Feb 02 2010
Things get expensive from time to time. Right now, with the cold weather, heat is expensive. At other times, being cool is expensive.
Please follow me over the fold to talk about cutting expenses starting now. Most of them will not affect your comfort, but one the most important one just might.
Jan 18 2010
Carbonated water is incredibly common, and, in one form or another, just about everyone drinks it. Sometimes it is enjoyed alone, but often it is mixed with flavoring ingredients. Just about all soft drinks are flavored carbonated water, and in a sense beer, ale, champagne, and spumati are as well, except the traditional carbonation method for the alcoholic drinks is different from that of carbonated water.
Carbonated water with no other ingredients is usually called seltzer in the United States, whilst carbonated water with some added minerals is usually referred to as club soda. Please join me in looking at the history of this material and its unlikely contribution to modern chemistry.
Jan 18 2010
Carbonated water is incredibly common, and, in one form or another, just about everyone drinks it. Sometimes it is enjoyed alone, but often it is mixed with flavoring ingredients. Just about all soft drinks are flavored carbonated water, and in a sense beer, ale, champagne, and spumati are as well, except the traditional carbonation method for the alcoholic drinks is different from that of carbonated water.
Carbonated water with no other ingredients is usually called seltzer in the United States, whilst carbonated water with some added minerals is usually referred to as club soda. Please join me in looking at the history of this material and its unlikely contribution to modern chemistry.
Jan 18 2010
Burning the Midnight Oil for Living Energy Independence
{I’m still sick, so I am going back to a 24 July 2006 dKos post, slightly updated (additions/amendments in braces and italics like this paragraph) to recall why the Sunday Train goes out under the “Living Energy Independence” banner.}
All to often, the idea of Energy Independence has its priorities reversed. Scratch under the surface, and all too often the question lurking is, “How can we get as close as possible to Energy Independence without any real changes in the way we live and move?”
Stop and think about that … really think about it, with your heart instead of your habits of thought. People – good people – are fighting and dying right now in Iraq {and Afghanistan} in a failing occupation, following a successful invasion … in pursuit of a continued Energy Dependence policy.
In your heart, do you think that is a fair price to pay? If you do, do not read any further.
Jan 15 2010
In recent conversation with a friend, we discussed the means by which any organization or group might best enlighten those who cling to bigoted, ignorant, or otherwise offensive points of view. It is a conversation no different from the very same ones we have in a multitude of related corners, spaces where abstract theorizing has to take the place of hard fact. As an anthropologist, my friend is constantly aware of the intersection where intellect and biological construction meet and couches her views from that point. As she puts it, evolution of any sort is a tediously slow process. We have, for example, still not really advanced to the point that we have gotten the hang of this whole walking upright issue. The human body’s propensity to arthritis is but only one of those most visible examples of this fact of reality. If our skeletal construction are but unfinished business, it would stand to reason that many others are too.
Jan 11 2010
It is still cold here in the Bluegrass, as it is in much of the country. The last time that it was freezing or above was at 02:00 on New Year’s Morning. My thermometer right now reads 17.4 degrees F, and it made it up to nearly 30 when the sun came out for a little while this afternoon. There is still snow all over the ground, but the road crews have done a good job with the roads, although two people were killed on the highway off of which I live when it fist started, one only about two miles from me. Drive carefully, please.
Someone asked me the other day why static electricity is so noticeable in winter and not so much so in the summer. I thought this would make a good topic for Pique the Geek, but to understand that it is important to understand what static electricity is in the first place. Please follow for fun and information.
Dec 29 2009
Hello, all! Sorry not to post at the regular time last night, but I was enjoying my final hours with the family this trip and did not intend to disturb them by blogging. Please forgive me, but they are extremely important to me. I am sure that you will understand.
Part of our activities last evening was to watch the new Star Trek motion picture. It recently came out on DVD, and the former Mrs. Translator and the two boys remaining at home rented it for us to watch. It was nice to be able to pause it and hit the good Christmas leftovers from time to time as well.
Dec 28 2009
Burning the Midnight Oil for Living Energy Independence
What is the CEI? It is the “Cost Effectiveness Index”, used to evaluate applications for capital improvements in transit. As described by Yonah Freemark at The Transport Politic:
In reviewing transit capital projects to fund with New Starts grant money, the Federal Transit Administration evaluates proposals from a variety of perspectives. Since 2005, it has placed an overwhelming focus on one criterion, requiring a medium “cost-effectiveness” rating, which values predicted overall travel time saved by commuters likely to use the new service.
… but there’s a problem with that.
Dec 21 2009
The Geek took hiatus last week to attend, and be part of, the marriage between Eldest Son and his very wonderful bride. It was a very traditional Methodist service, and it went off perfectly insofar as no one fainted, no one objected (there was not a “If anyone objects…” clause in this particular service, so no one did.
The Geek also took today off and did not write a scientific column for several reasons. First, I stayed up too late last night reading the news and weather. Second, I could never come up with a good topic for tonight. I will do better for next week, I promise. Third, The Geek has just been feeling a tiny bit under the weather, but not horribly ill or anything.
Dec 21 2009
Burning the Midnight Oil for Living Energy Independence
Doctor Dan Mongiardo, Kentucky’s Lieutenant Governor, has announced that he is running for the Democratic nomination for the Kentucky Senate race, to take on whoever wins the Republican nomination to challenge for the seat that Senator Bunning (R-Big$$$) has announced he is giving up.
Lots of politics to unwrap in that paragraph, which I’ll leave to the political wise-guys. The Sunday Train today is about Dr. Dan’s Rail Plan.
As far as I can tell, Dr. Dan’s Rail Plan has four main parts, and regular readers of the Sunday Train will recognize much from each of the four parts:
Act Blue Page
For those looking to send some snake oil Doctor Dan’s way: Daniel Mongiardo’s Act Blue Page.
Dec 14 2009
Burning the Midnight Oil for Living Energy Independence
Last year, I told VP Joe Biden about the Sustainable Electric High(er) Speed Rail I wanted for Christmas (cf. links below). It involved electrifying the 30,000+ miles of STRACNET, and establishing 100mph Rapid Freight Rail paths, including support for running 110mph or 125mph long haul electric passenger services on the Rapid Freight paths.
In short, I wanted Joe Biden to take Alan Drake’s plan and just fracking DO it.
I didn’t get it for Christmas last year – but then, I guess he was only VP-elect last 25DEC08. The post today is to look at the progress toward the goal. The answer, surprisingly, is that we have made substantial progress. Certainly we are not halfway there, yet, but we are much further along than I expected to see.
Dec 09 2009
So I’m ask of all of you, would it benefit the liberal blogosphere to have some kind of a platform to unite around? I’ll keep it brief, since this should be more of a discussion than a lecture.
Let the navel staring begin!