Monthly Archives: October 2023

Winterize Your EV: Cruise Through the Cold, Cozy and Charged

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As the cold winds start to blow, signaling the approach of winter, it’s crucial for electric vehicle (EV) owners to prepare their cars for the chilly months ahead. A well-prepared EV can tackle the cold, ensuring a smooth, safe, and energy-efficient drive. Here’s how to winterize your electric vehicle to keep it performing optimally even when the mercury dips. Gone are the days of exchanging the antifreeze for the gas motor, which often spilled and negatively impacted the environment. 

One of the most fundamental steps in winterizing your EV is to check your tires and ensure they are properly inflated. Tire pressure tends to fall by one PSI for every 10-degree ambient temperature drop, which is why it’s essential to check and adjust tire pressure during cold weather. Almost all EVs will tell the driver if a tire is underinflated, but knowing how to manually check is important in case the car isn’t reporting a problem.

Depending on the typical winter conditions in your area, you might want to consider investing in winter tires, which provide better grip on icy or snowy roads due to their additional grooves compared to summer tires. EVs often use special tires for less road noise so double check what the manufacture recommends to avoid having unwanted noise inside of the car.

Maintaining visibility is crucial for safe driving, ensuring that your windshield washer fluid is topped off is necessary. A fluid rated for low temperatures will prevent freezing on the windshield. Additionally, having a good ice scraper at hand is advisable to clear icy windshields. Plan ahead, the cold morning you need it is a bad time to start looking for your scrapper.. It’s a more energy-efficient alternative to running the defroster which uses more electricity, thus conserving the battery.

Speaking of conserving battery, minimizing the use of heating in your EV is a wise practice. Unlike traditional cars with internal combustion engines that generate heat as a byproduct of the engine running, electric vehicles use electricity to generate interior heat, which can significantly drain the battery. Wearing warm clothing, such as a parka, hat, and gloves, while driving can help keep you warm without the need to turn on the heating system.

Many modern electric vehicles come with heated seats and steering wheels. Utilizing these heated accessories instead of heating the entire car is a more energy-efficient way to stay warm. These features heat the surfaces you touch, making your drive comfortable without using too much energy.

Occasionally plugging in and preconditioning your EV is another excellent way to prepare it for winter drives. Preconditioning involves turning on the heat 30 minutes to an hour before driving. This process can be initiated via a smartphone app in most modern EVs, and it helps to maximize range as no additional energy is used from the battery to warm up the interior. This is particularly beneficial for those chilly morning drives.

Battery management is another crucial aspect of winterizing your EV. Allowing the battery to warm up while attached to the charger before heading out can extend battery life. Many electric cars feature a departure mode that lets you set an exact time when you want the vehicle ready to leave, making it convenient to have your car warmed up and ready to go.

Seeking shelter for your car can also aid in keeping the batteries reasonably warm and protect it from snow and wind. If possible, parking your car in a garage or another sheltered area is advisable. However, if a snowstorm hits while your car is parked outside, keeping snow from accumulated on the car as it can affect your car’s aerodynamics, further draining the battery and posing a danger to others if it flies off your car while driving.

Winterizing your electric vehicle is not just about ensuring a smooth drive but also about maximizing battery efficiency and ensuring safety. As winter rears its head, taking these steps can prepare your EV for the cold, ensuring you continue to enjoy the benefits of electric driving in a safe and efficient manner.

Please note that if you purchase from clicking on the link, some will result in my getting a tiny bit of that sale to help keep this site going.

Streaming Quality Compromise: Blu-ray Edge in a Netflix Era

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With Netflix’s move to a streaming-only model, we will be limited to the quality offered by streaming platforms which, despite being satisfactory for a majority, still lag behind the superior quality rendered by Blu-ray discs. The bitrate in streaming services often peaks at about 25 megabits per second (which can be impacted by a low quality internet connection at a house), while Blu-ray discs operate at a bandwidth ranging from 82 to 128 megabits per second. This higher bitrate in Blu-ray discs translates to better picture and sound quality as it processes more data, reducing the level of compression and, consequently, the degradation in picture and sound quality that comes with it.

The resolution and color contrast provided by Blu-ray, particularly 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray discs, offer a more enriched viewing experience due to less compression, delivering better definition, contrast, and color. On the flip side, streaming services employ more compression to deliver content over the internet which can, at times, compromise the picture and sound quality, especially in scenarios with slower internet connections or during peak usage times.

The convenience and accessibility associated with streaming cann’t be overstressed. The ability to access a vast array of titles at the click of a button anytime (can sleep, catch up on your ‘must watch’ movie list without having to have a stack of DVDs waiting), anywhere, is a significant draw for many viewers. Besides, as internet speeds continue to improve and streaming technology evolves, the quality gap between streaming and Blu-ray discs might narrow down over time. The continued investment in enhancing streaming quality by companies could potentially bring streaming quality closer to that of Blu-ray discs, though the timeline for such parity remains uncertain.

It isn’t lost on me that there is an environmental impact of making and sending DVDs to people via services like Netflix vs streaming. I’m still looking into that though as it isn’t simple math. How many of those DVDs would have gotten boughten without Netflix? Netflix buys and and ships to many people. What is the impact of a Netflix package needing to be handled by trucks and people, the trucks create pollution but the people have jobs. And, streaming isn’t impact free, it needs power generated to run server farms, which though does employee people.

My feeling is that the shift to a streaming-only model could bring about a compromise in viewing quality, particularly for those accustomed to the superior quality of Blu-ray discs. Nonetheless, the trade-off between quality and convenience is a personal decision, and many may find the quality of streaming services to be “good enough,” especially as technological advancements continue to bridge the quality gap.

From Haste to Harmony: Reflecting on Life’s Chosen Paths

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Today, The Photographic Eye released a new YouTube video where Alex delves into the evolution of habits in skill development. The video, titled “5 Skills That Give New Photographers An Edge“, highlights how, after some time in photography, there can be two outcomes: photos might begin to look formulaic, or photographers may overanalyze each shot. The simple act of seeing and capturing is transformed into a detailed scrutiny of angles and configurations. While taking fewer but more meticulously planned shots might lead to more gallery inclusions, it raises the question: is photography becoming more of a chore than a joy?

Expanding beyond the scope of Alex’s discussion about novice photographers, when watching the video, reflect on other areas of your life. Maybe you’ll realize that relying on prior experiences to shape your plans has shifted your pleasure in certain activities. Personally, planning helps me to be present in the moment, as it alleviates the worry about what’s next. By merely following a plan and being open to change and spontaneity, it can ease anxieties. Sometimes, taking a relaxed approach, like a spontaneous trip to the park, can minimize stress and prevent missed moments that later become cherished memories.