6 days agoA Simple Metric for Vehicle EfficiencyIntroducing a fuel-agnostic metric for both vehicles using an internal combustion engine and pure electric vehicles. For quite some time the fuel efficiency of a vehicle using an internal combustion engine (ICE) has been expressed as either miles-per-gallon, MPG, or as litres-per-100km, relating a given volume of fuel to a…Electric Vehicles6 min read
Apr 2Prosperity within Material BoundariesAt the beginning of this year my family and I watched the 2018 TV series Lost in Space about the long and convoluted journey of the Robinson family to a new home on a far-away planet because the Earth had become inhabitable. Following their odyssey with its many detours was…Climate Change12 min read
Jan 28How to Feed the World Population Sustainably by the End of the CenturyThe Western world lives in an abundant society where expenditure on food only constitutes a small portion of the disposable family income, e.g. having fallen from 25% to 10% over the past 80 years in USA; instead, more money is spent on consumer goods and leisure. The developing world aspires…Climate Change15 min read
Dec 24, 2021A Personal Selection of Twelve Pieces of Classical Music to Lift my SpiritsWhenever I feel sad or unhappy for some reason, I quite often resort to listening to pieces of Classical music, in particular the ones that I know well. While different activities may work as well, like eating cake, e.g. a Paris-Brest, it is listening to quiet and calm music that…Classical Music12 min read
Oct 25, 2021Could Wind Farms Power Every UK Home by 2030? —Power AnalysisIn October 2020 the UK Prime Minister pledged that “Wind farms could power every home by 2030”, as reported by the BBC. While I am certain that the Prime Minister had been well advised before making such a statement, I wondered nevertheless if the numbers stack up, whether this pledge…Wind Energy11 min read
Jun 24, 2021Could Wind Farms Power Every UK Home by 2030? —Energy AnalysisIn October 2020 the UK Prime Minister pledged that “Wind farms could power every home by 2030”, as reported by the BBC. While I am certain that the Prime Minister had been well advised before making such a statement, I wondered nevertheless if the numbers stack up, whether this pledge…Wind Energy5 min read
Jun 20, 2021My Experience of Being Victim of an Authorised Push Payment ScamRecently, I received a short sequence of calls on my mobile phone the last of which I answered. The caller purported to be from my bank’s fraud department and announced fraudulent activity having been detected on my account. Despite my initial resistance, the persuasiveness and assurance from the caller led…Scam8 min read
May 8, 2021Building a Wooden Electric Go-KartOver the past few months, or years actually, my son and I have been making what was originally meant to be a soapbox car, but grew into an electric go-kart. …Electric Vehicles7 min read
Apr 25, 2021Automated Measure to Reduce Usage of Privately Owned Cars in CitiesThe premise of personal mobility from the 1950s onwards has been the individually owned car to realise an unconstrained freedom to go anywhere, any time. Cities were consequently designed for and around cars with sub-urban sprawl as a consequence, too. Now mankind realises that there are a few issues with…Personal Mobility4 min read
Apr 19, 2021Quest for a Battery Electric Family CarFor the past few years I have been following the product offering for battery electric cars, just in case. It could come in handy to know what to get should the family car need replacement, if at all, which is likely given the inconsistent bicycle paths and inadequate public transport…Battery Electric Vehicle3 min read