Nov 19 2024 - EVs vs gasoline cars

 

Norway is the first country to have more fully electric cars than gas cars.   "Norway has long been a standout, with the highest level of EV market share of any country and an aspiration to end sales of new gas cars by 2025. And now, sometime in September 2024, Norway will have more electric cars on its roads than petrol-only vehicles, according to an analysis of Norwegian government data. It set another world record with 94% EV new car market share in August." We are behind by far in Canada.  The transition to EVs is targeted for 2035 in Canada.  In the chart showing all-electric vehicle share, Norway is at the top and Canada is in the bottom 3rd - below the global average of 11 percent - we're at 8 percent and the U.S. is 7 percent. And Ontario is at 6 percent - below the Canadian average.   I expect Norway has already made the shift to EV Repair Shops.  So the experiences can transport over here when we finally get there.   "How many parts are in EV vs ICE? There are only around 20 moving parts in an electric engine, compared with nearly 2,000 in an ICE (internal combustion engine), so your EV will need a lot less maintenance." One article says that as a ballpark figure only, you can expect to pay $4,600 less in repair and maintenance costs over the lifetime of an EV compared to petrol, or $947 less a year. The estimate of repair costs from accidents are considered to be higher.

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May 25 2020 - Power Washing

I did a little power washing yesterday.  I was able to clean the teak garden furniture.  But the patio was well beyond my skills and the power of the washer.  That calls for the professionals.  When they do it it looks so easy and there's no dirt splashed all over one's front.   Frank Woldert II invented the pressure washer.  He was an employee of a Pennsylvania company producing gas-fired water heaters and boilers, and whiskey picks.  He discovered that the steam forced to press high through a small hose provided an effective way to clean the grease off the garage floor.  That was in 1926.  They were in commercial use for decades before they became consumer products in the 1990s. The article on the history of pressure washing says: "Pressure washers can be very dangerous and should only be operated by mature specialists or users, (no children playing in flip flops and shorts). Water pressure near the nozzle is powerful enough to strip flesh from your bone, and that is nothing to kid around about because it can cause serious damages and injuries." My little power washer does not have that level of power, but it made me wonder if I should put on shorts and flip flops given how wet I was getting with the spray.  Today's geese are to be found in the same location as yesterday's - in Jordan Valley.  I see these two regularly, but I haven't seen any little ones yet.  And the John Street orchard initially looks like an Autumn scene with the colours, but there are still flowers in bloom above the fluffy dandelions. With Lake effects, the sky can be a solid grey.  A turn of the magic wand with Skylum changes all that.

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May 24 2020 - Worldometer

Is it just me?  I consider this to be Victoria Day weekend.  It's that variable calendar does it to us. Somehow I found the website named worldometmers.info.  It comes up with the total coronavirus cases in the world.  Clicking on world population, the number changes continuously when will we reach 8,000,000,000?   Wikipedia says 2024, but the Worldometer says 2023. We're currently at 7.8 billion.   All the population milestones are Here. The Worldometer website is compelling with its real-time counters. Our world appears frenetic.  Scrolling down the list, here are some of the things being tracked: Society and Media: new book titles newspapers circulated today TV sets sold today Food: undernourished people overweight people The categories include:  Government and Economics, Environment, Water, Energy, Health... "Worldometer is run by an international team of developers, researchers, and volunteers with the goal of making world statistics available in a thought-provoking and time relevant format to a wide audience around the world. It is published by a small and independent digital media company based in the United States. We have no political, governmental, or corporate affiliation. Furthermore, we have no investors, donors, grants, or backers of any type. We are completely independent and self-financed through automated programmatic advertising sold in real time on multiple ad exchanges." A few weeks ago I saw this flock of domestic geese in Jordan Valley at the one lane bridge.  The dogs in the truck checked them out too.

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Four Geese and a Dog

Dezi made a brisk exit last week as we checked out the view across the lake.  The geese seemed to march up the hill in formation.

Where are the Ducks in Winter?

Ducks in Winter

Where do they go? I take my mother out for lunch at Pier 61 in Port Dalhousie.  It overlooks the water which was part of the old Welland Canal.  There is a small dam with a waterfall to add to the charm.  All this autumn and into the winter - including this past Saturday - there have been people fishing along the water.  They are hoping to catch trout and salmon, or they ARE catching trout and salmon.  That would explain their presence there all the time.   We wonder, though, about the ducks and why there are more or less at various times on the water. She likes to count them.  Sometimes there are cormorants and they are tremendous fun disappearing and appearing.  It takes constant counting to keep track of them. There are more ducks in the water in the summer, and she wondered why so few. I drove us through the Lakeside Park parking lot.  It is more sheltered, and that's where they all are 'parked' in the sun.  She threw up her hands - too many to count. In comparison to Port Dalhousie's windswept shore, the Grimsby Beach area with the lighthouse is more sheltered.  I checked out the Pumphouse and the beach last week.  This was the scene - hundreds of ducks and dozens of geese quacking and honking so much that Dezi didn't want to get out of the car.