is placing a taut band across an overpass. The wind from passing vehicles causes the band to vibrate and operate the spring.

World Community Grid - All of us have tremendous amount of time that our computers are on but we're not. During those moments our computers are sitting by idly drawing power. Oh sure, they are getting our email, keeping our Twitter feed current and making sure your Facebook page is fresh next time you sit down. But that hardly stresses the power of our modern computers.

The World Community Grid uses your excess computing bandwidth to work on social problems. You can choose between fighting disease, increasing rice production, or searching for clean energy. There really isn't an easier way for you to support meaningful social problems or a cheaper one. So, I encourage you to sign up today. And if you feel so inclined, I have created a team, Spin Cycle, that you can feel free to join.

donation, society, contributions

26 Years, How Cars Have Changed...

In 1983 my wife and I bought a brand new Saab 900 Turbo. It cost us just a bit under $19,000. It had cloth seats, a factory stereo, power windows, A/C, and a sunroof. My modern standards the car was pretty austere but by 1983 standards it was in the upper end of the spectrum for a European entry level sedan. What set the Saab apart though was the flexibility of the hatchback and the ability to drop the rear seats turning the car into a pretty impressive cargo hauler for 2 people.

Performance was quite blistering by 1983 standards with a 0-60 time of 9.1 seconds. The 2.0 liter 4-cylinder produced an impressive 130HP thanks to an innovative knock sensor integrated with the ECU that would reduce boost to save the engine. Of course around year 3 the car began to slowly explode. Every 6 months some mysterious malady would extract $500 from our checking account. After 2 years of this we gave up on the Saab and moved on.

This weekend we purchased a Honda Fit. We paid just a bit under $19,000. It is similarly equipped to the Saab of 1983 except we didn't get a sunroof. But we did get a navigation system including an iPod interface. The car has benefited from 26 years of ergonomic design with the interior being far more practical. The seats fold into a dozen different configurations making this car of small stature a veritable giant for hauling people and things.

Performance comparisons are the most interesting. The Fit is considered adequate by today's standards. Not thrilling, but sufficient for most needs. As a reminder, the Saab was considered one of the hotter sedans in 1983. The Fit does 0-60mph in 8.3 seconds or a full 8/10ths faster than the Saab. Our collective mindset has shifted gradually as cars have gotten faster. My wife commented as I pulled onto the freeway with the Fit yesterday, "Remember, you aren't driving a sports car." When I pointed out that the Fit is FASTER than our first car that we considered fast, she laughed.

The Fit is a far more efficient car than the Saab. The 1.5L engine produces an impressive 117HP without the need for a turbo charger. This works out to 78HP/L vs. the Saab's 65HP/L. This equates to 20% more power per liter which is even more impressive when comparing a normally aspirated engine to a turbo. The biggest benefit of a turbo is that it raises the power of the engine through higher efficiency. The Fit has so far managed an equally impressive 28MPG in our first weekend of urban assault driving. The Saab could barely muster 30MPG on the highway.

This gap does cause me to wonder though if we've all become a bit too desensitized to power and performance. Yes, I am a performance junky. I love to go fast and I love a car that handles. But does everything we own have to hit 60MPH in under 6 seconds to be considered fast? Twenty years ago we thought getting there in under 10 seconds was quite a thrill. From the Motor Trend review, "The 1.5L four-cylinder, breathing via VTEC, spins to its 6600-rpm power peak (117 hp) like a puppy on the loose, urging the Fit from 0 to 60 mph in 8.3 sec. Sports-car thrust it isn't, but the Fit is so happy at its work you almost don't care." As much as I love the rush of blinding acceleration, I also readily admit that it's not a necessity. I'm not willing to put up with the leisurely pace of 15-20 seconds that wasn't uncommon in cars of the 1980's but I think I am willing to settle on something in the 8 second range to maintain better fuel economy.

When we bought our Nissan Quest to replace our Pontiac Transport, we picked up about 30HP. Unfortunately we lost about 6MPG across the board. We were disappointed by this because neither my wife or I could remember a single occasion where we felt the Pontiac had insufficient power to get the job done. We were never frustrated getting onto the highway, passing, or climbing hills. The Pontiac had enough grunt to scoot into traffic openings. Given the choice between more power or keeping the fuel economy of the Pontiac, we would have taken the latter in a second.

I think car companies should continue to build sports cars that improve in performance year over year. I think car companies should continue to improve the quality of handling and ride across their entire product line. I believe they should figure out how to squeeze more HP/L out of their engines while not compromising reliability. But in their economy and family vehicles, they should use this efficiency to increase mileage, not add performance. Our family taxi's and economy boxes have gotten fast enough. What we need now is a steady rise in economy, not a decrease in track times.

automobile, automotive, car, cars

Hydrogen Fantasies.

Hydrogen cars, the technology that will save our planet. Last month there was outrage when the EPA canceled funding of research into funding hydrogen cars although they did maintain funding for hydrogen power generation. Do they know something that so many politicians, oil executives, and members of the press don't? Well, I can't pretend to know what others know or don't know but I can look at the facts that most likely lead up to the EPA decision.

Fact: Hydrogen Cars Have Short Ranges

The primary complaint against electric cars is that they have limited ranges. Most designs are settling in around 150 miles with current battery technology. While this is more than enough for 90% of daily use, opponents point out that it is not sufficient. Curiously little is made of hydrogen car range though. The current models fall into about the same range before needing to be refueled. And unlike electric cars where a "fueling station" is readily available, hydrogen stations are extremely rare. The hydrogen proponents prefer that this fact not be made widely known.

Fact: Refueling Is Slow

Jay Leno advised hydrogen car owners to bring a book to the refueling station. Average fueling time is 40 minutes. Many people get impatient if they have to wait 5 minutes for a pump to come free. Let's imagine the lines that will develop while we wait for 40 minutes for a fill up. Personally if I have to choose between leaving my car plugged in for 4 hours while I'm at work or home or sitting at a fueling station for 40 minutes, I'll opt for the former.

Fact: Hydrogen Production is Still Developing

The current hydrogen production process involves splitting it from natural gas. Curiously this process produces CO2 that amounts to at least 1/2 the volume that would be produced by a gas driven car traveling the same distance. The ratio of CO2 is under debate but regardless, the proposition that hydrogen cars are pollution free is not accurate. There are other processes for producing hydrogen that will reduce the CO2 production considerably. But in the short term hydrogen is not pollution free.

Reality

The EPA is on the right track. Hydrogen does hold promise as a replacement fuel for turbine generators. The most appealing aspect of this application is that it does not require the development of a massive infrastructure of fueling stations. This approach would reduce the CO2 production for generating electricity and allow electric cars to be truly pollution free. This will make electric cars viable choices for urban transportation. Neither electric or hydrogen cars will ever be long range vehicles. In that role gas and even more so diesel cars will dominate.

automobile, automotive, car, cars

Does Chrysler Survive?

The deal was signed today making it official. Chrysler now has its 3rd owner in 12 years. Daimler-Benz gave up on them in 2007 after 10 years. Cerberus threw in the towel 2 years later and now Fiat will give them a go. It does bring into question how much of what we have known as Chrysler will survive. The biggest challenge in front of them is they don't have cars that people want. Somewhere in the boom of the past decade they got the bright idea that they should be the muscle car and big truck company. That combined with holding the bottom rungs of the quality ladder makes it obvious how they wound up where they are.

They missed the mark on virtually every segment. The Viper was the flagship sports car, intended to compete with the Corvette but while the Corvette is a world class sports car with refined driving characteristics, the Viper is a sledge hammer that even Road & Track said they could only recommend for professional drivers. Make a mistake in the Corvette and it compensates with it's sophisticated technology. Make a mistake with the Viper and it drives you to your death like a sledge hammer wielded by a crazed serial killer.

Their trucks provided unparalleled interior space and features. Unfortunately they also trailed both Ford and GM on the critical capabilities of hauling loads and trailers. Even worse, they lagged even further behind on quality. The lions share of trucks are bought by people that use them for their jobs. When their truck isn't working, they aren't working. Ford and GM trucks lead their companies in product quality. They pay extra attention to quality in these vehicles because you burn the work truck buyer and you are no longer in the truck business.

Chrysler brought the world the first practical minivan. I refuse to give them credit for inventing the minivan as I believe the VW bus did that. And there were small family vans in the early 1960's from all of the Big 3 that were roughly the same size as what we call a minivan today. But I digress. Chrysler brought the minivan back to the American public. And the current product offering is actually very competitive. If it weren't for being rated 32 out of 34 in quality, they might actually be able to convince people buying Honda's to look at them again.

Chrysler jumped into the retro styling with the Charger and even more so with the Challenger. These models are going head to head with the Mustang and Camaro, much like they did in the late 1960's and early 1970's. Unfortunately, those cars of the past were much more competitively matched than the current line up. While GM and Ford went for retro styling with modern performance and handling, Chrysler went for retro everything. Just because I want a car that looks like a 1960's muscle car doesn't mean I want one that corners and brakes like one as well.

Which brings us to what will Fiat do with Chrysler. Fiat obviously would like to re-enter the US market. Having access to Chrysler's dealer network will enable Fiat to quickly roll out the models they want to bring to our shores. They will obviously make further cuts in the Chrysler product line and replace the dealer floor space with current Fiat models. The only model they have committed to so far is the 500, which is ironically about 1/3rd the size of the current Chrysler 300. That will be an interesting bit of salesmanship for the dealers to manage. "If the 500 is too small, step up to the larger 300".

What would I do if I were Fiat? I guess if a phone salesman can run GM, I can paint a plan for Chrysler.

• Reduce the large truck line to fewer options. Focus primarily on the fleet market. Consumers are backing away from pick-ups and Dodge has fallen behind Toyota, making it the #4 consumer truck brand in the US. Fleet sales provide a high margin sales channel with minimal dealer involvement. Regain ground in the fleet market and consumer truck sales will rebound.
• Consolidate the sedan offerings to only one brand. Producing multiple versions of the same model is fracturing the sales.
• Drop the almost Jeep Compass which has received mix reviews. Consolidate the SUV offerings under the Jeep brand, killing off the Dodge Caliber and Durango. Jeep carries a cache that Dodge never acquired. Watering down the Jeep brand with micro SUV's lacking true off road capabilities is pointless.
• Make fixing the quality on the minivans a top priority. Offer a 3 year, everything but gas coverage to prove to customers that you mean it. Create a strong incentive to win back the soccer families from Honda.
• Bring in the Fiat 500 and the Bravo rapidly. Fiat should have at least 4 models in the US by 2012 to replace the Compass/Caliber and Sebring. This will not only give Chrysler some much needed efficient models but attract the attention of those interested in something different.
• Buy back the US government shares quickly. This will create confidence in the company and take away some of the bitter taste that many feel over being forced to invest in the first place.

Ultimately I think this is the beginning of the end for the Chrysler brands. Jeep has a certain clout in the US. Chrysler though is now known as the brand that has failed twice. The brand that can't keep their act together and needs public money to stay afloat. Fiat will hopefully be able to make this work but there is a large debt that extends beyond the money. It's not clear any company will be able to resolve that debt so we may be witnessing the final few years of the Chrysler and Dodge brands.

automobile, automotive, car, cars, economy, markets

What GM Really Lost

Somewhere about hour 4 I started to take stock of the Chevrolet Impala that had been my transport from Chicago. This was a nice enough car. Quiet, comfortable, with more than enough appointments to make its inhabitants comfortable. Power was more than sufficient although it did seem a bit thirsty for the size of car we're talking about. Yet, I wasn't finding this car captivating. Nothing about it sold me. Nothing repulsed me. It just wasn't going to work out though. The Impala and I would never have any kind of meaningful bond. Of course the deal was sealed when I turned off mind numbing straight interstate that cuts across Indiana and Ohio and began to navigate the two lane roads. Chevrolet forgot that cars need to turn and brake. Another vague and soft suspension from GM. The car handled as if the entire suspension was made from a recycled Barcalounger culled from a warehouse of left over 1950's office furniture. Alas, my disappointment was complete as GM had done it again. They had built 3/4ths of a decent car but for whatever reason decided the last 1/4th wasn't needed or worth the effort.

There's no secret that I am a car guy. My taste is pretty broad. I am not biased towards one end of the spectrum or the other. I mean I switch between a GMC diesel pick up and a Lotus Esprit and find both have their appeal. Which is really the point. The cars I like have something in common. They all have a personality, a soul, and they all excel at something important to me. It should be obvious what attracts me to the Lotus but I'll admit the GMC is a bit more of a mystery. What the truck does is haul a family of 4 in incredible comfort, through virtually any weather, and can do it with our camper in tow without ever giving a hint of insecurity. The family loves the truck, largely because what it allows us to do. It is solid work horse that gets us and our stuff, no matter how much we want to drag along, to where we want to go.

Both of the cars and for that matter every car I've owned as daily drivers have an intrinsic quality that can best be described as soul. They bring you back to the driver's seat not out of necessity but out of desire. So much press has been given to quality and product mix and company management, but what is being missed is GM stopped building cars with that intangible element. Yes their product mix was wrong. They built far too few cars that gave you a reason to want to drive them. They built far too cars that served a purpose and served it well. There were exceptions of course. The Corvette is an icon and the Cadillac CTS rivals European sedans on every metric. Yet the same company that builds a sedan that holds one of the fastest lap times on the Nuremberg can also build the Impala, a car that makes taking an on ramp at the posted speed a white knuckled experience.

Far too much has been made of GM's quality challenges. Mercedes, BMW, Audi, and Volkswagen all have a loyal following and are surviving these economic times. Yet despite the perception of incredible quality, these makes in fact have some pretty disappointing repair records. But because they build cars that people want to drive, cars with appeal, and yes, soul, their owners forgive quality transgressions. Somewhere GM forgot to include the true car people in the design process. They stopped building cars for the enthusiast and started building them from market surveys.

What GM really lost was their soul as an automotive designer. And unfortunately there appears to be little in the current path that will help them get it back.

car, automobile, automotive, cars

The Ultimate Tool

Sometimes in life you stumble upon something that just seems implausibly good. This is the case with a tool that I bought a couple years ago and find myself using over and over again when doing home remodeling chores. It's called a glazier knife and is made by Warner. It's hard to describe it without a picture:

I bought this when I needed to scrape some paint but I've found it to be the most versatile tool I have in my toolbox. It will scrape paint, plaster, glue, and just about anything else that your hands can stand to attack with it. The little point on the end is useful for opening paint cans and also for popping staples out. The knife has enough weight to also hammer paint cans closed and the steel end cap means it will take that punishment happily.

If that wasn't enough, the blade is strong enough to be used as a pry bar for situations when normal pry bars are too thick to get into the available space. I've also used it for cutting through soft wood similar to a chisel when I wasn't particularly concerned about the edge, just needed the offending piece of wood out of the way.

What's even more amazing is this handy little beast can be had for about $7 at any hardware store. In fact, I now have 2 so more than one person can have fun with it at a time. I love it when something so simple can possess such utility. If you don't own one,  you should pick one up the next time you visit your neighborhood home improvement store.

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Why Isn't ADD Normal?

I was watching the NBC interview with Michael Phelps and his mother last night and was struck by a comment. Michael was diagnosed ADHD in grade school. His mother said that he fell in love with swimming and had little trouble focusing his energy on it. Uh, yeah. Speaking from personal experience, I can focus incredible energy on things I that interest me while I can barely give something that I don't find interesting 30 seconds of attention. I know several people that are the same and history is full of people that have accomplished amazing things, yet would be diagnosed with ADHD in our modern society.

My question is why don't we consider those that can sit through mind numbing activities and be okay with it as the ones needing treatment? How come being willing to have someone drone on at you on some mindless topic and find the willpower to remain focused is normal, while taking a pass and finding something you can be passionate about is considered a liability? Who do you want to spend your time with? A person who fills their life with things that excite them or somebody that plods through anything tossed to them as a requirement of conformity?

I know my answer.

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Shake the Hand of the Mango Man

I was painting my daughter's bedroom this morning and decided to pass the time by listening to my Buffett collection, Jimmy, not Warren. I regularly find myself returning to Jimmy. Something about the simple yet powerful lyrics that gives the day a bit of meaning. If you have never listened to Jimmy or are only familiar with the few songs that have reached the mainstream, then you should take 30 minutes and venture into some of his lyrics. He is such an amazing storyteller, delivering songs that are at once entertaining and reflective of the world upon which we live. His storytelling ability is further validated by the books he's written. There are only 7 authors to ever make #1 on the New York TImes Best Seller with both a fiction and a non-fiction book. Jimmy is keeping company with the likes of Hemmingway and Steinbeck as an author. And for me, one of the top lyrists to lay down a song.

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The Momentum of Change

Change is constant or so the say. And I suppose it is but it also seems to come in waves for me. It is a cycle of moving on to something new, settling into the rhythm of the new pattern, and then experiencing that doubt. Is this path where I want to be? Can I keep moving along this path and be content? The struggle becomes one between fear of change and being content with where you are in life. Eventually for me, the need to move on overwhelms the fear of the unknown and I take the step.

There is the danger zone just past those first steps though. Now you're out in the new place and it is strange, uncomfortable, and sometimes more scary than what you thought. But that becomes the defining moment. If you scamper back to the "safety" of the known, you close the door a bit more each time on becoming something more. On forging into the new opportunities of your life. That window of time when you first venture out becomes the most critical time for defining who you will be forever. Somebody that is willing to grow and reach, or somebody who is afraid to leave the safety of their present state.

I'll just leave it to Helen Keller to say it best:

Security is mostly superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing. To keep our faces toward change and behave like free spirits in the presence of fate is strength undefeatable.

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Ask TomTom

As it came time to upgrade my old Garmin 2620, it occurred to me that I was dealing with a 4 year old navigation system. Now the GPS basics haven't changed but 4 years in the world of portable GPS is only a bit shorter technology gap than 4 years in the cell phone world. So I decided it was time to take the plunge and get a new nav system.

After wading through the CNet reviews, it seemed like the TomTom 930 was well liked. The feature I found most intriguing was the historical traffic data used in route planning. Many offer real time traffic and the 930 does as well, but I'm not sure I really want to pay for a service just yet. But the idea that routes would get planned using known patterns seemed like the next best option.

The 930 is considerably more compact than the Garmin it replaces. And without a hard drive, considerably lighter as well. I was pleasantly surprised at how easily it worked with the Mac as well, something that the Garmin was never particularly good at. Plug the USB base into the Mac, launch TomTom Home and all of the upgrades are automatically suggested. Even the map upgrade went smoothly. Included in the updates are two other cool features.

Map Corrections are updates contributed by TomTom users and TomTom itself to fix your current map. Rather than waiting annually for a large update, TomTom delivers minor fixes almost daily. In addition, the QuickFix satellite positioning data helps the unit know where the satellites will be for the next 7 days. That reduces start up time dramatically. Over the course of a week, the average time it takes the unit to lock on the GPS is about 15 seconds.

The ability to customize your point of interest database is another feature I've found quite useful. Both companies and individuals provide POI databases that can be added to your unit. I couldn't be happier about having the location of every 7-11 in the US. When the Big Gulp urge arises, you have to know where they are.

I paid for the John Cleese voice, and it is fun at first to have Cleese giving you directions with the occasional comment tossed in. Unfortunately there doesn't appear to be any way for the unit to have multiple sound tracks active for the same action and pick one randomly. So after a bit, it gets as mundane as the stock voices.

I also bought the fuel price add-on. I have mixed reactions to this as well. On the plus side, it does provide you with the location of gas stations nearby. And in my case, I wanted diesel so knowing where those stations are is a big plus. The prices seem to mostly match although I have had one instance where the price I paid was actually 20 cents/gal more than the fresh update claimed. But at $12/year and on average I've saved about $2 per fill up, it won't take long to break even.

Overall, I like this unit a lot. I've driven about 500 miles with it now on both a long trip and in around town activities. I don't think you can go wrong with it if you need a full featured navigation system.

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Tags: gps, navigation, tomtom