juliuspierpont
Mar 17, 01:23 AM
I would have a hard time enjoying something which reminded me every time I used it that I'd probably cost some kid his job, and that I basically stole. Sure, the feeling of euphoria for "sticking it to the man" must have been pretty cool, but now, every time you use it, remember what kind of person you are deep down. And don't for a minute think that returning that phone you found negates this...when the chips were down, and it was really tempting (not some cruddy used phone that you'd have had to make an effort to use) you failed at being a decent person.
Edit: This is what ignore lists are for, by the way. I hope I never have to read another thing you write.
Edit: This is what ignore lists are for, by the way. I hope I never have to read another thing you write.
amakh007
Jan 15, 01:29 PM
Overall thoughts......meh......
1. No new iphone....just software updates
2. No new AppleTV...just software updates
3. A wireless backup hard drive......
4. A super thin laptop...but the SSD version is over $3000
I think Mac fans were thinking new iphone, new AppleTV, some tablet
Basically we got a super expensive (albeit nice) thin laptop....
Oh well...........
1. No new iphone....just software updates
2. No new AppleTV...just software updates
3. A wireless backup hard drive......
4. A super thin laptop...but the SSD version is over $3000
I think Mac fans were thinking new iphone, new AppleTV, some tablet
Basically we got a super expensive (albeit nice) thin laptop....
Oh well...........
minnesotamacman
Sep 12, 07:47 AM
False Alarm... I think my update was to 6.0.5, which is strange given I update all the time on this MBP... Sorry for the false alarm guys. Back to speculating!
mpw
Jan 10, 06:39 PM
...I did this once at school, but only once, and I was 14 at the time...
Me too!:D
I took the remote that came with my first TV into town and turned the volume of every TV in one shop to maximum one night after close. I also once saw somebody switch a window display to 'Red Hot Dutch' over night, there was a huge crowd of drunk guys with kebabs leering in from the street.:D
Me too!:D
I took the remote that came with my first TV into town and turned the volume of every TV in one shop to maximum one night after close. I also once saw somebody switch a window display to 'Red Hot Dutch' over night, there was a huge crowd of drunk guys with kebabs leering in from the street.:D
more...
Aeolius
Oct 4, 09:05 PM
Fair enough. Three of my children were born in China, while a fourth was born in Taiwan. I have seen plenty of families living in ruins, huts, and caves in my journeys.
apfhex
Jan 9, 03:36 PM
9.41 on the ****.
Nice theory there, but out here in California, Pacific Standard Time, that wouldn't make a bit of sense as the time for the posting of the keynote.
In fact 9:41am PST is nearly the exactly time during the keynote that Steve announced the ****.
Nice theory there, but out here in California, Pacific Standard Time, that wouldn't make a bit of sense as the time for the posting of the keynote.
In fact 9:41am PST is nearly the exactly time during the keynote that Steve announced the ****.
more...
Simgar988
Nov 11, 04:19 PM
I'm a Nazi zomb expert (and I do mean expert) and let me say that they made it hard this time around. It seems to be made specifically for the cult players. If you couldn't get past lvl 15 in the last levels, you aren't grtting past 4-5 here.
JoeBlau
Sep 18, 10:38 PM
Blogging isn't journalism...Bloggers should be treated as they are - private citizens under no journalistic fact or ethics obligations.
Actually that is not quite accurate as bloggers are not people.
In any event, people need to lighten up. The self-righteousness exhibited in this forum would be quite amusing if it was not so sad. CES is one massive, pompous, over-wrought technology advertisement, and you are all crying at some schoolboy prank interrupting some guy's presentation.
And just to re-iterate, bloggers are non-professionals hacks that should never be taken seriously in any professional media circles.
Actually that is not quite accurate as bloggers are not people.
In any event, people need to lighten up. The self-righteousness exhibited in this forum would be quite amusing if it was not so sad. CES is one massive, pompous, over-wrought technology advertisement, and you are all crying at some schoolboy prank interrupting some guy's presentation.
And just to re-iterate, bloggers are non-professionals hacks that should never be taken seriously in any professional media circles.
more...
blitzkrieg79
Nov 16, 03:10 PM
Personally, I would be surprised if they didn't eventually use AMD CPU's.
1. Digg had an article on AMD's line of upcoming CPU's which are CPU's and GPU's on one die. Given Apple's history of pushing more and more onto the video cards, this new line seems perfect for Apple.
Link: http://www.hardocp.com/news.html?news=MjI0OTUsLCxobmV3cywsLDE=
P.S. Just went to digg to get the link, and AMD is moving to 65nm in 2007. faster, less heat.
Link: http://hardocp.com/news.html?news=MjI0OTcsLCxobmV3cywsLDE=
Thank you for providing those interesting links and slides of AMDs future roadmap, this should go well with Anandtech article (http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=2379&p=12) and the fact that AMD just released a stream processor board (http://www.tgdaily.com/2006/11/14/amd_stream_processor/) to show all the people that CELL processor is the blueprint for future processor development and well ahead of it's time. It will require new programming techniques and algorithms but we will also see new levels of performance. And yes, I am a CELL processor fan boy, 5 years from now everyone will be without even realizing it. :p
EDIT: Ah I almost forgot, AMD and IBM have a close relationship, they have worked and are working on many projects so I guess there might be some connection in it afterall.
1. Digg had an article on AMD's line of upcoming CPU's which are CPU's and GPU's on one die. Given Apple's history of pushing more and more onto the video cards, this new line seems perfect for Apple.
Link: http://www.hardocp.com/news.html?news=MjI0OTUsLCxobmV3cywsLDE=
P.S. Just went to digg to get the link, and AMD is moving to 65nm in 2007. faster, less heat.
Link: http://hardocp.com/news.html?news=MjI0OTcsLCxobmV3cywsLDE=
Thank you for providing those interesting links and slides of AMDs future roadmap, this should go well with Anandtech article (http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=2379&p=12) and the fact that AMD just released a stream processor board (http://www.tgdaily.com/2006/11/14/amd_stream_processor/) to show all the people that CELL processor is the blueprint for future processor development and well ahead of it's time. It will require new programming techniques and algorithms but we will also see new levels of performance. And yes, I am a CELL processor fan boy, 5 years from now everyone will be without even realizing it. :p
EDIT: Ah I almost forgot, AMD and IBM have a close relationship, they have worked and are working on many projects so I guess there might be some connection in it afterall.
sunfast
Sep 12, 04:36 AM
It's going to be a good day but for me Apple is being upstaged (sort of).
3pm - Ashes squad announced at the Oval
6pm - some Apple thing
:)
3pm - Ashes squad announced at the Oval
6pm - some Apple thing
:)
more...
krestfallen
Oct 17, 10:55 AM
Whereas discs last forever, right? ;)
no but the risk is marginal that a disk dies in 10 years.
of course you shouldn't play frisbee with them ;)
no but the risk is marginal that a disk dies in 10 years.
of course you shouldn't play frisbee with them ;)
Lord Blackadder
Jul 28, 12:48 PM
Personally, I think those of us trying to by a more efficient vehicle would be better served by buying smaller cars and switching to diesel power. People like to believe that by switching to a hybrid drivetrain they can have their cake (own a monstrously large SUV) and eat it too (drive guilt-free because it's a hybrid). But that is fantasy. Hybrid SUVs get better gas mileage than their non-hybrid counterparts - but are still not very economical. Lifestyle changes (buying smaller vehicles) will make a much bigger impact compared with buying huge, gas-guzzling hybrid trucks and SUVs.
Switching from a Tahoe to a Tahoe hybrid is just window dressing. Switching from, say, a Ford Explorer to a diesel Golf - now that will make a difference.
Switching from a Tahoe to a Tahoe hybrid is just window dressing. Switching from, say, a Ford Explorer to a diesel Golf - now that will make a difference.
more...
Geckotek
Jan 1, 03:34 PM
Forgive me if these two points have been mentioned as I didn't read the whole thread, but;
From what I'm hearing, the cell chip in the iPhone is capable of working on upgraded networks. Now, I don't know what that means as far as LTE goes because I haven't bothered to research it, but I do that it's based off of 3g (long term evolution). This may render the iPhone capable of using that network with no hardware specific changes. If anything, Apple may have to offer different firmwares per carrier.
No, the chip in the iPhone will not handle LTE. LTE, while being developed by the same group the developed HSPA, is NOT the same tech and requires all new hardware.
Also, the iPhone 4 is not capable of working on upgraded networks. It does not support anything higher than HSPA (does not support HSPA+)
The other point though, which is the most interesting to me in that it's so important and no one ever really mentions it, is that Verizon's network doesn't multitask. How ironic that the phone which was continuously bashed for not having multitasking in the OS was one of the only phones on the market that could multitask on the network. I'm gonna go out on a hunch here and say that Apple will NOT release an iPhone on a network that doesn't allow for calling and web browsing at the same time. Especially after they've worked so hard on getting application multitasking to work the way they wanted to. Apparently, the LTE network is supposed to take care of this, but we'll have to wait and see.
Lastly, Happy New Year everyone!
Verizon and Apple have at least 2 solutions they could implement to enable simultaneous voice and data on CDMA.
From what I'm hearing, the cell chip in the iPhone is capable of working on upgraded networks. Now, I don't know what that means as far as LTE goes because I haven't bothered to research it, but I do that it's based off of 3g (long term evolution). This may render the iPhone capable of using that network with no hardware specific changes. If anything, Apple may have to offer different firmwares per carrier.
No, the chip in the iPhone will not handle LTE. LTE, while being developed by the same group the developed HSPA, is NOT the same tech and requires all new hardware.
Also, the iPhone 4 is not capable of working on upgraded networks. It does not support anything higher than HSPA (does not support HSPA+)
The other point though, which is the most interesting to me in that it's so important and no one ever really mentions it, is that Verizon's network doesn't multitask. How ironic that the phone which was continuously bashed for not having multitasking in the OS was one of the only phones on the market that could multitask on the network. I'm gonna go out on a hunch here and say that Apple will NOT release an iPhone on a network that doesn't allow for calling and web browsing at the same time. Especially after they've worked so hard on getting application multitasking to work the way they wanted to. Apparently, the LTE network is supposed to take care of this, but we'll have to wait and see.
Lastly, Happy New Year everyone!
Verizon and Apple have at least 2 solutions they could implement to enable simultaneous voice and data on CDMA.
frozzbite
Mar 17, 12:17 PM
With my flame suit on, i say this...
I might have done the same thing as the OP.
Regarding the kid, well, its probably a part time job for him. Furthermore, how much can BestBuy possibly be paying him? He could probably earn more if he worked else where. :)
I might have done the same thing as the OP.
Regarding the kid, well, its probably a part time job for him. Furthermore, how much can BestBuy possibly be paying him? He could probably earn more if he worked else where. :)
more...
coder12
May 4, 06:53 AM
:.) It's so beautiful, like a double raaaaiinnboow!!
lordonuthin
May 3, 09:35 PM
well it's not looking very good. it should have posted a bigadv unit by now. and my number of gpu units are looking lower - which means that something crashed. man it only had 12 hours left on the bigadv unit when i left, and now nothing. it was folding way at around 34:30 per frame inside a VM.
Bummer :( that's aggravating...
Bummer :( that's aggravating...
more...
grmatt
Apr 6, 07:39 AM
This is possibly the dumbest thing Apple has ever done.
I can't WAIT to go browsing though this list of stupid banner ads! I wonder if I can collect them all???!!! I LOVE pop up windows in my browser and I've always wanted to be able to view them at anytime, without having to go to annoying websites just to get each one to load. Now I can have a crap ton of banner ads right at my fingertips!!! THANKS APPLE!!!
I hope they release a pro version of this app for the Mac OS!! Maybe they will incorporate a version inside the mail program that allows me to see ads for VIAGRA and STOCK OPPORTUNITIES IN AFRICA in cover flow!!!
Hmmm... I must've missed the part where you are forced to download the app...
I can't WAIT to go browsing though this list of stupid banner ads! I wonder if I can collect them all???!!! I LOVE pop up windows in my browser and I've always wanted to be able to view them at anytime, without having to go to annoying websites just to get each one to load. Now I can have a crap ton of banner ads right at my fingertips!!! THANKS APPLE!!!
I hope they release a pro version of this app for the Mac OS!! Maybe they will incorporate a version inside the mail program that allows me to see ads for VIAGRA and STOCK OPPORTUNITIES IN AFRICA in cover flow!!!
Hmmm... I must've missed the part where you are forced to download the app...
RoboCop001
Apr 5, 03:33 PM
lol. But when is the Apple Store app going to be released in Canada? Is it available anywhere outside the USA yet?
Thunderhawks
Mar 28, 03:02 PM
No kidding. It's like Columbia Records giving out awards to its most innovative musicians, and all the musicians from Sony Music start complaining that they aren't eligible to receive one. :confused:
It's not anyone's "right" to be in the running for any awards. Sheesh.
+1
Why awards at all? An American disease carried into all cultures of the world!
If something or somebody is good, they get the award(s) they deserve: and want most of all:
$$$ in the bank.
And those awards are not based on any committees opinion or mercy Susan Lucci award types for being in something forever!.
It's consumers who buy your stuff because it's good!
And the$e awards never catch dust:-)
It's not anyone's "right" to be in the running for any awards. Sheesh.
+1
Why awards at all? An American disease carried into all cultures of the world!
If something or somebody is good, they get the award(s) they deserve: and want most of all:
$$$ in the bank.
And those awards are not based on any committees opinion or mercy Susan Lucci award types for being in something forever!.
It's consumers who buy your stuff because it's good!
And the$e awards never catch dust:-)
dsnort
Jul 24, 11:52 PM
http://www.userfriendly.org/cartoons/archives/06jul/ufng009334.gif
Wait for it, it's a nag strip, but sooo worth it.
jW
I'd be worried about that exept one incontrovertible fact. Steve Jobs has more creative spark in his left pinky than M$ does in it whole genetic tree.
Wait for it, it's a nag strip, but sooo worth it.
jW
I'd be worried about that exept one incontrovertible fact. Steve Jobs has more creative spark in his left pinky than M$ does in it whole genetic tree.
Morod
Mar 24, 03:35 PM
HBD, OS X!
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn27/specialkT51/pi-pie.jpg
Oops... Try again:
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn27/specialkT51/c5a50067d628f5938b7ac7c2d5239389.gif
:)
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn27/specialkT51/pi-pie.jpg
Oops... Try again:
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn27/specialkT51/c5a50067d628f5938b7ac7c2d5239389.gif
:)
m-dogg
Jan 5, 04:06 PM
This is a great idea for those that would like this option. MR rocks as always!
Me though, I prefer the frequent frantic checks to the site as I try to get all my 'real work' done at the office.
One year everyone was going out to lunch and I lied and said I had too much work to do...just so I could eat at my desk and get all the late-breaking news. My co-workers would think I was weird if I said why I really wasn't going...
Yes, I'm a geek. :p
Me though, I prefer the frequent frantic checks to the site as I try to get all my 'real work' done at the office.
One year everyone was going out to lunch and I lied and said I had too much work to do...just so I could eat at my desk and get all the late-breaking news. My co-workers would think I was weird if I said why I really wasn't going...
Yes, I'm a geek. :p
ehoui
May 4, 04:00 PM
Why is someone bothered if the question itself does no harm. Grow up or change doctors if you don't like to be asked questions. This law is about as anti-libertarian and useless government intrusion as it gets.
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.
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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.
