"Volkswagen Ushers in A New Era of electric vehicle manufacturing after defrauding millions of planet-friendly diesel car buyers".  That's the real title of this essay.

I have been a staunch environmental advocate since childhood. I am specifically doing as much as I can to limit my negative impact on the planet I inhabit, from solar hot water to rabid recycling habits. 

When I saw something that I thought did a good turn ecologically, I tried to share that information to whomever would listen.  I have been a specific supporter of Volkswagen's TDI engine and technology, to such an extent that I took a job selling VW here in Seattle.  

During my time at both Carter and University Volkswagen, I was excited to help satisfy progressive Seattle's push toward cleaner fuels, hybrids, and higher fuel mileage.  I represented University VW at local biodiesel conventions, and convinced close friends and family to go TDI using biodiesel.  My email address starts with "glowplug".  

I actively and successfully convinced clients to consider a more-expensive TDI Jetta rather than a comparable Toyota Camry hybrid or Honda Accord hybrid, based on what I was told by VW.  I've been intentionally defrauded by VW, and so have many of my customers.  I'm gravely disappointed in VW.

By now you've already heard that VW has admitted they systematically tricked people into buying supposedly environmentally-friendly vehicles that turned out to pollute up to 40x more than VW stated.  They tricked the EPA, they tricked the State of California, they tricked roughly 482,000 car buyers, and they tricked me and my community.  

I supported TDI and VW because I thought biodiesel was an environmentally -friendly stop-gap fuel.  All of the VW literature and indeed their actions seemed to be pro-planet.  They are certainly guilty of trying too hard to give everyone what they want, and now they are also guilty of massive worldwide environmental and economic fraud.

I was tempted to go along with the throngs of people who want to use this opportunity to get some kind of media revenge on VW for tricking us like they have, but then I had a more productive thought.  (Ok, I also want revenge, but only the good kind of revenge, I promise!)  

I was thinking this VW "clean diesel" debacle could be a big electric wake-up call for VW, and for the world at large.  Could this be a game-changer? What if?

What if this is a direct and coherent signal that we as a species cannot afford to power our transportation future on petroleum combustion engines?  

What if VW's true act of contrition wasn't even intended and this was the final proof required to rapidly transition the entire transportation industry from combustion to electric powered motors?

VW has effectively answered the question, "Can we sell a high-performance, environmentally friendly, diesel passenger car to the United States?".  That answer is no, but VW has also created a way to truly redeem themselves environmentally in many peoples minds, and that would be to quickly shift to an all-electric fleet of high performance passenger cars.

They already have a great electric Golf on the road, and now they can capitalize on their own misfortune by upgrading that platform with more power and longer driving capacity. VW could engineer a Leaf-beater with awesome handling.  They could spread the technology across their Touareg, Tiguan, Sportwagen, and (please) New MicroBus platforms to finally win back the Prius families.   An all-electric 4WD R series Golf would sell out world-wide, as would a solar-boosted electric Microbus camper van, minivan or multi-van platform.

It will take a lot to earn back my trust in VW's direction, but pulling the glow-plug on combustion engines would certainly go a long way for me and my folks.

Until then, my technological and environmental support for VW is gone. My green heart is broken.  While I will continue to drive a percentage of biodiesel in my 2004 Jetta TDI for now, I will even more actively search out my next electric-drivetrain car.  

If anything, VW just accelerated my own passions and desires to invest in a solar-powered battery system for charging my next vehicle.  

Hmm.  I'd probably make a pretty good Tesla salesman.

Respectfully Submitted by Aaron Bruce Campbell.  Copyright and CopyLeft.

September 28, 2015

I take great pride is saying I did the dishes today.

In a very real sense I also created a space where actual world peace flourishes immediately.

I actually did the dishes earlier this morning.  I'm going to have done the dishes again this evening, so as usual the dishes are never actually "done" in a very real way.

I also came to the conclusion that my campaign for world peace by the end of 2014 just got a whole lot simpler. Dish Peace by 2014.

Metaphorically and in real life these dishes must be done, and since you're here, you might as well just do the dishes.

You gotta get good at something with relation to the dwelling in a home of almost any sort.  You need to be an expert in at least one field of household maintenance.  I have chosen dishes.

You can also cook, sweep, vacuum, shake, wash, do the bathrooms.  You can also fix, paint, and upgrade.  I just know I can do the dishes well, and I like doing them.

Just do the dishes.  If you have time to do more, so be it.
Perhaps you already realized that if you do the dishes, you are also involved with the preparation of the meal in some way.  That's two awesome tasks to accomplish every day.  Food and dishes.  The rest is pure gravy.   Dishes and Painting? Nearly grounds for sainthood.

Dishes are the second most basic sign of love between two people, and it's the most useful by far.  If you cook, you love with food.  If you do the dishes, you love with hygiene.

More love in every single household on earth with dishes?
More peace on earth immediately possible.

Spread the word and do the dishes.

(This first essay on the topic of "doing the dishes" was done after making sure the actual dishes were done.)

-ABC

"Locally and globally, the dishes must be done.

These dishes, they must be done.

They must be done, these dishes.

Those dishes? Do those too.

Dishes, they don't just do themselves."

-{∞}

Just do the dishes first

Archimedes Greek Yogurt

Yogurt containers aren't currently designed to do much more than hold yogurt.  True, "yogurt in a tube" is nearly perfect in terms of being industrially designed for maximum yogurt removal.  However, you must be a NASA engineer, a pro cyclist, or a toddler in order to look even remotely cool while evacuating a tube of hypercolor yogurt product into your gullet.

While I'm at it, here's another major issue I know you're thinking about:  Why can't there be some kind of cool everyday off-the-shelf container that can also be used as a water pump, air pump, or a cheap splash weapon?

WHY CAN'T WE HAVE IT ALL?

Now you can actually have it all with my new pre-Kickstarted innovation,  "Archimedes Greek Yogurt".  The yogurt comes in a much more sturdy plastic or vegetable resin container that  sports a single groove running around and down the side of the container.  It resembles a screw.

When you're done with your delicious Greek yogurt, you simply scrape your spoon at a 45 degree angle along the inside channel of the container all the way to the bottom.  All the yogurt rescued in one 15 second activity.

The container is then much cleaner for rinsing as well, which you'll need to do when you will be re-using it as a stomp rocket foot pump.  Or a cheap accordion. Or an Edison Phonograph Cylinder. Or an Archimedes screw. Or a water container.  You can also recycle it.  Whatever you want. Booyakashah, and thank you.

STEAM grant proposal:  "Ceasefire 2013"

Respectfully submitted by Aaron Bruce Campbell on May 17th, 2013

Introduction and Background:

Here's a recent image of my grant proposal, imagined as a concert poster.  When people asked me about the tattoo on my hand, I have always had a hard time communicating the idea behind it.  Briefly, it started as an artistic response to the tragedy of September 11, 2001 WTC plane-bombings and the Bush Administration's military reaction.  The icon "{∞}" was invented as a logo to represent the idea of an engineered world peace as a result of a global ceasefire agreement.  I intend to use the plan, images, and systemology to engineer a global ceasefire transition based on individual, district, and regional energy independence.  Below is a photo of a mind-map that evolved from multiple microprinting documents:

The following is a recent picture of the tattoo, accented with a 12v solar car battery trickle charger.  As an image, it represents individual energy freedom resulting from a renewable power source.  Just trying to sum it all up for myself, I ended up with my life becoming the core idea for an educational STEAM grant

(Science Technology Engineering Arts Math) proposal.  

Summary:

Using crowdsourced funds with affordable buy-in shares, the plan is to design a global ceasefire system by the end of 2013, based on energy independence education. The original intent is to use a Kickstarter-centered project funding system, but other funding instruments are possible.

The STEAM team in this case would initially be myself and 4 other principal designers collaborating to satisfy all 5 STEAM educational requirements while educating kids and their parents on personal energy efficiency, and how it impacts regional energy production and consumption.

Methodology:

The core idea challenge is coming up with an open-source system of meme transmission that automatically self-perpetuates without danger to the person who promotes it.  This open source contributive model is required since all human beings are directly involved by the nature of the project itself.  Basically, people need a vehicle to express their desire to join all other people for in a  global ceasefire, and that vehicle is the internet.

Fractal Path to Success:

A personal ceasefire agreement is required from each individual, and must be worded legally and efficiently.  Each household made up of individual agreements signs up through a secure encrypted website that is locally administered through a public community center.  Each community center communicates with signatories about agreements with other local community centers, collaborating to reduce neighborhood violence while increasing neighborhood energy self reliance.  Districts comprised by energy neighborhoods work together within energy regions to distribute energy resources at lower loss-distances.  Nation-states are only required to ensure public land resources are ecologically managed.  After signing the nation-state ceasefire agreement (based on compiled regional signatures), nation-states will use their own military forces to provide initial required resources, technologies, labor force, and security logistics.

Funding Target and Increments:

Initially, I calculated a $500,000 USD budget proposal with each STEAM educational member getting $100,000 sub-grants, but I opted for a more reasonable $84,000 sub-grant amount.  This makes the full request $420,000, split up into five sub-grants. 

Initial minimum share comes to $42.00 USD.

Action Step Options:

1.  Make an initial pledge of $42.00 USD on the Ceasefire 2013 Kickstarter page.

2.  Share and Like this blog post on your social networks.

3.  Calculate the ROI of reducing energy losses in your home and workplace.

4. Calculate the ROI of adding renewable energy generation appliances and systems to your buildings with the goal of becoming net-positive.

5.  Make smart investments in energy loss reduction retrofits and remodelling, then invest in renewable energy production.

6.  Gather with neighbors to design a robust energy interdependence program alongside your disaster prevention and response programs.

That's about it.  Please comment sincerely and respectfully.

CopyLeft:  Aaron Bruce Campbell

One Idea

Share this idea: We can create a meme that is spread by its logic alone; that the biggest challenge and solution is absolute baseline human equality.

Joule Energy!

Great news! I am proud to announce my new position with Joule Energy, under the gifted and energetic management of Justin Fogle.  More to come, more energy to save!