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| Q&A: Michael Brooke - Publisher, Concrete Wave Magazine (7141 Posts)
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Something else interesting
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On 7/18/2006 Guto Jimenez
wrote in from
Brazil
(200.165.nnn.nnn)
Hey Bud.
I've already used some tricks concerning the improvement of engine performance & fuel consumption reduction, the most efficient of which is adding 1 liter of querosene (aviation fuel) for every 10 gallons of gas. I used to do so because our gas can have as much as 20% of sugarcane alcohol added in order to reduce the pollution. Such thing was already tried in the US some years ago, under the name of "gasohol", but ALL car companies fought it back with all their power, as it would cause the greatest maintenance recall ever in order to adapt the engines for such a fuel mixture.
Brazil's been using sugarcane alcohol as a fuel since 1979. I'm not an engineer or anything like that, just an automobile fan, but I can say (based on statistics) that alcohol-fueled cars may have a 30% higher fuel consumption. Its price, however, is average 25% cheaper than gasoline, which makes the driver spend the same amount of money in pumping in fuel in his/her car. The most important thing of it all is that alcohol pollution rate is under 10% if compared to gasoline pollution; even the smell of burnt alcohol is uncomparably more pleasant than our old-fashioned grey smoke. The best in all this alcohol thing is that it's a renewable fuel source; all it takes is a large area and some specialized industries to transform cane into fuel.
I've already had an alcohol-fueled car myself. Back in those days it demanded some maintenance due to some of the metal engine parts, but it's something that doesn't happen anymore. Nowadays some of the newer cars have hybrid engines (called "flex") that can work either on gasoline or alcohol; the driver may choose either one to fill in.
The Brazilian oil company, Petrobras, is working on an alternative fuel called biodiesel, made out of the oil obtained from mamona oil. For those who don't know, it's a small fruit that grows from a bush-like tree found in the dryest areas in our country. It's easily found in most desertic area in the world.
To sum it up, if there's anything we can do as consumers (and voters) is to put high pressure on governmental entities in order to search for alternative fuel sources. I know that it will probably take some 50 years for us to reverse the current cathastrofic environmental status we're living in nowadays, and that there'll always have oil companies around - when you think plastic, you think oil. I also know that it's common sense that our oil sources will last for other 50 years or so. We'd better start doing something about it if we want to leave a decent planet for our grandchildren to live in.
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nike article -- great writing!
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On 7/18/2006
Adam
wrote in from
United States
(198.144.nnn.nnn)
I particularly like these..
"Where older skaters co-opted an old basketball shoe because there was nothing else to skate with, the new generation has consumed the shoes but ditched the skating."
and
"Thanks to corporations like Nike we can eat extreme pizza, drive Nissan’s X-Terra SUV, wear extreme deodorant, hire extreme consulting firms and invest in extreme equity funds. But if we are all extreme now, then where have the real rebels gone? Disappeared in a haze of Ritalin?"
Damn, I wish I could write like that..
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nike
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On 7/18/2006 hc
wrote in from
United States
(168.149.nnn.nnn)
http://adbusters.org/the_magazine/65/How_Nike_Conquered_Skateboard_Culture.html
saw this on skateboardingsucks
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holy crap, I can't believe how busy I am
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On 7/18/2006
Michael Brooke
wrote in from
Canada
(65.95.nnn.nnn)
no more vacations for a while...
it's mental
I thought July and August were supposed to be slow...
I am going nuts here
the DvD is coming together nicely...it's over 2.5 hours
I know I have to stop and smell the flowers...but no time...at least not this week....
anyone else finding time crunch is kicking their butt?
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HB
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On 7/18/2006
wearvans
wrote in from
United States
(71.105.nnn.nnn)
there's Mark!
right there!!
Mark I was at Bolsa life guard station 21
waves were pretty good!
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Re: Reality
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On 7/18/2006
Sumdumsurfer
wrote in from
United States
(71.107.nnn.nnn)
Keep in mind that the water is being monitored more closely than ever, during the last decade. There are agencies that're very good about letting the public know what the bacteria count is. If it's too high, they'll post signs on the beach, advising beachgoers against going in the water.
Speaking of which, I'm off to the beach.
SK8/SURF 4 LIFE!
Sumdumsurfer
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this is the NEW reality
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On 7/18/2006
Michael Brooke
wrote in from
Canada
(65.95.nnn.nnn)
This is why I LOVE the internet...I assumed that the beaches in So Cal were ok...perhaps not great, but ok..Sumdum paints a vastly different picture...now, not everything you read on the internet is true...but since I know Sumdum and value his opinion, I trust his judgement on this.
Same with the guy in Brazil. While I have never met Guto, we have corresponded via emai. The fact that winter in Brazil is now 30 celcius is pretty damn scary.
Surely, with the amount of collective wisdom out there, we should be able to solve this crisis...
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Something Interesting
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On 7/18/2006
Bud
wrote in from
United States
(68.57.nnn.nnn)
This is something I have been questioning for quite some time...
I own three cars. One is a typical 1990 "econobox" (Plymouth Horizon, you'll probably remember it's sister car, the Dodge Omni). The other two are 1989 and 1988 Dodge Daytonas. The econobox is completely stock, and gets about 35 mpg- all highway driving (since 95% of all my driving around Indianapolis is highway, lucky for me!)
The other two are far from stock. We're talking stuff like intercooled turbos and nitrous, here. 130 mph is no sweat for either of them, and the '88 has clocked low 13's on the quarter mile. Still- this is the amazing part- both of those get at LEAST 32 mpg, highway. I've gotten up to 36 mpg out of them, routinely- and, the '89 is pushing 38 with a couple of additional gas-saving upgrades. I might make a note here that, these two cars combined only log maybe 100, 200 miles a year. The most efficient cars in the world, in my book, since they rarely, if ever, even move.
In any rate, these cars are all at LEAST 16 years old; the oldest, 18.
Most new cars I've checked out can't even come close to touching these, for fuel efficiency. Or, net horsepower, power/weight ratios, elapsed times, or top speed, for that matter. (As you can see, I'm a total gearhead/nerd type of schmoe)
You'd think that, 16-18 years later, we'd see a corresponding improvement in these things, wouldn't ya? All this new technology, and we still can't get a little bit of efficiency to show for it....? How odd. I see commercials all the time, "Blah blah blah gets 34 MPG!!!!" F*n yawn, dude. Whatever...
I add Acetone to my gas, that's the easiest fuel-saving "trick" there is. You add 1-2 ounces per 10 gallons, and you can see a 2-4 mpg improvement right away (I see 3-4, regularly). Acetone makes gasoline vaporize more completely in the cylinders; thus, it burns more thoroughly, which yields more power for less pollution, and less fuel use. As an additional benefit, motor oil lasts longer (less unburnt gas left in the cylinders to thin it out), and the car runs smoother, while also being easier to start in the cold weather. That's handy for us cold-weather, wintertime drivers (although, even winters are getting noticably warmer, I've noticed...)
On my cars, that represents a 10% improvement in fuel efficiency. Which means, 10% less gas used per year. Which translates to a few hundred bucks saved. For five bucks of acetone, bought at my local hardware store. Incredible.
There are scientific/environmental groups pushing hard for the Government to MANDATE acetone being added to the nation's gas supply. 10% less gas used, across the country, would add up fast. Guess who's resisting this notion...?
So much for "progress", eh?
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Re: Lucky
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On 7/17/2006
Sumdumsurfer
wrote in from
United States
(71.107.nnn.nnn)
Michael,
our beaches have been polluted for many years. Even before I started surfing in the mid seventies. I thought they were quite clean when I was growing up. But, talking to the generation that grew up surfing the same waves that I've been riding reveals otherwise. Abalone, lobster, crab, and other fish species have diminished greatly at my local beaches. I remember fishing in the Seal Beach river (San Gabriel) for bonito all day and selling 'em for a buck a piece. Then, we'd skate down to Harbour Surfboards and buy more skate stuff like Stoker wheels, Chicago trucks, decks, etc. Those fish have long since been gone from the river. That river is one of the most polluted bodies of water along the So Cal coastline. Aliso Creek that empties out to Doheny State Beach isn't much better. The Santa Ana river that empties out at Newport Beach... another sad state of being.
The trash, wood debris, and other questionable crud that accrues at the north side of the Seal Beach pier is just plain scary. Sadly, that beach doesn't get a natural flushing effect that many of the neighboring beaches enjoy. So, as a result, crud tends to linger there, WAY longer than normal. Malibu suffers from the same ordeal. Although when I surf there, the water appears to be way more clear and clean. But looks aren't quite what they seem. The Santa Monica Bay has been victim to pollution for many years, too. Even though the rocks are visible as you're paddling out, the bacteria count is rather high, there. Locals tell stories of walking out onto the reef and grabbing abalone and random shellfish to eat, a few decades back.
The good news is that there's a ton of awareness now and the S.M. Bay has Heal The Bay and there's also the Surfrider Foundation. My parents took us to the beach since we were born and I've done the same with my sons. We walk the beach in the mornings, pick up trash, surf, pick up more trash, and it's a neverending ordeal. But... those above mentioned surf spots are places that I'll never stop surfing. Well, until I'm told that I can't, any longer. I guess that my boys and I are blessed... because when many of our friends come visit Seal Beach and we go surf the river, they end up calling me the next day or so later, complaining that they're sick. Welcome to Springfield... home of the three-eyed fish. HAHA!
Just remember... before surfing So Cal, make sure that your immune system is up and that you take a lotta vitamins.
SK8/SURF 4 LIFE!
Sumdumsurfer
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Hotter than hot
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On 7/17/2006 Guto J
wrote in from
Brazil
(200.165.nnn.nnn)
I read all you guys complaining about the heat in North America. Just for your information, it's 'winter' here in Brazil, and we're experiencing some 30ºC temperatures - something in between 85 and 90ºF. It's never been this hot before, and I can say that we're lucky, since during summertime the temperatures can easily go above 40ºC (or 110ºF), plus the almost unbearable humidity. All this in the Rain Forest country...
Too bad GW Bulls#@! didn't sign the Kyoto protocol, but what's the surprise? He´s made of ice & stone anyway.
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Global warming
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On 7/17/2006
Steve C
wrote in from
United States
(168.103.nnn.nnn)
Here is something for you all to think about. Yes, it is getting warmer. This is the warmest summer on record. Yes, we only have 400 years worth of data but let's assume that it is getting warmer. What are some of the effects. Let's talk about plants. People say that there is more carbon dioxide so the plants will grow faster. This may be true, but let's talk about the effect of warming on the plants. Take the northwest US for example. Most of it is temperate rain forest. What happens when the temperature goes up.
1. Invasive species. Insects and other pests that are common to the south begin moving north. The plants have not been in contact with these pests and more than likely are not equipped to defend themselves against them.
2. These plants have been growing in this cooler climate for thousands of years. The increased temperature may not be ideal for these plants to grow.
3. Warming changes the rainfall and humidity. If an area sees decreased rainfall the plants are weakened as well.
These are a couple things I have been thinking about lately. Plants are the source of the oxygen you and I are dependant on. What if huge areas begin to burn? Do you not see this happening already. The fires are caused by an assortment of factor but the heat is definately one of the.
Call me a tree hugger or ignorant but we are screwed. The Russian permafrost is melting. In the next 10 years this melting will produce 600 times the carbon dioxide that we have produced buring fossil fuels. Is this important? Am I stupid for worrying about this. I think the human race has a very serious problem on its hands. Just because the world has gone through cycles like this in the past does not mean we are overreacting. Scientists are not just reacting to the heat data. The ozone layer, melting of permafrost, melting of polar ice, increasing heat, the dying off of coral reefs, etc. Combine that with the known properties of greenhouse gasses such as carbon dioxide you can start to see a pattern. The pattern is climate change related to the burning of fossil fuels. You can ignore all this, reason why it is not valid, but it is real.
There is so much more to this than rising temperatures. The enviromental damage is so out of control. You can try to not see it but it is pretty obvious if you really look.
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Black Box Fixes
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On 7/17/2006 Chuck Gill
wrote in from
United States
(192.249.nnn.nnn)
Thanks for that, Adam. #1 probably won't amount to much, every time I have been locked out it was before the black box said my time was up. #2, on the other hand, will mean the world to those of us using IE. Thanks.
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Sumdum, you are LUCKY!
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On 7/17/2006
Michael Brooke
wrote in from
Canada
(64.229.nnn.nnn)
besides being an excellent driver (yes, I am serious)
Sumdum is VERY LUCKY to live near surf
i live in Toronto...it's pollution out the ying yang here...unsafe beaches most of the time
can you give me some of the history of the southern cal. beaches....they were pristine at one point...I am not sure that is the case now...my sense tells me though they are better than what we have here
damn, it's HOT!
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End Times!
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On 7/17/2006
with ya sum!
wrote in from
United States
(71.105.nnn.nnn)
good call Mark!!
I'm getting closer to the water...
I know I'm down the street.... H.B.
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Black box trouble
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On 7/17/2006
Adam
wrote in from
United States
(198.144.nnn.nnn)
From the webmaster..
Sorry to those who have had trouble recently with the site's Black Box anti-spam feature. I've recently made a couple of improvements:
1) Doubled the time from 30 to 60 mins that you have to finish composing and submitting your post.
2) Display the post's text on the Black Box error page to allow you to copy it into your Ctrl-C buffer for another try. Firefox users don't have this problem but a longstanding bug in IE6 prevents its Back button from retaining input form fields.
Please email me directly if you encounter any more trouble. Btw, the Black Box is keeping out 99% of the comment spam; only the hand-entered ones are making it (want a job in India spamming forums all day long??)
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Numbers
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On 7/17/2006 Bud
wrote in from
United States
(68.57.nnn.nnn)
So, let's re-do that math. 1 barrel= 42 gallons of crude oil. Multiply that by the 9 million barrels we use daily, then multiply that by 51.7% that ends up being gasoline? Is that about right?
That's 42 x 9 million= 378 million gallons a day, of crude oil. That we use.
378 million gallons x 51.7%= 195,426,000 gallons of GAS we use, per day. In the USA alone.
Multiply that by 365 days a year (leap years notwithstanding), and we burn about 71,330,490,000 gallons of gas, every year? In the USA alone? Is that pretty close?
Do your numbers include diesel, or home heating oil, or other burnable petroleum products? Or, is that just for gasoline alone?
Wow.
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more earth stuff
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On 7/17/2006
buddy rawls
wrote in from
United States
(128.158.nnn.nnn)
I did not really answer the question as a yes or no. I simply inquired about the validity of basing global occurences on several hundred years of recorded history versus billions (as scientist contend) years of celestial existence. It does not compute. Let me take another tact on this to really give an option to the global warming thing. Celestial influence and earth "pains and releases" are what are truly determining whether our planet are getting warmer or not. It is not at the hands of humans that everything is changing.
We know, for instance, that world was extremely tropical at some time. So the world has been warm before. We also know that several ice ages have occurred. This is the planet history that is really going to be seen in cycles. Do we really know where we stand in the big picture of a warming earth, or just localized spike in a supposed curve that is billions of years long. To determine a realistic trend of earth temperatures in a supposed billion year long curve, do you know how many data points you would have to have. to forecast, even at 50% relaibility, you would have to have several million years of history to pick up trends. 400 years aint it, sorry. But thats the engineer in me talking.
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Stayin cool in the heat...
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On 7/17/2006
John Dillon, Team Fun
wrote in from
United States
(151.200.nnn.nnn)
This is what I just did this morn to beat the heat....caught a baby skunk stuck in a 4 ft depression next to a pump house(yup, it sprayed me but I was on the other side of the tarp so it didn't get me), chased a little black rat snake away from where the electricians were working, relocated some ground hogs to an undeveloped piece of property, searched a swamp and creekbed for a beaver dam. Thank God for the trees as the heat found me and I was sweating....then the tiger mosquitos started attacking me(ouch).........oh yea, 1 barrel of oil is equal to 42 gallons of crude oil, which is turned into many different oil products, 51.7% of which will be made into gasoline....one barrel is roughly made into 48.43 gallons of crude oil-based products, in California, because there's about 5% ethanol added into gasoline, the total per barrel is slightly higher, equalling 49.59 gallons of crude oil-based products. I don't think there's global warming going on.....temperatures will always fluctuate...when it's pleasant here on the east coast, nobody is hollering about how hot it is, we are just enjoying it, when it does get hot, the media blows it up and headlines how hot it will be....well, that's summer...that's normal....hey Sumdum, I like how you beat the heat out your way! Peace!
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Simple Solution
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On 7/17/2006
Sumdumsurfer
wrote in from
United States
(71.107.nnn.nnn)
Yes... the planet is going downhill. We've known this for years. Too many people, too much consumption, too much trash, too much run-off... blah, blah.
In the meantime, during this hot weather, survival mode is in full force:
Surf at dawn and get outta water before crowds ensue.
If waves aren't good, invade local skatepark at dawn.
After work, take paddleboard out for a 1-3 mile cruise.
After that, go hit the skate spots after sundown.
I've been doing all of the above and avoiding the crowds and heat. Keeps things sane. Hope that you're all out there, doing something to dodge weird weather, too.
SK8/SURF 4 LIFE!
Sumdumsurfer
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Global Change
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On 7/17/2006 Darin
wrote in from
United States
(24.119.nnn.nnn)
I think it would be very naive of us to think we are not affecting the planet--it's like putting your hand over a lit candle and expecting to not get burned! The earth works in cycles (weather, etc) and our daily lives and habits have and are affecting those cycles. I liken the dismissal of global warming to that of dismissing the potential for life outside our planet. Certain entities, for a myriad of reasons, refuse to acknowledge the facts--kinda like my own mother refusing to believe the "fad" of skateboarding would ever last!!
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Environment
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On 7/17/2006
Bud
wrote in from
United States
(68.57.nnn.nnn)
Americans alone burn- I hope these numbers are right- approximately 9 million barrels of oil a day. That equals around 495 million gallons (9 million barrels x 55 gals/barrel).
I would find it hard to believe that that sort of oil consumption wouldn't do something to the environment, over time.
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but damn, Buddy, it does feel that things are spiralling
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On 7/17/2006
Michael Brooke
wrote in from
Canada
(64.229.nnn.nnn)
I know this is not really skate related, but since I didn't get out of grade 9 chemistry without a mark of 50, I am intrigued...
the science may say one thing...the data may say one thing...but damn, it does feel that things are hotter
and what about the fact you have icecaps melting like crazy...
Buddy, or anyone else, feel free to drop in on this topic
yes, I know I am opening up a can of worms here, but it is relevant...afterall if it's too hot to skate...
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Buddy Rawls
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On 7/17/2006 rawls1103@aol.com
wrote in from
United States
(128.158.nnn.nnn)
the engineer in me says you can make no meaningful calculations on a curve that is billions of years old, with data that only spans about 400 years. Who's to say we are not in an upward trend of an overall downward sloping curve. So the same people that are screaming about the earth being billions of years old are now screaming about a global occurrence that is based on 400 yrs of data. thats definitely accurate!!
In comparison to global or celestial effects on our environment, man's contribution is in the noise.
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an inconvenient skate...
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On 7/17/2006
Michael Brooke
wrote in from
Canada
(64.229.nnn.nnn)
It's going over 35 celcius today but with the humidity, it's over 45...
that's like 115+
skimmed thru the book AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH yesterday...global warming IS happening...agree or disagree?
I believe the last five years have been the hottest on record
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Hell or Bust
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On 7/16/2006 David V.
wrote in from
United States
(24.119.nnn.nnn)
Anthony,
Have no fear, Albuquerque has nothing on D.C. as far as humidity goes! We've had some nasty late evening thunderstorms over the past few weeks, but it has calmed down lately. I usually do my bombing and carving starting at about 6pm and it's been quite nice--early mornings as well. Stay away from the skate parks with the metal ramps, though, as road rash may be preferable to 3rd degree burns! My son's wheels even suffered a little meltdown recently on those ramps. As far as the ditches go, some are a go, others are still riddled with debris from our latest monsoon. Happy B-day to your son and safe skatin'!
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