June 2008 Archives

My daughter Avery and her friend Annabelle have been dabbling in French music. We learned that LastFM is a vibrant source of everything musical in Europe. The French have their own group on LastFM, and this radio station is based on member favorites. To each his own taste, as long as it is French! 

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This is google search blog entry is from Curt Monash. Curt is a widely-read tech blogger, whose  interests include advanced database technologies, text search / analysis and other topics. He's also a editing contributor the DMOZ Open Directory for tech blog registration. Here is Curt's RSS Feed.

Last weekend after our 215-mile bike tour through Massachusetts and Vermont, my friend Walter Putter drove me to the airport in his Honda Civic Hybrid, which got an astonishing 58 mpg on the trip from Syracuse to Greenfield, MA.  Part of the economy is the technology, but it's also about how Walter drives and maintains the car. Here's some great tips from the passionate Fuel Economy (FE) geeks at http://cleanmpg.com.

http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1510

Basic FE saving techniques
Now that we have a good feel for what others perceive as a problem without knowing what they themselves are achieving, let us begin to consider the ways to match if not beat the EPA estimates.

• Do not use quick accelerations or brake heavily: This reduces fuel economy by as much as 33 percent at highway speeds and 5 percent around town. EPA tests do not account for this kind of vigorous driving.
  
• Do not idle excessively: Decreases average FE. The EPA city test includes idling, but drivers that experience more idling experience lower MPG.
  
• Do not drive at higher speeds: This increases aerodynamic drag (wind resistance) and mechanical friction which reduces fuel economy. The EPA test accounts for aerodynamic drag up to highway speeds of 60 mph, but drivers often exceed this speed.
  
• Minimize running mechanical and electrical accessories: Running mechanical and electrical accessories (e.g., air conditioner) decreases fuel economy. Operating the air conditioner on "Max" can reduce MPG by roughly 5-25% compared to not using it.
  

The extended section of this post includes the "advanced" FE techiques which include very specific driving methods, some of which are definitely annoying to other drivers and are possibly unsafe as well. Still, necessity is the mother of adoption if you will, and some of the techniques may have merit!