Marshall Brain's Blog

I think the whole poultry industry is slightly disturbing when you think about it too hard.
 

And the fact that I hardly ever eat eggs makes me wonder where all of mine are going...
 

I had pet chickens as a boy. We ate the eggs and the chickens died of old age pecking around the chicken yard. Had a pet rooster too. Also died of old age. Not many chickens get to do that now.

I eat chicken now so I am contributing to what was described. Sad.
 

Re 'hybrids': I like RUF - see it at www.ruf.dk - blzbob
 

Hybrids are the 1/3 solution; they get rid of about 1/3 of fuel consumption.  But technologically they are more like 60% of the way there.

The 70-80% solution is the gas-optional hybrid, or GO-HEV.  The GO-HEV allows drivers to eliminate fuel use for the first 10-30 miles after a recharge; this can account for well over half of all driving.  People are already building them out of Priuses; had Bush not killed the PNGV four years ago, people would be converting cars from Detroit too.

The 100% solution is the electric vehicle.  The GO-HEV is an evolutionary path; as traction batteries get cheaper, cars will use bigger and bigger ones and need the sustainer engines less and less.  Eventually makers will offer the sustainer engine as an option and buyers will stop selecting it.