A blog about gadgets and green stuffhttp://www.jaffacake.net/en-usMon, 15 Aug 2011 21:18:14 +0100 Wed, 7 Nov 2012 19:55:02 +0100I don't own an iPad and, to be honest, have never really wanted one. Being a bit of a gadget nut, I've never really had much difficulty in justif]]>http://www.jaffacake.net/dx/auto-trader-turns-on-the-ignitionI LoveBen Rosehttp://www.jaffacake.net/dx/auto-trader-turns-on-the-ignition?opendocument&commentshttp://www.jaffacake.net/dx/auto-trader-turns-on-the-ignition http://www.jaffacake.net/dxcomments/auto-trader-turns-on-the-ignition http://www.jaffacake.net/dx/auto-trader-turns-on-the-ignition?opendocument&comments Tue, 2 Oct 2012 19:22:00 +0100http://www.jaffacake.net/dx/empty-seatsI LoveBen Rosehttp://www.jaffacake.net/dx/empty-seats?opendocument&commentshttp://www.jaffacake.net/dx/empty-seats http://www.jaffacake.net/dxcomments/empty-seats http://www.jaffacake.net/dx/empty-seats?opendocument&comments Fri, 17 Feb 2012 19:32:39 +0100I got home from what felt like the longest day of my life to find I had forgotten my house keys and couldn't let myself in.
http://www.jaffacake.net/dx/locked-outI LoveBen Rosehttp://www.jaffacake.net/dx/locked-out?opendocument&commentshttp://www.jaffacake.net/dx/locked-out http://www.jaffacake.net/dxcomments/locked-out http://www.jaffacake.net/dx/locked-out?opendocument&comments Thu, 8 Dec 2011 14:53:55 +0100http://www.jaffacake.net/dx/the-changing-face-of-electricityI LoveBen Rosehttp://www.jaffacake.net/dx/the-changing-face-of-electricity?opendocument&commentshttp://www.jaffacake.net/dx/the-changing-face-of-electricity http://www.jaffacake.net/dxcomments/the-changing-face-of-electricity http://www.jaffacake.net/dx/the-changing-face-of-electricity?opendocument&comments Fri, 9 Sep 2011 08:33:12 +0100http://www.jaffacake.net/dx/can-anybody-get-it-rightI LoveBen Rosehttp://www.jaffacake.net/dx/can-anybody-get-it-right?opendocument&commentshttp://www.jaffacake.net/dx/can-anybody-get-it-right http://www.jaffacake.net/dxcomments/can-anybody-get-it-right http://www.jaffacake.net/dx/can-anybody-get-it-right?opendocument&comments Wed, 31 Aug 2011 12:43:27 +0100This is an article about Scan Computers International Ltd. 25-28 Enterprise Park, Middlebrook, Horwich, Bolton, BL6 6PE - not to be mistaken w]]>http://www.jaffacake.net/dx/scan-computers-3xs-system-reviewI LoveBen Rosehttp://www.jaffacake.net/dx/scan-computers-3xs-system-review?opendocument&commentshttp://www.jaffacake.net/dx/scan-computers-3xs-system-review http://www.jaffacake.net/dxcomments/scan-computers-3xs-system-review http://www.jaffacake.net/dx/scan-computers-3xs-system-review?opendocument&comments Thu, 11 Aug 2011 10:07:53 +0100http://www.jaffacake.net/dx/a-special-jobI LoveBen Rosehttp://www.jaffacake.net/dx/a-special-job?opendocument&commentshttp://www.jaffacake.net/dx/a-special-job http://www.jaffacake.net/dxcomments/a-special-job http://www.jaffacake.net/dx/a-special-job?opendocument&comments Thu, 21 Jul 2011 10:41:30 +0100
I was very pleased to learn, this week, that Ford are planning a third wind turbine at t]]>http://www.jaffacake.net/dx/ford-focuses-on-wind-powerI LoveBen Rosehttp://www.jaffacake.net/dx/ford-focuses-on-wind-power?opendocument&commentshttp://www.jaffacake.net/dx/ford-focuses-on-wind-power http://www.jaffacake.net/dxcomments/ford-focuses-on-wind-power http://www.jaffacake.net/dx/ford-focuses-on-wind-power?opendocument&comments Tue, 21 Jun 2011 11:41:47 +0100
With the European Grand Prix in Valencia fast approaching, I find myself casting my mind back to the amazing race we had in Canada a couple of weeks ago. A race which found Jenson Button making no less than 6 trips through the pits, 5 for tyres, and saw a large proportion of viewers look at themselves in the mirror and wonder why they were cheering for Michael Schumacher. For many, this was the best race in months, perhaps years. I can't think of a more exciting race since that moment where Timo Glock spun off in the rain to give Lewis Hamilton that point he needed to take the championship.

I've been looking back into mind into what factors actually contributed to this being a good race and how the results panned out how they did. It's quite bizarre when you think about it, so I thought I would share some thoughts.
]]>http://www.jaffacake.net/dx/formula-1-sport-or-businessI LoveBen Rosehttp://www.jaffacake.net/dx/formula-1-sport-or-business?opendocument&commentshttp://www.jaffacake.net/dx/formula-1-sport-or-business http://www.jaffacake.net/dxcomments/formula-1-sport-or-business http://www.jaffacake.net/dx/formula-1-sport-or-business?opendocument&comments Wed, 15 Jun 2011 14:32:33 +0100
Currently, in the UK, the US or anywhere else in the world...electricity demand exceeds our means to produce it by renewable means. Until we have enough solar panels, wind turbines, tidal generators etc. the ONLY way we can generate enough power is by burning fossil fuels. The more power you use, the more power we need to generate.

Buying an electric car increases the power that you use. Buying such a vehicle would double my electricity usage, double my bill, and double the emissions from the grid related to my usage. It won't magically make the world a better place, it just moves the problem from the exhaust pipe to the power station.

Making electric cars cheaper, by offering subsidies, doesn't help. It just encourages people to buy them, adding more demand to an already over-used National Grid and increasing overall emissions. You've got a solar panel on your house? So what? That panel is connected to the National Grid, you get paid a substantial bonus for that, and is intended to help reduce emissions on the grid...not offset some of the extra load generated from your car.

The only way to improve the situation is to either a) use less electricity (preferred) or b) generate more of our electricity from low emissions sources. The government sort of helped recently, by taxing power companies more for power generated from non-renewable sources but, ultimately, they've just passed this cost on, pushed up the wholesale cost of electricity and all our domestic bills are going up.

Taxing the power companies will always have limited effect, they just pass on the costs. What we need to do is tax the users.

Currently, domestic electricity is charged at a reduced 10% rate of VAT in the UK, compared to the standard 20%. Waving the mighty "if I were in charge" banner, I would remove this reduced rate and charge "normal" electricity tariffs at the full rate of 20%. This would hurt consumers, seriously hurt, and properly make them aware of their usage. People would make more efforts to use low energy light bulbs instead of clearing the shelf every time they find stock of old style 100W bulbs. But they would also have an alternative...
]]>http://www.jaffacake.net/dx/a-green-futureI LoveBen Rosehttp://www.jaffacake.net/dx/a-green-future?opendocument&commentshttp://www.jaffacake.net/dx/a-green-future http://www.jaffacake.net/dxcomments/a-green-future http://www.jaffacake.net/dx/a-green-future?opendocument&comments