Desiring Machine

Last week I took a trip down to the San Diego Zoo. Although zoos often just depress me to see caged animals it was pretty amazing just how expansive the place was. And there is even the opportunity to see something you have never seen before.

Towards the end of our visit we meandered over near the Giraffes area. After a few minutes of standing around we caught this lovely site out of nowhere.

I guess even in nature one can find examples of the Urolagnia fetish. Or perhaps the Giraffes were simply engaging in a form of Urine Therapy. Who knows?

After watching this I don’t think I will ever buy a miracle-gro product again. It is amazing, someone innovates, reduces the waste stream and the big corporate interests come out with the legal guns blazing. Shame on you Scotts Miracle-Gro, shame on you. Someone out innovates you that is how capitalism works. Schumpeter called it Creative Destruction and it is fundamental to the innovative processes of capitalism.

There is a movement out there called new urbanism that strives to re-imagine our living communities in more effective and vital ways, trying to undo the damage of 60 years of urban sprawl and car culture. The movement really started to gain steam in the 1980s long before “peak oil” was a daily headline. One the original visionaries of this movement is architect Andres Duany. The following are some clips from late 80s where he talks to a group of San Antonio citizens. Watch as he deftly dismantles the delusion of suburban sprawl with great humor and insightful technical precision.

First a little disclosure. I am personally invested in a handful of solar technology stocks, some American and some Chinese so what I say comes from both a self interested capitalist point of view and an environmentalist point of view.

The house recently passed an intriguing energy bill. And the bill currently remains tied up in the Senate and president Bush has threatened to veto it. All strong indicators that actual progress is being made on the energy front. Two intriguing aspects of the bill are the increased fuel standards supported by everybody but Detroit, and the equally feel good measure of repealing 13 billion dollars of Big oil tax credits to fund the fledgling alternative energy industry. Both very positive developments. I am big on the potential for solar tech and am a firm believer that where there is political will there is a way. This country has opted to spend trillions on Nuclear and other industries in the past. We spend even a 10th of that on alternative energy we are likely to see a vibrant, sustainable and prosperous future. Shifting the priorities away from oil is the way to do that. No energy bill is perfect, this bill has provisions for coal and ethanol which can be problematic but I am willing to see a little compromise for the larger picture.

In 2005 the white house heralded an energy bill and the benefits of alternative energy. Including the following provision:

Extends the existing tax credit for production of electricity from renewable resources, such as wind, biomass, and landfill gas, and creates for the first time a tax credit for residential solar energy systems

Well now is the time for action. The current bill does exactly this by moving some of the credits away from the oil and gas sectors. I figure at nearly $100 a barrel the oil sector can take care of itself. If president Bush cares even one iota about his legacy and would like to prove that he is more action than empty talking points then he will not veto this energy bill. If he wants to prove that he is a rapacious pawn of the oil industry he will veto this bill. Conventional wisdom says that the energy bill will be vetoed. But I am holding out hope that Bush will surprise us all. Perhaps he won’t but if he can make good on this and not oppose progress this one time I will be willing to give a little more benefit of the doubt to him. But he needs to prove himself here and stand with the american people not his oil cronies.

As an aside a lot a talk is being made about how we compete with China economically. One of the big under reported stories is how China has been embracing green tech and specifically solar in a big way. Even a bit of activism is hitting the streets in the form of a “Green Long March”. Many of the chinese based solar tech stocks are up in a big way. In my opinion there is money to be made out there by reinvesting in the green future. Transition the economy for both profit and environmentally sound reasons. That is my motto. But America needs to get in gear or we will find ourselves behind in the race. We should be exporting green tech to China and capitalizing on the potential, not letting ourselves atrophy under gluttonous addiction to oil. And we start by shifting our energy policies at home.

And finally a few solar technology stocks of interest

Evergreen Solar (ESLR). A Massachusetts based solar company that has been expanding rapidly.

Ascent Solar Technology (ASTI), another small cap solar company based in Colorado. What is it about Colorado? They seem to “get it” there. Colorado is also the home of energy visionary Amory Lovins.

And then there is the high flyer, First Solar (FSLR), a Phoenix Arizona based company with some manufacturing in Ohio. This particular stock is up over 800% for the year.

This is the face of the future. We can grow our way out of the difficulties we face, and make a little money along the way. It just takes thinking ahead a little. And this new energy bill does just that.

The former first lady and wife of LBJ died yesterday at the age of 94. I don’t know much about her because she was really before my time. However, I am surprised that more is not being said. Many of the liberal blogs I frequent haven’t mentioned anything about her. I saw the news on CNN. I find this silence conspicuous in an odd way. Not sure if any significance is to be had.

I do know that Lady Bird Johnson was attached to numerous “beautification” projects. And this is and was a noble endeavor. If you drive down through the California Redwoods along the 101 near Orick there is tucked away a beautiful little grove called Ladybird Johnson Grove. It is important that we remember these seemingly little aesthetic achievements. Preserve a little piece of park here, a nice tree planted along a highway, a little corner of a neighborhood with a green space. These projects are not on the scale of massive healthcare budgets, war and peace, or tax reform in terms of popular and journalistic attention. But they are the things that make life a little more meaningful and a little more beautiful. If we had more Ladybird Johnsons in the world, it would be a better place.

And for the curious, here are some Quicktime VR shots of Lady Bird Johnson grove.

This pedal powered roller coaster looks totally awesome and kind of scary. If I make it to Japan I am going to ride this thing. And it is environmentally sustainable as well.

Ran across this interesting piece of biking infrastructure from Trondheim Norway. The Trampe Bike Lift. Basically a simple road level lift that you place your foot on and ride to the top of the hill. The city of Trondheim has spent about 3.2 million over the last 20 years to implement this infrastructure much to the delight of the 90% biking population.

This seems like a great piece of technology to implement in Seattle on key hills. Would make biking much more feasible in the city. And it is relatively cheap. Mayor Nickels says he is for reducing green house emissions in the city. Surely with all the talk of spending billions on viaduct tunnel replacements, special trolley cars that go half a dozen blocks, and new bridges to the east side, the city and county could spend a few million making the hills less burdensome for bikers. Build the infrastructure and the people will follow. The Burke Gilman Trail is great. Why not more of this around the city? Seattle is dense enough that we could easily make getting anywhere in the city on a bicycle nearly as convenient as a bus ride.

I live on the north side of Queen Anne near the Fremont bridge. Sometimes I need to go into work on the other side of the Queen Anne near the Seattle center. Generally I would take a bicycle but the Queen Anne hill is such a bear to climb that I end up driving the short route and paying for parking. Waste of gas and waste of parking meter fees. And driving around the hill is a little out of the way when I am in a rush. But with something like the Trampe Bike lift installed it would be a snap. And in Capitol Hill and many other areas of the city a bike lift could really make biking practical around this city. Now if we could just do something about the rain. Actually it is not as bad as everyone makes it out to be.