圣诞前夕,我电脑桌上的台灯不经意地坏了。
正逢我从网上定购的Seagate 160兆硬盘寄到,需要马上对电脑实行开腔置换手术。半年多来我的台式机饱受Spyware的侵扰,用了几种免费软件都驱除不尽,本来准备买一张Norton杀毒,但转念一想不如把硬盘全部换掉,免除Mail-In-Rebate也就$40刀,比杀毒软件便宜,而且把老硬盘重新格式化,二十分钟之后又是一条好汉。四十刀换来两倍的数据容量,我为自己的深谋远虑暗暗叫好。
但施行这个手术的前提是先要把台灯修好,也就是换一个新式的Compact Fluorescent Lamp (紧凑型荧光灯泡,简称CFL)。按照台灯说明的要求,需要选取T3以下的型号。我去沃尔玛挑了三分钟,认定了一款尺寸型号都十分吻合的,付了$4.79 + Tax, 回家立刻掌灯,果然十分亮膛。在明亮灯光的照耀下,我匍匐到桌子下面,拆开电脑机箱拔掉老盘,再抖出新盘,设置Master-Slave Jumper, 接上电源,只要再对接PCI Cable线......就在这关头,顶上的亮光一眨眼消失了。
我扭过台灯,只感到基座象炭一样的烫手,肯定是变压器烧掉了。果不其然,新买的灯泡里面,灯丝完好无损。我一仔细对照新旧两个灯泡漆印的小字,除了老的是20W,新的是40W,两个从外表看来实在是别无二致的。
后面的故事就不浪费过多的汉字了,反正我的雄心计划被耽误了半个礼拜,新硬盘重新装了四遍,最后发现Creative Audigy Plantinum的声卡只与2003年以前的Windows XP匹配(在他们的官方网站BBS上查到的)。其他节外生枝,枝外生花的插曲都不算,最最重要的是,我又新买了一只Compact Fluorescent Lamp台灯(连灯泡),$44.99, 只比Seagate硬盘贵一丁点,尽管它已经面世了近三分之一个世纪,其技术复杂程度也只有硬盘的百分之一。
两天前,读到纽约时报上一篇文章,恰好谈到这个荧光灯泡,而且与沃尔玛,经济就业,科技创新,地球变暖等等等等有密切关联。现摘录有关数据如下:
1.一只提供同样亮度的CFL灯泡只消耗传统白炽灯泡25%的电能,拥有十倍以上的寿命,在整个使用期间少产生450磅的温室气体,并节约$30的成本。
2.目前沃尔玛每年销售三亿五千万只白炽灯泡,四千万只CFL灯泡。他们的目标是在2008年,将CFL灯泡的销量推向一亿只。
3.截至2006年,全美只有6%的家庭使用CFL灯泡, 尽管88%的家庭每年至少在沃尔玛采购一次。
4.如果沃尔玛的计划得以实现,全美每年的电力节约将达到三十亿美刀,从而得以节省的新建电厂投资,可以建造四十五万家民宅。
5.目前每只CFL灯泡的价格大约是传统白炽灯泡的八倍。
以巨无霸在消费市场的号召力,这看似一个不难实现的目标。而且这么利国利民的好人好事,全美各族人民为啥不积极响应呢?以下又是一些非数目字的数据:
1.如果全美换上一亿只CFL灯泡,每只灯泡寿命持续八年,那么通用电气的灯泡部门可能面临破产。
2.大部分CFL灯泡产自亚洲,尤其是中国,所以制造业将有更多职位流向海外。
3.CFL的灯泡含有水银,又缺乏专门的回收渠道,将导致环境受到污染。
所以,沃尔玛采取了一系列行动,包括强制现有的白炽灯泡供应商加入CFL的推广计划,其中包括:
1.在可口可乐的包装下面附带印刷CFL的公益广告。
2.建议政府征收白炽灯泡的特殊消费税。
3.强迫菲利普公司将传统白炽灯泡的“马拉松”商标,改为“节能型”字样。
4.加速扩大CFL的订购,以至Sylvania公司不得不从亚洲空运CFL灯泡以满足货源。
5.将CFL灯泡布置到与顾客等高的货架,以方便顺手拿取。
6.在店内陈列展示各种CFL的灯具、风扇等等。
7.考虑在店内设置CFL回收专柜。
而以我自己的亲身体会和看法,如果沃尔玛有心把好事做到底,力争名垂青史的话,除去推广普及CFL灯泡以外,还有以下三个重要机会得以表现:
1.改革美式度量衡制度,与全世界接轨。这表明取缔美式英里,美式温度,美式加仑,美式磅重等等等等。
2.与国际足联、逊尼派联手,取缔NFL美式橄榄球。
3.提倡绿色食品,预防全民肥胖。比如强制Wal-Mart店内的麦当劳开发东方食谱,Organic Soy-Milk 再加上 Fried Whole-Wheat Dough, 也就是有机豆浆加全麦油条。
大过年的,指拇大的台灯灯泡革新了,巴掌大的硬盘手术也完成了,就不妨再立个远大的鸿浩之志吧——我能想到最浪漫的事,就是与沃尔玛一起慢慢变老。
- Re: 记一个有意义的计划posted on 01/04/2007
所谓自然日光(natural day light)灯用的是CFL类的灯泡么? - posted on 01/12/2007
devil wrote:
所谓自然日光(natural day light)灯用的是CFL类的灯泡么?
关于太详细的科学问题,建议devil去咨询99教授,阿姗等等科学家。我现在主要关心科学的应用领域,尤其宏观方面 :)) 再ZT一篇,不要把沃尔玛看的太坏(大陆的制造商是自己不争气)。
It seems like Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT - News) is all set to jump on the solar and alternative energy bandwagon. The company has supposedly sent out Request for Proposals [RFP] to install solar panels in its stores. Joel Makower has read the confidential RFP and has the details on his blog. I am really caught off-guard by this story since the company involved is Wal-Mart and not a Silicon Valley Tech company.
According to Joel Makower, the company could put solar panels on as many as 340 stores in the next few years. The total capacity could be as much as 100 megawatts throughout all of its stores. Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT - News) and Google (NASDAQ: GOOG - News) have installed solar panels at their respective headquarters but the size of the Wal-Mart campaign is huge and could shift the alternative energy industry into another gear in America.
Wal-Mart already has a store in Dallas, Texas equipped with solar panels, wind turbine and a bio-fuel boilers to recycle and burn recovered oil from store operations.
If other retailers catch on to this idea and start implementing even some sustainable practices, then the alternative energy industry could enjoy a tremendous boom in the coming years.
Following is an excerpt from a Wal-Mart memo presented by CEO and President H. Lee Scott:
Wal-Mart can help restore balance to climate systems, reduce greenhouse gases, save money for our customers, and reduce dependence on oil, and we are committed to the following:
1. Aggressively investing approximately $500 million annually in technologies and innovation to do the following:
o Reducing greenhouse gases at our existing store, club and DC base around the world by 20 percent over the next 7 years.
o Designing and opening a viable prototype that is 25-30 percent more efficient and will produce up to 30 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions within the next 4 years.
o Increasing our fleet efficiency by 25 percent in the next 3 years, and doubling efficiency in the next 10 years.
o Sharing all learnings in technology with the world, including our competitors (the more people who can utilize this type of technology the larger the market and more we can save our customers).
2. Aggressively pursuing regulatory and policy change that will create incentives for utilities to invest in energy efficiency and low or no greenhouse gas sources of electricity, and to reduce barriers to integrating these sources into the power grid.
3. Assisting in the design and support of a green company program in China, where Wal-Mart would show preference to those suppliers and their factories involved in such a program.
4. Initiating a program here in the U.S. over the next 18 months that would show preference to suppliers who set their own goals and aggressively reduce their own emissions.
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