Useless Conversation

[ghost]

What's the other option, other than gasoline?  Fitting the buses out for NG is really expensive. 

[Draegan]

I'm using XChat IRC and I just installed it and when you load it up the server selection screen comes up.  When you click on connect it appears that the window is launched out of the bounds of the monitor.  Using the move feature doesn't seem to work.

Move, resize, cascade windows, I can't pick it up.

I can't think of what to do.  Any help?

[Chimpy]

What's the other option, other than gasoline?  Fitting the buses out for NG is really expensive. 

Diesel? It is the most common engine type for city buses in the US I am pretty sure.

The bus company here has been buying a lot of diesel hybrid buses over the last few years (and continues to) with about 35% of their routes during normal service being on the hybrids. They apparently are saving them a lot of money and they are like a bagillion times quieter.

[ghost]

Yeah, I was just lumping diesel in with gasoline in my mind.  I know they're different, but I was visualizing something more exotic.

[satael]

I'm using XChat IRC and I just installed it and when you load it up the server selection screen comes up.  When you click on connect it appears that the window is launched out of the bounds of the monitor.  Using the move feature doesn't seem to work.

Move, resize, cascade windows, I can't pick it up.

I can't think of what to do.  Any help?

this might help:
http://forum.xchat.org/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=5729&p=19495&hilit=dual+screen#p19495

[Selby]

Yeah, I was just lumping diesel in with gasoline in my mind.  I know they're different, but I was visualizing something more exotic.

Well you've got gas, diesel, electric, hybrid electric\gas(or diesel), natural gas, and propane.  In the US, gas is king because of the distribution network and how easy it is to "recharge" the tank.  Diesel is similar.  Propane and natural gas are great alternatives, but expensive to convert and require re-tuning and jetting of the fuel circuits (easy on fuel injection, more work on carburetors) but the distribution system stinks here.  Outside of airports, I don't know where natural gas is available up here in the Bay Area, and San Jose or Oakland is a pretty long way to drive to refill the tank if you live in Livermore or Burlingame.  Electric is a good idea, but the battery range and recharge times just aren't there to make it practical and replace gas as a long term solution.  The recharge station network is increasing, which is a good thing, except that it takes 10-15 hours to recharge fully...  Hybrids make the best of both worlds, albeit still dependent on fossil fuels.

[Draegan]

I'm using XChat IRC and I just installed it and when you load it up the server selection screen comes up.  When you click on connect it appears that the window is launched out of the bounds of the monitor.  Using the move feature doesn't seem to work.

Move, resize, cascade windows, I can't pick it up.

I can't think of what to do.  Any help?

this might help:
http://forum.xchat.org/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=5729&p=19495&hilit=dual+screen#p19495

That's the first thing I tried, and it didn't work.  I'll try again I suppose, but I ended up finding another IRC client.

[Draegan]

I just finally finished my office:

[ghost]

Nice beer!   

It's awfully clean, for an office. 

[Sky]

What's the other option, other than gasoline?  Fitting the buses out for NG is really expensive. 

Natural Gas extraction is kinda shitty to the communities it sits under. It's not a good alternative fuel option.

[ghost]

What's the other option, other than gasoline?  Fitting the buses out for NG is really expensive.  

Natural Gas extraction is kinda shitty to the communities it sits under. It's not a good alternative fuel option.

I wasn't suggesting that it was.

In my earlier post I was referring only the the engines/cost of fuel themselves, not the fracking, etc.  

And I think a lot of that depends upon your point of view.  There are several small communities south of San Antonio that have experienced crazy "gold rush" type influxes of money from fracking and it has completely changed them for the better for many of the residents.  The long term effects are not likely to be good, but you'd get a stout argument from most of the residents of these communities.  

[Draegan]

Nice beer!   

It's awfully clean, for an office. 

It's clean because I just moved in.  Fresh paint, cleaned up/new drywall, and a carpet that was installed on Wednesday!

[Xanthippe]

I hate Prius drivers. There are way too many of them where I live.

I don't hate Prius drivers, but I hate hypermilers with the intensity of a thousand exploding suns.  Prius drivers do tend to engage in this behavior more than other drivers, largely because they have the little 'video game' display that shows them if they're 'winning'.  If they're driving like a normal commuter, who cares what car they're in?

Those are the ones I'm talking about. That's the only reason I notice them; they don't drive normally.

[ghost]

My experience with Prius drivers is that they think their car has two speeds-  stop and full blast.  But that may just be Texas......

[Hammond]

Yeah, I was just lumping diesel in with gasoline in my mind.  I know they're different, but I was visualizing something more exotic.

Well you've got gas, diesel, electric, hybrid electric\gas(or diesel), natural gas, and propane.  In the US, gas is king because of the distribution network and how easy it is to "recharge" the tank.  Diesel is similar.  Propane and natural gas are great alternatives, but expensive to convert and require re-tuning and jetting of the fuel circuits (easy on fuel injection, more work on carburetors) but the distribution system stinks here.  Outside of airports, I don't know where natural gas is available up here in the Bay Area, and San Jose or Oakland is a pretty long way to drive to refill the tank if you live in Livermore or Burlingame.  Electric is a good idea, but the battery range and recharge times just aren't there to make it practical and replace gas as a long term solution.  The recharge station network is increasing, which is a good thing, except that it takes 10-15 hours to recharge fully...  Hybrids make the best of both worlds, albeit still dependent on fossil fuels.

Just checking the bay area it looks like there are several refueling stations within San Francisco.  http://www.cngnow.com/stations/Pages/information.aspx  I am not saying its on every corner and it is more orientated for commercial rigs but it is there.

[HaemishM]

Whatever happened to using liquified natural gas as a fuel for cars/trucks? What's the downside?

Fracking.

[Minvaren]

And the fact that the tank needs to be a cylinder.  Not such a big deal in a pickup or SUV, but in cars you'll lose some to all of your trunk.

[Salamok]

Isn't the down side to NG the fact that it is difficult to transport, I thought I read somewhere that at many well sites where it is plentiful they just burn it off because getting NG in quantity from an oil derrick to a place where it will get used is not easily done.

[ghost]

According to my buddy, who is COO of an oil well services company that does the procedure, fracking is perfectly safe.   

His boss just gave him a gold Presidente the other day.  I'm sure fracking is perfectly legit. 

[Mosesandstick]

Natural gas is pretty shitty for vehicles. Poor energy density and its not cheap having a car that can use it as a fuel. Generally you'll only find natural gas vehicles in countries that have a lot more natural gas than oil.

[ghost]

Generally you'll only find natural gas vehicles in countries that have a lot more natural gas than oil.

That only makes sense.  One could imagine that the efficiency would get better as the technology improved.  Many moons ago gasoline was shitty for engines.  We've improved the engines over time to make it work better. 

[Sky]

The US has a shitload of NG in shale beds. I live at the edge of three of them.

[ghost]

Do you have much fracking there?  It's rampant in south Texas.  We depend upon our aquifers for our water supply, so I'm a little (a lot, actually) worried about what will happen with it long term, but there's nothing I can do to hold it back now. 

[MisterNoisy]

Do you have much fracking there?  It's rampant in south Texas.  We depend upon our aquifers for our water supply, so I'm a little (a lot, actually) worried about what will happen with it long term, but there's nothing I can do to hold it back now. 

All the downsides notwithstanding, at least you'll be able to light your faucets on fire for emergency lighting in the event of a power outage.   

[Merusk]

Buy stock in bottled water. You think it's big NOW? Ha!

[Morat20]

Nasa has the tech to turn urine into distilled water, just saying. :) I think you can buy it already, aimed at survivalists and hunters. It's some sort of "pee in this bag, water magically comes out the other end". :)

Also, really big with municipal authorities for handing grey water. So you can get bottled water, or drink recycled pee. Given that I firmly believe most bottled water is probably tap water with added minerals, same thing. :)

Also, reinstalling a very old (pre Service Pack 1) Vista on a clean drive. You'd THINK that Windows Update would go "Hey, look, Vista Service Packs 1 and 2. Let's install those!".

Nope, I made the mistake of not glancing at the list, saw a 100+ updates, let it run overnight. THEN it got to SP1. I'm installing SP2 by hand now (Windows Update got into a lovely "I downloaded it and think it's installed, but I totally didn't!" loop. Downloading the file and manually running it fixed it, so I just did SP2 the same way).

I still haven't gotten to the actual "move files from old hard drive" bit -- or upgrading IE, or installing office, or ANYTHING. Just goddamn Windows.

[Strazos]

Also, reinstalling a very old (pre Service Pack 1) Vista

Why do you hate your wife?

[Ironwood]

When she swallows, she can get Windows 7.

[ghost]

Why don't you just put a Linux distribution on her computer?  If she just surfs the net and does basic shit that's all you'd need. 

[Morat20]

Also, reinstalling a very old (pre Service Pack 1) Vista

Why do you hate your wife?

Because she gives her laptop Computer Space Herpes and makes me clean it? Duh. :)

Vista's what she has, I'm too lazy to pay for an upgrade to 7 (and my experience with upgrading Operating Systes is, you know, don't. EVER. Fresh or nothing. None of this unstall and upgrade shit).

Older laptop, older OS. Going quite smoothly now. I just downloaded and installed the service packs by hand and life went much better. Got Office 2007 updating now, then time to triple-check her old stuff for Computer Space Herpes, then bring it over. She's got an iPad now that she'll probably use for everything but word processing, so liklihood of further crap is low.

As for Linux, no. I'd be fine with it, she wouldn't. *shrug*.

[Lantyssa]

You can always install the latest service pack as it supercedes all previous ones.  There's no need to do 1 then 2. 

[MuffinMan]

Vista's what she has, I'm too lazy to pay for an upgrade to 7 (and my experience with upgrading Operating Systes is, you know, don't. EVER. Fresh or nothing. None of this unstall and upgrade shit).

I don't think upgrade versions have the stigma that they used to. Windows 7 gives you the option to do a clean install with the upgrade version.

[Morat20]

You can always install the latest service pack as it supercedes all previous ones.  There's no need to do 1 then 2.  

I realized that as I was installing Service Pack 2. I'm a bit out of practice on the IT front. Honestly, last five or so years -- wife aside -- there's been a lot less need for me to handle everyone else's tech problems, and a lot less need for full resets and recoveries.

That's a pretty good thing, all things considered. I don't think I've had to nuke an OS in a good five or ten years, although I'm only talking maybe ten or so PC's that I'm the "family IT guy" for. Not a huge sample.

Windows has some pretty decent automated tools these days, although it always annoys me to run a fixit tool when an install or update fails. If you have an automated fix, why doesn't your updater run it if finds a problem?

MuffinMan:
I think you're right -- just an old habit from the bad days. :) Windows has only been a mature operating system for what, a decade? At most? I've got habitually paranoia going back to the early 90s and DOS.

[Chimpy]

Fuck the Olympics, watching a bunch of engineers biting their nails for ten minutes and then erupting into cheers when they get confirmation their robot landed as planned is where it is at (and no NBC tape delay).

[Miasma]

After watching the video of how that landing that was supposed to work I am astonished they pulled it off.  Nice work.  Although I don't really see why you have to spend that much money and mind power on something which is basically pointless.  We could have had our damn flying cars by now.