gkarris
Mar 28, 05:27 PM
Good. I'm all in favor of Apple adding more incentives for devs to embrace the Mac App store. As a consumer I really like the idea of an App Store that makes buying and installing as easy as one click as well as fostering competition between comparable apps.
And not being able to resell it or trade it in... :eek:
And not being able to resell it or trade it in... :eek:
Adidas Addict
Apr 25, 01:36 PM
I don't understand people who think the next iPhone should be called 4S (and some think 4GS, wth?)
I think the reason why Apple called the current generation iPhone 4 because it's the 4th iPhone. Just because they tacked on an 'S' at the end of 3G doesn't mean the next should be 4S.
And even if they DID call it the 4S, the iPhone after that would be iPhone 6, not 5...
Don't you agree?
If it keeps the same design/form factor it will be named the 4*/4** if it's a totally new design it will be iPhone 5.
I think the reason why Apple called the current generation iPhone 4 because it's the 4th iPhone. Just because they tacked on an 'S' at the end of 3G doesn't mean the next should be 4S.
And even if they DID call it the 4S, the iPhone after that would be iPhone 6, not 5...
Don't you agree?
If it keeps the same design/form factor it will be named the 4*/4** if it's a totally new design it will be iPhone 5.
jimthorn
Jan 9, 05:08 PM
No, I mean a link to the actual file, not the streaming version. Some people know how to figure that out. Then it can be watched without choppy streaming when millions of us are watching at the same time.
jetjaguar
Apr 9, 07:04 PM
typophone 4 and typophone weather
It works well with the current jb 4.3.1 since there is little black bar that shows up on lockscreen wallpapers that are not plain black.
thanks
how do you change the weather location .. ive looked everywhere ..
when i click on the actual weather on the lockscreen all i have is maryland and greece ?
It works well with the current jb 4.3.1 since there is little black bar that shows up on lockscreen wallpapers that are not plain black.
thanks
how do you change the weather location .. ive looked everywhere ..
when i click on the actual weather on the lockscreen all i have is maryland and greece ?
more...
dr_lha
Oct 17, 10:06 AM
so it's kind of a mixture here.
1. more capacity -> blu-ray
2. lower price -> hd-dvd
3. porn industry choses the cheapest format -> hd-dvd
the big thing will be the players. blu-ray players had a bad start (frames were dropped, image quality wasn't that good, delays).
it looks like blu-ray will have a hard fight.
The capacity argument was only really important for VHS vs Betamax because of the recording aspect. AFAIK there are no HD-DVD or BluRay recorders right now so essentially the capacity of the disk is meaningless to most people for Movies. Picture quality should be the deciding factor, and much like VHS vs Betamax, most people apparently can't see any real difference between BluRay and HD-DVD.
Really the only thing BluRay has on its side is the PS3.
1. more capacity -> blu-ray
2. lower price -> hd-dvd
3. porn industry choses the cheapest format -> hd-dvd
the big thing will be the players. blu-ray players had a bad start (frames were dropped, image quality wasn't that good, delays).
it looks like blu-ray will have a hard fight.
The capacity argument was only really important for VHS vs Betamax because of the recording aspect. AFAIK there are no HD-DVD or BluRay recorders right now so essentially the capacity of the disk is meaningless to most people for Movies. Picture quality should be the deciding factor, and much like VHS vs Betamax, most people apparently can't see any real difference between BluRay and HD-DVD.
Really the only thing BluRay has on its side is the PS3.
jephrey
Oct 12, 09:32 AM
iBeard, you're assuming that the only thing a larger screen is good for is movies/tv. With a 4" screen on the pod, you have a larger viewing area for more than movies/tv. You have it for games, pictures, chat(when available), text, better view of album artwork, and so on. It may not be for you because you may only use your pod for music, but you gotta admit there's a huge market for it.
J
J
more...
miles01110
Apr 21, 01:30 PM
Exactly rdowns & miles01110. If people can't even adequately vote on a news post, how can we expect this to add any value?
Part of the issue is what defines "adequately voting"? The voting system on the front page is entirely subjective and- in my opinion- adds nothing to the appeal or disappeal of the story. Same for individual posts.
Part of the issue is what defines "adequately voting"? The voting system on the front page is entirely subjective and- in my opinion- adds nothing to the appeal or disappeal of the story. Same for individual posts.
KnightWRX
Apr 8, 01:55 PM
We are all to blame here for jumping.
Who's this we ? My first post in that other thread was questionning the source of the rumor and asking why everyone was taking it as fact without any proof. :D
Use "I" if you must, don't include all of us in your over-reaction.
Who's this we ? My first post in that other thread was questionning the source of the rumor and asking why everyone was taking it as fact without any proof. :D
Use "I" if you must, don't include all of us in your over-reaction.
more...
princealfie
Nov 16, 02:35 PM
Perhaps we can choose between AMD and Intel? more options on the table.
MrSmith
Jan 11, 09:08 PM
...But it is not the business of the press *to set about to* change or influence that which they observe.
Especially not in politics. Oh, no.
Especially not in politics. Oh, no.
more...
Cassie
Jan 16, 09:07 PM
I called it!:D
You sure did. :)
You sure did. :)
cdallen
Mar 19, 06:36 AM
Today I've had some pretty interesting exchanges with other smart phone owners. I personally have an iPhone 4, I've had it for ages and love it. Pretty much everyone else I know has an Android phone of some kind. Now, people are always so damn keen to try and compete with my iPhone! I mean seriously, these people just come out of nowhere! I don't even show it off either, people just see me use it and start coming out with stuff.
For instance, one guy comes out with - "Oh so you have an iPhone 4, my HTC Desire is way better". When we ran some comparisons he was obliterated but refused to accept it lol. All I got was, "well you paid �500 for an overpaid Apple product that you need a case to use". Personally I've never had any antenna problems so anyway, moving on.
Another guy comes out with "You don't have a removable battery so if your phone crashes then you're screwed". Anyone here had their iPhone crash? If yes were you unable to get it sorted at an Apple store? This explanation didn't bode well with said Apple hater. :p
Some one else came out with "iPhone 4 is a brick". At first I thought he was joking but he soon turned serious, saying that the phone literally is shaped like a brick and has sharp edges which hurt your hand.
Another guy claimed that iPhones are awful because they don't have flash. To be honest, I don't really care for flash. The only thing I need flash for is Youtube which has its own app, and most shopping sites have their own dedicated apps anyway. Flash is a resource hog that would kill the battery. This of course was nonsense to the nexus owner.
I could go on but the shots people took just kept getting cheaper and cheaper, most reverting to "well you paid �500 for a phone, you must be crazy". I don't understand this. It seems that most people feel some kind of envy to me because I own an iPhone 4. Its pretty sad, at the end of the day its just a phone. But people actually seem to hate Apple because they can't afford their products. Most of them admitted that had the iPhone been cheaper they'd buy one, hence they can't afford it so they are bitter.
Anyone else experienced this? I get similar problems when people see my Macbook Pro lol.
I've never, ever had a conversation about my phone with a random person in the street - let alone conduct comparison tests.
I'm guessing from your thread that you porbably love the iphone a bit too much... Get out and enjoy the world. Perhaps leave the phone at home!
For instance, one guy comes out with - "Oh so you have an iPhone 4, my HTC Desire is way better". When we ran some comparisons he was obliterated but refused to accept it lol. All I got was, "well you paid �500 for an overpaid Apple product that you need a case to use". Personally I've never had any antenna problems so anyway, moving on.
Another guy comes out with "You don't have a removable battery so if your phone crashes then you're screwed". Anyone here had their iPhone crash? If yes were you unable to get it sorted at an Apple store? This explanation didn't bode well with said Apple hater. :p
Some one else came out with "iPhone 4 is a brick". At first I thought he was joking but he soon turned serious, saying that the phone literally is shaped like a brick and has sharp edges which hurt your hand.
Another guy claimed that iPhones are awful because they don't have flash. To be honest, I don't really care for flash. The only thing I need flash for is Youtube which has its own app, and most shopping sites have their own dedicated apps anyway. Flash is a resource hog that would kill the battery. This of course was nonsense to the nexus owner.
I could go on but the shots people took just kept getting cheaper and cheaper, most reverting to "well you paid �500 for a phone, you must be crazy". I don't understand this. It seems that most people feel some kind of envy to me because I own an iPhone 4. Its pretty sad, at the end of the day its just a phone. But people actually seem to hate Apple because they can't afford their products. Most of them admitted that had the iPhone been cheaper they'd buy one, hence they can't afford it so they are bitter.
Anyone else experienced this? I get similar problems when people see my Macbook Pro lol.
I've never, ever had a conversation about my phone with a random person in the street - let alone conduct comparison tests.
I'm guessing from your thread that you porbably love the iphone a bit too much... Get out and enjoy the world. Perhaps leave the phone at home!
more...
Eduardo1971
Nov 24, 01:32 PM
could you link me on how to get the government discount? my dad works for the post office and that is federal government...could somoene tell me how to get this discount? thanks
They used to have a link, recently though I can't find it.:(
They used to have a link, recently though I can't find it.:(
AnalyzeThis
Dec 16, 05:10 PM
Sure! What YEAR?
more...
The General
Apr 15, 04:06 PM
doesn't look photoshopped to me. looks like three photos of a real object. i dont think it's actually the body of the next iphone. if aluminum didnt work out so well for reception on the OG iphone, why would it work on the new one?
the flat surfaces are something i doubt apple would do.
the slot and square hole on the side are obviously supposed to be holes for the silent switch and volume up and down.
the flat surfaces are something i doubt apple would do.
the slot and square hole on the side are obviously supposed to be holes for the silent switch and volume up and down.
Rooskibar03
Apr 6, 12:36 PM
Grill Top Smoker from William Sonoma:
http://www.williams-sonoma.com/wsimgs/rk/images/dp/wcm/201105/0014/img3m.jpg
I've been wanting to get a smoker but just cannot justify the cost and time needed to make it happen. I'm hoping this gets me the fix I need.
http://www.williams-sonoma.com/wsimgs/rk/images/dp/wcm/201105/0014/img3m.jpg
I've been wanting to get a smoker but just cannot justify the cost and time needed to make it happen. I'm hoping this gets me the fix I need.
more...
SuperCachetes
Apr 17, 09:23 AM
You completely missed the point. Let me be more specific for comprehension purposes. There is no way to teach the persecution of all peoples throughout the history of our planet with the way the school system is today. So where should the line be drawn? You never answered the question. Do gays deserve more attention than say slavery or the holocaust? It appears to me that you feel that a select few individuals, that may have been gay, deserve more attention than the plight of entire civilizations or race of people?
And this is not ignorance. Pointing out the sexuality of a person that made a contribution to society is irrelevant. Completely and utterly irrelevant! Do people remember Einstein for being a Jew or as the father of modern physics? You would prefer he was remembered as a Jew first?
I doubt Lee missed your point; maybe your point is just undefendable. For example, explain how you can prove that adding a bit of content about modern history will somehow force something else out of the curriculum. That there are a finite amount of class hours isn't good enough.
As we march through history, we have to condense more and more of it into a class. It wasn't that long ago that we added the space program to our description of modern history. Then JFK. MLK. Civil rights. Space shuttles. John Hinckley Jr. Fall of communism. Berlin Wall. Iraq. 9/11. Tsunamis. Egypt. What did these things take the place of or force out of the curriculum?
Incidentally, when I came through school many years ago, it was mentioned that Einstein was a Jew. It's not irrelevant - it's part of his story and part of who he was. In my classes, it wasn't swept under the rug, but neither was it mentioned "first" nor did it make me want to convert to Judaism. Adding a facet to our understanding of a person in history is not promotion.
Most people here really don't get that accomplishments aren't being promoted so much as the homosexuality of the historical figures.
You really don't get that it's not promotion. There is a big swath of gray area between promotion and concealment. The GLBT struggle for equality is part of our culture whether you are involved in it or not. It should be entered into the records.
And this is not ignorance. Pointing out the sexuality of a person that made a contribution to society is irrelevant. Completely and utterly irrelevant! Do people remember Einstein for being a Jew or as the father of modern physics? You would prefer he was remembered as a Jew first?
I doubt Lee missed your point; maybe your point is just undefendable. For example, explain how you can prove that adding a bit of content about modern history will somehow force something else out of the curriculum. That there are a finite amount of class hours isn't good enough.
As we march through history, we have to condense more and more of it into a class. It wasn't that long ago that we added the space program to our description of modern history. Then JFK. MLK. Civil rights. Space shuttles. John Hinckley Jr. Fall of communism. Berlin Wall. Iraq. 9/11. Tsunamis. Egypt. What did these things take the place of or force out of the curriculum?
Incidentally, when I came through school many years ago, it was mentioned that Einstein was a Jew. It's not irrelevant - it's part of his story and part of who he was. In my classes, it wasn't swept under the rug, but neither was it mentioned "first" nor did it make me want to convert to Judaism. Adding a facet to our understanding of a person in history is not promotion.
Most people here really don't get that accomplishments aren't being promoted so much as the homosexuality of the historical figures.
You really don't get that it's not promotion. There is a big swath of gray area between promotion and concealment. The GLBT struggle for equality is part of our culture whether you are involved in it or not. It should be entered into the records.
Music_Producer
Sep 12, 07:20 AM
I doubt I'll get any sleep tonight :eek: (5.15 am PST right now) Can't wait *drool*
millypede
Apr 8, 01:19 PM
I really don't think so It will be a margin building exercise, PC World (or Dixons/Currys/Whatever) did it on the last iPad, they will shrink wrap them up in higher margin products and tell people those are the only bundles they have in stock at the moment. If they are making very little margin and selling lots it will bring down the gross margin for the stores. Its just simple margin building.
donbluto
Aug 2, 05:09 AM
The fewer the people in a nation, the easier it is to say they are the best or the worst in certain things.
So a ratio isn't necessarily a ratio, then? It depends on the population size?
So a ratio isn't necessarily a ratio, then? It depends on the population size?
MacsAttack
Jan 12, 07:00 PM
Actually, I believe it wasn't released at MacWorld for two reasons...
1) Time. They keynote ran about 2 hours as is (already above the average). Introducing two new software suites would easily add another 45 minutes (making the event much too long).
2) The focus was clearly the iPhone, and Jobs didn't want anything to steal its glory.
It makes much more sense to introduce the iPhone at MacWorld and have a separate event for Leopard, iLife, and iWork.
MacWorld
Mac World
But we got no Macs
And both items are pitched at he US market - not the world market (need to get movie downloads onto other iTunes stores for the Apple TV to be a compelling product)
Oh - and I don't own a mobile phone and have no intention of getting one. Just a rat hole for suckers to pour money down :D
Have not watched the keynote. Not going to bother.
I'd like to see a bit more commitment from Apple (the company previously known as Apple Computers) on the computer side before I consider recomending any kind of Mac to people again.
1) Time. They keynote ran about 2 hours as is (already above the average). Introducing two new software suites would easily add another 45 minutes (making the event much too long).
2) The focus was clearly the iPhone, and Jobs didn't want anything to steal its glory.
It makes much more sense to introduce the iPhone at MacWorld and have a separate event for Leopard, iLife, and iWork.
MacWorld
Mac World
But we got no Macs
And both items are pitched at he US market - not the world market (need to get movie downloads onto other iTunes stores for the Apple TV to be a compelling product)
Oh - and I don't own a mobile phone and have no intention of getting one. Just a rat hole for suckers to pour money down :D
Have not watched the keynote. Not going to bother.
I'd like to see a bit more commitment from Apple (the company previously known as Apple Computers) on the computer side before I consider recomending any kind of Mac to people again.
nxent
Apr 25, 01:14 PM
this can't happen soon enough as my 3gs is slowly dying... my volume button(s) are gone and the bottom 1/2" of the screen no longer recognizes touch input.
Lord Blackadder
Aug 10, 01:10 PM
There's nothing really sinister about it. It's just harder to measure and to this point, there's been no point in trying to measure it in comparison to cars.
I understand that they have to be measured differently, but doesn't it make sense that they be compared apples-to-apples (if possible) to the vehicles they are intended to replace?
Most people do ignore it to a large extent, because they say "heck, if it costs me $1 to go 40 miles on electric vs. $2.85 to go 40 miles on gasoline, then that *must* be more efficient in some way". And they are probably right. Economics do tend to line up with efficiency (or government policy).
That is true, but as you pointed out later "green", "efficient", "alternative[to oil imports]" are not all the same thing. Perhaps they are more green but less efficient, or less efficient but more green. Just being more efficient in terms of bang for buck is not necessarily also good from an environmental or alternative energy standpoint. But you are right that the end cost per mile is going to weigh heavily when it comes to consumer acceptance of new types of autos.
I think it's great that European car manufacturers have invested heavily in finding ways to make more fuel efficient cars. And they have their governments to thank for that by making sure that diesel is given a tax advantage vs. gasoline. About 15 years ago, Europe recognized the potential for efficiency in diesels to ultimately outweigh the environmental downside. It was a short-term risk that paid off and now that they have shifted the balance, Europe is tightening their diesel emissions standards to match the US. Once that happens, I'm sure there will a huge market for TDIs in the US and we'll have a nice competitive landscape for driving-up fuel efficiency with diesels vs. gasoline hybrids vs. extended range electrics.
I would argue that Europe's switch to diesels did not involve quite the environmental tradeoff you imply - in the 70s we in the US were driving cars with huge gasoline engines, and to this day diesel regulation for trucks in this country is pretty minimal. Our emissions were probably world-leading then - partially due to the fact that we had the most cars on the roads by far. The problem lies (in my heavily biased opinion) in ignorance. People see smoke coming off diesel exhausts and assume they are dirtier than gasoline engines. But particulate pollution is not necessarily worse, just different. People are not educated about the differerence between gasoline engine pollution and diesel engine pollution. Not to mention the fact that diesel engines don't puff black smoke like they did in the 70s. I'm not arguing that diesels are necessarily cleaner, but they are arguably no worse than gasoline engines and are certainly more efficient.
Whether or not it's "greener" depends upon your definition of green. If you're worried about smog and air quality, then you might make different decisions than if you are worried about carbon dioxide and global warming. Those decisions may also be driven by where you live and where the electricity comes from.
A lot of people in the US (and I assume around the world) are also concerned about energy independence. For those people, using coal to power an electric car is more attractive than using foreign diesel. Any cleaner? Probably not, but probably not much dirtier and certainly cheaper. Our government realizes that we can always make power plants cleaner in the future through regulation, just as Europe realized they could make diesels cleaner in the future through regulation. Steven Chu is no dummy.
It's a fair point. Given the choice, I would prioritize moving to domestic fuel sources in the short term over a massive "go green" (over all alse) campaign.
Which is why we will need new metrics that actually make sense for comparing gasoline to pure electric, perhaps localized to account for the source of power in your area. For example, when I lived in Chicago, the electric was 90% nuclear. It's doesn't get any cleaner than that from an air quality / greenhouse gas standpoint. However, if you're on the east coast, it's probably closer to 60% coal.
I agree completely. The transition needs to be made as transparent as possible. People need to know the source, efficiency and cleanliness of their power source so that they can make informed choices.
I think you're smart enough to know that it's more efficient, but you're not willing to cede that for the sake of your argument, but I encourage you to embrace the idea that we should have extended range electrics *and* clean diesels *and* gasoline hybrids. There's more than one way to skin a cat.
I'm not trying to sound stubborn, I simply have not come accross the numbers anywhere. I don't get paid to do this research, ya know. I do it while hiding from the boss. ;)
I've seen that propaganda FUD (fear, uncertainty and doubt) before. It doesn't stand up to scrutiny. Let's consider that the power grid can handle every household running an air conditioner on a hot summer day. That's approximately 2000-3500 watts per household per hour during daytime peak load (on top of everything else on the grid.) Now let's consider that a Volt (or equivalent) has a 16kw battery that charges in 8 hours. That's 200 watts per hour, starting in the evening, or the equivalent of (4) 50 watt light bulbs. This is not exactly grid-overwhelming load.
I'm no math whiz (or electrician), but wouldn't 200 watts/hr * 8 hours = 1.6kw, rather than 16kw? I thought you'd need 2kw/hr * 8hrs to charge a 16kw battery.
It's not that I don't think people have looked into this stuff, it's just that I myself have no information on just how much energy the Volt uses and how much the grid can provide. In the short term, plugin hybrids are few in number and I don't see it being an issue. But it's something we need to work out in the medium/long term.
Or, some would argue that the biggest thing that Americans have trouble with are a few people telling them what the majority should or shouldn't do - which is, as it seems, the definition of "Communism", but I wouldn't go so far as to say that. :)
Communism means nothing in this country, because we've been so brainwashed by Cold War/right-wing rhetoric that, like "freedom", the term has been stolen for propaganda purposes until the original meanings have become lost in a massive sea of BS. I was using it for it's hyperbole value. :D
Most people do indeed realize that they can get better mileage with a smaller car and could "get by" with a much smaller vehicle. They choose not to and that is their prerogative. If the majority wants to vote for representatives who will make laws that increase fuel mileage standards, which in turn require automakers to sell more small cars - or find ways to make them more efficient - that is also their prerogative. (And, in case you haven't noticed, in the last major US election, voters did indeed vote for a party that is increasing CAFE standards.)
Well, that's the nature of democracy. But it's not so much a question of the fact that people realize a smaller car is more efficient, but a question of whether people really care about efficiency. I have recently lived in Nevada and Alaska, two states whose residents are addicted to burning fuel. Seemingly everyone has a pickup, RV and four-wheelers. Burning fuel is not just part of the daily transportation routine - it's a lifestyle.
CAFE standardsAnd if it's important to you, you should do your part and ride a bike to work or buy a TDI, or lobby your congressman for reduced emissions requirements, or stand up on a soap box and preach about the advantages of advanced clean diesel technology. All good stuff.
I walk to work. I used to commute 34 miles a day (total), and while I never minded it, I felt pretty liberated being able to ditch the car for my daily commute. Four years of walking and I don't want to go back. I love cars and motorsport, and I don't consider myself an environmentalist, but I got to the point where I realized that I was driving a lot more than necessary. That realization came when I moved out of a suburb (where you have to drive to get anywhere) and into first a small town and then a biggish city. In both cases it became possible to walk almost everywhere I needed to go. A tank of fuel lasted over a month (or longer) rather than a week from my highway-commuting days. And I lost weight as I hauled by fat backside around on foot. ;)
I won't be in the market for another car for a few years, and my current car (a Subaru) is not very fuel efficient - but then again it has literally not been driven more than half a dozen times in the last six months. When the time comes to replace it I'll be looking for something affordable (ruling out the Volt) but efficiency will be high on the priority list, followed by green-ness.
I wonder if all of you people who are proposing a diesel/diesel hybrid are Europeans, because in America, diesel is looked at as smelly and messy - it's what the trucks with black smoke use.
<snip>
As far as the Chevy Volt goes, I just don't like the name... but the price is right assuming they can get it into the high $20,000's rather quickly.
I'm an American, and yes I've seen the trucks with black smoke. We just need to discard that preconception. This isn't 1973 anymore. We also need to tighten up emissions regualtion on trucks.
The Volt is a practical car by all acoioutns, but it costs way too much. The battery is the primary contributing factor, I've heard that it costs somewhere between $8-15k by itself. Hopefully after GM has been producing such batteries for a few years the cost will drop substantially.
I understand that they have to be measured differently, but doesn't it make sense that they be compared apples-to-apples (if possible) to the vehicles they are intended to replace?
Most people do ignore it to a large extent, because they say "heck, if it costs me $1 to go 40 miles on electric vs. $2.85 to go 40 miles on gasoline, then that *must* be more efficient in some way". And they are probably right. Economics do tend to line up with efficiency (or government policy).
That is true, but as you pointed out later "green", "efficient", "alternative[to oil imports]" are not all the same thing. Perhaps they are more green but less efficient, or less efficient but more green. Just being more efficient in terms of bang for buck is not necessarily also good from an environmental or alternative energy standpoint. But you are right that the end cost per mile is going to weigh heavily when it comes to consumer acceptance of new types of autos.
I think it's great that European car manufacturers have invested heavily in finding ways to make more fuel efficient cars. And they have their governments to thank for that by making sure that diesel is given a tax advantage vs. gasoline. About 15 years ago, Europe recognized the potential for efficiency in diesels to ultimately outweigh the environmental downside. It was a short-term risk that paid off and now that they have shifted the balance, Europe is tightening their diesel emissions standards to match the US. Once that happens, I'm sure there will a huge market for TDIs in the US and we'll have a nice competitive landscape for driving-up fuel efficiency with diesels vs. gasoline hybrids vs. extended range electrics.
I would argue that Europe's switch to diesels did not involve quite the environmental tradeoff you imply - in the 70s we in the US were driving cars with huge gasoline engines, and to this day diesel regulation for trucks in this country is pretty minimal. Our emissions were probably world-leading then - partially due to the fact that we had the most cars on the roads by far. The problem lies (in my heavily biased opinion) in ignorance. People see smoke coming off diesel exhausts and assume they are dirtier than gasoline engines. But particulate pollution is not necessarily worse, just different. People are not educated about the differerence between gasoline engine pollution and diesel engine pollution. Not to mention the fact that diesel engines don't puff black smoke like they did in the 70s. I'm not arguing that diesels are necessarily cleaner, but they are arguably no worse than gasoline engines and are certainly more efficient.
Whether or not it's "greener" depends upon your definition of green. If you're worried about smog and air quality, then you might make different decisions than if you are worried about carbon dioxide and global warming. Those decisions may also be driven by where you live and where the electricity comes from.
A lot of people in the US (and I assume around the world) are also concerned about energy independence. For those people, using coal to power an electric car is more attractive than using foreign diesel. Any cleaner? Probably not, but probably not much dirtier and certainly cheaper. Our government realizes that we can always make power plants cleaner in the future through regulation, just as Europe realized they could make diesels cleaner in the future through regulation. Steven Chu is no dummy.
It's a fair point. Given the choice, I would prioritize moving to domestic fuel sources in the short term over a massive "go green" (over all alse) campaign.
Which is why we will need new metrics that actually make sense for comparing gasoline to pure electric, perhaps localized to account for the source of power in your area. For example, when I lived in Chicago, the electric was 90% nuclear. It's doesn't get any cleaner than that from an air quality / greenhouse gas standpoint. However, if you're on the east coast, it's probably closer to 60% coal.
I agree completely. The transition needs to be made as transparent as possible. People need to know the source, efficiency and cleanliness of their power source so that they can make informed choices.
I think you're smart enough to know that it's more efficient, but you're not willing to cede that for the sake of your argument, but I encourage you to embrace the idea that we should have extended range electrics *and* clean diesels *and* gasoline hybrids. There's more than one way to skin a cat.
I'm not trying to sound stubborn, I simply have not come accross the numbers anywhere. I don't get paid to do this research, ya know. I do it while hiding from the boss. ;)
I've seen that propaganda FUD (fear, uncertainty and doubt) before. It doesn't stand up to scrutiny. Let's consider that the power grid can handle every household running an air conditioner on a hot summer day. That's approximately 2000-3500 watts per household per hour during daytime peak load (on top of everything else on the grid.) Now let's consider that a Volt (or equivalent) has a 16kw battery that charges in 8 hours. That's 200 watts per hour, starting in the evening, or the equivalent of (4) 50 watt light bulbs. This is not exactly grid-overwhelming load.
I'm no math whiz (or electrician), but wouldn't 200 watts/hr * 8 hours = 1.6kw, rather than 16kw? I thought you'd need 2kw/hr * 8hrs to charge a 16kw battery.
It's not that I don't think people have looked into this stuff, it's just that I myself have no information on just how much energy the Volt uses and how much the grid can provide. In the short term, plugin hybrids are few in number and I don't see it being an issue. But it's something we need to work out in the medium/long term.
Or, some would argue that the biggest thing that Americans have trouble with are a few people telling them what the majority should or shouldn't do - which is, as it seems, the definition of "Communism", but I wouldn't go so far as to say that. :)
Communism means nothing in this country, because we've been so brainwashed by Cold War/right-wing rhetoric that, like "freedom", the term has been stolen for propaganda purposes until the original meanings have become lost in a massive sea of BS. I was using it for it's hyperbole value. :D
Most people do indeed realize that they can get better mileage with a smaller car and could "get by" with a much smaller vehicle. They choose not to and that is their prerogative. If the majority wants to vote for representatives who will make laws that increase fuel mileage standards, which in turn require automakers to sell more small cars - or find ways to make them more efficient - that is also their prerogative. (And, in case you haven't noticed, in the last major US election, voters did indeed vote for a party that is increasing CAFE standards.)
Well, that's the nature of democracy. But it's not so much a question of the fact that people realize a smaller car is more efficient, but a question of whether people really care about efficiency. I have recently lived in Nevada and Alaska, two states whose residents are addicted to burning fuel. Seemingly everyone has a pickup, RV and four-wheelers. Burning fuel is not just part of the daily transportation routine - it's a lifestyle.
CAFE standardsAnd if it's important to you, you should do your part and ride a bike to work or buy a TDI, or lobby your congressman for reduced emissions requirements, or stand up on a soap box and preach about the advantages of advanced clean diesel technology. All good stuff.
I walk to work. I used to commute 34 miles a day (total), and while I never minded it, I felt pretty liberated being able to ditch the car for my daily commute. Four years of walking and I don't want to go back. I love cars and motorsport, and I don't consider myself an environmentalist, but I got to the point where I realized that I was driving a lot more than necessary. That realization came when I moved out of a suburb (where you have to drive to get anywhere) and into first a small town and then a biggish city. In both cases it became possible to walk almost everywhere I needed to go. A tank of fuel lasted over a month (or longer) rather than a week from my highway-commuting days. And I lost weight as I hauled by fat backside around on foot. ;)
I won't be in the market for another car for a few years, and my current car (a Subaru) is not very fuel efficient - but then again it has literally not been driven more than half a dozen times in the last six months. When the time comes to replace it I'll be looking for something affordable (ruling out the Volt) but efficiency will be high on the priority list, followed by green-ness.
I wonder if all of you people who are proposing a diesel/diesel hybrid are Europeans, because in America, diesel is looked at as smelly and messy - it's what the trucks with black smoke use.
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As far as the Chevy Volt goes, I just don't like the name... but the price is right assuming they can get it into the high $20,000's rather quickly.
I'm an American, and yes I've seen the trucks with black smoke. We just need to discard that preconception. This isn't 1973 anymore. We also need to tighten up emissions regualtion on trucks.
The Volt is a practical car by all acoioutns, but it costs way too much. The battery is the primary contributing factor, I've heard that it costs somewhere between $8-15k by itself. Hopefully after GM has been producing such batteries for a few years the cost will drop substantially.
WhiteShadow
Nov 16, 01:08 PM
who wants to run amd anyway?
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