Gray Watson's Blog -- December 2008

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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December 22, 2008

I've been keeping detailed mileage information ever since I bought my 2003 Honda Civic Hybrid back in 2002. Yes I'm a geek. I finally got around to posting this as a Google document. I write it down into the cool Jfile program on my Palm Pilot. Basically it shows that I'm averaging ~45mpg which is great considering my aggressive suburban driver style. It was supposed to get 46 city, 51 highway which is pretty close to what I'm getting. Compared to the non-hybrid version, which gets ~32/38 and lists for US$13,010, my 2003 lists for US$19,550. Tons more data on the spreadsheet.
Intel is now shipping 160gb laptop drives. Not interesting? That Intel and not Seagate is doing it should cue you in that these are solid state devices with no moving parts. They are expensive costing $600 more than their spinning counterparts but Samsung and Toshiba will be producing 256mb and 512mb versions respectively, so expect the price to come down as competition and volume in this space heats up. Here's a guy who installed one on his laptop and saw his average I/O time go from 34 with a hard-drive to 150MB/sec. Other sources: CNET, Information Week.
The Intel X25-M and X18-M SSDs are based on NAND flash memory, which holds the promise of offering faster read/write performance than conventional hard disk drives. The technology also allows for faster boot times in PCs and the ability to save power and reduce overheating by eliminating the moving parts that are standard with more conventional drives.
The 160GB SSD that Intel released on Monday is based on MLC (multilevel cell) storage technology. This type of SSDs based on the MLC flash chip will provide 250MB-per-second read/write performance. The X25-E SSD, on the other hand, uses single-level cell technology.

December 18, 2008

Cool story from the Register about quick charging electric cars. I really am disgusted with much of the automotive press when it comes to this subject. We have just started to scratch the surface here and yet they talk about Hydrogen being so much better because you can fill it up "like gas". A company called Altairnano is developing "nano-titanate" technology which promises to deliver similar battery performance to lithium-ion batteries but will recharge in minutes as long as you have a robust power source. I'm convinced that range extended electric cars (EREV) will bridge the gap until we figure out how to charge cars fast. Other sources: crunchgear.com.
Road vehicles driven by NanoSafe? batteries are under development now. Examples include the Phoenix Motors SUV, due for consumer beta-test in California later this year and full release in 2008; also the UK's Lightning sportscar, now taking reservations for 2008 delivery.
These vehicles will still be impractical for long journeys until high-power electric outlets become widespread, which might not be for years - or never, if the technology turns out to be overhyped, overexpensive, or simply doesn't gain acceptance.
But, if the specs are right, it could be humble pie time for your correspondent in a few years. If NanoSafe? can really do what it says, there is no serious technical obstacle to practical fully-electric motoring and the infrastructure to support it.
Amazing story about a bowhead whale killed by eskimo's in Alaska who was found to have survived a similar attack more than 125 years earlier. Native tribes hunting these animals is one thing but the Japanese do it as "research" is really disappointing. Other sources: BBC.
A nineteenth century bomb lance fragment, similar to lances manufactured in New Bedford, was found in a large bowhead whale in Barrow, Alaska, suggesting the whale was struck by the fragment around 1890.
Chemical analyses of bowhead eye lenses indicated that the whales have a lifespan of more than a century, with historical weapon fragments, such as stone end-blades and bone harpoon heads found in the blubber of recently captured animals, providing additional evidence of their longevity. The bomb lance fragment that was discovered embedded into the right scapula of a bowhead whale on May 16 was likely manufactured around 1880, adding further confirmation.
So they have been searching for the so called God Particle at the new-ish Large Hadron Collider on the Franco-Swiss border in Europe. This particle is the Higgs boson which has been predicted but never detected. Pretty wild stuff. Boson's are force mediate or force carrier particles. Electromagnetic fields, for example, can be defined by streams of photon bosons. Other source: Wired.com.
We know things today that Einstein, Rutherford, Max Planck, Niels Bohr, Werner Heisenberg, and the rest of the great physicists of a century ago couldn't have imagined. But we're nowhere near a final theory of physical reality. Molecules are made of atoms; atoms are made of particles called protons, neutrons, and electrons; protons and neutrons (which are the "hadrons" that give the collider its name) are made of odd things called quarks and gluons?but already we're into a fuzzy zone. Are quarks fundamental particles, or made of something smaller yet? Electrons are believed to be fundamental, but you wouldn't want to bet your life on it.
So although the election back in November was a very hopeful time for myself, my extended family, and most of my friends, it was not so for the homosexual community who saw California rollback the marriage right and other states enact constitutional and legislative bans. Here in Massachusetts we so far have avoided a vote on a Constitutional ban. This leaves me with mixed feelings. On one side it seems like the legislature has been avoiding the will of the voter. On the other side, I strongly feel that the rights of a minority should not be determined by a vote from the majority. If we had let voters appose Black civil rights, certain states would still have laws from the 1800s on the books.
What amuses me most is that the same people who say that marriage is important enough to "protect", are the same people who don't seem to understand why gays can't live with civil unions. Marriage means something special socially, economically, and politically to all of us. That any adult couple chooses to stand up in front of their community and god and make such a pledge should be rewarded. Marriage isn't for every gay couple, just as it isn't for every straight one. They take it as serious as the it should be and as Massachusetts has shown, are just as likely to divorce as their hetero counterparts. So I wish homosexuals best of luck with their struggle for equality.
Interesting opinion piece from Roger Cohen at the times today entitled Pan Am Dies, America Lives comparing the death of Pan Am airline (and US Steel, etc.) against the backdrop of today's financial and auto bailouts. I must admit I am torn about the recent events. Certainly something needed to have been done but I wonder where our US$1 trillion went and if taxpayers will ever (either directly or indirectly) see a return on that investment -- or was it a gift.
Still, facts are facts. Pan Am, which had been a leading U.S. international airline since the 1930s, collapsed in 1991. Like other great U.S. companies, it died in the marketplace because it blundered. Churn ? of people and businesses ? has always defined America. Nobody subsidized U.S. Steel or the automaker Packard in the belief that the world without them was unthinkable.
Coming to the United States from Europe, I found this constant reinvention bracing. Look at the top 40 companies by market capitalization in Europe and most have been there for decades. Not in the United States, land of Google and eBay. Churn requires death as well as birth. The artificial preservation of the inert dampens the quest for the new.
I loved this story about this dude who makes super strong steel mailboxes out of 12 gague steel and 6x6" post. These are for people who are sick of having teenagers trash theirs. Here's also a store that sells more vandal "resistant" models.
I replaced 6 mailboxes destroyed by vandals before purchasing a Veeders mailbox. We've had it now for some 12 or so years, and have often been awakened in the middle of the night with the sound of a ball bat, pipe or some other implement hitting the box, followed shortly thereafter by a scream.
This really blew me away. Apple sells a studio and live performance software called Logic Studio. Man dos it look cool. I'm not a musician (by any stretch) but I can certainly recognize and amazing piece of software. Click on the Main Stage movie on the screen to be amazed. With this US$500 piece of software, a MacPro, some specialized digital I/O hardware, and MIDI compatible instruments, your Mac can drive studio as well as live production high-quality audio. Absolutely amazing.
First off a quick note. Just listening to Coldplay's awesome X&Y album. Just amazing. Causes me to max out the volume every time. Well done.
So you take a picture of something you see
In the future where will I be?
You can climb a ladder up to the sun
Or a write a song nobody has sung
Or do something that's never been done
Do something that's never been done

December 5, 2008

Oh boy do I want one of these. BMW is building a limited edition electric Mini. My next car will be electric. I'd buy this if I could in an instant but most likely I can't have one. Other sources: autobloggreen, Popular Mechanics. :-(.
That's a mighty big battery to stuff into something so small as a Mini, so the Mini E ditches the back seat. The two-seater EV weighs in at a 3,230 pounds ? some 596 pounds more than the standard Mini ? but because the added heft is in the middle of the car, BMW says, the Mini E has a 50-50 weight distribution. The suspension has been beefed up to handle the added weight, and BMW promises "the Mini E sports the brand's hallmark agility and outstanding handling."
BMW is building the cars at the Mini plant in Oxford, England, then shipping them to Munich to install the battery and electric drivetrain. All 500 should be ready to go by the end of the year, and they'll roll into customers' driveways as early as next year next year. "Putting the Mini E on the road on a daily basis will be a pioneering feat to which both the drivers and engineers of the first zero-emissions Mini will contribute as a team."

December 4, 2008

Interesting piece entitled the 10 Big Energy Myths. It's pretty balanced so I approve. It tries to address some of the top issues including: 1) solar power is too expensive 2) wind power is too unreliable 3) nuclear power is cheaper...
Batteries still need to become cheaper and quicker to charge, but the UK's largest manufacturer of electric vehicles says that advances are happening faster than ever before. Its urban delivery van has a range of over 100 miles, accelerates to 70mph and has running costs of just over 1p per mile. The cost of the diesel equivalent is probably 20 times as much.
New "hybrid" technology combines battery systems in combination with "ultra-capacitors" will enable hybrid and electric vehicles to better utilize batteries to get better range and lifetime. The idea is to utilize capacitors for the high charge and draw needs of excelleration and braking and then draw from the batteries at lower current levels. This lowers the amount of resistive heating which can damage battery banks. Other source: AFS Trinity press release.
"When a battery in a plug in hybrid is subjected to high current demands, which occurs every time the vehicle accelerates, either from a stop light or while merging from an on-ramp onto a freeway, resistive heating occurs in the battery. This resistive heating can easily become excessive with stop and go driving. Such excessive resistive heating damages a battery, and, in some cases can destroy it. In any event this phenomenon reduces the number of miles that can be driven during the life of the battery. In our system, however, the high current demand events are handled by the ultracapacitor, allowing the battery essentially to coast. Between such high current events, the battery trickled power into the ultracap, so that when the next acceleration occurs the ultracap is ready to handle it," [AFS Trinity CEO Edward Furia] said.
Unfortunately Vectrix, the electric maxi-scooter company is having problems. I really want one of these. Need to sign up for the motorcycle course in MA. Hope to do this in the Spring.
Unlike the putt-putt scooters sold in Asia, which often max out at 30 m.p.h. (48 km/h), Vectrix has to meet the demands of speed-obsessed Americans. Styled like a motorcycle, the V1 goes from 0 to 50 m.p.h. in 6.8 sec., has a maximum speed of 62 m.p.h. and travels up to 65 miles between charges. It's also the only electric scooter that is legal to drive on the freeway in the U.S. and Europe. Weighing in at 500 lb. (200 of which come from its massive nickel metal hydride batteries), the $8,750 aluminum-frame bike even has regenerative braking, which uses the energy absorbed by braking to recharge the batteries. That's the same technology used in hybrid cars like the Toyota Prius.
Michelin has produced an "affordable" active electric wheel with motor, electrical suspension, and shock absorption all built in.
A 7 kilogram (14.4 pound) in-wheel motor forms the heart of the Michelin Active Wheel. Packing in a sophisticated active shock absorption system, with its own dedicated motor, and disk braking brings the wheel to a hefty 43 kg (95 pounds). But Michelin Director for Sustainable Development and Mobility of the Future, Patrick Oliva points out in Die Welt that the unsprung weight in the Heuliez Will is 35 kg (77 pounds) on the front axle and 24 kg (53 pounds) on the rear, noting for comparison that the small Renault Clio has 38 kg of unsprung weight on its front axle. With battery packs on board, the prototype Heuliez Will weighs in at 900 kg, 75 kg less than the Opel Agila.
Looks like some companies are starting to produce Zinc fuel cells what utilize zinc as a fuel to provide energy and charge electronic gadgets. This is an alternative to lithium-ion or hydrogen fuel cells.
Zinc is already used in many products, including batteries, and it is abundant. It has high energy density, which means that batteries or fuel cells can pack more power into a given space compared to other batteries based on other chemistries, [Power Air CEO Don Ceci] said. It's also safe, and the material can be recycled, he said.
So it's been a while since I did this -- not sure exactly why it's been so long. I certainly dove into a start-up for a while where I worked harder than I've ever done before. But we've throttled back for 6+ months now so I have no excuse except I've been out of practice. Oh well. I've got a list of URLs I've been meaning to blog. I'll try to do a couple every day and keep up with new stuff. Here we go....

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