DRIVERLESS CARS

I finally got a date for my stress test before surgery. It looks like I’ll be hanging out in Murphys until after Thanksgiving.  Not a negative; there are always tasks to complete. I always figure it is better to be busy than bored.
I’ve seen video snippets about driver-less cars in action, parking themselves, and wowing crowds. It’s for real. And, I was wowed by progressive Governor, Jerry Brown who has asserted California’s place in the future of technology by approving the licensing of driver-less cars. Hey, way to go, Jerry.
Have a look:
http://blog.seattlepi.com/techchron/2012/09/25/california-affirms-legality-of-driverless-cars/

Technology never ceases to amaze me. A real gauge of innovation in American business is available in Logistics Magazine. It deals with innovative ways of moving goods around this country; By barge, shuttle, overhead rail, different from anything you are used to seeing. I was impressed with huge multinational corporations cost saving green technologies, as well.  It is economical to use alternative power and helps their bottom line.

I have a hard time finding much good to say about corporations these days. But, behind all the political mess created by Citizens United, there are regular companies, just doing their job, keeping goods moving, employing people, trying innovative ideas and working to keep America and other countries moving forward.  We have a lot to be thankful for.

 

GREENBURG, KANSAS

Since I’ve been complaining how radicalized the word sustainability has become, I was glad to receive a message from Marchmont discussing the skewed language of the green movement, positing it as overly misanthropic, the misunderstanding of climate change as the same thing as global warming, the basic insecurity about fuel, shoddy science, and so on. You’ve heard it all.
In fact, yesterday I read where the new electric cars will take hours at a “gas” station to recharge;  that people will have to make a reservation to charge their vehicles, and other such bullpuckey!
Filling stations will make their money on the new electrics, as they do in other countries, by pulling into a station, drive up on a platform that opens your bottom battery compartment, and in 2 minutes, the old batteries are removed and new ones inserted. You don’t even have to get out of your car. Just like a toll road, you will be charged on your credit or debit card. Batteries will be rented instead of owned. Its all about cost effectiveness and the loss of oil. If you consider the cost of the wars we’ve gotten into over oil, oil is extremely expensive and running on low.
Now lets talk about Greenburg, Kansas. A small town that was literally wiped out by a hurricane. Everyone had to move out of town. Business was depleted. What to do? The citizens got together and polled, how many people wanted to stay and rebuild?  How many businesses wanted to rebuild? When they got the numbers they built the greenest city in America which has been proudly featured and promoted by then  Governor Kathleen Sebelius as a tourist destination.
Its about money. As they were building and choosing materials, and energy sources, they considered the costs and went with foam, and steel, and solar and wind and heat pumps, recycled aluminum, the new glass… in short, the proven benefits of green technology. Not only are they proud of their town, but they enjoy the great benefits of cheaper energy to sustain them.
Why do you think huge multinational companies like the Ford Plant near Detroit rebuilt with a roof covered by sedum, a small succulent plant that keeps the roof cool and requires little water. They have a solar power station on the grounds. Not because they are looking to be good citizens, though it doesn’t hurt their image, its because they are looking at their bottom line. Its about money. And, for us, its about jobs.