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Tech · 01-04-2009, 10:16 AM

just a couple things to throw in for thought. i work for an environmental non-profit and something one of my directors said years ago that always stuck with me is "there is no magic bullet, if anything it's going to be more like magic birdshot." i think this is true of the automotive movement towards getting off petroleum as well as the environmental movement in general.

i also think that while i, personally, feel that this movement is long overdue, it's not going to be an overnight process. all innovation involves risk and failure. i refuse to believe that the things that are being done with ethanol, batteries, hydrogen, etc are any sort of bullshit. we don't have the solution and we don't know where it's going to come from, so i encourage the support of any and all attempts to move us forward. i mean, Benz is considered to be the father of the modern automobile, but would he have even thought of attempting such a thing without having heard about the works (and ultimate failures) of Brown, Morey, Lenoir, Trouvé, Marcus, etc. i mean we talk about the issues with tesla's batteries and hydrogen fuel cells, but really, what do you think people had to say about Rivaz when he built the first internal combustion engine and was like "it's simple, i take hydrogen and oxygen and mix it in this container and make it explode, now why don't you hop on this wooden seat i put on top of it."

I also really like what Jay Leno had to say on Top Gear (in reference to the Honda Clarity):
"Car enthusiasts who think 'aw, this'll be awful,' no it won't. this will save the petrol ... Much like the automobile was the savior of the horse, you know in the cities, at least in America, the horses would be whipped and they'd drop dead. And then when the car came along it freed up the horse to be used for recreational purposes, the beauty of the animal, whatever you want to call it. And i think that these types of cars will be the savior of our sports cars; our MG's, our Porsche's, things like that."

I have cars that i dream of owning one day, all classic gas guzzlers, and i still want there to be some gas left to enjoy them.

01-04-2009, 10:16 AM	#52 (permalink)
Tech Addict Location: Baltimore MD	just a couple things to throw in for thought. i work for an environmental non-profit and something one of my directors said years ago that always stuck with me is "there is no magic bullet, if anything it's going to be more like magic birdshot." i think this is true of the automotive movement towards getting off petroleum as well as the environmental movement in general. i also think that while i, personally, feel that this movement is long overdue, it's not going to be an overnight process. all innovation involves risk and failure. i refuse to believe that the things that are being done with ethanol, batteries, hydrogen, etc are any sort of bullshit. we don't have the solution and we don't know where it's going to come from, so i encourage the support of any and all attempts to move us forward. i mean, Benz is considered to be the father of the modern automobile, but would he have even thought of attempting such a thing without having heard about the works (and ultimate failures) of Brown, Morey, Lenoir, Trouvé, Marcus, etc. i mean we talk about the issues with tesla's batteries and hydrogen fuel cells, but really, what do you think people had to say about Rivaz when he built the first internal combustion engine and was like "it's simple, i take hydrogen and oxygen and mix it in this container and make it explode, now why don't you hop on this wooden seat i put on top of it." I also really like what Jay Leno had to say on Top Gear (in reference to the Honda Clarity): "Car enthusiasts who think 'aw, this'll be awful,' no it won't. this will save the petrol ... Much like the automobile was the savior of the horse, you know in the cities, at least in America, the horses would be whipped and they'd drop dead. And then when the car came along it freed up the horse to be used for recreational purposes, the beauty of the animal, whatever you want to call it. And i think that these types of cars will be the savior of our sports cars; our MG's, our Porsche's, things like that." I have cars that i dream of owning one day, all classic gas guzzlers, and i still want there to be some gas left to enjoy them. __________________ -Tim- ~I swear sometimes i feel like i'm married to a child. ~You better watch who you're calling a child, Lois, cause if i'm a child than you know what that makes you? a pedophile. and i'll be damned if i'm going to stand here and be lectured by a pervert.