Long post on post shortages…

Blogging continues to be light. Things are happening, usually so fast that I just don’t have time to write as much as I would like. Blogging right now is a little light because of my other time commitments. Things I am working on that are taking more time than anticipated. Just what am I doing?

At work, I am involved in the CEAA process for a large project. I cannot comment on the actual project for obvious reasons, but it is interesting to see how these processes work. Being in a meeting with 40+ people, with the conversation varying from extremely technical science-based analysis of potential environmental impacts to listening to First Nations representatives talk about their concerns, which are often completely invisible to those of us not raised in that culture. Then there is the fun of trying to eak out the politics of the room and understand where people are coming from. That part is just a fun aside, though, as my role is very technical. My main task is to wade through several thousand pages of technical documents just to be educated enough to be able to provide summary info to the public and to senior management. Challenging, yes, but quite rewarding, as I am learning both technical material and about legislative processes. Love my job.

We are ticking down to the end of the Live Smart energy audit time, so we are doing a few last-minute upgrades at home, now that the windows are done. I will finish up the story of the windows (and why, in the end, we are not going to get any credit for them on our energy audit!), and will write about the wonders of furnaces and air-source heat pumps. For now, we are scrambling to get things done. Do first, write later.

It is also a busy time for the NWEP. We are trying to get our volunteer garbage-tracking project rolling out, we are finally updating the webpage, the transportation group is all over the MUCF issue and the UBE is looking to rear it’s ugly head again. There are potential changes to GreenDrinks coming along. A lot of this is not visible yet, but expect to hear more from the NWEP in the next few months.

The Curling Club board is also taking a bit of time these days. We are in the middle of a bunch of energy-efficiency changes. Long and short of it, a curling rink uses a lot of energy. Making ice involves taking a lot of heat out of a lot of water, which, thanks to a pesky thing called Thermodynamics, takes a lot of energy. The Royal City Club was built in the 60’s (they just celebrated their 45th anniversary), and although there have been many upgrades over the years, energy efficiency is not always priority #1. But with utility costs being a major expense in the club, and increased awareness, this is changing. I will blog more on this, but short version is that in the last year the club has dramatically cut its utility cost by installing a water recycler for the ice plant, replacing lighting fixtures and furnaces for the non-ice area, and are currently applying for grants to replace on-ice heaters and dehumidifiers. Being a member-owned and -operated club with no direct municipal funding, the budgets are shoestring and grants to help fund these efficiency programs are helpful. Grant application writing, however, is no fun.

Civic Committees are back up as well. I served on the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee last year, and have signed up for a second year. It will be an exciting year to be part of this group, as this is the year of the Master Transportation Plan, and we have a new Senior Transportation Engineer coming to the City, so changes are afoot! I also signed up for the Emergency Advisory Committee this year. I actually have some training in Emergency Operations Centre systems, and I figured this group would allow me to keep that training refreshed, while helping the City plan for the “ifs” that are really only “whens”. Having taken part in Exercise Gold last year, and being a work coordinator of the BC Shakeout this year, I seem to be getting more and more involved in Emergency Management. Don’t panic.

So, a long winging post explaining why I don’t have as much time these days to write my regular long winging posts. Typical.

11 comments on “Long post on post shortages…

  1. Could it be the Garden City lands and the shady deals with the Musquim band ?

    “Making ice involves taking a lot of heat out of a lot of water, which, thanks to a pesky thing called Thermodynamics, takes a lot of energy”

    Huh ? Sadly your displaying little knowledge of the 4 laws of thermodynamics. Start from Zero.

    “Heat” is “energy” for starters. So, that statement translated –

    “Making ice involves taking a lot of ENERGY out of a lot of water, which, thanks to a pesky thing called Thermodynamics, takes a lot of ENERGY”

    This modified statement still remains false.

  2. First off, no. It has nothing to do with the Garden City Lands. You can go to the CEAA website link I provided and search for ongoing EAs for Richmond, and figure it out. It is all public information, nothing seceret about it, but it is best that I not comment further on it here.

    Heat is not = energy. Heat is the transfer of energy, so it is one calculus step from being “energy”. Thermodynamics-wise, we are mostly dealing with the second law here: to take energy from one system and put it in a second requires the application of energy apart from that which is transferred.

    Three laws of thermodynamics (for those with limited attention spans)are 1: You can’t win; 2: you can’t even break even; and 3: you can’t get out of the game. Zero is just algebra.

    If you have an idea of how to make ice without using an external energy source, I am interested in your ideas and wish to subscribe to your newsletter.

  3. “Heat is not =energy. Heat is the transfer of energy” ? HAHAHA You must study the Electromagnetic spectrum a little more closely then that effendi.

    Hey Mr. Knowitall, what makes it cold outside in winter ? Is there some big energy gobbling machine turned on to make it cold ?

    Or could it be, the slight tilt of the earth on it’s rotational axis means we have less photons striking the northern hemisphere releasing there energy ?

    Hey Mr. Geo-scientists, why is the earths core molten, with a solid crust floating on top ? Whats making that crust on top solid ? Is there some “energy gobbling” freezer system employed on a global scale to keep it from melting ?

    Oh, I got another one mr. Scientist ! In a day (or a year) the suns emitted photons hit the earth and are absorbed, how much energy does the earth emit in the same period ?

    It’s really sad what the education system pushes out the doors these days !

  4. Interesting retort. I am certainly not a know-it-all in Thermodynamics. However, I respectfully suggest you are confusing the term “heat” with the term “temperature”, as they are strictly defined in thermodynamics. Temperature is the average thermal energy stored in an object or system. “Heat” is defined as the transfer of thermal energy between objects or systems. Your straw-man arguments about winter temperatures demonstrate this mistake.

    There are several reasons why it is hot down there: original heat of formation, radioactive decay, friction from convection, and (some argue, but it is debateable) heat released during mineral re-crystallization. However, only one layer of the earth’s core is “molten” (better to use the term “liquid”). The inner core is solid, as is the mantle, although the upper mantle is definitely a plastic solid. The rigid lithosphere hardly “floats” on top. You might want to look at some of the newer work on the driving systems of plate tectonics: the interaction between the solid lithosphere and the plastic upper mantle is rather complex. Hint: look up “Slab Pull”.

    But these details aside, are you trying to make a point? Or is scribing poorly-spelled, flaccid, anonymous, off-topic, drive-by insults on random webpages part of some therapy you are working through?

  5. A good way to separate heat from temperature in your mind:

    a metal chair and a wood chair are both room temperature, but their heat levels are different when you stick your bare butt on them.

  6. Grade 4 dropout,

    You are mistaken.
    While the 2 object may be at room temperture, the human body is not. The difference you “feel” is the ENERGY transferring from a warmer body (human) to “room temperature”.

    And this is the same reason why the compressor for P@J’s ice rink needs to be kept running to keep the ice from melting, NOT to make it ice in the first place.

    P@J, the winter ice melts when the SUNS FREE ENERGY HITS IT. No straws, the LoT are UNIVERSAL, and apply equally to fridges, curling rinks, bare butts on metal chairs, or winter season.

  7. Let us summarize:

    ·I write a 750-word post on several subjects, one of which mentions that it takes energy to maintain ice in a curling rink;
    ·Anonymous posits that this demonstrates my profound misunderstanding of Thermodynamics, like that is relevant to anything. I guess in Anonymous’ world, it doesn’t take energy to make artificial ice.
    ·I make a rather glib retort because the point is irrelevant, and I used the only thermodynamics joke I know.
    ·Anon makes a bunch of non-sequitur arguments about the electromagnetic spectrum, the seasons, the earth’s rotation, the earths “molten” core, and imagines a planet (clearly not earth, maybe Europa?) where the crust “floats” on a liquid mantle. He also chooses this point to begin calling me names.
    ·I politely point out we may have a disagreement on semantics, and attempt to correct a few of Anon’s strange ideas about Plate Tectonics (an area where I actually have significant technical knowledge), and less politely ask him what the point is.
    ·Anon admits heat is the transfer of energy, essentially negating his entire argument, and doing it will allcaps, which adds real credibility to his argument.
    ·I politely don’t call him on it.
    ·He says I am wrong. About what, at this point, I’m not sure.

    Ahh, the Joys of anonymous commenting.

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