Nuclear vs. Coal waste by the numbers

This blog has lots of good information about Nuclear Power. One clear advantage of nuclear power is that it doesn't produce much waste. The waste that is produced can mostly be reprocessed into more fuel. Storing nuclear waste until we can learn how to better use it or dispose of it takes far less of our land than disposing of the waste from a typical coal power plant.

An Upchurch Chrestomathy: 6/7/09 - 6/14/09:
"Nuclear power produces about 1 ounce of nuclear waste per person per year with no fuel reprocessing. The bottom line here is that for each pound of nuclear waste we produce, we could be preventing the release of 322,000 pounds of carbon dioxide! The United States doesn’t do any recycling of spent nuclear fuel. 95% of the spent fuel is Uranium or Plutonium that can be recycled and used for more fuel. France uses partial fuel reprocessing and only produces about 3/10ths of an ounce of waste per person.
. . .
What do you think is the real waste disposal problem: 1 oz of nuclear waste or 11 tons of carbon dioxide?"

Tab Mix Plus FireFox plugin - Chaos Manor

Used and recommended :-)

Chaos Manor Reviews - Mailbag for June, 2009:
". . .
I just installed the Tab Mix Plus 0.3.7.3 plugin because I remembered your mentioning that you use it to display multiple rows of tabs in Firefox. It took me a while to find it by searching www.jerrypournelle.com, but I really appreciate that you archive your 'columns' and make then searchable.

This is exactly what I need when I have a lot of tabs open - thanks!

There are so many Firefox plugins available now that it really helps to have recommendations from a trusted source."

Truck diesels clean up greatly in last 5 years

Obviously, this engineering work started some years ago - in an era of 45 minute news cycles, we tend to forget that progress comes incrementally over periods of years, but it does come.

Anyone considering an alternative fueled vehicle should include diesel in their calculations. If your regular gas a station has a diesel pump (many do), then it may be a better alternative than a hybrid. If you have a bio-diesel station near your regular route, then it is almost a no-brainer.

Truck diesels clean up even more than those in cars | Green Blog & Discussion at Automobile Magazine:
"Heavy trucks and buses could lose their image as stinky, soot-spewing monsters as the current fleet is replaced with today’s cleaner models. According to recently released data from the Advanced Collaborative Emissions Study, overseen by the Health Effect Institute, shows that the engines (from Caterpillar, Detroit Diesel, Volvo, and Cummins) had an overall average 90 percent reduction in exhaust pollutants from 2004 to 2007. Particulate matter—soot—was cut by 99 percent. Even smog-forming nitrous oxides, typically the most difficult to control of diesel exhaust emissions, were 70 percent lower."

Proposed help for Iranian citizens

This seems well intentioned and a useful way of supporting the freedom movement in Iran. I wonder what the unintended consequences might be if passed and signed into law. Certainly it won't improve diplomatic relations with Iran's current government, but what would?
To be useful in the current crisis, the money & authority to spend it would have been needed months ago, so this is aimed at tomorrow's Iran, whatever it may be.

The Weekly Standard:
"Lieberman, McCain, and Graham held a presser announcing new Iran legislation they intend to introduce. It will increase funding for Radio Farda and Voice of America, both of which have been critical at keeping Iranians informed of what's happening in their own country and reporting those events to the outside world as well. They also talk of funding a new Farsi-language website with live news coverage, and 'funding to foster the spread of technologies that would make it harder for the Iranian regime to crackdown' on the transmission of information over cellphones.

Lieberman sums it up: “We’ve seen that the Iranian regime has tried to deploy new technologies to restrict its people from getting access to information, prevent its people from exercising their freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, particularly online. The Iranian government has jammed satellites and radio broadcasts, disrupted cell phone service, monitored Internet use, and blocked particular Web sites. It’s now trying to slam shut the door that a vibrant election had begun to open. The legislation we intend to introduce is inspired by a clear and simple purpose. We want the Iranian people to be able to stay one step ahead of the Iranian regime, getting access to information and safely exercising freedom of speech and freedom of assembly online.”
. . .
A great McCain line: “During the Cold War, we provided the Polish people and dissidents with printing presses. Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube are the modern-day printing presses. They are the way. They are the way to spread information and keep the hope of freedom alive amongst the Iranian people.”"

Government Cash-for-Clunkers Website

It looks like this won't be used to get classic cars off the road (trade-ins must be less than 25 years old), but it also looks like it won't be very successful.

Government Launches ‘Cash-for-Clunkers’ Website – Automotive News & Car Rumors at Automobile Magazine:
"The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) launched the website for its ‘cash-for-clunkers’ incentive program yesterday, despite the continued uncertainty regarding how the program will be implemented.
. . .
The website for the program, located at www.cars.gov, has been dubbed the “Car Allowance Rebate System.”
. . .
The site also contains a link to the government’s fuel economy rating site, and a copy of the actual legislation that created the program.
. . .
Analysts have been skeptical about how effective the program will be. Funding for the program was dramatically reduced, from an envisioned $4 billion (enough for about 1 million rebates) to one-fourth of that, and the current delay in finalizing the program’s details means it won’t take advantage of the typical summer buying rush. In addition, many believe the owners of cars that qualify for the program won’t be able to afford to buy new cars – even with the available $4500 rebate."

Made in America costs less!

It is good to hear a story about manufacturing moving TO the US.

Elon Musk Reports Tesla Roadster Now Cheaper to Make – Automotive News & Car Rumors at Automobile Magazine:
"Tesla CEO Elon Musk reported yesterday that after moving production of its batteries from Asia to California in late 2007, the cost to build the roadster has been cut almost in half, from $140,000 to $80,000.

Musk says in his blog that the move eliminated the high cost of shipping heavy batteries overseas, while simultaneously improving the quality of the batteries because of the use of a more automated process and the ability for engineers to tweak the batteries quickly for new efficiencies. In addition to eliminated shipping costs, the move also reduced the time it took parts to move through the supply chain, removing the cost of inventory waiting for weeks in transit."

Spaceport America construction starts in New Mexico

We start slowly - currently only the wealthy can consider vacationing in space. This will change over time - start saving now.

Eventually life on Earth will be improved as we tap the wealth of our solar system. Privatization of space travel is an essential component of this transition. We're seeing privatization happen now.

Construction Begins on Spaceport America | Popular Science:
". . .
For everyone looking to hop the next commercial flight to space, your departure gate has finally been announced. Almost two years after the first plans were announced, construction has finally begun on Spaceport America. The spaceport, which will serve as the launch and landing pad for Virgin Galactic flights, is the first of its kind anywhere in the world, and represents the first serious commitment of infrastructure to manned commercial spaceflight.
. . .

Currently, Virgin Galactic only has two space ships, so it will probably be sometime before the facility experiences O'Hare and LaGuardia level traffic."

Cash for Clunkers critiqued by John McCain

These programs have been tried before and generally have been regarded as failures and rip-offs.
If it is such a great program, why is it scheduled to last just a four months?
And why is this buried in a war-appropriations bill?!

.: United States Senator John McCain :: Press Office :.:
"Mr. McCain. Mr. President, I wanted to go into a bit more detail about the “Cash for Clunkers” provision the Senate passed yesterday as part of the $105 Billion war supplemental. I continue to believe that the American people would be appalled to learn the specifics of this “Lemon” legislation. Here is a quick summary:

* Any person that trades-in a car he or she has owned and insured for at least one year that has a combined fuel economy value of 18 miles or less per gallon is eligible for:

o $3,500 toward the purchase of a new car if it has a fuel economy value at least 4 miles per gallon higher than the trade-in, or a new truck if it has a fuel economy value at least 2 miles per gallon higher than the trade-in;

or

o $4,500 toward the purchase of a new car if it has a fuel economy value at least 10 miles per gallon higher than the trade-in, or a new truck if it has a fuel economy value at least 5 miles per gallon higher than the trade-in.

* The auto dealer that sells the new car, must accept the trade-in and crush it, then submit paperwork to the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the money is directly wired to the auto dealer. This is ripe for fraud and abuse and the bill provides a penalty of a mere $15,000 fine for each abuse.

* Only cars costing less than $45,000 and purchased between July 1, 2009 and November 1, 2009 are eligible.

. . . "

Iran needs Twitter - #IranElection #gr88

The odds are stacked heavily in favor of Ahmadinejad and the Mullahs - they control the military, the power, the food supply, etc. If it comes, revolution will carry a terrible price regardless of who wins. If the government compromises and backs down a little, some incremental progress towards freedom might result.

It is frustrating to just watch - we can share our thoughts with our representatives, but I doubt they have much influence right now.

With Iran Protests in Mind, State Department Blocks Twitter's Maintenance Outage | Popular Science:
"So all that importance-of-social-media business you keep hearing about Iran? This should tell you something about the underlying truth, no matter how numbing the barrage from the media can be: When the U.S. State Department heard of Twitter's plans for an hour-long regularly-scheduled maintenance outage that would have denied daytime Twitter service to Iran, they stepped in and 'urged' them to reschedule.

The outage was supposed to happen late last night--downtime for most of North America, but prime daytime in Iran, where it has continued to be used as an important communication and organization tool for the protests there."

Chrysler Resumes Viper Production

Good news for Chrysler employees - unfortunately, there are now a lot fewer dealerships to sell these vehicles. It makes sense to start with a low volume product that is also highly profitable.

Chrysler's Plants Resume Production, Starting with Viper Operations – Automotive News & Car Rumors at Automobile Magazine:
"After a month-long bankruptcy during which all its plants were on standby, Chrysler is starting to switch the lights back on at its plants - starting with the Conner Avenue plant in Detroit that makes the Dodge Viper.

'At this time, we cannot give exact timing in regards to the start of production at our other manufacturing facilities,' the automaker said in a statement. It shut down all its plants after filing for bankruptcy on April 30th. Executives have said most plants will be back up and running by the end of June.

Chrysler will initially start manufacturing more 2009 model year vehicles, before switching to 2010 production during a normal shutdown in July."

Hybrid Power Plant

Practical thinking - reduces fuel costs without making them totally dependent on another power source. Using internal combustion instead of batteries may be the most cost effective solution for a lot of places, even if the eventual goal is to add batteries for night-time use.

First Hybrid Solar/Natural Gas Power Station Goes Online in Israel | Popular Science:
"A small kibbutz in Israel has installed the world’s first solar-hybrid power plant to fulfill all their energy needs. Composed of 30 solar reflectors and one kooky-looking “flower” tower, the plant can switch to gas-powered turbines after dark to keep the system producing power 24-hours a day. The best part is that the plant takes up a relatively small amount of space for its output and can power remote areas that are not connected to larger grids.
. . .
The 30 efficient heliostats track the sun throughout the day and bounce the sun’s rays directly at the tower. Inside the tower a solar receiver converts the focused rays into solar thermal energy that powers a mini-turbine. Whenever there is cloud cover or the sun sets, the turbine can be run off biodiesel, natural gas, or bio gas, making the hybrid side of the turbine still quite green."

Six Sigma being overtaken by LEAN

Over the past couple of decades, the TQM, Six Sigma, and now LEAN (among others) methodologies have swept through corporations in wave after wave. Used sensibly, they help corporations reduce costs while improving quality, resulting in higher profits and/or more competitiveness in their markets. Unfortunately, they're sometimes used instead of training & empowering qualified managers. Running corporations is WORK, and no panacea is going to make it easy.

IndustryWeek : Six Sigma's Growing Pains:
"During the late 1990s, Six Sigma -- a quality improvement process based on producing fewer than 3.4 defects per million -- was credited for astounding results in improving quality and reducing costs.
. . .
In a recent study, executive recruiting firm The Avery Point Group found that calls for managers with lean knowledge exceeded that for Six Sigma talent by almost 11%, reflecting what Tim Noble, the company's managing principal, called 'an indication that they see lean as a better and more practical hedge against today's tough economic challenges.'

Some observers say the seeds of Six Sigma's perceived shortcomings come not from problems with the methodology itself, but how it is applied and the high expectations it has engendered in the manufacturing world.

'To an extent, Six Sigma is kind of a religion,' notes George Haley, a business professor at the University of New Haven and director of the Center for International Industry Competitiveness. 'When it focuses on the manufacturing process, it is very good. If you want to improve efficiency, cut down on failure rate and errors, that is Six Sigma's strength.'

But Six Sigma is often applied too late, Haley observes, so that products are designed in a way that invites problems on the production floor. Product design engineers have "360-degree access" to a product in the R&D lab, but workers on the line who have to attach components and perform other tasks don't have that same access and sometimes can't see what is going on. The problem may be exacerbated by robotics, he notes.

Haley also criticizes the application of Six Sigma to services such as health care. For example, a nurse may be given a specific amount of time to perform a patient service. But Haley notes that patients differ and that nurses may need to perform a different service than initially expected. "If the nurse doesn't have time to figure out what they need, patients can get a lot of wrong treatment," he warns. "Six Sigma should stay out of hospitals and stay out of any business where you have human-to-human interaction. Humans just aren't programmable; they aren't machines.""

American capitalism gone with a whimper - Pravda.Ru

Fascinating to see how our country is viewed by others in the world. This blog was reprinted in Pravda, once the official newspaper of the Soviet Union.

American capitalism gone with a whimper - Pravda.Ru:
". . . the American decent into Marxism is happening with breath taking speed,
. . .
First, the population was dumbed down through a politicized and substandard education system based on pop culture, rather then the classics. Americans know more about their favorite TV dramas then the drama in DC that directly affects their lives.
. . .
Then their faith in God was destroyed, until their churches, all tens of thousands of different "branches and denominations" were for the most part little more then Sunday circuses
. . .
The final collapse has come with the election of Barack Obama. His speed in the past three months has been truly impressive. His spending and money printing has been a record setting, not just in America's short history but in the world. If this keeps up for more then another year, and there is no sign that it will not, America at best will resemble the Wiemar Republic and at worst Zimbabwe.
. . .
it should be no surprise, that the American president has followed this up with a "bold" move of declaring that he and another group of unelected, chosen stooges will now redesign the entire automotive industry and will even be the guarantee of automobile policies.
. . .
The Russian owners of American companies and industries should look thoughtfully at this and the option of closing their facilities down and fleeing the land of the Red as fast as possible. In other words, divest while there is still value left."

It would be interesting to see what this author says after the 2010 elections.

Three Visual Illusions Selected as the Best

Follow the instructions and these illusions are easily seen.

WORLD'S BEST VISUAL ILLUSIONS CHOSEN:
"The three best visual illusions in the world were chosen at a gathering last weekend of neuroscientists and psychologists at the Naples Philharmonic Center for the Arts in Florida.

The winning entry, from a Bucknell University professor, may help explain why curve balls in baseball are so tricky to hit."

Penske to buy Saturn from GM

Roger Penske has been a very smart businessman over the last few decades - I hope he does well with his newest venture. He's not getting any factories, but he is getting some good dealerships and the parts operation. He'll also have the right to buy models from manufacturers around the world and sell them as Saturns. A lot of companies make good products but don't have the financial muscle to create a US dealership network - they're going to be lining up to provide products for Saturn.

GM to sell Saturn brand to Penske dealership chain - Forbes.com:
"General Motors Corp. has a tentative deal to sell its Saturn brand to auto racing magnate Roger Penske's dealership group, both companies said Friday.

Penske has signed a memorandum of understanding that would give his dealership chain, Penske Automotive Group ( PAG - news - people ), Saturn's 350 dealerships, the companies said. Penske said that he expects to offer all the dealers new franchise agreements and will retain all 13,000 Saturn employees for now.
. . .
Initially, GM will continue to produce on a contract basis the Saturn Aura sedan as well as the Vue and Outlook SUVs. But Penske said he is in talks with global car manufacturers about building Saturn cars in the future.
. . .
Despite a cult-like following that drew thousands to annual reunions in Spring Hill, the brand never made money for GM.
. . .
"Saturn was kind of an unpolished gem at GM," said Brad Coulter, director at the Bloomfield Hills, Mich., turnaround firm O'Keefe and Associates. "They had never really fully exploited what they developed. Saturn is known for having some of the best-run dealerships. The brand is highly rated. It's a top-notch sales organization."

Today, Saturn production is scattered at plants across the U.S. The Aura is built at GM's factory at Kansas City, Kansas. The Outlook is built in Lansing, Mich., while the Vue is built in Ramos Arizpe, Mexico.

The Saturn Sky roadster is built in Wilmington, Del., but that plant is scheduled to close in July and the model will be discontinued. The Saturn Astra compact hatchback was imported from GM's plant in Antwerp, Belgium, and was discontinued last year.

Penske Automotive will take over the separate Saturn parts warehouse and distribution center in Spring Hill.

Penske in an interview said foreign automakers would be key to his making Saturn succeed, but they will have to match GM's quality standards before Saturn's dealer network will distribute their products.

"As people around the world look at that, they have the opportunity to tap us on the shoulder and say we have product that we'd like to bring into the U.S." he said.
. . .
Detroit-based GM, which filed for bankruptcy court protection Monday, has said it plans to shed its Saturn, Hummer, Pontiac and Saab brands. Earlier this week, GM said it found a buyer for Hummer in China's Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Co."