Re: [Vo]:[OT] Capitulation
On Sep 15, 2008, at 5:48 PM, Terry Blanton wrote: I moved to T Bills over a year ago. Will they survive? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wall_Street_Crash_of_1929 Tery You may be very happy about that choice. I didn't know money markets could fail like this: http://tinyurl.com/5a2cc8 http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/money-market-fund-breaks-buck/ story.aspx?guid=%7B56A2CEE5%2D5A53%2D4A27%2DA4BA%2D585CFBE173A4%7D If you use a money market it may be a good time to check on what kind of insurance your money market fund has. I'm using money market funds at my credit unions that are insured, but I'm now wondering if the insurance will be worth anything at all if money markets used by the credit unions nationwide fail. I'm beginning to wonder if the only safe haven might be US bonds or FDIC insured accounts. I see palladium is really cheap these days, about half price: http://www.monex.com/monex/controller?pageid=prices Maybe that's a good safe haven - before folks realize cold fusion is real. Palladium seems to be falling off the edge of the earth with many other things: http://finance.google.com/finance?q=LON%3APHPD Best regards, Horace Heffner http://www.mtaonline.net/~hheffner/
[Vo]:GM Chevy Volt at CalCars
See: http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/calcars-news/message/999 Calcars-news is the place to go for PHEV info. They have more in-depth technical details than news organizations do. - Jed
Re: [Vo]:[OT] Capitulation
- Original Message From: Horace Heffner > I see palladium is really cheap these days, about half price: http://www.monex.com/monex/controller?pageid=prices I agree that Pd could be an excellent investment, since it has fallen much more than other precious metals, plus when the spin-free word gets out - that this economy is suffering from the dreaded return of "stagflation" -- look for all precious metals to jump back to where they were. Plus#2, if autos do recover soon (doubtful) then the increase used in catalytic filters could positively effect Pd more than the others. Of course LENR is the wild card. Seldom does one see this incredibel opportunity in precious metals - for a 3:1 tripling of the price in the short-term, but that is possible with Pd nowadays ! BYW - palladium spiked to $1100 in late 2000, so the potential gain could be more than a tripling. CAVEAT: I am admittedly one of the world's worst stock pickers, and any investment advice from me is extremely unreliable! (I sold all my Apple shares at 17, doh!) OTOH, Pd is not a stock. Anyone know if CMI is reliable? or what is the best way to buy Pd? http://www.cmi-gold-silver.com/buy-palladium.html Jones
Re: [Vo]:GM Chevy Volt at CalCars
Original Message From: Jed Rothwell http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/calcars-news/message/999 > Calcars-news is the place to go for PHEV info. They have more in-depth technical details than news organizations do. Thanks for mentioning this group. Just signed up, and it looks like some excellent info. Here is their web site - with more info and a pic of Felix Warner et al. and the "initiative" which both candidates will likely fully support in one form or another. http://www.calcars.org/about.html McCain should be credited with his specific support for the Chevy Volt: "the future of America and the world." even though Obama's plan for stimulating plug-in purchases is more generous. Here is the 'Felicitous' message on where the candidates stand on these issues: http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/calcars-news/message/995 BTW - as far as a more focused National plan - going into the elections - which promotes plug-ins as well as the American economy (but not necessarily US car companies) -- it would seem prudent to limit the tax credit to ONLY cars which are cdrtified as assembled in the USA -- and not to imports. That would probably violate some trade treaties, but if they want to complain, let them. The great thing about the USA in these kinds of negotiations is that we can essentially do what we want, since most of them have a positive trade balance with us anyway - and they cannot put that at risk, no matter how hard they complain in public. Plus like the massive new VW plant going into Chattanooga, TN - this will stimulate overseas companies to invest here instead of elsewhere. Toyota has said in the past that their highest quality manufacturing plants are in the USA, not Japan. [superfluous anti-conflomerate - ant-Lutz comment follows] It is generally the fat and lazy conglomerates like GM - who have failed the US economy, and not our workers. IOW the probelm has been lack of vision and lack of brain-power not Unions or wages. Anyone on this forum could easily have foreseen the problem of over-reliance on fossil fuel, aggravated by gas-guzzlers - and the record indicates that (even though we might have thought it would take a little longer to materialize). Had GM fired Lutz-the-Putz years ago, back when he was strongly dissing the Prius and spouting the gas-guzzler SUV spiel (epitomized in the Hummer, Suburban, Yukon, Escalade etc. legacy -- which is the Lutz legacy of 10 mpg) ... and instead had put a man of vision in his place - the Volt (which is a great leap forward) would already be seen on our roads as frequently as the Prius -- and GM would not be facing bankruptcy due to investment in these dinosaurs -- which they can hardly give away these days. Peter Principle at work. Jones
Re: [Vo]:GM Chevy Volt at CalCars
On Sep 17, 2008, at 9:01 AM, Jones Beene wrote: snip Had GM fired Lutz-the-Putz years ago, back when he was strongly dissing the Prius and spouting the gas-guzzler SUV spiel (epitomized in the Hummer, Suburban, Yukon, Escalade etc. legacy -- which is the Lutz legacy of 10 mpg) ... and instead had put a man of vision in his place - the Volt (which is a great leap forward) would already be seen on our roads as frequently as the Prius -- and GM would not be facing bankruptcy due to investment in these dinosaurs -- which they can hardly give away these days. Peter Principle at work. Well jones, you can see the basic financial philosophy at work here and in the mortgage industry. Yeas ago, the US moved from being based on rational long term investing to short term advantage to the stockholders of corporations. Lutz was simply playing by the rules. The Hummers et al. were selling well at that time. He could not risk making less money in the short term to gain advantage in the long term. That would have made Wall Street mad and he would have been kicked out then. Thanks to the way our system is now structured, we are destined to pass through these booms and busts as the results of short term decisions must be corrected by obvious consequences. Any attempt to change the system is considered unAmerican. This process will slowly weaken the US with respect to countries that take a longer view and eventually we will drop to the bottom of the pecking order. The present situation may be the start of such a slide. Unfortunately, the general public, which is the only force that can counter Wall Street, is too ignorant to have any effect. They will simply go down with the ship, as the passengers always do, while the captain and crew take to the life boats. Ed Jones
Re: [Vo]:[OT] Capitulation
Do you want to hold the metal? How much you talking about? Short term or long? Here is the easiest way: http://bullion.nwtmint.com/palladium_maple_leaf.php You can get these through a metals broker, coin dealer, hell, even ebay. ;-) For large transactions you need a commodities broker like Kitco. Terry On Wed, Sep 17, 2008 at 10:11 AM, Jones Beene <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > - Original Message > From: Horace Heffner > >> I see palladium is really cheap these days, about half price: > > http://www.monex.com/monex/controller?pageid=prices > > > I agree that Pd could be an excellent investment, since it has fallen much > more than other precious metals, plus when the spin-free word gets out - > that this economy is suffering from the dreaded return of "stagflation" -- > look for all precious metals to jump back to where they were. > > Plus#2, if autos do recover soon (doubtful) then the increase used in > catalytic filters could positively effect Pd more than the others. Of course > LENR is the wild card. > > Seldom does one see this incredibel opportunity in precious metals - for a > 3:1 tripling of the price in the short-term, but that is possible with Pd > nowadays ! > > BYW - palladium spiked to $1100 in late 2000, so the potential gain could be > more than a tripling. > > CAVEAT: I am admittedly one of the world's worst stock pickers, and any > investment advice from me is extremely unreliable! (I sold all my Apple > shares at 17, doh!) > > OTOH, Pd is not a stock. > > Anyone know if CMI is reliable? or what is the best way to buy Pd? > http://www.cmi-gold-silver.com/buy-palladium.html > > Jones > > > >
Re: [Vo]:[OT] Capitulation
Oops! The mint is currently sold out of 1 oz. rounds. Terry On Wed, Sep 17, 2008 at 1:17 PM, Terry Blanton <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Do you want to hold the metal? How much you talking about? Short term or > long? > > Here is the easiest way: > > http://bullion.nwtmint.com/palladium_maple_leaf.php > > You can get these through a metals broker, coin dealer, hell, even ebay. ;-) > > For large transactions you need a commodities broker like Kitco. > > Terry > > On Wed, Sep 17, 2008 at 10:11 AM, Jones Beene <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >> - Original Message >> From: Horace Heffner >> >>> I see palladium is really cheap these days, about half price: >> >> http://www.monex.com/monex/controller?pageid=prices >> >> >> I agree that Pd could be an excellent investment, since it has fallen much >> more than other precious metals, plus when the spin-free word gets out - >> that this economy is suffering from the dreaded return of "stagflation" -- >> look for all precious metals to jump back to where they were. >> >> Plus#2, if autos do recover soon (doubtful) then the increase used in >> catalytic filters could positively effect Pd more than the others. Of course >> LENR is the wild card. >> >> Seldom does one see this incredibel opportunity in precious metals - for a >> 3:1 tripling of the price in the short-term, but that is possible with Pd >> nowadays ! >> >> BYW - palladium spiked to $1100 in late 2000, so the potential gain could be >> more than a tripling. >> >> CAVEAT: I am admittedly one of the world's worst stock pickers, and any >> investment advice from me is extremely unreliable! (I sold all my Apple >> shares at 17, doh!) >> >> OTOH, Pd is not a stock. >> >> Anyone know if CMI is reliable? or what is the best way to buy Pd? >> http://www.cmi-gold-silver.com/buy-palladium.html >> >> Jones >> >> >> >> >
Re: [Vo]:[OT] Capitulation
Leapin' Lizards! The London palladium ETF is up 10% today: http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=PHPD.L Best regards, Horace Heffner http://www.mtaonline.net/~hheffner/
Re: [Vo]:[OT] Capitulation
Gold is up also because people are bailing out of paper money. The financial system is in the precollapse stage and the crew is going overboard. Ed On Sep 17, 2008, at 12:08 PM, Horace Heffner wrote: Leapin' Lizards! The London palladium ETF is up 10% today: http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=PHPD.L Best regards, Horace Heffner http://www.mtaonline.net/~hheffner/
Re: [Vo]:GM Chevy Volt at CalCars
Jed wrote; > http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/calcars-news/message/999 > > Calcars-news is the place to go for PHEV info. They have > more > in-depth technical details than news organizations do. I find this an exciting development. I hope GM can deliver. The 40 mile electric range would not quite cover my commute round-trip, but I could charge the car again at work and would be willing to offer this at no cost to my employees who have PHEVs. I'll bet practically every employer would like to offer the same. Can you imagine the drop in gasoline consumption? Already, my employees who have giant SUVs and trucks are leaving them at home and driving high-mileage compacts to work. (It's, uh my daughter's car.) They seem to be mildly embarrassed about this. M.
Re: [Vo]:[OT] Capitulation
Howdy Horace, Was it my imagination, or did I read early this year that AIG had moved offshore to Caymans or Bermuda along with their 15 bil in cash. Further, congress had passed a law last year that allowed big insurance firms to maintain " cash equivilant" reserves in US banks in lieu of cash which allowed AIG to legally move this cash offshore? Why do I get the feeling there is sum'buddy out there .. a whole lot smarter than me shaving the dice and marking the cards. Warren Buffett skated on the deal last year that caught some AIG and Gen Re people playing poker with a pinocle deck and they got a few years at the desert hilton.. but .. a real look at the history of GenRe can be an awakening.. Warren Bluffit bought General Reinsurance (GenRe) for 20 bil and everybody thought him a fool. All he got for it was some 25 trillion in worthless derivitives. AIG used GenRe to launder some money and got caught.. makes you wonder for what and where this 25 trillion is being used. Not to worry.. if you want a safe haven for money.. it's not gold or commodities.. it's beer, whiskey and wine.. the stuff is selling in Galveston for real money while FEMA is giving mre's. water and ice away. another one of the surest havens for money is guns and ammunition. Richard Horace wrote, Gold is up also because people are bailing out of paper money. The financial system is in the precollapse stage and the crew is going overboard. Ed On Sep 17, 2008, at 12:08 PM, Horace Heffner wrote: Leapin' Lizards! The London palladium ETF is up 10% today: http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=PHPD.L
Re: [Vo]:[OT] Capitulation
On Wed, Sep 17, 2008 at 4:20 PM, R C Macaulay <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Warren Buffett skated on the deal last year that caught some AIG and Gen Re > people playing poker with a pinocle deck and they got a few years at the > desert hilton.. I love the analogy! Warren's brother Jimmy went offshore ages ago. ;-) > Not to worry.. if you want a safe haven for money.. it's not gold or > commodities.. it's beer, whiskey and wine.. This might sound like a joke; but, investments in fine wines are usually better than the Dow. Whiskey was better than money in 1929. Hell, prohibition probably CAUSED the crash. Terry
Re: [Vo]:[OT] Capitulation
The real indication of demand is the differential between offer and demand prices. This is usually a fraction of a point but Pd is seeing several points spread. Terry On Wed, Sep 17, 2008 at 1:08 PM, Horace Heffner <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Leapin' Lizards! The London palladium ETF is up 10% today: > > http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=PHPD.L > > > Best regards, > > Horace Heffner > http://www.mtaonline.net/~hheffner/ > > > > >
[Vo]:Nuclear False Flag?
This is probably the last we will hear of it: http://www.dodbuzz.com/2008/09/17/five-af-generals-disciplined-over-nukes/ "Source: Five Generals Disciplined Over Nukes Source: Five Generals Disciplined Over Nukes By Colin Clark Wednesday, September 17th, 2008 1:21 pm Posted in Air, Policy Defense Secretary Robert Gates will announce a range of punishments for at least five general officers and possibly several colonels for lapses connected with the nation's nuclear weapons."
Re: [Vo]:GM Chevy Volt at CalCars
Michael Foster wrote: I find this an exciting development. I hope GM can deliver. The 40 mile electric range would not quite cover my commute round-trip . . . It is exciting, but unfortunately the car is slated to cost ~$40,000 so they will not sell many. It a luxury market product, for wealthy people who want to help the environment. Perhaps they have leeway to lower the price. It does not seem to be especially complicated or expensive technology. But my guess is that they will charge what the market will bear (the highest price they can). I doubt they want to sell large numbers of a radically new design at first. There are bound to be problems and recalls. - Jed
[Vo]:Meltdown
Safe Havens went up 10% today. T Bills dropped. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aCMdnmwJqCaM&refer=worldwide Treasury 3-Month Bill Rates Drop to Lowest Since at Least 1954 By Sandra Hernandez and Agnes Lovasz Sept. 17 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. Treasury three-month bill rates dropped to the lowest since at least 1954 on concern that credit market losses will widen after the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. and the federal takeover of American International Group Inc. Investors pushed the rate as low as 0.233 percent as the loss of confidence in credit markets deepened. Reserve Primary Fund, the oldest U.S. money-market fund, became the first in 14 years to expose investors to losses after writing off $785 million of debt issued by Lehman. ``People are extremely cautious with respect to who they're lending money to at the moment,'' said Richard Bryant, a Treasury trader at Citigroup Global Markets Inc., one of the primary dealers that trade government securities with the Federal Reserve. ``They're willing to buy very short-dated Treasury instruments and forgo returns and in some cases pay for the privilege of knowing their money is safe.'' Three-month bill rates fell 46 basis points to 0.23 percent at 9:34 a.m. in New York. They had dropped to 0.3867 percent on March 20, after the Fed and Treasury engineered the takeover of Bear Stearns Cos. Interbank rates skyrocketed 19 basis points: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aO1crPsEJ9MA&refer=home Money-Market Rate Jumps, TED Spread Soars on Squeeze (Update3) By Gavin Finch and Kim-Mai Cutler Enlarge Image/Details Sept. 17 (Bloomberg) -- The cost of borrowing in dollars for three months jumped the most since 1999 as banks hoarded cash amid concern more financial institutions will fail. The London interbank offered rate, or Libor, rose 19 basis points to 3.06 percent, the British Bankers' Association said today. Banks lose faith in their own? Terry
Re: [Vo]:GM Chevy Volt at CalCars
Cost of ownership of the Volt will justify the capital investment. They're only building 10,000 to begin. You can lock one in still. Terry On Wed, Sep 17, 2008 at 5:15 PM, Jed Rothwell <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Michael Foster wrote: > >> I find this an exciting development. I hope GM can deliver. The 40 mile >> electric range would not quite cover my commute round-trip . . . > > It is exciting, but unfortunately the car is slated to cost ~$40,000 so they > will not sell many. It a luxury market product, for wealthy people who want > to help the environment. > > Perhaps they have leeway to lower the price. It does not seem to be > especially complicated or expensive technology. But my guess is that they > will charge what the market will bear (the highest price they can). I doubt > they want to sell large numbers of a radically new design at first. There > are bound to be problems and recalls. > > - Jed > >
Re: [Vo]:GM Chevy Volt at CalCars
In contrast, Toyota sold the Prius at a loss at first and provided a very good insurance policy that covered any flaw or inconvenience, including free oil change. A person had nothing to lose by trying out the new technology. Meanwhile, by the time the Volt hits the market, the Prius will be half its price and be totally proven in its behavior. Guess what will happen to GM. Ed On Sep 17, 2008, at 4:15 PM, Jed Rothwell wrote: Michael Foster wrote: I find this an exciting development. I hope GM can deliver. The 40 mile electric range would not quite cover my commute round-trip . . . It is exciting, but unfortunately the car is slated to cost ~$40,000 so they will not sell many. It a luxury market product, for wealthy people who want to help the environment. Perhaps they have leeway to lower the price. It does not seem to be especially complicated or expensive technology. But my guess is that they will charge what the market will bear (the highest price they can). I doubt they want to sell large numbers of a radically new design at first. There are bound to be problems and recalls. - Jed
Re: [Vo]:[OT] Capitulation
On Sep 17, 2008, at 10:56 AM, Edmund Storms wrote: Gold is up also because people are bailing out of paper money. The financial system is in the precollapse stage and the crew is going overboard. Ed Yes. I follow the Kitco graphs daily, and I don't recall ever seeing the x-axis price increments in $20 units before. This is shocking. http://www.kitco.com/charts/livegold.html I'm wondering if it's the officers, the crew, or the rats that are overboard so far. I pity all the folks running for office. Someone is going to have a big mess to straighten out. Platinum seems lackadaisical: http://www.kitco.com/charts/liveplatinum.html yet palladium, also industrial, got the big bounce, though I guess it is only a retrace of the big drop a couple days ago: http://www.kitco.com/charts/livepalladium.html I see money market problem is getting some press now. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news? pid=20601213&sid=aVh1CGGMHiBo&refer=home http://tinyurl.com/3rzeqp Best regards, Horace Heffner http://www.mtaonline.net/~hheffner/
[Vo]:First Open Source Phone
On a lighter note, the first Android was revealed today, sort of: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/connected/main.jhtml?xml=/connected/2008/09/17/dlgoogle117.xml Google demos Android phone at developer day By Claudine Beaumont Last Updated: 6:01am BST 17/09/2008 Search giant Google has shown off its new "Google phone" operating system ahead of the device's official launch in New York next Tuesday. # Google HTC Android phone to be unveiled # Telegraph Digital Life homepage Mike Jennings, one of the development team behind the Android operating system, gave attendees at a Google Developer Day conference a glimpse of how to design software for the device. The Google HTC Android phone He created a simple game showing a blue dot bouncing around the phone's screen, which moved as the handset was tilted. Although the phone was obscured by masking tape, it is reported to have looked like the Dream, a handset developed by Taiwanese manufacturer HTC, which is expected to be the first commercially available mobile phone to run Android. Google and T-Mobile are holding a joint press conference in New York next Tuesday, at which they are expected to confirm the launch of the HTC Dream and reveal further pricing information as well as details about the phone's final operating system. There's a worm in the Apple. ;-) Terry
Re: [Vo]:GM Chevy Volt at CalCars
- Original Message From: Terry Blanton > Cost of ownership of the Volt will justify the capital investment. ONLY if the batteries have a rock-solid replacement guarantee, and can actually exceed it - allowing one to write off the investment over many years. Anyone know what the guarantee details will be - for full replacement, or the expected life? Given the history of lithium batteries in laptop computers, this is scary. You simply cannot expect the lifetime of lithiums to be any more than the guarantee. Sony was saying "improved" for years in laptops before it turned out to be same-old, same-old. Over half the cost of the Volt is probably in the batteries, and if they need to be replaced in 4 years at $20,000 retail -- then the yearly cost of ownership has gone through the roof. After all the cost of gasoline @4 gallon for the average American is only $2,300+ per year. That is - figuring that the average passenger vehicle in the United States is getting 22.4 mpg according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics and the average US driver travels 13,000 miles yearly. In total, the average US driver uses 580 gallons of fuel each year = $2,300+ per year. If we assume that the cost of batteries is $20,000 and that a full replacement guarantee is only good for 50,000 miles - then the yearly amortized cost of the batteries alone - even if the electric power is FREE which it isn't of course, could end up being a lot more than the average cost of gasoline Not to mention the pollution is not eliminated - it is simply moved to the grid plant. A small diesel combined with a few SLA batteries seems to make more sense for both the consumer and the environment in the long run. The diesel will actually get better net efficiency - than going from grid-->home-->batteries-->vehicle, because of all the loses at every step -- so there is even less net pollution than with the Volt. Jones
[Vo]:A glimmer in the gloom
In a sea of gloom an doom a glimmer of light: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/cd8d0e4e-850c-11dd-b148-779fd18c.html http://tinyurl.com/43atw3 Best regards, Horace Heffner http://www.mtaonline.net/~hheffner/
Re: [Vo]:GM Chevy Volt at CalCars
Hi Jones, This (devil's advocate's I suspect) picture you brushed might be true for the 50,000 miles battery life you assumed, but they say 150,000 miles (~10 years) in the original article posted by Jed, which is about the same as the several other new automotive lithium announcements we have heard lately. So **even** if the battery accounts for half the cost as you assumed, which would be surprising considering its small size (16 kWh), at ~$2,000/yr it remains more economical than gasoline or diesel --especially if, following Michael's example, your boss offers to pay half of it!--, plus urban air becomes definitely healthier to breathe, not to mention the zero GHG emission if they manage to produce the electricity cleanly at the plant level. Michel 2008/9/18 Jones Beene <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>: > - Original Message > From: Terry Blanton > > >> Cost of ownership of the Volt will justify the capital investment. > > > ONLY if the batteries have a rock-solid replacement guarantee, and can > actually exceed it - allowing one to write off the investment over many > years. Anyone know what the guarantee details will be - for full > replacement, or the expected life? > > Given the history of lithium batteries in laptop computers, this is scary. > > You simply cannot expect the lifetime of lithiums to be any more than the > guarantee. Sony was saying "improved" for years in laptops before it turned > out to be same-old, same-old. > > Over half the cost of the Volt is probably in the batteries, and if they > need to be replaced in 4 years at $20,000 retail -- then the yearly cost of > ownership has gone through the roof. > > After all the cost of gasoline @4 gallon for the average American is only > $2,300+ per year. > > That is - figuring that the average passenger vehicle in the United States > is getting 22.4 mpg according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics and > the average US driver travels 13,000 miles yearly. In total, the average US > driver uses 580 gallons of fuel each year = $2,300+ per year. > > If we assume that the cost of batteries is $20,000 and that a full > replacement guarantee is only good for 50,000 miles - then the yearly > amortized cost of the batteries alone - even if the electric power is FREE > which it isn't of course, could end up being a lot more than the average > cost of gasoline > > Not to mention the pollution is not eliminated - it is simply moved to the > grid plant. > > A small diesel combined with a few SLA batteries seems to make more sense > for both the consumer and the environment in the long run. > > The diesel will actually get better net efficiency - than going from > grid-->home-->batteries-->vehicle, because of all the loses at every step -- > so there is even less net pollution than with the Volt. > > Jones > > > >
Re: [Vo]:A glimmer in the gloom
That's good news indeed! << Google and General Electric on Wednesday announced an unusual alliance to promote greater use of renewable energy in the US. ... The alliance reflects a shared view that sources of renewable energy such as wind and solar power could quickly be used to meet a significant proportion of national energy demand. ... The companies said that the first fruits of the alliance would involve joint lobbying in Washington to promote an expansion of the US electricity transmission infrastructure to draw on more renewable energy sources. They will also lobby jointly for the use of more information technology in the national electricity grid to enhance its efficiency, creating something known as a "smart grid"...>> Michel 2008/9/18 Horace Heffner <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>: > In a sea of gloom an doom a glimmer of light: > > http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/cd8d0e4e-850c-11dd-b148-779fd18c.html > > http://tinyurl.com/43atw3 > > Best regards, > > Horace Heffner > http://www.mtaonline.net/~hheffner/ > > > > >
Re: [Vo]:GM Chevy Volt at CalCars
With all this good feeling about the Volt and plug-in hybrids remember that the *recharging electricity* probably comes from a untility burning gas, oil, or uranium. Hydro and wind power can help, but that is a *fraction* of the energy demand. The existing electric utilities like it because nighttime charging uses existing *generation capacity* but still *burns fuel*. Whether the utility can burn the fuel more efficiently than your plug-in car needs evaluation of the transmission losses from the utility plant to your house. The way out of this is the work of BlackLight Power, now preparing to build a utility scale reactor using hydrogen from water as fuel. Not deployable yet, the process does not generate greenhouse gases. A byproduct is hydrogen in the 'hydrino' state, which may be a basis for a hyper-battery that will make an all-electric car a reality. Mike Carrell
Re: [Vo]:GM Chevy Volt at CalCars
Michel > but they say 150,000 miles (~10 years) in the original article posted... Well, here is a directly on-point and long but inconclusive thread on the subject: http://gm-volt.com/2008/03/14/volt-pricing-to-take-high-battery-warranty-cost-into-account/ I'm pretty sure that Sony "said" ten year "estimated life" for the laptop batteries, too, but they only offered a real "guarantee" of one year -- and still had to replace almost everyone they made. What will be interesting is the firm guarantee that GM finally offers ... after raising the estimated price by $5000 more than Lutz was suggesting on the above thread. I think it could be a 10 years guarantee which would be nice if it is not highly pro-rated - and that $40,000 sticker shock probably reflects the high cost of offering that guarantee. The $100,000 Tesla Motors car is offering 5 years or 100,000 miles as a guarantee, but that is prorated. I follow the electric bicycle technology, which is kind of a test bed for these batteries -- and there are still way too many people reporting early failures due to overheating. Some are even using the A123 battery packs which you can buy now from Home Depot (for power tools). The PHEV makes the most sense for France of course, as opposed to the USA - since you have clean electric from nuclear. Where are the French car countries in this? They should be on the forefront, no? Jones
Re: [Vo]:Meltdown
Talk about conspiracy theories. We are watching the largest bank robbery in history and nobody believes it is contrived. AIG insured the whole mess and now takes a dive when payday comes. Las Vegas Gambling casinos and established insurance companies cannot lose money. It is simply impossible. The statistics governing both make it impossible. Gambling by simple percentage edge odds, and insurance firms by re-insurance and delaying payout for losses ONE year. Oh Yes! There is no way something like this could happen and be kept secret... hmm.. didn't I just hear this said about WT-7. Richard Takes one to know one. Banks lose faith in their own? Terry
Re: [Vo]:[OT] Capitulation
On Sep 17, 2008, at 1:20 PM, R C Macaulay wrote: Not to worry.. if you want a safe haven for money.. it's not gold or commodities.. it's beer, whiskey and wine.. the stuff is selling in Galveston for real money while FEMA is giving mre's. water and ice away. another one of the surest havens for money is guns and ammunition. Richard Richard, For some reason I feel compelled to move to Dime Box and open a bar and gun emporium. Best regards, Horace Heffner http://www.mtaonline.net/~hheffner/
[Vo]:Sagnac exp. / was gravity = pdf
>Stephen A. Lawrence >Sun, 14 Sep 2008 13:21:16 -0700 >>The patchup for emission theory is far worse: It consists of adding >knobs" to the theory which can be tweaked arbitrarily to make it agree >with whatever result you come up with. >>The problem is that as long as the propagation velocity is equal to the >emitter's velocity *plus* C, there should be no wavelength redshift, and >spectroscopes tell us that there certainly is. So, somehow, we must get >the propagation velocity "adjusted" to match C by the time the receiver >gets the signal. >>To start with, this problem came up with regard to stellar redshifts >measured by Earth-based spectroscopes. The initial "fix" was made by >assuming that the signal took on the velocity of C relative to any >*medium* it traversed. Since the light rays passed through the >atmosphere before getting to the spe! ctroscope I reviewed the sagnac experiment here: http://www.mathpages.com/rr/s2-07/2-07.htm I might be wrong about this, but doesn't any experiment, let alone sagnac's experiment, which yields an intereference-like effect is inconsistent with a ballistic theory of light? However, as I stressed in my earlier post, the quality of being a particle and the property of inertia do not necessarily have to go hand in hand, although the term ballistic suggests they must. Light may be a particle without necessarily being a ballistic particle. In that regard, the ballistic theory of light might be called a _naive_ particle theory of light. Harry
[Vo]:Re: Sagnac exp. / was gravity = pdf
Part of Stephen's discussion which I inlcuded in my reply was lost to the vortex. ;-) Hopefully this second attempt does not mutilate his post. harry --- Begin Message --- >Stephen A. Lawrence >Sun, 14 Sep 2008 13:21:16 -0700 >>The patchup for emission theory is far worse: It consists of adding >knobs" to the theory which can be tweaked arbitrarily to make it agree >with whatever result you come up with. >>The problem is that as long as the propagation velocity is equal to the >emitter's velocity *plus* C, there should be no wavelength redshift, and >spectroscopes tell us that there certainly is. So, somehow, we must get >the propagation velocity "adjusted" to match C by the time the receiver >gets the signal. >>To start with, this problem came up with regard to stellar redshifts >measured by Earth-based spectroscopes. The initial "fix" was made by >assuming that the signal took on the velocity of C relative to any >*medium* it traversed. Since the light rays passed through the >atmosphere before getting to the spe! ctroscope I reviewed the sagnac experiment here: http://www.mathpages.com/rr/s2-07/2-07.htm I might be wrong about this, but doesn't any experiment, let alone sagnac's experiment, which yields an intereference-like effect is inconsistent with a ballistic theory of light? However, as I stressed in my earlier post, the quality of being a particle and the property of inertia do not necessarily have to go hand in hand, although the term ballistic suggests they must. Light may be a particle without necessarily being a ballistic particle. In that regard, the ballistic theory of light might be called a _naive_ particle theory of light. Harry --- End Message ---
Re: [Vo]:GM Chevy Volt at CalCars
In reply to Jones Beene's message of Wed, 17 Sep 2008 16:21:25 -0700 (PDT): Hi, [snip] >Over half the cost of the Volt is probably in the batteries, and if they need >to be replaced in 4 years at $20,000 retail -- then the yearly cost of >ownership has gone through the roof. [snip] I think Lithium batteries are more expensive than other types, because Lithium is fairly scarce. If so, then it should be possible to get a significant rebate on new batteries by trading in the old ones, which still contain the Lithium they started out with (in one form or another). Regards, Robin van Spaandonk <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
