My wife and I recently visited a Starbucks in town, and I noticed that in place of the usual CD's featuring the music they're currently subjecting us to, instead I noticed a plastic card, in the height and width of a CD, but only about as thick as a credit card.
I picked the up the odd foreign object, and read the text on it. Turns out this is a "digital only release" of the music currently being played. $14.99 if I recall correctly. So for $14.99 I get a large plastic card, and a copy of this music in my iTunes directory. No physical media containing the music. Nothing to put in my CD case, no jewel case, and no liner notes. Creepy.
While I think I could embrace this channel of media delivery, I have to say that I felt a little uncomfortable with it. For one, I don't own an iPod, or other mobile MP3 player, unless you count my PDA/Phone. But I grew up with CD's. Hell, I grew up having been introduced first to records, you know those huge vinyl discs with visible and tactile grooves and bumps in them. You know, they were the same size as a laserdisc. Then I graduated to cassette tapes, then eventually to CD's which have been the defacto standard ever since. Hell, I even dabbled in 8 tracks and reel-to-reel tapes, since both were superior formats at the time.
But this concept of buying music, and not getting any physical media. Seems a bit too ethereal to me. I must be getting old. :-(
Linkage
Another Blog
Rolling stone article
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Oh Holy Entertainment!
When I still lived with my parents, and didn't pay rent, a large portion of my income went toward entertainment related electronics. Specifically home theater components.
I also worked for a while at a high end audio/video shop that sold and provided custom installation services for obscenely expensive gear. At the time, I was quite passionate about it, and read a lot of the industry news and and publications which elevated the experience of listening to music to an almost mystic and quasi-religious status.
Years have past, I've sold a lot of the high end gear I owned (used to have a full blow surround system with preamp and power amplifier separates), and gotten married and I'm now starting a family. I still very much enjoy music, and watching movies but at the moment I'm fairly satisfied with the "Home-Theater-In-A-Box" (HTIAB) which I currently own for sound and video reproduction.
I recently started shopping for a new Flat Panel TV considering the government mandated change to HD for all broadcast TV. As part of my exercise of researching TV's and making a purchasing decision, I recently subscribed to Home Theater Magazine one of the industry publications I had previously studied carefully.
Where I used to completely agree with their assertions, and at times even look down my nose at the authors as "posers", I now find myself offended by the haughty and elitist attitude which permeates the articles I read. I feel as though, rather than being my peers and people that "get me" I'm reading material from authors who would label me a heretic for putting "real life" ahead of the pursuit of excruciatingly expensive electronic equipment for the sole purpose of reproducing sound waves.
Now, don't get me wrong, if I could afford it, I'd still probably be "one of them" and own the most esoteric and temperamental gear in pursuit of the perfect movie or music experience. But as it is, I can't. I can afford my "high end" HTIAB and for the most part I'm happy with it. I also don't need to worry about the neighbors banging on the door because I'm playing it too loud. I don't need to worry that my rooms acoustics aren't doing my $10,000 a pair main monitors justice. I don't need to worry that my baby son will put peanut butter in the tray of my fancy new BluRay and HD-DVD player, destroying a $2500 investment.
Perhaps I've lost perspective on the passion and experience I so eagerly pursued in the past. But then, have I really lost that much?
I also worked for a while at a high end audio/video shop that sold and provided custom installation services for obscenely expensive gear. At the time, I was quite passionate about it, and read a lot of the industry news and and publications which elevated the experience of listening to music to an almost mystic and quasi-religious status.
Years have past, I've sold a lot of the high end gear I owned (used to have a full blow surround system with preamp and power amplifier separates), and gotten married and I'm now starting a family. I still very much enjoy music, and watching movies but at the moment I'm fairly satisfied with the "Home-Theater-In-A-Box" (HTIAB) which I currently own for sound and video reproduction.
I recently started shopping for a new Flat Panel TV considering the government mandated change to HD for all broadcast TV. As part of my exercise of researching TV's and making a purchasing decision, I recently subscribed to Home Theater Magazine one of the industry publications I had previously studied carefully.
Where I used to completely agree with their assertions, and at times even look down my nose at the authors as "posers", I now find myself offended by the haughty and elitist attitude which permeates the articles I read. I feel as though, rather than being my peers and people that "get me" I'm reading material from authors who would label me a heretic for putting "real life" ahead of the pursuit of excruciatingly expensive electronic equipment for the sole purpose of reproducing sound waves.
Now, don't get me wrong, if I could afford it, I'd still probably be "one of them" and own the most esoteric and temperamental gear in pursuit of the perfect movie or music experience. But as it is, I can't. I can afford my "high end" HTIAB and for the most part I'm happy with it. I also don't need to worry about the neighbors banging on the door because I'm playing it too loud. I don't need to worry that my rooms acoustics aren't doing my $10,000 a pair main monitors justice. I don't need to worry that my baby son will put peanut butter in the tray of my fancy new BluRay and HD-DVD player, destroying a $2500 investment.
Perhaps I've lost perspective on the passion and experience I so eagerly pursued in the past. But then, have I really lost that much?
Friday, October 19, 2007
I see your Prius, and raise you an Excursion.
So, for probably the past 8 or 9 years, I've been infatuated with diesel engines. Ever since I was introduced to an early 90's Dodge Ram 2500 with the 12 valve Cummins motor. I was impressed with the sound of the motor, the apparent torrent of torque and horsepower, and the remarkable fuel economy considering it's size.
Ever since, I've lusted after vehicles with diesel engines. However, I'm also a bit of a "gear head" and have a bit of an addiction to performance, particularly the kind associated with small, light vehicles with a reasonable amount of horsepower, and excellent handling. I've also never really had a "need" for one of the vehicles that usually have optional diesel motors as they are usually very large and meant to do serious industrial type work.
So what does all of this have to do with a Prius? Well, for nearly as long as I've been interested in diesel I've had a desire to own a Ford Excursion with a diesel power plant. If you're one of the increasing number of people who are trying to live "green" you're probably clutching your chest and gasping. If so, consider this.
A Toyota Prius is considered to be the ultimate "green" automotive conveyance. So let's use that as our baseline.
2007 Toyota Prius
MPG 60(city)/51(hwy) -- Assume 55.5 as average fuel economy 60+51/2=55.5
10,000 Miles Per year
10000/55.5=180 gallons of gasoline
180*19.4=3492 lbs of CO2 emitted into the atmosphere annually
2005 Ford Excursion (Diesel)
MPG 15(city)/18(hwy) -- Assume 16.5 as average fuel economy 15+18/2=16.5
10,000 Miles Per Year
10000/16.5=606 gallons of diesel
606*22.2=13453 lbs of CO2 emitted into the atmosphere annually
If you're curious my MPG numbers for the Prius comes from its EPA rating, and my MPG numbers for the Excursion come from estimates based on average mileage people have reported on various forums, so there is a little room for interpretation there. My CO2 emissions per gallon of fuel is based off the EPA's own findings.
So, already there is an obvious difference, the Prius dumps almost 10,000 fewer pounds of CO2 into the atmosphere than the Excursion. Take that earth destroying consumerist, you say? What if that same Excursion were fueled by 100% biodiesel?
According to The National Biodiesel Board, biodiesel emits 78% less CO2 than petroleum diesel. That changes our equation considerably.
22.2*.22=4.884 lbs of CO2 per gallon of biodiesel.
606*4.884=2959.704 lbs of CO2 annually for the same Excursion driven 10,000 miles a year on biodiesel!
That's over 500 FEWER lbs of CO2 than the Prius! Now I can already hear you saying.. But the Excursion has to burn over 3 times as much fuel as the Prius, what about refining and transporting all that fuel? True, that will increase the Excursion's carbon footprint again, probably to a point where the Prius is again the "greener" option. But, consider this.
Say you put together a small biodiesel refinery. Now, say you mounted said refinery to a suitable trailer chassis. Now, say that you put a couple solar panels, batteries, and pumping/heating equipment on the trailer as well. Why, all of a sudden, you have a mobile biodiesel refinery that is self sustained, and can be pulled by the aforementioned Excursion to your local fast-food joint to pick up oil. I suspect a system like this would cost less than $5,000 and would easily supply one or two diesel powered vehicles in a household. That should mitigate the carbon footprint of getting the fuel!
Also, consider that biodiesel is "carbon neutral", meaning that the only carbon it emits is carbon that was absorbed by the plants from which it is made. Good stuff.
Starts to look pretty compelling vs the Prius which likely won't last the 300-600k miles a diesel motor would. Nor could a Prius haul 8 people, luggage, and a trailer someplace.
Now, I'm not saying that it's the perfect choice for everyone, but it should make the point that blindly accepting that any one "green" solution is the silver bullet is foolish. I also hope I helped to demonstrate that not all things are as they appear. So next time you see a diesel powered large truck, consider that it may not be "killing the planet" but might be coming awful close to the emissions of a vehicle designed to be "green". That is, if it's running biodiesel.
Ever since, I've lusted after vehicles with diesel engines. However, I'm also a bit of a "gear head" and have a bit of an addiction to performance, particularly the kind associated with small, light vehicles with a reasonable amount of horsepower, and excellent handling. I've also never really had a "need" for one of the vehicles that usually have optional diesel motors as they are usually very large and meant to do serious industrial type work.
So what does all of this have to do with a Prius? Well, for nearly as long as I've been interested in diesel I've had a desire to own a Ford Excursion with a diesel power plant. If you're one of the increasing number of people who are trying to live "green" you're probably clutching your chest and gasping. If so, consider this.
A Toyota Prius is considered to be the ultimate "green" automotive conveyance. So let's use that as our baseline.
2007 Toyota Prius
MPG 60(city)/51(hwy) -- Assume 55.5 as average fuel economy 60+51/2=55.5
10,000 Miles Per year
10000/55.5=180 gallons of gasoline
180*19.4=3492 lbs of CO2 emitted into the atmosphere annually
2005 Ford Excursion (Diesel)
MPG 15(city)/18(hwy) -- Assume 16.5 as average fuel economy 15+18/2=16.5
10,000 Miles Per Year
10000/16.5=606 gallons of diesel
606*22.2=13453 lbs of CO2 emitted into the atmosphere annually
If you're curious my MPG numbers for the Prius comes from its EPA rating, and my MPG numbers for the Excursion come from estimates based on average mileage people have reported on various forums, so there is a little room for interpretation there. My CO2 emissions per gallon of fuel is based off the EPA's own findings.
So, already there is an obvious difference, the Prius dumps almost 10,000 fewer pounds of CO2 into the atmosphere than the Excursion. Take that earth destroying consumerist, you say? What if that same Excursion were fueled by 100% biodiesel?
According to The National Biodiesel Board, biodiesel emits 78% less CO2 than petroleum diesel. That changes our equation considerably.
22.2*.22=4.884 lbs of CO2 per gallon of biodiesel.
606*4.884=2959.704 lbs of CO2 annually for the same Excursion driven 10,000 miles a year on biodiesel!
That's over 500 FEWER lbs of CO2 than the Prius! Now I can already hear you saying.. But the Excursion has to burn over 3 times as much fuel as the Prius, what about refining and transporting all that fuel? True, that will increase the Excursion's carbon footprint again, probably to a point where the Prius is again the "greener" option. But, consider this.
Say you put together a small biodiesel refinery. Now, say you mounted said refinery to a suitable trailer chassis. Now, say that you put a couple solar panels, batteries, and pumping/heating equipment on the trailer as well. Why, all of a sudden, you have a mobile biodiesel refinery that is self sustained, and can be pulled by the aforementioned Excursion to your local fast-food joint to pick up oil. I suspect a system like this would cost less than $5,000 and would easily supply one or two diesel powered vehicles in a household. That should mitigate the carbon footprint of getting the fuel!
Also, consider that biodiesel is "carbon neutral", meaning that the only carbon it emits is carbon that was absorbed by the plants from which it is made. Good stuff.
Starts to look pretty compelling vs the Prius which likely won't last the 300-600k miles a diesel motor would. Nor could a Prius haul 8 people, luggage, and a trailer someplace.
Now, I'm not saying that it's the perfect choice for everyone, but it should make the point that blindly accepting that any one "green" solution is the silver bullet is foolish. I also hope I helped to demonstrate that not all things are as they appear. So next time you see a diesel powered large truck, consider that it may not be "killing the planet" but might be coming awful close to the emissions of a vehicle designed to be "green". That is, if it's running biodiesel.
Everyone has a blog, why not me?
So, it seems like everyone I know has a blog and/or a set of accounts on a myriad of social networking sites. In most cases, I don't think they have anything interesting to say.
For that matter, I don't think I have anything interesting to say. However, I do have random thoughts, and epiphanies which I'd like to document, even if no one is interested in reading them.
I'll likely talk about just about anything that interests me here. Things like computer hardware/software and software engineering stuff, automobiles, electronics, being "green", and my family.
I'm also hoping to improve my skills with the written word in the wonderfully complex english language. Maybe I'll be able to convey information more easily in emails and such.
At any rate, read and enjoy if you like or totally ignore my random thoughts and rants, it's up to you. Besides I'm not even sure who (you) are, and I'll probably have to actively link people here in order for anyone to read it. ;-)
For that matter, I don't think I have anything interesting to say. However, I do have random thoughts, and epiphanies which I'd like to document, even if no one is interested in reading them.
I'll likely talk about just about anything that interests me here. Things like computer hardware/software and software engineering stuff, automobiles, electronics, being "green", and my family.
I'm also hoping to improve my skills with the written word in the wonderfully complex english language. Maybe I'll be able to convey information more easily in emails and such.
At any rate, read and enjoy if you like or totally ignore my random thoughts and rants, it's up to you. Besides I'm not even sure who (you) are, and I'll probably have to actively link people here in order for anyone to read it. ;-)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)