I posted this originally on May 15th, 2007. Since yesterday was Blog Action Day (I missed it by a day, so shoot me), I thought I’d dust it off, update it, and remind folks of the small changes they can make to increase their gas mileage. The intersection of action that is good the the pocketbook and the planet.
You may ask yourself: What can I do to save money on fuel? How can I use less fuel? How can I reduce my contribution to greenhouse gases? Well, there are many things you can do and the simplicity of these actions might surprise you. Sure, go buy a hybrid or more fuel efficient car if you have the cash and inclination. But if you’re looking for some cheaper, easier, and more pragmatic ways to make an impact, read and act on suggestions listed below. If each driver in the US would do the following things over the next year, it could reduce fuel demand by as much as 10%.
Easist (and cheapest – they don’t cost a dime) Actions to Save Fuel:
Drive the speed limit, the faster you go, the more fuel you burn (and your ticket risk goes down) this yields around 5% fuel efficiency
Remove unnecessary items from your car, each 100 lbs of weight removed can add up to 2% fuel efficiency (another good reason to go on a diet? Every pound counts…)
Don’t idle your car unnecesarily, for any delay longer than a stop light, switch the ignition off
Whenever you make a trip, combine multiple segments into one eliminating the need for mulitple trips
Take it easy, hot rod starts and fast braking can decrease fuel efficiency by as much as 33%
Easy Actions to Save Fuel:
Make sure your tires are properly inflated, wheels balanced, and aligned this will yield around 3% fuel efficiency
Ensure your car has a clean air filter which could yield up to 5% fuel efficiency
Keep your car “tuned up” which will yield up to 4% fuel efficiency
Use the right grade of motor oil, this will yield up to 2% fuel efficiency
More Actions to Save Fuel:
If you must commute, carpool or take public transport
Buy a more fuel efficient car, a 10mpg difference could save as much as $3,000 per year in fuel
Avoid “rush hour” travel
Telecommute to work
Obviously, these actions range in cost and effort from essentially zero (change your driving behavior and remove excess weight) to very expensive (buy a more fuel efficient car.) It’s not important that you choose to do each action, what is important is that you choose at least one action and follow through with it. If we all do this, we can in aggregate make a positive difference. Thanks for stopping by, if you know of actions not mentioned, please leave a comment.
I wrote about this subject earlier in the year and got some interesting responses, some rational, some not so much. But I guess it’s time for another try. The college football season is now 8 weeks old and we’re into the meat of conference play. That means the out of conference meetings are largely completed until bowl season, I’ll update this again after the bowls are completed.
Now for a little commentary, the data has changed in the past few weeks and that has caused what was the weakest conference by far, the ACC, to close some ground and what was the strongest conference, the Pac 10, to lose some ground. Everyone else pretty much stayed even from the last update. Here we go, conference by conference in alphabetical order:
Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) – Last time we checked, the ACC had an overall out-of-conference (OOC) win rate of 59.6%, backing out the IAA patsies (no-patsy) a win rate of 65.5%, and against DIA BCS teams (big boy), a 33.3% win rate. The conference has closed the gap over the past few weeks increasing the OOC win rate to 69.2%, the no-patsy win rate to 62.5%, and the big boy win rate to 46.7%. In short, the ACC has closed the gap with the other conferences and is no longer an outlier.
Big East – The Big East started off a couple of weeks ago sporting a gaudy 80.5% win rate in overall OOC play, the no-patsy win rate dropped only to 75%, and the big boy win rate was a respectable 62.5%. The bad news for the Big East is that the last few weeks have not been kind and the present OOC win rate has dropped to 70.3%, the no-patsy win rate has dropped to 64.5%, and the OOC record against the big boys fell to 42.9%. The gild is off the lilly for the Big East as far as conference strength goes.
Big Ten (Big 10) – At our last check, the Big 10’s overall OOC win rate was 79.4%, no-patsy win rate was 77.7%, and big boy win rate was 55.6%. The changes over the past few weeks show improvement with the OOC win rate improving to 81.1%, no-patsy win rate improving to 80.0%, and the big boy rate held steady at 55.6%. Not much change here as Big 10 teams are now into the meat of the schedule against one another.
Big Twelve (Big 12) – The Big 12 has only played conference games since that time, so these numbers are unchanged from our last check: overall OOC win rate was 75.5%, no-patsy win rate was 74.4%, and big boy win rate was 45.5%. If you thought the B12 was strong then, you’ll think they’re strong now.
Pacific Ten (Pac 10) – The Pac 10 has managed to squeeze in a couple more OOC games, last check the numbers were: Overall OOC win rate: 76.9%, no-patsy win rate: 75%, big boy win rate: 62.5%. Aside from an embarrassing loss to Notre Dame (I thought the Big 10 was supposed to do that, being lousy and all) the OOC win rate has degraded to 71.4%, the no-patsy rate to 69.8%, and the big boy rate is now 55.6%. No longer is the Pac 10 the clear leader in conference strength, but that doesn’t mean they’re not still the strongest conference at this point.
South-Eastern Conference (SEC) – Ah, the SEC, over-rated, over-publicized, and over-exposed. I can’t wait to update this data post-bowling. At our last check the OOC win rate was 87.5%, the no-patsy win rate was 83.3%, and the big boy win rate was 57.1%. Over the past few weeks, the numbers are mixed, the overall OOC win rate improved to 88.2%, the no-patsy win rate improved to 85.2%, and the big boy win rate declined to 55.6%. All kidding about the SEC being over-rated aside, these numbers demonstrate that the conference beats the opponents it should, note the strong overall OOC and no-patsy win rates. However, when the competition is real, the SEC is no stronger than the Pac 10 or Big 10 – but is clearly stronger than the ACC, Big East, and Big 12.
On the basis of the numbers put up to date, the conference pecking order right now should be: SEC, Pac 10, Big 10, ACC, Big 12, and Big East. On the basis of big boy win rate and scheduling the fewest patsies, the Pac 10 can make an argument. But that loss to Notre Dame was just a killer – the conference better hope USC doesn’t trip up in its upcoming road trip with the domers. However, all things being equal, the Big 10 shouldn’t be getting the crap it’s getting based on performance to date. The other 3 conferences, should be getting some of that “love” from the media and talking heads.
Hey, ignore the data, we’ll update it post-bowl season and see what that tells us about the season’s performance. Now, let’s sit back and watch the conference races play out as these teams beat the snot out of one another. It should be fun.
10.15.07 |Permalink|Comments Off on Drivemocion: Express yourself on the road
Have you ever wanted to share your mood with drivers around you? Well, if so, the Drivemocion might fill the bill…
There seem to be 3 versions available, though none have the kind of messages I’d expect to see in places say, like Boston, when signalling to other drivers! I suppose the Drivemocion is the kinder, gentler vehicular messenger. If you like it, you can get yours at the AU-MY store.
After re-reading some of my web log posts over the weekend, I came away feeling deeply unsatisfied. In fact, so much so, I had a sleepless night.
What, you ask, would disturb you that much about what you’ve written and syndicated? Good question. Aside from a few outright mistakes (that have been corrected) – I stand by what I’ve written. But it’s the tone, the tone of what I’m writing doesn’t accurately reflect my beliefs and views frequently. It’s more a preaching and critical approach than I use in “real life.” That’s not really my intent.
After thinking about this pretty intently, I think the key to this is how one approaches each subject, are you working to find a solution or simply point out the problem? I’m embarrassed to observe that I’m pointing out the problem but offer few solutions. That’s not helpful and has little value-add. In my opinion. As an example, I believe that the last Presidential election was decided just because of this issue, Kerry was against Bush. Not sufficient, one needs to stand up strongly and communicate clearly what they believe.
So, from this moment forward, I pledge to you loyal readers, that I will not comment upon a problem without also offering a solution. That I will write more about what I’m for than what I’m against, and that I’ll strive to keep the tone positive and constructive (and humorous if I can manage.) What do I ask of you? If you see that critic emerging without answers, please bring me to task…it may take a little reminder from time to time.
Using aeroelastic flutter, the same effect that resulted in the collapse of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge (aka Galloping Gertie), Shawn Frayne has created a wind harvest device that is small, cheap to produce, and simple. The 2:05 video below has details of the breakthrough.
