Gray Watson's Blog -- June 2006

Blogging is a useful way for me to record my thoughts and digital travels every so often. Hope you enjoy my digital stream of consciousness.

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June 8, 2006

Very interesting interview with Michael Berg who's son Nicholas was believed to be beheaded by Iraq terrorist leader al-Zarqawi. Al-Zarqawi was killed yesterday by US forces in Iraq. It is so very easy to revengeful -- to lash out in response to some offense. This gentleman talks about being sorry for al-Zarqawi's family and talks about being a pacifist in the face of such anger. What strength of character. He mentions in the piece that he has been shot at and berated for his opinion. How disgusting. Probably from the folks who consider themselves to be Christians. Here's Mr. Berg's initial response to his son's death. I think it goes too far and that Berg then ran for Congress makes him seem like an opportunist. But I still think it is stength of character. Some detractors: Shot in the Dark, Master of None.
Of course. When Nick was killed, I felt that I had nothing left to lose. I'm a pacifist, so I wasn't going out murdering people. But I am -- was not a risk-taking person, and yet now I've done things that have endangered me tremendously.
I've been shot at. I've been showed horrible pictures. I've been called all kinds of names and threatened by all kinds of people, and yet I feel that I have nothing left to lose, so I do those things.
Now, take someone who in 1991, who maybe had their family killed by an American bomb, their support system whisked away from them, someone who, instead of being 59, as I was when Nick died, was 5-years-old or 10-years-old. And then if I were that person, might I not learn how to fly a plane into a building or strap a bag of bombs to my back?
That's what is happening every time we kill an Iraqi, every time we kill anyone, we are creating a large number of people who are going to want vengeance. And, you know, when are we ever going to learn that that doesn't work?

June 7, 2006

So I didn't realize that Coast Guard had all of the nautical charts online. Good for them. Unfortunately the charts are served from an IP. Here's the chart of Buzzards Bay, here's where the new turbines are supposed to go in the bay, here's where the tidal turbines may go, and here's where the Cape Wind turbines will [hopefully] go.
Mass Maritime Academy has installed a wind turbine in Bourne Massachusetts at the North end of Buzzards Bay. The 248-foot-tall, 660-kilowatt, turbine was installed on April 25, 2006. Here's an artiche from the Mass Tech Collaborative showing the turbines going up. Another story about wind turbines in the area. Other sources: Mass Maritime,
The overall project at Mass Maritime cost $1.34 million with cost shared funding coming from the Massachusetts Renewable Energy Trust (MRET) and the state's Department of Capital Asset Management (DCAM). The turbine is estimated to produce about a third of the academy's annual power needs and save some $300,000 each year with an overall payback of less than five years. Over its lifetime, the turbine will produce more than $7 million worth of electricity for the academy. This is a very conservative estimate using today's utility rates -- as rates will surely go much higher in the years to come.

June 6, 2006

Here's interesting news. An unknown organization has "quietly filed plans" for tidal water turbines between Martha's Vineyard and the Elizabeth Islands in Vineyard Sound. I've sailed these waters and the tidal rip is amazing. It has 3-5 knots of current which must amount to an amazing amount of potential energy. Although the tide ebbs and flows, it represents a 24/365 known energy source -- as opposed to wind. They are proposing up to 150 submerged propellers each generating from 500 kilowatt to 2 megawatts. They may be using something like these Tidal Stream Turbines or Marine Current Turbines. Here's a good site about tidal power systems and an ocean energy overview.
That puts the potential generation capacity of the farm at about two-thirds of the estimated maximum output of the 130-turbine wind farm proposed for Horseshoe Shoal in Nantucket Sound. Cape Wind Associates, the development company that has proposed the project, estimates its maximum output at about 450 megawatts.
Little information is available about Massachusetts Tidal Energy Co. In its permit application, the company lists its agents as Joseph A. Cannon of the Washington law firm of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, and Charles B. Cooper, director of environmental permitting and planning at TRC Environmental Corp. in Lowell.
So although I'm supportive of the newly proposed Buzzards Bay Wind Farm by construction magnate Jay Cashman I see it as trying to subvert the Cape Wind project. Both Governor Romney and Senator Kennedy are "tentively" for the project in a heavily used area close to more working class districts as opposed to Nantucket Sound which is "recognized around the world as a national treasure". Huh? One is open ocean where all environmental reviews have shown will most likely improve marine habitat and won't hurt fishing or birds.
I see this as politics as usual. As NIMBY-ism and selfishness in the face of our rising dependence on foreign fuels. When it comes down to it, we need both farms to just cover Cape Cod's electricity usage, let alone any large percentage of the state's. More sources: Vineyard Gazette, Boston Globe, CNN/Reuters, Emagazine, MSNBC/AP, Boston Herald.

June 2, 2006

So I hate mosquitos. I've beeing trying the Mosquito Magnets for a couple of years with very limited success. Here's a fun looking project to make your own mosquito trap. You need a plastic 2 liter soda bottle, some sugar water, and yeast. The yeast gives off the CO2. The top of the bottle guides the mosquitos in but doesn't let them out. I can see a number of modifications. If I try them, I'll post my findings.
- I'm interested in scaling it up maybe to a water cooler sized bottle.
- I'd like to add a small solar powered fan to cause a bit of negative pressure in the vessel to pull mosquitos in an really keep them in there. This would also distribute the CO2 and sweet odors better although it may dry out the liquid faster. Need to be careful how the CO2 and sweet odors are pushed out.
- Maybe having an area somewhere in the container where you can add sweat or other human scents. I've always noticed that mosquitos seem to buzz me when I'm sweating more. Maybe it's the salts, the heat, or other chemicals. I figure sweating into some shirts and squeezing out into a container might be interesting. Maybe more chemical research into what is in sweat (water, salts, potassium, proteins, and fatty acids).
- It needs a roof over the top so it can be in the elements.
- It would be interesting to hang it so it moves. Not sure if motion and/or color is involved in the process. Could try different colored tops.
- Painting certain parts dark so that heat is given off would be good.
- Maybe have a little water reservoir to give off some moisture when passed through a black section of pipe. Maybe it could be refilled by rain. Have a container that drips into a black drum on the south side of the unit and pull through it with a fan. Maybe the sugar water in the trap will be enough. Maybe just dripping into the sugar water mixture as the water evaporates is good enough.
- Would some sort of solar powered stirrer be good to keep the sugar/yeast water agitated?
- Maybe some ability to drop more yeast into the mixture later.

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