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Monday, August 18, 2003 |
[This is broken]: Broken: T-Mobile support phone message
Kenn Stearns from eRealty in Houston sent in this audio file he got from recording a T-Mobile support phone message. He writes:
I recently changed wireless service to T-Mobile and received this message when calling my salesman at the local Houston number. Despite the large number of callers ahead of me, I didn't hang up and was rewarded with the opportunity to leave a message.
I couldn't believe this was for real, so I asked Kenn if he was kidding. He assured me that it was legit - he adds, "Hats off to T-Mobile for making repairs soon after I brought it to their attention. Even the T-Mobile folks I spoke with thought it was hysterical." Apparently it was just a glitch in the phone system.
10:36:08 PM 
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Staying in the Dark. We ignored the warnings about the possibility of an enormous blackout. Now we're left wondering what might happen if terrorists link their madness to our power vulnerabilities. By Bob Herbert. [New York Times: Opinion]
More like 'Reality? Check please!'
[Because a feature length motion picture of based on two plus decades of government with its bipartisan ostrich head in the sand just makes for boring movie-going!]
5:11:02 PM
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Manuscript for sale: Terrorists Take Down the National Power Grid. I have a completed novel for sale. A terrorist cell takes down the U.S. power grid in a cross-country campaign. The author has intelligence agency, DoD, and law enforcement experience. Anyone know a publisher or a movie producer looking for a property? [a klog apart]
FYI. Dunno if Mr Apart can write fiction well, but then again, maybe [shudder] this isn't fiction....
[PS: See also yesterday's postings about 'brittle power.']]
4:49:02 PM
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[CleanEdge]: Spectrolab, Inc., a subsidiary of The Boeing Company, has achieved an unprecedented conversion efficiency for a terrestrial concentrator solar cell.
Using concentrated sunlight, these photovoltaic (PV) cells can convert 36.9 percent of the sun's energy to electricity, a technology capability that could dramatically reduce the cost of generating electricity from solar energy.
Concentrator cells do require more surface area to focus extra light on the cells, but the assumption is that optics are less expensive than cells, hence better overall economics. But PVs can already be effective and economical in many regions today at 'lower' efficiencies, especially in 'integrated' applications like roofing shingles. Not everyone needs to drive a Ferrari...
7:26:48 AM
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 Very cool: induction-based cooking surfaces. Luxine (sorry no website but great analysis by EPRI) has a high-end product. Fast heat-up (2 min). Cool surfaces (which is great for the cook!). High efficiency (95% vs. 30% for a commercial gas range). Superior performance. I want one. Resources: a discussion of induction ranges and cooktops at Bob Vila, ebay sales, and Induction systems has a products and explanations. [John Robb's Weblog]
Yes, very cool, but keep in mind that the "High efficiency (95% vs. 30% for a commercial gas range)" cooktop is running on electricity that's probably generated at 30% efficiency in older thermal powerplants, perhaps 50% in newer gas turbine plants. (Not counting transmission losses.)
Now, if you want to drive the induction cooktop with distributed [local] generation via photovoltaics and/or fuel cells, then maybe you've got something.
7:19:24 AM
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© Copyright 2006 Gil Friend.
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