Comments on: Six Reasons Wired Is Wrong

By: thormj

thormj — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 15:19:43 +0000

Grr.. can someone get rid of my other post -- evidently my browser didn't like the editor... I've also added some more stuff...I agree with much that is said here, but want to refine a couple of items:1. On Nuclear - It doesn’t have to be Yucca Mountain.We can use those “spent fuel rods” if we reprocess them (currently done in Germany, blocked by a Carter Executive Order), or if we add smaller nuclear reactors (the CanDu reactor can burn nearly any nuclear fuel from spent fuel rods to unprocessed uranium. But it has a much lower power density than current designs). Beyond Uranium, we have a large quantity of Thorium deposits that are feasilbe, but not currently used. As I understand it, Thorium reactors should be much safer (but again, probably lower in power density than current Uranium reactors). But right now, it seems that “everybody” is against nuclear reactors.2. It takes more energy to heat an apartment than to cool it,False. The same principle used in the cooling can be used to heat; they're called heat pumps. But, having a single unit be able to heat -or- cool reduces the efficiency a bit so it may not be worth it if you don't really need to heat (eg, if you have a heavy computer load and other sources of heat, you may not need central heat at all. Most retail stores didn't until they switched to the new T5 light bulbs). Also... increasing the RH to 70% (if you don't have a humidifier, bringing the temp from 40 to 70 will cause the RH to be around 30%) will make the room feel more comfortable more quickly than plain heat (but watch for condensation problems).The problem with global statements like that is that there are a myriad of ways to condition a space, and they're each efficient in different areas (eg, an evaporative cooler works well in AZ, ok in TX, but in FL...)3. [To chazthetic] It already makes my blood boil when I hear a woman in the grocery store saying she traded in her 12 mpg suv for a 16 mpg I think you have fallen for what is starting to be called the MPG fallacy: A jump from 12 MPG -> 16 MPG, while only 4 MPG, is a 33% improvement. Somebody looking to pick a car to trade in and choosing between: a) upgrade 12->16 MPG on the Family Van (spoot) - or - b) upgrade 22->30 MPG on working commuter carWould be better off choosing a: a) 300 mile range goes from 25 gallons => 19 (6 gallons every 300 mi) b) 300 miles goes from 14 gallons =>10 (4 gallons every 300 miles)Of course, it really matters how much the vehicle is used, but at the high end, you start running out of room to improve (turning on my AC in my 35 MPG focus drops the gas milage down to 31 MPG on current GA ethanol-laced gasoline). But jumping from a "normal" Escape (14 MPG) to a Hybrid Escape (30 MPG) would always be worth it, even though the smug-emitting Prius owners consider a SUV-hybrid a step in the completely wrong direction (just on principle ya see... an Escape can never match the gas mileage of a compact car. On the other hand, a compact car can never match the hauling ability and convenience of a SUV/Truck/Large car) .My real job is to prevent the “fading effect” from taking place on commercial buildings. It’s not as sexy as “hybrids” or “cars” or “solar”, but study after study has shown that after the HVAC system gets tuned-up (in our lingo, recommissioned), the initial savings will decrease by 20% or more after 2 years of being left alone.Not sexy. But it's a part I know how to play. And we all need to do our part.http://www.scientificconservation.com -Thor JohnsonPS. OTOH, those that voice complaints that "solar is unusable because it can never be a base load" are equally bad: you don't need air conditioning (or 100% lighting in businesses) when the sun goes down and the people go home....

By: david_miller

david_miller — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Big up Morgan,

Way to come back at this story.

The necessary "societal shift" especially resonated with me, as did your excellent phrase: "we are living in an age of unbridled entitlement."

I might add that this ideology isn't limited to our current society or "age" as you put it, but is, effectively, a culmination of generation after generation of Americans for who--from the very beginning--the guiding principle has always been Manifest Destiny.

Although I too agreed with certain fragments of the Wired piece, I found the most egregious part of all was the total absence of "a sense of place."

Was this because the mindset behind the Wired piece was in a sense, no different from the the manifest destiny, little more than raising another reductionist flag, a technology / science-solves-all approach?

Was it just a half-baked, or perhaps fully baked attempt (with clever packaging and marketing) to draw readers into a conversation? (In which case it may be really successful?)

Or was it, as I suspect, simply more thinking by those who have never truly been "placed?" By those who have no real connection to the lands in which they inhabit, to the stories there, the history, or anything else beyond resources, transport, extraction, and one's own immediate benefit?

By: chazthetic

chazthetic — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Thank you thank you thank you for a well written and well thought out response to Wired's irresponsible and offensive story.

For a normally forward thinking and provocative magazine, this article just screamed of shock writing. It might have worked on some (ie. the soccor mom type who feels just a little bit less guilty about owning an SUV) but it didn't work on all of us.

The thing I think is even more deplorable is the fact that the article gave misdirected and misinformed "facts" for people who either don't agree with living a greener life, or want to feel better about a part of their over-consuming life.

It already makes my blood boil when I hear a woman in the grocery store saying she traded in her 12 mpg suv for a 16 mpg suv and she feels like she's doing some good, I can't wait till someone spouts WIRED's "fact" about a prius taking more carbon to make than an SUV.

Thanks for spreading misinformation WIRED, you almost lost my subscription.

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