12.28.2K6: Lack of energy consensus breeds disallusionment

As our energy situation worsens, there is a lot of talk about alternatives that will, by some stretch of luck, save us from ourselves. However, I've noticed that for every energy alternative raised, there is someone who will point out that it will only replace a fraction of our energy reserves. In other words, there is no single energy alternative that will save us.

Once people hear that, they tend to deflate, their enthusiasm for alternative energy is gone. But that is because so many people want to fixate on just one energy alternative... when there are several: Solar; Wind; Water; Tidal; Geothermal; Nuclear; Biofuels; Hydrogen; Algae; Human energy. These are all energy alternatives, some better suited for certain jobs than others.

And when it comes to providing alternatives to foreign oil, we should not be looking at one or a few of these alternatives, we need to adopt all of them. Individually, they may be only a fraction of our fuel needs... but together, and when combined with conservation and recycling, they will make up a substantial whole.

So don't be forced off-message because the one tree you're watching isn't growing so fast. Step back, and take a look at the whole forest.

12.23.2K6: E-books not high on Xmas lists

As the holidays have developed, Elmo has gotten extreme, portable DVD players have been replaced by iPod accessories from Hell, and Sony has everyone looking over their shoulder for surprise flat-screen TV sales. Yet with all of this gift-buying hoopla, there is still one item that is not being put on Christmas lists, or being snapped up for lucky boys and girls: e-books.

It's such a shame, too, if you think about it. E-books are great gifts, because they can be enjoyed anywhere... they are their own source of entertainment, and education... they help to pass the time when nothing else is going on.

And during the hectic holidays, purchasing an e-book can't be easier... you just order it online, download it on the spot, and you're done! No shlepping through insane malls... no shipping costs! How can you beat that?

Of course, you need something to read them on. But in fact, lots of people already have devices all set to read e-books, including handheld computers and blackberries, smartphones and some cellphones, and even portable game players. Even if they didn't, it wouldn't hurt to buy an e-book reader for someone, and start a trend of...

But no. It's just not happening. At least, not this year.

My own marketing efforts have clearly demonstrated that good reviews, word-of-mouth and forum participation aren't enough to get e-book sales going on their own. More aggressive marketing is clearly needed, but that tends to be expensive. And I haven't thought of anything so novel as to catch the general public's attention. As a result, this will be a year of low sales for e-books in general, and mine in particular.

But maybe next year, one of my reviews will get major media exposure. Maybe next year, I'll have some money to spend on a real advertising campaign. Maybe next year, I'll think up the viral ad that will be the toast of 2007. Maybe...

Ah, heck. Go buy a book, willya?

12.7.2K6: The 40% efficient solar cell!

Boeing-Spectrolab has developed a solar cell that converts over 40% of the Sun's energy into electricity!

The breakthrough came in combining silicon, the most common material in solar cell design, with an additional material that allows the cell to convert a larger proportion of the light spectrum into electricity. The visible part of the light spectrum is miniscule compared to the overall spectrum, and the more of that spectrum the cell can "see," the more energy it can absorb.

Presently, the best commercially-available solar cells convert less than 25% of the Sun's energy into electricity. This, and the high cost of manufacturing and materials, has kept solar cells, one of the most pollution-free alternative power sources, out of the price range of most people and many businesses.

But with companies like Boeing-Spectrolab, Sharp, Honda and others entering the solar cell market, and the Department of Energy financing research projects across the country, efficiencies of over 30% have been reported by many companies, and efforts are underway to bring manufacturing costs down. Boeing-Spectrolab's claimed target is to be able to sell the cells for $1 a watt, making the technology affordable to most, and eventually cost-competitive (especially when you total in the additional pollution cleanup costs of the cheapest power sources, oil, coal, and nuclear).

12.6.2K6: The Web still largely ignores the disabled

A Reuters article posted to C|Net's News.com cites a report commissioned by the United Nations, that finds that the vast majority of web sites worldwide are not accessible to the disabled.

The study found that most web sites use Javascript on their sites, a popular programming language that makes pop-ups, animated buttons, and other special features, possible. But these features are lost on someone who cannot see, or control a mouse. Another problem was graphic elements without accompanying descriptive text, something that is embedded in the HTML code, and which allows a visually impaired person to know what a graphic element represents... without that, a pretty page of graphics is blank to them. A third common problem is lack of contrast between backgrounds and text, which can be hard or impossible to read if you are color-blind.

I thought it particularly ironic that C|Net posted the article, because their site is among those that discriminate against the disabled through using Javascript elements throughout their site, and knowing this, they've never shown any concern.

This site, of course, is compliant with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (formerly known as the Americans With Disabilities Act), which means that it can be fully accessed by those with visual, aural and motor disabilities, and I'm happy to take the time to make sure my site is always compliant. After all, disabled people like books, too (and for some of those, my books will be easier to access than print-based books). Why alienate a potential customer? Not to mention any human being.

12.4.2K6: Biting my tongue

I spent a great deal of today biting my tongue, while I read a particular set of articles on C|Net's News.com. The articles involved virtual worlds... one article discussed governments' attempts to figure out how to tax online transactions within virtual worlds, and whether virtual currency earned could be taxable in the real world. The other article discussed whether virtual worlds needed laws and governance.

Naturally, there were plenty of comments pro and con within the online world. Online gamers and other virtual participants insisted the whole idea of online taxes and government was lunacy at its base. Others saw the issue as a clear sign that virtual worlds were becoming viable and valuable. I wanted to put in my 2 cents' worth, but I refrained.

Why? Well, only because it happens to be a major theme of the novel I'm currently working on. Without going into any details, the story involves a virtual world that is tightly tied to the real world, with real-world consequences to virtual events. I didn't want to tip my hand in public too soon (I consider this Techlog safe ground, since I know only 3 people in the world actually read this stuff, and I'm one of them!), so I avoided making any observations or airing my opinions in the discussion areas.

However, seeing the articles, and the debates, going on around these subjects, it makes me glad that a novel I'm working on will be so topical and timely. And hopefully a bit more popular than Factory Orbit turned out to be.