Page 234 – Green Prophet

EPA open data under threat by Trump

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March 19, 2017

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was created in 1970 to protect human health and the environment through creation and enforcement of regulations, each backed by federal laws such as the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts. During Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, he threatened to abolish the agency, which he painted as an obstacle to big business interests. First he pledged to cut its staff of 15,000 in half. Now he’s looking at halting funding that supports the agency’s datasets. Consider it a modern day book-burning borne out of ignorance and greed.

The EPA maintains 192,322 different datasets, collecting information on everything from the chemical content of pollutants to biodiversity mapping to coastal flood analyses to emissions modeling. Anyone can access this open database for free resources that enable users to conduct research, develop web and mobile applications, design data visualizations, and calculate the emission-saving benefits of implementing energy efficiency or renewable energy policies and programs.

“There is no reason to think the data is safe,” Gretchen Goldman, research director at the Center for Science and Democracy, a program at the Union of Concerned Scientists told the Guardian. “The administration, so far, hasn’t given any indication it will respect science and scientific data, especially when it’s inconvenient to its policy agendas.”

In late January, federal staff leaked news that the EPA had frozen its grant funding program, and the EPA has reportedly been instructed to remove the climate change page from its website. (Climate change pages were scrubbed from the Whitehouse website the day Trump took office.). Trump’s threats have incited several highly publicized campaigns to save the data, continue public access, and scrutinize government websites for erroneous editing and inclusion of “alternative facts”.

The Environmental Data and Governance Initiative (EDGI) emerged as an organized response to Trump’s plan to undermine federal environmental science resources. On the group’s website, blogger Jerome Whitington wrote, “Because access to and control over data is a key piece of effective regulation, we have taken action to systematically archive valuable environmental datasets, create usable nongovernmental data access, and preserve records of wide-ranging, ephemeral, web-based policy and program information. This monitoring and tracking work has also created an opportunity for providing rapid analysis of environmental regulation during the transition.” Learn more about this project and how to host your own hackathon – called #DataRescue – on the EDGI site.

On the day of Trump’s inauguration, approximately 60 volunteers gathered in the Department of Information Studies building at the University of California Los Angeles to harvest government data. Mostly scientists and programmers, they tapped into hundreds of websites to identify, download, and safely archive as much federal climate and environment data off government sites as possible before Trump took office. Many similar “data rescue” events have since taken place at universities across North America.

As reported by Zoë Schlanger of Quartz, the hackers are uploading large data sets to datarefuge.org, a open-surce data portal, which will act as an alternative repository for pre-Trump federal information during the new administration. There will also be a copy stored outside the US, according to Michael Riedyk, CEO of the Canadian data-archiving company Page Freezer.

His company will use web crawlers to scan each page on a weekly basis. Page Freezer’s proprietary software will allow them to see if anything changes. “We have all kinds of really cool tools to highlight what changed—we can see exactly how people have edited or deleted.”

EPA data is kept in dozens of databases and represents decades of detailed monitoring. Here are eight datasets that offer a sense of the agency’s scientific knowledge. Imagine if all 192,322 datasets were discontinued.

Envirofacts – Start here to learn how to search and download data within the agency’s massive archive. (Link here.)

Air Markets Program – This dataset lets you collect information about specific air pollutants by industry. (Link here.)

Emissions and Generation Resource Database – Electricity generation is a key industry under EPA observation. This database tracks pollutant emission rates, electricity production volumes, and the fuel types used to generate power. (Link here.)

Greenhouse gas reporting – Tools offered here let you search data on greenhouse gas emissions by facility, industry and location, covering more than 8000 facilities in oil and gas, mining, power generation, chemical production, pulp and paper. (Link here.)

Beach health – See data on pollutants that affect coastal water quality, useful for state and local officials to monitor water quality and decide whether to restrict swimming or close access to public beaches. (Link here.)

National Aquatic Resource Surveys – This site gives access to many sets of data on water chemistry, habitat, land use, insects and fish species in and around streams, lakes and wetlands. (Link here.)

Hazardous waste facility monitoring – Find data on thousands of toxic factories, mines, power plants, landfills, including the history and location of a facility, information on how pollution is monitored and the enforcement actions at each location. (Link here.)

Enforcement status – Track the agency’s inspection and enforcement work relative to violations of clean air, clean water and hazardous waste laws.(Link here.)

The EPA is led by its Administrator, who is appointed by the president and approved by Congress. The current administrator Scott Pruitt denies that carbon dioxide causes global warming. Pruitt has been a voracious opponent of environmental regulations and has promised to dismantle Obama-era EPA regulations, including the Clean Power Plan. He has a history of suing the EPA to roll back air pollution regulations.

Eat these 7 foods for happy hormones

Health

Bhok Thompson

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March 18, 2017

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If you are woman you know that at any point in your life, you might feel those odd and uncomfortable, cyclical mood swings. This is totally normal over the course of a month. But getting your hormones in balance when they feel out of whack is something you can work on, using food.

When levels of estrogen, progesterone, and yes even testosterone are level, one will feel balanced and content. When you are not in balance, the world feels like it’s coming to an end. You might be here because you are looking for hormone replacement therapy, like that offered on this site, but before you go in that direction, you might want to try these 7 foods you can eat to help restore your hormonal balance naturally.

Here are 7 superfoods to help your hormones get there, girls

1. Apple: This once-a-day-as-the-doctor ordered fights against estrogen. Some people may have too much estrogen in their diets, especially if you are eating a tofu-rich one. The fiber in the apple helps remove some estrogen and keeps your hormones in check.

2. Olive oil: we Middle Easterners know that olive oil is a wonder drug in and unto itself. Drink it, pour it on salads, throw it on your body. The monounsaturated fatty acids in olive oil are great for your hormone balance and state of mind.

3. Almonds: are full of fibre and they are great for your heart. A few soaked almonds a day helps you absorb fewer carbs and sugars. 4. Brown rice: is a food full of vitamin B, great for female hormone balance. Brown rice is better for the metabolism, so we recommend it, but only if it’s organic.

5. Fish: again, consume in moderation due to risks from heavy metals (read this and sushi), but super fatty fish like sardines, herring, salmon and mackerel, are full of Omega 3 fatty acids which is an acid particularly good for balancing out the highs and lows of menopause.

6. Oatmeal: full of the vitamins selenium, copper, manganese, iron, magnesium, zinc and magnesium, oatmeal is ALSO rich in Vitamin E, protein and fiber. Eat it routinely and you will balance your blood sugar and lower the risk of diseases associated with high cholesterol.

7. Unsweetened yogurt: we are talking about plain unsweetened yogurt. No flavors and no sugar, artificial or natural. Full of probiotics, unsweetened yogurt boosts the metabolism of estrogen, it can slim you down and build you a healthy immune system. If you are feeling a bit wild and crazy, consider adding all of the above into your yoghurt.

Global solar panel capacity analysis

Cities

Bhok Thompson

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March 18, 2017

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Solar panels transform light from the sun into energy that can power all our devices, but its uptake has been remarkably slow over the last decade. Today, that is changing, thanks to massive advances in technology, increasing efficiency from an average of 12-13% in 2000 to an average of 15-18% in 2017. At the same time, costs have fallen by over 50% in that time, making solar one of the most affordable renewable energy sources. With no impact on oceans, no expensive maintenance, and no dangers posed to wildlife or surrounding land, solar panels provide safe and efficient energy.

As a result, over 73 GW of solar capacity were installed around the world in 2016. But, where does that solar energy go? And how does that compare to what you use?

What’s a Kilowatt?

A kW or Kilowatt is 1,000 watts, or about enough power to run the average light bulb for 16 hours. The average home in the UK uses about 4,600 kWh of power per year. The infomap from expertsure.com shows solar production in Kwh per capita, so you can easily see how much power is being produced in comparison to your own usage.

Of course, average power consumption changes based on the country you’re in. The average household in the USA uses about 12,000 kWh of power, in China it’s 4,310, and a household in India uses just 900 kWh per year.

Why Are Installation Rates Different?

Every country has its own priorities, weather, and budget for solar. Many countries install solar for different reasons, but the most common are government incentive, profitability, and concern for the environment.

For example, in the EU, where UN mandates require significant carbon reduction, solar uptake has dramatically increased with awareness and government funding. This is especially common in countries like the UK, Germany, and France.

Weather can also be an issue. In the UK, where you get 8-16 hours of daylight, you can easily collect power year-round. Countries like Finland and Norway have dramatically different weather. Finland experiences nearly 4 months with as little as 1-5 hours of daylight each day, making solar a less profitable choice.

Solar installations are on the rise everywhere, and that’s definitely a good thing. But, how much solar PV power are countries really producing compared to their population? For example, China has the most installed solar power at 43,530MW, but are they really leading the way in offsetting their power. Take a look at the infographic and find out.

Working out is a breeze when paired with healthy dieting

Health

Bhok Thompson

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March 17, 2017

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If you are just starting exercising or are a seasoned vet, when it comes to working out, one can’t go wrong with cardio workouts as they are one of the best exercise methods to take as a hobby or pursue as a goal. The main advantage is that a gym is not mandatory to perform such exercises as anyone could go for a run in the park or on the beach to stay in shape.

Working out should be a common habit for most of us as it comes with some extraordinary health benefits: for the example of ketosis. The has proven countless times to help in terms of achieving the best results possible when keeping a strict diet which when paired with a great working out routine will yield extraordinary results each time it is put into practice.

Increases metabolism

Metabolism plays the most important role when it comes to staying fit and fending off heart-related problems. Performing cardio will kick it up a notch allowing it to perform faster and better. Not only does speeding up the heart rate by performing cardio will increase the metabolic rate in which one can lose some weight but it will also regulate air flow as well as an improved body shape.

Reduces The Risk Of Getting Sick

Involving a good amount of exercise and appropriate alimentation will go a long way in maintaining a healthy lifestyle thus making ourselves less vulnerable to factors such as disease and illness which will seriously reduce our productivity, confidence levels as well as self esteem. Activities such as aerobic and exercises which will raise the heart rate are paramount when paired with great nutrition.

Increases Relaxation

We’ve all felt that great sensation after we’ve hit the hay after an intense workout session at the gym or after we’ve ran a couple of miles and the equivalent of a modern workout will go a long way in helping us fend off diseases such as insomnia and it can also act like a sleeping pill for those who suffer from such problems. No one can say he or she feels totally relaxed if they haven’t had a great workout session and we strongly advise everyone to do so if people want to feel relaxed during the day.

People who are regularly working out and pair the routine with a healthy diet will see great results almost immediately as it yield some amazing results even from the first couple of days. Not only will they feel as a brand new person but they will make sure to stay healthy as well.

The idiot’s guide to finding stardust everywhere

Travel

Bhok Thompson

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March 16, 2017

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Stardust you can collect from your roof.

Long considered a legend, an amateur geologist and meteorite hunter has determined and shown the astronomy community that we are all stardust, and that it can be found everywhere. In an illuminating book to be released this summer, Jon Larsen proves that micrometeorites are around us in cities, in the desert and everywhere we go. Below, we provide a short guide on how to do it.

Micrometeorites are about as thick as the width of your hair but the trained eye, using a microscope, can determine what’s stardust from sand.

These tiny meteors, known as micrometeorites, are raining down on the planet continuously, but have been hard to find. Scientists today classify them according to chemical make-up rather than the way they look, leaving an opening for Larsen to do groundwork on physical appearances.Some of the bits are so small and light that the drift down to earth without melting. And they include remnants from the solar system’s birth.

Until recently the micrometeorites were mainly found in the Antarctic, far away deserts and other places far from people. About 60 years ago scientists tried looking for them around cities but gave up because human waste in all forms proved finding them difficult.

Until Larsen came along…

HOW TO FIND MICROMETEORITES

Via Wayne Schmidt: Leave some strong magnets in the rain gutter
When it rains collect them off the magnet. They are round and spherical.
You should have thousands on your roof after prolonged periods of drought, and then a sudden rain. See image below. There are 8 micrometeorites in there!

Happy hunting!

Intel’s massive Mobileye buyout heralds bright future to driverless car technology

Tech

Maurice Picow

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March 14, 2017

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Intel’s massive Mobileye buyout heralds bright future to driverless car technology

Intel’s massive buyout of Israel’s driverless car innovator and electronic sensor company Mobileye may finally give the driverless car concept the attention it so well deserves. Intel, whose computer chips and semiconductor technology is found in nearly every personal computer, appears now to be very serious about being involved in the driverless car concept.

Prior to the March 13 press releases by both Mobileye and Intel Corp, experiments in driverless car technology have been carried out by companies such as Elon Musk’s Tesla Motors, Uber’ self-driving taxi tests, and by software search engine giant Google.

So far, experiments using driverless car technologies have had mixed results, with test cars “struggling” when approaching bridges and when dealing with complex road work and environmental challenges.

Mobileye, an advanced technologies company based in Israel, was founded in 1999 with the aim to develop what it refers to as ‘vision-safety technology’ to make cars and roads safer, reduce traffic congestion and save lives. Mobileye helped develop devices to enable cars to “sense” approaching obstacles like other vehicles, pedestrians; and even walls and other obstacles in parking lots.

This resulted in what is now known as Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) that are now
commonplace in many new cars. These systems have been used for years in taxis in Israel.

As stated by Ziv Aviram, CEO and co-founder of Mobileye: “Drivers are responsible for 93 percent of road accidents. We have an epidemic of the modern world, and in some sense, we’ve become indifferent. There is a remedy that will save a million and a half lives and 50 million injuries a year, and therefore the autonomous car trend has caught on and can’t be stopped. It won’t be stopped.”

Tesla using Mobileye system before the crash

Once installed, Mobileye’s vision sensors literally view the road ahead and warns the driver in real-time of approaching road dangers.

So why would a computer chip giant like Intel want to invest so much money, $15.3 Billion, in a company like Mobileye? The answer: Intel wants to be a partner and major game player in the development of driverless cars. The future of this technology appears to be well worth such a large investment from Intel’s point of view. There is also much more at stake than only having cars with artificial intelligence sophisticated enough to drive themselves.

Mobileye’s advanced vision systems are already in use in many late model cars today. This will hopefully help reduce the number of road accidents on major streets and highways. These vision systems alone gave Mobileye a total revenue of more than $358 Million in 2016; a gain of over 47% over the previous year.

With Intel and Mobileye joining forces in such a big way, it shouldn’t long before the driverless car concept will be commonplace in large American, European and Asian cities; especially with taxi companies like Uber.

Dozens die in Ethiopian trash collapse

Faisal O'Keefe

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March 14, 2017

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At least 60 people were killed by an avalanche of debris in an Ethiopian landfill on Saturday night. Mountains of trash at Koshee Garbage Landfill near Addis Ababa collapsed in a massive landslide, destroying the makeshift shanties that lined its slopes and killing scavengers who earn a living sorting trash for resale. One resident told the Associated Press that around 150 people were on site during the collapse. Dozens are still missing.

Continue

SmartFlower plug and play mobile solar array for power on the go

Maurice Picow

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March 6, 2017

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Solving solar power has enabled this renewable energy technology Smart Flower to create Middle East solar projects for West Bank farmers and other energy poor locations. It is also providing solar power for curing post-revolution darkness in countries like Yemen.

While many solar energy projects involve covering large open areas with solar array panels, smaller personal solar energy equipment mostly involves covering the roofs of private houses and other buildings with non-aesthetic solar panels to provide enough electric power. A new solar energy system, SmartFlower, not only solves the problem of aesthetics for private homes and businesses; it also provides a very practical flower shaped system that literally follows the sun to create solar power.

The device resembles a kind of mechanical sunflower that opens like a flower in the morning and rotates during to day to track and follow the sun to take advantage of the sun’s maximum energy potential. At night, or during bad weather, the device folds up like a flower.

SmartFlower’s compact size, ease of installation; and advanced energy creating capability in its unusual solar panels creates up to 40% more electrical energy than standard solar panels. This makes it an ideal energy solution for locations where there is a lack of space for using conventional solar panels. People owning electric EV cars can also use SmartFlower for recharging EV battery packs during daylight hours. A perfect use example is a shopping mall or office park where EV vehicles can be receiving power while their owners work or shop.

A household SmartFlower device has an electricity creating capacity of 4,000 to 6.200 KWh per year; more than enough for a family or small business’ electrical power needs. An advanced model, SmartFlower Plus (photo below), has special storage batteries to store energy for after daylight or emergency “off the grid” use.

SmartFlower is available in a variety colors, making it aesthetically pleasing to the eye. In the realm of solar energy technology, it’s definitely something new under the sun.

More about solar energy projects:
Jews and Arabs turn on MidEast solar project for West Bank farmers
Mystery energies of solar power solved!
Yemeni Girls Solar Power Post Revolution Darkness

Mysterious Stonehenge-like rock found in Israel leaves more questions than answers

Cities

Bhok Thompson

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March 5, 2017

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We’re so caught up in present politics that a new and mysterious message from ancient governments of the past, might be telling us something. A new underground Stonehenge-like arrangement of rocks has been found in Israel – the first for the Middle East. It is believed to be more than 4,000 years old. Older than the Bible. The large dolman or rock found above is decorated with ancient rock art.

The large table-like stone structure was found as part of a field of dolmens, about 400 of them, adjacent to Kibbutz Shamir in the Upper Galilee. What makes this dolmen so unique is its huge dimensions, the structure surrounding it and most importantly the artistic decorations engraved in its ceiling.

Uri Berger, an archaeologist with the Israel Antiquities Authority said the engraved shapes depict a straight line going to the center of an arc. About fifteen such engravings were documented on the ceiling of the dolmen, spread out in a kind of arc along the ceiling. No parallels exist for these shapes in the engraved rock drawings of the Middle East, and their significance remains a mystery, he reported.

The panel depicting the art was scanned in the field by the Computerized Archaeology Laboratory of the Hebrew University. By means of an innovative technique, a three-dimensional model of the engraving was produced. “The three-dimensional scan enabled us to identify engravings that otherwise could not be seen with the naked eye,” explained Professor Lior Grossman, the laboratory director.

The chamber inside the dolmen where the engravings were found on its ceiling is large, measuring 2 by 3 meters, and the stone covering it is massive, weighing an estimated fifty tons.

The rock might symbolize the existence of a significant and established governmental system in the region during the “Middle Ages” of the Bronze Age.

The absence of cities, large settlements and monumental buildings around it may attest to the collapse of the governmental and economic systems during a dark period in history. But the dolmens seem to tell a different story about the period – a story about a society that had a complex governmental and economic system that executed monumental engineering projects but did not leave behind any other archaeological evidence. Maybe they were environmentalists who didn’t want to leave behind a trace.

Archeologists believes this to be one of the great mysteries of the archeology of Israel. Maybe we will never know what it means.

This growbot can help you grow food and cannabis, on earth and in space

Tech

Bhok Thompson

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March 3, 2017

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This growbot can help you grow food and cannabis, on earth and in space

If you’ve been following Green Prophet you’ll know that our founder Karin Kloosterman has been working on a super cool technology to help people like me and you take our food destiny into our own hands. That means the ability to grow super tasty, fresh and local food right from home. She’s built Eddy, a slick robot that packs in experts and also connects you to a community of people so you never have to grow alone.

Eddy is feature packed with software (and the hottest thing in tech called machine learning and artificial intelligence) that can guide you through success no matter where you live. And this story on Treehugger captures the essence of what Eddy can do for home growers anywhere.

Read the TreeHugger story here to see how we can change the things we care about. No more complaining on the internet about sugar in your organic bread. Bake your own. No more complaining about pesticides on your veggies and greens. Grow your own.

The Eddy team is super cool in that they’ve also founded an alliance to grow food in space. SpaceX founder Elon Musk has declared he will send people to Mars. What in the world will they eat? Eddy and the Mars Farm Odyssey believe they will build the solution, which is the farm of the future for earth, but also for us people who prefer to stay on earth.

If you want to sign up to follow their progress and be among the first to buy Eddy ($149, instead of $179), sign up via www.GrowWithEddy.com

Popular driving app uses the crowd to stop roadkill overkill

Karin Kloosterman

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March 2, 2017

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Popular driving app uses the crowd to stop roadkill overkill

You see a bear, moose or a turtle on the side of the road and hope that the car behind you doesn’t veer right and hit it. Car crashes caused by wild animals can be fatal, not only for the animals. But in a bid to save the animals from death by auto, a leading NGO in Israel has partnered with the popular Waze app to help drivers report roadkill, leading to better warning signs on the road. Thousands of wild animals are killed in Israel every year.

It’s getting worse as urban areas expand and highways cut through habitat.

While some people in America have turned roadkill into tonight’s dinner, it’s not common in Israel for people to eat non-kosher animals (the wild ones), and certainly not ones maimed or mangled on the road.

Using the data collected by the app, The Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI) will create maps that will then help developers build safe passageways for animals when faced by highways that intersect their natural trails.

Types of animals killed by cars in Israel include gazelles, porcupines, badgers, turtles, hyenas, and otters.

In January alone this year, the Waze community of drivers logged 1,416 roadkill reports. Bad driving is notorious not only in Israel but in the entire Middle East where in some countries maiming, trapping and killing animals is a wild sport or frightening habit.

The news comes ahead of the UN’s World Wildlife Day, tomorrow. Love the idea and use Waze in your community? Be in touch with them to start the same.

Project Loon launches balloon-based internet into the stratosphere

Technology

Karin Kloosterman

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February 28, 2017

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Two of three people in the world don’t have internet access. That means 2 out of 3 people can’t Google whatever they imagine. They can’t connect to Facebook, they can’t use Instagram and then there are the basics like banking, education, healthcare. Imagine doing anything today without internet?

High altitude balloons invented by Google’s elite Alphabet group and named Project Loon will do just that. The company is building high altitude balloons that fly in the stratosphere to deliver Internet to all.

Project Loon balloons are designed and manufactured at scale to survive the conditions in the stratosphere, where winds can blow over 100 km/hr and the thin atmosphere offers little protection from UV radiation and dramatic temperature swings which can reach as low as -90°C.

Made from sheets of polyethylene, each tennis court sized balloon is built to last more than 100 days in the stratosphere before returning to the ground in a controlled descent.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOndhtfIXSY

Project Loon has taken the most essential components of a cell tower and redesigned them to be light enough and durable enough to be carried by a balloon 20 km up in the stratosphere. All the equipment is highly energy-efficient and is powered entirely by renewable energy – with solar panels powering daytime operations and charging a battery for use during the night.

Their custom-built Autolaunchers are designed to launch Loon balloons safely and reliably at scale. Huge side panels provide protection from the wind as the balloon is filled and lifted into launch position, and then the crane is pointed downwind to smoothly release the balloon up into the stratosphere. Each crane is capable of filling and launching a new balloon into the Loon network every 30 minutes.

The signals are like Wi-Fi boosters that pass the internet signals from one balloon to the next.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwkmOE8dkvw

In New Zealand they are working with Vodaphone to pilot the technology. Project updates suggest that progress is being made despite Google cutting back on the idea.

From TechCrunch: “When Google launched Project Loon a few years ago, the plan was to provide internet access to underserved areas with the help of a series of balloons that would constantly circumnavigate the earth. When one balloon moved out of range, another would move in behind it. Today, Google is still Google but it’s also Alphabet — and as Alphabet’s “Captain of Moonshots” at X Astro Teller explained today, the team recently found a way to keep the Loons in one spot for an extended time, and that will likely be how the company will operate its Loon-based internet service in the future.

“That means Project Loon will be able to work with significantly fewer balloons in flight at any given time. According to Teller, the team hit upon the algorithm that makes this work almost by accident.

“By early 2016, the team was seeing a few balloons behave in a slightly weird way: lingering in an area rather than sailing away,” he writes in today’s announcement. “In the weirdness, they saw opportunity. They asked themselves the once-impossible question: could our algorithms help the balloons to stay much closer to the location they were already in?””

The price of take-away cups

Lifestyle

Karin Kloosterman

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February 23, 2017

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It’s so easy to be tempted to get that take-away cup when you are on the run. But every time you feel terrible about the plastics in our waterways, rivers, seas and bodies, this about this infographic below. Because the cost of styrofoam cups adds up! Our advice.

Take a cup sitting down or standing at the bar like the Italians do. You will have a more interesting life meeting strangers in real life!

Via http://www.eco2greetings.com/

Elon Musk’s backup battery plans to power LA

Maurice Picow

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February 21, 2017

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Elon Musk’s backup battery plans to power LA

Lithium ion batteries, used to power electric cars such as Tesla Motor’s high priced electric sports cars, as well as a host of other electric devices, have been talked and written about as possible solutions for providing alternative power sources for homes and small businesses. Electric cars powered by these batteries, or battery packs to be more correct, have yet to become commonplace on the roads. Israel’s Better Place electric car network experiment, for example, ended with less than 1,000 ZE cars actually being sold. It was a disaster for electric cars. But given the lack of sex appeal for the Renault cars, we can understand why. There is no status symbol in that ugly car. We feel sorry for the ones who bought them, now bereft and without battery switch stations as promised.

Incorporating a large network of lithium battery packs to provide back-up electricity to entire communities is for many an even more far-fetched idea than millions of electric cars plugged into household electrical current sockets. Tesla’s Elon Musk, however, has even more grand ideas for using the concept of electric car battery systems to provide power to large population centers, such as those as large as Los Angeles. LA is a city well known for electric power shortages, often resulting in electric power “brown outs” during high peak seasonal use. It’s also a city where you need a car to get around.

For a city the size of Los Angeles, providing enough back-up electrical power systems from lithium storage batteries may seem like an idea out of a science fiction story. Elon Musk, whose technological and scientific group of projects includes those for inter-planetary space travel, is now putting a lot of time and money into incorporating his electric car battery concepts into a much larger scale by literally grouping together hundreds of electric battery packs. They will provide as much as 80 mega-watts of emergency electricity power for up to 2,500 households for a day or 1,000 electric cars.

To understand how this idea will actually work, one has to understand how literally thousands of small lithium ion batteries are grouped together to form one battery pack powerful enough to run one electric sports car or sedan.

His company’s success in doing this has enabled Tesla cars to have cruising ranges of up to 300 KM or over 230 miles on a single charge. Musk’s new idea is to build large numbers of commercial “mega batteries” in a new Gigafactory he is building in Nevada.

The first Tesla battery power pack system will be installed in a California Edison power substation, located about 40 miles outside of Los Angeles. If this battery pilot project works satisfactorily, other such projects will be undertaken as well. Musk has a solution for providing power to charge these mega batteries, involving plans to construct solar energy power plants to provide non-polluting renewable energy that can be incorporated into municipal power grids.

Futuristic? Judging from what Musk and Tesla has been able to do so far (his Tesla Model S electric sports sedan sold better in the USA last year than all other high priced luxury cars) anything is possible.

Read more on Tesla, Betterplace, and other electric energy storage ideas:
Will Tesla high priced electric sport cars be selling soon in Israel?
Interview with a Betterplace electric car owner; not stranded yet
Energy batteries bottle energy in new breakthrough

How to find safe dating sites that match your values

Lifestyle

Bhok Thompson

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February 20, 2017

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In case you are wondering, Tinder is not a dating site. But if you are busy like me, often working at home, then dating may require you to be online. Today it is easier to meet in an online venue than to actually meet face to face (when we work in pajamas!) and there are plenty of good dating sites where you can meet like-minded people who care about the earth. To begin with, it is very important to understand how online dating works before starting to contact people, but more important than whom you meet, the where is critical. Be sure to make use of add-ons and online reviews to find safe and good dating sites.

Consider what sort of dating site you are looking for

Some sites are geared towards those who are just looking for a friend or for a shorter romance while others are set to match people for life. You need to consider if you are looking to get married or if you just want to meet interesting people. This will influence how you connect to a dating site. Since online dating has lost its stigma you need to be prepared for all types of people being out there and it is advisable to choose a dating portal that caters to your specific needs and expectations. There are Muslim-friendly (Muslima), Jewish-friendly (Jdate), Christian-friendly and even vegan-friendly options and websites.

CBD is a love drug, couples — Find your planet-loving vegan match

Online dating sites also recognize the unique needs of different age groups. For young adults in their 20s, there are specific platforms that offer tailored experiences and features to enhance their dating journey. According to Online For Love’s list of the best young adult dating sites for 20s, these platforms focus on connecting individuals within the same age range seeking companionship, casual dating, or potential long-term relationships. These sites typically provide user-friendly interfaces, vibrant communities, and innovative matching algorithms to ensure young adults can easily navigate and explore their dating options.

Use smart add-ons to stay clear of frauds

Let millions of other online users warn you against dangerous dating sites that you should never sign up for! Recent studies have confirmed what many of us have suspected a long time, a large percent of online daters lie about things; how old they are, marital status and even about having children. With Web of Trust you will stay clear of fraudulent sites that let these people roam their pages. This is a Firefox add-on that is easy to install and that gives you warnings and updates from millions of users. If a dating site is dangerous (or you are about to date a smoker or meat eater (we jest!), it will be filtered out to your advantage!

Read reviews by other online daters

Like Reddit does for technology, you should also have a look at what people say in reviews of online sites. In regular forums online you can read authentic opinions from people who actually tried the service. You can also post questions and see if there are people in the forum who can tell you a word or two about the dating site that you are considering. This can be done anonymously so you don’t have to reveal your plans to meet your partner online to anyone if you feel that this is a bit embarrassing.

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