Two videos worth looking at

Let's call these recommended videos. This is something a bit new in the sense that I don't think I've actually done recommendations before. There are those who may think otherwise, but for me, if don't say that word, then it hasn't been done. It has been said here now, so here we go.

"The way life is" as quote of the day.

This is Rick Beato, who has done a lot of videos. His videos are fairly popular, it seems to me. Rick is a musician, and he shares his frustration that his creativity hasn't resulted in much interest. I can relate to that. Same here. Not only is Rick talking about his own frustrations, but the frustrations of many who labor in obscurity. Lots of good stuff out there isn't being heard, and won't likely ever be heard. He gives an example of a song that "went nowhere". He concludes the video with a bit of resignation that I used as the quote of the day--- The way life is.

Worth watching this even though it seems negative

As for the second video linked above, is a newcomer to me. This is the first video of his that I watched, and I noted that I might have clicked off of it early, but didn't. I watched all the way through. I saw a video that was definitely negative about the USA, but this one lists some faults, but doesn't hammer you over the head with them.

He goes into some political stuff, but it is fairly light. He's NOT a Trump supporter, according to him. So, no, I'm not including his video just because he says some stuff that I agree with. Or am I? You see, that is one of his points. Everybody goes into their information silos, he says. There's not enough curiousity about why someone thinks the way they do, he notes.

He has lived in other countries, so he can make these kind of comparisons. Anyway, I thought it was quite interesting. It had to be, or I wouldn't have stayed with it. Hence, the recommendation.

So this post is kind of an experiment. I spend a lot of time on Youtube lately, and I wonder sometimes if this is a good idea. Might as well post about some of the stuff I'm seeing. If you are curious, then why not check the videos out?

Off-grid post, 8-4-22

The best of times, the worst of times. That's the kind of day it was. Thanks to finally getting around to doing something I should have done before I started with this solar power project, I checked into what the a/c window unit is likely to be pulling in terms of a power draw. Getting an answer to this is the "best of times".

The problem was that an earlier project has made getting the watt meter on it a lot bigger job. But there was another way, and that was by looking it up on the internet. So I did. The model I have is still being sold, so assuming the performance is the same, the thing has an EER of a little over 11. That's pretty good, but not Energy Star rated.

If I had that info from the beginning, I might have saved myself a lot of trouble. This a/c project has a lot to do with climate controlling this place with solar power. But it really isn't worth the money spent. With an efficient a/c like the one I've already got, the cost savings isn't really much. Probably not worth it at all.

So all of this was an expensive lesson that taught me what I should have already known. Solar power does too little, and it costs way the hell too much.

I got to get smarter than this. The realization of this is the worst of times.

Incidentally, the best rated a/c window unit has an EER of 15.5. It is an 8000 BTU unit, and it would only pull maybe 50 to 100 watts more than the one I got. An 8000 BTU unit would keep the entire trailer cool. But it costs twice as much as a 5000 BTU unit. You could buy and install two of these, and just cool the room you are in. There's always a weenie, isn't there? If you get the most efficient one, you think you're smart. But it is too expensive. If you get two of them, you have to work harder, and you can only use one at a time. Which is the worst deal? Take your pick.

Off-grid post, 8-3-22

The last post was on July 22nd, on the subject of energy efficiency.

You can get portable a/c's, as mentioned. You can even get them to be relatively efficient, but not as efficient as the window units. But there aren't any window units I've seen that run on 24 volts DC. There are portables that can, and their power draw can be less than 300 watts. Now you're talking.

To get a machine with an EER of 12, and is 2300 BTU, like the one I've got my eye on, the energy draw would be only 2300/12, which is less than 200 watts. It is true though, that 2300 BTU can't do a lot of cooling. It would be best for an RV type situation. Can we do better?

The advantage of running on DC would be in greater efficiency in not having to convert to a higher voltage. It makes it more handy in using it with a solar power install that produces the 24 volts. That can be done, and is available.

These portable units seem to cost more. If it is because it is portable, or for some other reason, the cost is a sticking point. A wall unit with an EER of 12 can be obtained for far less. In fact, it may be less than 200 bucks. The conversion to AC will lower the efficiency. It'd be best to just run as much as possible of the DC output of these things because of the conversion losses.

If I can combine the output of the swamper and the portable a/c unit, maybe I can get the best of both worlds. I'm trying to maximize the cooling of this thing using a dehumidifier. An a/c might pull out a lot of water if a swamper is running, and the swamper can cool things down about 10 degrees below ambient. At least that's the result I'm getting. The amount of water collected from these portables is an unknown. The production of water is considered not a resource, but a nuisance. That is unfortunate. More cooling power could be obtained from a humidfier/dehumifier type synergistic device. If it isn't made, maybe it can be attempted here.

As mentioned, the water output is considered waste, but what if it were to be utilized in a compact machine? The way the water is minimized is probably through the exhaust air flow. But what if the air were to be re-humidified, and sent into the living area as part of the cool air flow? It is true that cooler air will hold less water. So, this may be a limited opportunity.

However, if the cooler air flow is warm enough, which it could be with a low powered unit, it may be worthwhile to do it. This is what I may be simulating, but with two devices running separately. I say "may be simulating", because I have not purchased and installed the portable unit. It is beaucoup dinero amigos. Thinking long and hard about that one.

That's all for now.

AGW skepticism isn't naughty

Maybe I have too much time on my hands, or maybe I'm just wasting a lot of time. The reason I write that is that I'm watching a lot of videos these days, and some of them are from suggestions from YouTube. One of these suggestions seems to be from a gal called 'Feli' from Germany . She has lived in the USA for five years or more, and she puts up a lot of videos.

One of those videos said a few things that she still cannot get used to in America. Of these things, she mentioned the lack of belief in facts. I found that a bit of an odd thing to say. It did cause me to give some thought on what a fact actually is. In other words, I looked up the dictionary definition of what a fact is supposed to be. Basically, the definition given boils down to what's true or not true.

It would be strange for someone to accuse someone like me of this. Yet that is kinda the direction she is going. The definition mentioned did not go far enough of the philosophy of knowledge, ie. epistemology. Epistemology of the study of knowledge. After all, what IS knowledge? It may well to give it some thought.

Not everyone agrees on what is true and not true. Even in science, the "facts" can change. So, when someone says that you don't believe in facts, you are really saying is that people disagree with what you believe the facts to be. If someone powerful says something that is obviously false, they can punish you if you contradict it. The point being that the thing that is regarded as true is often colored with the effects of authority. A high profile example from history is when Galileo contradicted the Church, and was punished for it. History has confirmed what Galileo said, not what the Church said at the time.

I've written many times on this blog that the truth is a slippery thing. You may not have a grasp of it even if you think you do. The point is don't be so 100% sure about everything. There is the possiblity of error.

I do not find the arguments in favor of authority to be persuasive. So the appeal to authority of some finding of such a number of scientists who claim something like AGW to be true must not the final say on a matter. If they say it, it is also subject to error. Even the best minds have been wrong in the past. That's why we should have the right to disagree. Most would agree NOW that the punishment of Galileo to have been in error. That wouldn't have been the case THEN.

It may well be the case that AGW skepticism is in error. It may well also be the case that AGW is bunk. My approach is from the skepticism side. I'm not going to allow others to do my thinking for me.

It is ironic that she talks about science and such, and that it isn't a belief. Yet, what is the source of her belief in AGW? Is it not also in the way of religion? Or even more so?

What is the most reliable way to truth? Probably not the way it is done today. What is likely today is a lot like what was likely in Galileo's time. In that time, which is considered primitive, authority was being used to suppress free discussion of what was being set forth as truth. For his trouble, Galileo was punished. He was punished for being right.

There would be those who would respond saying that Galileo shouldn't have been punished because he was the true authority. Nope. He shouldn't have been punished because his was the less accepted view at the time, which is what argument from authority did to him.

NOBODY should be punished on that basis. In other words, freedom should be honored. This is the best way that we have at getting at truth, in my opinion. Compulsion has the least place in the quest to arrive at the truth, not the preferred place.

UPDATE:



Germany's recovery from COVID the weakest of any advanced country.

She also included her assertion about COVID, as if it were gospel truth.

Skepticism of what the authority says is essential to a free society. When that is shut down, you can get some really bad outcomes. Like an Adolf Hitler.

That may be playing it rough, but there's that pesky truth thingie again.

Individualism is Capitalism, Corporatism is not Capitalism, it is Fascism

Recently there was an email from the House Representative from this District. It refers to the GOP side as being on the "right", and I thought, "here we go again". I'm sure that there are many on the GOP base who wonder if these guys really want to win, or if it is all just Kabuki Theater? Kabuki Theater has a predetermined outcome. If this is Kabuki, then they aren't trying to win. They aren't supposed to win. When the GOP'ers use that word "right" in reference to themselves, they are shooting themselves in the foot. Nobody does anything like that if they are serious about winning.

A bit of communist theory here: according to the commies, Fascism is the last step of a dying Capitalism. Commies believe that their view is inevitable, so for one to be "on the right side of history", one has to be a Communist. As everyone knows, a Fascist is on the "right". Therefore, to refer to oneself as being on the "right" is helping the commies in their propaganda against Capitalism. Why then, would anybody want to be associated with a "dying" ideology? Why would one use that term in reference to themselves if they were serious about winning?

All a communist or fellow-traveler has to do is call someone "extreme", and they have painted that person a fascist. They don't even have to use the term. People listening to it will connect the dots. If you don't want to be seen as a fascist, then why give the commies that opening? Besides, it isn't true anyway. Just because you disagree with a communist doesn't make you a fascist. But that is the way it is with communists. Why help the commies label their opponents with such a broad brush? This is what the commies mean when they call their unwitting enablers "useful idiots".

Commies may be making a valid point in going up against Corporatism. But they aren't necessarily adverse with using their enemies to hang their enemies. The commies like to say that the Capitalist will sell them the rope that they hang him with. Corporatism isn't much different from Communism because both are collectivist-minded. Once you start thinking with a hive-mind, like the Communists, then you are thinking like a Corporatist. The commies have a point. Once you go down that road, Communism isn't far behind. For all intents and purposes, Communism-Fascism is the same thing. Commies and fascists aren't opposites, the are two sides to the same collectivist coin.

True Capitalism is individualistic. Consequently, there won't be the tendency towards groupthink of the hive mind. Corporations are notorious for the sclerotic tendencies. Like all group-centered organizations, risk-taking is out the window. Creativity is out the window. It becomes a hive mind where adherence to the culture supercedes all other considerations. All power to the Soviet! An individualist doesn't think that way. An individualist is a true Capitalist. Corporatism is just a step towards the collectivist impulse from the hive mind of Communism.

So, to identify oneself with that in any way is defeatist. If a person is serious about preserving the American way, one NEVER refers to themselves as being on the "right". The word is associated with Marxist ideology, and why would any serious- minded patriotic American ever do THAT?

The use of that word should be considered offensive to a true patriotic red-blooded American Capitalist. Only commies and "useful idiots" talk like that.