Pangolin’s Recent Comments

• Click here to view comment in original post

  Coming late to the party I am saddened to see the level of debate. It's somewhat akin to a streetlight shining on an empty parking lot; there's a lot of power being used but it shows me nothing. How much carbon reduction happens for a given investment in solar/wind/renewables vs. the same money spent on nuclear power? From today, how fast would such funds be deployable and when would the return period start? I'm still pretty sure that $1 billion invested in 50% renewable power and 50% efficiency will be able to get significant reductions in carbon emissions years before the same money spent on a new nuclear power plant would produce a single watt. That should be the bottom line.On Stewart Brand's nuclear enthusiasm falls short on facts and logic posted 2 weeks, 5 days ago 159 Responses

• Click here to view comment in original post

  Coming late to the party I am saddened to see the level of debate. It's somewhat akin to a streetlight shining on an empty parking lot; there's a lot of power being used but it shows me nothing. How much carbon reduction happens for a given investment in solar/wind/renewables vs. the same money spent on nuclear power? From today, how fast would such funds be deployable and when would the return period start? I'm still pretty sure that $1 billion invested in 50% renewable power and 50% efficiency will be able to get significant reductions in carbon emissions years before the same money spent on a new nuclear power plant would produce a single watt. That should be the bottom line. Money spent on nuclear power will never catch up to money spent elsewhere.On Stewart Brand's nuclear enthusiasm falls short on facts and logic posted 2 weeks, 5 days ago 159 Responses

• Click here to view comment in original post

  Ants- mix up about 2 cups of cat food with 1/3 cup of boric acid powder. Place in empty, dry, beer or soda bottles and place on their sides against the foundation on the exterior of the house. Renew on solstices and equinoxes. (it gets moldy after a while) A friend swears by tansy planted under the kitchen window as ant bane.
  
  Cockroaches-If you see more than a single cockroach there is a water leak, pipe with condensation or some other source of water available to that roach within about 20 feet. Eliminate all possible water sources and moist mulch beds adjacent to the house/foundation, sweep the roof and check the gutters for good operation. Ruthless elimination of water sources will eliminate roaches even if food is available. Elimination of food sources may involve partial dismantling of the stove to clean all grease deposits. Keep all pet food in airtight metal containers. Cockroaches also can be suppressed with boric acid feeding stations. Freezing your house (drain the pipes first) in the winter will also kill roaches.
  
  Fleas- A handful of dried pennyroyal tossed into the dog bed cover (like a pillowcase) eliminated a long-term, persistent flea problem for me. The dog smelled better too. A quick Google reveals there may be a caution for pennyroyal use with cats. Do not apply directly to the cat.
  
  Flies- Place fly traps out when you see your first fly in the spring and renew/maintain several times over the warm season. Empty kitchen compost to an active pile daily. Add crushed charcoal to compost and animal manure piles to speed composting and deny fly larvae habitat.
  
  Relatives- Put a bit of red Thai curry paste in all food items. Keep adding more at each meal until they go away.

  On A guide to non-toxic pest control posted 3 months, 3 weeks ago 6 Responses

• Click here to view comment in original post

  I'm going to throw in a plug for your basic longtail cargo bike. I'm a fat guy in a flat town and I can get anywhere in town in a bit over half an hour. I save money on gas, I no longer need a gym membership and I get so much attention on my bike compared to my car or walking that I'm reluctant to go places without it.
  
  Plus I no longer have to worry about whether I can carry whatever the load of the day is home. Groceries, tools, a box of apples, my kid, a ladder, a barbecue, or some lawn chairs for the park; I can carry them. (not all at once) If I had some hills to contend with, a longer range or a bit more speed was wanted an electric hub like BioD's rig would suit.

  http://www.metaefficient.com/bicycles/longtail-bikes-a-revie
  w-and-buying-guide.html

  p.s.-If anybody knows how to embed links in comments could you please IM me with the info?

  On Brief hybrid electric bike update posted 6 months, 3 weeks ago 4 Responses

• Click here to view comment in original post

  I don't know if the billionaire is missing a few neurons or this author is but there are most certainly "free lunch" solutions waiting out there to be picked up.
  
  On deforestation; rocket stoves take far less time to construct than the saved time spent hunting for fuel in just a week or two. With proper firing they can produce small amounts of biochar which improve crop production sufficient to supplement the soil in kitchen gardens. Less fuel used, less wood cut, more free time, more food produced from one item that can literally be made from clay. A free lunch.
  
  Ground source heat pumps cost less than a car for most households and pay for themselves in under ten years. After the payoff period energy cost saving go into the pocket of the utility user. Less heating oil used, less coal and natural gas burned, reduced electric loads for cooling; a free lunch.
  
  Wind power produces up to 40x the energy cost of building and installing the wind turbine when properly sited. That's 39 sandwiches free for the cost of that one sandwich investment.
  
  Spend a day digging biochar into your food garden and somebody down the road is going to reap the benefits of the soil improvements you made after you die. Improvements that have been shown to last for thousands of years in the case of amazonian Terra Preta soils. That's quite literally a free lunch for somebody.
  
  Those are four examples where initial investments yield more energy or financial yields than the investment made. While we have to make some initial investment in time and energy we have to do that every day just to raise our children or maintain the status quo. Admittedly it's not sitting on the corner with a begging bowl but even that requires that you sit patiently and wait for the free lunch rather than do anything else. As much as anything is ever free in life climate change solutions are certainly that.

  On On thin ice with the billionaire posted 6 months, 3 weeks ago 5 Responses