Natural gas fuel cells – the natural green solution

I have been pondering the use of solar cells, wind generators and tidal generators for some time; each renewable energy source usually fails to produce sufficient energy when and where it’s needed. How can we store the energy produced when it’s in plentiful supply and use it later in peak demand time. The often rolled out solution is to pump water into a dam and use the stored water to generate electricity, this is known as pumped-storage electricity and accounts for 99% of bulk storage at the time of writing. This method assumes a lot of water is available which may not be true in Australia’s arid and semi-arid environment. Small renewable energy generators use batteries for base-line storage, but this is expensive and high maintenance.

Manus Islanders want a cut of the action

The about face by the Gillard Government over the so called Pacific Solution for processing alleged refugees, AKA boat people, has seen the expectations of Manus Island and Nauru residents rise. Manus Island has demanded that their businesses, fishermen, farmers and labour be used instead of the imports that were used last time. This is not an unreasonable request and is probably a cheaper solution if done competently. Of course we have not taken into consideration the complete ineptitude of the Gillard Government who have proved over and over again that they can’t even organise a piss-up in a brewery.

Is ‘playing the stock market’ gambling?

“Successful investing is anticipating the anticipations of others.”
John Maynard Keynes

The people that buy stock as a long term investment expect to receive a reasonable dividend every year and for the value of their investment to increase over the years. The investor will also realise when a company is in decline and divest themselves of the shares before the company share price drops.

Low-carb Beer

One of the popular beers at the moment, especially among women, is the low-carb beer which is widely believed to be a healthier beer than normal beers. These beers often command a premium price and are widely advertised by brewers. Is low-carb beer really better for you or is it just an urban myth?

Free Range Eggs

There is some contention in Australia over what is exactly a ‘free range’ chicken. The US has decided to avoid the issue by ignoring labelling standards altogether. The EU (European Union) with all of its bureaucracy has defined four labels: 0-organic, 1-free range, 2-barn and 3-caged.

Coffee

Is coffee bad for you or is coffee good for you?
There are many conflicting studies that suggest both, but most agree that a daily dose of 1 to 3 cups of coffee filtered with filter paper are least likely to affect the drinker. The filter paper removes the toxins that increase your cholesterol level according to one study. It will take from 200 to 300 cups of coffee drunk continuously to kill you, but you will get caffeine intoxication before you manage to drink that amount.

Orange juice and citrus fruit

“Try not thinking of peeling an orange. Try not imagining the juice running down your fingers, the soft inner part of the peel. The smell. Try and you can't. The brain doesn't process negatives.”
Doug Coupland

Red wine

“It is better to hide ignorance, but it is hard to do this when we relax with wine.”
Heraclitus, 540-480 B.C.

Red wine has been an essential part of our culture for thousands of years. The Roman military decided that it was so essential that they were motivated to plant vineyards in Scotland during the ‘Roman warm period’.

Body types – ‘use by date’, ‘best before date’ and ‘morbidly indulgent’

I am including this blog as a reference to my simplistic body type terms of ‘use by date’, ‘best before date’ and ‘morbidly indulgent’.

Chocolate

"Make a list of important things to do today. At the top of your list, put ‘eat chocolate.’ Now, you'll get at least one thing done today."
Gina Hayes

Is Friday the 13th really unlucky?

For some people the fear of Friday the 13th (friggatriskaidekaphobia) is a day to panic, a day to cancel appointments, a day to stay in bed. The superstition is widespread and actually consists of two superstitions, a fear of the number 13 (triskaidekaphobia) and a fear of Friday (friggaphobia). Both of these fears have their real origins lost in the folk-lore of Northern Europe.

Fat

Jack Sprat could eat no fat.
His wife could eat no lean.
And so between them both, you see,
They licked the platter clean.
Traditional first published 1639

Associate Professor Russell Keast, a Lecturer in the area of Sensory Science in the School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences Deakin University has identified a sixth basic taste responsive to fat and the role it may play in the development of obesity.

Salt

The human body in its simplest form consists of groups of cooperating cells related by common descent, pre-programmed to reproduce its own DNA. A short discussion of the evolution of single cell entities to multi-cellar entities can be found as a PDF here.

Is organised religion the playground of the devil?

“16 These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:
17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,
19 A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.”
Proverbs 6

Carbon [dioxide] Tax - useful or useless?

The Australian Greens/Labor Coalition carbon [dioxide] tax came into operation in Australia on 1st July 2012 and the Labor Prime Minister and her Treasurer have told me I should rejoice because not only have I been compensated for the tax, but I will also be $10 a week better off.

Sweeter than sugar

“Honesty coupled to beauty is to have honey a sauce to sugar.”
William Shakespeare – As you like it

We are constantly being warned by dieticians that too much sugar is bad for your health and we now have labels on food and drink warning how much sugar and salt is in each product. Australian manufacturers are guilty of putting too much sugar in just about everything, making even dark chocolate and tonic water unpalatably sweet.

Julian Assange - saint or sinner

Analysing what makes Julian Assange do what he does would possibly make an interesting PhD paper for some aspiring student of human nature. When you read Assange’s biography in Wikipedia his life seems to follow the philosophy of Don Chip who said ‘the Democrat Party’s purpose in Parliament was to keep the bastards honest’. It’s a pity that Don Chip isn’t around today to keep Julia Gillard and the rest of the Gang of Four honest.

Boat People AKA Asylum Seekers

The recent sinking of an asylum seekers boat with a loss of more than ninety lives has reopened the festering wound of border security in Australia. The number of asylum seekers now averages 850 a month and the costs have blown the budget more than tenfold.

Is sliced white bread and good taste an oxymoron?

The challenge

Bread doesn’t taste as good as it used to! There are so many bread varieties that we will assume that the challenge is about production line sliced white wheat bread produced in Australia.

Fish fingers AKA fish sticks

Fish fingers, otherwise known as fish sticks, have been popular for over half a century. It is thought that they were invented in the US in the 1920’s to use up an oversupply of cod. Birdseye in the UK tried the same tactic in the 1950’s to take advantage of an oversupply of herring. The herring product was test marketed with the much blander cod product as a control, but to Birdseye’s surprise the cod product was much more popular than the savoury herring product. The cod product and its variations have been in production since 1955. The fish finger is now produced by numerous manufacturers including large supermarket brands.