geothermal energy

Now is the time to invest in real geothermal energy

Thousands of drilling rigs are idle. Why not put laid-off roustabouts to work drilling for renewable energy?

By: Lloyd Alter

Sun, Feb 22, 2015 at 12:17 PM

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Hey, if we can drill for oil, we can drill for heat. (Photo: Getty Images, Roustabouts at Spindletop)

In a recent post on ground source heat pumps, I purposely used a photo of a geothermal installation in Iceland to make the point that geothermal energy was a very different thing. Many complained that I obviously didn’t know what I was talking about (“The big clue starts with the picture at the top which is NOT a geothermal heat pump system.”) Well, duh — that was the whole point. Geothermal power is a very different thing and a very important source of renewable energy.

With true geothermal energy systems, the heat of the Earth’s interior is used to make steam, which drives turbines, just like coal or nuclear plants do. This heat is close enough to tap at geologic faults, so the hot spots are along the Pacific rim and Iceland, the geothermal capital of the world. Almost every building in Iceland is heated by hot water, and all the country’s electricity is made using geothermal steam. There is so much of it that there is talk of building a multibillion dollar submarine cable to Scotland. Meanwhile, the United States has 3,500 megawatts of installed geothermal electrical power, about 30 percent of the world’s supply. It could have a lot more.

And thanks to the drop in the price of oil, now might be a good time to drill, baby, drill for geothermal energy. According to Bloomberg, drillers are parking rigs as oil prices collapse and have laid off thousands of workers. According to Reuters, “Oil drilling in the United States will continue to fall in the first half of this year, and could even halve, according to major oil service companies looking to past slowdowns as a guide.”

North of the border in Alberta, Canada’s oil powerhouse, they are trying to put those drills and workers to work on geothermal. According to Corporate Knights, it’s a big opportunity, a silver lining for the geothermal industry. The head of the Canadian Geothermal Energy Association (CanGEA), Alison Thompson, is teaching drillers how to adapt oil technology to geothermal drilling.

“These drilling rig operators are selling their services right now at half the price,” said Thompson. “So this is a prime opportunity for us to be more cost-competitive, but to also get out-of-work people back to work.”

Tyler Hamilton of Corporate Knights notes that it’s tough to find drillers when the times are good in the oil patch; that’s where the big money is. However it’s a very different market right now.

“It’s just such a wonderful opportunity to have some cost decreases in our own industry,” Thompson said. “Now, when they find themselves out of work, we’re welcoming them with open arms.”

Tech transfer from the oil industry is actually happening in the geothermal world; Norway’s Statoil is drilling for geothermal in Iceland, and Chevron is a big player in geothermal, although it recently pulled back because, well, nothing is as profitable as oil, or at least wasn’t last year.

Red is hot, hot hot! (Photo: U.S. Energy information agency)

According to an MIT study of Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS), geothermal energy could change the whole energy picture in America.

Geothermal energy from EGS represents a large, indigenous resource that can provide base-load electric power and heat at a level that can have a major impact on the United States, while incurring minimal environmental impacts. With a reasonable investment in R&D, EGS could provide 100 GWe or more of cost­competitive generating capacity in the next 50 years. Further, EGS provides a secure source of power for the long term that would help protect America against economic instabilities resulting from fuel price fluctuations or supply disruptions.

Stanford economist Paul Romer noted in 2004 that “a crisis is a terrible thing to waste.” The oil drilling industry and its workers are certainly having a crisis right now. Why not put them to work on the real geothermal energy right now?

Related on MNN and TreeHugger:

• The time is now for Big Geothermal
• Soon-to-be abandoned mine shafts could provide geothermal energy
• Cool NREL maps show the huge geothermal power potential of the U.S.

Related Topics:

Alternative Energy

Read more: http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/energy/stories/now-is-the-time-to-invest-in-real-geothermal-energy#ixzz3SaqXffap

Why Am I Here?

part 1.
On October 12th of 2014, my eldest son, his wife and their two children were in a horrific car accident. My wife and I got word of that at 6:00 am. It was a Sunday morning. 3 days prior we had gone over the mountains to be in town, to visit with them.

We had a pleasant visit with all of the children. 4 of our kids live 60 miles north of Seattle Washington. (All of the kids are grown, and living their own lives). The youngest is 25 and the eldest is 38. The eldest has a family and lives in the Reno Nevada area.

6 am, bad news. The family is in a hospital in Redding California. We called around to see who could do whatever was needed, and Mrs. Squatch and I got the golden ticket. We live in the hills, basically retired. Since we didn’t have to worry about employer attitudes regarding absences, we packed what we thought we would need and headed for Redding. (More interesting tales, what to do about the place, the dogs, cat, garden, firewood, and more).

Where do I start? The obstacles? I live in a remote area. The big town, the county seat only has a population of 42,763, and it is 50 miles from my place. That’s where the Wal-Mart and McDonald’s is. The airport is one of those that can’t land anything very big,and the next closest bigger airport is 160 miles away. The North Cascade Highway was already closed that late in Oct., and the Seattle terminal was 250 miles away.

The Wenatchee airport does have a connecting flight to Seattle, where I could buy passage to Sacramento Ca. Options? I could drive to Wenatchee and catch a flight to seattle, but not on sunday. Option 2, we can Drive to Seattle and catch a flight to Sac., and rent a car, and drive 240 miles north to Redding.

We went with option 3 that I never mentioned. We decided that we could get there faster if we just drove. ( Here is where I tell you how we actually got outta the mountains, and all of the adventure a 60-year-old guy recognizes).

We arrived in Redding Monday morning, the accident had happened around 2 or 3 am, sunday. My son’s wife, and the youngest of the kids were hurt, but not needing admission to the hospital were discharged. The other two, my son and his daughter were severely injured. Broken and more, and in the I.C.U. ward.

We spent a week in Redding, and there will be tales in the telling on that. Sunday came, and our son was patched up enough to be sent home to heal. Our grand-daughter wouldn’t be released yet, and we wouldn’t be able to stay with her as ” politics”, seem to get in the way of that. ( Here’s where another adventure happens) I can’t stop it here, so I’ll answer the Question….there are too many ways of responding to why am I here.

WE, my wife and I are here in the Reno area helping family. That is one reason. I can’t even number the true answer to that. I guess you will find out more later….in the continuing saga of my journey.

Mysterious Underground City

I love a good mystery. I hope you’re ready for one also.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7czR3fix1Dk&list=TLycLEG3dvx_o&index=2

350,000 Ideas And Counting

That is the approximate number of blog posts I think I might have access to. That is if I use the 35 article ideas I thought up, and write the spin-off posts that fall under sub-topics, and continue with the next generation of posts.

That next Generation would be varying perspectives, and takes of those posts. The differing perspectives might be, attitudes, politics, religious ramifications, psychological approaches, social pressures, family, friends, peer groups, national origins, and my own perspectives, like time travel.

That last is how I felt when, and how I feel now. My friend abyssbrain at https://mathemagicalsite.wordpress.com/
could probably work out just how many posts I could write, with 35 Ideas, and 10 takes on them, and 10 differing perspectives, and the ramifications, some of which I mentioned.

Anyway, it gets big fairly fast, and most of those posts won’t need me to hunt for material, except maybe pictures, music, history, and a handful of other fine points.

So with that being said ( or written ) I have a lot to tell you. Now I just hope I can keep you here to read ALL of them. I’m sure Abyssbrain could give me odds on that happening too.

So prepare yourselves for the next great journey through blogdom, and bring food and other supplies, as this might be a long ride ( or read ).

Sorry about the name-dropping, but I think that was one of the post ideas I had. That means if I don’t get sued for this post, I might mention you as well.

Thanks for putting up with my drivel, and y’all have a nice day.

Wear Your Heart On Your Blog

Wear Your Heart On Your Blog.

Blue Screen Of Death

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I once had a problem ( sounds like an old Beatles song ) and had to fix my old pc, the hard way. It took me two weeks of looking up information and calling various computer geeks and manufacturers. None of these folks would help me unless I was willing to shell out a pile of bucks.

 

 

Blue Screen Of Death -Google images/

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To find out what’s causing the blue screen / programming conflict, you’ll have to : Turn off the computer.
Press the start button and immediately press the F8 key ( several times ) until you get one of the ADVANCED BOOT MENU screens.
Follow all prompts to get to Safe-Mode.

In Safe-Mode open all of the programs you normally use, including all of the programs in your start-up folder. ( Some programs will not open in Safe-Mode ) If the problem that caused the blue screen hasn’t showed up, you can figure the default settings for the operating system are all fine.

Safe-Mode doesn’t run all of the programs on your system, ( only enough to run Windows ) so if the problem isn’t found in Safe-Mode, you’ll have to go through all of the programs on your system.

In Safe-Mode you can check out what is in your computer in the way of programs and the processes involved with them.

Safe-Mode does not let you connect to the Internet, so I had no idea the problem I was having was with a conflict between the wireless devices. I kept trying to start my computer in different modes and removing unwanted programs and apps.

Had I really recognized what was happening when I tried to start the system, I could have saved myself tons of messing around. The trick is to turn on the system and watch the computer come to life. As each start-up program comes to life, an icon in the tray displays that it is ready and then the next one comes up. ( There may be as many as 50 or 60 processes trying to start ) I saw the Netgear program try to start, and then the blue screen, but it was one of the last programs to load up. I should have watched the start-up closely from the beginning and paid attention to what was trying to load up.

Once the conflict has been eliminated your system should act just fine again. If you’ve removed programs and decided they weren’t the problem after all, try to re-install them, but make a log on what changes you are making. That will help if the blue screen comes back! Keeping a log of the changes you make to your system and the reasons for it, can make a real difference as to how your system operates. Just as you’re always told to back up your work, meaning make back ups, you should create a log of all changes to your computer, and refer to it when something doesn’t work the way is should.

Rusty Garner-Smith

05/09/2012

Destroy Productivity!

http://blog.ezinearticles.com/2013/10/10-distractions-that-destroy-productivity-the-wrong-advice.html

10 Distractions that Destroy Productivity: The WRONG Advice
This came into my mailbox and I thought I could share it with you all. Please note, this was written with a sensk of humor, so by all means follow this advice unfailingly. Once you have these distractions going on, feel free to invite the neighbors cats and dogs in to proof read your work. Remember Authoring is more than just putting words together, it is capturing others imagination, and interest.

 

writing / multi-tasking

 

Turn On All Electronic Devices

Email/Internet: Maintain a non-stop connection to the Internet while you’re writing for news updates and constant idea generation. Also, avoid scheduling specific times to check your email – it’s far too important to respond to each message straight away. Be the ultimate multitasker, don’t neglect email or the Internet!

Phone Calls/Text Messages: Never risk letting a caller go straight to voicemail. Even if you’re on a great track in your writing, you should make time to chit-chat with friends and brush up on your texting skills while you’re brainstorming. It won’t bust your productivity too much and it’s better to respond to others quickly to keep them engaged in conversation. Keep your phone on at all times.

Television: With so many great shows on TV and streaming media channels, how can you possibly keep up with it all? Tune to your favorite programs and have them play in the background while you’re writing! It will ultimately save time because you’re multi-tasking! Challenge yourself to concentrate on your writing and what’s going on in the show you’re watching. Take a seat on the couch, write, and take in all the drama of the entertainment world at once!

Video Games: Playing video games or apps on your smart phone can be soothing. Take a break from writing by grabbing a controller and get lost in fantasy or the latest app saga with a truly hands-on experience. Your writing can wait. You can get back to work once you complete the next level or the one after that.
Be at the Beck and Call of Relationships

Friends: Your friends need your full attention. Try to make plans with them while you’re thinking about your next set of articles. Do they want to drop by during your scheduled writing session? No problem! It’s good to interact with others when you’re trying to focus. Casually talk about current events and controversial topics to get your mind racing and to make the room more tense.

Neighbors/Surprise Visits: We’ve divorced ourselves so much from face-to-face communication these days due to technology. Encourage your neighbors to visit as they please! You never know when you’re going to have company over, so have the kettle and a few homemade goodies ready. Don’t ignore knocks at the door because you’re busy – you can pick up where you left off with your writing.

Pets: To most pet owners, these loyal and adorable animals are like family. Include your pets in your writing sessions. Isn’t it adorable the way your cat sits on your keyboard? How hilarious is your dog’s latest tail-chasing antics? Never let your pet think your office is off-limits; after all, they want to be near you and get updates on dinner. Take frequent breaks to give them attention.
Let It All Go

Physical Condition: Turn discomfort into opportunity! Being too comfortable while you’re working will put you to sleep. You need to feel agitated, hungry, tired, and shift constantly in your seat if you want to be alert. Let the motivation to relieve the discomfort – eat, sleep, or straighten out your back – drive you to finish your work faster.

Environment: If you’re the type to be distracted by a little dust or coffee stain, by all means – take the time to thoroughly clean your workspace. You need the absolute cleanest environment for any type of writing. When you see an opportunity to organize, dust or vacuum, be sure to take it! Alternately, if your workspace is so messy that you can’t find your outlines or notes, let it go and don’t worry about organizing the space! You can let your memory do it’s work or perform the research over again.

Procrastination: It’s necessary to put things off from time to time. You need to mull over an idea because the longer you put off writing, the more powerful your ideas will become as they mature in your mind. Throw out your calendar and avoid a schedule. Take your time and wait until tomorrow, or the next day. You’ll get around to it!
DISCLAIMER: Do not follow the advice given above – in fact, do the exact opposite! Think about the distractions you specifically struggle with. If you recognize and understand how harmful these can be to your productivity, you will have a chance at success. Remember, you can do things as you’ve always done them and get the same results. Or break the pattern, step it up, and focus on your writing by eliminating distractions. The path you take is up to you! Are you guilty of any of the above self-induced distractions? Do you have solutions to drive away distractions? Let us know – we’d love to hear from you!

Posted by Vanessa, Editorial Manager on October 21, 2013 at 9:00 am | 22,872 views. And of course this was reposted by Squatch for your convenience, so go ahead and get back to work, and stop lollygagging around here. thanks for checking this out, and have a nice day, too, also, as well….

Spare Change Anyone?

I am frustrated! I have a subscription at WP Beginners, a word press site that explains how to do almost all of the things I don’t seem to know. The lessons are straight forward, and written in plain English, which happens to be the language I mostly understand.

My frustration comes in the form of not being able to institute any of those lessons, as I have a free site and most of the fixes actually require me to pay for a proper website. Nearly all of the lessons suggest I add various plugins, to enhance the blog.

WP Beginners emails

The problem with that is I can’t afford it. I am partially disabled, on SSI and have a fixed income. Great choice of words, fixed income, because the truth is my income is broke! At least I am. I will get into that in another article.

I can’t beg for money, I’m just not that kind of boy. I also can’t put a cup or jar by the door for you to put spare change into, as I need a plugin for that too. I sweep this site out every day, looking for the change you lose when you pull your smartphone out of your pocket, but alas 3 pennies and a dime does not a fortune make.

Sorry about crying in my beer ( actually I don’t drink beer ) and getting you all wet with my tears. Wah wah… Hey I did that just fine. I welcome comments, answers, paychecks, and coffee w/ cream and sugar. Please feel free to leave all of your jewelery on the table by the door when you exit. And Thank you in advance…..

Rare Historical Photos Pt. 2 [19 Pics]

2012   http://iliketowastemytime.com/2012/10/02/rare-historical-photos-pt-2-19-pics

Our first post highlighting rare photos was quite successful (1,300 views). Now you can travel back in time again with our second installment of interesting historical photos. Enjoy!

During the Apollo 16 mission, Charles Duke left a family photo on the moon that was enclosed in a plastic bag.

Vought F4U Corsair crashes on the deck of a carrier when the arresting gear failed. Most likely sometime during WW2 in the Pacific Theater.

John F. Kennedy at NASA’s Cape Canaveral Missile Test Annex in 1962.

The following photo is believed to be the last photo ever taken of the RMS Titanic before it sunk in April 1912.

1884 De Dion, Bouton et Trepardou Dos-à-Dos is the oldest running car on the planet. It was the first car to participate in an automobile race.

This photo was taken in space right after World War II (1946). A team of soldiers and scientists used a German-made V-2 missile equipped with a camera to capture this shot. Making it the first photo in space.

Douglas MacArthur signing the official Japanese surrender instrument aboard the USS Missouri, 1945.

Hitler inspecting the massive 800mm “Schwerer Gustav” railway gun from afar. It was the largest-calibre rifled weapon ever used in combat, and fired the heaviest shells of any artillery piece.

George S. Patton‘s Dog, Willie, mourning his best friend on the day of his death.

Joseph Goebbels on his wedding day. Hitler was his best man and can be seen behind him in a trench coat and top hat.

George Armstrong Custer and some of his fellow soldiers, during the American Civil War.

Howard Carter, an English archaeologist, examining the opened sarcophagus of King Tut.

An RAF pilot getting a haircut while reading a book between missions.

Manfred von Richthofen, aka “The Red Baron”, petting his dog on an airfield.

Samurai. ~ 1860 – 1880

A team of SAS soldiers in North Africa, 1943.

Soviet soldiers stop for a break in 1945 on the outskirts of Berlin.

Tsar Nicholas II goofing around with his friend in 1899.

Walt and Roy O. Disney on the day that they opened the Disney studio. Beside them are their wives and mother.

John Young and Charles Duke training for the Apollo 16 mission in the New Mexico desert.

 http://iliketowastemytime.com/2012/10/02/rare-historical-photos-pt-2-19-pics

 

18 Photos That Will Make You Reconsider Your Existence!

THE MIND UNLEASHED

on 17 February, 2015 at 16:21

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The human species is great, but its tendency to claim superiority may be its affliction. View these photos and challenge your perspective.

The human race has an affliction of assumed superiority. Apparently with the advent of fire, the Homo erectus brain swelled to a proportion that allowed the capability to learn and develop language, fiddle with technology, and form meaningful relationships with others.

What didn’t happen with this ‘so-called’ jump in evolution, however, was the capability to live from a space of compassion, commune with nature, and respect (or easily perceive) the innate force that ties all together.

While human beings continue to transcend previous levels of innovation, intellect, and comprehension in self and the ‘Spirit’ of life, as a collective their air of superiority still reins supreme.

Which is why we suggest everyone take a good, long look at the photos gathered by diply below and really size up their existence in proportion to the majesty which exists in the rest of the universe.

FIRST, LET’S START OFF WITH YOU.

AT 30,000 FEET, THIS IS WHAT YOU LOOK LIKE:

AT 100,000 FEET, THIS IS YOU:

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Credit: Wikipedia

AND FROM 127,852 FEET (WITH FELIX BAUMGARTNER JUMPING OUT A CAPSULE IN THE STRATOSPHERE), TAKE A GOOD LOOK…

230,000 MILES AWAY, YOU’RE PRETTY SMALL, RIGHT?

WOW – IN COMPARISON TO THE SUN, YOU’RE TINY!

IN THE MILKY WAY GALAXY, EARTH ISN’T EVEN IN THE SCALE PHOTO.

DON’T FRET. HOW ABOUT SOME MORE CONTRAST?

THIS IS ROSETTA’S COMET. A PROBE WAS RECENTLY LANDED ON IT, AND THIS IS HOW BIG IT IS IN COMPARISON TO LOS ANGELES:

TIME FOR A SELFIE! THIS IS EARTH IN SPACE. GORGEOUS, HUH?

AND IF YOU’RE NOT VISUAL, MATH CAN BREAK IT DOWN:

LET’S INTRODUCE SOME PERSPECTIVE:

HUMBLED YET?

50 MILLION LIGHT YEARS AWAY…

AND FINALLY, THE GRAND SCHEME:

THIS IS THE MILKY WAY. IT BOASTS OVER A BILLION STARS:

…BUT WAIT. YOU STILL MATTER.

Just because the Universe is mighty, doesn’t diminish the importance of a single life or the beauty that exists on plant Earth. We’re just hoping some perspective might introduce some well-needed humility to the human race.

Credits: trueactivist.com