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[MetalSlimeHunt]

Oh for fuck's sake. Last time I checked most buses need oil-derivatives to work.

Whoosh.

Not-woosh. I really doubt this thing is parody, I've seen people seriously advocate this sort of thing.

[freeformschooler]

Not-woosh. I really doubt this thing is parody, I've seen people seriously advocate this sort of thing.

No, it's not a parody. I said "Whoosh" because that was the point they were making, that the Strawman Liberal Teacher was dumb/a hypocrite for thinking things like buses don't use oil. Of course, I haven't met anyone who actually thinks that.

That said, railing on the idiocy of a characterization designed to be idiotic and blown out of proportion is kind of silly.

I like how the image is almost SBAHJ-esque in its level of jpeg artifacts.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

No, it's not a parody. I said "Whoosh" because that was the point they were making, that the Strawman Liberal Teacher was dumb/a hypocrite for thinking things like buses don't use oil. Of course, I haven't met anyone who actually thinks that.

The point they're making is an opposition to the growth of public transportation. Your interpretation doesn't really fit with the rest of the joke, which is just "Look at all the things Liberals teach YOUR CHILDREN!"

[freeformschooler]

No, it's not a parody. I said "Whoosh" because that was the point they were making, that the Strawman Liberal Teacher was dumb/a hypocrite for thinking things like buses don't use oil. Of course, I haven't met anyone who actually thinks that.

The point they're making is an opposition to the growth of public transportation. Your interpretation doesn't really fit with the rest of the joke, which is just "Look at all the things Liberals teach YOUR CHILDREN!"

I don't see how it doesn't fit at all. I realize it's put there to make the guy seem like a liberal in opposition to public transportation, but they do it in a way that makes him look dumb. Which seems to be the point, just like Obama = Communism = Cool.

[scriver]

Freeformschooler is right.

Also the public transport system is basically the leader of non-oil-driven vehicles getting over here.

[Skyrunner]

Unless natural gas counts as oil-derivatives, all buses that are colored in solid blocks of color (which means highway buses an private buses are excluded: the buses are red, blue, green, or yellow) use natural gas o'er here.

[Descan]

Technically that's not an oil-derivative, but since the idea is fossil fuels in general, I'd say that counts.

[Skyrunner]

Sadly you can't escape from fossil fuels. Ever. D:<

[MetalSlimeHunt]

Sure you can. Hydrogen, biogas, battery motor...

[Descan]

Yes you can.

Carbon-capture from the air, E. Coli derived bio-diesels. That's not even counting the traditional renewables.

[Jervill]

Same sex marriage update in the United States:
Civil Unions will become legal in Colorado starting May 1st if anyone missed it.

Same sex marriage is also a step closer in Minnesota where one more rural Democratic state Senator has decided to support legalization.  Of course, the State House will be harder to get the bill passed but they may have the votes; although Democrats are notoriously spineless so I'm not certain.

Still waiting on the Illinois house to pass its same sex marriage bill; once that's done the Governor will sign it and it would be legal there (the bill passed the state senate in February.)

[Skyrunner]

Sure you can. Hydrogen, biogas, battery motor...

Well, the problem is you need to get that energy from somewhere. I don't know about the future, but at least half of our power comes from fossil fuels. Electric cars run on coal-produced electricity, and hydrogen has a 50% or lower efficiency: more energy lost.
If you mean the fuel produced from plants by biogas, that's even worse. You probably won't be getting reasonable output without using oil-derived products like pesticides. O.o

... hmm, I think it could be possible to get away from oil products in vehicles, but ironically at the cost of the environment.

Incidentally, I think nuclear power being attacked more viciously than fossil fuel plants is simply stupid.

[Descan]

That somewhere is the sun, actually.

Either directly by solar power, or indirectly by wind, or tidal.

Then convert that energy into vehicle-usable gas VIA that british process or through that E. Coli that can create drop-in bio-diesel (as in, can be used as-is, without modifying gas tanks and engines), taking carbon out of the air, and bam. Renewable, carbon-neutral-or-negative fuel, air-friendly since it doesn't need to have additives, and compatible with the current infrastructure.

Then there's the earth-derived power, where the ultimate source is inside the earth and not from the sun. Nuclear and geo-thermal are those.

And if we get fusion, well... Well.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

Well, the problem is you need to get that energy from somewhere. I don't know about the future, but at least half of our power comes from fossil fuels. Electric cars run on coal-produced electricity, and hydrogen has a 50% or lower efficiency: more energy lost.

My brain is stalling on the name of the concept that using electric cars just shifts the carbon burden, so I can't find the articles I remember debunking it. That said, it's false. Refining and moving all that fuel around for consumption produces emissions as well, but with electric vehicles you cut all that out. Thus, net reduction.

While our electric system does indeed produce a lot of carbon, it is rapidly improving. Coal is collapsing in favor of the much cleaner natural gas, and at least in the US non-hydro renewables doubled in the last four years and have not slowed. All and all, the global energy mix is abandoning both coal and oil at the moment. NG is the only growing fossil fuel, but a lot of the space that it would be filling is instead being occupied by renewables.


As for hydrogen, you're mostly right, but Virginia Tech may have solved that problem. Also, hydrogen buses have been very successful in Iceland, which is presently serving as a "test site" for developing hydrogen economy.

If you mean the fuel produced from plants by biogas, that's even worse. You probably won't be getting reasonable output without using oil-derived products like pesticides. O.o

Pesticides do a lot less than you might imagine, especially for crops that you don't eat. Major yield increases are attributed to nitrogen enhancement and genetic modification.

And if we get fusion, well... Well.

Good fucking luck. Fusion is the holy grail of energy production that is even remotely within our capabilities.

[Skyrunner]

I hope we get something decent working soon. :c
Most renewable energy wrecks the environment (hydro, tidal, wave, biofuel) or has too low energy density (solar) or is way too expensive (geothemal).

I also hope more nuclear plants and depleted fuel storage sites are created despite environmental peoples' protesting and NIMBY effect. The short-term 'gain' from not building more nuclear fission plants without having acceptable alternatives is going to make us sorry when something happens. Modern nuclear power plants are extremely safe, but few are being built. :<