Edge Review - Work in Progress (WIP)

This is a review of the CD produced and performed by "The Chung Brothers" titled "Edge".

An Audio Feast

The audio sense is spoiled!

Chiastic Structure vs Linear Structure

Structure ...

Album Concept - Diagnosis on Reality and Vision for Improvement

Concept

Long time no post!

Just put in something here.

Long time no post!

Thinking of putting some promotions. But should I?

Climate change and Christianity

I am frustrated at some recent discussions between climate change and christianity.

One of the bible study leaders described climate change as "man-made theory".

So allow me to cut and paste from another blog on this, as I feel the same way as he does.

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Seeing this denial in evangelical Christians is particularly frustrating because I am a Christian who started out in an evangelical church. I know these people, love these people, and am actually related to some of them. So for them to not only disagree with me, but completely dismiss my life's work, is deeply discouraging.

From a pragmatic point of view, I believe it's important to engage American evangelicals on climate change. Not only can they be a significant political bloc, but they are often very influential in their communities. Church members regularly participate in other local groups, like PTAs and City Councils. As federal activities frequently follow local ones, mobilizing a community's leaders is essential. Building these alliances could be the key to moving many cities, and eventually the U.S., towards action.

Lastly, I see this rejection as conflicting with our shared faith. In fact, my belief in loving my neighbors drives my passion on the subject. Climate change is the epitome of environmental injustice - the most vulnerable are suffering because of actions by those more privileged. Living in a way that ignores climate change's impacts is not only ignoring those who need food, drink, or clothing, but in some cases, taking it right out of their hands. Not to mention climate change's devastating effects on the ecology of the world that Christians believe God created. Many other Christian organizations agree with my perspective, including the U.K.'s Christian Aid and Operation Noah. Even the Catholic Church, for all of its failings, has taken a stand on the subject. But when Richard Cizik, the National Association of Evangelicals' vice president for governmental affairs, spoke up about climate change, he was pressured to resign. Why can't most American evangelicals acknowledge this as an issue?
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Taken from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeff-schweitzer/climate-change-and-christ_b_198047.html. Please look at that in full.

Some of us can't help ourselves but turning blind eyes to the truth, and our wrong doings, (i.e. sin).

ESD AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY IN AUSTRALIA (1) - INTRODUCTION (1 of 5)

This was my blog post written back in 2008 with my pseudonym. I'll need to update this to the current conditions.

ESD AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY IN AUSTRALIA

Well, firstly you may consider there are three levels of "energy rating" schemes.

1. Aspirational - Green Star (I am a GBCA Accredited Professional or more usually known as Green Star Professional)

2. Operational - NABERS (National Australian Building Rating Scheme, in full) (I am also an "Accredited NABERS Assessor").

3. Mandatory - BCA (Building Code of Australia) Section J Energy Efficiency.

(1) & (2) are voluntary. (3) is mandatory which comes to force in May 2006 (for NSW including Sydney, it was November 2006)

Although ABGR seems like voluntary, it is like semi-mandatory particularly for large developers. More details coming.

Is solar panel cost effective?

I hold the view that photovoltaic panels are not cost effective at this moment (solar energy to electric energy conversion efficiency is only up to 20%; to power a TV, you need over 1 sqm of panels and one 175W panel costs A$1100, see: http://www.solazone.com.au/PVpanels.htm ).

Now go to that link and look at some real numbers!

175W panel cost A$1100.

Now, look at the tariff rates here:
http://www.ipart.nsw.gov.au/documents/EA_Residential_and_business_price_list_2009.pdf

Now, if I assume the buy back rate of : 60 cents/kWh

The solar panel needs to generate : $1100 / 0.60 kWh of electricity to pay for itself. This is 1833 kWh.

For this panel to generate 1833 kWh of electricty, it takes 1833 / 0.175 = 10476 hours of full capacity generation.

The solar annual solar availability is about 2,000 to 2,500 hours pa. (Note that there are 8760 hours per year.) So it takes 10476 / 2250 = 4.7 years to break even the cost. This assumes you don't use electricity and the full PV generated energy goes into the grid.

So unless you are really keen to "show" your committment to ESD, solar panels (photovoltaic panels) are not cost effective if you already have connection to the power grid.

P.S. The story would be somehow different with remote areas where generators or power lines are required to supply electricty. By that time, the comparison will be the installation and running costs of generators and power lines. PV panels will be attractive for those applications.

Energy prices - which way can they go?

Well, my wife just asked me which way will the prices of energy, particularly, electrcity go?

Which way can the prices go? What do you think?

One way only ..... UP!!

Why?

TBC.

Where is the solution to Global Warming? Science? Are you serious?

Here's the link to my netfriend's blog about Is science the key to global warming?

(I have contacted him and he is OK for me to cut and paste his work.)

Where is the solution to Global Warming? Is Science the key to Global Warming? Or should we ask "Is Global Warming the only issue we are facing?"

Do you think we can sit there, do nothing, (actually complaining the "lack" of air conditioning), and "business as usual"?

Get real!

The world is changing, unfortunately, for worse.

Here are a few points from the linked blog (and my thoughts):

• Scientific proof is not the key point to the existence or non-existence of Global Warming. By the time we have good understandings of what's happening, the circumstances may have changed to some thing yet different again. And the proposition that we can (completely) understand the science of Global Warming is merely wishful thinking. The nature (or environment, or ecological system (implying a living and ever changing system), or God's creation, whichever way you say it) is beyond science's domain. Science is only part of the nature.
  
• We can't see the big picture. But that doesn't mean we only look at ourselves, or worse, nothing. We need to have a variable focus. Look at the big picture and ourselves. But then, this leads to ...
• What value do we put on oneself and one's surroundings? Do the surroundings exist merely to serve us? This goes particularly to women. I know so many women saying something like "Air conditioning is the greatest invention", "I can't live without air conditioning", "Why is the air conditioning not on?", or merely stare (and grudge) at me when I suggest turning the fan instead of the A/C on. Is human comfort so much more important than the varnishing of the world?
• "Does human lose connection with the environment?" Actually, this is a variant of the point above. I heard of this when I was in a training course of "Building Thermal Performance". For example, when people come home from work and find that the indoor is "warm", first thing most people do is to flip on the air conditioning switch. -- Coming back to the connection with nature, can human win over nature? Can human ignore nature? ...... We should know the answer but are we doing what we should be doing?
• Do we know we are doing harm (or good?!) to the environment and ourselves, sooner or later? This may or may not be Global Warming. Things can range from intoxication from chemicals, fertilisers and insecticides used in agricultural and other cases, (e.g. Australia talks about BPA in baby bottles now. BPA had been banned in some other countries.), light pollution (e.g. bird are somehow confused with the night sky during their migration), GM genetically modified food, ..... etc. The list goes on and on.