Photography with the Left Eye

As I write this, Gustav is churning toward the US coast. I sincerely hope that the impact on the gulf communities is small, and there little injury and damage. I fear the opposite.

And with Gustav may come the end of the little dip in gas prices. In my neighorhood, there has been a drop of around 18% since the peak. Good news, in that it took a little of the edge off of the dramatic increase. Bad news, in that some people think that gas is cheap, and SUVs not such a bad idea.

Anyway, fill your tank while it’s (relatively) cheap, and take the bus, walk, or ride your bike (great weather here) to keep it full.

This is Olga, and a post to remind you that I can do pretty, and I can do color.

I rode my bike today, as I do most sundays. I rode for fun and for exercise and that Zen state that exercise brings.

I don’t often ride the rest of the week. For commuting, I walk to the bus. If I need to run an errand, I walk or jump in the car. “Jump” is the operative word. Aside from the effort of the trip, getting in the car is no effort–grab the keys, get in, go. On the other hand, to take my bike somewhere, I need to get the right clothes on (shoes that fit my cleats, pants that won’t get caught in the chain), add accessories (helmet–essential, gloves–nice) and a light if it’s dark. Then I need a U-lock. Then I heft the bike and bring it outside.

In an urban area especially, sometimes the effort to get the bike together exceeds the length of the trip. Not sure what to do about that, but in an era of $6/gallon gas, I imagine creative minds will think of something.

Masque

Today’s New York Times had an ad supplement published by the car companies (probably whoever has the ad account for the big 3)

It was a maddening twenty pages of clinging to the past.

It started with an article about how SUVs are really pretty wonderful, and the extra gas they burn really doesn’t cost that much. Funny, I just read an article (I would link it if I remembered the source) that said that the cost of a average commute in an average vehicle is about 10% of the median income of someone living in the US. So, go buy that SUV.

The next one looked at the future of cars. Their conclusion? They will be pretty much the same as today. Except maybe bigger, because those of us living in the US keep getting bigger and bigger. I guess they think by 2030 the average person will be 6′8″ and weigh 360 pounds.

I could go on, but you get the picture. I don’t know whether to feel sorry for the auto industry, or wish it an accelerated death so we can just get on to a better future. It’s just so clear that it’s suicide.

Courtney

OK, I am a little bit of a geek (hey, I got this blog working…). So now and again I end up with a subscription to Wired or PC Magazine.

And then I usually let it drop. Why? because of the subtle (and not subtle) anti-environmental tenor of these mags. Wired tries to be the hip, electronic, erudite but loopy magazine of the techno generation. I think what they really are doing is being the Hot Rod magazine of those who also have electronic toys.

But PC Magazine is actually what it says it is…it’s just all about computers. They have their resident curmudgeon, John C Dvorak, (links: his blog (warning: breaks some browsers) and a whole site devoted to the notion that he’s nuts). I am moderately amused when he rants about some Microsoft stupidity. But PC Mag also gives him carte blanch to rant about his stupid anti-environmental position.

My first encounter was when he complained about traffic and parking around Moscone Center. This is a convention center in one of the most transit friendly points in the country. Their website even trumpets that. But lazy boy Dvorak has to drive from his comfy home in the lofty oakland hills. How do I know he lives in the oakland hills? Because he later stomped his little feet and said he should not have to put in more efficient light bulbs. Because he can see lights across the bay. In big office buildings. He won’t do one little thing until they are dark.

PC Magazine, it’s time to move into the 21st century. Unless you only want to appeal to the James Inhofes of computer nerds, keeping your pet curmudgeon around is a bad business decision.

Sasha. She’s happy. That’s a good thing.

I mowed my lawn this weekend. I also cleared out last years vegetable beds, and planted a new crop of heirloom tomatoes, beans and so on. The lawn clippings and much of the old garden bed went into a trash can. The city picks up that can and turns it into compost.

I think that in the not too distant future, vendors will want to cut deals with municipalities to buy our yard waste. Why? It’s becoming more clear that making fuel from corn is not a very good idea (and creates at best a few extra percent of the energy value put into it). Food security is important too.

However, I expect that cellulosic ethanol will become viable soon. Some people will want to grow stuff that can be turned into cellulosic ethanol. But we have a vast supply in the backyards of America, and an efficient system to collect and centralize the material. To me, this is a no-brainer…some entrepreneur will figure out that it’s a lot cheaper when you are getting a waste material than when you have to pay people to grow the stuff. And it won’t make tortillas cost double.

Anastacia.