[12x07] December 14th, 2008

[12x07] December 14th, 2008


  • Total voters
    497
I think this was directed at me, so...

Wiki on Greenhouse Gases

[/LIST]

First off, no, it wasn't "directed at you" it was directed at everyone who said that.

Secondly, Wiki?? come on.

We're at 55 mph, 14.2 seconds into the coast. Another musing: After one of our photo sessions, which concluded in a cool, humid dusk, occupants of the support vehicle following the Clarity noted a mist of water vapor on their windshield whenever the FCX accelerated hard ahead of it. In the future, will we say we've been "steamed" instead of "smoked" by a faster car when the light goes green? And savor the thought that the exhaust on that windshield is brand-new water. Freshly made, mere seconds old compared with nearly all the rest that carries multi-billion-year-old birth certificates (conversation: "Hey, I'm new here. What have you guys been up to?"). In some quarters, there's been vexing that this added water vapor represents an even worse greenhouse contributor than CO2. Actually, it is: Vaporous H2O makes for an even warmer atmospheric blanket. However the atmosphere's concentration of H2O is simply a response to overall atmospheric temperature; think of it as a big, humid tail being wagged by a small CO2 dog. And it's quickly and completely self-regulating via rain. Were the sky able to rain CO2 away so easily, Honda wouldn't be investing such a fortune on this Clarity's technology.

http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/alternative/112_0902_2008_honda_fcx_clarity_first_test/index.html
 
I think the Clarity is definately the way forward. A lot better than a Prius, and it does seem remarkably sustainable. Hooray for Honda :)

Maybe someone could start an F1 series for fuel cell cars....
 
I think this was directed at me, so...

Wiki on Greenhouse Gases

[/LIST]

Water vapor is indeed the most prominent of the "greenhouse gases" -- but beyond that it's 'tricky' to compare it to the other greenhouse gases. Compared to almost all of them, it has an extremely short residence time in the atmosphere.

So, for instance, if you could magically remove every bit of water vapor from the atmosphere in an instant, the effect to the planet would not be as severe as it would intuitively seem, because it would take mere days for water vapor levels to mostly reach their prior equilibrium. I'm not quite sure what a world of vapor-producing cars would do to the planet's climate, though. My uneducated guess is that there might be some localized effects. Globally, there shouldn't be too much effect because the amount of vapor in the atmosphere is already so vast, that it would be like a drop-in-the-bucket, perhaps.
 
The other thing is that it's a zero sum game. You're taking water *out* of the atmosphere, then you put the same amount back in (conservation of matter).
 
Spectre, you are right about reprocessing. I argue against nuclear power simply because of things like the fact that they're burying the waste at Yucca Mountain, thus causing a future environmental radioactive disaster. Mining Uranium causes a mess in and of itself, we should be reusing what we've got. I'm a big advocate for natural gas. As it is, right now, there are farmers who are not only supplying all the electricity they need for their farms, but also putting power back onto the grid and getting paid for it. How, you may ask? Cow manure! They use the methane it produces (which can also be used in a fuel cell, coincidentally) in internal combustion engine generators. Neat stuff.
 
Last edited:
Not one of the best - still a 9/10 compared with pretty much everything else on the box, but on the TG scale I reckon only 7 (which is what I scored it). The touring car film was good, the news was very funny, the electric car was an eye-opener but as they proved rather irrelevant, and the Honda may become one of those "where were you when you first saw..." moments - but we won't know for, I guess, 10 years or so! Leno's garage looked like it would probably be worth a longer visit in a future episode. Couldn't help wondering if the caravan stunt was actually filmed for the last season but wasn't shown until now, when the stuntman didn't, erm... take off, so to speak.

Badly let down by the SIARPC - the only point of this slot for me is if they're going to talk cars, not come on with the "reason to be here" to plug their latest CD/book/film. The interview was unsalvageable for me when they started showing the clip of him singing, even though they did eventually talk cars. Don't see why TG needs this slot to be honest when it's like this - surely people don't watch it just for this, Jeremy no longer needs to remind the Beeb he can do a talk show, and anyone who watched the show only for Tom Jones isn't likely to tune in again are they? I suspect that if this slot had started off like this in 2002 it would have been dropped rapidly, but as the show is now so popular it can be forgiven. Just felt like I'd been dropped into an irrelevant chat show this week to be honest.
Looking forward to the Vietnam trip in 2 weeks, should be a great finale for this year. Hoping the next series will be in HD!

I dled my first TG just to see a SIARPC and it turned me into a fan.
 
With regards to the nuclear waste problem; we are the only major nuclear power on earth that has a nuclear waste disposal problem because we don't reprocess it and burn it again. With reprocessing, nuclear fuel can be reused over and over and over. In fact, with reprocessing a nuclear fuel rod is 99% consumed with only 1% going to waste. Since Jimmuh Kahtah decided to "send a message" and banned reprocessing in the name of "setting an example for the world", spent fuel rods have been stacking up in storage facilities. If all the rest of the uranium vanished tomorrow, it is estimated that by reprocessing the spent fuel rods we have sitting in storage we could power the entire US and meet current projected energy demands for the next 250 years. That's not a typo. The nuclear waste disposal problem has been magnified by stupid government policies. Everyone else on the planet who uses nuclear power reprocesses. Nobody else has a significant waste disposal problem. Nobody else needs a Yucca Mountain facility. And the irony of this is that the party that complains the most about nuclear waste, and blocks reactors because of it.... is the one that caused there to be a problem in the first place.

But isn't the reason they don't reprocess the spent fuel rods is that it'll make the remaining 1% of the rods highly radioactive that it can't be stored safely?
 
Spectre, you are right about reprocessing. I argue against nuclear power simply because of things like the fact that they're burying the waste at Yucca Mountain, thus causing a future environmental radioactive disaster. Mining Uranium causes a mess in and of itself, we should be reusing what we've got. I'm a big advocate for natural gas. As it is, right now, there are farmers who are not only supplying all the electricity they need for their farms, but also putting power back onto the grid and getting paid for it. How, you may ask? Cow manure! They use the methane it produces (which can also be used in a fuel cell, coincidentally) in internal combustion engine generators. Neat stuff.

Let me guess.... you don't live anywhere near where they prospect for and/or extract natural gas, do you?

But isn't the reason they don't reprocess the spent fuel rods is that it'll make the remaining 1% of the rods highly radioactive that it can't be stored safely?


No. The remaining radioactives can be encased in lead and concrete and stored safely.

The reason the US (and only the US) doesn't reprocess is because you could (gasp!) make weapons-grade plutonium for atomic weapons during the reprocessing.

Here's a little secret that President Carter and his Democrat friends couldn't, and still can't, seem to wrap their little pin heads around - if you can make nuclear reactors, you can make a nuclear bomb. Which is why Jimmuh Kahtah's little useless gesture has pretty much been ignored by everyone else in the world.
 
Last edited:
If anyone says "James had me at hello" in relation to this episode, they get a neg rep. :p

I honestly have no idea to think about this one, because I saw it at filming, I'll have to watch it a few times and come back around, I think.
 
anyone in at the fastmarina forum that wanna post the reactions they had after this episode? pretty please? im sure the person who copy pasts it, gets plenty of good rep :D
 
This episode was for me one of the best this year... This is how i imagine to be a great episode of top gear, great stuff, great jokes, great guest and best thing was there wasnt any car they already tested 100 times like lambo or porsche or whatever.
 
The other thing is that it's a zero sum game. You're taking water *out* of the atmosphere, then you put the same amount back in (conservation of matter).
Well if it works like that, hydrogen vehicles do sound like a clever alternative. I just asked myself whether a worldwide water vapor generation "plant" like hydrogen vehicles would pose the threat of imbalance for the atmospheric system. Since it's a self-regulating system, imposing an external source for water vapour might lead to problems, no?
 
Last edited:
I loved it. 10/10

SIARPC - I don't like Tom Jones and NEVER found him sexy, and would rather eat dirt than listen to him sing, but he did ok. I like any star that gets into the drive. Screw petrolheads. THEY are boring to start with.

ANd to all of you wanting them to book more petrolheads in the first place, has it occured to you they do not seem to be breaking the door down to be on the show? If you know of one you would like to see, start lobbying them to get on the show.

Hammond seems to really be giving it to Jeremy over Will Young, but I have to admit, the first time I saw the interview I thought, Hmmmm, they seem to be getting along very well. Then Jeremy started telling him he was fit and strong and getting flustered. Hmmmm. LOL But I would definately be watching if they started doing up Surrey homes.

Loved the news. Even James really seemed to be getting into dressing Hammond. Jeremy pushing Richard over was priceless and I am sure a thrill for a lucky few.

BTW, it is too late for this year, but that is the Christmas tree I want in my front room next year.

Loved the awards. Was happy JK took the time to actually show up. I like anyone who appears on the show who REALLY likes Top Gear. I agree with him on that guy never "doing anything like that before". Bollocks

I have been watching the tesla Roadster since it was only a concept and the guestimated price was going to be $50,000. When it came out to take orders at $80,000 I remember telling my co workers I hoped TG would give it a test run and figured they would because their sister co was Lotus. I was impressed with Jeremy's review. Surprised too. Ford Fiesta last week and now the Tesla? I can only assume they are both pretty good cars.

I liked seeing the caravan fly through the air. Too bad it came second, but good try.

While I loved the V8 blender, the rocking chair didn't do it for me. But it was a good try. I hope Jeremy comes up with more household uses for that engine.

James' piece as always was very well done. I would have liked to have seen lots and lots more with him and Leno.

James really looked embarrassed about his "hello" but took it well. And he is right, you have to say Hello first.

I think I laughed out loud more on this show than any other up to date. I am happy tonight.

Will be waiting for the last show with both great anticipation and great sadness.
 
I watched the show in pieces, as it was a very busy day, but I really quite liked it.

Especially the Clarity piece. In my opinion, that is one of the best pieces of Top Gear ever done. Not necessarily the funniest or the most "enjoyable", but simply one of the best.

Well done team TG
 
I loved this episode, but The News was the stand out :rofl: .... James and his pork sword :lol:
 
Damn i loved this episode! Especially the parts about the marina and the V8 engine.

My god, i was laughing with my dad, it was soo funny. That piano fell right on the car and they just say, ooh no :D Ohh great, and the v8, those legs that were shuddering and wooof the head fell off. My god, it was beautiful. My belly did hurt after the episode because of all the laughing that i did. The tesla was nice to see, because i've heard and read a lot of it and finally i could see it in action but like always, it fails..

really great!
 
Well if it works like that, hydrogen vehicles do sound like a clever alternative. I just asked myself whether a worldwide water vapor generation "plant" like hydrogen vehicles would pose the threat of imbalance for the atmospheric system. Since it's a self-regulating system, imposting an external source for water vapour might lead to problems, no?

Except it isn't really an external source, when you consider that it's only moving around in the system we call the Earth. And that there is the BIG GIANT FUSION REACTOR that we see in the sky that causes water to boil off/evaporate in such enormous quantities that what comes out of the back of a hydrogen car, or an entire planet of hydrogen cars won't do anything because all we're doing is moving the place at which the water evaporates.

It is called the Sun.

And if you really want to get anal about it, put moisture scavenging devices up around your cities and such to dehumidify the air. Then use the water scavenged out of the air to make more hydrogen. Problem solved.
 
first episode this season where I'm giving it a 9.

I thought this was going to be one of those episodes that feels like it's composed of all sorts of bits and bobs, and it kinda was, but still, it kicked massive ass

- BTCC bit was awesome and full of win. I remember watching the series in the 90s with the supercool Meganes, Audis, Volvos, etc.
- Tesla : kinda predictable, although it was funny that TG managed to break 2 Teslas. Still, I think it's a very cool car and it still is DO WANT. Handling looked weird on the hot lap though, the car seemed to roll so violently, then stop rolling and slide a bit. Those batteries must be heeeeeaaavy.
- Cocking around with the V8 rocking chair : awesome. I liked it a lot more than the blender, because it was short, and featured destruction
- SIARPC was boring as usual
- Honda Clarity does sound like a good concept that needs refining. I didn't know that it was that easy to make hydrogen fuel into electricity. Plus it had Leno!
- Caravan jumping thing was good, because it was short and sweet. They came really close to the record aswell.
 
A point off for Tom Jones who was as dull as ditchwater (I would like to echo the call for the reinstatement of Jonathan Ross so we don't have to put up with Jones'/Wahlberg's ilk in the RPC.)

Another point off for the V8 rocking chair which for me, unlike the blender, fell flat on it's arse.

Other than that a good solid mix of history, road test, silliness and a serious look at the future for me. Really enjoyed the end of term feel and the fact that they looked as if they were having fun which to my mind is an element sadly lacking for parts of this run and while the News didn't really contain any news it still had me in tucks.

Mixed emotions now as I await the 28th with eager anticipation and yet sadness that another series is coming to an end.
 
Top