I sometimes step away from my keyboard (most days, in fact) wondering what the world will present in the coming day. Yesterday was an interesting July day! First, the US beat England in Woman’s World Cup Soccer. I was, when I watched the ending of the game, holding my breath! But, to beat England on the day, the Declaration of Independence was signed (July 2nd) was something I will remember forever! I love watching soccer; world cup soccer has always been picking another team and rooting. But with the US women’s team, I have had a US team to root for. Normally in the Men’s world cup, we are out so quickly that I end up rooting for Germany (I have a lot of German friends). *sips tea!
One of the things that I like to have is emergency power. I’ve played with several types of power production systems; I have one that works with flowing water. I have one that is wind driven. I also have portal solar arrays. All of them produce enough energy to power a single, or two or three devices. When you are out and about, sometimes, you run out of power! The interesting solar arrays that are available now are getting smaller and smaller. I am impressed by how much power (up t 2 amps). They often have two, or three USB connections so you can charge up to three devices. I would be careful with more than two devices, and I would only do that if I had a battery connected to the solar array. You want to discharge a battery, not the second device!
Evolution and revolution are the words often used with technology. In the growing world of power use, it is important to remember that using renewable energy where possible is always good.
(Solar Arrays even work in cloudy situations, not as high).
I remember the days before car phones. I started using a car phone in the mid-’90s when I was driving every day. I realized that if I was watching the road, I couldn’t watch my phone. If I was watching my phone, I wasn’t watching the road. So I got a hands free phone. I suspect my concentration of phone and road was not optimal for either, but better than a phone stuck to my ear.
Ah, technology – how you change the world!
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Question of
Have you ever owned a car phone?
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Yes
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No
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Question of
Do you have a hands free system (car phone) today?
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Yes
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No
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Question of
Did you get a hands free system in the 1990s?
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Yes
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No
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Question of
Did you get a car phone or hands free phone after 1999 but before 2009?
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Yes
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No
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Question of
Did you get your first hands free phone after 2010?
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Yes
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No
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On a trip 6 years ago, I was driving a car and talking on the phone. The result was a car catatroff. I have a hands-free system but after that I do not speak on the phone when I drive.Football matches do not look.
Thanks – sorry about the car crash. Hopefully, you have fully recovered.
When I drive a car, I never use the phone. I prefer to stop the car and talk in peace
that is a really good way to be safe. I just sit in traffic, not driving fast and listen to the call.
Q: Have you ever owned a car phone?
Yes (3 votes) – 25%
No (9 votes) – 75%
Q: Do you have a hands free system (car phone) today?
Yes (4 votes) – 33%
No (8 votes) – 67%
Q: Did you get a hands free system in the 1990s?
No (9 votes) – 100%
Q: Did you get a car phone or hands free phone after 1999 but before 2009?
Yes (4 votes) – 36%
No (7 votes) – 64%
Q: Did you get your first hands free phone after 2010?
Yes (3 votes) – 30%
No (7 votes) – 70%
it seems to me like electric cars with solar panels could be at least partially self charging…
They are, but sadly not enough (roughly 400 watts) to be as effective (they use a lot more than they can generate).
I expect that even with efficiency rising at the current rate, we are at least a decade away from them being anything other than supplemental
that being said, is it cost effective yet?
cost-effective over how long?
Corporate ROI is what 3 years max?
What is home users ROI? a year? 2 years?
Solar today is a 10-year payback.
I didn’t define my criteria at all, probably because I don’t understand how…
that is why solar power is sticking in the US right now. There is no defined ROI.
in Holland, Solar is rewarded. In Germany Solar is encouraged. In the US Home Owners Associations decry the lost value of homes with solar on them!
tax fossil fuels up the wazoo and turn it around for solar incentives
still no ROI.
There are two kinds of business propositions in the Solar world.
Make it all up front.
Lease and make it in monthly increments.
want an incentive? how about living out your natural life? honestly, I don’t care if we use solar power or something else, so long as it isn’t a fossil fuel
yes. there is great risk around us.
the problem is the reality of that economic problem.
someday soon, all of this goes away. Either we wake up and fix things, or, the son of man rises.
which by the by, would be a great Ledante series!
Indeed it is, and thematically compatible with my work
in a land desolated by humans, a champion arises!
the sins of the fathers are visited upon the sons
Then the question becomes who is responsible? There are fathers with sons now, who will have sons, whose sons will have sons….
sin, bucks, blame, doesn’t matter. just keep passing it from generation to generation. of course, someone is bound to get stuck with the bill sooner or later
It is all fun and games until somebody loses an eye.
my mother seemed to think roughhousing indoors could only have two possible outcomes; a lamp would be knocked over or an eye would be put out…
Sounds like our mothers went tot he same school!
🙂
don’t do that in the house- you’ll knock over a lamp or put out someone’s eye!
I once had a great idea for a new invention and had my erector set out building it, i needed floor space so I used the dining room table.
How was I to know there was a dinner party that night?
You did that on purpose to slow me down. Mom’s favorite thing when she was in cleaning mode.
I just never understood why the lamp got mentioned, as if a broken lamp could somehow compare to a ruined eye…
ROFL
man you have a gift you should be a standup!
I would start telling physics jokes and lose the room
Did you hear the one about the particle trying to get away from the vacuum?
no, I haven’t. please tell me…
It split 🙂
boom.
Bad physics jokes are also a skill of mine!
physics based humor is a mainline to my funnybone
I love watching cricket and the World Cup is going on in England. We are in top two position right now (Australia and India), Yes the technology is changing fast. Now we can become friends without even knowing each other!
I love cricket, not covered much in the US.
In the bus I had a phone for free hand dialing … in a personal car I do not need it … in football I cheer for the Netherlands
very cool, i understand the need not being there now!
I have perhaps 1 hour of conversations per month and nothing more
I average that a day or more sadly
Did not watch the soccer game but heard about it. That is great! I remember my first hands free phone, I called my Dad and tried explaining to him I was talking to him in my car. He was so impressed.
It was a great game!
I called my mom once, she wanted one for her car. I had to install the system in her car.
We don’t use a phone at all while driving. I’m glad the U.S. women’s team won as well.
i end up doing a lot of conference calls (as I sit in traffic almost every day)!
I can’t say that the footy result filled me with much joy! We Brits don’t often win at this level, so just this once would have been nice!
i understand that – but remember our women’s team is all we have@