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Harper wants Canada to go on airstrikes on Iraq. That’s right. Canada. The nice ones, the peace keepers, the polite people, the bastion of warm-gooey-joy-joy feelings, the “we’re awesome because we can solve problems without bombing people” great white north. He wants us conducting air strikes. We have to tell him ‘No.’
Elizabeth May of the Green Party spoke against the airstrikes (video below) and I think she did a good job. There’s a big part of me that wishes she didn’t tread so softly, that she went for the jugular and tore them a new one. That said, I recognize that her overly tactful and diplomatic manor probably has a much better chance of being considered than the enraged reaming I figure Harper needs. In any event, May has one seat while Harper has a majority government. We citizens need to help out on this one.
I have drafted a template letter anyone is free to copy, paste, edit, amend, and send to their MP. Please share it, send it in, or even write your own. Spread the word. Say ‘No’ to airstrikes.
Dear [your MP’s name] ,
My name is [your name] and I am a resident of [your riding], a voice you are supposed to represent. I cannot express strongly enough how much I am against Mr. Harper’s proposal to join in the airstrikes in Iraq against ISIS. My opposition to the airstrikes can be summarized in three points:
1) It’s un-Canadian. We are, first and foremost, peace keepers and have a history of peace keeping and are supposed to be the good, nice country. Nice people don’t go on airstrikes.
2) It’s ineffective. The U.S has been running airstrikes against the region for who knows how long and terrorism persists. It doesn’t work.
3) However much we might hurt terrorist organizations with airstrikes (again, history shows it won’t be much) we will hurt innocent civilians much more.
For the good of the people of the world and for the integrity of our nation I ask you to do all you can to convince Mr. Harper that this is the wrong course of action and, at the very least, vote against joining in the airstrikes.
Sincerely,
[your name]
[your address]
[your phone number]
I was excited. I was hopeful. I very much wanted it to be true. But I’m not at all surprised (a bit depressed though) that solar roadways are a bad idea. Three main categories of problems have been illustrated by many.
One is cost. This one is tough as the solar roadway people haven’t been all that forthcoming on how much each panel might be, but estimates based on what little we do know show roadways costing somewhere between 20 and 56 trillion dollars.
Two is solar efficiency. Solar panels are angled to best capture sunlight, the really good ones tilt to follow the sun. Lying flat on the road is just a bad place to collect solar energy. And as everything these roads are supposed to do is based on them collecting massive amounts of solar energy, this is a huge problem.
Three is durability. Rock erodes glass. Rock being ground in by untold tonnes of traffic erode glass fast. Those super expensive modules wouldn’t last too long.
And these are only very brief summations of entire categories of problems that have been pointed out about the roadways.
Now, if the solar roadway people are earnest in their efforts (and I have no reason to suspect they aren’t) they now have over 2 million dollars to get this idea as far as it can possibly go. While that won’t be a fraction of how far they envisioned or how far I had hoped, they should be able to learn something. Whatever they find, doubtless there is an easier and cheaper way we could be learning it, but as is so often the case, we’re doing it the hard way. Salvage what we can and move on.
If nothing else, more people are thinking about roadway improvements, which is a good thing. Someone will look back at this and think, “Boy, that was a horrible idea, the REAL way to improve roads is by…” and they will probably be wrong too. But they will be slightly less wrong. So plods on progress.
An exciting update on my recent post on solar roadways. Scott and Julie have an Indiegogo campaign (like kickstarter, but not) and they were looking for $1 million to fund production of their solar roadway hexagons. They have made their goal with a few days left and are currently just under $1.3 million. This is happening! And in case my last article didn’t quite express how awesome this all is, check their new vid.
Here in Sunny Alberta, our seasons don’t quite match what the calendar might have you believe. So while it may be that it has officially been spring for some time now, the threat of frost up until last week kind of detracted from any sense of rebirth or new life. But this week’s forecast is full of double digit predictions. I feel we are finally catching up with the calendar. It’s time to bust out the short pants and sandals; pump up the tires on your bicycle; and, as always, enjoy some Vivaldi.
A while ago I wrote a post, Roads: Why Are They Still Asphalt? In it I expressed my desire for the future of road materials. No more hours idling in construction zones as they pour more oil to patch another season’s worth of a billion or so potholes. Better drainage and more traction during slippery conditions. Why weren’t these goals being pursued by the best and brightest of engineers? It turns out, someone was indeed working on this problem and it’s looking even better than I had hoped.
Julie and Scott Brusaw in Idaho are developing solar roadways. Here’s the quick version of all the awesome their new road promises:
- They use high-durability, textured glass to cover hexagonal solar modules with internal heaters and LED lights.
- It exceeds standards for weight tolerance, toughness, and traction.
- LED’s mean clear road lines forever, no paint, and alerting drivers to pedestrians as they step out onto crosswalks.
- Heaters deal with snow and ice.
- Modular roads mean broken pieces are quickly identified and replaced.
- Electric cars will be able to plug into the road to recharge.
- More features and details in their FAQ
- No more potholes-ever
What we have here is technology that greatly increases road safety, greatly decreases the use of fossil fuels, and it encourages the development and use of electric vehicles. It’s everything my last article asked for and more.
The obvious question is, while this all sounds great, can this new road feasibly deliver on all that it promises? I don’t know, but in the spirit of my last article, I don’t think it matters that much. If we really are at the cusp of a road revolution and kids 20 years from now look back at asphalt roads the way we currently look at VHS tapes, all the better. However, my cynical side is well trained, and I doubt such a smooth victory is forthcoming. But I’m STILL excited. These solar roadways are here, they are being tested, and people are talking about them. Even if, in this iteration, they are a dismal failure, the seeds of progress have been planted. Whatever unforeseen problems arise, we will learn from them. While I’m unsure of the rate of road progress, I’m thrilled to know that, slow or fast, it’s actually happening. So read all about it, spread the word, and let’s see if we can get this happening sooner, rather than later.
The source of many major problems in society is an overwhelming lack of science awareness. Climate change, evolution, vaccinations, homoeopathy – none of these should be creating any kind of controversy anywhere. The science on each of these issues is pretty damn clear. It is not the case that everyone need to be an expert on such things, but they ought to have a basic understanding on where the scientific community stands. This, however, is not always easy. The public doesn’t get too much info directly from scientists and this is a problem. So is where we actually do get our info, but that’s another post. Science needs a PR boost in a big way. Enter today’s hero.
Neil deGrasse Tyson not just one of the smartest people alive today, he is also one of the coolest. He gives talks, hosts tv shows, writes books, and by so doing, spreads scientific understanding to people all over the world. Most important, he does it in an inviting way, presenting science, not as something to fear or be wary of, but as something we can all revel in. Here is one of my favourite examples of bringing some cosmological perspective to people who crave it, need it, and will be better people because of it.
Neil carries on the tradition of Carl Sagan, not only in the new Cosmos series, but in making accessible a sense beauty and the transcendence only available through scientific eyes.
And for those of you who like a side of social progress with your people of unparalleled brilliance, Neil has that covered too.
There is so much super cool stuff that science can share with us, but many of us may never hear about it. We need more people who will bring the fantastic marvels of the world and the universe to the masses, particularly in way that highlights just how cool it is. How? Just watch the master in action. Watch Neil deGrasse Tyson.
Free markets make for a level playing field, ensuring the best products get to the consumers at the lowest price by rewarding hard working people who go the extra mile to bring the people what they want….except when someone other than the established upper class might take some of their wealth away. Then “free” markets make laws to ban that shit immediately.
The illusion that capitalism benefits anyone other than the haves over the have-nots is laid bare once again, this time in the automotive industry. Recently there have been two articles about Tesla Motors at wired.com that caught my interest.
For those who haven’t heard of them, Tesla makes electric cars that actually look cool. That whole ‘you gotta be some kind of nerdy hipster to do away with gas guzzlers’ thing? Tesla says “Fuck that shit. Our cars will not only run on batteries, they will also look so awesome that autophiles will bust a nut at the sight of them.” Currently they cater a relatively wealthy demographic, but they are continually getting closer to producing an electric car that the masses could feasibly acquire.
The first article looks at how maintaining an electric vehicle requires so much less than a traditional gas car. No oil, pistons, air filters, pumps, belts, spark plugs, or any of that myriad of other bits and pieces that car garages charge you through the nose to look after for you. All this makes other car dealers very unhappy. These problems that Tesla is trying to make better is how car shops make money. In their eyes, selling the public a sub-standard product is preferable as it will ensure years of expensive repairs. On top of that, Tesla is offering flat rate plans for what little maintenance one might need for their electric car, rather than charging for each and every little thing they do. If the public ever got used to ideas like that, it would be the end of both seedy garages that will screw you out of a couple hundred bucks as well as the posh dealership garages that will screw you out of thousands.
The second article looks at how Tesla sells its vehicles. Apparently Tesla is trying to make the process of buying a car not suck gangrenous donkey sack. By selling only direct over the internet, Tesla stores are located in malls, not lots; staffed with informative promoters, not pushy salesmen; providing a consistent experience across stores, not a terrifying crap shoot. Taking away the dealership middleman may make things fantastically better for the customer, but threatens another crux of the established car industry. Oh the horror! If this catches on, people would stop putting up with manipulative pressuring assholes car salespeople, who would then, in turn, have to get some other job.
So this all sounds great. A new age of cleaner cars, better buying experiences, and a substantial drop in the sleaziness that the average person is exposed to. Except that the only losers in this scenario, the car dealers, have lots and lots of money. Enough money to buy big powerful lobbyists. But but we live in democracy with a free market, right? Whatever. People with money say no go. New Jersey has now banned Tesla stores, as car dealer lobbyists insist that Tesla’s better way of doing things gives them an unfair advantage. Legal battles like this are happening in many other places across the states.
A very grim and cynical part of me thinks it’s hilarious when capitalism advocates point at the corruptibility and horror of other economic systems. All the “free” market does is allow oppressors to pretend that they have earned the right to screw over the masses. Once stymying collective progress becomes easier and/or more profitable than short term individual gains, that invisible hand is much more likely to be used to beat down the public, rather than be any kind of positive force.
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