Think of all the systems that factor in our lives: political system, economic system, banking system, energy system, communication system, transportation system, distribution system, education system, and on and on. Systems determine the solutions available to us. We want solutions that determine the systems, not systems that determine the solutions. As an example: banking. Why Read More
All posts by jmp
Inauguration Day 2017
What should be a national celebration of democracy and the peaceful transition of power instead has become a day that portrays a deeply divided country. If your candidate won, you feel a smug satisfaction at having prevailed. If your candidate was defeated, fear, anger and disbelief mark your anticipation of the next four years. Perhaps Read More
Renewable Energy Growth in the Time of Trump
Regardless of federal policy, renewable energy growth as a portion of the nation’s electricity providers will continue unabated, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. You can read its assessment here
Wind Vision Calculations
The National Renewable Energy Lab has released new calculations that suggest wind energy could supply one-third of the nation’s electricity by 2050. You can read the article here
Hydrology
Can increases in the use of existing dams to generate power provide a partial solution to our need for clean energy? Read Tom Russo’s thoughts in the matter here
Grid Vulnerability
Centralized distribution of power is an accident waiting to happen. Whether the cause is a natural disaster or a terrorist strike, the electricity system can go down in an instant. Read the latest assessment from the Department of Energy on Grid vulnerability here
Systems
Systems permeate our lives What do they do for your life? What do you do for them? Self-Licking Ice Cream Caught Live. Read About It Now! Systems permeate our lives. They are the connective tissue that hold society together. To a very large degree, they dictate the way we live. As they evolve, change and become more Read More
HARBINGER, Part Two: Star Power
How much audacity does it take to pique the interest of the president-elect? For a man with a notoriously short attention span, something of spectacularly high stakes and monumental reward would seem to be required. Is it possible that such a project might actually serve the public good? Could his administration, for instance, bring us Read More
Changes Big and Small
Let’s talk about change. Big change. It’s unsettling. A very human response is to resist it. We get disoriented, loose our bearings, feel lost, adrift. Let’s talk about natural disasters. They are a very dramatic metaphor for change. Imagine Cascadia. Imagine Vancouver, Seattle and Portland, with all their sophistication and verve, are brought to a Read More
Whither NASA?
Every few years a new administration is handed the power to shape the federal government, or at least to propose policies and promote the passage of laws that change the direction of the bureaucracy to a greater or lesser degree. Many of the various departments of government pretty much just plow straight ahead, regardless of Read More