Roviyas

Energy not just Electricity

Implementing nuclear power on a grand scale will not secure an energy supply for the U.K., nor will it significantly reduce our CO2 greenhouse gas emissions. The reason is simple, but is seldom rendered explicitly, that only 18% of the total final energy consumption is provided by electricity. 78% (430% more) of the U.K.s total energy is produced by burning coal, natural gas and oil directly, and this burden would not be influenced at all by any amount of nuclear development. The maximum change that might be made - at least in principle - is the substitution of all fossil fuel (mostly coal and gas) fired power stations by nuclear.

Exactly how monumental an undertaking this would be may be gauged from the fact that the current 17% of total electricity produced by nuclear is generated from 18 reactors, which are housed in 10 separate power stations. On this basis, to substitute for the 80% of electricity currently produced from coal and gas, using nuclear, would require building around 100 new reactors, and that is on top of the new ones that will be required in any case, to replace all but one of the existing reactors, which will come to the end of their working lifetimes by the year 2023. This clearly is a colossal undertaking which does not solve the major issues of "security of supply" or CO2 emissions in any significant degree. We will still need to import oil and gas from politically maverick regions, mainly Russia and the Middle east, and is the uranium fuel required for nuclear to be found on our doorstep? Hardly. Most of it comes over from Canada.

What about renewables? It is thought that in the longer run (say, by 2050) around 40% of the U.K.s electricity might be provided using wind/wave/hydroelectric/ solar power. A significant proportion of this would be produced by "microgeneration" devices, rather than a large scale "grid", though any excess electricity generated beyond the local demands of each "micro" community, could be fed into the central network. This still only addresses "electricity" as a final fuel, and the question of providing the greater bulk of "energy" persists.

In simple economic terms, on the level of an individual or a country, the degree of security depends on the gap between income and expenditure. More can be earned or less spent. As far as the U.K.s energy earnings are concerned, the limit is in sight. We cannot realistically "earn" more fuel, and we may well have to endure a pay-cut. It is thus a matter of economy, and of economising. That we spend the precious resources of oil and gas only where it is essential to do so. This will involve schemes of energy efficiency, for example the "40% House" being researched by Dr Brenda Boardmans group in the Environmental Change Institute at Oxford University and the Passivhaus concept.

Such advances in building design could make huge savings in energy use for "space heating" across both the domestic and commercial sectors (each of which accounts for around 30% of the national total energy demand). Transport, which uses another 26%, mainly in the form of oil, is another area where savings could be made, both through more efficient combustion engines (or fuel cells, if the costs can ever be made realistic), and simply by eliminating all unnecessary use of cars (especially the military style "road wagons" - 4x4s, SUVs, depending on which side of the Atlantic you are - that have more to do with symbolising status than any practical transportation issue) .

To a reasonable mind it all seems straightforward, but I suspect there are too many people making too much money to allow any attention more than lip-service to be paid, until it is too late and there is no longer any choice.

Available link for download

Emisario De Otro Mundo 1957 V O S E Not Of This Earth

sinopsis
Un extraterrestre llega a nuestro planeta acuciado por la crisis de su propio planeta, y necesita sangre de los terrícolas para sobrevivir. El alienígena mantiene sus ojos protegidos por lentes negros, que se quita para asesinar a sus eventuales víctimas. Una enfermera le proporciona frecuentes transfusiones, pero al final resulta que la Tierra no es una lugar apacible para los peligrosos habitantes del espacio.


Ficha Técnica
Director: Roger Corman / Productor: Roger Corman / Guión: Charles B. Griffith y Mark Hanna / Fotografía: John J. Mescall / Música: Ronald Stein / Montaje: Charles Gross / Efectos Especiales: Paul Blaisdell / Intérpretes: Paul Birch (Paul Jonson), Beverly Garland (Enfermera Nadine Storey), Morgan Jones (Oficial de policia Harry Sherbourne), William Roerick (Dr. Frederick W. Rochelle), Jonathan Haze (Jeremy Perrin), Dick Miller (Joe Piper, vendedor de aspiradoras), Anna Lee Carroll (Mujer de Davanna), Pat Flynn (Oficial de policia Simmons), Barbara Bohrer(camarera), Roy Engel (Sargento de policía George Walton), Tamar Cooper (Enfermera Joanne Oxford), Harold Fong (El especímen), Gail Ganley (adolescente), Ralph Reed (adolescente) ... / Nacionalidad y año: Estados Unidos 1960 / Duración y datos técnicos: 67 min. ByN 1.85 : 1 (V.O.S.E.)


Comentario
Una de las grandes películas de Roger Corman, que siempre ha sido considerada como uno de los más claros y mejores exponentes de la aportación de Corman a la sci-fi, (que por cierto sirvió como inspiración para el clásico de culto de John Carpenter “They Live!”, 1988). Un producto de serie B muy agradable y entretenido que fue rodado en un par de meses (fue una de las nueve películas que Corman hizo ese año) y con un presupuesto de 100.000 dólares. “Not of this Earth” nació con la vocación de incorporar una generosa dosis de humor a un irreprochable argumento de ciencia ficción y suspense, algo que también intentaría Corman en “It Conquered the World” (1956) o en la obra maestra “Little Shop of Horrors” (1960).
Paul Johnson es un nativo del planeta Davanna enviado a la Tierra con la misión de remitir de forma periódica muestras telepáticas de la sangre de los humanos. Davanna está siendo asolado por una epidemia y una cantidad ingente de sangre humana puede salvar a sus desdichados habitantes. Este argumento, no más desquiciado que el de otras obras fundamentales de Corman, servía de base a un guión extremadamente hábil e ingenioso de Chuck Griffith y Mark Hanna, que inauguraría la citada línea de filmes de suspense y humor.
Cabe también destacar, en “Not of this Earth”, el concurso de Paul Birch como el extraterrestre ultrainteligente, de aspecto adusto y mirada asesina (por cierto, que nos recuerda al Ray Milland de la posterior "El Hombre con Rayos X en los ojos", de 1963), en la línea de los mejores actores cormanianos, y la belleza y el desparpajo de Beverly Garland (como la enfermera Nadine Jonson). Ah, y Dick Millar como vendedor de aspiradoras parlanchín.
A destacar el poster del film que es una auténtica maravilla y uno de los más recordados en la imaginería del género, y que ha sido copiado y plagiado para todo tipo de publicaciones, publicidad, etc…
En 1988 Jim Wynorski realizará un remake con la “porn star” traci lords como Nadine, la enfermera, y Arthur Roberts como Jonson. Nada que ver con la original que, a mi modesto entender, es mucho mejor.







Links descarga
(Rapidshare)

http://rapidshare.com/files/450363769/caprisario.part01.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/450363797/caprisario.part02.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/450363737/caprisario.part03.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/450363752/caprisario.part04.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/450363692/caprisario.part05.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/450363675/caprisario.part06.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/450363668/caprisario.part07.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/450363657/caprisario.part08.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/450363631/caprisario.part09.rar

Mil gracias a laespylaser 18 por su aporte con los subtítulos


Pass: emisariocorman

Available link for download

Echochrome Not Just Another Game

Even though Im not a real gamer, I still like to follow the development in the game world. From what I see in the recent years, the development of games is a bit stagnant. Its true that in matter of graphics we have been experiencing an incredible improvement. However, the types of game doesnt vary as much as I expected. A death in creativity?

If you also have a similar opinion, then you might be interested to know this game: Echochrome (Mugen Kairou). It is a game developed by SONY for the PlayStation Portable and PlayStation 3. Echochrome is a puzzle game involving a figure traversing a rotatable world where physics and reality are affected by perspective. What seems to be a impossible path is made possible by rotating the camera to the right angle. A hole will not have any effect when you cover it with another object.

This game based on OLE Coordinate System developed (an engine that determines what is occuring based on the cameras perspective) by Jun Fujiki. This engine made it possible to constraints movement not only by 3D coordinates but also by the position of camera as well.

Take a look at the trailer below and I hope you will enjoy it as much as I do :)

Available link for download