A year of baking from Tartine Bread.
Category Archives: thoughts
The End of Car
How I learned to quit driving and love the tetanus train.
2017 Bolt EV First Impressions
The first Bolt EV that I saw with my own eyes was the one I picked up last Saturday, and ordered a couple of months ago (before it was actually for sale). People ask me why I would buy a new car sight unseen… When I first drove a Volt, I knew it was a glimpse …
Finding Lorenzo
Travels through Scandinavia, Germany, and Sicily (including Catania, Borgo Bonsignore, and Sciacca), thoughts on #BREXIT, and adventures in self-publishing.
Open 3D Human Anatomy
There isn’t much that is “open” in the proprietary world of medical device design and development. Designs are guarded, competition is spirited, employees and vendors are bound by strict non-disclosure agreements. Yet for all the varied and confidential pursuits that we undertake in this industry, we all have at least one interest in common: human …
One Year of Electric Driving
I’ve driven my Chevy Volt for over a year now, and the numbers are in, with help from voltstats.net: 12,376 total miles driven 9,956 battery powered electric miles (80%) 2,420 gasoline generator powered miles (20%) 68 gallons of gasoline The majority of my driving is a 34 mile round trip, easily less than my fully …
Open Source Human Anatomy
I first saw a MakerBot Thing-O-Matic in action at the 2011 Bay Area Maker Faire, and it was truly a thing of beauty. I’ve used rapid prototyping machines and services since the mid 90’s, but here was something that you could build yourself, and have on your own desk! Wow. Later in the year, I …
Proposed change to PG&E E9 Time-of-Use Plan
I’ve had the Volt for about a month now, and my electron-fueled travels have been perfectly fantastic. As of this afternoon, I have driven 1,002.7 miles and consumed 1.1 gallons of gas. Still, I can not yet answer the question that I get most often: “What about your electric bill?” At the beginning of the …
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Decoding Time of Use Rate Plans
While I’m waiting for the new Volt to arrive, I’ve been researching the economics of a residential solar system. By “researching,” I actually mean geeking-out on all the technical details, and attempting to unravel and reconstruct the engineering and economics of the systems that I’m considering. There have been many discoveries along the way, some …
Buying a 2012 Chevy Volt
I’ve owned mostly German and Japanese cars, so when we traded in the Subaru Legacy for a 2010 Chevy Equinox last year, it was quite a leap of faith. A Government Motors vehicle in my garage? Strange but true. We have been impressed with just about everything – utility, handling, comfort, reliability, styling. And had …