I’m trying to be an optimist today.
CNNMoney.com: Honda hits the hydrogen highway
Honda began production of its new FCX Clarity fuel cell car Monday. The Japanese automaker will produce about 200 of them over the next three years. Honda would not say how many will make it to the U.S., but those that do will be leased only in Southern California.
NY Times: Honda Starts Producing Fuel-Cell Cars
Honda said even the small initial production run represented progress toward a clean-burning technology that many rejected as too exotic and too expensive to gain wide acceptance.
It does indeed represent progress. But 200 cars in three years will not solve our problem. And the price?
[Honda President Takeo] Fukui said the cars currently cost several hundred thousand dollars each to produce, though he said that should drop below $100,000 in less than a decade as production volumes increase. In the meantime, the car company will be effectively subsidizing its customers, who will lease the vehicles for $600 per month. That is not much more than the leasing price of one of Honda’s top Acura line of luxury cars.
The first cars are going to ordinary people like actress Jamie Lee Curtis, her husband Christopher Guest, actress Laura Harris, film producer Ron Yerxa, and businessmen Jon Spallino and Jim Salomon.
Maybe I should surround the words mass production in the title of this post with quotes. Because this is not real “mass production.” This is a drop in the bucket. A very expensive drop in the bucket. There are only a very few refueling stations in southern California right now. So this does me no good. How can I be optimistic about this? The best I can hope for is that in ten years there’s a better distribution network for hydrogen that reaches across the country. Maybe then Jamie Lee Curtis or some other Hollywood starlet will take it upon herself to make a cross-country trip across a starving nation, and bring me a loaf of bread and a case of beer. That might be the closest I ever get to benefitting from hydrogen fuel cell technology. If that’s not optimism, I don’t know what is.
“Every person has the power to make others happy.
Some do it simply by entering a room –
others by leaving the room.
Some individuals leave trails of gloom;
others, trails of joy.
Some leave trails of hate and bitterness;
others, trails of love and harmony.
Some leave trails of cynicism and pessimism;
others trails of faith and optimism.
Some leave trails of criticism and resignation;
others trails of gratitude and hope.
What kind of trails do you leave?”
William Arthur Ward quote
Obviously you are NOT trying hard enough!
OFF TOPIC: Mets Fire Manager Willie Randolph
What do you think? I’m kind of shocked but heard it was coming.
I liked him.
Thoughts.
I leave trails of kettle corn and pecans.
You know what, don’t be bloody rude. You are the most arrogant unoptimist person I have ever had the experience to meet.
I used the blog for my Mass Communication paper and wished I bloody had not.
I was given the choice to write about three blogs, this was my beginners choice.
Your just nasty, I thought you WERE a smart indiviual with insight, boy I pegged that wrong.
And Jump go jump in the bloody fat!!!!!
Bitter and twisted both of you.
UN-OPTIMISTIC I KNOW I SPELT IT WRONG.
That hurt. Almost as much as the William Arthur Ward quote. I’m sorry you feel that way.
I’m sorry……I did not send the quote to hurt you. I swear it was meant in the context of “Be hopeful” please be hopeful. You have a great life a lovely family and friends from what I’ve seen.
If you were riddled with cancer or had a illness no one could cure then heck I would say “I get it”
You can educate people with all your knowledge. Being a part of the town forum and making a difference, you can and have.
I see you and think WOW I wish my mind could even get a tiny part of his comprehension. I’ve always liked picking peoples minds, I just wanted to pick little. I’m still trying to get there, your there. Educate people on these subjects you write about, do it.
The people at the meetings on the boards, amaze me, they do. They put them selves out there and that takes courage, real guts. You’ve done that and it helped in many ways.
Take my awful words down please. All I can say is I’m deeply deeply sorry.
I though you were making fun of me…..I reacted too strongly and feel like dirt. My issues should not be yours.
Apologies to Jump whom ever he/she is.
Mi dispiace molto, scusa se io ho fatto dolore. Con tanto tristezza. Scusa.
I knew you didn’t really mean it. You’re not going to believe this, but I’ve been having trouble sleeping lately. Before going to bed last night I was watching some of the Tim Russert remembrance stuff on MSNBC, and I remarked that it was my wish that people would have nice things to say about me after I was gone. That I brought some sort of happiness or at least relieved some suffering in the world. But I realize that mostly I’ve been bringing a lot of bad news, especially lately. So that’s a really good quote to keep in mind. We always should try to be the person we want to be, even though we forget sometimes.
And like I said, I’ve been having trouble sleeping. When I get up, I eat. Saturday night I went through a bag of kettle corn. Last night it was pecans. Since I’m half asleep, I really do leave a trail of crumbs.
Crumby trails too you, until we meat again