Thursday, April 12, 2007
New Dubai Skyscraper
Dubai has been known to have lavish skyscrapers in the past but David Fisher, an Italian-Israeli architect, has proposed a 68 story combination hotel, apartment and office tower where the floors would rotate 360 degrees. Each floor would be designed to rotate independently.
Each floor would be built around a central core housing elevators, emergency stairs, and other utilities. Electricity for the building would be provided by wind turbines placed in gaps between the floors.
Each moving floor is designed not to rotate fast enough to upset any guest's stomachs. A single rotation would take almost 2 hours.
The floors would be programmed by the building manager, except for the top 5 floors which would be controlled by the occupants.
Currently the main obstacles are the plumbing, wiring, and electricity.
Some mainstream architectural firms see buildings such as these as being absurd.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, leader of the country's ruling family, has said in the past that he realizes its oil will someday run out and wants to create a viable financial foundation for future generations by creating a commercial and recreational capital for the Middle East.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
What's your car's BTU per Mile?
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) -- A Eugene woman has filed a federal lawsuit alleging that major oil companies are chiseling motorists by selling overly warm fuel that delivers less energy than it should.
The premise of the lawsuit and those filed in several other states is that as gasoline and diesel fuel warm, they take up more room in tanks and deliver less energy per gallon.
The suit filed by Shonna Butler, a university fiscal analyst, says that a gallon of gasoline at 60 degrees Fahrenheit, the government standard, has a volume of 231 cubic inches, but at 90 degrees, the same quantity of gasoline is nearly five cubic inches larger.
I believe the point they are making is that a gallon of gas at a warmer temperature doesn’t provide the same amount of energy that a cooler gallon of gas will because fuel expands therfore even thou you get a U.S. Gallon of fuel, it isn't as dense in the summer as it is in the winter, so it won't burn the same.
According to what I have read if they were selling the gas at 100 degrees that difference would only amount to around 3% BTUs less. But the same can be said if the fuel is pumped in cooler temperatures (under 60) like around 20 degrees then you get a 3% BTUs increase. So depending on where you live you get a better deal than people who live in warmer climates.
Also, when that gallon then gets in your tank wouldn't there be a huge swing in temperature as well.
Plus what consumer is going to drive up to a pump and see that this fuel is sitting at 70 degrees so it will only provide 50BTU, then get in his car, go to the next one that is sitting at 60 degrees and it says it will provide 51BTU per gallon. We all look and say hey it’s 2 cents less a GALLON at this station.
But I guess I was under the illusion that we were paying for a U.S. Gallon of gas not a certain number of BTUs. Well according to the OOIDA (below) we should be buying our gas by the BTU.
So as the fuel warms then the pump can’t compensate for the temperature change. So in the sumer the pump could say it pumped a gallon and really you only got 99% of a 60 degree standard gallon at 80 degrees or only 97% at 100 degrees. That is a problem but isn't the state testing the pump, and those tests happen at various temperatures at various times of the year when the pump is calibrated. So when you pull up should you be looking to see if your pump was calibrated in December or July? And I can't think of a time that I picked up the nozzle of the pump and thought "Wow, this is burning the hell out of my hand!". Most of the time every thing is pretty cool to the touch so I can't believe that the fuel is coming out at some extreme temperatures.
I think growing up I had heard a few times that it is always better to fill up in the mornings then in the middle of the day but with the large amount of fuel in the ground, and how much fuel some stations go thru I can't see how that would make that much difference.
So at today’s prices a person with a 20 U.S. Gallon fuel tank could be losing about $20 over the course of the summer if the fuel was being pumped out at 100 degrees all summer. At 80 degrees fuel temperature you would be getting about 1% less energy so over the course of the summer you would be losing about $7. (20 gallons x 12 weeks x .01 x $2.70 per gallon)
Now if they prove that the Gas station is actually WARMING the fuel on purpose and that the pump then doesn’t pump right, then I can see why we should be up in arms, otherwise it just doesn’t sound enough to justify some huge amount of legislation. One estimate is that it would cost between $2 and $4 Billion to retrofit all of the gas stations in the country. Other estimates I have seen are much higher. But even at the lower numbers, who do you think is really going to pay for that retrofit? The consumer gets to pay for the upgrade. Would we really see more money in our pocket after a couple of years of having temperature-compensated sales? Some how I doubt it.
From: Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association
When a petroleum product expands and contracts with temperature, there is a corresponding change in the energy capacity of a gallon of that product, as measured in British Thermal Units (Btu). Warm fuel will produce less Btus per gallon, and cool fuel will produce more Btus per gallon. Retailers buy and pay for wholesale fuel that has been temperature-compensated to 60 degrees F where its Btu rating is what is advertised on the pump. However, if retailers sell fuel that is warmer than 60 degrees F, the consumer is receiving less energy capacity per gallon than is labeled on the pump
All digital retail pumps currently manufactured in the United States, and in-service nationwide, have the capability of dispensing temperature-compensated fuels. That function, however, is currently not being used.
It is argued that with temperature compensation, the consumer will rarely receive an actual gallon of fuel. This is meant to scare consumers. Consumers will receive equivalent BTUs per gallon with temperature compensation, and can shop by price. (per BTU I guess)
Some people argue that since fuels and fuel blends have different BTU values, and there are seasonal differences, temperature compensation cannot deliver the same BTUs every fill-up. This is an apples and oranges argument. On any given intersection, consumers will be able to shop, by price, for the same labeled product, knowing all the gallons have equivalent BTU values. (The image I get from this is old people just standing there with a 1000 yard stare, looking at the pump trying to figure out how many BTUs they need.)
The one-time cost to retro-fit retail pumps is very close to the extra amount consumers already pay annually for hot fuel.
The premise of the lawsuit and those filed in several other states is that as gasoline and diesel fuel warm, they take up more room in tanks and deliver less energy per gallon.
The suit filed by Shonna Butler, a university fiscal analyst, says that a gallon of gasoline at 60 degrees Fahrenheit, the government standard, has a volume of 231 cubic inches, but at 90 degrees, the same quantity of gasoline is nearly five cubic inches larger.
I believe the point they are making is that a gallon of gas at a warmer temperature doesn’t provide the same amount of energy that a cooler gallon of gas will because fuel expands therfore even thou you get a U.S. Gallon of fuel, it isn't as dense in the summer as it is in the winter, so it won't burn the same.
According to what I have read if they were selling the gas at 100 degrees that difference would only amount to around 3% BTUs less. But the same can be said if the fuel is pumped in cooler temperatures (under 60) like around 20 degrees then you get a 3% BTUs increase. So depending on where you live you get a better deal than people who live in warmer climates.
Also, when that gallon then gets in your tank wouldn't there be a huge swing in temperature as well.
Plus what consumer is going to drive up to a pump and see that this fuel is sitting at 70 degrees so it will only provide 50BTU, then get in his car, go to the next one that is sitting at 60 degrees and it says it will provide 51BTU per gallon. We all look and say hey it’s 2 cents less a GALLON at this station.
But I guess I was under the illusion that we were paying for a U.S. Gallon of gas not a certain number of BTUs. Well according to the OOIDA (below) we should be buying our gas by the BTU.
So as the fuel warms then the pump can’t compensate for the temperature change. So in the sumer the pump could say it pumped a gallon and really you only got 99% of a 60 degree standard gallon at 80 degrees or only 97% at 100 degrees. That is a problem but isn't the state testing the pump, and those tests happen at various temperatures at various times of the year when the pump is calibrated. So when you pull up should you be looking to see if your pump was calibrated in December or July? And I can't think of a time that I picked up the nozzle of the pump and thought "Wow, this is burning the hell out of my hand!". Most of the time every thing is pretty cool to the touch so I can't believe that the fuel is coming out at some extreme temperatures.
I think growing up I had heard a few times that it is always better to fill up in the mornings then in the middle of the day but with the large amount of fuel in the ground, and how much fuel some stations go thru I can't see how that would make that much difference.
So at today’s prices a person with a 20 U.S. Gallon fuel tank could be losing about $20 over the course of the summer if the fuel was being pumped out at 100 degrees all summer. At 80 degrees fuel temperature you would be getting about 1% less energy so over the course of the summer you would be losing about $7. (20 gallons x 12 weeks x .01 x $2.70 per gallon)
Now if they prove that the Gas station is actually WARMING the fuel on purpose and that the pump then doesn’t pump right, then I can see why we should be up in arms, otherwise it just doesn’t sound enough to justify some huge amount of legislation. One estimate is that it would cost between $2 and $4 Billion to retrofit all of the gas stations in the country. Other estimates I have seen are much higher. But even at the lower numbers, who do you think is really going to pay for that retrofit? The consumer gets to pay for the upgrade. Would we really see more money in our pocket after a couple of years of having temperature-compensated sales? Some how I doubt it.
From: Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association
When a petroleum product expands and contracts with temperature, there is a corresponding change in the energy capacity of a gallon of that product, as measured in British Thermal Units (Btu). Warm fuel will produce less Btus per gallon, and cool fuel will produce more Btus per gallon. Retailers buy and pay for wholesale fuel that has been temperature-compensated to 60 degrees F where its Btu rating is what is advertised on the pump. However, if retailers sell fuel that is warmer than 60 degrees F, the consumer is receiving less energy capacity per gallon than is labeled on the pump
All digital retail pumps currently manufactured in the United States, and in-service nationwide, have the capability of dispensing temperature-compensated fuels. That function, however, is currently not being used.
It is argued that with temperature compensation, the consumer will rarely receive an actual gallon of fuel. This is meant to scare consumers. Consumers will receive equivalent BTUs per gallon with temperature compensation, and can shop by price. (per BTU I guess)
Some people argue that since fuels and fuel blends have different BTU values, and there are seasonal differences, temperature compensation cannot deliver the same BTUs every fill-up. This is an apples and oranges argument. On any given intersection, consumers will be able to shop, by price, for the same labeled product, knowing all the gallons have equivalent BTU values. (The image I get from this is old people just standing there with a 1000 yard stare, looking at the pump trying to figure out how many BTUs they need.)
The one-time cost to retro-fit retail pumps is very close to the extra amount consumers already pay annually for hot fuel.
Sunday, April 8, 2007
Student Financial Aid or Government Official Aid
It is reported that a number of officials may have received kickbacks for steering students to certain lenders. The head of University of Texas' aid office, Lawrence Burt has been asked to resign from an advisory panel he holds. The US Education Department is investigating allegations that Lawrence Burt and a UT student aid official, Matteo Fontana both owned shares of Education Lending Group Inc. Officers at Columbia University and the University of Southern California may have also owned shares of Education Lending and are being investigated as well.
Child Safety or just more Government Intrusion
Child Safety Seats
The Texas House to vote soon on a bill that would require children under 8 AND shorter than 4 feet 9 to be secured in a booster seat when riding in a passenger vehicle that has both lap and shoulder belts (older cars would be exempted). Current law requires booster seats for kids under 5 and shorter then 3 feet tall.
The Texas Senate has already passed an identical version 26 - 4 last week. About 40 states already have the same age and height requirements and this matches federal guidelines.
The Texas House to vote soon on a bill that would require children under 8 AND shorter than 4 feet 9 to be secured in a booster seat when riding in a passenger vehicle that has both lap and shoulder belts (older cars would be exempted). Current law requires booster seats for kids under 5 and shorter then 3 feet tall.
The Texas Senate has already passed an identical version 26 - 4 last week. About 40 states already have the same age and height requirements and this matches federal guidelines.
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