Daily Archives: February 24, 2012

I'm going to be blunt 8

This entry was posted in politics and tagged Google+ on by (updated 4635 days ago)

Rick Santorum is either a complete dumbass or an unrepentant liar. His claims about presidents home schooling their kids for the first 150 years of the United States are just plain wrong.

Support for public education goes back to the very beginnings of this country and was espoused by Thomas Jefferson in his 1779 "A Bill for the More General Diffusion of Knowledge" in the Virginia legislature.

whence it becomes expedient for promoting the publick happiness that those person, whom nature hath endowed with genius and virtue, should be rendered by liberal education worthy to receive, and able to guard the sacred deposit of the rights and liberties of their fellow citizens, and that they should be called to that charge without regard to wealth, birth or other accidental condition or circumstance; but the indigence of the greater number disabling them from so educating, at their own expence, those of their children whom nature hath fitly formed and disposed to become useful instruments for the public, it is better that such should be sought for and educated at the common expence of all

http://www.monticello.org/site/research-and-collections/bill-more-general-diffusion-knowledge

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Santorum flunks the history of home-schooling
The poorly educated candidate says U.S. presidents taught their kids at home for 150 years. He's wrong

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Freedom of religion also means freedom from religion if one so chooses

This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged atheism Google+ on by (updated 4637 days ago)

I do and so does Krystal Myers. As the editor of her school newspaper in Tennessee and athiest she wanted to publish an editorial criticizing what she felt was discrimination against non-believers and non-christians in the school.

School officials refused to allow publication, say it would be disruptive. Frankly this is exactly the sort of disruption that should happen in schools, an open an honest discussion about societal issues.

Tyranny is bad whether it is perpetrated by the majority or the minority. God and religion are not necessary for people to be good and ethical. Ethics and suitable behavior are a social contract required for a society to function but they can be determined by the participants without the intervention of a higher power.

Here's an alternative take on the ten commandments for non-believers

Rights and Responsibilities
As an atheist you have a number of rights and responsibilities. These include (but are not limited to):

1. Have no gods.
2. Don’t worship stuff.
3. Be polite.
4. Take a day off once in a while.
5. Be nice to folks.
6. Don’t kill people.
7. Don’t fool around on your significant other.
8. Don’t steal stuff.
9. Don’t lie about stuff.
10. Don’t be greedy.

Remember, theists will condemn you for living by this code because you are doing it of your own free will instead of because you’re afraid that if you don’t a supreme being will set you on fire.

#atheism

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A copy of the editorial Krystal Myers tried to publish in her school newspaper

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Going into the weekend with a new Ferrari, what could more could a gearhead ask for?… 1

This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged cars ferrari Google+ on by (updated 4638 days ago)

Going into the weekend with a new Ferrari, what could more could a gearhead ask for? Maybe the budget to afford one?

#cars #ferrari

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Exclusive: This is the 2013 Ferrari F620 GT
A GTspirit reader has exclusively send us the first live photo of the brand new and upcoming 2013 Ferrari F620 GT ahead of its release.

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It's gonna be an exciting year in the American Le Mans Series as Aston Martin…

This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged Google+ on by (updated 4638 days ago)

It's gonna be an exciting year in the American Le Mans Series as Aston Martin will be running the Vantage GT3 in the GTE class and Conquest is joining LMP2 with a Morgan-Judd prototype http://editor.des07.com/vo/?FileID=d8532238-bf89-4f02-b646-c85375041613&m=4ba18634bcc2df4e9ff6927fcddec221&MailID=22973159

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http://www.astonmartin.com/racing/news/amr-confirms-le-mans-fia-world-endurance-championship-programmes

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FWIW, I loved driving the +Tesla Motors Roadster 1

This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged EV Google+ teslamotors on by (updated 4638 days ago)

FWIW, I loved driving the +Tesla Motors Roadster

#teslamotors #ev

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ABG First Drive: Hitting the road in the Tesla Roadster!
Click on the Tesla Roadster for a high-res gallery var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/autos/AutoblogGreen_gets_the_first_drive_of_the_Tesla_Roadster'; Ever

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+Tesla Motors provides a public response to the battery killing controversy 10

This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged electricvehicles EV Google+ teslamotors on by (updated 4638 days ago)

tps://plus.google.com/110107458243955110887″ class=”proflink” oid=”110107458243955110887″>Tesla Motors provides a public response to the battery killing controversy.
While Tesla is correct in saying that the vast majority of Roadster owners have had no problems with their batteries, they also acknowledge having made changes to the way the battery management works on the upcoming Model S to at least make the potential for issues far less likely.

That said, you still need to keep a Roadster plugged in when it’s not in use for any length of time. While EVs generally require less maintenance than internal combustion vehicles, Tesla does exaggerate that requirement. As an owner, you no longer have to worry about constant oil changes, exhaust checks, or spark plug replacements

I’ve owned many cars over the past 25 years and I wouldn’t call oil changes every 3-6 months constant. Similarly, modern engines (anything in the last 10-15 years) can usually go 100,000 miles without changing spark plugs. On the other hand, I don’t have to keep a gas pump hooked up to my car if I park it for 2 weeks or 2 years.

https://plus.google.com/114133424228405038490/posts/BBd7bMTRQsi

#teslamotors #ev #electricvehicles

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New Tesla blog post: Plug It In http://www.teslamotors.com/blog/plug-it

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Plug It In | Blog | Tesla Motors
A single blogger is spreading a rumor about electric vehicles becoming inoperable. “Bricking” is an irrational fear based on limited information and a misunderstanding of Tesla’s battery system. Here …

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There are really two stories of varying importance behind the discussion in recent… 3

This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged electriccars electricvehicles EV Google+ lithiumion teslabrick teslamotors on by (updated 4637 days ago)

There are really two stories of varying importance behind the discussion in recent days of "bricking" Tesla Roadster batteries.

The whole brouhaha was instigated by what appears to be a customer that was understandably angry at having to pay $40,000 to replace a battery after parking his car for 6 weeks. When +Tesla Motors opted to open company-owned retail stores instead of franchised dealers http://aol.it/AeyDnI they were determined to handle customer relationships differently from other automakers.

Unfortunately for Max Drucker, it appears that Tesla still has a great deal to learn about dealing with customers and the media. Leaking emails between a customer and the company was totally the wrong thing to do on so many levels.

The more important part of this story however, is the fact that apparently the Roadster battery pack can be permanently disabled by leaving the car unplugged. When it comes to its battery design Tesla has followed a different path from other manufacturers. Tesla is unique in opting to use the same type of small 18650 type cells with metal oxide chemistry found in most laptop computer batteries. These cells have high energy capacity but they also have less thermal stability then the cell chemistry used by companies including Nissan, Ford, General Motors and Fisker. Only BMW, Daimler and later this year Toyota have released cars with this type of battery and those were mainly for test fleets.

Back in 2007, I was told by co-founder Martin Eberhard and former SVP Darryl Siry that in order to maximize the driving range, Tesla would use the full capacity of the cells. This approach leaves open the possibility of complete discharge. Again other automakers leave a buffer of unused capacity at the high and low range. This prevents complete depletion and also protects against overcharging both of which can damage cells.

Using a buffer cuts the potential range but also allows manufacturers to comfortably offer warranties of 8-10 years and 100,000-150,000 miles.

By all appearances, this is a technical issue that is unique to Tesla and perhaps its customers at Daimler and Toyota. It's not clear if the batteries supplied to Daimler for the Smart ED and to Toyota for the upcoming Rav4 EV use the same approach of utilizing the full capacity. The original MINI Es had batteries supplied by AC Propulsion and are now out of service and are being replaced by the ActiveE which uses a different type of battery supplied by SB LiMotive.

At the very least, Roadster owners (and potential customers of the upcoming Model S) need to be very careful with their batteries because this is a real issue for Tesla.

#teslamotors #teslabrick #electriccars #ev #electricvehicles #lithiumion

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Is Tesla 'Bricking' Story Just An Angry Owner's Warranty Claim?
And now perhaps it all becomes clear. The Tesla battery 'bricking' post that was today's electric-car news story and generated reams of coverage may simply be an attempt by an unhappy owner to get Tes…

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