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8/6/2007 RepairBiodiesel can be used in stock engines of modern cars with no modification, unlike waste vegtable oil which requires Lovecraft-type modifications. Older vehicles, like my Mercedes 300D, require replacement of fuel hoses. Older hoses fail because biodiesel is a solvent that breaks down rubber, but DuPont makes hose called Viton that does not fail. You can't just go to the local Mercedes mechanic and ask to have Viton installed, which turns out to be a good thing. You also can't get this hose anywhere, except one internet site, and the Oregon shop associated with it, which also turns out to be a good thing. I wonder if one of the reasons that 75% of early 1980's 300Ds are still on the road is that they are so easy to work on. Installation of the Viton hose took about 10 minutes. The only tool required is scissors. I bet this fix would cost $85 at your local mechanic, plus you would have to supply the Viton yourself because I bet they will not be carrying it. Even if you want to use ordinary replacement hose, I would recommend trying to fix this problem yourself. Viton hose is available at Greaseworks. They were a pleasure to deal with. 7/17/2007 I'm a Rainbow too"..to the rescue here I am...' -Bob Marley I am Winston's third owner. He was wild when I got him. He still is sometimes. I think he is nearly aged nine; more than two-years older than his his initial life expectancy...and he rescued me. 7/16/2007 Pugnaces Britanniae
7/15/2007 Nebraska Independent Film ProjectsThis is my Blog after all, so I should have the right to post a highly-flattering, to the point of embarrassing, review of the film and some quotes from the filmmakers, right? 7/9/2007 LovecraftAll over the world, people use waste vegetable oil (WVO) in diesel engines, generally in one of two very different ways. Some, like me, use chemicals to process the WVO before it goes in the car. Others install a pre-heater in or around the fuel filter. In Los Angeles This method is usually called "Lovecraft". I have never used Lovecraft myself, but some people like it. Anyone who is knowledgeable about Lovecraft should feel free to add and correct. 7/8/2007 Kitchen Midden DogI just saw that skeletal remains of dogs found in human settlements as long as ten thousand years ago confirms Pugs were bread from the "Gobi Desert Kitchen Midden Dog". A kitchen midden is a dump for domestic waste. 7/7/2007 Social TrapSocial trap is a term used by psychologists to describe a
situation in which a group of people act to obtain short-term
individual gains, which in the long run leads to a loss for the group
as a whole. Examples of social traps include the overharvesting of fish
species by commercial and sport fishers, the near-extinction of the American bison, energy "brownout" and "blackout" power outages during periods of extreme temperatures, the overgrazing of cattle on the Sahelian Desert, and the destruction of the rainforest by logging interests and agriculture. 7/5/2007 EmbargoIts the duty of the government to provide for defense. Has anyone asked how the Pentagon expected to fight a sustained war in the Middle-East, when the US has a limited supply of oil? The US has known since at least the 1973 oil embargo that it cannot rely on oil-producing States to provide petroleum. Nobody seems to have considered that the US Military requires a huge amount of oil to cross the battlefield, then there are fuel trucks that supply the machines, and other fuel trucks that supply the fuel trucks. It has nothing to do with support for this war, which I ardently don't, but with the ability of the military to fight any war. Which I do, begudgingly. It would be wonderful if the world did not need military...but right now it seems to. Perhaps the Pentagon procured diesel trucks that can run on vegetable oil just in case of this contingency, because then I would know where we can get fuel for them. 7/4/2007 7/4/07It is a sad 4th for me because the Executive branch of the United States' Government is dragging me down. I wonder how history will view you, me, the Senate, the Press or every other group inside and out of the US for taking whatever actions, or inaction, we do. Tonight, some others are celebrating with fireworks up the block, just like I heard there, almost two months ago. In my building, one friend took a trip to South America, three others, off to the Middle East for work, two others moved away and had a baby. When I left my door this afternoon, I was expecting to find a party going on, just like every other holiday or football game since I moved in here, 15-years ago. The rest of them are off to a party that no-doubt involves kilts, fire-dancing and paddles. I'm content to be at home, by myself, but with the dogs. I want to say one word to you. Just one word. Are you listening, yes?...ALGAEHere is what one company, PetroSun, is doing to turn algae in to biofuels. They happen to be an oil company. Rather than reject them as oil/war profiteers, I welcome them because if their experiment works, it will get some real attention. Also, it will be the oil companies, hopefully sooner, than later that will be the major distributors of thees fuels. Plants such as soybeans and sunflowers produce oil, that can be used to make biofuels.
Although these crops have received a lot of media attention
in the last several years, they require intensive management
and may not be sustainable in the long term due to rising
development and production costs. We believe a different type
of oil crop that holds great promise for the future is microalgae. Extensive research has been conducted to determine the utilization of microalgae as an energy source, with applications being developed for biodiesel, ethanol, methanol, methane, and even hydrogen. Independent studies have demonstrated that algae is capable of producing in excess of 30 times more oil per acre than corn and soybean crops. Biodiesel produced from algae contains no sulfur, is non-toxic and highly biodegradable. One of the biggest advantages of biodiesel compared to many other alternative transportation fuels is that it can be used in existing diesel engines, which relieves manufacturers of having to make costly engine modifications. Biodiesel can also be mixed, at any ratio, with conventional petroleum diesel. As a result, the alternative fuel can be used in the current distribution infrastructure, replacing petroleum diesel either wholly, or as a diesel fuel blend with minimal integration costs. This press release fails to mention the topper, photosynthesis. Algae consumes carbon dioxide, so the production process, the growing of the algae itself, reduces global warming, by sucking some amount of it out of the atmosphere and turning it into oxygen. Note that this photos is from http://www.nmsu.edu/~ucomm/Releases/2007/january/algae_biodiesel.htm and not from PetroSun and I hope its obvious, that I have nothing to do with any of these companies. McDonald's Switches to Biodiesel FuelI've been waiting for this to happen. I don't eat at McDonald's, but they are such an influential company that this is good news. My friend said "It looks like the big boys are going to co-opt you," and I replied "...but that was my plan all along..." 7/1/2007 Los Angeles ShotsDay and night shots from the same location in Los Angeles. One set looks towards Century City. On the right, you can see an oil well next to a high school campus, and in the detail shot, the well is marked in green. The other set is the Hollywood Hills. |
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