I rode my bicycle to and from the Rosedale park-and-ride (about three miles each way) both Monday and Tuesday. From there I took an express bus to work in downtown Minneapolis as I usually do. I gave my knees a break yesterday and drove to Rosedale, but I was back on the bike this morning. I hope to manage 3-4 carless commutes each week through the summer and early fall.
Long ago I read an article arguing that per passenger mile the bicycle was the most energy-efficient form of transportation known, not only to homo sapiens, but throughout the animal kingdom. It was in a reputable scientific publication, Physics Today IIRC, with plenty of numbers, equations, and graphs. I wonder if I could track down a copy of it.
Links
- My Home Page
- My LJ
- Friends--journals
- Historical Reenactment Notes
- --------------------------------------------------------
Thu, May. 8th, 2008, 05:45 pm
Bicycle and bus
Sun, Apr. 27th, 2008, 09:23 pm
Clann Tartan at Charles City
( Read more... )
Current Mood: 
mixed
mixedThu, Apr. 10th, 2008, 06:54 pm
Conservation of Energy: Not just a good idea, it is the law.
Awareness of the problem with biofuels is spreading, but Sean Carroll speaks more to this geek than Paul Krugman or the editors of Time:
Funny thing about energy: it’s conserved! .... We bring you this reminder because a knowledge of basic physics can occasionally be helpful when formulating public policy.From Energy Doesn’t Grow on Trees.
In particular, biofuels (such as ethanol) and hydrogen are not actually sources of energy — given the vagaries of thermodynamics, it costs more energy to create them than we can get by actually using them, as there will inevitably be some waste heat and entropy produced.
Current Mood: 
worried
worriedSat, Jan. 12th, 2008, 11:25 am
Coming to your home....
California Seeks Thermostat Control
Next year in California, state regulators are likely to have the emergency power to control individual thermostats, sending temperatures up or down through a radio-controlled device that will be required in new or substantially modified houses and buildings to manage electricity shortages.via Slashdot.
Thu, Aug. 2nd, 2007, 01:16 pm
The Morning After
As ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif)
mia_mcdavid wrote, we are OK.
The bus I take to work had not been using the 35W Bridge across the Mississippi, so I was able to ride it to work downtown as I have been doing. It was slower than it had been: There was a lot more traffic on Central Avenue and the 3rd Ave. bridge than before, as you might expect with one of the other major bridges gone. Looking out the bus window I could see the cars were bumper-to-bumper. I could only see one with more than a single occupant. Sigh....
A few yards away from my cubicle here I can look out the window and see the broken bridge in the distance.
mia_mcdavid wrote, we are OK.The bus I take to work had not been using the 35W Bridge across the Mississippi, so I was able to ride it to work downtown as I have been doing. It was slower than it had been: There was a lot more traffic on Central Avenue and the 3rd Ave. bridge than before, as you might expect with one of the other major bridges gone. Looking out the bus window I could see the cars were bumper-to-bumper. I could only see one with more than a single occupant. Sigh....
A few yards away from my cubicle here I can look out the window and see the broken bridge in the distance.
Current Mood: 
shocked
shockedThu, Jul. 19th, 2007, 01:37 pm
"I consider this a hate crime."
Hummer Owner Gets Angry Message via Beaten to death: a Hummer in a Prius neighborhood
I suppose I should feel outraged about this, one way or the other, but I actually think it is rather funny.
I suppose I should feel outraged about this, one way or the other, but I actually think it is rather funny.
Thu, Jul. 19th, 2007, 09:31 am
Commuting Trick
As I wrote Friday, I had to work until 4 PM that day, and so was late to Gaeltacht Minnesota's Weekend in Winona. I would have been even later, except for some planning ahead.( Read more... )
Sat, Jun. 30th, 2007, 08:56 pm
I Love a Good Hoax!
Wed, May. 30th, 2007, 09:31 pm
Class Crosstown
I spent the day at a SQL Server Class in Edina, on the other side of Minneapolis. The commute actually was not too bad. That area of the Metro is notorious for bad traffic, but coming from the Northeast I avoided the worst both morning and evening. The really bad traffic was all going the other direction. Still, it was a lot of driving. I would really hate to live in that area and need to drive through it routinely every day. There is something fundamentally wrong about how modern American urban areas are constructed, and at a deeper level, the decision processes by which we got there. We, or our children, are going to pay for it.
Fri, May. 11th, 2007, 10:38 am
Energy Hog
Fat Car: Originally uploaded by Edith OSB. Digital art by Frieke Janssens portraying a car in terms of its energy use. From Monastic Musings.
Sun, Feb. 18th, 2007, 07:38 pm
Old memories and present reflections
My brief note last night concluded with a physics joke; perhaps my subconscious was looking ahead to the next day.( Read more... )
Sun, Jan. 14th, 2007, 09:35 pm
Driving--USA vs. Italy
See Italian Musings #2: Transportation, by one of my High School and College classmates.
Current Mood: 
thoughtful
thoughtfulTue, Aug. 29th, 2006, 04:35 pm
Light Bulbs
Mon, May. 15th, 2006, 03:15 pm
Mileage stats
( Read more... )
Current Mood: satisfied
satisfiedMon, Apr. 17th, 2006, 06:15 pm
A Greenpeace Founder on Nuclear Power
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co
via Slashdot
via Slashdot
Current Mood: surprised
surprisedFri, Apr. 7th, 2006, 09:39 pm
Biodiesel powered supercomputer from junk parts
( Read more... )
Thu, Feb. 23rd, 2006, 08:58 am
Nuclear Power
http://www.physicstoday.org/vol-59/i
The real story is what is happening outside of the U.S.
The real story is what is happening outside of the U.S.
Sun, Feb. 12th, 2006, 10:06 am
Alternative Energy
http://pesn.com/2006/01/01/9600216_Year
I saw this on Slashdot a while back. I meant to post it at the time but it seems I did not get around to it.
I saw this on Slashdot a while back. I meant to post it at the time but it seems I did not get around to it.