Saturday, May 25, 2013
Psycho Cybernetics
While I was reading some stuff on Robert Ringer's site, he mentioned Psycho Cybernetics. It was the first self help book that I ever read. This was back in the early seventies.
So, I went to YouTube and found a video series on the subject, which was an interview with the author, Maxwell Maltz.
I've read many self help books over the years. All in all, I'd say they do more good than harm. There are those who would swear that some self help book has changed their life. My experiences are much more modest. I think they've been a good influence, but there's a limit to how much good these books can do.
Please do not misunderstand. This may seem like a critical statement I just made. No, no, no.
Any changes that you must make to your inner self must come from within. The book can only be a guide. It can do nothing for you by itself.
As for Robert Ringer, the one book and only book of his that I read was called Winning Through Intimidation. Such a title is deceptive, as he points out himself in the intro to the book. In my opinion, he is rather clever. He shows it again and again. Being clever doesn't hurt in life.
Because of Ringer, I read some of Ayn Rand's stuff. I probably wouldn't have if he hadn't written such a glowing endorsement of her ideas.
I suppose I write all of this as a way of showing how your path in life can be influenced. This can be for good or for evil.
As I mentioned, I think the influence has been for the good. And I am grateful for that.
So, I went to YouTube and found a video series on the subject, which was an interview with the author, Maxwell Maltz.
I've read many self help books over the years. All in all, I'd say they do more good than harm. There are those who would swear that some self help book has changed their life. My experiences are much more modest. I think they've been a good influence, but there's a limit to how much good these books can do.
Please do not misunderstand. This may seem like a critical statement I just made. No, no, no.
Any changes that you must make to your inner self must come from within. The book can only be a guide. It can do nothing for you by itself.
As for Robert Ringer, the one book and only book of his that I read was called Winning Through Intimidation. Such a title is deceptive, as he points out himself in the intro to the book. In my opinion, he is rather clever. He shows it again and again. Being clever doesn't hurt in life.
Because of Ringer, I read some of Ayn Rand's stuff. I probably wouldn't have if he hadn't written such a glowing endorsement of her ideas.
I suppose I write all of this as a way of showing how your path in life can be influenced. This can be for good or for evil.
As I mentioned, I think the influence has been for the good. And I am grateful for that.
Thorium Pollution in Sardinia: Militarization, Contamination and Cancer in Paradise.
www.nonukes.it
comment:
The claims are not documented nor explained. In comparison, the claims for thorium are well-documented.
It is rather easy to scare people about radioactivity. It is much harder to explain it so that the fears don't become like a runaway freight train.
The real problem is the technology has been stuck in the 1950's. Even this technology isn't new. It comes from the 70's. However, it is safe.
It is not perfect. There is no perfect, risk free form of energy. The great risk of so-called green energy is that it will lead to shortages and the risk of wars over resources.
Thorium energy can end that risk. The only downside is the need to manage it. The radiation will have to be managed 300 years. But the amount is over 2 orders of magnitude less than conventional systems.
This hyped up accusatory piece is not a sign of trouble for thorium. It can be seen as a sign of success.
comment:
The claims are not documented nor explained. In comparison, the claims for thorium are well-documented.
It is rather easy to scare people about radioactivity. It is much harder to explain it so that the fears don't become like a runaway freight train.
The real problem is the technology has been stuck in the 1950's. Even this technology isn't new. It comes from the 70's. However, it is safe.
It is not perfect. There is no perfect, risk free form of energy. The great risk of so-called green energy is that it will lead to shortages and the risk of wars over resources.
Thorium energy can end that risk. The only downside is the need to manage it. The radiation will have to be managed 300 years. But the amount is over 2 orders of magnitude less than conventional systems.
This hyped up accusatory piece is not a sign of trouble for thorium. It can be seen as a sign of success.
How do you explain conditions that exist today in the West?
Is it oikophobia?
Oikophobia is the fear and hatred of the familiar. The powers-that-be are thoroughly invested in it, according to Bill Whittle's video titled Mordor? .
You do wonder when watching this business in the UK and here in the US and how the response to it is going. It's like the whole country has been infected by this mental self-loathing and paralysis.
I tended to disagree with Whittle after he compared the Hollywood left to Mordor. Even if he's right, nobody will believe it. The accusation invariably falls into a trap.
In my own way, I am fighting this.
The solution is to find solutions. Solutions are not likely to found in the political process. This is what it is about. How can you do anything but dislike yourself if you can't find a solution to your problems? The self respect of the nation and of the West in general, would certainly improve if solutions were to be found for our problems.
Funny thing. Those solutions DO exist. But you have to look for them and then implement them.
Oikophobia is the fear and hatred of the familiar. The powers-that-be are thoroughly invested in it, according to Bill Whittle's video titled Mordor? .
You do wonder when watching this business in the UK and here in the US and how the response to it is going. It's like the whole country has been infected by this mental self-loathing and paralysis.
I tended to disagree with Whittle after he compared the Hollywood left to Mordor. Even if he's right, nobody will believe it. The accusation invariably falls into a trap.
In my own way, I am fighting this.
The solution is to find solutions. Solutions are not likely to found in the political process. This is what it is about. How can you do anything but dislike yourself if you can't find a solution to your problems? The self respect of the nation and of the West in general, would certainly improve if solutions were to be found for our problems.
Funny thing. Those solutions DO exist. But you have to look for them and then implement them.
Obama Surrenders To Terrorists
Dick Morris TV: Lunch Alert!
Comment:
Compare and contrast Morris' video to this MSNBC youtube video.
How can these people blame Bush for 9-11 when they don't want to do anything about terrorism now?
If anything, this video proves Morris' point that Clinton was responsible for 9-11.
Comment:
Compare and contrast Morris' video to this MSNBC youtube video.
How can these people blame Bush for 9-11 when they don't want to do anything about terrorism now?
If anything, this video proves Morris' point that Clinton was responsible for 9-11.
Deliverance from the Dead Zone ( repost from 1-4-13 )
[psst: Here's a source of hydrogen for fuel cells. I discussed the hydrogen delivery system in the most recent series.]
What's with the title? What's this Dead Zone stuff, an allusion to a Steven King novel? Throw in the reference to the Burt Reynolds movie and it looks like a double ripoff. Yeah, well I have to do something to get your attention. Very funny. Ha, ha. Funnier than a barrel of Congresscritters.
Actually, the title is reference to The Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone --- where nothing lives. The Deliverance part is a proposed solution that is a speculation alert. Why? Because I don't know if it will work, or even if it could work, whether or not our corrupt system will actually allow a solution to a problem to be implemented.
The idea is to grow seaweed in the Dead Zone. Harvest the seaweed and make biofuels out of it. Eventually, the drop-in biofuels could be converted to hydrogen for fuel cells. You kill two birds with one stone. Eliminate the Dead Zone and lick the global warming "problem". Throw in energy security as a bonus. What's not to like? Heck, you could create a lot of jobs and economic growth with this. Only a Congresscritter could hate it.
Let's look at the Gulf shall we? First of all, consider its typography---depth of the Gulf of Mexico. The Dead Zone lies directly offshore on the shallow shelf area. A good place to put something there if it requires a shallow body of water. Here's some more info on Gulf of Mexico pollution via Wikipedia. I figured that since algae already grows there in this Dead Zone, you could substitute the seaweed and force the red tide out of the picture. Voila! End of red tides and the Dead Zone.
You would need a massive public works project to implement the idea. The shelf areas of the Gulf are probably not conducive to the growth of seaweed, so you may have to add something to the shelf that the seaweed can attach to. That is, seaweed clings to rocks, but the bottom of the Gulf is sandy. Replace the sand with rocks or something else, like chicken wire perhaps?
You could start small and work your way up. Perhaps the 8000 square mile area could be divvied up amongst entrepreneurs parcel-by-parcel until the entire Dead Zone is covered in seaweed farms.
This isn't necessarily a novel idea. They do a lot of this in Asia, as noted in an earlier post. Here's a few links on the subject that I "dredged up" ( pardon the pun) on the subject.
What's with the title? What's this Dead Zone stuff, an allusion to a Steven King novel? Throw in the reference to the Burt Reynolds movie and it looks like a double ripoff. Yeah, well I have to do something to get your attention. Very funny. Ha, ha. Funnier than a barrel of Congresscritters.
Actually, the title is reference to The Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone --- where nothing lives. The Deliverance part is a proposed solution that is a speculation alert. Why? Because I don't know if it will work, or even if it could work, whether or not our corrupt system will actually allow a solution to a problem to be implemented.
The idea is to grow seaweed in the Dead Zone. Harvest the seaweed and make biofuels out of it. Eventually, the drop-in biofuels could be converted to hydrogen for fuel cells. You kill two birds with one stone. Eliminate the Dead Zone and lick the global warming "problem". Throw in energy security as a bonus. What's not to like? Heck, you could create a lot of jobs and economic growth with this. Only a Congresscritter could hate it.
Let's look at the Gulf shall we? First of all, consider its typography---depth of the Gulf of Mexico. The Dead Zone lies directly offshore on the shallow shelf area. A good place to put something there if it requires a shallow body of water. Here's some more info on Gulf of Mexico pollution via Wikipedia. I figured that since algae already grows there in this Dead Zone, you could substitute the seaweed and force the red tide out of the picture. Voila! End of red tides and the Dead Zone.
You would need a massive public works project to implement the idea. The shelf areas of the Gulf are probably not conducive to the growth of seaweed, so you may have to add something to the shelf that the seaweed can attach to. That is, seaweed clings to rocks, but the bottom of the Gulf is sandy. Replace the sand with rocks or something else, like chicken wire perhaps?
You could start small and work your way up. Perhaps the 8000 square mile area could be divvied up amongst entrepreneurs parcel-by-parcel until the entire Dead Zone is covered in seaweed farms.
This isn't necessarily a novel idea. They do a lot of this in Asia, as noted in an earlier post. Here's a few links on the subject that I "dredged up" ( pardon the pun) on the subject.
Margin debt is soaring
Published on Zero Hedge (http://www.zerohedge.com)
America's Bubble Economy Is Going To Become An Economic Black Hole
By Tyler Durden
Created 05/24/2013 - 17:03
Source URL: http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-05-24/americas-bubble-economy-going-become-economic-black-hole
Links:
[1] http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/7-things-about-the-mainstream-media-that-they-do-not-want-you-to-know
Even more hard core
It's informative at times to check in with lefty sites and see what they're saying about these goings on of late.
So, I took a look at the Mahablog and it's pretty hard core stuff.
She says that Jon Stewart takes down Noonan's discussion of the IRS scandals. Yes, Stewart does a bang up job of discrediting Noonan, but he doesn't address the issue at all. It's ridicule, but not an answer.
A comparison with Iran-Contra is not apt here. Even a comparison of Benghazi with Iran-Contra is not apt. Nobody died in the Iran-Contra affair. Even arms for hostages, which Iran-Contra was at its worst, does not compare with criminal negligence---which is Benghazi at its best.
It's chilling to listen to all the laughter at Stewart's ridicule of Noonan. I'm no Noonan fan, but she did a workman's job with this post.
They must not be allowed to laugh this one off.
Update:
The latest news on the scandal.
So, I took a look at the Mahablog and it's pretty hard core stuff.
She says that Jon Stewart takes down Noonan's discussion of the IRS scandals. Yes, Stewart does a bang up job of discrediting Noonan, but he doesn't address the issue at all. It's ridicule, but not an answer.
A comparison with Iran-Contra is not apt here. Even a comparison of Benghazi with Iran-Contra is not apt. Nobody died in the Iran-Contra affair. Even arms for hostages, which Iran-Contra was at its worst, does not compare with criminal negligence---which is Benghazi at its best.
It's chilling to listen to all the laughter at Stewart's ridicule of Noonan. I'm no Noonan fan, but she did a workman's job with this post.
They must not be allowed to laugh this one off.
Update:
The latest news on the scandal.
Inputs and Outputs of the Solvay Process CD5612
A modified version of this will produce ammonium chloride and the soda ash. This can be combined as mentioned in the earlier post to produce the ammonium carbonate.
All very well known reactions with a long history. Nothing new nor magical about it.
Update:
You could use the ammonium chloride to react with the calcium hydroxide to produce the ammonia directly.
The products are calcium choride again plus the soda ash. Each are marketable products.
Update:
Part x + 1 of series. The previous post was called part x.
All very well known reactions with a long history. Nothing new nor magical about it.
Update:
You could use the ammonium chloride to react with the calcium hydroxide to produce the ammonia directly.
The products are calcium choride again plus the soda ash. Each are marketable products.
Update:
Part x + 1 of series. The previous post was called part x.
Intriguing combination of chemicals leads to shortcut and a killer app for molten-salt reactors
By looking for some clues of what happens when calcium hydroxide and ammonia is mixed together, I found this
Then this:
So, this is a shortcut to the process that I've been looking at.
To recap, I wanted to find a way to economically obtain hydrogen for use in a fuel cell. The problem with hydrogen, is that it is very light weight and is hard to transport efficiently. It will need "infrastructure" for this purpose.
Now, this proposed system will not remove the need for infrastructure, but it will remove the difficulty of transporting hydrogen. Ironically, it accomplishes this task by not transporting hydrogen at all.
How?
Instead, it will entail the transport of solids, which at the distribution site to the consumer, will be converted into hydrogen safely and in an environmentally friendly way. The solids are ammonium carbonate ( common smelling salts ) and calcium oxide ( quicklime). Both processes to produce these solids are reversible and therefore "close the loop" for their production. Aside from the initial mining to produce them, no additional mining will be necessary as the materials are recycled over and over again ad infinitum.
The process does require the production of a carbon feedstock, but this process can be biological, thus keeping it environmentally friendly.
This feedstock will produce ammonia which will be used for the production of the smelling salts. Smelling salts are none other than the combination of ammonia with carbon dioxide. It produces the solid which can be transported conveniently.
The quicklime is produced in kilns from limestone. The limestone needs only to be mined once. That's because the quicklime can be combined with water and this results in calcium hydroxide, which can absorb carbon dioxide to form calcium carbonate---the main component of limestone. So, the quicklime is what is shipped to end distribution points for sale to consumers.
At these locations, the materials are combined with water. Combining the resulting calcium hydroxide ( above graphic ) with the smelling salts in an aqueous solution will produce the ammonia once again. The ammonia can be cracked into hydrogen, which is compressed and cryogenically stored and sold to consumers. The production of hydrogen can thus be done at the point of sale, which obviates the need to transport it.
To produce the solids mentioned requires a lot of energy. So, how do you keep that environmentally friendly?
Use a molten-salt reactor. Now, this isn't totally waste-free, but it is a lot better than solid-fuel, water-cooled reactors that create so much waste. Not to mention the good stuff that can be useful products as well.
The reactor will bake out the carbon dioxide from the calcium carbonate, which produces the calcium oxide that is shipped as mentioned above.
It can also produce the ammonia from biological feedstocks.
What's not to like?
Update:
Perhaps this is not as easy as I thought. Making the ammonium carbonate is more complex than I thought.
Update:
A modified version of the Solvay Process can get you back to the point described in the above update. You will need salt ( sodium choride ).
Still works, but it is just a little more complicated.
Update:
Part of a series, maybe one of the last parts. Let's call it part x for now.
The series is called Killer App for Molten Salt Reactors.
Update:
The original post is here. Call that one post # 1. There are several posts in between, which shows the evolution of the idea.
 |
| JSTOR |
Then this:
 |
| Yahoo answers |
To recap, I wanted to find a way to economically obtain hydrogen for use in a fuel cell. The problem with hydrogen, is that it is very light weight and is hard to transport efficiently. It will need "infrastructure" for this purpose.
Now, this proposed system will not remove the need for infrastructure, but it will remove the difficulty of transporting hydrogen. Ironically, it accomplishes this task by not transporting hydrogen at all.
How?
Instead, it will entail the transport of solids, which at the distribution site to the consumer, will be converted into hydrogen safely and in an environmentally friendly way. The solids are ammonium carbonate ( common smelling salts ) and calcium oxide ( quicklime). Both processes to produce these solids are reversible and therefore "close the loop" for their production. Aside from the initial mining to produce them, no additional mining will be necessary as the materials are recycled over and over again ad infinitum.
The process does require the production of a carbon feedstock, but this process can be biological, thus keeping it environmentally friendly.
This feedstock will produce ammonia which will be used for the production of the smelling salts. Smelling salts are none other than the combination of ammonia with carbon dioxide. It produces the solid which can be transported conveniently.
The quicklime is produced in kilns from limestone. The limestone needs only to be mined once. That's because the quicklime can be combined with water and this results in calcium hydroxide, which can absorb carbon dioxide to form calcium carbonate---the main component of limestone. So, the quicklime is what is shipped to end distribution points for sale to consumers.
At these locations, the materials are combined with water. Combining the resulting calcium hydroxide ( above graphic ) with the smelling salts in an aqueous solution will produce the ammonia once again. The ammonia can be cracked into hydrogen, which is compressed and cryogenically stored and sold to consumers. The production of hydrogen can thus be done at the point of sale, which obviates the need to transport it.
To produce the solids mentioned requires a lot of energy. So, how do you keep that environmentally friendly?
Use a molten-salt reactor. Now, this isn't totally waste-free, but it is a lot better than solid-fuel, water-cooled reactors that create so much waste. Not to mention the good stuff that can be useful products as well.
The reactor will bake out the carbon dioxide from the calcium carbonate, which produces the calcium oxide that is shipped as mentioned above.
It can also produce the ammonia from biological feedstocks.
What's not to like?
Update:
Perhaps this is not as easy as I thought. Making the ammonium carbonate is more complex than I thought.
Update:
A modified version of the Solvay Process can get you back to the point described in the above update. You will need salt ( sodium choride ).
Still works, but it is just a little more complicated.
Update:
Part of a series, maybe one of the last parts. Let's call it part x for now.
The series is called Killer App for Molten Salt Reactors.
Update:
The original post is here. Call that one post # 1. There are several posts in between, which shows the evolution of the idea.
Friday, May 24, 2013
Calcium carbonate is produced commercially
SMI: What is PCC?
I included this to show that the process can be result in large quantities of material that can be produced.
This isn't necessarily proof of anything. It is a hunch that this process can proceed with enough vigor that it can produce the results I am looking for.
I included this to show that the process can be result in large quantities of material that can be produced.
This isn't necessarily proof of anything. It is a hunch that this process can proceed with enough vigor that it can produce the results I am looking for.
Thought on the road
And aqueous solution of calcium hydroxide may work after all. This can work if it is kept hot enough so that the ammonia will not be absorbed by the water. It so happens that ammonia will not dissolve in water very well if it is hot enough.
Update:
The above is incorrect. Darn it. Now I wonder if it will make any difference? If it becomes saturated, then the ammonia will not be absorbed past that point. The only thing is that it may make a difference in the formation of calcium carbonate.
Update:
The above is incorrect. Darn it. Now I wonder if it will make any difference? If it becomes saturated, then the ammonia will not be absorbed past that point. The only thing is that it may make a difference in the formation of calcium carbonate.
Preparation of calcium carbonate
quote from Wikipedia
I'm interested in seeing if carbon dioxide can be separated from ammonia this way. A problem may arise since ammonia is attracted to water. If this was easy, it would have been done. Instead, a more complex method has to be adopted.
But I am still wondering if it's possible to use a canister like in the Apollo program. If the canister is made without too much water and plenty of surface area, it will absorb the carbon dioxide and leave the ammonia behind. I'd wonder if the absorption rate would be high enough to get all of the carbon dioxide and so forth.
Let's say you have a 100 lbs of ammonium carbonate. How much mass of the lime putty ( I assume ) would it take to absorb the mass of carbon dioxide, which makes up about half the mass of the ammonium carbonate. You would think an equal mass, but it may need to be more. Maybe much more.
The mass of calcium hydroxide is about 3/4 that of ammonium carbonate. This would be used to capture the carbon dioxide.
Running out of time. Will continue later.
calcium carbonate is prepared from calcium oxide. Water is added to give calcium hydroxide, and carbon dioxide is passed through this solution to precipitate the desired calcium carbonate, referred to in the industry as precipitated calcium carbonatecomment:
I'm interested in seeing if carbon dioxide can be separated from ammonia this way. A problem may arise since ammonia is attracted to water. If this was easy, it would have been done. Instead, a more complex method has to be adopted.
But I am still wondering if it's possible to use a canister like in the Apollo program. If the canister is made without too much water and plenty of surface area, it will absorb the carbon dioxide and leave the ammonia behind. I'd wonder if the absorption rate would be high enough to get all of the carbon dioxide and so forth.
Let's say you have a 100 lbs of ammonium carbonate. How much mass of the lime putty ( I assume ) would it take to absorb the mass of carbon dioxide, which makes up about half the mass of the ammonium carbonate. You would think an equal mass, but it may need to be more. Maybe much more.
The mass of calcium hydroxide is about 3/4 that of ammonium carbonate. This would be used to capture the carbon dioxide.
Running out of time. Will continue later.
Why Didn't Obama Investigate Leaks about the Killing of OBL, or His Kill List?
Ace
quote:
Who serves? Who is being served?
quote:
Kristen Powers reminds everyone that leaks that make Obama look good aren't investigated, even if they reveal information about our most clandestine military units.comment:
Who serves? Who is being served?
A pattern emerges
News that the Boy Scouts have decided to let homosexuals in gives me the opportunity to discuss a recent observation. To wit: that the powers-that-be believe that they can mold us to their will. That they can will whatever they wish for us into existence. We are ruled, we are being subjugated.
Never mind that most people didn't want this change in the Boy Scouts. The will to make the change came from above.
It's like ObamaCare. Most people don't want it. But the will to make it happen came from above.
It's like the economy. It's not really growing. But the powers-that-be believe that their will to make it grow will actually make it grow if only they throw more debt at the problem. If you save your gold, you will be forced to sell it.
It's like the recent presidential election. The powers-that-be believe that they will get the nation to accept their vision, or else they will have to be forced into it. Anybody who disagrees will be punished. If the dissidents like the Tea Party don't get into line, they will send the power of the state after them. The people will bend to their will, or they will be hell to pay. Lindsey Graham says the Tea Party will go away, and so it did.
In the UK, a soldier is beheaded in public, and nobody did anything about it. The man was instigated by a radical Islamist preacher who won't condemn the attack. But we are told the Muslims fear attack from us. Meanwhile, guys like Piers Morgan tell us we must be more like the Brits. The powers-that-be want our guns. If the pattern holds, they will get them. We become more and more passive and more and more subjugated. All for our own good, of course. The powers-that-be say so.
In the US, a political show trial for Zimmerman continues. One way or another, they will get a conviction. Why? Self defense must be discredited. They just cannot allow the people the notion that they can take care of themselves. The police will do that. Except the police can't be everywhere all the time, and said police must not violate the rights of the accused. Which means that crime goes unpunished. But Zimmerman is different, somehow. He defended himself. His rights don't matter so much as the rights of murderers that behead soldiers.
What's with the powers-that be? What's up with us that we continue to give them even more power? If it is a test of wills, we are losing.
What kind of world are the powers-that-be giving us? Is it a world that we want, or a world that is imposed upon us against our will? Or we the masters or are we the servants? Are the powers-that-be our masters, or they our servants? What have we become?
Never mind that most people didn't want this change in the Boy Scouts. The will to make the change came from above.
It's like ObamaCare. Most people don't want it. But the will to make it happen came from above.
It's like the economy. It's not really growing. But the powers-that-be believe that their will to make it grow will actually make it grow if only they throw more debt at the problem. If you save your gold, you will be forced to sell it.
It's like the recent presidential election. The powers-that-be believe that they will get the nation to accept their vision, or else they will have to be forced into it. Anybody who disagrees will be punished. If the dissidents like the Tea Party don't get into line, they will send the power of the state after them. The people will bend to their will, or they will be hell to pay. Lindsey Graham says the Tea Party will go away, and so it did.
In the UK, a soldier is beheaded in public, and nobody did anything about it. The man was instigated by a radical Islamist preacher who won't condemn the attack. But we are told the Muslims fear attack from us. Meanwhile, guys like Piers Morgan tell us we must be more like the Brits. The powers-that-be want our guns. If the pattern holds, they will get them. We become more and more passive and more and more subjugated. All for our own good, of course. The powers-that-be say so.
In the US, a political show trial for Zimmerman continues. One way or another, they will get a conviction. Why? Self defense must be discredited. They just cannot allow the people the notion that they can take care of themselves. The police will do that. Except the police can't be everywhere all the time, and said police must not violate the rights of the accused. Which means that crime goes unpunished. But Zimmerman is different, somehow. He defended himself. His rights don't matter so much as the rights of murderers that behead soldiers.
What's with the powers-that be? What's up with us that we continue to give them even more power? If it is a test of wills, we are losing.
What kind of world are the powers-that-be giving us? Is it a world that we want, or a world that is imposed upon us against our will? Or we the masters or are we the servants? Are the powers-that-be our masters, or they our servants? What have we become?
Western Civilization Dumber Than 100 Years Ago
breitbart.com
quote:
Reminds me of the movie Idiocracy.
Sums things up nicely, wouldn't you say?
quote:
One of the authors of the study, Dr. Jan te Nijenhuis, professor of work and organizational psychology at the University of Amsterdam, says the cause of the movement toward stupidity is that smarter women have fewer children while those of lower intelligence have more children.comment:
Reminds me of the movie Idiocracy.
Sums things up nicely, wouldn't you say?
Thursday, May 23, 2013
IRS Scandal Stirs Preference For Smaller Government
Dick Morris TV: Lunch Alert!
Comment:
Morris compares and contrasts the Federal agencies.
question:
Morris believes FEMA helped Obama win. Now it appears that the IRS did too. So, why does it always seem to be the case that the government helps the Dems win when people fear and hate the IRS? Should something like this have hurt Obama too. Shouldn't have evened out?
Comment:
Morris compares and contrasts the Federal agencies.
question:
Morris believes FEMA helped Obama win. Now it appears that the IRS did too. So, why does it always seem to be the case that the government helps the Dems win when people fear and hate the IRS? Should something like this have hurt Obama too. Shouldn't have evened out?
Worst jobs in history---limeburner
Uploaded on Jan 2, 2007
Tony Robinson examines how the other other half lived in a 6-part BBC Channel 4 "Worst Jobs in History" series http://www.channel4.com/history/micro...
The selected clips feature stoneworker, limeburner and treadmill worker, important jobs in the building and construction industry even today (assisted by technology of course).
Recorded off-air from a History Channel broadcast 24/12/06
Making lime is a rotten job.
Tony Robinson examines how the other other half lived in a 6-part BBC Channel 4 "Worst Jobs in History" series http://www.channel4.com/history/micro...
The selected clips feature stoneworker, limeburner and treadmill worker, important jobs in the building and construction industry even today (assisted by technology of course).
Recorded off-air from a History Channel broadcast 24/12/06
Making lime is a rotten job.
Slaking Quicklime to make lime putty
Published on Nov 4, 2012
Dr Gerard Lynch slaking quicklime to make lime putty at the Weald and Downland Open Air Museum
Dr Gerard Lynch slaking quicklime to make lime putty at the Weald and Downland Open Air Museum
How to Make Quicklime (with Pictures)
wikiHow
comment:
Not enough pics, but no matter. If you check the comments, it shows that you can make quicklime out of eggshells. They have to be powdered eggshells, I think.
You could run your own experiment like this. Make this stuff and check it out. However, caution is strongly advised. Quicklime is very caustic stuff. It will burn through flesh.
comment:
Not enough pics, but no matter. If you check the comments, it shows that you can make quicklime out of eggshells. They have to be powdered eggshells, I think.
You could run your own experiment like this. Make this stuff and check it out. However, caution is strongly advised. Quicklime is very caustic stuff. It will burn through flesh.
Quicklime as heat source and scrubber
Many years ago, I researched a system of capturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. It was called quicklime. It is a very old, very well-known process going back to Roman times at least. It is produced from heated limestone in kilns and hardens once again into limestone after it absorbs carbon dioxide from the air. It is a neatly reversible process.
It was probably a wildly impractical idea for carbon capture, as there is but trace amounts of the stuff in the atmosphere. But what about a carbon dioxide rich source, like which could be obtained from heating ammonium carbonate?
Now, here's what could happen, if everything checks out ( cross your fingers ). The quicklime will capture the carbon dioxide and leave the ammonia behind. The output will be hot ammonia gas.
Now here's how: quicklime reacts with water and produces heat. That is handy as a source for heat to decompose the ammonia carbonate. Run a heat exchanging gas to capture the heat and use that heat to decompose the ammonia carbonate. Run the resultant mixture of ammonia and carbon dioxide through the quicklime and remove the carbon dioxide.
Then, you can send the ammonia to the cracker unit and obtain hydrogen for the fuel cell that powers the auto.
It was probably a wildly impractical idea for carbon capture, as there is but trace amounts of the stuff in the atmosphere. But what about a carbon dioxide rich source, like which could be obtained from heating ammonium carbonate?
Now, here's what could happen, if everything checks out ( cross your fingers ). The quicklime will capture the carbon dioxide and leave the ammonia behind. The output will be hot ammonia gas.
Now here's how: quicklime reacts with water and produces heat. That is handy as a source for heat to decompose the ammonia carbonate. Run a heat exchanging gas to capture the heat and use that heat to decompose the ammonia carbonate. Run the resultant mixture of ammonia and carbon dioxide through the quicklime and remove the carbon dioxide.
Then, you can send the ammonia to the cracker unit and obtain hydrogen for the fuel cell that powers the auto.
Why the IRS Went After the Tea Party Instead of Establishment Republicans
Breitbart via Free Republic
quote:
What to do about this? The reason and the only reason the Republican gained control in 2010 was the Tea Party. But the establishment is trying to undermine those who gave them the power they now have.
This is perverse. It's as perverse as what they are doing with the so-called immigration reform. It makes little sense to do something like this if your intent is to gain power. It makes great sense if your intent is to lose power.
So, the IRS doesn't go after establishment Republicans because they are no threat, but the Tea Party is.
If you don't believe Obama knows about this stuff, you are gullible as the day is long. Obama didn't get into power by being stupid, like this GOP establishment.
The polls suggest that Obama won't be hurt as long as he can't be tied to it. What that says about this country is too sad for me to contemplate.
quote:
As I stated elsewhere recently, The Republican Establishment is pea green with envy but also embarrassment "that the IRS did not think them worthy of harassing, or even worse, on the same side as the IRS. In other words, the IRS saw the GOP as too feckless to worry about. Either explanation is not very appealing for the national Republicans.”comment:
What to do about this? The reason and the only reason the Republican gained control in 2010 was the Tea Party. But the establishment is trying to undermine those who gave them the power they now have.
This is perverse. It's as perverse as what they are doing with the so-called immigration reform. It makes little sense to do something like this if your intent is to gain power. It makes great sense if your intent is to lose power.
So, the IRS doesn't go after establishment Republicans because they are no threat, but the Tea Party is.
If you don't believe Obama knows about this stuff, you are gullible as the day is long. Obama didn't get into power by being stupid, like this GOP establishment.
The polls suggest that Obama won't be hurt as long as he can't be tied to it. What that says about this country is too sad for me to contemplate.
Separating the ammonia from the carbon dioxide
Once the ammonia carbonate has decomposed, you are left with ammonia and carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide isn't useful, so how to get rid of it? This article says how to do that.
Reading through it, it may not be useful for the purposes I am looking for. Anyway, there are ways to do it, I suppose. You want something fairly simple and small.
The movie Apollo 13 showed how they solved their carbon dioxide problem by switching out a canister which removed it from their air. What I wonder is if this would work on a mixture of ammonia and carbon dioxide?
Now, this article looks like ammonia is pretty good for capturing carbon dioxide. Now that is interesting. What do you do to separate them again? What if you want a system the regenerates the ammonia so it can capture more carbon dioxide?
You probably have to use the first system linked above, but we don't want to do that. It isn't simple nor small.
Update:
Something quick and energy intensive may work. Ammonia and carbon dioxide freeze to solid at about the same temperature, but carbon dioxide sublimates to gas. Not a liquid state at standard atmospheric pressure. So, freeze the gas to solid and heat it slightly letting the carbon dioxide sublimate off.
Keep in mind that to store hydrogen is much more energy intensive. This loses energy to be sure, but less than using liquid hydrogen.
Reading through it, it may not be useful for the purposes I am looking for. Anyway, there are ways to do it, I suppose. You want something fairly simple and small.
The movie Apollo 13 showed how they solved their carbon dioxide problem by switching out a canister which removed it from their air. What I wonder is if this would work on a mixture of ammonia and carbon dioxide?
Now, this article looks like ammonia is pretty good for capturing carbon dioxide. Now that is interesting. What do you do to separate them again? What if you want a system the regenerates the ammonia so it can capture more carbon dioxide?
You probably have to use the first system linked above, but we don't want to do that. It isn't simple nor small.
Update:
Something quick and energy intensive may work. Ammonia and carbon dioxide freeze to solid at about the same temperature, but carbon dioxide sublimates to gas. Not a liquid state at standard atmospheric pressure. So, freeze the gas to solid and heat it slightly letting the carbon dioxide sublimate off.
Keep in mind that to store hydrogen is much more energy intensive. This loses energy to be sure, but less than using liquid hydrogen.
Water Electrolysis & Renewable Energy Systems
fuelcelltoday
quote:
Looking for stuff about ammonium carbonate and came across this. There's not much out there. This paper hasn't that much to do with it, but it does mention fuel cells.
quote:
This report describes how the electrolysis of water to generate hydrogen can be used in conjunction with renewable energy sources to provide a number of benefits. It begins with a brief summary of the fundamentals of water electrolysis and the available electrolyser technologies. It then looks at how electrolysis has been applied in the past and its applicability to, and suitability for, energy use.comment:
Looking for stuff about ammonium carbonate and came across this. There's not much out there. This paper hasn't that much to do with it, but it does mention fuel cells.
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Are we distracted by scandals while Democrats walk away with the immigration amnesty prize?
legalinsurrection.com
comment:
Looks like this site is on the wavelength as I am. Not that it matters that much.
comment:
Looks like this site is on the wavelength as I am. Not that it matters that much.
Decomposition of ammonium carbonate
Ammonium carbonate is used in cooking, of all things. It may be worth learning as much as possible about handling the stuff in order to see if it is practical for use in hydrogen fuel-cell powered automobiles. There's not a whole lot about it on the web as far as I can tell.
how to stop worrying and luv da bomb
As for the Orion concept which is launched from a nuclear cannon , a decent respect for the opinions of mankind requires a decent analysis of how the dang thing could actually work or why can't.
see previous text for how it could, otherwise read on
One thing that could go wrong is that you may cook off the nuclear bombs that you need to use to make a soft landing.
Or you may disable the arming mechanism that allows them to be exploded so as to slow you down for a soft landing.
If you go overcome those difficulties, then you have to worry about other things like
Do you have too many or too few bombs?
Can you actually have that kind of control you need in order to make a soft landing?
Will the amount of matter that you can transport to the moon , will it be realistically feasible?
note i am not drunk
see previous text for how it could, otherwise read on
One thing that could go wrong is that you may cook off the nuclear bombs that you need to use to make a soft landing.
Or you may disable the arming mechanism that allows them to be exploded so as to slow you down for a soft landing.
If you go overcome those difficulties, then you have to worry about other things like
Do you have too many or too few bombs?
Can you actually have that kind of control you need in order to make a soft landing?
Will the amount of matter that you can transport to the moon , will it be realistically feasible?
note i am not drunk
Time to Wake Up: GOP Opposition to Climate Science
Ewwww! The GOP is soooooooooo evil. /sarc
I linked to this yesterday. Now I've got the YouTube video of it. The GOP is said to be the blame for the tornado that hit Oklahoma. But Obama is utterly blameless for what happens in his own White House.
Madness.
If this was a sane world, and if this was really a problem, there'd be a way to fix it. But the good Senator only wants to push cap and trade under the pretense of caring about fixing what he claims to be a problem. Meanwhile, the cap and trade bill gets passed and a lot of people get rich for accomplishing not a damned thing.
I linked to this yesterday. Now I've got the YouTube video of it. The GOP is said to be the blame for the tornado that hit Oklahoma. But Obama is utterly blameless for what happens in his own White House.
Madness.
If this was a sane world, and if this was really a problem, there'd be a way to fix it. But the good Senator only wants to push cap and trade under the pretense of caring about fixing what he claims to be a problem. Meanwhile, the cap and trade bill gets passed and a lot of people get rich for accomplishing not a damned thing.
Suicide
The GOP is hell-bent on destroying themselves. Three Republicans voted with the Democrats to move the immigration bill out of committee.
My New Year's predictions seem to working out fine. Specifically, the Republican party isn't an opposition party. It is a "me too" party.
In the article, some Senator was quoted as saying something to the effect that this proves that they can work together. Sure, they can work together to destroy the nation. How much imagination does it take to use a sledgehammer to destroy something?
Another prediction: If the bill passes, the Congress will go blue next year. If not, then the next election. The GOP is demoralizing the very people who vote for them. Why support someone who doesn't care what you think? That is why Romney lost and why they are going to lose big time because of this.
My New Year's predictions seem to working out fine. Specifically, the Republican party isn't an opposition party. It is a "me too" party.
In the article, some Senator was quoted as saying something to the effect that this proves that they can work together. Sure, they can work together to destroy the nation. How much imagination does it take to use a sledgehammer to destroy something?
Another prediction: If the bill passes, the Congress will go blue next year. If not, then the next election. The GOP is demoralizing the very people who vote for them. Why support someone who doesn't care what you think? That is why Romney lost and why they are going to lose big time because of this.
Ammonium carbonate as hydrogen source for fuel cells?
This is also an idea that I don't know if it is good or not. Now, if you were to heat ammonium carbonate solution in water, it would give off ammonia and carbon dioxide. Get rid of the carbon dioxide and then crack the ammonia for hydrogen. Run the hydrogen through the fuel cell to produce electricity to run a vehicle.
The advantage here is safety. Ammonia carbonate is a lot safer to store than anhydrous ammonia. It is also safer than aqueous ammonia solution.
The carbon dioxide may be captured and recycled, if that's practical. If it is not, it may still be rendered carbon neutral by using biologically produced carbon dioxide.
If there's a downside, I don't see it yet.
Update:
The idea for this came from a Solve for X video, which covered a methodology for cleaning up waste water.
Update:
This will become the original post for the series Killer App for Molten Salt Reactors. Called it post #1. There are several posts that lead to post x, which is the killer app post. I won't count nor link them all.
The advantage here is safety. Ammonia carbonate is a lot safer to store than anhydrous ammonia. It is also safer than aqueous ammonia solution.
The carbon dioxide may be captured and recycled, if that's practical. If it is not, it may still be rendered carbon neutral by using biologically produced carbon dioxide.
If there's a downside, I don't see it yet.
Update:
The idea for this came from a Solve for X video, which covered a methodology for cleaning up waste water.
Update:
This will become the original post for the series Killer App for Molten Salt Reactors. Called it post #1. There are several posts that lead to post x, which is the killer app post. I won't count nor link them all.
Kickstarting a moon base
Take Brian Wang's idea of a nuclear cannon, which can deliver cargo to the moon. Load it up with raw materials that can be used on the moon so that you can build whatever you need there on the spot.
It would be like in-situ resourcing with stuff that you know is there because you put it there. That is opposed to going somewhere on the expectation of finding something there, but not sure about it.
You can put thousands of tons of stuff on the moon with one shot. Then send an expedition to recover it there and to make stuff out of it on the moon. This can jump start development of the moon.
Update:
I don't know if it would survive, so it may not be a good idea, but consider this: send along some ammonium carbonate. It is otherwise known as "smelling salts". The good thing about it is that it decomposes readily under heat into ammonia and carbon dioxide. Now, these two products can come in mighty handy if you got great quantities of it on the moon.
The ammonia can be harvested for energy and converted into water by using the plentiful oxygen on the surface of the moon. The moon is literally made of oxygen. Burning ammonia will produce heat and water. Also nitrogen which can be collected and used as breathable air.
The carbon dioxide can be used in more ways than can be imagined.
Update:
How about combining an Orion type craft that can land softly on the moon with this nuclear cannon? If you could get this much mass safely landed on the moon, it would be a stupendous achievement.
I've discussed Orion on this blog recently. Scroll down a bit to find it.
It would be like in-situ resourcing with stuff that you know is there because you put it there. That is opposed to going somewhere on the expectation of finding something there, but not sure about it.
You can put thousands of tons of stuff on the moon with one shot. Then send an expedition to recover it there and to make stuff out of it on the moon. This can jump start development of the moon.
Update:
I don't know if it would survive, so it may not be a good idea, but consider this: send along some ammonium carbonate. It is otherwise known as "smelling salts". The good thing about it is that it decomposes readily under heat into ammonia and carbon dioxide. Now, these two products can come in mighty handy if you got great quantities of it on the moon.
The ammonia can be harvested for energy and converted into water by using the plentiful oxygen on the surface of the moon. The moon is literally made of oxygen. Burning ammonia will produce heat and water. Also nitrogen which can be collected and used as breathable air.
The carbon dioxide can be used in more ways than can be imagined.
Update:
How about combining an Orion type craft that can land softly on the moon with this nuclear cannon? If you could get this much mass safely landed on the moon, it would be a stupendous achievement.
I've discussed Orion on this blog recently. Scroll down a bit to find it.
Going into surreal mode
Published on Zero Hedge (http://www.zerohedge.com)
IRS' Lois Lerner To Plead The Fifth Before House Oversight Committee
By Tyler Durden
Created 05/21/2013 - 17:32
For an affair that numerous media outlets will have you believe has been spun out of all proportion, and that it really is the conservatives fault that the IRS was targeting them, it is somewhat ironic that the IRS official who opened up the entire Pandora's box with her targeted apology two weeks ago, and who learned in 2011 about the improper targeting of political groups yet lied under oath to Congress to the contrary, has decided to plead the Fifth and will invoke her right not to testify on Wednesday for fear of self-incrimination, according to her lawyer. But this would mean that... she may have something to hide? And that would be rather problematic for the media's spin cycle, although we are confident it will take just a few minutes of deep though in the proper channels, before this all too overt admission of guilt is somehow spun as the IRS being the unwitting targets of an aggressive McCarthyesque campaign seeking to discredit the government's impartial tax collector whose only noble purpose is to enable the government to get even bigger.
Source URL: http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-05-21/irs-lois-lerner-plead-fifth-house-oversight-committee
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
The trouble with microwave beam power for launch
This may be hasty, so I may have to take it back.
While I was checking the numbers for microwave launch, the energy numbers caught my eye. Jet power numbers were in the hundreds of gigawatts for a payload of 1000 tons.
Now, I don't know how that translates exactly into microwave power needed, but if it were on a 1 to 1 basis, you are going to need an absolute buttload of gyrotrons that don't even exist yet. You need much more powerful gyrotrons than the megawatt sized one they were talking about on the nextbigfuture post that I linked to back in 2010.
One gigawatt is a thousand megawatts. So, does that mean you need 250 thousand of these things in order to generate 250 gigawatts of jet power? That much jet power would be needed to lift 1000 tons, according to this chart.
Lots of hardware, maybe too much.
While I was checking the numbers for microwave launch, the energy numbers caught my eye. Jet power numbers were in the hundreds of gigawatts for a payload of 1000 tons.
Now, I don't know how that translates exactly into microwave power needed, but if it were on a 1 to 1 basis, you are going to need an absolute buttload of gyrotrons that don't even exist yet. You need much more powerful gyrotrons than the megawatt sized one they were talking about on the nextbigfuture post that I linked to back in 2010.
One gigawatt is a thousand megawatts. So, does that mean you need 250 thousand of these things in order to generate 250 gigawatts of jet power? That much jet power would be needed to lift 1000 tons, according to this chart.
Lots of hardware, maybe too much.
Spacesuits
Well, this is certainly a change in pace. But I'm bored with the news. Nothing out there that is worth blogging about.
Interesting to note that certain spacesuit research ended with Apollo. Imagine all these years, using late sixties technology in space. This was supposed to be state of the art, people.
There were successful tests of an elastic leotard, believe it or not. Quite a difference from the bulky contraptions they wear now.
Looks like they had some research going in 2007 right here. My question is: did all of this stop when Constellation was canceled? Can't get away from politics, it seems.
Interesting to note that certain spacesuit research ended with Apollo. Imagine all these years, using late sixties technology in space. This was supposed to be state of the art, people.
There were successful tests of an elastic leotard, believe it or not. Quite a difference from the bulky contraptions they wear now.
Looks like they had some research going in 2007 right here. My question is: did all of this stop when Constellation was canceled? Can't get away from politics, it seems.
A very bad sign for Obama
americanthinker.com
comment:
This article is in support of Dick Morris' theory that the media is turning on Obama.
Morris compares Obama with Nixon in one of his videos.
There's is also an pro-impeachment article on American Thinker.
All of this while immigration is being seriously considered. And Morris' also has a video on that. Bizarre.
How do you hand Obama a victory in the midst of all this?
comment:
This article is in support of Dick Morris' theory that the media is turning on Obama.
Morris compares Obama with Nixon in one of his videos.
There's is also an pro-impeachment article on American Thinker.
All of this while immigration is being seriously considered. And Morris' also has a video on that. Bizarre.
How do you hand Obama a victory in the midst of all this?
What will be done?
All of the scandals look serious, but what will be done about them?
Instead, the Republicans are seriously considering passing an immigration reform package. Why? Why give Obama a victory when all the Democrats do is stiff arm them? It makes no sense.
Ace of Spades contributor says shut it all down. Well, that's something. But does it make any difference in anything?
There's a political war going on in DC. That's the ultimate meaning of the scandals. Look at Sen Whitehouse's diatribe against Republicans in this prepared statement. What does that have to do with all the scandals? I think it shows that the IRS was damn well sicced on the left's enemies, and the left did it intentionally. What else could it mean? You've got Julian Bond cheering from the sidelines, for heaven's sake.
Instead, the Republicans are seriously considering passing an immigration reform package. Why? Why give Obama a victory when all the Democrats do is stiff arm them? It makes no sense.
Ace of Spades contributor says shut it all down. Well, that's something. But does it make any difference in anything?
There's a political war going on in DC. That's the ultimate meaning of the scandals. Look at Sen Whitehouse's diatribe against Republicans in this prepared statement. What does that have to do with all the scandals? I think it shows that the IRS was damn well sicced on the left's enemies, and the left did it intentionally. What else could it mean? You've got Julian Bond cheering from the sidelines, for heaven's sake.
Monday, May 20, 2013
AP Scandal Wrecks Obama-Media Marriage
Dick Morris TV: Lunch Alert!
comment:
Whatever you think of Morris, he did advise Clinton, and Clinton won re-election. So, I'll put up his stuff here.
This is worth putting up because he explains why this particular scandal is going to hurt Obama politically. For that reason, it could be the most significant scandal of them all.
comment:
Whatever you think of Morris, he did advise Clinton, and Clinton won re-election. So, I'll put up his stuff here.
This is worth putting up because he explains why this particular scandal is going to hurt Obama politically. For that reason, it could be the most significant scandal of them all.
This is not the way to go for nuclear reactor tech
Glenn Reynolds has a post about tiny nuclear reactors. So I took the bait. It looks like a solid-fueled water-cooled reactor. Nothing new as far as I can tell.
Doesn't solve any problems. It's good for Westinghouse, perhaps, but who else?
Molten-salt reactor tech is better.
Doesn't solve any problems. It's good for Westinghouse, perhaps, but who else?
Molten-salt reactor tech is better.
Moosehead Truth
In the previous post's update, I mentioned the term in the title above.
Anybody reading that may wonder what it means. You have to follow the threads to understand it. Or read Gary Aldrich's book, Unlimited Access.
Anyway, I bring up the term because there was an opportunity lost during the election. It was like arguing a case in front of a jury, as Aldrich describes in the book. That's when there appears a moment when the truth of a thing comes shining through and it is unmistakable.
I recall Biden's bizarre facial expressions during that debate. There was something about that which was just about to be evoked as the Moosehead Truth, but it wasn't pursued. In Aldrich's book, on the witness stand, a similar opportunity presented itself. If the prosecuting attorney didn't see that and move in on it, the opportunity would have been lost. The Moosehead Truth wouldn't have been exposed and the trial might well have gone the other way.
Just saying the Moosehead Truth was out there waiting to be discovered only to have the "prosecution" fail to grasp its significance and thus fail in his job.
Not to blame Ryan per se. Just the entire GOP is missing it, and continues to miss it.
Anybody reading that may wonder what it means. You have to follow the threads to understand it. Or read Gary Aldrich's book, Unlimited Access.
Anyway, I bring up the term because there was an opportunity lost during the election. It was like arguing a case in front of a jury, as Aldrich describes in the book. That's when there appears a moment when the truth of a thing comes shining through and it is unmistakable.
I recall Biden's bizarre facial expressions during that debate. There was something about that which was just about to be evoked as the Moosehead Truth, but it wasn't pursued. In Aldrich's book, on the witness stand, a similar opportunity presented itself. If the prosecuting attorney didn't see that and move in on it, the opportunity would have been lost. The Moosehead Truth wouldn't have been exposed and the trial might well have gone the other way.
Just saying the Moosehead Truth was out there waiting to be discovered only to have the "prosecution" fail to grasp its significance and thus fail in his job.
Not to blame Ryan per se. Just the entire GOP is missing it, and continues to miss it.
The IRS Scandal -- a Basic Primer
americanthinker.com
comment:
I thought things were bad, but it is even worse than I thought. The government appears to be actively suppressing dissent through the tax code.
Update:
This article is what I would call the Moosehead Truth. I still think the GOP is way late on this. The current attention to the IRS's shenanigans should have occurred during the election.
comment:
I thought things were bad, but it is even worse than I thought. The government appears to be actively suppressing dissent through the tax code.
Update:
This article is what I would call the Moosehead Truth. I still think the GOP is way late on this. The current attention to the IRS's shenanigans should have occurred during the election.
Shielding Barack Obama From IRS Disgrace
americanthinker.com
comment:
There's that incongruity again. Amazing how Obama's words and deeds don't match up. It's like it's a pattern or something.
comment:
There's that incongruity again. Amazing how Obama's words and deeds don't match up. It's like it's a pattern or something.
Gold And Silver True Story Is All About Time - Be Prepared
TMO via Free Republic
quote:
Don't believe the bull coming from the propagandists. They're going to do whatever it takes to save themselves.
Scary stuff.
quote:
You think the central bankers are caught in a corner with no gold? Well, yes, but that is not the story. If they cannot deliver gold or silver, they will find another way out. You have seen their strategy: MF Global, Cyprus, and more on the drawing board, coming soon to your own [any] country.comment:
Don't believe the bull coming from the propagandists. They're going to do whatever it takes to save themselves.
Scary stuff.
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Joker in the White House
Rather humorous post on New Yorker site. Check it out.
I saw this on newyorker.com and thought you'd like to see it. If Clinton had said this, you'd say that he really did inhale. What was Barry smoking when he said this stuff?
h/t Behind the Black
I saw this on newyorker.com and thought you'd like to see it. If Clinton had said this, you'd say that he really did inhale. What was Barry smoking when he said this stuff?
h/t Behind the Black
Buy when there's blood in the streets
Published on Zero Hedge (http://www.zerohedge.com)
It's Official: Gold Is Now The Most Hated Asset Class
By Tyler Durden
Created 05/18/2013 - 21:37
Not a day passes without the financial media denouncing gold as an investment option and hailing the bureaucrats heading the world's monopolist monetary central planning agencies as superheroes. It began prior to gold's recent breakdown, with widely cited bearish reports on gold published by Credit Suisse and Goldman Sachs, among others. Never mind that most of their arguments were easily unmasked as spurious. It should be no wonder though: gold's rise was the most conspicuous evidence of faith in central banking being slowly but surely undermined. The banking cartel relies on the fiat money system remaining intact; the legal privilege of fractional reserve banking provides it with what is an essentially fraudulent profit center unparalleled by any other in the world (fraudulent in terms of traditional legal principles, but not in terms of the current law of course). As a subtle reminder, in October (before the Nikkei began its 80% rally), a full 76% of the 'big money' fund managers surveyed declared themselves bearish on Japan. Currently, 69% of the managers surveyed in the most recent Barron's poll are bearish on gold.
Source URL: http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-05-18/it%E2%80%99s-official-gold-now-most-hated-asset-class
Update on new blog site
It's been over a couple months since I've updated it with any new posts. It is now updated.
What surprised me was the number of comments, even though most of them were spam. Not all were, in my estimation, that is. Actually, there were so many comments that I gave up looking through them all. Some folks may have had a legitimate comment deleted. I regret that. It is just too time consuming to view them all. I can't begin to respond to them.
Also, the site seems to be getting some traffic, which is another surprise since I've been neglecting it. One thing about traffic though. There seem to be discrepancies from one counter to another. Wordpress says I have significantly fewer visitors. But if I have so few visitors, what explains the comments? Robots? If they are robots, then is Wordpress ignoring the robots? It's possible. I get discrepancies on this blog too. It's hard to tell what the true numbers are.
I was going to move over to the new site, but somehow I got sidetracked. It takes time to manage even 1 blog, much less several. The other blogs are suffering from neglect also. Not enough time.
What surprised me was the number of comments, even though most of them were spam. Not all were, in my estimation, that is. Actually, there were so many comments that I gave up looking through them all. Some folks may have had a legitimate comment deleted. I regret that. It is just too time consuming to view them all. I can't begin to respond to them.
Also, the site seems to be getting some traffic, which is another surprise since I've been neglecting it. One thing about traffic though. There seem to be discrepancies from one counter to another. Wordpress says I have significantly fewer visitors. But if I have so few visitors, what explains the comments? Robots? If they are robots, then is Wordpress ignoring the robots? It's possible. I get discrepancies on this blog too. It's hard to tell what the true numbers are.
I was going to move over to the new site, but somehow I got sidetracked. It takes time to manage even 1 blog, much less several. The other blogs are suffering from neglect also. Not enough time.
Mini Mag Orion, Part 3
When I left off this topic last, I expressed some skepticism about whether or not this concept could work.
One problem that I indicated was that the concept didn't include enough delta v in order to get back. That is probably wrong, at least according to this mission table. The mission table below includes a round trip for 3 different delta v scenarios, all of which are less than the mission delta v expected from the concept itself ( 100 km-sec ). See column I-3. Note: Brachistochrone is well beyond even this concept. Forget it about that for now.
The Mini Mag Orion should be able to make a roundtrip in just 45 days, according to this. That allows another 45 days for hanging around Mars and doing some actual exploration. Well, la dee friggin' da!
You'll have plenty of delta v for a mission and thus, plenty of propellant. No need to manufacture it on Mars. At least not for the Mini Mag Orion (MMO). You may still want to do that in order to get off the surface. You may also want to forward some propellant for this purpose ( and landing ) by using a slower moving tug. By doing these two things, you can maximize the amount of mass available for the trip itself.
Given the rather short transit times, relatively speaking, this concept should simplify those aspects of a Mars trip which are the most troublesome. Such as radiation exposure and the effects of prolonged weightlessness.
Update:
Nope. The pdf file says 100 days one way. I overlooked something. You have to slow down twice. That gives four legs of the journey, to wit:
One problem that I indicated was that the concept didn't include enough delta v in order to get back. That is probably wrong, at least according to this mission table. The mission table below includes a round trip for 3 different delta v scenarios, all of which are less than the mission delta v expected from the concept itself ( 100 km-sec ). See column I-3. Note: Brachistochrone is well beyond even this concept. Forget it about that for now.
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| project rho mission tables |
You'll have plenty of delta v for a mission and thus, plenty of propellant. No need to manufacture it on Mars. At least not for the Mini Mag Orion (MMO). You may still want to do that in order to get off the surface. You may also want to forward some propellant for this purpose ( and landing ) by using a slower moving tug. By doing these two things, you can maximize the amount of mass available for the trip itself.
Given the rather short transit times, relatively speaking, this concept should simplify those aspects of a Mars trip which are the most troublesome. Such as radiation exposure and the effects of prolonged weightlessness.
Update:
Nope. The pdf file says 100 days one way. I overlooked something. You have to slow down twice. That gives four legs of the journey, to wit:
- Outbound acceleration to Mars.
- Outbound deceleration to Mars in order to prepare for orbit.
- Inbound acceleration to Earth from Mars orbit.
- Inbound deceleration to Earth orbit from Mars.
What's it all about?
This has been an unusual week. Some stuff going on that I haven't blogged about. It's about myself, for the most part. But also about the blog. First thing, I haven't been well this past week. I've been struggling with a problem that I've had off and on for the last 3 years. Not exactly sure what it is, but it is related to what I eat, I think. Secondly, about the blog: the pageviews have been all over the place. I had a great number of pageviews earlier this week by the standard of this blog, but it has dropped off significantly the past few days.
So, I've been thinking about this. I did a little exercise a few days ago that I once did about 18 months ago in order to find out the impact of this blog. It's still rated rather poor. Not much improvement. One thing that it asked about is keywords. That made me think---what ARE the keywords that define this blog? It is not defined well enough here. So, I thought I'd take this opportunity to try to focus in on this and get something out there that says what its all about.
From the sidebar, you get a rather chaotic view. It has dozens of categories, but the ones at the very top are that descriptive of what the blog is about. It seems to be about movies and politics. But that's not what the blog is about. I use movies to illustrate what I write. But the blog isn't about movies, per se. I write about politics, but I don't think this is a political blog per se. Hell, I don't even like politics. I think politics is the opposite of what I do here. It is a mistake to think politicians can solve our problems for us.
Also from the sidebar, is a short statement to the effect that I'd like to make money with this blog. Well, that's pretty amusing actually. This blog hasn't made a penny. Not a one. Nothing. Zilch. Zero. Nada.
If I were to extract from all this chaos the central idea of this blog, from these examples given here, I would be puzzled. What IS it all about, anyway? What do I want to achieve here?
Here's some ideas for answering that question:
About the second idea. It does no good if it isn't true. You can make plenty of money by being dishonest. Lots of crooks out there who have been doing just that. Here's a flat statement of my intentions:
I hope this clears things up. I don't know how to make it any clearer.
So, I've been thinking about this. I did a little exercise a few days ago that I once did about 18 months ago in order to find out the impact of this blog. It's still rated rather poor. Not much improvement. One thing that it asked about is keywords. That made me think---what ARE the keywords that define this blog? It is not defined well enough here. So, I thought I'd take this opportunity to try to focus in on this and get something out there that says what its all about.
From the sidebar, you get a rather chaotic view. It has dozens of categories, but the ones at the very top are that descriptive of what the blog is about. It seems to be about movies and politics. But that's not what the blog is about. I use movies to illustrate what I write. But the blog isn't about movies, per se. I write about politics, but I don't think this is a political blog per se. Hell, I don't even like politics. I think politics is the opposite of what I do here. It is a mistake to think politicians can solve our problems for us.
Also from the sidebar, is a short statement to the effect that I'd like to make money with this blog. Well, that's pretty amusing actually. This blog hasn't made a penny. Not a one. Nothing. Zilch. Zero. Nada.
If I were to extract from all this chaos the central idea of this blog, from these examples given here, I would be puzzled. What IS it all about, anyway? What do I want to achieve here?
Here's some ideas for answering that question:
- Solutions to problems.
- Truth.
- Making money.
About the second idea. It does no good if it isn't true. You can make plenty of money by being dishonest. Lots of crooks out there who have been doing just that. Here's a flat statement of my intentions:
- I don't want to deceive anybody. What I write here is what I believe to be true. Yet, I could be wrong. Everything is being done in good faith to the best of my ability. I wish I had Einstein's genius. I wish I had Edison's ability to put solutions into physical being. But, alas, I'm just an average schmuck.
- I don't want to be deceived. If I am deceived, then I may deceive others, which contradicts the above. That doesn't make me happy.
- I don't want to deceive myself. That's the easiest thing to do, actually. And the worse thing. If I deceive myself, everything else is called into question. That doesn't make me happy. I want to live for truth. If I fail by deceiving myself, I have failed by my own standards---period.
I hope this clears things up. I don't know how to make it any clearer.
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