Solar for the Masses

Posted: April 30, 2010 | Author: Gillies | Filed under: Environment | Leave a comment »

The oil spill coverage has me grasping for signs that we’re not doomed. Forbes offers one, sort of, in its current issue.

Today those scientists are testing prototypes of the product, which Dow calls Powerhouse. Dow’s aim is to start selling Powerhouse next year. Because they look like traditional roofing material, the solar shingles are more likely to get the nod from uptight homeowners’ associations. Now, says Liveris, “I believe this will be solar for the masses.”

Not Rush’s Bag

Posted: April 29, 2010 | Author: Gillies | Filed under: Artists | Leave a comment »

ChartAttack:

If you’re wondering why Rush didn’t play the Winter Olympics in February, singer/bassist Geddy Lee says they were asked, but didn’t want to.

Lee told Philadelphia’s 94 WYSP FM specific regulations put forward by the organizers made them say “Thanks, but no thanks.”

“Yeah, well, we had an opportunity to pay, but there were all kinds of crazy rules going on about lip-synching and stuff like that,” Lee said when asked why Rush weren’t part of the entertainment. “That’s just not our bag, man.”

If We Do Not Destroy Ourselves

Posted: April 28, 2010 | Author: Gillies | Filed under: Environment | Leave a comment »

The Washington Post released its iPhone app today. I downloaded. Three bucks for a year seemed a reasonable price to me for a year’s worth of content.

On my walk home from the metro this evening, I checked the app and found this juxtaposition of headlines:

As Carl Sagan said, “If we do not destroy ourselves, we will one day venture to the stars.”

Appreciation in Congress for Good Beer

Posted: April 27, 2010 | Author: Gillies | Filed under: Washington | Leave a comment »

Via @MrBeerGuy, I learned today of H. RES. 1297, “Supporting the goals and ideals of American Craft Beer Week.” Excerpt from the legislation:

Whereas craft brewers operate smaller breweries, each producing less than 2,000,000 barrels per year, and produce high-quality beers using traditional brewing techniques;

Whereas more than 1,500 craft breweries are in business across the United States;

Whereas in 2009, 110 new breweries opened, creating jobs and improving economies in communities across the United States;

Whereas in 2009, American craft breweries produced more than 9,000,000 barrels of beer, which was 500,000 more barrels than in 2008;

Whereas American craft brewers export more than 1,300,000 gallons of beer abroad and are creating new markets and new international opportunities each year;

Whereas American craft brewers employ nearly 100,000 full- and part-time workers and generate more than $3,000,000,000 in wages and benefits;

Gold to Piper

Posted: April 26, 2010 | Author: Gillies | Filed under: Recording | 2 Comments »

My musical output has been dismal lately. I need to pick up a guitar and get creative.

In the meantime, here’s a weird little ditty, “Gold to Piper,” that I composed back in 2003. The song title refers to a greyhound who lived with us for a while.

Trailer for Rush Documentary

Posted: April 25, 2010 | Author: Gillies | Filed under: Artists, Cinema, Videos | Leave a comment »

Via I Heart Guitar:

Dr. Chu

Posted: April 24, 2010 | Author: Gillies | Filed under: Environment | Leave a comment »

Via Infrastructurist, a nice read from Wired on our Secretary of Energy:

When President Obama tapped Chu to head the Department of Energy, it didn’t appear to be much of a promotion. Since its inception in 1977, the secretary post has largely been handed out as a political plum — the “ambassador of nukes.” In 2009, the DOE had the third-smallest budget of any cabinet-level agency and a reputation as a backwater overseeing cleanup sites, radioactive waste, and the nuclear stockpile.

But Chu thought he could turn the DOE into an organization focused on the private sector and on finding practical solutions to pressing problems. Once he got the job, he started to hire people steeped in two areas: climate change and China. He managed to impress both groups. “I sit in these budget meetings and wonder what it was like when the secretary of energy didn’t know more than most of the people briefing him about most of the topics being discussed,” says David Sandalow, the assistant secretary of energy for policy and international affairs.

Prius, Volt, and Fuel Cell Forklifts

Posted: April 23, 2010 | Author: Gillies | Filed under: Environment, Videos | Leave a comment »

I have an inkling of the next vehicle I’d like to own: something along the lines of the Volt crossover concept or the Prius minivan.

I also wouldn’t mind something powered by a fuel cell, but I’m not holding my breath. Maybe there’s hope, though – via FuelCellPartnership today, I learned that they’re making some progress with fuel cell forklifts.