Letter Re: Low-Budget Photovotaically Charged Drill Batteries

Dear Mr Rawles, This letter is in response to the piece on using photovoltaics to charge batteries by C.K.. I feel I should spend some time discussing some potential problems with charging Lithium Ion (“Li-ion”) batteries the way C.K. proposes. However first a few general notes. – I am all for scavenging if you know what you are doing like some of us. But ‘newbies’ are better off not trying to disassemble anything more complicated than a desktop power supply for safety reasons as JWR pointed out. I should add that the process that causes the ‘bounce’ after discharge also …




Letter Re: Pro-Gun or No-Gun America, Which Saves More Lives?

James; I just want to say that I find it amazing how most people, including well-known commentators, go round and round about guns versus crime. This point has been beaten to death, but the gun control crowd wants it to continue. Please folks, realize that the purpose is to disarm the civilian population and has little or nothing to do with public safety. Government safety is what is at stake and as long as the reality can be deflected away from the disarmament purpose, the discussion about public safety is fine! Why does the word stupid come to mind? – …




Economics and Investing:

Jumbo Mumbo Jumbo: Treasury: Debt Has Been Exactly $16,699,396,000,000.00 for 56 Days. (Thanks to Darin Mc.C. for the link.) Fraud Confirmed: 100-Day Delay to Take Bullion Delivery in London Deutsche Bank Opaque Loans From Brazil to Italy Hide Risk It is sad to see The Daily Bell closing down. I’ve been a reader since back before their name was truncated. I’m also someone who observed the SEC’s merciless attack on Anthony Wile’s good name. (Lesser men would have called it quits, but to his credit, he persevered.) The good news is that all of The Daily Bell content will be …




Odds ‘n Sods:

K.T. liked a piece over at Journey To Forever on Hydraulic Ram Pumps.    o o o Peter S. suggested this privacy service: SecuredURL.org    o o o For those interested in registered suppressors, reader C.K. suggested an interesting, lengthy (and photo-intensive) look inside the cans from many popular makers, with lots of discussion about different baffle designs and those dreaded baffle strikes. While these accessories available over the counter sans papiere in many European countries, here in the United States suppressors requires a $200 Federal transfer tax payment before delivery. Constructing your own without first paying the Federal tax …




Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"If all mankind minus one were of one opinion, and only one person were of the contrary opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one person, than he , if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind….. The peculiar evil of silencing the expression of an opinion is, that it is robbing the human race; posterity as well as the existing generation;those who dissent from the opinion,still more than those who hold it. If the opinion is right, they are deprived of the opportunity of exchanging error for truth; if wrong, they lose, what …