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Politics Where we learn not to think less of others who don't share our views |
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#1 | |
Read? I only know how to write.
Join Date: Jan 2001
Posts: 11,933
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#2 |
Management Consultant
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 165
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~_0
I sense some hostility. History of bad blood? Without knowing any of the history, I do think UG has a respectable point. You look at the history of "power" and it's always driven not necessarily by concentration, but by peak output. It's just that the two have gone hand-in-hand for the greater part of history. We went from wood-burning steam-power, to coal, to gas, to refined gas, on and on to nuke-u-lar power. But you also look at history of power development... the primary focus has never been about efficiency so much as raw output. But just as with computer processing power we're starting to reach the right wall, and in order to continue making advancement we're learning about novel ideas like efficiency. The biggest reason that cell phones can go for 3-4 days w/o a recharge as opposed to 8 hours like phones just 10 years ago isn't primarily because of battery improvements, but b/c we've gotten a lot more clever in power usage / consumption of the devices. They've got "high efficiency" homes in CA that actually input power BACK to the power grid b/c they collect more than enough to run the home off of a small cluster of solar panels... power high-efficiency devices in the home. The theme here is if we cand find ways to be more efficient but accomplish the same tasks, then we'll be able to move back to lower-output energy, without loss of convenience. But anyhow. The key to actually GETTING there is having the researchers working to make it happen. (*apologies in advance for potentially stepping into some sort of forum feud*)
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He who dares, wins, my son. He who dares! - SAS Boredom: the desire for desires. - Tolstoy |
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#3 | ||
The future is unwritten
Join Date: Oct 2002
Posts: 71,105
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![]() UG keeps trying to convince us we should beat up the world and anyone who disagrees is not as smart as he thinks he is. TW keeps presenting logical arguments in such an abrasive manner that people won't digest them. Quote:
Matter of fact, if we could store the electricity, we could power the whole damn country with lightning....... with enough power left over to produce all the hydrogen we could use. But, it's much easier (and profitable for a few)to kick Canada's ass and take their oil. ![]()
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The descent of man ~ Nixon, Friedman, Reagan, Trump. |
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#4 | |
Read? I only know how to write.
Join Date: Jan 2001
Posts: 11,933
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Need we cite what made Henry Ford's Model T and Model A so successful? Not for a minute more consumption. Henry Ford innovated - made more from less. Take recent history as an example. Starting the in the 1970s, cars went from 18 MPG down to 10 MPG. This because Detroit was more concerned with raw output rather than innovating - emergence of the MBA as a corporate leader. Auto executives who did not drive were also blaming unfair competition, government intervention, etc rather than note all automotive innovation was stifled. Do you remember the late 1970s? Do you remember those cold winter days when at least one car every morning would not start? Jobs were scarce, incomes dropping, and everything was about cost controls - because (in part) we massively increased petroleum consumption. We also had to produce too many parts for each auto, too much time, too much labor, too much of everything that meant total output was diminished. America, the third largest producer of oil, imported more than 50% of its oil. A massive increase in costs and decreased production because we stopped producing more with less. By 1980s, with homes being insulated, with new innovations (and Japanese products) significantly increasing efficiency, then the economy turned around (other factors were also involved). Why did the auto industry get profitable? Same products manufactured from fewer parts, consumed less energy, required less time to build, etc. The restoration of America in the 1980s was characterized by innovation - doing more with less. Cars did same with only half the energy. Therefore America began growing again. History is chock full of massive production created because that production took less to accomplish. Even a structurally inferior Sherman tank was so successful in WWII because massive production was made possible by doing more from less. Massive consumption did not make America wealthy and productive. Doing more with less created America's remarkable growth and power. Massive consumption is but a symptom of innovation - repeatedly doing more with less. The heart of so much growth is from America's secret weapons - nurtured by free markets, et al - innovation. Last edited by tw; 02-04-2006 at 11:59 AM. |
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#5 | |
Read? I only know how to write.
Join Date: Jan 2001
Posts: 11,933
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Understanding terrorism Understanding terrorism Last edited by tw; 02-03-2006 at 02:27 PM. |
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