Another energy blog. How mundane. Why should you be excited to find THIS ONE?
Energy is a large and fascinating subject. It is important to our way of life, our economy, and our future. I think we have a bright energy future ahead of us, but we need to start DOING things now to make it happen. I do not believe that just "wishing it so" is going to have any impact. In the immortal words of a Steve Martin skit "Forget it, that's not going to happen ".
There is a lot of misinformation, many myths, some sleight of hand, and plenty of political rhetoric surrounding energy. My most important task here will be to "open the curtains". Inform, educate, and maybe even entertain, as I present the facts, dispel those myths, and shed light on the rhetoric. I intend to apply logic, data, science and physics to these discussions.
To be sure, you will get the impression there is a lot of "negativity" on this blog. It is not intentional. I believe in alternative energy, and I enjoy the entire energy picture immensely. However there are myriad problems, roadblocks and snags along the way. Before we can address these issues, we have to understand what they are, what effect they have, and what the options are. I do not intend to pull punches, and I certainly do not intend to look at anything through rose colored glasses.
I will, however, continue to use way too many metaphors, quotes, and figures of speech. Yes, I am like that in real life also. It drives my wife crazy. I also write, talk, and illustrate, in groups of three. I do not know why, how, or for what reason, I just do…
So, First of all, the "nots".
- I am not going to just post a link to every little scrap of news about energy that is out there.
- I am not going to mindlessly accept, and dutifully write about, just any information I find.
- I am not going to follow the herd, toe the political line, or ride the "spin" train.
And, here is what I intend to accomplish.
- I will post, talk, dissect, and opine about, significant news in the world of energy.
- I intend to educate about energy, not simply throw things out there.
- I will apply my knowledge of science, physics and technology to dissecting and analyzing energy information where appropriate.
- I hope to consistantly add basic articles explaining energy and technology.
- I promise I will supply plenty of facts, figures, and quotable statistics.
- I will cite references and supply links to support what I say.
- I will not be hesitant to supply MY opinion, but I will strive to support it with facts.
- I will welcome comments, discussion, and dissension. That dialog is what's important!.
I will try to keep order to this blog. There is a Table of contents page. I will keep it updated the best I can, but it is a manually generated page. It is possible that the one or two LATEST entries in this blog have not made it to the Table Of Contents.
If you are looking for something specific, I will keep the postings categorized, hopefully well. But, I just KNOW that is going to get out of hand. Hopefully I will come up with a better way.
I have also added a Glossary Page to define terms, and a Reference page with some useful facts and figures. And, do not forget my store, where you can purchase Books & Videos about energy and science, as well as many other things.
I just started this blog the end of January 2010. I am still trying to fit it into my schedule. I already have much planned to write about. Some of it still involves significant research. I hope as time passes I will be able to afford more time for it. My goal is to have at least one or more interesting posts added a day. I am far from that yet, but... I will get there!This blog is in addition to my MCC Workshop Electronics hobbyist site - A website I have also neglected as of late, but that I have hopes of pursuing once again when I have the resources. It IS a process :-). If you enjoy electronics and science, or if you are setting up a workshop, enjoy vintage equipment, or vintage (retro) computers, drop by there for a visit!
So, bookmark this blog, come back often, set up a feed, and/or follow me on twitter. (http://twitter.com/Altenergyblog ). I promise you are in for a fun, informative, and useful ride. And, please do not hesitate to add comments, discuss things, or disagree with what I say. I welcome debate, and I am happy to discuss things. This blog also has a Facebook group at: Understanding Energy - The Energy Blog You are of course welcome to join it!
Please read the "About the author" page to learn more about me and my interests and credentials.
You can also visit my personal hobby website at http://mccworkshop.com
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