razzmatazz
Sep 12, 07:25 AM
Man I'm going to be at school while this is all going on. Hmm...time to play sick :rolleyes: :D
Dr.Gargoyle
Aug 1, 09:22 AM
I don't get it....
We in scandinavia have put up with MS for years up without raising a voice against MS's strive towards total monopoly. Now when there a new player has entered in a less profitable market and doing well...BAM!
I just don't get it
It makes one wonder if our honourable legislators have MS stocks
We in scandinavia have put up with MS for years up without raising a voice against MS's strive towards total monopoly. Now when there a new player has entered in a less profitable market and doing well...BAM!
I just don't get it
It makes one wonder if our honourable legislators have MS stocks
luismagda94
Aug 8, 01:00 AM
Just checked Dell's 30" and apart from the built-in card reader (woohoo) and a USB Upstream port and a slightly faster response time 11 ms vs. 14 ms, the two are nearly identical. Apple's has two firewire ports and looks a lot cleaner and more elegant and is $200 cheaper.
Now if Dell drops their price by $500, then the $300 price difference might make the Dell version tempting again.
Nah, I like beauty, even if it costs a little extra.
Now if Dell drops their price by $500, then the $300 price difference might make the Dell version tempting again.
Nah, I like beauty, even if it costs a little extra.
SeaFox
Oct 29, 01:14 AM
What it IS like is me, a record label, spending money on making music, then letting people listen to it for free on the radio. How dumb would that be? :rolleyes:
No, that's not a valid comparison, either. Because...
I Miss You Love
VA - Missing You - An Album Of
i love and miss you quotes. to
missing you love.
Miss You Comments
Miss You Love Letters. miss
missing you quotes and
missing you love.
miss you love quotes. miss you
missing you love.
miss you love quotes. missing
missing you love. missing you
i miss you love poems. missing
missing you love.
love, miss you, missing
No, that's not a valid comparison, either. Because...
nightcap965
Jul 22, 07:58 AM
What I want to know is, has Steve Jobs stopped beating his wife yet? :)
There's a reason the print press used to call mid-summer the Silly Season. People are on holiday. Washington, Ottawa, and the European capitols are deserted. Nothing much is going on, so the news has to be invented.
I would take this story seriously if I, or my wife, or my friends and work-mates experienced problems using our iPhone 4s. My iPhone is my exclusive phone for both home and work - if there were a problem with making or holding telephone calls, I'd be seriously affected. The only difference I've seen is that the calls are clearer and I'm now able to make and receive calls in places where I used to get no signal.
I'm just a little tired of hearing from people with no qualifications in engineering or public relations telling me what Apple did wrong and why Steve Jobs should commit ritual seppuku in disgrace.
But what do I know? I'm just a poor deluded fanboi lighting my apple-scented votive candles. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to make a call.
There's a reason the print press used to call mid-summer the Silly Season. People are on holiday. Washington, Ottawa, and the European capitols are deserted. Nothing much is going on, so the news has to be invented.
I would take this story seriously if I, or my wife, or my friends and work-mates experienced problems using our iPhone 4s. My iPhone is my exclusive phone for both home and work - if there were a problem with making or holding telephone calls, I'd be seriously affected. The only difference I've seen is that the calls are clearer and I'm now able to make and receive calls in places where I used to get no signal.
I'm just a little tired of hearing from people with no qualifications in engineering or public relations telling me what Apple did wrong and why Steve Jobs should commit ritual seppuku in disgrace.
But what do I know? I'm just a poor deluded fanboi lighting my apple-scented votive candles. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to make a call.
leekohler
Apr 17, 02:07 AM
Staying in. It's pouring with 40-50 mph winds. I gots me some sodomy last night though. ;)
Hope you get some too!
I love that video. Cracks me up every time I see it.
Oh, I've been a fan of Randall's Animals for I while. :) The vampire bat and American bullfrog ones are great too.
Because the promotion of homosexuality is detrimental to a society and the people who promote it know this. For example, the mere announcement of a gay history curriculum causes conflicts such as the one in this thread and especially moreso in the real world. Instead of fighting about such stupid things as this, our school system should be heavily decentralized so that you can decide whether or not your child learns about homosexual history by simply selecting a non-political, non-psychologically damaging school in your area and everything would be fine and kept separate, but no, the people who run everything love to just mash everybody into one big public school system and slowly change the rules to cause people to fight all because of what is essentially 4% of the population.
Please explain to me why the promotion of ignorance is a benefit to society. Conflict is part of how we learn. If we are never challenged, how do we grow? Can I also assume you are against all sports? Those involve conflict and fights as well.
And please explain, with evidence, how people learning about the struggles of gay people throughout history psychologically damages anyone. Your assertions get more ridiculous with every post. It's almost surreal.
Hope you get some too!
I love that video. Cracks me up every time I see it.
Oh, I've been a fan of Randall's Animals for I while. :) The vampire bat and American bullfrog ones are great too.
Because the promotion of homosexuality is detrimental to a society and the people who promote it know this. For example, the mere announcement of a gay history curriculum causes conflicts such as the one in this thread and especially moreso in the real world. Instead of fighting about such stupid things as this, our school system should be heavily decentralized so that you can decide whether or not your child learns about homosexual history by simply selecting a non-political, non-psychologically damaging school in your area and everything would be fine and kept separate, but no, the people who run everything love to just mash everybody into one big public school system and slowly change the rules to cause people to fight all because of what is essentially 4% of the population.
Please explain to me why the promotion of ignorance is a benefit to society. Conflict is part of how we learn. If we are never challenged, how do we grow? Can I also assume you are against all sports? Those involve conflict and fights as well.
And please explain, with evidence, how people learning about the struggles of gay people throughout history psychologically damages anyone. Your assertions get more ridiculous with every post. It's almost surreal.
AlBDamned
Nov 10, 03:50 AM
I got my copy at about 10am on release day here in Aus, and have had about 3 hours so far - 50/50 on campaign/multiplayer.
It pains me to say it, but so far it's pretty disappointing. I bought it mainly for the multiplayer. MW2 had it flaws - nukes, quickscoping, matchmaking - but what it had nailed was the graphical polish, sound, movement and overall look and feel.
BlackOps feels like a trip back in time. It's jerky, the guns all sound the same, the explosions are muted, the kill streaks are really pretty weak, and the graphics are pretty appalling for a 'state-of-the-art' 2010 PS3 game. Also, the RC-XD is all over the place in multiplayer, and it's seriously annoying (but everybody uses them).
I want to love it, but so far it's been a pretty negative experience for me. Will keep at it for a while, but at this stage it feels like MW2 is a much more polished game overall.
It pains me to say it, but so far it's pretty disappointing. I bought it mainly for the multiplayer. MW2 had it flaws - nukes, quickscoping, matchmaking - but what it had nailed was the graphical polish, sound, movement and overall look and feel.
BlackOps feels like a trip back in time. It's jerky, the guns all sound the same, the explosions are muted, the kill streaks are really pretty weak, and the graphics are pretty appalling for a 'state-of-the-art' 2010 PS3 game. Also, the RC-XD is all over the place in multiplayer, and it's seriously annoying (but everybody uses them).
I want to love it, but so far it's been a pretty negative experience for me. Will keep at it for a while, but at this stage it feels like MW2 is a much more polished game overall.
OdduWon
Oct 16, 03:01 AM
I suppose this tuesday (10/17) is more likely than last tuesday was... As we approach the holidays, each week brings more promise. But I'm not getting my hopes up...
yes, and the 5th anniversary of ipod is this week as well :eek: . shuffles a ship'n soon, and ipod cinema :eek: may added to mark the date. or maybe it will be april all over again :p
yes, and the 5th anniversary of ipod is this week as well :eek: . shuffles a ship'n soon, and ipod cinema :eek: may added to mark the date. or maybe it will be april all over again :p
ozziegn
Jan 15, 01:46 PM
I'm sitting here laughing at the tons of people who were saying how they were going to buy the new MBP when it came out on MWSF on Jan. 15th. - kept telling all these people "how are you going to buy a new MBP when you don't even know if there is going to be a new MBP????"
-and here I sit and say, "I told you so.........." :D
-and here I sit and say, "I told you so.........." :D
gekko513
Aug 2, 02:47 AM
Lyra, your tone is condescending. Calling Scandinavian laws "perverted" tells us that you're single minded to begin with and that your points can't be taken seriously.
I'll still address the point you make about the size of the Scandinavian market. The total population of the Scandinavian countries are 18.9 million. The total population of the USA is 296 million. The size of the Scandinavian market is only 6.4% of the size of the US market, but if Apple pulls out it's still lost income, potentially up to a couple of percent of what Apple makes in the US if you count loss of sales of music and the domino effect that will cause loss of sales of iPods and Macs.
Of course Apple can survive without the Scandinavian market, but why give up potential profit for nothing except stubbornness?
I'll still address the point you make about the size of the Scandinavian market. The total population of the Scandinavian countries are 18.9 million. The total population of the USA is 296 million. The size of the Scandinavian market is only 6.4% of the size of the US market, but if Apple pulls out it's still lost income, potentially up to a couple of percent of what Apple makes in the US if you count loss of sales of music and the domino effect that will cause loss of sales of iPods and Macs.
Of course Apple can survive without the Scandinavian market, but why give up potential profit for nothing except stubbornness?
Cybbe
Jul 22, 06:00 AM
Apple is right now the most disgusting company in the business.
dsnort
Aug 1, 01:57 PM
Problem is Demark, Norway and Sweden are just the first countries to really crack down on DRM like this but they will not be the last. Pulling iTMS away from them might work right now but think long term. The 3 counties will not be the last to do it. Other will follow suit with the DRM. France will at some point get the laws passed since they are pretty close to DRM set up like that with ones that went though so it would not be much of a surpise to see France force DRM to open up there as well. I could see most of the EU at some point forcing the issue.
Should apple pull iTMS away from every country that does that. No it will catch up to them and they will just open up to all. Problem is any country the pulled out of they burned those bridges and will have a very hard time getting back in and will more than likely lose a lot of market share long term by pulling that stunt.
Long term the wises action is for apple to give in and just open it up because those countries are just the first and they most certanily will not be the last.
I have always thought Apple would eventually open up it's DRM of their own free will. At this time, there is no serious competitor to the iPod/iTunes combo. Should serious competition arise, perhaps sometime Zune, the iPods inability to play music from other sources will be a competitive disadvantage.
However, as a philosophical issue, I have a problem with any government interfering like this in a free market! Sometimes such interference is necessary to prevent harm to the public, but I don't see where this is the case with the iPod. It doesn't cause injury to the user, ( if you heed the volume warnings ), and there are alternatives. Those who don't like iPod/iTunes locking them in to one player are fully free to use the alternatives!
Should apple pull iTMS away from every country that does that. No it will catch up to them and they will just open up to all. Problem is any country the pulled out of they burned those bridges and will have a very hard time getting back in and will more than likely lose a lot of market share long term by pulling that stunt.
Long term the wises action is for apple to give in and just open it up because those countries are just the first and they most certanily will not be the last.
I have always thought Apple would eventually open up it's DRM of their own free will. At this time, there is no serious competitor to the iPod/iTunes combo. Should serious competition arise, perhaps sometime Zune, the iPods inability to play music from other sources will be a competitive disadvantage.
However, as a philosophical issue, I have a problem with any government interfering like this in a free market! Sometimes such interference is necessary to prevent harm to the public, but I don't see where this is the case with the iPod. It doesn't cause injury to the user, ( if you heed the volume warnings ), and there are alternatives. Those who don't like iPod/iTunes locking them in to one player are fully free to use the alternatives!
TeppefallGuy
Aug 2, 09:00 AM
Why all this hostility against Scandinavia ? In Norway we pay 25 percent VAT on music and iPods and expect them to work well with other products.
The Powerbook I am typing this on had a faulty harddrive and crashed after 16 months of use. Apple Norway fixed it for free. Did I have AppleCare ? No, Norwegian law dictates that a consumer electronic product should have no technical problems in the first two years with a maximum of five.
A maxed out 17" MacBook Pro will set you back US $4,304 in Norway. Now you understand why we are kinda picky ?
A nice flat in Oslo/Trondheim costs about the same as in the better parts of San Francisco (Pine Street/Pacific Heights). It is not New York prices.. but we are getting there :(
The Powerbook I am typing this on had a faulty harddrive and crashed after 16 months of use. Apple Norway fixed it for free. Did I have AppleCare ? No, Norwegian law dictates that a consumer electronic product should have no technical problems in the first two years with a maximum of five.
A maxed out 17" MacBook Pro will set you back US $4,304 in Norway. Now you understand why we are kinda picky ?
A nice flat in Oslo/Trondheim costs about the same as in the better parts of San Francisco (Pine Street/Pacific Heights). It is not New York prices.. but we are getting there :(
bense27
Aug 4, 11:43 AM
haha wow that is even worse. One syllable names just don't sound good.
Clive At Five
Oct 19, 01:54 PM
1) MacBook nano: 10.6" widescreen, metallic finish in nano colors, and thinner and more rounded than the current MacBooks (though the slimness will be limited by the optical drive, unless they get rid of an internal optical drive which I don't think Apple will do).
This would be rockin', though who knows whether or not it'll happen.
I think they could ditch the optical drive as long as they shipped with a 2GB (4 or 8 maybe *shrugs*) flash drive (which magnetically attached to the side of the compupter ;) ).
Now THAT would be worth investing in, hehe.
-Clive
P.S. I think "MacBookMini" flows better... but Apple pretty much abandoned the well-flowing names with "MacBookPro" :rolleyes: .
This would be rockin', though who knows whether or not it'll happen.
I think they could ditch the optical drive as long as they shipped with a 2GB (4 or 8 maybe *shrugs*) flash drive (which magnetically attached to the side of the compupter ;) ).
Now THAT would be worth investing in, hehe.
-Clive
P.S. I think "MacBookMini" flows better... but Apple pretty much abandoned the well-flowing names with "MacBookPro" :rolleyes: .
Al Coholic
Apr 29, 01:46 PM
Can't wait. Hopefully we'll officially get to see more stuff than what's been previewed so far.
Everything and I mean *everything* is constantly being shared from these developer's builds. Check youtube. It is what it is. There are no killer features in iLion. Certainly nothing like going from Tiger to Leopard.
Everything and I mean *everything* is constantly being shared from these developer's builds. Check youtube. It is what it is. There are no killer features in iLion. Certainly nothing like going from Tiger to Leopard.
Object-X
Sep 25, 11:20 AM
Why are people rating this news as negative? It seems like a decent update to a good program, and it's free for existing Aperture users. What were you expecting?
Because they didn't announce MacBook Pro's with Core 2 Duo! Why else?
Because they didn't announce MacBook Pro's with Core 2 Duo! Why else?
Eidorian
Sep 12, 08:27 AM
I hope we can get 10.4.8 too. :rolleyes:
Passante
Sep 12, 05:37 AM
If it's just Disney, then there's not much point. The reason iTMS succeeded from the start was that it was simple and it had the largest library from which you could purchase single songs. If the iTunes Movie store starts with just Disney movies, then it's dead in the water. Let's just hope that ThinkSecret is wrong again, as usual.
As I recall itunes was very small when it started.
As I recall itunes was very small when it started.
creator2456
Apr 10, 12:36 AM
Can you report your speeds with that whenever you get it running?
I shall try to remember, but won't have it until Wed., won't have connection until the Monday after.
I shall try to remember, but won't have it until Wed., won't have connection until the Monday after.
Lord Blackadder
Aug 10, 01:10 PM
There's nothing really sinister about it. It's just harder to measure and to this point, there's been no point in trying to measure it in comparison to cars.
I understand that they have to be measured differently, but doesn't it make sense that they be compared apples-to-apples (if possible) to the vehicles they are intended to replace?
Most people do ignore it to a large extent, because they say "heck, if it costs me $1 to go 40 miles on electric vs. $2.85 to go 40 miles on gasoline, then that *must* be more efficient in some way". And they are probably right. Economics do tend to line up with efficiency (or government policy).
That is true, but as you pointed out later "green", "efficient", "alternative[to oil imports]" are not all the same thing. Perhaps they are more green but less efficient, or less efficient but more green. Just being more efficient in terms of bang for buck is not necessarily also good from an environmental or alternative energy standpoint. But you are right that the end cost per mile is going to weigh heavily when it comes to consumer acceptance of new types of autos.
I think it's great that European car manufacturers have invested heavily in finding ways to make more fuel efficient cars. And they have their governments to thank for that by making sure that diesel is given a tax advantage vs. gasoline. About 15 years ago, Europe recognized the potential for efficiency in diesels to ultimately outweigh the environmental downside. It was a short-term risk that paid off and now that they have shifted the balance, Europe is tightening their diesel emissions standards to match the US. Once that happens, I'm sure there will a huge market for TDIs in the US and we'll have a nice competitive landscape for driving-up fuel efficiency with diesels vs. gasoline hybrids vs. extended range electrics.
I would argue that Europe's switch to diesels did not involve quite the environmental tradeoff you imply - in the 70s we in the US were driving cars with huge gasoline engines, and to this day diesel regulation for trucks in this country is pretty minimal. Our emissions were probably world-leading then - partially due to the fact that we had the most cars on the roads by far. The problem lies (in my heavily biased opinion) in ignorance. People see smoke coming off diesel exhausts and assume they are dirtier than gasoline engines. But particulate pollution is not necessarily worse, just different. People are not educated about the differerence between gasoline engine pollution and diesel engine pollution. Not to mention the fact that diesel engines don't puff black smoke like they did in the 70s. I'm not arguing that diesels are necessarily cleaner, but they are arguably no worse than gasoline engines and are certainly more efficient.
Whether or not it's "greener" depends upon your definition of green. If you're worried about smog and air quality, then you might make different decisions than if you are worried about carbon dioxide and global warming. Those decisions may also be driven by where you live and where the electricity comes from.
A lot of people in the US (and I assume around the world) are also concerned about energy independence. For those people, using coal to power an electric car is more attractive than using foreign diesel. Any cleaner? Probably not, but probably not much dirtier and certainly cheaper. Our government realizes that we can always make power plants cleaner in the future through regulation, just as Europe realized they could make diesels cleaner in the future through regulation. Steven Chu is no dummy.
It's a fair point. Given the choice, I would prioritize moving to domestic fuel sources in the short term over a massive "go green" (over all alse) campaign.
Which is why we will need new metrics that actually make sense for comparing gasoline to pure electric, perhaps localized to account for the source of power in your area. For example, when I lived in Chicago, the electric was 90% nuclear. It's doesn't get any cleaner than that from an air quality / greenhouse gas standpoint. However, if you're on the east coast, it's probably closer to 60% coal.
I agree completely. The transition needs to be made as transparent as possible. People need to know the source, efficiency and cleanliness of their power source so that they can make informed choices.
I think you're smart enough to know that it's more efficient, but you're not willing to cede that for the sake of your argument, but I encourage you to embrace the idea that we should have extended range electrics *and* clean diesels *and* gasoline hybrids. There's more than one way to skin a cat.
I'm not trying to sound stubborn, I simply have not come accross the numbers anywhere. I don't get paid to do this research, ya know. I do it while hiding from the boss. ;)
I've seen that propaganda FUD (fear, uncertainty and doubt) before. It doesn't stand up to scrutiny. Let's consider that the power grid can handle every household running an air conditioner on a hot summer day. That's approximately 2000-3500 watts per household per hour during daytime peak load (on top of everything else on the grid.) Now let's consider that a Volt (or equivalent) has a 16kw battery that charges in 8 hours. That's 200 watts per hour, starting in the evening, or the equivalent of (4) 50 watt light bulbs. This is not exactly grid-overwhelming load.
I'm no math whiz (or electrician), but wouldn't 200 watts/hr * 8 hours = 1.6kw, rather than 16kw? I thought you'd need 2kw/hr * 8hrs to charge a 16kw battery.
It's not that I don't think people have looked into this stuff, it's just that I myself have no information on just how much energy the Volt uses and how much the grid can provide. In the short term, plugin hybrids are few in number and I don't see it being an issue. But it's something we need to work out in the medium/long term.
Or, some would argue that the biggest thing that Americans have trouble with are a few people telling them what the majority should or shouldn't do - which is, as it seems, the definition of "Communism", but I wouldn't go so far as to say that. :)
Communism means nothing in this country, because we've been so brainwashed by Cold War/right-wing rhetoric that, like "freedom", the term has been stolen for propaganda purposes until the original meanings have become lost in a massive sea of BS. I was using it for it's hyperbole value. :D
Most people do indeed realize that they can get better mileage with a smaller car and could "get by" with a much smaller vehicle. They choose not to and that is their prerogative. If the majority wants to vote for representatives who will make laws that increase fuel mileage standards, which in turn require automakers to sell more small cars - or find ways to make them more efficient - that is also their prerogative. (And, in case you haven't noticed, in the last major US election, voters did indeed vote for a party that is increasing CAFE standards.)
Well, that's the nature of democracy. But it's not so much a question of the fact that people realize a smaller car is more efficient, but a question of whether people really care about efficiency. I have recently lived in Nevada and Alaska, two states whose residents are addicted to burning fuel. Seemingly everyone has a pickup, RV and four-wheelers. Burning fuel is not just part of the daily transportation routine - it's a lifestyle.
CAFE standardsAnd if it's important to you, you should do your part and ride a bike to work or buy a TDI, or lobby your congressman for reduced emissions requirements, or stand up on a soap box and preach about the advantages of advanced clean diesel technology. All good stuff.
I walk to work. I used to commute 34 miles a day (total), and while I never minded it, I felt pretty liberated being able to ditch the car for my daily commute. Four years of walking and I don't want to go back. I love cars and motorsport, and I don't consider myself an environmentalist, but I got to the point where I realized that I was driving a lot more than necessary. That realization came when I moved out of a suburb (where you have to drive to get anywhere) and into first a small town and then a biggish city. In both cases it became possible to walk almost everywhere I needed to go. A tank of fuel lasted over a month (or longer) rather than a week from my highway-commuting days. And I lost weight as I hauled by fat backside around on foot. ;)
I won't be in the market for another car for a few years, and my current car (a Subaru) is not very fuel efficient - but then again it has literally not been driven more than half a dozen times in the last six months. When the time comes to replace it I'll be looking for something affordable (ruling out the Volt) but efficiency will be high on the priority list, followed by green-ness.
I wonder if all of you people who are proposing a diesel/diesel hybrid are Europeans, because in America, diesel is looked at as smelly and messy - it's what the trucks with black smoke use.
<snip>
As far as the Chevy Volt goes, I just don't like the name... but the price is right assuming they can get it into the high $20,000's rather quickly.
I'm an American, and yes I've seen the trucks with black smoke. We just need to discard that preconception. This isn't 1973 anymore. We also need to tighten up emissions regualtion on trucks.
The Volt is a practical car by all acoioutns, but it costs way too much. The battery is the primary contributing factor, I've heard that it costs somewhere between $8-15k by itself. Hopefully after GM has been producing such batteries for a few years the cost will drop substantially.
I understand that they have to be measured differently, but doesn't it make sense that they be compared apples-to-apples (if possible) to the vehicles they are intended to replace?
Most people do ignore it to a large extent, because they say "heck, if it costs me $1 to go 40 miles on electric vs. $2.85 to go 40 miles on gasoline, then that *must* be more efficient in some way". And they are probably right. Economics do tend to line up with efficiency (or government policy).
That is true, but as you pointed out later "green", "efficient", "alternative[to oil imports]" are not all the same thing. Perhaps they are more green but less efficient, or less efficient but more green. Just being more efficient in terms of bang for buck is not necessarily also good from an environmental or alternative energy standpoint. But you are right that the end cost per mile is going to weigh heavily when it comes to consumer acceptance of new types of autos.
I think it's great that European car manufacturers have invested heavily in finding ways to make more fuel efficient cars. And they have their governments to thank for that by making sure that diesel is given a tax advantage vs. gasoline. About 15 years ago, Europe recognized the potential for efficiency in diesels to ultimately outweigh the environmental downside. It was a short-term risk that paid off and now that they have shifted the balance, Europe is tightening their diesel emissions standards to match the US. Once that happens, I'm sure there will a huge market for TDIs in the US and we'll have a nice competitive landscape for driving-up fuel efficiency with diesels vs. gasoline hybrids vs. extended range electrics.
I would argue that Europe's switch to diesels did not involve quite the environmental tradeoff you imply - in the 70s we in the US were driving cars with huge gasoline engines, and to this day diesel regulation for trucks in this country is pretty minimal. Our emissions were probably world-leading then - partially due to the fact that we had the most cars on the roads by far. The problem lies (in my heavily biased opinion) in ignorance. People see smoke coming off diesel exhausts and assume they are dirtier than gasoline engines. But particulate pollution is not necessarily worse, just different. People are not educated about the differerence between gasoline engine pollution and diesel engine pollution. Not to mention the fact that diesel engines don't puff black smoke like they did in the 70s. I'm not arguing that diesels are necessarily cleaner, but they are arguably no worse than gasoline engines and are certainly more efficient.
Whether or not it's "greener" depends upon your definition of green. If you're worried about smog and air quality, then you might make different decisions than if you are worried about carbon dioxide and global warming. Those decisions may also be driven by where you live and where the electricity comes from.
A lot of people in the US (and I assume around the world) are also concerned about energy independence. For those people, using coal to power an electric car is more attractive than using foreign diesel. Any cleaner? Probably not, but probably not much dirtier and certainly cheaper. Our government realizes that we can always make power plants cleaner in the future through regulation, just as Europe realized they could make diesels cleaner in the future through regulation. Steven Chu is no dummy.
It's a fair point. Given the choice, I would prioritize moving to domestic fuel sources in the short term over a massive "go green" (over all alse) campaign.
Which is why we will need new metrics that actually make sense for comparing gasoline to pure electric, perhaps localized to account for the source of power in your area. For example, when I lived in Chicago, the electric was 90% nuclear. It's doesn't get any cleaner than that from an air quality / greenhouse gas standpoint. However, if you're on the east coast, it's probably closer to 60% coal.
I agree completely. The transition needs to be made as transparent as possible. People need to know the source, efficiency and cleanliness of their power source so that they can make informed choices.
I think you're smart enough to know that it's more efficient, but you're not willing to cede that for the sake of your argument, but I encourage you to embrace the idea that we should have extended range electrics *and* clean diesels *and* gasoline hybrids. There's more than one way to skin a cat.
I'm not trying to sound stubborn, I simply have not come accross the numbers anywhere. I don't get paid to do this research, ya know. I do it while hiding from the boss. ;)
I've seen that propaganda FUD (fear, uncertainty and doubt) before. It doesn't stand up to scrutiny. Let's consider that the power grid can handle every household running an air conditioner on a hot summer day. That's approximately 2000-3500 watts per household per hour during daytime peak load (on top of everything else on the grid.) Now let's consider that a Volt (or equivalent) has a 16kw battery that charges in 8 hours. That's 200 watts per hour, starting in the evening, or the equivalent of (4) 50 watt light bulbs. This is not exactly grid-overwhelming load.
I'm no math whiz (or electrician), but wouldn't 200 watts/hr * 8 hours = 1.6kw, rather than 16kw? I thought you'd need 2kw/hr * 8hrs to charge a 16kw battery.
It's not that I don't think people have looked into this stuff, it's just that I myself have no information on just how much energy the Volt uses and how much the grid can provide. In the short term, plugin hybrids are few in number and I don't see it being an issue. But it's something we need to work out in the medium/long term.
Or, some would argue that the biggest thing that Americans have trouble with are a few people telling them what the majority should or shouldn't do - which is, as it seems, the definition of "Communism", but I wouldn't go so far as to say that. :)
Communism means nothing in this country, because we've been so brainwashed by Cold War/right-wing rhetoric that, like "freedom", the term has been stolen for propaganda purposes until the original meanings have become lost in a massive sea of BS. I was using it for it's hyperbole value. :D
Most people do indeed realize that they can get better mileage with a smaller car and could "get by" with a much smaller vehicle. They choose not to and that is their prerogative. If the majority wants to vote for representatives who will make laws that increase fuel mileage standards, which in turn require automakers to sell more small cars - or find ways to make them more efficient - that is also their prerogative. (And, in case you haven't noticed, in the last major US election, voters did indeed vote for a party that is increasing CAFE standards.)
Well, that's the nature of democracy. But it's not so much a question of the fact that people realize a smaller car is more efficient, but a question of whether people really care about efficiency. I have recently lived in Nevada and Alaska, two states whose residents are addicted to burning fuel. Seemingly everyone has a pickup, RV and four-wheelers. Burning fuel is not just part of the daily transportation routine - it's a lifestyle.
CAFE standardsAnd if it's important to you, you should do your part and ride a bike to work or buy a TDI, or lobby your congressman for reduced emissions requirements, or stand up on a soap box and preach about the advantages of advanced clean diesel technology. All good stuff.
I walk to work. I used to commute 34 miles a day (total), and while I never minded it, I felt pretty liberated being able to ditch the car for my daily commute. Four years of walking and I don't want to go back. I love cars and motorsport, and I don't consider myself an environmentalist, but I got to the point where I realized that I was driving a lot more than necessary. That realization came when I moved out of a suburb (where you have to drive to get anywhere) and into first a small town and then a biggish city. In both cases it became possible to walk almost everywhere I needed to go. A tank of fuel lasted over a month (or longer) rather than a week from my highway-commuting days. And I lost weight as I hauled by fat backside around on foot. ;)
I won't be in the market for another car for a few years, and my current car (a Subaru) is not very fuel efficient - but then again it has literally not been driven more than half a dozen times in the last six months. When the time comes to replace it I'll be looking for something affordable (ruling out the Volt) but efficiency will be high on the priority list, followed by green-ness.
I wonder if all of you people who are proposing a diesel/diesel hybrid are Europeans, because in America, diesel is looked at as smelly and messy - it's what the trucks with black smoke use.
<snip>
As far as the Chevy Volt goes, I just don't like the name... but the price is right assuming they can get it into the high $20,000's rather quickly.
I'm an American, and yes I've seen the trucks with black smoke. We just need to discard that preconception. This isn't 1973 anymore. We also need to tighten up emissions regualtion on trucks.
The Volt is a practical car by all acoioutns, but it costs way too much. The battery is the primary contributing factor, I've heard that it costs somewhere between $8-15k by itself. Hopefully after GM has been producing such batteries for a few years the cost will drop substantially.
Lyle
Sep 8, 11:27 AM
His ignorant comments cost donated money to the victims plan and simple.I agree that his comments were inappropriate for that particular venue, but I'm doubtful that people decided not to donate money to hurricane victims.
Edit: I forgot which thread I was posting in. I assume that jarednt1 was referring to Kanye West's comments during the fundraiser show last Friday night, or whenever that was. Of course, I don't imagine that Kanye West's comments (if any) at the Apple Keynote had much impact on donations to hurricane victims either. ;)
Edit: I forgot which thread I was posting in. I assume that jarednt1 was referring to Kanye West's comments during the fundraiser show last Friday night, or whenever that was. Of course, I don't imagine that Kanye West's comments (if any) at the Apple Keynote had much impact on donations to hurricane victims either. ;)
firsttube
Sep 12, 08:39 AM
I just came here to post this info. I'll include the image in my post. Too bad it doesn't list a price. Looks like the rumors of it ONLY including Disney movies are wrong.
http://static.flickr.com/95/241496992_e86c8584c0_d.jpg
please read the thread....
http://static.flickr.com/95/241496992_e86c8584c0_d.jpg
please read the thread....
Hastings101
Apr 9, 12:22 AM
Go for it! If they deserve it, they deserve it!
Yea, the other people working there deserve to suffer for something one person does :p
Yea, the other people working there deserve to suffer for something one person does :p
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