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How do you know so much about this stuff?
- As a
child, I liked to take things apart to see how they worked. I broke a
lot of things doing this, but I learned a lot. J
- As a
young adult, I liked to take things apart to learn how they worked. I
still broke things, but I learned I could fix some things too.
- Also
as a young adult (a teenager really -
geez,, decades ago,) I started working in the computer field and
was forced to learn a lot about how computers, printers, plotters,
keyboards, and monitors worked. And just when I thought I understood a
bit, more questions arose. And so I needed to answer those questions. I
guess it was around then that I wanted to know how EVERYTHING worked
that I came in contact with. Of course, this is impossible, but the
things I had interest in, I studied on and I tended to go pretty deep
into the subject. Music (I play guitar and African drums,) music
recording (sound physics, electronics,) cars and motors, electronic
gadgets, communications, the INTERNET, encryption, the environment /
conservation, and other subjects. What I became really good at was
researching what I wanted to learn – especially with the advent of
the Internet.
- I’ve
always been a motor-head. Maybe it comes from growing up in the Midwest, but I have always loved cars.
- I
have strangely been interested in alternative fuels since I was a
teenager when Popular Mechanics magazine published an article about a
Japanese engineer who made a special tank to hold Hydrogen as fuel. We
didn’t really hear about this until almost 25 years later. Anyway,
you’ll notice I have an interest in the environment and cars which
are sort of counter intuitive to a clean environment. It was an inner
conflict. So, I decided to take all the things I have learned, a
fascination with alternative fuels (energy sources,) and learn more of what
was needed (combustion chemistry/physics, welding, metals, gasoline
chemistry, etc.) to find a way to get better fuel mileage. (In the
process I found some REALLY amazing facts.) I’m also not alone in
this endeavor.
- Either
by choice or necessity, I fix things myself. It is both a blessing and a
curse because there is only so much time in a day. Needless to say, I
still take things apart, but I usually have a much better idea of how it
works. I have a life of endless learning.
- I
often learn trial-by-fire. (At 21 years old I was sent on-site to fix a
very early laser printer. I knew nothing but I had a manual and was
expected to do it quickly.)
- I
went to the school of hard knocks. I’ve learned a lot by how NOT
to do things. However, safety is always a top-priority.
Do we all have to know about how these new technologies work?
Nope. Only if you want to. But it is REALLY fascinating!
Why aren’t these technologies already being used?
That is a VERY good question. I have devoted an entire page to that here.
Are these technologies patented?
Yes and no. Some of this technology is over a HUNDRED years old! Many patents
are expired. The information used to create these products is actually
“public domain” knowledge and cannot be patented. I don’t
patent, I create ideas and products. Patents, although they may serve some
people for intellectual property rights, keep products tied up in court
unnecessarily and usually the deepest pockets win. Everyone else loses,
including the public. I would rather earn profit from the practical
application of an idea.
Are you a scientist?
That depends on what you mean by scientist. I am not classically trained.
I do not wish to be classically trained (learning what is already known is certainly
a good foundation for researching new things, but it can also close a mind
about what is “real.”) So
in that sense, no. In as far as scientists create ways of explaining
observations of the physical world, no, I am also not that. I AM a scientist
in the sense that I collect observations about natural events and conditions
in our world. I often have my own theories about explaining these
observations, but I do not feel completely qualified to do so. Most
importantly to me, as an inventor, I feel it is my purpose to take empirical
evidence and observations of my own, along with those of others, to create
practical applications to help in our existence.
Can’t I just make this myself?
Sure. You
could also build your own microwave oven. That’s all common knowledge
too. But would you fry yourself in the process and it probably wouldn’t
work as well as one that has had someone kinks. There is really a lot of
available knowledge out there about these newly emerging technologies, but
getting them to truly workable and well designed products is another story
entirely. Remember the school of hard knocks? However, if you have a passion
for building things and experimenting like me. Go for it. I’ll even
help if I can.
Isn’t
Hydrogen dangerous?
Hydrogen in almost any form, exposed to air in nearly any
percentage is explosive. Gasoline vapor, propane, butane, natural gas, paint
thinner, and hundreds of other substances are explosive too. However,
Hydrogen dissipates so quickly in open space, it is extremely difficult to
ignite. It needs to be in an enclosed area to be explosive.
The question should really be, “Is it any more
dangerous than other substances as a fuel?” Heck, common AC electricity
in your home is downright deadly.
The answer is not when it is handled properly, but it
demands respect and special care. Being the smallest element in the Universe,
it will penetrate most substances, making long term storage and
transportation difficult. In open air, Hydrogen flames tend to go up because
the gas is so light. Most people think of the Hindenburg in terms of a
Hydrogen fire, but in fact, most of the people in that accident died from
jumping (panic.) The visible flames were fire from the glue, the colorless
Hydrogen flame went up above the passengers (Hydrogen flames give off much
smaller amounts of radiant heat, so being close to the flame is not like
being close to, say, a piece of burning wood,) and finally, some people
walked away from the accident uninjured.
What is “off-the-grid?”
The “grid” is a common term for the infrastructure of
transmitting electricity over wires to homes. Some people in remote areas
don’t have access to this, so they are “off-the-grid.” The
same could be said for water transmission, but the term was really defined
from the power companies. Living off-the-grid used to be difficult. An
expensive, noisy generator that used gasoline, propane, or diesel fuel was
the only way to get electrical power (or live without) and chopping wood was
the only decent way to heat. Today, many people are choosing to live off-the-grid because it gives them a sense of
self sufficiency – and it should because they are more self sufficient.
But with the advent of better solar, wind, hydro, and battery technologies
(as well as many others,) people are quite comfortable.
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