History shows more earthquakes could come soon

Earthquakes occur all over the United States and even here in East Texas. Since 1850 there have now been 11 earthquakes reported in East Texas with a magnitude of 3.0 or greater on the Richter Scale.

There are some reports of minor damage in the Timpson area, such as fallen dishes, broken windows, and the most significant damage so far being reported at the Ollie Barrett residence, where numerous bricks from their chimney came crashing down into their living room, along with their 52 inch television that was mounted over the fireplace. This is the second time in a week an earthquake has hit near Timpson.

The U.S. Geological Survey confirms a 4.3 magnitude earthquake struck three miles east of the city of Timpson Thursday morning at 3:12.

5km (3mi) E of Timpson, Texas
45km (28mi) NE of Nacogdoches, Texas
52km (32mi) ESE of Henderson, Texas
71km (44mi) S of Marshall, Texas
343km (213mi) WNW of Baton Rouge, Louisiana

According to the USGS, the strongest quake in East Texas, back in 1957 was a 4.7 magnitude near the Diana area. The second strongest earthquake was near Hemphill in 1964. This morning’s quake would be the third strongest in East Texas’ history.

When you look at the fault lines across the country you will notice there are literally hundreds that run northwest to southeast across East Texas. That fault lines are classified here as “Class B” faults meaning there is very little seismic activity.

It is also interesting to note that studies have suggested that much of the seismic activity along these faults could have been artificially created due to the extraction of oil or fracking for the extraction of natural gas. My bet is that it is the latter.

Based on the information at hand, I would not be surprised to see one or two more quakes before the fault settles down again. Thankfully major damage rarely occurs from earthquakes under 6.0 here in the United States with our stronger building codes and the type of faults across East Texas have yet to produce that strong of an earthquake.

Quakes in Texas … as the green future unfolds.

There Are Pros and Cons About Clean Energy.

Below is an infographic of the differences of good energy and not so good energy.

As you can see, the biggest problem is the entrenched money, old thinking, and the words of clean coal people thinking that we will believe them.

Politics aside, if we could do the pros, we could be an independent nation. There would be jobs, almost free energy to the masses and the air would be a lot cleaner. So what is the hangup? Mostly money. However, should corporations decide to come over to the green side, their money would be making interest and making their pockets bigger in a couple of years of roi.

….. as the green future unfolds.

The Canary Islands Has A Restaurant That Takes Cooking To A Whole New Level.

The El Diablo chefs have decided to go outside of the box and cook their culinary dishes utilizing earth’s natural heat.

They created El Diablo restaurant in 1970 in the Timanfaya National Park on a summit in the Fire Mountains located on the island of Lanzarote.

The Timanfaya Volcano, which is still active, is the base for this BBQ pit. In order to build the restaurant in the park, which is entirely made up of volcanic soil, they had to add nine layers of basalt rock to create the base.

David Stares / Alamy

The volcano has not erupted since 1824 and the designers had to come up with something different as to not destroy the beauty of the park. They are not utilizing fire, electricity and/or natural gas.

They left part of it open to utilize the heat.

The restaurant has a circular floor with glass walls that illuminate the interior and act as a kind of viewpoint looking out over the volcanic landscape.

Now you can watch as the semi-dormant volcano’s internal heat chars your meaty kebabs on a grill laid flat across a cavernous black pit that reaches into the ground.

Looks like a trip over to the Canary Islands is a must to see this sustainable BBQ pit. Let us know if you have visited El Diablo and how the food was.

….. as the green future unfolds.

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Does Google have the smarts enough to ensure our safety, too?

Well, that is the $64 question is it not? Last year, Google was awarded a patent on December 15, 2011 for the transitioning of a mixed mode vehicle to an autonomous mode vehicle. It will have 2 sensors. One for a landing strip for the vehicle to stop which enables the second sensor to decide the position and where to go.

What Can Google Teach Us About Driving?

Google has been experimenting with driverless Toyota Prius cars in the US

Google has tested their model in San Francisco which included crossing the Golden Gate Bridge. They report that the car was driven 140,000 miles with a driver (just in case) and not one accident. I can tell you that I have driven that much without an accident as well. But I digress.

Through the use of computers, sensors and other systems, an autonomous vehicle is capable of analyzing the driving environment more quickly and operating the vehicle more safely than a human can. Why, well not only are there sensors but cameras as well. They are placed all around the vehicle to ensure that the blind spot a driver may have will be eliminated and be able to react to any event that may occur.

Now, we all know that a computer, sensor or camera is only as smart as we make them. So, does the Google team have enough folks to work on getting this artificial intelligence off the ground and running? Yes, so far.

However, the big question will be, will you, the consumer, be interested in getting one of these for yourself or better yet, ride in one?

Driverless Cars …. as the green future unfolds.

The Heat In The Summer Causes A Money Pit

If you live in any part of the world that has a bunch of sunlight, especially during the summer, then this is for you!

Many homes have air conditioning in this day and age. But does it really do the job of cooling your home?

I have a really good friend, Theresa, that lives in Nevada who decided to do an experiment to reduce the heat in their home.  Her family lives in a split level home. The top level is like an oven starting in spring and continues through to late fall.

They started by taking the temperature of the top level and comparing it to the lower level.  The top level read 151 degrees and the lower level read 140 degrees on a day that was crystal blue sky, dry air and about 80 degrees.

Her husband went to the local hardware box store and purchased two gallons of Elastahyde made by Western Colloid.

ElastaHyde is manufactured from premium resins, pigments and components producing an acrylic coating of the highest quality. ElastaHyde is a durable coating that will resist rigorous weather conditions while protecting roof surfaces and contributing to substantial energy savings.

He used one gallon to cover the upper level roof, applied it liberally and let it dry.  Then they took new temperature readings. The lower level roof read 155 degrees on another crystal blue sky day with the ambient temperature sitting around 81 degrees. The upper roof now read 94 degrees. WOW! a difference of 51 degrees!

Imagine the savings on their electric bill with that type of temperature difference. Now their summer will be hitting the triple digits here pretty soon. So, I can assure you that Theresa is pushing him to do the lower part of the roof pretty fast. LOL.

This paint is good for approx. 3 to 5 years. It reflects 84 percent of the sun’s rays. It meets the requirements of a “Cool Roof” and is listed by the Cool Roof Rating Council as required by California Title 24 and USGBC LEED Requirements. So, can you say eco-friendly?

A cost savings that could be as much as 50 percent is in the works for them.

I will let you know what their bill turns out to be. Are you going to give it a try. I would if I could.

ElastaHyde … as the green future unfolds.

Wheelpump Corporation Solves Tire Inflation While Driving

Tiny On-Wheel Pumps Maintain Proper Pressure for Car Tires

Wheelpump Corporation, developer of automatic tire pressure maintenance technology for passenger cars and light trucks, announced the availability of evaluation prototypes and design specifications for the Loewe™ on-wheel pump to automobile manufacturers and component OEMs who wish to offer improved safety, increased mileage and optimized tire performance to their customers.

The patented on-wheel pump design can be integrated into typical passenger car wheels, and as the vehicle is driven under normal usage the pump maintains proper tire pressure. Unlike the tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS) that are federally mandated on all new light passenger vehicles in the United States, the Loewe on-wheel pump actually compensates for the under-inflation that a TPMS only attempts to warn drivers about. Loewe on-wheel pumps are low-cost and highly reliable, contain no batteries or other electronics that demand careful handling or on-going maintenance, and require no changes to tire construction or mounting.

“There have been numerous attempts to solve this obvious need for maintaining proper tire pressure,” said Richard Loewe, a retired chief scientist at Hughes Aircraft Company and inventor of the on-wheel pump. “I’ve spent twenty years researching the problem, reviewed over 100 applicable patents, and built several experimental models of different designs.

Our current on-wheel pump weighs less than one ounce and takes up less than two thirds of a cubic inch of space. Future models are expected to be even smaller. The on-wheel pump built in to each wheel adds a small pulse of air into the tire camber, if necessary, with each wheel rotation.

The effect is similar to how an alternator keeps the battery charged. A fully instrumented demonstration test rig has been running since last July, and the ability to produce up to 40 PSI has been observed by several automotive industry experts. We are now ready to work with manufacturers to integrate the on-wheel pumps into their vehicles.”

Maintaining proper tire inflation has always been an issue due primarily to “tire permeation” where air slowly seeps out through the rubber materials and tire beads. In the 1990’s, sudden tire failure due to under-inflation caused a number of widely publicized accidents. This ultimately led to the United States Federal Transportation Recall Enhancement Accountability Documentation (TREAD) Act of 2000. This act required the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to develop regulations for including tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS) in new passenger cars and light trucks to warn drivers of “significant under-inflation” before the under-inflation or actual tire failure caused an accident.

In 2007, the United States Government Accounting Office issued a report (GAO-07-246R Underinflated Tires) that stated “underinflated tires impact a driver’s ability to control a vehicle against skidding, blowouts, and other tire failures” and cited a NHTSA study that linked 247 fatalities and 23,100 injuries to underinflated tires in a single year. The GAO report also quoted an International Tire and Rubber Association report which said that under-inflation was the “single most common” factor in tire failure.

The specifications for a TPMS mandate that tire pressure be 25 percent below the automobile manufacturer’s recommended cold pressure (the “placard value”) before a warning is given to the driver. However, a number of consumer safety groups believe that this provides a false sense of security since a tire could be as much as 10 psi low for an extended period with no warning given, while the driver is still at risk of excessive tire wear and failure as well as decreased mileage and reduced handling and braking.

Vehicles fitted with wheels that include a Loewe™ on-wheel pump avoid tire under-inflation issues. The rotation of the wheel over a fraction of the distance that typical consumers drive on a monthly basis is sufficient for an on-wheel pump to offset any pressure loss due to tire permeation. The pumps also automatically adjust for pressure losses due to changes in altitude or air temperature. They can be used in parallel with the mandated “direct” TPMS designs with no interference.

Wheelpump Corporation expects to work in partnership with automobile manufacturers and their suppliers to adapt the on-wheel pump designs to specific vehicles. The company offers both engineering and manufacturing services as necessary to bring products to market quickly and inexpensively.

On-wheel pump …. as the green future unfolds.

Today,  Vegetable Money Saving Tip

With today’s prices of vegetables rising faster than we can grow them, here is a neat way of preserving them longer.

The Pot-in-pot Cooler, based on by ancient techniques, was designed by Mohammed Bah Abba who won the Rolex prize and who has been promoting this process though-out Nigeria. The concept takes advantage of evaporative cooling.

The Pot-in-Pot system consists of two pots, a smaller earthenware pot nestled within another pot, with the space in between filled with sand and water. When that water evaporates, it pulls heat from the interior of the smaller pot, in which vegetables and fruits can be kept. In rural Nigeria, many farmers lack transportation, water, and electricity, but one of their biggest problems is the inability to preserve their crops. With the Pot-in-Pot, tomatoes last for twenty-one days, rather than two or three days without this technology. Eggplants stay fresh for 27 days, instead of the usual 3.

How To Build One

Be sure to use non-glazed pots such as terra cotta. When sealing in the bottom, you can use wax, water proof tape, or piece of plastic from a milk jug to cover the drain hole.

Imagine being able to have fresh vegetables last longer without using power. I believe that this could be used anywhere. Apartments, RVs, homes, farms, etc. The next best thing to keeping vegetables after a bountiful harvest would be a root cellar. But that is another subject.

This would be a good project for school teachers to get kids aware of how to store food. The sooner they educate, the longer it stays with them.

So what do you think? Are you willing to try this out? The cost, if caught on sale, could be less than $25 dollars but a bunch of savings on the other side. Let me know if you have done this and what your results were.

Pot in Pot …. as the green future unfolds.

ETOM, Short for Earth: The Operators Manual

Photo by GEOFF HAINES-STILES.

Sunday, April 22, 2012 is Earth Day. Why not view the latest PBS series called ETOM? Since every car, phone, appliance, etc. has a manual, NOW so does Mother Earth. PBS will re-run its original showing (look for your channel’s time) and will premiere two specials, POWERING THE PLANET and ENERGY QUEST USA.

“EARTH: The Operators’ Manual” (“ETOM” for short) is a rigorously researched, beautifully filmed and ultimately uplifting antidote to the widespread “doom and gloom” approach to climate change. The program opens with a thorough grounding in Earth’s climate history and an overview of the current dilemmas, but its main thrust is an upbeat assessment of our many viable sustainable energy options.

The program’s host and author of the companion book, Richard Alley, is a geology professor at Penn State, member of the National Academy of Sciences, and a communicator once called “the Woody Allen of climate change” will lead you throughout the one hour adventure.

Photo by ART HOWARD.

Earth’s problems and possibilities that will leave you informed, energized and optimistic. POWERING THE PLANET offers case studies of nations such as Brazil, China and Denmark that have begin the transition away from fossil fuel, and ENERGY QUEST USA showcases positive steps being taken in five very different U.S. communities: Alaska, Kansas, Fort Worth (Texas), Baltimore (Maryland) and Portland (Oregon.)

Then it’s on to locations where developments in sustainable energy are already proving it’s possible to do things differently. A solar power plant near Seville, Spain, will soon provide electricity to 200,000 homes – promising news for the sunniest place in the world, the deserts of the U.S. Southwest, where solar energy could account for 80% of Earth’s current use. On the North Island of New Zealand, a geothermal generating station is a reliable source of carbon-free energy. And much more.

The program is available for teachers to download and use in class for one year after the PBS premiere.

So take the time to view these programs to learn about options as well as how other countries are improving their reliance on alternate fuels that are NOT utilizing fossil fuels.

Have a Happy Earth Day!

ETOM …. as the green future unfolds.

Things Happen!

For those of us who are already on the front lines of climate change’s worst impacts, we want you to know that you are not alone — in fact, you are joined by a global movement that in many ways is stronger than ever.

For those of us who have not yet felt the harsh impacts of climate change, the video is a gripping wake-up call — and a chance to reflect on the urgent need to stop this global disaster in motion. It’s abundantly clear that we’re on a path that is incompatible with a sustainable future, and the first step to changing that path is to connect the dots.

It was sent to us by Stephen, a volunteer 350 activist who made the video in his spare time. Clocking in at only two minutes, it’s a concise and potent reminder of why people everywhere are joining the international day of action to Connect the Dots on 5/5/12.

Do You Recycle your Clothes?

It is spring cleaning time and many of us just trash our clothes that bulge out the dump sites more. How about looking at this infographic to see how our textiles are handled. Should you recycle them to the nearest Goodwill or the Salvation Army, other folks could utilize them. Nothing like secondhand clothes to re-vamp your wardrobe. In fact, you can get some pretty darn good deals at a pretty low price.