Ideas for reducing power consumption

[Lizzard[MPE]]

but then again now he owns 2 Landrovers.. so i guess its not much better.

[Lizzard[MPE]]

lizzie: why do you own SUVs?
Auto response from Curt: I am away from my computer right now.

Curt: lizzie, i own an suv because i own property
Curt: and property requires maintenance
Curt: so i own an suv for the utilitarian aspects it fulfills.
Curt: ask why i own a range rover, and i'm screwed from an ecological perspective though

[Jessterw]

What I find odd is how little outcry there is against large pickup trucks (think Ford F150 to a F350, or like models from others). They often guzzle just as much gas as a SUV and have nowhere near the seating capacity - unless you count the bed, which is illegal to ride in under most state laws. True, trucks have traditionally been purchased due to a need for such a vehicle on a regular basis; however, this is increasingly not true, as they are being purchased for the same reasons as SUVs are: they're big and they look "cool."

For that matter, passenger vans are just as bad in many cases. That said, around here, a lot of the people driving SUVs would otherwise be driving vans. So it comes down, again, to image. Young parents with two or more kids (or plans for more) would much rather be driving a sporty SUV than an "old person's" van.

Is it right or wrong? I'm not going to make that judgment call, but I own a van and a Chevy Blazer.

[KvHagedorn]

According to some advertising guru, the "keyword" to SUV sales is "intimidation." That's why you see all those Black tinted windows on 80inch wide behemoths with cattleguards.

America would be inconceivable to some of you Europeans (particularly Duke), as well. There are many reasons we drive cars everywhere here, and psychological ones (not dick-size related) for driving big ones, and wanting to appear intimidating.

1) If you are on foot, you are the scum of the Earth here, and probably dangerous, hence DRIVE A CAR or be so judged.

2) People want nothing to do with those outside their little group, because it's the only way we can preserve our sanity and individual cultures here. Diversity and multiculturalism have ruined any real sense of community, and the stratification of economic classes has exacerbated the problem. Best way to control who you have to interact with.. DRIVE A CAR. If you walk, you will probably find some scary person out walking too.

3) Distance. I just saw a French movie where the only person with a vehicle had a moped, and that was more than enough to get around Paris. If you are in New York, you can probably get away with no car just as well and get to where you are going, but then there is the multiculturalism thing again, which makes New Yorkers some of the meanest, most abrasive people on the planet.. they can't use cars as their shells, so they use their demeanor. Most places other than New York or Chicago, like Liz said, are very spread out, and there is no public transit, because it is economically unfeasable for people so widely separated. If you live in Texas, a car is a necessity, and so is air conditioning, which increases fuel consumption.

4) The bigger the vehicle you are driving, the more it says "don't mess with me" which even those who profess to be social liberals and environmentalists often feel the need to project here. It all depends where you live, of course, but the animals will smell fear, and you don't fight the Huns on foot.

If you live in a homogenous society like Denmark or Japan, where everyone is packed together fairly closely, you probably have no clue what life is like here, and you are really not qualified to pass a negative judgement until you are thrown into the same pool.

[KvHagedorn]

What I find odd is how little outcry there is against large pickup trucks (think Ford F150 to a F350, or like models from others). They often guzzle just as much gas as a SUV and have nowhere near the seating capacity - unless you count the bed, which is illegal to ride in under most state laws. True, trucks have traditionally been purchased due to a need for such a vehicle on a regular basis; however, this is increasingly not true, as they are being purchased for the same reasons as SUVs are: they're big and they look "cool."

For that matter, passenger vans are just as bad in many cases. That said, around here, a lot of the people driving SUVs would otherwise be driving vans. So it comes down, again, to image. Young parents with two or more kids (or plans for more) would much rather be driving a sporty SUV than an "old person's" van.

Is it right or wrong? I'm not going to make that judgment call, but I own a van and a Chevy Blazer.

It's because the media over there sees America as mainly the urban upwardly mobile people on either coast.. they really aren't too aware of the middle of the country, like most Americans from either coast. Most large vehicles driven by urban upwardly mobile people on the coasts are not pickups. Ergo, the constant knock on SUVs over there. (This is my surmise)

[Liquid Snake]

I guess I'm lucky enough to be surrounded by trains and buses that are reliable most of the time. I can come up with five different routes to get to class, using only public transportation. Biking is also viable if you can deal with the traffic in Manhattan. I don't see myself learning how to drive any time soon, because it just isn't necessary here.

[Dr Mordrid]

You can't haul a deer, bear, moose, elk or a limit of small game, bass/trout/salmon back from a hunting/fishing camp on a bus or train

Nor can you haul the typical amount of stuff Margie collects from a run to the craft store

Dr. Mordrid

[Nowhere]

You can't haul a deer, bear, moose, elk or a limit of small game, bass/trout/salmon back from a hunting/fishing camp on a bus or train

Nor can you haul the typical amount of stuff Margie collects from a run to the craft store

Dr. Mordrid

But merely a car will be enough (yes, trust me, just a car; I tried to find some photos from ending hunts but failed, so just keep in mind that this often had to be enough to transport a deer, usually on the roof (with roof-rack), eventually in small trailer )

[GT98]

According to some advertising guru, the "keyword" to SUV sales is "intimidation." That's why you see all those Black tinted windows on 80inch wide behemoths with cattleguards.

America would be inconceivable to some of you Europeans (particularly Duke), as well. There are many reasons we drive cars everywhere here, and psychological ones (not dick-size related) for driving big ones, and wanting to appear intimidating.

1) If you are on foot, you are the scum of the Earth here, and probably dangerous, hence DRIVE A CAR or be so judged.

2) People want nothing to do with those outside their little group, because it's the only way we can preserve our sanity and individual cultures here. Diversity and multiculturalism have ruined any real sense of community, and the stratification of economic classes has exacerbated the problem. Best way to control who you have to interact with.. DRIVE A CAR. If you walk, you will probably find some scary person out walking too.

3) Distance. I just saw a French movie where the only person with a vehicle had a moped, and that was more than enough to get around Paris. If you are in New York, you can probably get away with no car just as well and get to where you are going, but then there is the multiculturalism thing again, which makes New Yorkers some of the meanest, most abrasive people on the planet.. they can't use cars as their shells, so they use their demeanor. Most places other than New York or Chicago, like Liz said, are very spread out, and there is no public transit, because it is economically unfeasable for people so widely separated. If you live in Texas, a car is a necessity, and so is air conditioning, which increases fuel consumption.

4) The bigger the vehicle you are driving, the more it says "don't mess with me" which even those who profess to be social liberals and environmentalists often feel the need to project here. It all depends where you live, of course, but the animals will smell fear, and you don't fight the Huns on foot.

If you live in a homogenous society like Denmark or Japan, where everyone is packed together fairly closely, you probably have no clue what life is like here, and you are really not qualified to pass a negative judgement until you are thrown into the same pool.

Their goes Kvh thinnly veived attack on mulitculuturmism. I guess you haven't heard about all the problems with Muslums in Denmark either eh?

Since I'm assuming you never lived anywhere near NYC or the like, I can answer why people have such a bad attutie, which is overplayed in the media for the part. The problem is that most people my area hyper/strung out/whatever. I've heard several stories of people transfering from this area to say the Mid-west, where people well putting it nicely..take their time to get their work done to being more blunt, outright lazy. They where fustrated by this since in this area, everyone wants everything done now, if not sooner and the workers did that. That partly answers why people can seem rude from the Northeast.

[GNEP]

@Doc: Try looking at it at the moment in real Euros and the picture is even more extreme

[Liquid Snake]

You can't haul a deer, bear, moose, elk or a limit of small game, bass/trout/salmon back from a hunting/fishing camp on a bus or train

Nor can you haul the typical amount of stuff Margie collects from a run to the craft store

Dr. Mordrid

Well I usually haul nothing more than my bag

[KRSESQ]

All this talk about cars (which admittedly consume a disproportionate share of energy) but no one has stated the obvious: Turn things off when you aren't using them!

Come on, 'fess up. How many of you or the folks you know leave your computer running 24 hrs a day?

(Guilty as charged...sometimes!)

Many of my clients have been (mis)informed that shutting down the computer is somehow harmful. I tell them to go ahead and turn it off when they're not using it. A typical setup uses about as much power as a 200 watt lightbulb. Who would leave a 200 watt lightbulb burning continuously unless its a security light, and those usually have light sensors that turn them off at sunrise.

Power-saving functions? Again, 'fess up. How many of you have your power settings on "always on?"

(Guilty as charged, again!)

Americans waste more energy simply by not turning things off when not in use than many third-world nations produce in a year. (please don't ask for stats!) Turn things off when you're not using them. You may even save a buck or two on air conditioning, without the waste heat you're otherwise producing.

Kevin

[Dr Mordrid]

When our group goes hunting/camping it's 5 people plus a 28x16 4-room tent and all the gear it takes to set up camp for 2 weeks. It's more like a winter safari

Of course many times I go out either alone or with just the wife for a couple of weeks. Then we hike in and live off the land using wild veggies and small game or fish for food.

Dr. Mordrid

[KvHagedorn]

I have to admit I was a bit amused when Schwarzenegger said he made his kids turn off the lights when they left the room. It's actually kind of nice that that humble upbringing made it through the flash of hollyweird relatively intact.

[az]

KvH, I am going to say Berlin is more multicultural than any society you've ever lived in. This is absolutely NOT the problem. Berlin has a superb public transport system and very broad sidewalks. It also is a nice city in most places (and traffic isn't very nice in many places, too). We have cities that are usable by foot or on a bike, and working public transport. That may be part of why we drive less. But the real reason, and also the reason why we drive smaller cars (and it's not only the money, though this of course plays a large roll) must lie somewhere else, attitude, psychology etc. I'd guess.

BTW, I think had you lived here you wouldn't be such a xenophobe (if you aren't crazy...) what did those bad outlanders do to you to give you such a trauma?

AZ