Climate change and humans impacting the environment seem to be brought up at every chance possible, and well would you look at that, it looks like one of those times! I know you have all heard the stories about how sooner or later we will need to use fuels derived from things other than oil, and those sort of things. Here are some of the oddest ideas to replace our trusty petroleum.
We could begin to use leftover oil from fryer vats (after it has been cleaned up and treated a little) it could be used as a safe and great smelling bio fuel used to replace diesel. This way. we not only power out cars with a renewable vegetable derived oil, but it also allows for a wide array of scented fuel. The cool thing about this type of fuel is that when it burns, it actually smells like whatever was cooked in it before. Soon in the future, all cars on the road could be converted to this without seriously changing much to the car outside of a different fuel delivery and management system. This would allow for a seamless and relatively inexpensive solution to the nonrenewable energy crisis.
Another form of fuel already being used in smaller practice is ethanol. This is gasoline derived from corn, and there are some unique properties of ehtanol that separate it from the above group. For starters, it is being employed in a larger scale of places in the country, but small in comparison to gasoline still. However ethanol makes a strong case, it burns hotter and with more energy than regular gas, so when a car's engine is set up to take this extra heat, it thrives. For example, Koenigsegg one:1 produces well over 200 more horsepower when running on straight ethanol, as compared to when it runs on conventional gasoline. The challenge for this fuel source is production and competition of sales. The farmers in this country can only grow so much corn without being at the mercy of the price fluctuations of just one type of crop. (Being as I live in Iowa and have lots of friends who are farmers, I am exposed to this dilemma quite often.) The farmers also cannot sell their whole crop just to ethanol producers, if they did the whole world would lose a massive amount of nutrition with the loss of a staple food. The other major part is economics. The ethanol producers will only buy corn at a certain very low cost to keep prices at the pump well below gasoline. In order for farmers to then make returns on their yields, they must then sell their crop going to grocery stores at a higher price. The farmers have to keep a delicate balance in place in order to stay afloat, and this unfortunate but necessary stagnation in growth is what is keeping ethanol from totally replacing gasoline.
Another major contender for replacing gasoline is electricity. Some of you may not know this, but some of the first cars to be produced ran on electricity. This was back in the days of when gasoline was a dangerous by product of Standard Oil's kerosene. But soon after the powers of gasoline were recognized, harnessed, and applied, the electric car died. For then at least... maybe a better term for it would be put to sleep for a long while. But all of the sudden BAM along comes the 21st century and innovation is bringing back the electric car. With many models to chose from ranging from the modest Nissan Leaf all the way up to the mighty Tesla Model S. Electric cars have come a long way since the Guilded Age of capitalist corporations, but they still have a long way to go. The largest challenge for electric cars is obviously range. Since you have a set distance you can travel due to the battery charge is so short, and the time it takes to recharge said batteries is so long, the Achilles heel to electric cars is the range. However, many newer cars have been cutting down on these flaws and I am excited to see what the future brings.
Saturday, April 23, 2016
Thursday, April 21, 2016
Trains
Although I know this isn't a hardcore gear head topic, it is still a form of transportation so I would like to discuss it today. Trains are some of the most effective and efficient ways to move both people and goods long distances. They are miracle workers, it takes the massive power from only 2 to 6 trains to move thousands of tons of things hundreds of miles. How do they do it? Through the miracle of the wheel and the rail my friends. For this entry, only modern trains will be covered for the sake of time.
There are many different types of trains, all tailored to perform a certain duty very well, and very efficiently. A massive amount of freight is moved using these machines in this country alone. It is much easier and cheaper to ship by train then by semi- truck when dealing with large numbers of goods across any distance. The best example of this is coal. I can remember sitting at home and watching the coal trains come by when i lived in Colorado. They were all numbering well in excess of 100 cars, all filled to the brim with the black stuff. The locomotives seemed to pull these mile-long trains with ease, and they would do it for incredible distances. Naturally as a kid i was fascinated and began to obsess with trains myself. As it turns out, these massive beasts that pull seemingly impossible weights have lots of refined technology in them.
The first type of train i would like to discuss would be the modern passenger trains. In the United states the only passenger train company is called Amtrak and they run all across the country. There are 2 different types of Amtrak trains, there are the east coast style and the rest of the country style. The reason for the difference is that many tunnels and bridges on the East Coast are too low to allow the train that run the rest of the countries' lines to fit under them. The solution was to build one story cars that curved with the tunnels. The trains that run the rest of the country (basically west of the Appalachian Mountains) are what you would call a Superliner. They have two stories on most of the cars, and have many different capabilities. These allow for greater views of the landscape and for a more comfortable experience. Amtrak uses both diesel and electric locomotives with the former found mostly west of the Appalachian Mountains and the former being found mostly only in the urban connecting lines of the Eastern Seaboard.
The other type of train running the country is the freight train, These are being seen less during the day and more at night, so if you do see one during the day, then you got lucky. There are many different regional operating freight companies operating in the U.S. but they all have the same motive in mind: to move as much freight as quickly and efficiently as possible. Major companies like Union Pacific and BNSF control much of the main lines. These trains are classified as one of to categories: mixed or specific freight. The difference is very simple, one train has more than one product in transit and the other has only one product in transit. I hope you can figure out the matching of the names.
Although they may not be as prevalent and visible, these workhorses keep our country running and doing so in an efficient way.
There are many different types of trains, all tailored to perform a certain duty very well, and very efficiently. A massive amount of freight is moved using these machines in this country alone. It is much easier and cheaper to ship by train then by semi- truck when dealing with large numbers of goods across any distance. The best example of this is coal. I can remember sitting at home and watching the coal trains come by when i lived in Colorado. They were all numbering well in excess of 100 cars, all filled to the brim with the black stuff. The locomotives seemed to pull these mile-long trains with ease, and they would do it for incredible distances. Naturally as a kid i was fascinated and began to obsess with trains myself. As it turns out, these massive beasts that pull seemingly impossible weights have lots of refined technology in them.
The first type of train i would like to discuss would be the modern passenger trains. In the United states the only passenger train company is called Amtrak and they run all across the country. There are 2 different types of Amtrak trains, there are the east coast style and the rest of the country style. The reason for the difference is that many tunnels and bridges on the East Coast are too low to allow the train that run the rest of the countries' lines to fit under them. The solution was to build one story cars that curved with the tunnels. The trains that run the rest of the country (basically west of the Appalachian Mountains) are what you would call a Superliner. They have two stories on most of the cars, and have many different capabilities. These allow for greater views of the landscape and for a more comfortable experience. Amtrak uses both diesel and electric locomotives with the former found mostly west of the Appalachian Mountains and the former being found mostly only in the urban connecting lines of the Eastern Seaboard.
The other type of train running the country is the freight train, These are being seen less during the day and more at night, so if you do see one during the day, then you got lucky. There are many different regional operating freight companies operating in the U.S. but they all have the same motive in mind: to move as much freight as quickly and efficiently as possible. Major companies like Union Pacific and BNSF control much of the main lines. These trains are classified as one of to categories: mixed or specific freight. The difference is very simple, one train has more than one product in transit and the other has only one product in transit. I hope you can figure out the matching of the names.
Although they may not be as prevalent and visible, these workhorses keep our country running and doing so in an efficient way.
Tuesday, April 19, 2016
Bugatti Chiron
The company that brought us the fastest car in the world, and one of the best looking, are moving on from the iconic Veyron, and are moving onto somethin even bigger. The Bugatti Chiron somehow outdoes the Veyron. I don't know how it does, nor can i express why I feel this way. I can only say that I do.
The change in name explains the way the car evolved perfectly. From Veyron to Chiron, it seems like it could be the same at a first glance, but upon further inspection, there are lots of changes that make them very different. The more noteworthy changes to the design are the disappearance of the air intakes above the engine compartment often referred to as bazooka tubes. The doors on the Chiron are set further into the body of the car and are framed by a large arcing "C" starting from the bottom of the front of the door and arching to the top of the A pillar. The wheels are also different, with more spokes and body paint matching accents, and the wheels also cost much less than the Veyron's, but they still command a hefty price tag. The Chiron will also feature even more horsepower than the Veyron Super Sport and undoubtedly be even faster.
The comparison photos below are here courtesy of www.Indianautosblog.com
The change in name explains the way the car evolved perfectly. From Veyron to Chiron, it seems like it could be the same at a first glance, but upon further inspection, there are lots of changes that make them very different. The more noteworthy changes to the design are the disappearance of the air intakes above the engine compartment often referred to as bazooka tubes. The doors on the Chiron are set further into the body of the car and are framed by a large arcing "C" starting from the bottom of the front of the door and arching to the top of the A pillar. The wheels are also different, with more spokes and body paint matching accents, and the wheels also cost much less than the Veyron's, but they still command a hefty price tag. The Chiron will also feature even more horsepower than the Veyron Super Sport and undoubtedly be even faster.
The comparison photos below are here courtesy of www.Indianautosblog.com
Wednesday, April 13, 2016
War Winners
Now, I have already talked about the jeep and the impact that it had in the world. However, there are some other vehicles out there that had just as large of an impact on the world as the jeep.
The Hummer is one of the most easily recognized fighting vehicles in the world. It's versatility allows for many different applications to the same platform. There have been many different civilian variants produced as well, thus increasing the product's mane even more. The Hummer has seen many active duty deployments around the world with the most recognized being the Middle Eastern operations and impact it had. It's speed gave it the capability to move swiftly over constantly changing terrain like the desert. The hummer was a key reason as to why operation desert storm's ground assault only lasted 100 hours. The hummer had some drawbacks at first however. The first was it's horrible fuel economy. Depending on the conditions you could expect to get 4 mpg in city conditions and up to 12 on the highway. This inefficiency is part of the reason why the U.S. Military is the largest buyer and consumer of oil in the world. Another major weakness that has since been addressed is the vulnerability of these cars to IED's or improvised explosive devices, and RPG or rocket propelled grenade. It's inability to shed off enemy blasts is part of the reason that early casualty counts in the War on Terror were so high. There has since been armor plating added to nearly every external surface of the vehicle.
The next war winning vehicle is a little more unorthodox to the focus of this blog, but still important. The M1 Sherman tank was the tank of choice to spearhead the attacks into Normandy Beach on D-Day. The combination of a medium sized tank paired with speed and enough armament to hold it's own allowed for the U.S. to combat the Germany Blitzkrieg tactics. The Sherman was used in many theaters both in World War II and after as well. Ranging from North Africa and Europe, to Korea and Vietnam, the Sherman was a constant sign of American strength and versatility.
These two other war winners may not clinch the top spot that the Jeep currently holds, but they definitely contend for the title and provide a good show as to why these wars were won.
The Hummer is one of the most easily recognized fighting vehicles in the world. It's versatility allows for many different applications to the same platform. There have been many different civilian variants produced as well, thus increasing the product's mane even more. The Hummer has seen many active duty deployments around the world with the most recognized being the Middle Eastern operations and impact it had. It's speed gave it the capability to move swiftly over constantly changing terrain like the desert. The hummer was a key reason as to why operation desert storm's ground assault only lasted 100 hours. The hummer had some drawbacks at first however. The first was it's horrible fuel economy. Depending on the conditions you could expect to get 4 mpg in city conditions and up to 12 on the highway. This inefficiency is part of the reason why the U.S. Military is the largest buyer and consumer of oil in the world. Another major weakness that has since been addressed is the vulnerability of these cars to IED's or improvised explosive devices, and RPG or rocket propelled grenade. It's inability to shed off enemy blasts is part of the reason that early casualty counts in the War on Terror were so high. There has since been armor plating added to nearly every external surface of the vehicle.
The next war winning vehicle is a little more unorthodox to the focus of this blog, but still important. The M1 Sherman tank was the tank of choice to spearhead the attacks into Normandy Beach on D-Day. The combination of a medium sized tank paired with speed and enough armament to hold it's own allowed for the U.S. to combat the Germany Blitzkrieg tactics. The Sherman was used in many theaters both in World War II and after as well. Ranging from North Africa and Europe, to Korea and Vietnam, the Sherman was a constant sign of American strength and versatility.
These two other war winners may not clinch the top spot that the Jeep currently holds, but they definitely contend for the title and provide a good show as to why these wars were won.
Sunday, April 10, 2016
Burnouts
We have all heard or seen a burnout or at least an attempt at one sometime during the course of our lives. Ever since cars wheels began to turn, somebody with enough of the right stuff has been trying to smoke the tires. Whether it be on a dirt road in an old one wheeled wonder pickup (a car that will only break one tire loose) or a massive dragster prepping the tires before a race, they are fun as hell. The only question is, when is too much of a good thing a bad thing? Well i'm no expert on the topic but I can still offer my opinion on the matter.
A good sign that you maybe want to take a break from burning rubber is if you aren't actually burning rubber any more. What I mean by this is that once the tire bursts from too much wear and you continue to do them on the rims, you aren't impressing anybody any more. You are just giving the bystanders more reason to believe the claim that you didn't finish your GED. Crazy thought, huh? Another sign you might be addicted to burnouts is the fact that you can no longer see outside your windshield due to all of the tire smoke blocking the way. Not only does it begin to smell really bad inside your car, but it makes things dangerous. The driver cant see where he is about to go after his burnout and the bystanders can't see where the driver is and where he is going to go.
Now, a burnout happens when so much power is applied to the drive wheels that there is a break in traction and the tires begin to spin. As they are spinning they begin to put off smoke and this is what consists of a burnout. If you have a manual and are doing a burnout, be sure to not burn out the clutch because not only did you fail at a burnout, but you just cooked your transmission and will have to fork over some serious dough to get it fixed. *clutch smoke means STOP. it is not tire smoke if there are no tire squeals, please save the clutches!*
Just be sure to enjoy these automotive fun spins, but to be sure you do it correctly and smartly to avoid looking like a fool without a tool to fix the mess you just got yourself into.
A good sign that you maybe want to take a break from burning rubber is if you aren't actually burning rubber any more. What I mean by this is that once the tire bursts from too much wear and you continue to do them on the rims, you aren't impressing anybody any more. You are just giving the bystanders more reason to believe the claim that you didn't finish your GED. Crazy thought, huh? Another sign you might be addicted to burnouts is the fact that you can no longer see outside your windshield due to all of the tire smoke blocking the way. Not only does it begin to smell really bad inside your car, but it makes things dangerous. The driver cant see where he is about to go after his burnout and the bystanders can't see where the driver is and where he is going to go.
Now, a burnout happens when so much power is applied to the drive wheels that there is a break in traction and the tires begin to spin. As they are spinning they begin to put off smoke and this is what consists of a burnout. If you have a manual and are doing a burnout, be sure to not burn out the clutch because not only did you fail at a burnout, but you just cooked your transmission and will have to fork over some serious dough to get it fixed. *clutch smoke means STOP. it is not tire smoke if there are no tire squeals, please save the clutches!*
Just be sure to enjoy these automotive fun spins, but to be sure you do it correctly and smartly to avoid looking like a fool without a tool to fix the mess you just got yourself into.
Saturday, April 9, 2016
Hot Hatches
The term "hot hatch" is a relatively new term to the world of cars. With the ever-changing and evolving car design market, new configurations are constantly being created. Hot hatches in my opinion are a cross between sports cars and SUV's. They are striving to be practical, but still try to maintain a certain level of sportiness to them. It is a delicate balance that when it is not achieved, leads to imbalances in the performance. One of the first cars created in this class was the Subaru WRX. Since it first came out, it has set the precedent and established a large following among rally cross enthusiasts. Other companies to begin the category and those who helped to grow the category to what it is today include Audi, Mini, Fiat, Ford, Volkswagen and many other companies. Therr are also companies not found domestically like Peugeot and Citroen who may not sell cars in the U.S., but they still have a driving force and impact in how cars sold here are produced and developed.
What separates these cars from others is the offered capabilities. On any model in the class you can expect a few things to be near the same thing. First is the small, power dense engine. Don't let the small displacement fool you however, these engine can pack a mean punch. Another thing you can expect to find is a suspension set up to be stiffer than in other cars to handle off road courses that these cars are expected to handle. My favorite feature for these cars however, would be the fact that most of these cars come with an optional manual transmission! Now that is how you make a car.
What the objective of these cars is, is that they want to provide ample amenities for the driver to make it appealing as a daily driver. At the same time they must be built to handle drivers taking their rides out to off road rally schools like Dirt Fish rally school to thrash them. This creates a very fast, very livable and very fun car to own. With more and more car companies hopping on the Hot Hatch train, expect to see new innovations being created to push not only the product to a whole new level, but to push the envelope in the racing scene as well.
What separates these cars from others is the offered capabilities. On any model in the class you can expect a few things to be near the same thing. First is the small, power dense engine. Don't let the small displacement fool you however, these engine can pack a mean punch. Another thing you can expect to find is a suspension set up to be stiffer than in other cars to handle off road courses that these cars are expected to handle. My favorite feature for these cars however, would be the fact that most of these cars come with an optional manual transmission! Now that is how you make a car.
What the objective of these cars is, is that they want to provide ample amenities for the driver to make it appealing as a daily driver. At the same time they must be built to handle drivers taking their rides out to off road rally schools like Dirt Fish rally school to thrash them. This creates a very fast, very livable and very fun car to own. With more and more car companies hopping on the Hot Hatch train, expect to see new innovations being created to push not only the product to a whole new level, but to push the envelope in the racing scene as well.
Thursday, April 7, 2016
RAGBRAI
If you live in Iowa or are a road cyclist who gets around the country, odds are you have heard this saying before. For those of you who do not fit into the above criteria, prepare to learn. RAGBRAI in not only a name, but an acronym. It stands for the Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa. It is exactly what the mane says it is. It is an annual event in which cyclists begin on one side of Iowa, and they ride their bicycles across the entire state in 1 week. However, this event is a little different. Instead of the goal being to be the fastest rider across the state, the goal is to have the most fun while riding across the state. There is also no set annual course across the state. Every year, the route is changed drastically to variate the towns that host the riders passing through them.
The purpose for this ride is to celebrate the sport of cycling and to give people to experience something totally unique to the state of Iowa. Many people buy and retrofit old buses to carry their extra bikes and all the other necessary things to have a good time. For everybody, that means lots of good food and for those of the age of 21 or older, it means lots of alcohol. Of course those under 21 can enjoy a nice cold root beer as well alongside their older peers. Duh. I know many people who have ridden RAGBRAI and have actually gained weight from all of the food despite the fact that they pedaled their way across the whole state. If you have ever seen Iowa on a map you know it isn't a small state.
The entire state takes on a different mood when RAGBRAI week comes along, many people take off work to ride, and many others begin to work the hardest they have all year for this week. People from all over the world come to experience it and I can assure you that there is nothing that compares to it anywhere. For example, the Tour de' France is a large and globally known bike race, but the atmosphere for the riders is totally different. There is no room for error, and lets face it, they are all in much better shape than to be drinking away the day's ride every day. When you are at RAGBRAI and you aren't at least out partying (you don't have to drink necessarily) then you are not in the right mindset to experience RAGBRAI.
The purpose for this ride is to celebrate the sport of cycling and to give people to experience something totally unique to the state of Iowa. Many people buy and retrofit old buses to carry their extra bikes and all the other necessary things to have a good time. For everybody, that means lots of good food and for those of the age of 21 or older, it means lots of alcohol. Of course those under 21 can enjoy a nice cold root beer as well alongside their older peers. Duh. I know many people who have ridden RAGBRAI and have actually gained weight from all of the food despite the fact that they pedaled their way across the whole state. If you have ever seen Iowa on a map you know it isn't a small state.
The entire state takes on a different mood when RAGBRAI week comes along, many people take off work to ride, and many others begin to work the hardest they have all year for this week. People from all over the world come to experience it and I can assure you that there is nothing that compares to it anywhere. For example, the Tour de' France is a large and globally known bike race, but the atmosphere for the riders is totally different. There is no room for error, and lets face it, they are all in much better shape than to be drinking away the day's ride every day. When you are at RAGBRAI and you aren't at least out partying (you don't have to drink necessarily) then you are not in the right mindset to experience RAGBRAI.
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