What are the solutions to our mounting energy crisis?

kids electric cars prices image

Diggy

We all know gas prices are high. I think they will only get higher, save some dips in the off-season. The issue is all the energy we use, not just our cars. Some say alternative fuels. Is it possible to simply switch over to ethenol? No. Should we be thinking about the way we live, our infrastructure, public transportation, how far and often we drive?

The cost of heating and cooling our homes will also continue to rise. Is there significant wind and solar technologies as an alternative? Nuclear, coal, hydro? What do you think?

Answer
The problem isn't our ability to produce energy--the technology is there. Nor is switching our cars to alternative energy a problem--although ethanol is not the solution--electric cars are.

The usual immediate answer is that electric cars aren't practical. In point of fact they are--and we could have been producing them for decades; the first workable electric cars were around 100 years ago (NO, I'M NOT KIDDING)

So where are they? That brings us to the real problem: special interests. We do not have alternative enrgies--we are dependant on foreign oil--for the simple reason that special intersests--mostly the fossil fuel industry--have actively blocked changes in policy and access to markets for alternative technologies.

As to the rest of your question: we have a growing solar and wind power industry--both are commercially competitive. Nuclear is an option that merits careful study. Coal is not a viable long term option--it is not carbon-neutral (its worse than oil, in fact). Ethanol is viable--but the problem is scale: how much farmland can we shift to this, along with all the fertilizer, etc, before the ecological impact outweighs the value. Besides, ethanol is not cheap.

What Is The Best Item You Ever Found At A Thrift Store Or Yard Sale?

elvisgurly

What is the best item you ever found at a thrift store or yard sale?

Do you think thrift stores charge reasonable prices or charge way too much?

Answer
My wife found one of those kid's electric cars for $5...and the guy threw in a toddler bike with training wheels for 50 cents.


But the killer of all garage sale items was the lady trucker who bought what she thought was just some old painting of flowers...turned out to be an $18M Van Gogh. Lucky lady!!!

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How hard is it getting a BS in electrical engineering ?

electric cars for kids 10 image

wodasha

I'm asking this because I was taking a pre-reg math class (not going back to school until fall '12). I went on this one site and it said that on average it takes 10-15 hours to finish homework problems in an engineering field. I was interested in computer science, but am now more interested in EE.

Best answer 10 points.

Answer
It is easy. Recently graduated high school kids do it all the time. There are hard schools and easy schools. Once you have a EE degree you are one, regardless of what school you got it from. It can be done in 4 years, or less if you want to go to summer school. Getting a EE degree can cost you as little as $8,000 per year (http://www.pcci.edu/). Getting an EE degree online is also soon to become a reality, which could further reduce your cost, and working at your own pace has some advantages. I spent about 2 hours homework for each class hour I attended at Purdue University. Getting a EE degree is about assimilating the necessary amount of Information. It is something you do, not the instructor. You can get the understanding of the information on your own, from the internet, books, and doing experiments to check your understanding of what you have assimilated. School are to assist you in doing this. It is the understanding of the subject, that you have in your head, that is your tool kit to work as a EE, solving the worlds problems, one at a time, for the rest of your lifetime. It is a fun and rewarding career. I am having fun working on putting an electric cars motors, in the wheels.

Besides for using a scraper are there any other methods to remove ice from your windshield?

Chelsea

I find I waste so much time in the morning scraping ice off of my car windows. Does anyone have home remedies or methods to prevent or speed up the process of removing ice??

Answer
1. Park in a garage, carport, etc.
2. Cover the windshield with a snow/frost shield.
3. Use warm water.
4. Put a small electric heater in the car and run an extension cord out to the car.
5. Wait for warmer weather.
6. Get some kids to do it for you.
7. Buy a remote start, and start the car 5 minutes before you're ready to leave.
8. Buy a car with an electric heater, so the heat is produced quicker.
9. Park in a spot where the sun will heat the car when you leave (For example, if you are parked next to a building, but could move to a sunny area.)
10. Carpool and let someone else do the work.

edit:

For all those people who claim that warm water will crack the windshield, I suggest you go to a car wash during cold weather. Watch all those cars come out without damaged windshields.

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