Dave, please make more "Solar roadways"-style videos - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Mo
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: November 29, 2014, 03:45:09 pm
content: Hey Dave,I really enjoyed your "Solar Roadways" videos. Please make more of that kind. For example, this would be also nice:Indiegogo: Ritot - the first projection watch.https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/ritot-the-first-projection-watchThey raised 1.5 million!Thanks

author: dannyf
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 29, 2014, 05:56:18 pm
content: QuoteQuite frankly, anyone stupid enough to buy into that kind of concepts deserve to be con'd.

author: tom66
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 29, 2014, 06:22:34 pm
content: Quote from: dannyf on November 29, 2014, 05:56:18 pmYeah, sure. I suppose everyone should have an engineering degree too?Also, it is spelt "conned"

author: janengelbrecht
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 29, 2014, 06:43:00 pm
content: Personally i couldnt care less about that kind of videos.... energy is boring

author: IO390
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 29, 2014, 06:49:04 pm
content: Quote from: Mo on November 29, 2014, 03:45:09 pmHo-leee SHIT! They have a gaant chart! Must be genuine...

author: dannyf
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 29, 2014, 07:12:22 pm
content: Quoteengineering degrees are only useful for those who cannot think critically.

author: tom66
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 30, 2014, 01:41:54 am
content: Quote from: dannyf on November 29, 2014, 07:12:22 pmPutting my "average joe" hat on here. Solar roadways actually seem like a fair idea. I mean, you have all that surface area available. And you have to replace the roads, anyway... what with all the pot-holes... So why not get some free energy in the process? It's sunlight, it must be free! It'll pay for itself in days, not millenia!/average joeSeriously: the things wrong with Solar Roadways are mostly physics and engineering problems -- they aren't common knowledge, or common sense. People don't deserve to be conned just because they don't understand why something is impractical.Are you suggesting that we allow companies free-reign to print whatever bulls*#t they like on product packaging, because it's common sense to ignore such claims, and easy for you to do so?Sites like indiegogo and others need some people to check projects for feasibility. Sort of like a panel of voting engineers. At least for any hardware project. And a submitted prototype too.

author: dannyf
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 30, 2014, 02:39:01 am
content: QuoteAn engineering school is for you, then.QuoteThat's why some of us are more successful than others.QuoteOnly if you don't want a successful business.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 30, 2014, 02:48:07 am
content: That's not something you can debunk in the same way with just some simple research and calcs. You need to build a similar projection display and actually try it.You can make some calcs based on estimated battery life and then rant about the practicality of it, but at the end of the day it's a gadget which will basically work, albeit a fiddly one.They aren't trying to change the world, just fleece some people out of their money for another useless gadget.So if anything, it would be a rant video, not a debunking video like Solar Roadways was. Solar Roadways and Solaroad make quite specific claims for feasibility that can be easily tested.

author: magetoo
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 30, 2014, 02:59:12 am
content: Quote from: dannyf on November 30, 2014, 02:39:01 amAre you saying it's okay to scam people out of their money? In this context, it's hard to read what you just said any other way.QuoteKickstarter have already sort of started moving in this direction and implemented rules that are atinybit more strict, IGG will have to do something too (after a few high profile failures, if not before).Or I suppose they could choose to be the dodgy number two forever, but I would hardly call that a "successful business".

author: tom66
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 30, 2014, 01:51:18 pm
content: Quote from: dannyf on November 30, 2014, 02:39:01 amNot sure if this is directed at me, but I am studying towards a MEng. Of course Solar Roadways is not practical, but I don't think the average person can necessarily determine this. And you seem to think that because they picked a different subject, say biology, accountancy or art, that they deserve to be scammed?What kind of elitism is this? It makes engineers look bad.

author: Mo
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: November 30, 2014, 02:58:09 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on November 30, 2014, 02:48:07 amFair point. The thing that bothers me most about it is actually the size. And second, how they are going to know the angle of your hand to make it a nice projection.But I agree, it is not the same as FSR (Fucking Solar Roadways). They are neither trying to change the world, nor are they really believing in it.

author: dannyf
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 30, 2014, 04:09:49 pm
content: QuoteThat's why you need to go through an engineering school.

author: IO390
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 30, 2014, 04:30:02 pm
content: Quote from: dannyf on November 30, 2014, 04:09:49 pmHuh? You're saying everyone in the world requires an engineering qualification? You can't honestly expect everyone to be able to see the flaws in the solar roadways thing, as tom66 said.

author: c4757p
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 30, 2014, 05:44:39 pm
content: It's an interesting assertion, juxtaposed with the idea that people don't need consumer protection laws because they can just educate themselves and make their own decisions; caveat emptor &c &c. I guess everyone just has to be an expert at everything.

author: tom66
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 30, 2014, 06:13:20 pm
content: Quote from: dannyf on November 30, 2014, 04:09:49 pmOk hypothetical example. Someone tries to sell me a copy of a famous piece of art. The price is right (not extraordinarily cheap) and I want this piece for my personal use, not to resell or such. I don't have any kind of art knowledge so I can't tell if it's a genuine article.So because I'm an engineer I deserve to get conned because it's not my subject area and well I should have gone to art school too?

author: Zero999
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 30, 2014, 08:48:33 pm
content: Don't worry about trying to convince danny, the one who thinks it's OK for companies to con people into buying ridiculously priced cable and magic stones which improve the sound quality of your stereo.

author: nitro2k01
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 03, 2014, 10:36:51 pm
content: Quote from: dannyf on November 29, 2014, 05:56:18 pmForget those who donated to the Kickstarter campaign. Their end goal is to con the taxpayers by getting public funding for building these roads. With that insight, do you still agree with what you said?Also, danny, why do you remove the name of the user you're quoting? Are you typing the tags by hand? If so, I would recommend that you start using the quote button and then remove the parts you don't like. Or is it some kind of idea that you want to "let the words speak, not the name"? If so, I would contend that it makes the conversation hard to read, as people respond back and forth, and single comments don't exist in a vacuum.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 03, 2014, 10:49:18 pm
content: Quote from: Mo on November 30, 2014, 02:58:09 pmSure, but that's stuff you can't debunk without actually doing experiments. Those issues might be (perhaps partly) solvable with some clever engineering.