The US Economy - Not So Good

Think that we are in the beginnings of an economic recovery? Ambrose Evans-Pritchard of the Telegraph doesn't think so.

The Internet and Thinking

Neil Tweedie (it's his real name) has written an article in the Telegraph about how our use of the internet may reshape our brains and leads to shallow thinking.

Tesla Motors Going Public with IPO

Elon Musk is putting it all on the line with the first IPO for an American car company since Ford went public in 1956. It is wealthy man's auto, but I hope they make it. Mass production will be the only way to get the price down where the masses can afford to take the plunge.

7 Myths About Grilling A Steak

Here is something for all you carnivores out there in search of the perfect grilled beef steak. May I add that IMHO, the best off-the-shelf marinade is Moore's brand? Also, grass fed beef is better but may be hard to find and more expensive than the typical grain fed beef.

The Deepwater Horizon Well May Be Damaged

Here is an informative article published Friday in The Times-Picayune about the limited options that are available in trying to stop the worst environmental disaster this nation has seen to date.

It seems that BP was cutting corners when they ran out of well casings down near the oil reservoir and started using flimsy liners instead. Let's see, they were more than 30,000 ft deep in the ocean floor where temperatures are in excess of 500 deg. F. and pressures up to 70,000 psi, and they begin to do things that common sense tells you is untested and potentially dangerous.

Solar Hydrogen House

Watch this short video to learn about Michael Strizki's solar hydrogen house in NJ. He uses solar power to convert water into hydrogen (using an electrylser) which he then stores in 10 x 1,000 gal propane tanks. He then uses the hydrogen in those tanks to power his house through the winter. He also has a 15 year old geothermal system which helps heat and cool his home. The heat extracted from the air conditioning system is used to heat his hot water.

This is no doubt an expensive system. This guy doesn't appear to be a millionaire but I can certainly think of worse things to invest in. One negative is that once you build this, you probably would not have much incentive to move.

Wake Up and "Smell" The Methane

From Dr. Joseph Mercola:

We haven't heard much about the massive quantities of methane gas spewing out from BP's leak.

Given that the mixture belching forth is roughly half methane and other gases by mass, shouldn't we be concerned about the potential effects on climate, since methane is 26 more times as potent a greenhouse gas as carbon dioxide?

Methane is a large enough part of the leak that some have even suggested using it to measure how much crude has been released, since tracking methane is easier than tracking oil in seawater.

Downhole Leak in the GOM - Relief Well Is Our Only Chance

Most people are not getting the full and disturbing information on the GOM runaway oil leak from the mainstream media. No wonder. After you read this, you will understand why. Things are not going well and they are not likely to improve anytime soon. I would like to be optimistic about the outcome, but it is difficult to find much hope in this fiasco.

BP may have punctured a critical barrier in the earth's crust. There may be a vast amount of oil deeper than anyone ever dreamed (this oil may be of non-biological origin). The technology we have may be just too puny to deal with oil at temperatures in excess of 500 deg. F and pressures up to 70,000 psi.

"Kill Switch" Proposed for the Internet in the USA

Typically, I do not make overt political postings in this blog, but this item of idiocy needs some exposure. I suppose that intentions like this are the reason the Tea Parties have sprung up over the last year or so.