Topic Title

Greetings,

I have made a (small) new post on my blog, and I edited an earlier post
to include links to dimmable compact fluorescent bulbs, and to LED bulbs
that screw into standard "Edison" light sockets.

http://neilblanchard.vox.com/library/posts/

My blog (so far) is mostly about green energy.

Sounds interesting. Pity about that VOX crowd, they are mighty unsociable.

Sounds interesting. Pity about that VOX crowd, they are mighty unsociable.

Hi Nick,

Yeah, the only comment I have had was on the animated yin/yang GIF that I got from our own Dave G.! I have however, got direct personal feedback from folks in my Quaker meeting; that is the reason I added the links to the efficient light bulbs.

Quaker meeting;

Quaker???

Like the oats?

Hello Greg,

I am a Quaker; i.e. a member of The Religious Society of Friends. Here's my meeting's homepage, such as it is:

http://www.neym.org/FFM/

And here is the web page for the New England Yearly Meeting of Friends:

http://www.neym.org/

Quaker as in William Penn, founder of the State of Pennsylvania. Quaker as in Mary Dyer, who was hanged on Boston Common by the Puritans, just for being a Quaker. Quaker as in Tom Fox, the peace worker who was kidnapped and executed in Iraq last year. Quaker as in the American Friends Service Committee, that won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1947 for their work in Germany and the rest of Europe after WWII.

Pleased to meet you.

Didn't know you were a Quaker. Might have to delve deeper into a conversation with you about the views on life from the Quaker standpoint.

Always fun to hear it first hand vs. reading up on it. Though I suppose I would be reading up on it if I read your responses.

Did you read closely the description of the MiniCooper at http://www.leftlanenews.com/2006/07/21/ ... 5-seconds/? It says "with four 160 horsepower electric motors on each wheel" (Emphasis mine).

When you do the math, though, its obviously a typo and your description is correct.

Hello Dwight,

Yeah, they need to edit it to read something like:

"with four 160 horsepower electric motors, one on each wheel"

The designers of that hybrid Mini Cooper are trying to make it a "super car" -- but can you image how much more efficient it might be with 40-50HP motors? It would still be very fast...just not crazy-fast!

Hello,

Yesterday, I took my two kids to see a collection of mini and micro cars at the Larz Anderson Auto Museum, in Brookline, MA. Here's a link to the radio report that alerted me to the show:
http://www.wbur.org/news/2007/68687_20070713.asp

Here's one that makes the Smart Car look enormous:


...and there were far smaller cars there, too! The Peel Trident (the red three-wheeled one with the plexiglass bubble, and it's even smaller sibling; the P50, for one person.

The BMW Isetta has a common feature with this modern prototype (157mpg for four people!):
Can you see what it is?

I spoke with a gentleman and his wife from Nova Scotia, about their diesel Smart Car, that gets 70mpg -- and certainly has all the modern accoutrements and safety features that you might want.

I have to say, Neil, of all the religions I’ve studied (all the big ones, most small ones); Quakerism has always seemed to make the most sense.
The openness and acceptance of free thought among the ‘friends’ is very inviting. I had a buddy in HS that was a Quaker and among all my believing buddies he and his parents were the most understanding of my non-affiliation.

I have to ask though, as I understand your faith, you want to take from the earth only what is necessary to live, but how do you feel about the government regulating those necessities? California outlawing incandescent light bulbs and requiring fluorescent bulbs as an example.
This isn’t a troll; I ask only because have always been fascinated with people’s religion and faith and how it shapes their lives.


-Redd

The BMW Isetta has a common feature with this modern prototype (157mpg for four people!): Can you see what it is?

Would that be front entry?

[Mark F. Madura]

Hello Neil:

Jennifer and I test drove a couple of Smart Cars in West Hartford Center on Saturday. We've made our reservation for a yellow cabrio which should show up just in time for winter.



I've been waiting for these to arrive in the U.S. for nearly ten years.

MFM

Hi Mark,
I saw one of these a couple of weeks ago in down town Portsmouth, NH. It was driven down from Ontario, Canada. Man these are small. How do these pass the US safety crash standards? Looks like it would be a great car for those living in the cities.

Regards,
Jeff

Hello Jeff,

There is a video on the Internet showing a Smart car hitting an angled concrete "Jersey" barrier at 70MPH -- and the windshield doesn't even break!

Some more pictures (that I took) from the show the other day:


(above & below: four seat Isetta)





Peel P50 THIS is the smallest car ever!