I don't think Howard would mind ceding first place to Mr. Lincoln today.
Thanks, Alan. But...drat! The spelling and grammar checkers are out on Word and no amount of tinkering seems to bring them back. That means I can't tell when there are extra spaces between words.
It is thought Pres. Lincoln suffered from something called Marfin's(sp?) Syndrome, which is characterized by, among other things, elongation of the skeleton.
This (only slightly mangled) factoid is brought to you by Fun Trivia.
Listener, thanks for the good wishes. I'll let you guys know when the quiz is accepted so you can come and see the question in its native habitat, so to speak.
Alan, I wish I'd thought to consult that Wikipedia page while putting together the quiz. But there are also folks with Dean as a first name. You'll see...if I ever manage to finish the darn thing.
Hurrah! Vermont Gas Systems has decided not to pursue laying a gas pipeline underneath Lake Champlain and over to New York state. Are you listening, Keystone?
That article about the gas pipeline wasn't terribly clear for someone not familiar with the issues, listener, but a little reading on the Internet gave me enough background. Certainly natural gas is very convenient and esthetically pleasing compared to heating oil, and coal is nasty for home use (although anthracite was a significant improvement over wood in several ways). But terrified biomass pellets [Click] would seem promising, and they can be used in pellet stoves. Pellet stoves for space and water heating are evidently the most common kind, but pellet cookstoves [Click] can be pretty darn fancy nowadays. And steam-powered vehicles [Click] were powered with solid fuel. I don't think steam-powered automobiles were ever solid-fueled, but why not? Only modern stationary stem engines approach the efficiency of internal combustion engines, but thermal efficiency might not be a deciding factor in all cases. And why not steam turbine engines for road vehicles? They were a HUGE improvement over reciprocating steam engines for ships. Back to the future? Or onward to the past?
Oh, Lordy! The computer "helped" me by changing "torrefied biomass pellets" into "terrified biomass pellets" and I didn't notice it until after posting! While driving down the street in my steam-powered lorry I would of course strike terror into the heart of anyone driving a mere Hummer Satanic Urban Vehicle...
I don't think Howard would mind ceding first place to Mr. Lincoln today.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Alan. But...drat! The spelling and grammar checkers are out on Word and no amount of tinkering seems to bring them back. That means I can't tell when there are extra spaces between words.
Cat, notes for you on the last thread. :-)
ReplyDeleteIt is thought Pres. Lincoln suffered from something called Marfin's(sp?) Syndrome, which is characterized by, among other things, elongation of the skeleton.
ReplyDeleteThis (only slightly mangled) factoid is brought to you by Fun Trivia.
Listener, thanks for the good wishes. I'll let you guys know when the quiz is accepted so you can come and see the question in its native habitat, so to speak.
ReplyDeleteAlan, I wish I'd thought to consult that Wikipedia page while putting together the quiz. But there are also folks with Dean as a first name. You'll see...if I ever manage to finish the darn thing.
Hurrah! Vermont Gas Systems has decided not to pursue laying a gas pipeline underneath Lake Champlain and over to New York state. Are you listening, Keystone?
ReplyDeletehttp://digital.vpr.net/post/opponents-celebrate-gas-pipeline-failure?utm_source=Vermont+Public+Radio&utm_campaign=9f32b8755c-The_Frequency_To_PrEview_Audience_2_12_152_12_2015&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_09c24b4034-9f32b8755c-26117497
That article about the gas pipeline wasn't terribly clear for someone not familiar with the issues, listener, but a little reading on the Internet gave me enough background. Certainly natural gas is very convenient and esthetically pleasing compared to heating oil, and coal is nasty for home use (although anthracite was a significant improvement over wood in several ways). But terrified biomass pellets [Click] would seem promising, and they can be used in pellet stoves. Pellet stoves for space and water heating are evidently the most common kind, but pellet cookstoves [Click] can be pretty darn fancy nowadays. And
ReplyDeletesteam-powered vehicles [Click] were powered with solid fuel. I don't think steam-powered automobiles were ever solid-fueled, but why not? Only modern stationary stem engines approach the efficiency of internal combustion engines, but thermal efficiency might not be a deciding factor in all cases. And why not steam turbine engines for road vehicles? They were a HUGE improvement over reciprocating steam engines for ships. Back to the future? Or onward to the past?
--Alan
Oh, Lordy! The computer "helped" me by changing "torrefied biomass pellets" into "terrified biomass pellets" and I didn't notice it until after posting! While driving down the street in my steam-powered lorry I would of course strike terror into the heart of anyone driving a mere Hummer Satanic Urban Vehicle...
DeleteAlan