Yesterday morning, I read part of this past Sunday's New York Times while eating my breakfast before heading to my part time job. Having recently moved to a new apartment, every Sunday the Times shows up on my doorstep and sits there for at least two or three days, at which point it finds our way into our kitchen because no one else has claimed it.
I had never read the Times before, so I figured I'd give it a try. If you have never read it either, I would advise bringing a backpack or a suitcase with you if you planning on travelling anywhere with it. While I found the articles to be quite intriguing, I must say better than The Boston Globe, a paper I read more frequently, I couldn't help my gaulk at the size of this newspaper. It starts off with the usual front page headlines and the first section, mostly comprised of articles related to international happenings. I soon realized that there were two different large sections, each with probably four sections of their own. When I had picked up the paper on the porch, I thought there must have been two copies. I now realized, while sucking down my morning cup of joe, that these weren't two copies. This was all one paper.
So I started flipping through the pages. Section one, we'll call it, had the front page section, "New York", "Sports Sunday", and "Sunday Styles", an editorials section, and for everyone who missed the weekly editions, the "Week in Review"for a total of 92 pages. And thats just section one so stay with me here.
Section two contains: "Art and Leisure", "Travel", the weekly "Book Review", and if regular newspaper sections weren't enough, they have two different magazines, "The New York Times Magazine" and "The New York Times Style Magazine", both printed in color. Oh, I forgot a small clothing company ad book that is "an exclusive offer for NYT readers. This section tallied a whopping 308 pages! All in all, the contents of the paper totaled 400 pages, and the thing has to weigh close to five pounds.
So I got thinking, who actually has the time to read this entire paper in one day? It would take the average reader more than a day to get through it all. And better yet, since I doubt every subscriber does, there must be an enormous amount of paper that gets printed every week that will likely find its way to a landfill, or really numerous landfills all around the country, without ever have been read.
With all that, it's really no surprise that printed media has fell by the wayside while things like Kindle and online news have surged in popularity. There is little waste (don't forget that the electricity or batteries used to get your news this way probably comes from a coal plant), and instead of flipping through these four hundred pages, the reader has what he wants when he wants it. And the thing that I enjoy about reading my news online is that, when I come across something that I've never heard of or I think is a little suspiscious (notice how many newspaper articles rarely reveal where they got their information? that just leads me to believe they are making most of it up), I can just open another browser and dig a little deeper. You can't do that with a physical newspaper.
Moral of the story is, printed news is a thing of the past. Its wasteful, expensive, and not the most user friendly. If newspaper companies really wanted to get creative, they could send you a recyclable media device that you could pop in a computer and access stuff that no one else can. Sort of a digital subscription to your doorstep (or inbox). Just a thought, but my point is that unless they creative at making money in some way, their ability to compete with e-news is only going to get worse.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Back At It
Hey Everone. So for those of you who don't know, I took this past summer to do some traveling around the United States, seeing a baseball game at every MLB stadium (yes, all 30). That is the reason for having not published my everyday thoughts since February, but you can check out the blog from the trip here: The Baseball Fan's Trip of a Lifetime .
So most of my posts of the past were focused on energy or politics. While I'm going to continue that, I'm planning on writing more about other things that come to mind and less about politics. You know, the things you think about while riding the T or walking down the sidewalk. These are often the things that interest me the most, everyday social interactions that often go in one ear and out the other. I still have strong interests in our energy situation, but I've recently started a masters program in Energy Systems, so that is already occupying enough time in my daily thoughts. You gotta keep the brain fresh by allowing some time for thoughts completely unrelated to "work" thoughts. And politics. Well, frankly I'm pretty sick of seeing the propaganda and mudslinging on television, especially now as the gubernatorial campaign is in full swing here in Massachusetts.
Happy readings.
So most of my posts of the past were focused on energy or politics. While I'm going to continue that, I'm planning on writing more about other things that come to mind and less about politics. You know, the things you think about while riding the T or walking down the sidewalk. These are often the things that interest me the most, everyday social interactions that often go in one ear and out the other. I still have strong interests in our energy situation, but I've recently started a masters program in Energy Systems, so that is already occupying enough time in my daily thoughts. You gotta keep the brain fresh by allowing some time for thoughts completely unrelated to "work" thoughts. And politics. Well, frankly I'm pretty sick of seeing the propaganda and mudslinging on television, especially now as the gubernatorial campaign is in full swing here in Massachusetts.
Happy readings.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Smelling The Roses
Last night I read an article "How America Can Rise Again" by James Fallows in The Atlantic. After spending three years in China, Fallows returns to America, astounded by the differences in everyday life between the two countries. He compares the general wealth and cleanliness of America and the many things we often take for granted. The funny thing is, we're in the middle of a recession (or, technically just coming out of one).
I had a similar experience two summers ago in returning from Egypt. I was only there for six weeks, but I immediately began to realize upon my return to the States how much I had taken for granted in the twenty years leading up to this point. For those who have never been outside the country to see other lands and cultures, I kind of like to compare it to someone who was born on an deserted island and never has never left. You don't really know what else is out there unless you just go see for yourself. It's just that our island is a really big one.
Reading this article got me thinking...maybe this recession is somewhat of a blessing in disguise. I completely understand that a lot of people are going through rough times right now and struggling to get by. And I hope that those who are unemployed or can't put food on the table for their kids will soon find comfort in their everyday lives. But, when the market crashed and things turned for the worse, many others finally smelt those roses as the "sure bet" investments they had came crashing down upon them. They finally realized what its like to not be able to live such extravagant and unyielding lifestyles. Maybe this recession will remind those who never did before of the fact that a good chunk of the world's population would give everything they had for just a day in our shoes. If you've never experienced this feeling first hand, I highly encourage it. It is almost a certainty that you'll return to the daily grind and begin to see what used to seem so normal in quite an astonishingly different way.
I think that a little self reflection and assessment is a really good thing. Sometimes you need to step back and look around a little before you can continue moving forward. With that said, I hope the steps that America has taken back over the last couple years helps us to understand the fact that a lot of things can be improved or done differently in this country before allowing ourselves to take those steps forward.
I had a similar experience two summers ago in returning from Egypt. I was only there for six weeks, but I immediately began to realize upon my return to the States how much I had taken for granted in the twenty years leading up to this point. For those who have never been outside the country to see other lands and cultures, I kind of like to compare it to someone who was born on an deserted island and never has never left. You don't really know what else is out there unless you just go see for yourself. It's just that our island is a really big one.
Reading this article got me thinking...maybe this recession is somewhat of a blessing in disguise. I completely understand that a lot of people are going through rough times right now and struggling to get by. And I hope that those who are unemployed or can't put food on the table for their kids will soon find comfort in their everyday lives. But, when the market crashed and things turned for the worse, many others finally smelt those roses as the "sure bet" investments they had came crashing down upon them. They finally realized what its like to not be able to live such extravagant and unyielding lifestyles. Maybe this recession will remind those who never did before of the fact that a good chunk of the world's population would give everything they had for just a day in our shoes. If you've never experienced this feeling first hand, I highly encourage it. It is almost a certainty that you'll return to the daily grind and begin to see what used to seem so normal in quite an astonishingly different way.
I think that a little self reflection and assessment is a really good thing. Sometimes you need to step back and look around a little before you can continue moving forward. With that said, I hope the steps that America has taken back over the last couple years helps us to understand the fact that a lot of things can be improved or done differently in this country before allowing ourselves to take those steps forward.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Good Morning.
So it's been a while since my last post...mainly because classes have started up again. Let's just say this semester isn't the most relaxing.
Most of my posts on this blog have discussed energy, but I didn't start this blog just to write about energy, so I'm going to start writing about some fresh topics on my mind, starting with this one.
I'll start with something that I've been thinking more and more about walking around the city. When was the last time you were walking around the city (Boston is all I can really speak of) and said "Hey" or "Good morning" to a complete stranger. When was the last time someone said this to you? I'll bet it's been a while. Maybe it's just me, but instead it seems like everyone is walking around like they lost their dog and forgot how to whistle, trying to avoid all physical communication with the strangers around them. What's the deal? Everyone's always in such a hurry, and its understandable because, yes, life is busy. But how long does it really take to voice a friendly greeting to a passerby or two? Give it a try, I bet it'll make your day a little bit better.
A few months ago, I was taking a bus to Bourne and starting talking randomly to two older women from Kansas City who were here visiting for a weekend. They seemed to be in awe of the fact that someone from Boston was actually friendly enough to carry on a random conversation just for the hell of it. I used to think that this was a common misconception, because in general I think people in Boston are chill. But, unless you've been here for a while, its pretty easy to get the impression that people here really are assholes. So, next time you're out and about, maybe you'll think about this and see what I mean. Or, maybe you'll just say "Good Morning."
Most of my posts on this blog have discussed energy, but I didn't start this blog just to write about energy, so I'm going to start writing about some fresh topics on my mind, starting with this one.
I'll start with something that I've been thinking more and more about walking around the city. When was the last time you were walking around the city (Boston is all I can really speak of) and said "Hey" or "Good morning" to a complete stranger. When was the last time someone said this to you? I'll bet it's been a while. Maybe it's just me, but instead it seems like everyone is walking around like they lost their dog and forgot how to whistle, trying to avoid all physical communication with the strangers around them. What's the deal? Everyone's always in such a hurry, and its understandable because, yes, life is busy. But how long does it really take to voice a friendly greeting to a passerby or two? Give it a try, I bet it'll make your day a little bit better.
A few months ago, I was taking a bus to Bourne and starting talking randomly to two older women from Kansas City who were here visiting for a weekend. They seemed to be in awe of the fact that someone from Boston was actually friendly enough to carry on a random conversation just for the hell of it. I used to think that this was a common misconception, because in general I think people in Boston are chill. But, unless you've been here for a while, its pretty easy to get the impression that people here really are assholes. So, next time you're out and about, maybe you'll think about this and see what I mean. Or, maybe you'll just say "Good Morning."
Monday, December 21, 2009
Hybrids
Transportation is the second largest cause of CO2 emissions in the US. As our population continues to grow, this will only increase. Furthermore, as developing nations like China, India and others become more and more industrialized, the need for transportation will exponentially grow throughout the globe. This obviously creates a need for vehicles that are more efficient and emit fewer (or zero) GHGs. Also, developing vehicles less dependent on oil will help to diversify our energy portfolio, lessening our reliance on foreign resources.
My current senior design project at Northeastern is related to the automobile industry, forcing me to conduct a great deal of research and learn quite a bit about hybrid vehicle technology. Surprisingly, there are quite a few options out there for vehicles that aren't completely driven by an internal combustion engine (ICE).
Some of the major alternatives to these ICE vehicles are categorized as the following: electric vehicles (EVs), hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), and hybrid hydraulic vehicles (HHVs), and more recently fuel cell vehicles (FCVs).
One of the best resources I have found for analysis of alternative vehicle technology is The State of the Art of Electric, Hybrid and Fuel Cell Vehicles, written by C.C. Chan, a fellow of the International Association of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).
Electric Vehicles
At the start of the industrial revolution, many thought the electric vehicle(EV) would become the primary mode of transportation. In fact, the first car ever made by Ferdinand Porsche was an EV, built in 1898. However, limitations with battery technology at the time and developments in the mining of fossil fuels allowed combustion engines to reign supreme for the next century. In the future, electric vehicles provide the most opportunity for emissions free personal transportation. However, I don't think they are the best solution for the time being.
EVs use battery technology to store energy in the form electicity and then utilize this to power an electric motor for propulsion. The car itself uses zero oil, gasoline or fossil fuels. But, the reason why I don't think EVs are the best solution today is because the majority of our electricity is generated from coal run power plants or from other fossil fuels. We do need to develop our battery technology, but this should not be our primary focus. We must first fund the development of other clean energy technologies like wind, solar, nuclear, gasification and developing a more capable electric grid. Once this is done and the majority of our electricity is derived from clean resources, EVs will then be the appropriate solution. If we develop these EVs first without adapting the source of our electricity, it will appear like we are reducing our dependence on fossil fuels, when in fact we're not.
EVs on the market today use lithium-ion batteries and have a range on the order of 100 to 150 miles per charge. However, eventually these batteries will need to be replaced, a cause for concern due their cost, as well as the fact that lithium is an alkali metal that is also a limited resource. While EVs have a very promising future, we shouldn't be throwing all of our eggs in this basket until we can adequately support this technology.
Hybrid Electric Vehicles
The majority of hybrids you seen on the road today are likely hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs). The Toyota Prius and Honda Civic Hybrid, for instance, are HEVs. I'd be willing to bet that a large portion of automobile users don't even really know what "hybrid" infers, however.
In laymen's terms, an HEV combines an electric motor with an ICE to generate power. The technology is actually fairly sophisticated and pretty incredible. HEVs can be arranged in various configurations, primarily "in series" or "in parallel".
Series means that the mechanical output of the ICE is first converted to electricity through a generator and then fed through the electric motor to accelerate the car. This actually makes it an ICE assisted EV, as the electric motor becomes the primary propulsion unit. However, the efficiency of this system is usually lower due to the use of two systems in series. This system allows the car to run on the electric motor alone (powered by batteries), the ICE alone, or both in series.
A parallel HEV is somewhat different. Here, the electric motor and ICE are separated, and then indivicually linked to the driveshaft using two clutches. This makes it an electrically assisted ICE vehicle as opposed to the series setup. The electric motor can charge the battery through regenerative braking or by absorbing power from the ICE when it generates more than the required load. This is a more simple setup than a series vehicle, as a generator is not required. The majority of hybrids on the road today are parallel HEVs. The electric motors for these vehicles range from 2.5kW at 12V ("micro" hybrids) to 50kW at 200-300V (full hybrids, i.e. the Prius). The Honda Insight is somewhere in between and classified as a "mild hybrid" (10-20kW motor at 100-200V). Most hybrids on the road can be fueled at gas station, but there are some that can be plugged into the electric grid to power the batters (plug-in HEV, PHEVs). A PHEV has a range of about 18-36 miles when only running on the electric motor. This virtually makes it a limited range EV, and is the most efficient when you only need to drive short distances.
Difficulties with all HEVs are assosiated with the cost as well as limitations in the batteries. However, recent improvements have been made in each of these areas. In fact, the 3rd generation Toyota Prius starts at only $22,000 and boasts 51/48 mpg (city/hwy).
Fuel Cell Vehicles (to be continued...)
My current senior design project at Northeastern is related to the automobile industry, forcing me to conduct a great deal of research and learn quite a bit about hybrid vehicle technology. Surprisingly, there are quite a few options out there for vehicles that aren't completely driven by an internal combustion engine (ICE).
Some of the major alternatives to these ICE vehicles are categorized as the following: electric vehicles (EVs), hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), and hybrid hydraulic vehicles (HHVs), and more recently fuel cell vehicles (FCVs).
One of the best resources I have found for analysis of alternative vehicle technology is The State of the Art of Electric, Hybrid and Fuel Cell Vehicles, written by C.C. Chan, a fellow of the International Association of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).
Electric Vehicles
At the start of the industrial revolution, many thought the electric vehicle(EV) would become the primary mode of transportation. In fact, the first car ever made by Ferdinand Porsche was an EV, built in 1898. However, limitations with battery technology at the time and developments in the mining of fossil fuels allowed combustion engines to reign supreme for the next century. In the future, electric vehicles provide the most opportunity for emissions free personal transportation. However, I don't think they are the best solution for the time being.
EVs use battery technology to store energy in the form electicity and then utilize this to power an electric motor for propulsion. The car itself uses zero oil, gasoline or fossil fuels. But, the reason why I don't think EVs are the best solution today is because the majority of our electricity is generated from coal run power plants or from other fossil fuels. We do need to develop our battery technology, but this should not be our primary focus. We must first fund the development of other clean energy technologies like wind, solar, nuclear, gasification and developing a more capable electric grid. Once this is done and the majority of our electricity is derived from clean resources, EVs will then be the appropriate solution. If we develop these EVs first without adapting the source of our electricity, it will appear like we are reducing our dependence on fossil fuels, when in fact we're not.
EVs on the market today use lithium-ion batteries and have a range on the order of 100 to 150 miles per charge. However, eventually these batteries will need to be replaced, a cause for concern due their cost, as well as the fact that lithium is an alkali metal that is also a limited resource. While EVs have a very promising future, we shouldn't be throwing all of our eggs in this basket until we can adequately support this technology.
Hybrid Electric Vehicles
The majority of hybrids you seen on the road today are likely hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs). The Toyota Prius and Honda Civic Hybrid, for instance, are HEVs. I'd be willing to bet that a large portion of automobile users don't even really know what "hybrid" infers, however.
In laymen's terms, an HEV combines an electric motor with an ICE to generate power. The technology is actually fairly sophisticated and pretty incredible. HEVs can be arranged in various configurations, primarily "in series" or "in parallel".
Series means that the mechanical output of the ICE is first converted to electricity through a generator and then fed through the electric motor to accelerate the car. This actually makes it an ICE assisted EV, as the electric motor becomes the primary propulsion unit. However, the efficiency of this system is usually lower due to the use of two systems in series. This system allows the car to run on the electric motor alone (powered by batteries), the ICE alone, or both in series.
A parallel HEV is somewhat different. Here, the electric motor and ICE are separated, and then indivicually linked to the driveshaft using two clutches. This makes it an electrically assisted ICE vehicle as opposed to the series setup. The electric motor can charge the battery through regenerative braking or by absorbing power from the ICE when it generates more than the required load. This is a more simple setup than a series vehicle, as a generator is not required. The majority of hybrids on the road today are parallel HEVs. The electric motors for these vehicles range from 2.5kW at 12V ("micro" hybrids) to 50kW at 200-300V (full hybrids, i.e. the Prius). The Honda Insight is somewhere in between and classified as a "mild hybrid" (10-20kW motor at 100-200V). Most hybrids on the road can be fueled at gas station, but there are some that can be plugged into the electric grid to power the batters (plug-in HEV, PHEVs). A PHEV has a range of about 18-36 miles when only running on the electric motor. This virtually makes it a limited range EV, and is the most efficient when you only need to drive short distances.
Difficulties with all HEVs are assosiated with the cost as well as limitations in the batteries. However, recent improvements have been made in each of these areas. In fact, the 3rd generation Toyota Prius starts at only $22,000 and boasts 51/48 mpg (city/hwy).
Fuel Cell Vehicles (to be continued...)
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Needs and Desires
It being the holidays and all, I've been reminded about how much "stuff" people buy. Sure, it's nice to have a new t.v. once in a while or a new pair of shoes. It's a nice feeling. But, in reality, most of this "stuff" at one point or another turns into waste. As I walked around Boston yesterday, I couldn't help but be amazed at the swarms of people literally running from store to store to buy somebody the latest iPhone or the new Jordans or this or that. Do we really need all of this stuff? Or do the constant reminders of a media-based society obsessed with Gizelle and Tom just make us think we do? There's obviously no straight answer to this, but I'm going to try anyway.
The majority of my posts have been related to energy so far. You may think this is unrelated, but in my mind it's very closely related. Let me explain...
I just finished re-reading Mitch Albom's Tuesday's With Morrie. It reminded me about how often people, in this country at least, confuse the things they really need with the things they want. Being in Egypt for six weeks last summer was an eye opening experience, and I realized how much we really do take for granted in this country. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying we need to go back to the stone age here. People work very hard in this country and deserve to spend their money however they please. But, at the same time, its difficult to deal with the fact that a substantial percentage of the world's population is struggling to find food or clean water from day to day, yet millions, if not billions, of tons of waste are disposed of in America alone each year.
In my opinion, I believe a lot of people in this country value materialistic things more than they do the other parts of life. One can have all of the nicest things in the world, but I don't think anyone will be truly happy unless they value the un-measureable qualities of life like family, health, self-confidence, and having a basic appreciation for the well-being of others and not just yourself.
I'm sure a lot of people would tell me, "It's not that simple". But I think it really is.
The confusion of things we need with things we desire also lead to an enormous amount of material waste that, at the present time, primarily gets deposited in landfills. Landfills are one of the largest emitters of GHG's and until we redevelop how we manufacture, re-use, and recycle products to eliminate waste, I believe this confusion has a direct impact on the environment. Let's be honest, the human population has an unbelievable demand for energy of all kinds. And, as our population continues to grow, the amount of stuff we buy will only increase.
All in all, I think a primary cause of a lot of this is because many people don't think and act with a "global" perspective in mind. Your actions will always have consequences. Instead of pushing them aside for someone else to deal with, we will all be better off if we deal with them ourselves.
The majority of my posts have been related to energy so far. You may think this is unrelated, but in my mind it's very closely related. Let me explain...
I just finished re-reading Mitch Albom's Tuesday's With Morrie. It reminded me about how often people, in this country at least, confuse the things they really need with the things they want. Being in Egypt for six weeks last summer was an eye opening experience, and I realized how much we really do take for granted in this country. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying we need to go back to the stone age here. People work very hard in this country and deserve to spend their money however they please. But, at the same time, its difficult to deal with the fact that a substantial percentage of the world's population is struggling to find food or clean water from day to day, yet millions, if not billions, of tons of waste are disposed of in America alone each year.
In my opinion, I believe a lot of people in this country value materialistic things more than they do the other parts of life. One can have all of the nicest things in the world, but I don't think anyone will be truly happy unless they value the un-measureable qualities of life like family, health, self-confidence, and having a basic appreciation for the well-being of others and not just yourself.
I'm sure a lot of people would tell me, "It's not that simple". But I think it really is.
The confusion of things we need with things we desire also lead to an enormous amount of material waste that, at the present time, primarily gets deposited in landfills. Landfills are one of the largest emitters of GHG's and until we redevelop how we manufacture, re-use, and recycle products to eliminate waste, I believe this confusion has a direct impact on the environment. Let's be honest, the human population has an unbelievable demand for energy of all kinds. And, as our population continues to grow, the amount of stuff we buy will only increase.
All in all, I think a primary cause of a lot of this is because many people don't think and act with a "global" perspective in mind. Your actions will always have consequences. Instead of pushing them aside for someone else to deal with, we will all be better off if we deal with them ourselves.
We're Sustainable! (Not Really)
A very fitting quote I heard today about the sudden craze to be sustainable:
"Sustainability is like having sex in high school. Everyone says they do it. Most people are lying, and the ones who actually do aren't very good at it."
"Sustainability is like having sex in high school. Everyone says they do it. Most people are lying, and the ones who actually do aren't very good at it."
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