On the 25th May 2011 2Pears held a pitching competition at Pinsent Mason LLP (located between Old St and Liverpool St).
The judging panel was chaired by Danvers Baillieu (who happens to work for Pinsent Mason) but is maybe more famous for the illustrious Bootlaw series of workshops that he organises.
Other members of the judging panel were Eric van der Kleij CEO Tech City Investment Organisation, Glenn Shoosmith CEO BookingBug, Megumi Ikeda Comcast Interactive Capital, Amine Laouedj goetzpartners Corporate Finance, Zuzanna Pasierbinska-Wilson Huddle and Silicon Stilettos and Grace Yusuf or Kyubid.com. Some of the panel might have been slightly worse for wear having just returned from the eG8 conference (or should that be party) in Paris.
There were 9 pitches from start-ups: -
Gabriel Ortiz presented Clickslide - a platform allowing both developers and end-users to rapidly produce websites or mobile applications.
Sue Green with Dancetothis - aiming to be the central resource for dance in the UK i.e. linking how to videos, local events etc. Crowded market.
Tom Harrow with Findababysitter.com - pretty much the name says it all.
Ian Pickard with Gigaboxx - a system allowing artists and record companies to directly sell to the fans at a gig or event. Can produce a mobile app (music store) which is customised to the artist.
Dupsy Abiola with Intern Avenue - a site that is trying to get employees to pay interns.
Anil Stockner with Marketinvoice Ltd - A trading (auction) platform for companies to trade their invoices and get paid immediately (so the bidder will offer a price for the invoice and their fee).
Josh Liu with Minutebox - Minutebox is a platform allowing people with skills to sell them to other people using Red5 as a media server. The user sets their price and what skills they have and other users can buy their expertise on a per minute basis.
Matthew Scherba with Plancentric - a new approach to project planning (well enterprise resource planning or ERP).
Simon Phillips with Tools of Directing Ltd - a way for content creators to add meta data to video in the production process.
In terms of presentation Josh Liu's was by far the most succinct as he presented in time and got the all his points across and everyone understood what Minutebox did.
Dupsy Abiola's also stood out as she obviously understood the intern problem and was trying to address things in a positive way.
Anil Stocker's Marketinvoice has the potential to be very large, one to watch.
Some of the other ones were flakey (as in presentation or the business itself), but that's to be expected at a random pitching event.
All in all a great event and the Pinsent Masons auditorium is actually a great space to hold these kinds of events as the speakers can be heard and the presentations seen on the two screen set-up.
There are some pics of the event on Facebook
31 Mayıs 2011 Salı
26 Mayıs 2011 Perşembe
Ofcom publishes possible 4G capacity gains
Ofcom the super regulator today published its report into what capacity gains that 4G networks could provide compared to existing capacity on 3G networks.
In summary compared to existing HSUPA 3G networks, there will be an increase of 3.3x which will increase to 5.5x by 2020 i.e. 3.3 to 5.5 times as much traffic can be put over the equivalent spectrum which will be opportune as data usage increases.
However network operators will need to manage the topology of their 4G networks more carefully than current 3G networks.
The statement may be found here.
In summary compared to existing HSUPA 3G networks, there will be an increase of 3.3x which will increase to 5.5x by 2020 i.e. 3.3 to 5.5 times as much traffic can be put over the equivalent spectrum which will be opportune as data usage increases.
However network operators will need to manage the topology of their 4G networks more carefully than current 3G networks.
The statement may be found here.
Microsoft-Skype kills Skype for Asterisk
Many will know Asterisk the open source IP PBX (IP telephony system) that is commercially supported by Digium.
At Astricon in 2008 Digium announced a partnership with Skype that would allow an Asterisk system join the Skype network as a Skype client, though commercial (costing $66 per channel i.e. each concurrent call the Skype network requires a channel) many people used this to connect their internal VoIP systems to the outside world taking advantage of free Skype to Skype calls and cheap calls to the normal telephone networks using Skype-out.
Unfortunately the partnership is now dead as Skype (or now Microsoft Skype as Skype is to be known after their acquisition by the software giant) have decided to discontinue the licensing of Skype proprietary code that is included in the Skype for Asterisk product.
Customers can still purchase Skype for Asterisk until 26th July 2011 and Skype will continue to support the product until 2013 (and Skype "at their discretion" may continue support beyond that).
Though Skype for Asterisk only represents a small proportion of the Skype population, is this indicative of the way that Microsoft is taking the company as Asterisk and other open source solutions directly compete with some of Microsoft's offerings? If so it's a shame as it it's likely that only MS products will work with Skype and thus further locking customers into Microsoft's solutions.
Though to be fair, rumour has it that Skype was already looking at ways of ending the relationship with Digium.
At Astricon in 2008 Digium announced a partnership with Skype that would allow an Asterisk system join the Skype network as a Skype client, though commercial (costing $66 per channel i.e. each concurrent call the Skype network requires a channel) many people used this to connect their internal VoIP systems to the outside world taking advantage of free Skype to Skype calls and cheap calls to the normal telephone networks using Skype-out.
Unfortunately the partnership is now dead as Skype (or now Microsoft Skype as Skype is to be known after their acquisition by the software giant) have decided to discontinue the licensing of Skype proprietary code that is included in the Skype for Asterisk product.
Customers can still purchase Skype for Asterisk until 26th July 2011 and Skype will continue to support the product until 2013 (and Skype "at their discretion" may continue support beyond that).
Though Skype for Asterisk only represents a small proportion of the Skype population, is this indicative of the way that Microsoft is taking the company as Asterisk and other open source solutions directly compete with some of Microsoft's offerings? If so it's a shame as it it's likely that only MS products will work with Skype and thus further locking customers into Microsoft's solutions.
Though to be fair, rumour has it that Skype was already looking at ways of ending the relationship with Digium.
Everything Everywhere and BT trial LTE800
BT and Everything Everywhere are trailing LTE (Long Term Evolution or 4G) on the 800MHz band in Cornwall. 100 mobile and 100 fixed users will take place.
800MHz is part of the spectrum that Ofcom are planning to auction this year which will is currently being used by analogue TV, though some areas have already switched over to digital so the frequencies are already clear. The whole of the UK will switch by 2012.
The trial will actually use 2 x 10MHz channels in the upper band (which Ofcom are considering how to license) and though LTE can theoretically speeds of up to 150Mb/s, Everything Everywhere have stated that users should expect between 2 and 40Mb/s.
The 800Mhz band is being auction in conjunction with the 2.6GHz band (with caps depending on what portions are being bid for) and there is expected to be considerable interest from both the existing mobile network operators and broadband providers (some of who will be new entrants).
800MHz is part of the spectrum that Ofcom are planning to auction this year which will is currently being used by analogue TV, though some areas have already switched over to digital so the frequencies are already clear. The whole of the UK will switch by 2012.
The trial will actually use 2 x 10MHz channels in the upper band (which Ofcom are considering how to license) and though LTE can theoretically speeds of up to 150Mb/s, Everything Everywhere have stated that users should expect between 2 and 40Mb/s.
The 800Mhz band is being auction in conjunction with the 2.6GHz band (with caps depending on what portions are being bid for) and there is expected to be considerable interest from both the existing mobile network operators and broadband providers (some of who will be new entrants).
Ofcom makes changes to telecoms law to benefit consumers
Ofcom the Super regulator that has responsibility for media, telecoms, radio and broadcasting has announced changes that telecoms companies will have to adopt in-line with European telecoms law.
Contracts
From May 26th 2011 telecoms operators are limited to providing 24 month contracts for telecoms services. Businesses and consumers must also be offered shorter 12 month contracts.
This will allow consumers to switch providers more easily which will allow users to chose beneficial pricing and services.
Emergency SMS
Ofcom plans to mandate the emergency SMS schmeme in the UK which allows users to text (or use the Short Message Service) to the ermgency services to 999 (or 112 the pan-European emergency services number).
Currently there is a registration scheme in operation with about 14,500 registered users. From May 26th 2011 all mobile operators will be obliged to make the scheme available on a permanent basis for hearing and speech-impaired users.
Porting Phone Numbers
On April 11 2011 Ofcom mandated all mobile operators to port numbers between networks in under 1 (working) day. This only applied to individual consumers. Now the same rules apply to businesses and other customers who may wish to port many numbers at one time.
Fixed numbers should also be ported with 1 day, though other measures have to be completed first to ensure that slamming doesn't occur (where a customer is switched to another provider without their permission).
Providers also have to pay reasonably compensation to customers if the port doesn't happen in 24 hours (or there is an abuse of the porting process).
This is all good news for the consumer and it's nice to see Ofcom mandate these changes.
Contracts
From May 26th 2011 telecoms operators are limited to providing 24 month contracts for telecoms services. Businesses and consumers must also be offered shorter 12 month contracts.
This will allow consumers to switch providers more easily which will allow users to chose beneficial pricing and services.
Emergency SMS
Ofcom plans to mandate the emergency SMS schmeme in the UK which allows users to text (or use the Short Message Service) to the ermgency services to 999 (or 112 the pan-European emergency services number).
Currently there is a registration scheme in operation with about 14,500 registered users. From May 26th 2011 all mobile operators will be obliged to make the scheme available on a permanent basis for hearing and speech-impaired users.
Porting Phone Numbers
On April 11 2011 Ofcom mandated all mobile operators to port numbers between networks in under 1 (working) day. This only applied to individual consumers. Now the same rules apply to businesses and other customers who may wish to port many numbers at one time.
Fixed numbers should also be ported with 1 day, though other measures have to be completed first to ensure that slamming doesn't occur (where a customer is switched to another provider without their permission).
Providers also have to pay reasonably compensation to customers if the port doesn't happen in 24 hours (or there is an abuse of the porting process).
This is all good news for the consumer and it's nice to see Ofcom mandate these changes.
19 Mayıs 2011 Perşembe
Vantage LEED Platinum Candidate Data Center Tour (May 9 2011)
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| Vantage Data Centers Photo: Mary Vincent |
I attended the 2011 Uptime Institute Symposium Vantage Data Center Santa Clara, California Tour.
Vantage built to the LEED Platinum Specifications and was commissioned at 1.20 PUE in early January (using airside economization) and 1.29 under full ops load with chillers on). It is the largest LEED Platinum candidate data center campus project in the US and is anticipating certification on their first building in early Summer and the second beginning in the Fall after its construction is completed. Further details on the LEED Platinum-Specific Solutions are below courtesy of Vantage Data Centers as well as some of my tour pictures.
- Security: Two Factor Authentication (Biometric Authentication minimum at all egress and ingress checkpoints - this looks at your blood vessels). CC IP HD camera monitoring throughout the entire facility. PTZ camera monitoring for all building and campus external space(s). Vantage–staffed guard station access at all main lobby areas. Two–factor campus perimeter gate control at all gates. Two–factor central plant area access, mission critical area access, and all transport/delivery access.
Substations: Dedicated dual-fed 50 MW
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| Palm Secure Photo: Mary Vincent |
Water Conservation
Energy Conservation
Material Selection
Indoor Air Quality
Site Development
Responsible Commuting
Water Efficiency Challenge
The current freshwater consumption in the U.S. exceeds what is returned to the natural water system to recharge aquifers and other water sources putting the country in a freshwater deficit.
Solution
Vantage Data Centers has incorporated several water-saving strategies into the building and site, significantly reducing the building’s potable consumption for plumbing fixtures and irrigation when compared to traditional building applications.
Strategies
Water-Efficient Landscaping
– Native and drought-tolerant plants have been installed and are irrigated with recycled water.
Low-Flow Fixtures
– Water-efficient faucets, toilets, and urinals have been installed to reduce the overall water use of the campus.
Energy & Atmosphere Challenge
Buildings consume a significant portion of the overall energy used in the United States annually. Electricity generated by fossil fuels such as oil and coal has countless negative environmental impacts associated with it including the extraction, transport, refining, and distribution of these raw materials. Coal mining destroys habitats and ruins landscapes. Fossil fuel-based generation of
electricity releases carbon dioxide into the air which plays a key role in global climate change.
Solution
Vantage Data Centers has taken considerable strides to reduce their overall energy usage in the building. Energy conservation strategies are integrated into the building design to significantly reduce energy consumption compared to a standard code compliant building.
Strategies
Structure and Insulation:
– The concrete walls and efficient roof insulation reduce the demand on the heating and cooling system.
Lighting Design and Windows
– Smart lighting design and motion sensors ensure lights are only used when necessary. Efficient windows help prevent excessive heat gain and loss to and from the building.
Equipment and Appliances
– ENERGY STAR products reduce the electricity needed for equipment and appliances.
Material & Resources Challenge
Negative environmental impacts are associated with the extraction, processing and transportation
necessary to manufacture and deliver construction materials to the building site. Activities involved with the creation of building materials may pollute the air and water, destroy natural habitats and deplete natural resources.
Solution
The Vantage Data Centers construction team purchased materials from manufacturers that incorporated recycled content into their products, thus reducing the amount of materials that end up in the nation’s landfills. For all wood on the project, the team purchased only from companies supplying wood from a sustainably managed forest.
Strategies
Recycled Content
– Over 40% of the materials used in the building were made with recycled content.
Sustainable Forested Wood
– 100% of all wood products used in the building were made with Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Certified wood.
Refurbished Materials
– 90% of all furniture used on the project came from refurbished sources.
Indoor Air Quality Challenge
Poor indoor air quality that resulting from inadequate ventilation, water treatment, and distribution of particulates and hazardous fumes through the ventilation system can have a negative impact on building occupants. Building Related Illness (BRI) and Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) are two conditions that can result from poor indoor air quality. Symptoms of SBS range from discomfort problems affecting the eyes, nose and throat while more serious BRI can take the form of asthma and allergies. These conditions can result productivity losses due to sick employees.
Solution
The Vantage Data Centers design team incorporated several strategies into the design of the building that protects both construction workers, as well as building occupants from the negative impacts associated with poor indoor air quality.
Strategies
Superior Ventilation
– Office spaces are supplied 30% more fresh air than required by building code.
Healthy Building Materials
– All paints, adhesives, sealants, and carpet products do not contain harmful pollutants.
Air Quality Management
– The construction team followed strict instructions to prevent pollution during construction. An air flush out was conducted prior to move-in.
Innovation & Design Challenge
Designing an energy efficient and environmentally responsive building will only produce long term benefits if it is properly maintained. Therefore, on-going building operations is critical to the achievement of sustainable design goals.
Solution
The Vantage Data Centers operations team has developed procedures to support the sustainable design goals of the project. These efforts focus on continuous improvement.
Strategies
Energy Use Monitoring
– Building energy use data will be analyzed to ensure that energy systems operate as designed.
Green Cleaning Program
– All cleaning projects are GREEN SEAL certified and do not negatively contribute to indoor air quality.
Recycling and Composting Program
– Recycling and compost bins are placed throughout the campus to ensure minimize the amount of waste going to the landfill.
Sustainable Sites Challenge
The use of automobiles contributes to air pollutants such as carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons (HC), and nitrogen oxides (NOx).
In addition, increased vehicles on the road means more traffic congestion, noise pollution, and requires increased infrastructure for roadways and parking lots.
Solution
Vantage Data Centers is committed to encouraging building occupants to utilize alternative forms of transportation and promoting the use of vehicles that reduce harmful emissions into the atmosphere.
Strategies
Public Transportation Access
– Two bus stops for SAMTrans and CALTrain are located within a ¼ mile of the campus.
Bicycling Facilities
– Bicycle storage facilities and showers are provided for employees and visitors.
Preferred Parking for Carpools and Low-Emitting Vehicles
– Designated parking spaces have been provided for carpools and low-emitting vehicles.
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| Vantage Data Centers Meeting Room Photo Mary Vincent |
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| Vantage Raised Floor Photo Vantage Data Centers |
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Vantage Data Centers Water Towers Photo Mary Vincent |
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| Vantage Data Centers Photo Mary Vincent |
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| Vantage Data Centers Photo Mary Vincent |
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| Vantage Data Centers Photo Mary Vincent |
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| Vantage Data Centers Photo Mary Vincent |
Video: Steve Bowes-Phipps, University of Hertfordshire 2011 Green Enterprise IT Award Winner Innovation in a Smaller Data Center
By Mary Vincent - Follow on Twitter @MaryVincent
Steve Bowes-Phipps, Data Centres Manager, University of Hertfordshire, and 2011 Green Enterprise IT Award Winner in the Innovation in a Smaller Data Center <1,000 sq ft category presented the Award-winning case study profiling a completed project (IT and/or facilities) that significantly and quantifiably improved energy efficiency in a smaller data center.
Steve Bowes-Phipps, Data Centres Manager, University of Hertfordshire, and 2011 Green Enterprise IT Award Winner in the Innovation in a Smaller Data Center <1,000 sq ft category presented the Award-winning case study profiling a completed project (IT and/or facilities) that significantly and quantifiably improved energy efficiency in a smaller data center.
A Video of his May 10, 2011 Presentation is below, and here is a Summary:
The RARE-IDC: Reduction and Re-use of Energy in Institutional Data Centers project ran from September ‘08 – June ‘10.
The RARE-IDC: Reduction and Re-use of Energy in Institutional Data Centers project ran from September ‘08 – June ‘10.
This project achieved the goals for the University of Hertfordshire, but also provided transferable models both for delivering low power alternatives for ICT services, and for efficient sustainable operational arrangements.
These were of benefit to most HE/FE communities and contribute to the UK’s JISC Institutional Innovation Programme and more specifically to the JISC-funded Managed Environmentally Sustainable ICT in Further and Higher Education (SusteIT) project.
Project Aims:
1. To refurbish one of the two existing Data Centers at The University of Hertfordshire into a tier-2 facility with:
a. Cooling and energy provision to ensure a more sustainable and efficient Data Center.
b. Provide a full solution including capacity planning, cabinets, cooling solutions, power and redundancy, and building management (fire suppression, water detection etc)
c. To allow for future growth of at least 50%.
2. To use “Green” solutions wherever possible. Looking at new sustainable technology for Data Centers even if not suitable for the final solution.
3. To reduce the total operational cost of running the Data Center.
4. To reduce the current PUE (Power Usage Effectiveness; the ratio of power delivered to I.T. equipment to the total amount of power used by the Data Center) from 2.2 to < 2.0
5. All available solutions were fully documented to form part of a Feasibility study. The winning contractor worked with the University to help identify and deliver the final solution.
Markku Vieri, Director of Datacenter Services, Tieto (2011 Green Enterprise IT Award Winner)
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| Markku Vieri (Photo Mary Vincent) |
Tieto, the winner of the Uptime Institute's 2011 Green Enterprise IT Award in the Beyond the Data Center category, presented their award-winning case study profiling an enterprise IT project that saves energy and focuses on Distributed Heating using Data Center Waste Heat.
Markku Vieri, Director of Datacenter Services, Tieto, presented their new data center solution focused on energy efficiency. The volume of the heat put back into the district heat network is greater than in any other similar solution.
The PUE value of the system’s energy efficiency is 1.2–1.3. The center produces 30 gigawatt hours of heat, which is the equivalent of the annual heat requirement for about 1,500 houses.
Here are some Key Points from Markku's Presentation:
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| Cooling & Heat Recycling Slide |
- The data centre is located in Finland's Helsinki area.
- PUE as measured in site acceptance test
- The initial size was 1,000 square meters of data center space
- The main planning criteria of the centre was energy efficiency (the volume of heat recovered into the city's district heat network will be greater than any similar solution has ever achieved.)
- The target PUE is 1.2 - 1.3
- They purchase cold water from the power distribution company
- Heat Control is designed for high heat output
- It's an extremely co-efficient way to cool a server centre
- The first stage of the server center will produce approximately 30 gigawatt hours of heat per year, equivalent to 1500 houses heated annually
- There is a Green Operations Policy
- There is zero tolerance on hazardous substance emissions
- There are dual security containers on diesel fuel
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| Markku with Cooling & Heat Recycling Slide |
- SAT1 on December 14, 2010 -> 1.3 PUE
- There are no metrics for energy recycling. All heat load is recycled 24/365.
During Q&A, there was an audience question whether this Initiative was an ROI directive or was it more environmental. Markku said it was environmental, and that customers are demanding more Green IT. There were also no government incentives.
I asked Markku if their customers' environmental drivers may have been impacted by WRI and/or other mandated EU carbon reduction policies, and he wasn't aware if that was part of their customers' environmental drivers.
Congratulations Markku and Tieto on your Green Enterprise IT Award!
Congratulations Markku and Tieto on your Green Enterprise IT Award!
13 Mayıs 2011 Cuma
Video: CERES Session - Advancing Clean Energy in the U.S. and China
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| Photo: Mary Vincent |
The Ceres Conference held a session called: 'Collaborators or Competitors - Advancing Clean Energy in the U.S. and China' on May 12, 2011 in Oakland, California.
The Speakers included:
-Dr. Zhengrong Shi, Chairman and CEO, Suntech
-Jon Krahulik, Global Head of Clean Technology Investment Banking, Bank of America Merrill Lynch
-Jon Krahulik, Global Head of Clean Technology Investment Banking, Bank of America Merrill Lynch
-Dr. Jiang Lin, Senior Vice President and Director of China Sustainable Energy Program, The Energy Foundation
-Liza Tucker, Senior Sustainability Editor, Marketplace Radio (moderator)
There were many great themes discussed in the video below, and one of my favorite was the quote: "Do not underestimate the importance of incremental innovation".
There were many great themes discussed in the video below, and one of my favorite was the quote: "Do not underestimate the importance of incremental innovation".
Here's the video in 2 parts:
Part 1 of 2 (video ends at 24 minutes) - Please move to Part 2 below
Part 2 of 2
If you're interested in learning more about the China American Clean Tech Discussion, see my video and article about US Secretary of Energy Steven Chu discussing this at the recent 2011 Berkeley Stanford Clean Tech San Francisco Conference.
9 Mayıs 2011 Pazartesi
Calibre an eBook tool
Calibre is available in versions for Windows, MacOS X and Linux, it's an eBook reader and a lot more, really an eBook toolbox that allows conversion of one eBook format to another. It can also manage an eBook library and supports lots of eBooks readers such as the iPad, Nook, Kindle etc.
If you happen to have downloaded an eBook, but the metadata is wrong or missing it's possible to enter the data yourself or get Calibre to search various sources (Google, Amazon, Overdrive) and find matching books, you then get the choice of what data to use and even choose the cover if there are variants.
You can even search for eBook on-line and Calibre will show which are available, their price and whether they have DRM or not. You can click on your choice and be taken directly to the eBook on the source website.
Calibre is an invaluable tool for all eBook owners.
If you happen to have downloaded an eBook, but the metadata is wrong or missing it's possible to enter the data yourself or get Calibre to search various sources (Google, Amazon, Overdrive) and find matching books, you then get the choice of what data to use and even choose the cover if there are variants.
You can even search for eBook on-line and Calibre will show which are available, their price and whether they have DRM or not. You can click on your choice and be taken directly to the eBook on the source website.
Calibre is an invaluable tool for all eBook owners.
Nissan LEAF 100% Electric Test-Drive
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| 2011 Nissan LEAF Photo: Mary Vincent |
I had the great opportunity of driving the Nissan LEAF Pre-Production Vehicle, along with testing out its associated iPhone app last weekend through San Francisco and Silicon Valley.
As many of you know, the 2011 Nissan LEAF SL-E is a 100% electric, no gas, zero emission vehicle that's 99 MPG equivalent (combined city and highway) 106 city and 92 highway. The annual electric cost is $561. The manufacturers suggested retail base price is $33,720. The vehicle I tested was $35,430 which included an eco-design package (hologram 3D door entry plates, exterior zero emission graphic) and protection package (bumper protectors).
As a person with a software product management background, I'll go through some of the Specifications first, then describe the driving experience:
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| Charge Port Photo: Mary Vincent |
-80kW AC Synchronous Motor
-Vehicle Speed-Sensitive Power Steering
-Front and Rear Stabilizer Bars
-4-Wheel Power Assisted Vented Disc Brakes
-16” Alloy Wheels
-3.3 kW Onboard Charger
-Portable Trickle Charge Cable (120V EVSE)
-Quick Charge Port
-24 kWh Lithium-Ion battery
-”Coasting” Regenerative Brake
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| iPhone App Photo: Mary Vincent |
The vehicle has telematic capabilities that enable you to perform remote functions from a compatible enabled smart phone or personal computer such as:
-Battery status – The status of the battery can be checked even if you're not in the vehicle
-Unplugged status and charging status – A notification email can be sent if the charge connector is not connected when the charging timer is set or if battery charging is stopped halfway
-Remote charge and remote climate control – Set a time to start battery charging or to turn on climate controls
Approaching Vehicle Sound:
There's an approaching vehicle sound for pedestrians (VSP) system, which helps alert pedestrians to the presence of the vehicle when it's being driven at low speed. The sound stops when the vehicle speed reaches approximately 19 MPH (30 km/h) while accelerating.
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| Solar Spoiler Photo: Nissan |
There's a Solar Cell Module which helps provide a supplementary charge to the 12-volt battery that supplies power to the audio system, windshield wipers, lights, and other low-voltage systems.
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| Battery Gauge, Power Meter, Temperature Gauge Photo: Mary Vincent |
There's a LI-ION Battery Gauge on the dash which displays the approximate available Li-ion battery power remaining to drive the vehicle.
Three Charge Methods:
There are 3 charge methods available: normal charge, trickle charge and quick charge (if so equipped).
-Normal Charge: Perform a normal charge using the charger installed in your home. It takes approximately 7 hours to charge the Li-ion battery from empty to full. To charge the vehicle turn the power switch off, pull the charge port lid opener handle located below the instrument panel to the left of the steering wheel, press the charge port tab and open the cap. Connect the charge connector to the charge port, and when connected correctly, a beep will sound once.
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| Shift Control System Photo: Mary Vincent |
-Quick Charge (if so equipped) – Perform a quick charge by connecting the charge connector of a quick charger at a charge station to the vehicle. It takes approximately 30 minutes to charge the Li-ion battery when the low battery charge warning light turns on.
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| GPS Photo: Mary Vincent |
One nice feature about the GPS is that when you add an address that is beyond the current charge range, a message will appear saying you don't have enough charge to reach your destination. The system will prompt you to locate a nearby charging station. The interactive touch-screen also has a separate feature where you can find the nearest charging station at any time.
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| Golden Gate Bridge Photo: Mary Vincent |
Driving the Glacier Pearl colored Nissan LEAF was superb. Btw - I wonder if the 'Glacier' name was specifically chosen because of climate change and the melting glaciers. If so, that was a very appropriate name.
The handling around curves, quick acceleration on San Francisco Bay Area highway on-ramps, and acceleration on San Francisco's almost vertical hills was impressive. Also being 5'9”, I was able to drive very comfortably. With the right charge planning, I was able to drive from Silicon Valley to San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge. If I didn't make several San Francisco detours, I would have easily been able to head back to Silicon Valley without charging again. I did have to charge again in San Francisco before heading back however because of the multiple San Francisco destinations.
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| Backup Camera Photo: Mary Vincent |
Conclusion:
Excellent work Nissan in providing a high-quality 99 MPG equivalent electric car that is addicting to drive. The Price is more affordable than the electric tesla cars. I was a bit sad when I had to give the car back, even more when I had to pay the high prices at the gas station this weekend. I've included more pictures below for your reference.
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| 2011 Nissan Leaf Photo Mary Vincent |
5 Mayıs 2011 Perşembe
Video: Thomas Friedman 'Democracy and Energy - The View from Tahrir Square' (Stanford University May 4 2011)
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| Thomas Friedman |
Thomas Friedman, the three-time Pulitzer Prize Winner and foreign affairs columnist for The New York Times spoke at Stanford University May 4, 2011 on the topic Democracy and Energy: The View from Tahrir Square.
The video is below, along with one Q&A question posed by Larry Diamond, senior fellow at the Hoover Institution and director of Stanford University's Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law.
Here's the Synopsis: Thomas Friedman discusses the US's historical political and oil relationship with the Middle East, the Egyptian Revolution, bottom-up leadership, climate change, more food crops destroyed by climate change in 2010 than any other time in history, higher food prices, need for price stability for VC investment, and actions the US should take.
Post Video: Friedman then discussed how the Chamber of Commerce needs to agree on an Energy Policy, his disappointment with Obama on not fighting harder for a real Climate Policy and the need for Carbon Credits. Friedman actually used the word 'Pathetic' in describing Obama's climate performance. He said the US government needs to put policies and levers in place to promote the right societal and investment changes. He says we're taunting Mother Nature, and the Earth is our only home.
Friedman also agreed we are in a digital revolution, and Twitter and Facebook are very important in politics these days especially with its strong influence on the Egyptian Revolution, however, he points out that Governments are still 'analog'. Friedman said it took people to stand in Tahrir Square and say, "We're not leaving".
Please let me know your thoughts on the video and any other comments you'd like to share.
Part 1 of 2
Part 2 of 2
Friedman notes in his conclusion (my video storage was up) that we're already paying the Oil Cartels a Tax which is building their infrastructure, supporting their education etc. The US should not be paying an oil tax to someone else but instead use the money to support investments in our own infrastructure and economy. The Stanford audience then erupted into loud applause.