What technology manly unused?

[Jeremy Driscoll]

I was watching a movie the other day that I have seen before, but thought why not. It is called "Who killed the electric car?".

It is a great movie that basically reminds us that although the Nissan Leaf, the volt, the prius, tesla, ect. all are electric cars in some form (as prius is hybrid), it reminds us that despite the fact that these cars are already here, that this technology has been around in some form already for quite some time now.

And it angers me that we live in a world where despite this technology existing for over a decade and more, that we still majority wise only use gas.

Ironically on the same day, I heard about a way to grow you know what, using aquaponics for the first time. I was shocked at how it seems to be the perfect way to grow yet you do not need to buy plant nutrients, and you don't ever need to clean the tank also you get to have fish with the roots which I love.

So I went on to rollitup.org where I get all most of my learning of growing in soil, hydroponics, ect. But I could barely find any real good information on it. I was able to find a lot of information on everything else, but not this.

This reminded me how I felt when I heard about 420 grow pots. I was amazed at how it was the only system that seemed as easy as it was, but also as cheap on nutrients and everything else.

But just like with the 420 grow pots I was barely able to find any real good information when compared to finding information on everything else regarded to grow with.


So my question is this to everyone reading.

What other amazing technology do you the reader find amazing but yet can't believe is not used more often if not as often as other technology when compared?

So far I'll start the list with:

Electric cars compared to gas.
Vaporizers compared to combustion.
420 grow potting and now aquaponics and dwc compared to fogponics, soil, coco.

Oh and plug n play solar panel with inverter. I love it. I have a 100 watt panel that I just love to place standing up in the bedroom window since I keep that window closed, locked, and blinds closed any ways. No installation with screws, nails, adhesive or anything. Just use my hands. Put it in a window. Done. Any one else use these? I like the idea of know that the electric bill goes down. And all I need which I already have is an easy plug n play inverter that the panel plugs in and then plug the inverter into the any wall outlet. And if I ever want to get more panels and more inverters I can. And I am still using city power so no need to change any wiring. No wiring. No permits. Nothing. Is it legal? I don't know and jimmy crack corn and I don't care one bit.

All I know is it is a great way to subliment as much power as I can with the panel and the inverter, and I don't have to use any permits, electricians or anything other then what I have, and I can and am also using city electric for anything the panel can't power on it's own. Which is a lot considering this is only one panel of 100 watts.

Your turn.

 

[Caligula]

I hate that documentary for a few reasons however it may be easiest to simply point out how dated it is.

That being said, three other points.

1. The EV1 was a piece of shit compared to most automobiles made at the time, in almost every respect.

2. Believe it or not the first electric car was made in 1888. No thats not a typo, Google it.

3. You should read this:

http://m.spectrum.ieee.org/energy/renewables/unclean-at-any-speed

About the Author

The author of the book Green Illusions, Ozzie Zehner was working for GM when it “killed” its EV1 electric car. A plug-in advocate at the time, he later realized that electrifying cars just trades one set of environmental problems for another. Zehner is now a visiting scholar at the University of California, Berkeley.

A Norwegian study published last October in the Journal of Industrial Ecology compared life-cycle impacts of electric vehicles. The researchers considered acid rain, airborne particulates, water pollution, smog, and toxicity to humans, as well as depletion of fossil fuel and mineral resources. According to coauthor Anders Stromman, “electric vehicles consistently perform worse or on par with modern internal combustion engine vehicles, despite virtually zero direct emissions during operation.”

.

 

[Jeremy Driscoll]

So electric cars aren't better than gas alone cars?

 

[Caligula]

Define better

 

[Jeremy Driscoll]

Cheaper? Cheaper to maintain? Cheaper to refuel? Easier to maintain? Enough seating for two. Maybe Environment.

 

[treeman]

I don't rate electric cars, I think that due to the fact the electricity we use to fuel them almost entirely comes from fossil fuels that electric cars are, at present, worse for the environment then straight up petrol ones. That and their limitations on range makes them unappealing to me.
I like your points about aquaponics, it really is awesome technology and I will have a set up one day.
There's lots of technology that should have taken off and didn't. It's just very difficult to get things heard of.

 

[Unconnected]

type writers and fax machines.

Typewriters yes, you cant backspace really, but you save literally 15 mins trying to get a networked laser printer (inkjet, dont even ask) to work. I feel like it balances out. i use a typewriter for most of my writing, often i will type something up in word then retype it using the typewriter. Fuck automatic printers, i am way more reliable.

proper phone line fax machines are good because i will propose to you this situation; someone sends you a document and needs you to either sign it, fill in a form or comment on it and make notes and tell them what you think.On a computer to do this, you need to enter this information using a pdf or word document program, , forget it, that shit is so fucking clunky and crap you just dont want to go there. Ever tried to make a form in PDF? what if you need to sign? fill in print scan and email? are you serious? at the very least printing the document, filling in with pen and scanning, then moving the file around and uploading that file and attaching it to an email.

Ok compared to a fax, document comes in printed ready, you write on it, you load it, you send it.

Seriously computers are fucking overrated for everything besides web pages and video games.

i am 22 if you are wondering if i am just some old coot, im not, i know a lot about computers infact i know so much i have come full circle and realised they are pretty shit in a lot of ways.

EDIT: Oh for anyone paranoid about the NSA spying on you, consider the combination of typewriter and fax vs using a gmail or hotmail...

 

[basement farmer]

By "better" let's assume more efficient.

At this point, no. Electric cars aren't as good as internal combustion.

As long as crude remains relatively inexpensive, gasoline will always rule.

 

[Jeremy Driscoll]

But then why in the movie did they make it seem like the EV1 was perfection in every way?

 

[basement farmer]

But then why in the movie did they make it seem like the EV1 was perfection in every way?

Haven't seen it personally, but based on my experience watching similar documentaries, such as Bowling For Columbine, the producers usually take issues just beyond reason by inflating the facts just enough so that every word is believable. The underlying facts may be correct, but the presentation is distorted by bias. They usually neglect a counter-points too, so the viewer goes away with the message and only the message.

It's propaganda in the same ilk as Fox News except it's usually from a Liberal point of view.

Culture of fear. There's nothing new here.

 

[FrogBoy138]

I think a similar documentary would be Revenge of the electric car. Your in the wrong country for EV technology Most people see it as a political fight. The oil companies have brainwashed most of us.
Over 200,0000 cars catch fire a year nobody cares six Tesla cars catch fire and makes mainstream media eats it up. You want an electric car you gotta build it, cost just over 15K for a kit to convert your car.
I'm Building an electric bicycle cost me about 2K I got $1,300 in the battery alone. Yeah it's junk but to buy this bike pre-build would cost over 10K. In our country EV technology is something so rich people can make a statement about being green or a hobby for nerds.

 

[lwien]

I think a similar documentary would be Revenge of the electric car.

A possessed electric car looking for Revenge, a la Christine, except this one's name is Amber who's really a transsexual looking to be plugged in somewhere...................somehow.

 

[t-dub]

What I want is a flex fuel vehicle that can run on natural gas that I can fill at night in my garage for about $2/gallon and is cleaner for the environment. These cars also have regular fuel tanks which run gas/ethanol for extended range/circumstances . . . the tech exists now.

 

[Elluzion]

Tesla had it down, like 100 years ago, and stupid jp morgan f'd it all up!!

 

[Caligula]

What I want is a flex fuel vehicle that can run on natural gas that I can fill at night in my garage for about $2/gallon and is cleaner for the environment. These cars also have regular fuel tanks which run gas/ethanol for extended range/circumstances . . . the tech exists now.

Flexfuel cars run ethanol or standard gasoline as you stated but CNG powered vehicles are very different and would require quite a bit of modification.

 

[t-dub]

Flexfuel cars run ethanol or standard gasoline as you stated but CNG powered vehicles are very different and would require quite a bit of modification.

I disagree . . . but I should have said Bi-Fuel . . .

---

WASHINGTON -- General Motors said it will sell a version of the Chevrolet Impala sedan with the ability to switch between gasoline and natural gas . . . The dual-fuel Impala . . . will have one engine and two fuel tanks -- one for gasoline and one for compressed natural gas. That means drivers could almost instantly switch between fuels, depending on what is cheap and available.

Read more: http://www.autoweek.com/article/20131016/carnews/131019833

Also: Engines that run on gasoline can run up to 50% ethanol with no modification . . . and from Dr. Bill Wattenburg . . .

must be dual fuel vehicles that run on COMPRESSED NATURAL GAS as well as other fuels such as gasoline, diesel, or ethanol which can be used as a backup. Smart companies and municipalities are already using hundreds of thousands of such natural gas vehicles.

http://wattenburg.us/natgas.html

Some terms defined: http://www.nat-g.com/why-cng/bi-fuel-dual-fuel-dedicated/

Dedicated – A dedicated CNG vehicle is one that runs only on CNG. It can be either a new vehicle with a CNG engine or a repower. In either case, the old fuel tank is normally removed and replaced with CNG Cylinders. This is a great choice for vehicles running predictable routes with access to company-owned fueling stations (for example, Food & Beverage delivery trucks and School Buses).

Mixed Fuel – The EPA calls any vehicle that blends CNG with diesel or other fuels a “mixed” fuel vehicle. In practice, there are some engines – like the Cummins/Westport ISX – that use a small amount of diesel but basically act as dedicated CNG Engines. That is to say, if you run out of CNG your are not going very far. We call these types of vehicles “mixed fuel” and, like dedicated systems, they are a great choice if you have predictable routes and you need the high torque of a heavy duty diesel engine.The main advantage of this system is that it can run 90% or more CNG while retaining many of the operating benefits of diesel. As of now, these are only available in new trucks.

Dual Fuel – Technically, a dual fuel is categorized by the EPA as a “mixed fuel” because it blends natural gas with diesel by injecting it into the turbocharger BUT there is a big difference. On a dual fuel like the American Power Group™ products we discuss here, the vehicle can still run on 100% diesel. That means if you run out of CNG you keep right on going, just like you did in the old days, running on diesel. You keep your existing diesel tanks and install additional CNG cylinders that extend the range. Depending on your load, a dual fuel system will use up to 50% CNG on average. This is a great choice for existing fleet customers that need range and fuel flexibility and do not want to go through the expense of replacing vehicles that have hundreds of thousands of miles remaining in their life.

Bi-Fuel – Bi-fuel systems are also called “switchable” systems because you can switch between gasoline or CNG. Most conversions we do for light duty (new or used trucks) are bi-fuel because they give the customer the best of both worlds. You can run on CNG as long as you have fuel in the tank and switch over to gasoline if you run out. Most modern bi-fuel systems are fully automated, switching to gasoline when they need to and then automatically switching back once the CNG tank is filled. Bi-fuel vehicles come equipped with two fuel gauges and a switch to move from CNG to gasoline if the driver desires.

 

[crawdad]

solar and magnetic energy, they have the power to be big players on the grid yet are not.

 

[Jeremy Driscoll]

solar and magnetic energy, they have the power to be big players on the grid yet are not.

Especially solar. When you have a person like me with zero electrician training who for around 300.00 can plug in solar panels that can give me 3 solar panels that can generate a maximum of up to 300 watts total into any apartment or condo or house or even a mobile home or 5th wheel to help substitute as much as it can to reduce electric bills........ And the fact that. If someone with no training can do it as easy as plugging something in the wall like me then the real question is why isn't the rest of the world of homeowners and condo associations and other apartment dwellers doing more of this also?