I chose to celebrate Auckland Anniversary by visiting Wellington. (Naturally enough.) No surcharges on the coffee there. It was my first visit to the capital as a tourist, and as you might expect I did some of the usual touristy things like Te Papa, Parliament, and the cable car. The cable car is a real […]
Continue readingTag: energy
The first law of thermodynamics
I’ve used the word ‘energy’ a lot in recent posts (like yesterday’s), but haven’t really said what it is. We all have some idea of what energy means – it’s a resource you need to do something useful, such as propel a car, or play a video game, heat your house or power refigerator. (This […]
Continue readingIt’s cold out there
Having lived in Waikato for five years now, I’d forgotten what cold temperatures feel like. I’ve just got back from Christmas in the UK (explains lack of blog entries) where I was reminded what winter is like: dark and cold. Minus 9 feels pretty nasty, but, how cold is that really?
Continue readingIn the sun
When you think of solar power, you probably think of solar panels on your roof, or those little solar cells on your calculator. But it doesn’t have tp be that high-tec. In concentrated solar power schemes, you simply find a large area of land in the middle of a sunny area (e.g Arizona, Spain, Australia…) […]
Continue readingPower to the people
No, before you hit ‘close’, this isn’t anything to do with the election. Last Saturday, I walked up Mt Te Aroha. For those not familiar with this part of the country, Mt Te Aroha is part of the Kaimai range, and rises majestically 950 metres above the Hauraki Plains, about 50 km North-West of Hamilton. […]
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