Peter's Laws Archives - Michaels Energy

Apr 25

Climate Change II – Join ‘em, then Beat ‘em

By Jeff Ihnen Energy Rant No Comments

A common stereotype of engineers is that they were tinkerers as children. They like to tear things apart to see how they work, build things, and fix things. Not me. I was regularly egged on by my parents as a superior mathematician. Indeed, math was natural for me through three semesters of calculus plus differential equations in college. A few other things led me to the miraculous position I have today: a how and what-if mentality, a hard-wired instinct for resource preservation, and relentless identification of flaws and potential/probable improvements. Add to these things a cold demeanor toward facts and...

Jul 26

Love0

Protest, Loser

By Jeff Ihnen Energy Efficiency, Government, Utility Stuff No Comments

It has been quite a year for protests. From Glenn Beck (although he swears it wasn’t a protest) and Jon Stewart (ditto) taking up the entire National Mall in Washington, to the months long battle royale in the 85 square miles surrounded by reality – also known as Madison, WI. For what it’s worth, you can check out the spin in both directions regarding the recent jobs report and Wisconsin. More time is needed to draw any conclusions. The primary problem of course in all these cases, including the greased pig wrasslin match in Washington in recent weeks, is governments...