I'm surprised Wallyworld doesn't do that as well. A few years ago we had all sorts of trouble finding a charged buggy for my mother. They had some that were marked for AM use (they were on charge and off-limits when we were there) and the PM units were as dead as Slowman. Maybe they don't want the cost of a kid to attend to them.
A lot of people unhook one from a charger and take it, leaving sitting it dead in the parking lot or somewhere in the store. Even after being told the battery is run down, they won't listen. I see it in grocery stores, too. Publix Supermarkets send someone out to the car when some using a cart checks out so they can bring it in and put it on charge right away, and they still have problems.
-- You can't have a sense of humor, if you have no sense.
Depends on cost vs convenience? Regular deep discharge does the battery life no good, and even less good for the cheap batteries.
Nah, quick 'n' dirty charge to gassing voltage (say C/5) puts
80% of energy back into battery, it's getting that last 20% energy back in that takes time and care.Cheap pulse chargers would do, then do a weekly or monthly equalisation charge (say C/20) over night with a decent charger.
Second shift battery packs? No point stalling a cart just for charging the batteries.
Technique used decades ago for battery forklifts, they disabled the lift mechanism when battery was low on load, still enough charge to drive forklift to charging station.
Not so handy for golf carts, but at least getting back at slow speed better than walking back?
Grant.
Two good ideas. Extra battery pack makes good economical sense - twice the utility of the main assets (golf cart) and longer life from the disposable assets giving lower running cost. You do need a more handy worker taking care of the the carts but that is a solvable problem.
Also the speed regulation when the battery is low is good. You could also add a flashing light/signal saying low battery and some sort of proximity triggered power lock out to make sure a flat battery pack is not used to send a cart out.
-- We have failed to address the fundamental truth that endless growth is impossible in a finite world.
True in principle, but today's world is a very long way from these limits.
NT
Microelectronics, not so much.
One can seldom be sure what technology lies ahead, but I envision a likelyish step being printed electronics. Then we can have a book with electronics printed on every page for 10 bucks... a huge leap forward in what can be done for practical cost. That might enable 20 buck computers with 200 cores, power generating exterior render, universal climate control, tv wallpaper and so on.
NT
Maybe. Not likely. Completely irrelevant.
=20
We are already at a point where electronic gadgets are causing more = problems=20 than they solve.
Accidents due to distracted driving while texting or arguing on-line.
Social isolation and dependence on electronic means for communication.
Inability to solve problems without high tech electronic crutches.
Overspending and personal debt caused by perceived need for ever more=20 advanced and expensive entertainment devices.
Obesity and poor health due to sedentary lifestyles based on computers = and=20 electronic games.
Depletion of scarce and valuable resources used by advanced electronics.
"Throw-away" mentality that transfers to lack of respect for animal life =
(including human).
Technology originally held the promise of reducing our time and effort = spent=20 at labor, so we would have more time to socialize and enjoy nature. = Instead,=20 we spend more time and energy commuting, working late, and being = entertained=20 by personal electronic devices, and we are either stressed out or bored. =
Corporate advertising creates an unnatural perceived need for these new = toys=20 in order to boost demand and raise profits. The suburban lifestyle has=20 created isolated islands where people distance themselves from others = and=20 lose themselves in an artificial fantasy world.
And we are depleting and spoiling the resources we really need, such as=20 water, air, food, and land, as well as creating a society where violence = is=20 glorified and greed is considered business as usual. Eventually the most =
valuable gadgets will be water filters, breathing devices, and farm=20 machinery, and the truly rich will be those who know how to survive in=20 what's left of the natural world.
Paul=20
One could say the same for someone who lived in Kansas on a farm in the 1890s...
In 1989, a decent VCR was like $700. The equivalent now, say a BluRay is closer to $70. The cost reduced is real cost. As someone who really doesn't depend on electronics for entertainment any more ( except here - and that's a hobby, not entertainment ) I'd say that we spend less on it than ever before.
That is not clear... most of the edges in technology depend on stupefying mundane resources. The "advanced" part is generally the software ( no offense! ) and that doesn't burn anything but calories....
I expect that's a problematic hypothesis. And I've known several hunters who respected animal life plenty. Down t' the WalMart, we use reusable green bags rather than those flimsy plastic ones. We don't throw as much away as we used to.
I'm pretty much neither. Maybe I'm doing it wrong?
beautifully put. It's, uh, mostly stopped working, though.
Ah.... no.
Less so every year.
I'm not sure about that in any direction. We objectify violence more since the main way we experience it is through entertainment product. it's more abstract.
We don't have a good working definition of greed any more. Consumer surplus makes it a public good.
Well then - we had a good run. We will have left better artifacts than the dinosaurs.
-- Les Cargill
...
Tell that to a young adult subjected to a glassing attack, or being king hit while waiting in the taxi rank with dozens of other young kids. I was told these tales by a doctor who is now working in ED, sewing up the broken people.
Glassed (face cut open with a broken glass) by a toal stranger.
I've seen xrays of people with permanent facial bone structure damage, no hope of being fixed in one case as damage was too near the eyes.
What sort of culture encourages this behaviour? I live in a regional town of about 120k people. We have a ffew venues clustered near city centre, much vandalism and violence, drug and alcohol fueled. But such an underlying anger at the world and others?
Violence to strangers, what is it we're missing here, there's no running wars in AU.
While we export manufacturing to Asia?
...
Artifacts will not last long, are they useful as was the facing on the pyramids for building housing?
Grant.
Not to mention the calories saved. Our economy is *far* more efficient if measured by GDP/GWh.
Blame that on microelectronics? Next you'll blame Obama on microelectronics, when it's really all George Bush's fault.
Yeah, without microelectronics there would be no Walmart and the plastic bags would be so much more sturdy.
Speak for yourself.
No, he needs serious help. Most lefties do.
It's amazing that all of this destruction was caused by just two people; Bardeen and Moore.
ER ( emergency room) doctors are always biased. Rightly so.
This guy:
seems to think otherwise.
it's actually declining, if Pinker's research holds any water.
That may or may not be actual greed. It might be evidence that the cost of living in the US (or Aus, or wherever) is too high to support that activity.
it's possible that the Asians in question are despoiling their own capacity to do this. That would be greed, yes.
I just mean that it is difficult to describe with a bright line where self interest ends and greed begins. You have to (IMO) psychologize it. For example, those in power at Bear Stearns doubtless failed because of greed - the overnight repo financing that shaved a few (million) dollars into the bosses pockets failed.
My point is that we're a hardy species. I don't hold much with apocalyptic visions.
-- Les Cargill
ER ( emergency room) doctors are always biased. Rightly so.
This guy:
seems to think otherwise.
it's actually declining, if Pinker's research holds any water.
That may or may not be actual greed. It might be evidence that the cost of living in the US (or Aus, or wherever) is too high to support that activity.
it's possible that the Asians in question are despoiling their own capacity to do this. That would be greed, yes.
I just mean that it is difficult to describe with a bright line where self interest ends and greed begins. You have to (IMO) psychologize it. For example, those in power at Bear Stearns doubtless failed because of greed - the overnight repo financing that shaved a few (million) dollars into the bosses pockets failed.
My point is that we're a hardy species. I don't hold much with apocalyptic visions.
-- Les Cargill
Hugely.
TUBES!
-- Les Cargill
e:
is
An example of how growth in electronics is a very long way from its limit is irrelevant? OK :)
NT
e:
ems
Very minor compared to the lived saved by medical electronics, and the use of computers to educate people medically.
isolation and communication are opposites. Wiothout the internet there would be a good bit less communication.
ability to solve problems better does go with a decline in the older ways of solving them. When you look at the technology and complexity of todays world, its pretty clear we're solving more problems than in centuries past.
caused by a dumb educational system failing to educate people about money. Still, we're far richer than ever before electronics.
dagain, very poor education. Electronics is still helping us live longer when all's said and done.
discovery of more resources and more efficicent use of them thanks to electronics
certainly not caused by electronics. Poor education and the fact that due to great material wealth its now an option.
ent
and it has, vastly. Only 100 years ago it took whole days of labour per week just to wash clothes.
the standard working week has gone from 12hrs a day 6 days a week,
70hrs, to 40.
its an improvement on being bored.
I'm not. Boredom has declined, though its still a widespread problem, as electronics has brought us numerous new oportunities for productivity and pursual of interests. Stress due to fear of being unable to feed one's family through winter has been replaced with the stress of trivial matters. Its a huge improvement. Decent education can resolve the 2 issues far more.
oys
desire for trivia has always existed. Today we can afford to indulge ourselves more. Again decent education can resolve a lot of the current waste.
Industrialisation has brought people out of the fields and into towns & cities. Less isolation.
People have always wanted that, 2000 years ago it was bread & circuses, today its a curry and 2nd life.
Humanity doesnt deplete water, air and land. Food, more is produced year upon year, and varieties are improved and developed. Electronics only helps the process.
it always was. Think gladiators.
Yes. And that greed has brought us economic growth, and that has brought us a change in life expectancy from 30 years to 80.
There's no evidence of that
That's always been the case.
NT
The point is that we *are* at the physical limits. Your ideas are just fluff on what's already been done. ;-)
e:
rote:
wth is
hfluff
Reminds me of the chap who said in the 1800s that pretty much everything that could be invented hjad been.
NT
is
Come on, you're a bit brighter than DimBulb.
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