New Site

I am having fun experimenting with a new website for myself. The intention is to chronicle my journey to become a teacher, and give family and friends a glimpse into my life.

Technology that allows for change

GM is still pursuing the Volt, a car that will be a better hybrid. The Volt will be solely propelled by electricity. This is what is so awesome! The current hybrids that are on the road are propelled by a gasoline motor. So while they can improve fuel mileage they will never be a solution to the problem, oil. The Volt will be able to run 40 miles on a full charge, then a small engine will kick on to run the car? No, the engine is only a generator, so the car can have enough energy to run. The platform was designed to allow multiple types of generators. Currently it will have gasoline and biofuel, but this will easily be transferred to a fuel cell or anything new coming in the future!

Some will argue that this is no better for currently for the car to be off oil, it needs to be reliant on Grid power. While I understand how this poses a problem for the grid itself, aka excess reliance on the already overloaded system, the joy of the issue is that the USA does not need to import coal to power the grid. This really could be the ticket to get our reliance off OPEC.

The car will charge in about 8 hours on a 110 volt system, and 3-4 on a 220 system. Most people will be able to charge their cars during off times, overnight when people use considerable less percentage of the grid. Now consider this, this car will be affordable to buy and cheap to run. (Grid power is considerably cheaper than gasoline and cleaner). I can see how if this technology catches on, then the need for middle-eastern oil will really decline!

I agree with my professors and climatologist concerning the damage we are doing to the atmosphere with the carbon cycle being out of balance, however I must admit my primary motivation for being rid of an oil based economy is our unfortunate dependence on the middle east for said oil.

Obama has promised change for America, but the change he is not making happen is change we can do without him anyway! What will get us off oil is big businesses working to find cheaper cleaner solutions to our oil problem. Since gas prices have be exponentially rising this is only a matter of time. The only thing that can get us off oil is for alternatives to oil to be cheaper.

Another great example of business taking advantage of public resentment of oil prices is Nissan. They are developing a 100% electric car that will go 100 miles on a charge. The difference from the Volt is that there is not a generator to recharge while traveling.

Consider the average person commuting in a city, most don't drive more than 20 miles or so one way to get to work. (DC is different than some, as people will commute 100miles to get to the government jobs in town). With a 40-60 miles commute there and back, the volt or leaf would be a great option! This average commuter around here even would be able use extremely small amounts of oil based fuel, it might even be possible to commute entirely off the grid!

Now for the rest of my environmental friends out there as crazy as me, think of this. For the price of a car you could invest in solar/wind technology to charge your EV (electric vehicle). This is more than most people are willing to pay, but it has the potential to halt gigatons of CO2 being poured into the air. I know I am a dreamer, but its really fun to see my dreams coming to life, albiet slowly!

There is even an option for crazy rich sports car lovers! http://www.teslamotors.com/

For the motorcycle lovers out there, here are two companies that are currently manufacturing fully electric bikes!
http://www.brammo.com/store/?country=US&state=VA
http://zeromotorcycles.com/

Hydrogen Economy

After taking a field trip to the Morgantown coal fire power plant in Maryland, and then a trip to a home completely off the grid, I have been fascinated by the idea of a hydrogen economy.

We currently live in an carbon-energy based economy, and to some extent that carbon is absolutely necessary. (Plastics, polymers, etc.) However, when it comes to production of raw energy, the time has come to move away from this archaic technology.

When visiting the Morgantown plant one thing became increasingly clear, this energy source is inefficient and out of date. The plant produces electricity by pulverizing high-sulfur coal. This coal is then blown into burners that heat giant steam ovens. It is this steam that turns some really massive turbines that generate electricity. Simple right? The problem is not the simplicity, but rather the efficiency. 62-64% of the available energy in the coal is wasted in the steam and turbines. Energy is not being created here but rather converted from fossilized solar energy in an ineffective way.

This half of the trip was in stark contrast to the second half. The plant was professional and organized. I felt like I was back working for UPS again, the organization and efficiency of the work staff was evident. This was a company that knew what they had and how to turn a profit, thus their facility oozed a big business aura.

The second half was a trip to the home of Scott Sklar, (http://www.thestellagroupltd.com). He is a private homeowner that started his own business helping companies to go green. Specifically he consults and guides companies to develop and install renewable energy sources on the site of their business. While Scott is very professional in his understanding of his business, his home is not run like a Fortune 500 company.

Scott has installed and retrofitted his old Arlington home to be as “green” and efficient as possible. He insulated his walls with high rating R values. (R value is the ability to insulate, the higher the number the higher the insulation value). He has even found windows that are specially insulated with gel between the panes raising the R value 5+ times a normal windows ability.

He brought in a drilling rig and installed a geothermal heating and cooling system. This system draws on the constant temperatures of the deep ground to help in the heating and cooling of your home. In deep winter when the temperatures outside are freezing, the heater only has to heat the home from the temperature of the deep ground. Thus instead of heating from 30 degrees to 70 degrees, he can heat from 55-60 degrees to 70. This drastically reduces heating and cooling costs and energy consumption.

On top of his home, there are two types of solar energy collectors. First is a solar hot water heater. This is a simple device that captures solar energy into a solution that heats fast and hot in the sun, this solution then is piped into a core in the hot water heater. The second solar energy collector is a solar panel. In fact there are many solar panels, and a few different kinds of them too. Solar panels are made of silicon and wires. As the cosmic rays from the sun hit the silicon it gets excited and bounces around. Then if wires are placed across the panels of silicon an extra electron bounces off the panel and into the wire creating an electrical current. This is truly the most renewable energy source, the energy from the sun. (A giant fusion core reactor 8 light minutes away). He has also installed a wind turbine. The wind turbine is set up to collect the solar energy that hits earth in a secondary way. This energy heats the earth, and as it rotates it creates pockets of warm and cold air as well as high and low pressure air. This in turn causes the wind to blow, which then turns the blades of his turbine which generates electricity.

In addition to the solar panels, geothermal, wind turbine, and extra insulation Scott has installed a hydrogen fuel cell generator. This is a simple system that while expensive to install, ($25k), is an efficient and cheap way to produce electricity. Because of all the other energy sources and efficient appliances in his home, Scott only uses the fuel cell system during peak energy use times or when the city grid loses power.
He gets the hydrogen delivered and spends less than thirty dollars a month on the gas. The size of system he has is capable of producing about half of his energy needs if used primarily.

This is a lengthy description of the technology that he has employed in his home, but his has gone above and beyond even his own needs. He does this to show the available technologies and how they can be applied on a practical and cost effective basis. I have added the description to show how many options are available to help get off a carbon based energy economy.

There are many that argue that the reasons that America should get away from carbon energy is to stop the unnatural advances of global warming. I am not completely sold on the idea that humans are the cause of global warming, or that we can do anything about it. My reasons for wanting to get away from carbon energy are more to do with self preservation, national security, and a general desire to keep the environment the way we found it.

In the United states we currently get the vast majority of our energy from carbon based energy sources. The diagram shows this as grey verses green, which represents renewable sources. The problem of chief importance is that carbon fuels are non-renewable. There is only so much oil to be had in the world, and the demand for it is exponentially increasing. The use of coal in America is scarring the mountains and damaging the environment in many ways. Yet even though we get half of our electricity from coal, and we have vast reserves of it, we will run out eventually. It seems so foolish to use up a limited resource that does more harm than good. I don’t feel like my electric lifestyle is worth the lives and damage it costs us. (Not to mention the soldiers lives fought to secure our energy needs in the Middle East).

Thankfully this is not a problem that is without a solution. We live in a society dominated by the internal combustion engine and coal fire, but have developed the technology to transfer our allegiance from carbon to hydrogen. Hydrogen fuel cell for home and industry, even major power plants, are the future of energy in the United States and the world.



This is a diagram that shows how a hydrogen fuel cell works. Pure hydrogen is passed through a “cell” that combines hydrogen ions with the oxygen in air. This simple act generates an electrical current, with water and heat as a waste product. If you are using pure hydrogen, then it is possible to achieve really high efficiency rates.

This technology can be used in a variety of fields from cars to power plants. In fact if all homes had a hydrogen fuel cell and some other form of renewable energy such as a solar panel or wind turbine, then the demand for electricity from the power grid would be vastly diminished, calling for much less coal to be burned. If the majority of cars ran on hydrogen then the emissions problems in America would be a thing of the past.

The problem with a hydrogen economy as is proposes is the source and cost of said hydrogen. In order to make the change happen, for it will require a great deal of initial capital investment, carbon fuel must be to expensive to continue using. Also a problem is the source of the hydrogen. Hydrogen is the most abundant and simple element in the universe, but on Earth there are two ways of procuring it.

The first way and the cheapest, is to separate it from natural gas. This cannot be a long term solution, as natural gas is a carbon fuel. However it can help solidify the hydrogen economy while more renewable sources of hydrogen are built. My ultimate solution for this renewable hydrogen is water. If you pass an electric current through water, electrolysis, you produce hydrogen. If this electric current is obtained from a farm of wind turbines or solar panels, then a hydrogen plant would be cheap and feasible.

This is what I believe is the future of energy production is in America and the rest of the world. In fact there are many countries attempting to get off their dependence on oil. Europe has many applications of renewable energy. The best example has to be Iceland. They have the worlds first hydrogen station, and produce the bulk of their energy from renewable sources. While they have the advantage, or disadvantage, of living on a volcano, their ideas on energy are pushing us in the right direction.

We can become free of the burden of carbon fuel, economically, environmentally, and politically if we could switch to a more healthy blend of renewable energy sources. Hydrogen will take us in the future.

Sources:
First 4 pictures Charlie Corrick
http://www.nist.gov/msel/polymers/electronics_materials/images/FuelCellSchematic.jpg
http://z.about.com/d/spas/1/0/1/k/1/icelandsites002.jpg
http://www.cartype.com/pics/5268/full/fuel-cell_emblem.jpg
http://www.greenpower.gov.au/admin%5Cfile%5Ccontent12%5Cc5%5Chow_greenpower_works.jpg
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/hydrogenandfuelcells/
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/fuel-efficiency/alternative-fuels/fuel-cell.htm

Macbook For Sale

Macbook White Used

1.83 GHz Intel Core Duo
2 Gb 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM (Ram is brand new From Apple)
Hard Drive is barely used 80 Gig
Brand new Battery (lasts little over 4 hours or so)
CDRW/ DVD Player
OS X 10.4
All original Documentation and restore Disks
Includes MS Office Student 2004
Includes red Neoprene "incase" sleeve
Asking 500

Old Pic Found

I found an old picture today as I was cleaning out my facebook page. It is a picture of midnight when I first got him as a puppy, I think he was 8-9 weeks old. Still just as wild as the look in his eyes.

Time ticking on

I work in a job where time is everything. We are constantly watching the clock and changing our positions and stances with the ever ticking edifice. I have become rather good at ignoring what time it is, while still paying close attention to it. With work I have built up a good routine, I know that eventually the clock will advance and I will leave. In fact, this is what I often tell myself as time drags on. "Time will pass and before you know it you will be leaving."

This truth about time, that it marches relentlessly on, comes back to bite me. Here I am twenty-nine years old, still in college, with the ultimate goal of getting a job and settling down. I have been in college since 1999, with only a couple short breaks. I remember thinking that I could never be a doctor or get a Ph.D because of how long I would be in school. Now I would love to just have a career that I can retire with. Thus I am seeking to be a high-school teacher, a career in which I can plant myself in relative ease.

Yet time marches relentlessly on. I am still here working on my degree, dogged with delays and obstacles. The joy of it all is that God is working every bump and turn in the road for my good and his glory. I am trying to get done, for I know my life is on hold until I can settle down with this new career.

I know that realistically I cannot date or marry until I am finished. I am hesitant to build up or attain any friendship here, for I will be leaving here soon (I hope). I am living with my parents, so anything I want to improve about my home or room will not benefit me in the long term. They will sell this house eventually, with all the benefits I add to it. (I love my parents and they are providing me with free room and board, so I am not complaining!) Any money I save is going to pay for the schooling I am undertaking. I just feel that until I get a real job and move home, I will be living in limbo.

So as I feel at times (right now) that time is going so terribly slow, I know one truth, time marches relentlessly on. I once thought that getting married would never happen, it did and then before I knew it she died to me and left. I thought once that college, then grad school would never end. Yet they did and I am just working on what is hopefully the final installment of my primary education.

So let's raise a glass to God, who controls this time we are in. For him millennia are as a second.

Job Goals

I know I have mentioned this recently, but it keeps coming to mind. The more I think about it the more I love the idea of getting my M.Ed and going back to Ohio. More specifically I would like to move back to the Cedarville Area.

There are many reasons for thinking this way, but one of the biggest reasons is my best friend. He is like a brother to me and I value him as such. The second reason is that there is an opportunity to fulfill many dreams in one shot there. How much fun would it be to have a job that I love (teaching High school science) while also having a ministry that I would love (RD at Cedarville).

One thing is for sure, I can stay here in NOVA for a long time, but it will never be a permanent home. I am living with my parents, and I love them to death. In fact I could easily foresee living here many more years. However, I feel no sense of belonging here other than the presence of my parents. I have a few church friends, many acquaintances, and an untold number of people who seem to know me more than I know them; however, I am only close to my parents. I in fact can't survive here financially without my parents.

I long to settle down and be Uncle Charlie to a pair of precious girls, to be around my closest friends, to be within a days drive of my sister, and to possibly be able to support a family of my own. Thus currently all my plans and goals are pointed at getting me eventually back home to Ohio. I have been praying about it, seeking God's will on where to go and what to do. As long as he allows this dream to continue I will pursue it. It will probably be another five to ten years, but the thought of going home is still intoxicating.

A Recommendation

I was called into my professors office so he could explain to me why he didn't want to recommend me to Grad School. I am attempting to obtain a M.Ed so that I can teach earth science in local public schools.

In the course of our interview I was told that while I was an exceptional student and person and a good candidate for the program, the fact that I am Christian and hold to theistic worldviews makes him nervous. He likened it to me being a wolf in sheep's clothing going among the students and undermining science.

This came about because he discovered that while I have exceptional recall (his words) and know the subject well, I don't believe what they say about origins and beginnings. He found out through my use of language, "Modern science believes... It appears that...etc." He said that even though I could teach the class exactly what they want me to teach, the way I preface things undermines the truth of them.

The conversation was not confrontational or aggressive, rather a friendly discussion on how I am a good person but bad scientist. It is interesting on that note how some people can say the cruelest things with a smile on their face. "I would not want my kids taking earth science from you." I took my recommendation from him (recommends with reservations) after class and went home mystified.

I have some thoughts on the matter:

At first I did not know how to respond to the accusations. I thought that I had really made a mistake in choosing to get my M.Ed in Earth science and how hard it would be to get a different endorsement now. (As after this semester I will have finished the 32 credit requirement. 4.0gpa) I am still not sure what the solution here is. I am realizing that no matter how good of a student, teacher, or person I am my life will be rather challenging in this subject area. I know that I can get an add-on Algebra 1 endorsement, but that requires remaining in a science field that is rather antagonistic to Christians.

Secondly I am rather frustrated at the personal slight that was his inference. You are not a good scientist if you start with the conclusion then seek the data. This is the second time I have heard this from a secular professor. The truth seems to elude them though, being a Christian does not make you a bad scientist, rather a different one. For what they are saying is that if you don't start with our assumptions and beliefs about the universe (there is no God, or the possibility of one) then you are stupid. They preclude the possibility of the supernatural, for if the supernatural is possible and true than a whole new realm of potential opens up.

They are also saying that my science and scientific conclusions exist to prove the existence of God. This is not the case, I am starting with the existence of God and looking at the data in a different frame of mind. I do not even attempt to prove the existence of God, I take it for granted. I can still follow the scientific method and come to legitimate conclusions, for my conclusions are not based on assumptions but data. (Really they are doing the same thing I am without realizing it. By insisting there is no God they look at the available data and come to a completely different conclusion.)

Finally my last thought on me being a wolf in sheep's clothing. I grew up a Christian, my parents are Christians and believe in a literal creation. I got my religion and faith from them. However, I did not attend private Christians schools. My father was in the military and we moved around quite a bit. I have seen the inside of many science classrooms with science teachers attempting to explain and prove their conclusions. I am not a robot, rather a 29 year old man. I had to make a choice about what to believe and who to follow. I looked at what I was being taught at home and at school, and my decision to remain a Christian was my own based on my own studies and research.

My professor is scared that students will be lead astray and I will do great harm to science by being a Christian teacher. He is afraid of my potential influence on young minds. Yet one of my ultimate goals as a teacher is greater than just teaching content. I want my students to learn responsibility, character, respect, and most importantly the ability to think critically. Science is about finding the truth, the scientific method is the way to find it. (hypothesize, test, test, test, find conclusion, reform hypothesis)

Showing students that science is an ever changing mass of theories and evidence seems to be the wiser course. Instead of solely telling them what truth is, make them discover and find the truth through scientific inquiry. If the only possible truth is what my professor says it is, then the students will eventually come to that conclusion as well.

My professor made the statement that if the world were filled with people like me, then there would be a lot less problems and issues to solve. This was the kindest thing anyone has ever said to me. Yet he is afraid that kids might harmed or mislead by my leadership and being a role model. The solution for me currently is to get another professor to recommend me to the grad school, but these problems there will never end.

Craziness

I was working tonight at my Rec Center Pool. It had fallen upon me to train a new hire in the ways of Ellis and Associates (Lifeguard Company). The training is really a pre-skills class. If we have a guard hired that is certified with another company aka Red Cross, we want to make sure that the said lifeguard can work with us in the 30 days before he/ she takes the official Ellis Class. Blah Blah I am rambling anyway...

Right as we were getting started some of our normal guards came up to me saying that we had a girl in the first aid room that couldn't breathe. That made for an interesting next 20 min. I got oxygen on the girl (Teenager) and waited for the paramedics to arrive. While waiting my bosses boss shows up and joins me in treating this young lady. This was a wonderful thing because he is a full EMT.

This boss has in the past been rather critical with me, not in a harsh way but a constructive way. But tonight was different, nothing critical was said to me and I was not corrected for anything I did. It felt so good to be trusted so much by the guards that they came to me, and also that my uber-visor didn't seem to think I did anything incorrectly.

When the EMS personnel arrived and took over I was able to leave the situation in their very capable hands and get back to training our new hire. The next hour and a half or so was filled with some good training, actually my first real teaching experience as an instructor with the agency (as opposed to in-service training sessions).

I left, called my best friend and had a good conversation with him for 15 to 20 min, then ate dinner. I proceeded to get some homework done for class, and see what I have left to do in my application for George Mason University. After that, I was able to clean my room up and remove some general clutter. I am now just about ready for bed and emptying my mind so that I can fall asleep.

OH yeah I also bought a few songs on iTunes, Taylor Swift and Chris Tomlin! Makes for good background music as I get work done!
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Class again

I am once again taking classes working toward my goal of being a high school teacher. Honestly every time I write, discuss, or think about becoming a teacher, I kick myself for not doing it sooner. I am in my last semester at NOVA working on my application to Mason.
I am studying to be a earth science teacher, and am currently working on my earth science endorsement. I have enrolled for two major classes, and one field studies class to complete the academic requirements for said endorsement.
I do wonder at one thing though, why in the world am I trying to be a science teacher? I am a die hard Christian, I strongly (and with good science) believe that God created the world, and all science points to Him. This is not what I am learning in my science classes. In fact, all my science classes are trying as hard as they can to shut me down. This is so severe that I am learning what modern (often incorrect) science thinks about origins and dates just so I can pass the class.
I am learning a great deal about geosystems and am truly fascinated by the subject. There is so much that we know now that we never have known before. I am just trying to fight my way upstream intellectually. A good analogy would be the lemming that realized the cliff was deadly, and then tried to go back in the face of all the other lemmings.
So here's to another semester working to obtain my theme, "Bearded Phantom - Perpetual Student working to get another degree so he can be perpetually in the field of education."

Yearning

Right now my heart is yearning for the fellowship and company of people who really understand me. I understand that I am having a rough day with my silly foot injury, but always my mind lingers on the joy that is being with my only real friends. I must be patient and see where God wants to take me after my current educational goals. However at times I Wonder how long I can stay here. It has nothing to do with my family or living conditions. Really my heart is just breaking and crying out to be around my second family.

Future Thoughts

I often wonder what I am going to do with my life, or where I will do it. I have an undergraduate and graduate degree that pointed me toward vocational ministry, or full time church work. The Lord Christ pointed me in another direction after being given the chance to do that work for a year.

I found that what I really want is a job that I can do that has good routine and what I enjoy doing. What do I enjoy doing? Teaching, training, instructing, guiding, etc. I decided that if I was going to have a career I needed to set to and get another degree to enable that career to happen. So now I am pursuing a M.Ed with the goal of being a high school science teacher. Science is something that I have always enjoyed and would love the chance to teach others.

I have two years at least until I can become certified to teach "Earth Science" here in Virginia. Then I have another four classes (two semesters) until the M.Ed is completed. Hopefully the last four classes will be completed part-time while I teach at a local high school.

This is my short term goal, to get another degree that leads to a career. Long term I have been wishy washy on, as it comes to the where. The what is pretty clear to me, teach until I retire. I want to be completely debt free, including cars and houses. I am within a few months of being credit card debt free, what I hope to be the start of a new way of doing finances.

The where is the hard part. I have considered going back to Omaha and living around family. This is for sure what my sister would have me do, however I am torn. My sister is like and unlike me.

We are both military brats, we both deal with friendships in different ways. For many years we had to make friends and leave friends. The local youth pastor in Germany was always coming back to how to be and make good friends, as well as how to let go. When my sis and I grew up our response to that lifestyle became apparent.
She has trouble keeping friends when she moves. She will make new friends wherever she goes (something I struggle with) and forget about friends that she had in the place she left (something I don't struggle with).

I am just the opposite, I have developed three close friendships (three married couples) across the country. Everywhere I move, I tend to develop many heartwarming acquaintances, but rarely friends. I unconsciously prevent myself from forming any close friends, because I have already got good friends across the country. We suffer from the same problem, with different coping strategies. Its kind of funny really.

Where is all this talk about friendship leading? Well I just got back from a visit to a few of my close friends in the Mid-West, and all I want to do at the moment is finish my education and career so I can transfer to be with them again. I have never been more happy with where I lived than when I lived next door to my best friend. I love to visit and play with his kids, then talk the night away with him and his wife. His was the first family where I truly felt like an Uncle.

He an I were discussing a dream that I had, far off and near impossible, of moving back to Cedarville. If I could get a job teaching science at a local school, and simultaneously get a job as a RD at Cedarville, then my goals and desires would be mixed and complete.

That is but one of many scenarios that pop into my head. They range from moving back to Cedarville, to staying here in NOVA for years with my parents to pay my own home someday with cash. I am not sure where the Lord is going to lead me, I just know that he has me here working on my next degree. I am looking forward to where he will lead in the future, and who my best friends pick to be my next wife. (I gave them permission to arrange a marriage for me, God knows they would pick better than I would.)

Good times with Good friends

I just got home from my whirlwind adventure in the Mid-West. I feel nothing but contented and pleased at the moment now that I have returned home and am at peace. (Except for the caffeine and sugar jitters from excessive Mt. Dew.)

I have had many road trips in my life, and many that stand out as enjoyable or wretched. This trip is not an exception. I was able to see many friends, but the really good things was the quality of time that I was able to spend with said friends. My only regret is that one of my closest friends was not close enough to visit as he now lives in the south.

I must say a warm thank you to my best friends in Colfax and Xenia. I have been needing a break for a couple months or more and this was precisely what I needed. The whole trip being less than a week shows how much just a little time spent in your presence does to enlighten my soul.

You know who you are and thank you! I could not have a better set of friends to call my own. You are all many miles away (1400+ mile round trip) and I have very few friends and acquaintances here in NOVA. It is actually the case that I don't seek many new friendships as I already have some that are golden.

I also praise the Lord for you and your willingness to take me in this last week. Praise Him as well for giving me safe travel to and fro, especially on the way home. You should try surfing snow storms!

Vacation

This has been the first real vacation that I have had in a long time. I have been looking forward to this since November. So far I have visited friends in both Kentucky and Indiana, and it has been wonderful. I have been more laid back about this trip than I have over any other trip. In the future I might be more planned and organized, but this trip needed to be more nonchalant.

This trip has included wonderful games and fellowship among friends. It is wonderful to relax and enjoy the company of those who desire your friendship. I am currently at Stillhaven farms in Indiana surrounded by cats, dogs, horses, and Jesse. The temperature to quote my friend Jim, "Is a balmy 10 degrees." That may mean no horseback riding, but the card games are out and the Wii is being played.

I have one more stop on this tour of the Midwest states, but so far this trip has been one of pleasure and contentment. Thanks God for the good driving weather so far!