Air Fuel Synthesis- The Fading Carbon Footprint

Most people are aware that cars are some of the biggest pollutants that threaten our earth. And most people know about the efforts being made to reduce emissions with smog control laws and increasingly fuel efficient designs. One company's efforts though, however important, has relatively no reputation in America. Air Fuel Synthesis, or AFS, is a company based in the UK, working to make petroleum fuels carbon neutral. This means that the net amount of carbon compounds produced by burning these fuels is reduced to zero by offsetting the emissions. How can they do this? By using the most common form of pollution reduction: recycling. More specifically, by recycling the same carbon compounds emitted by burning the fuels and using it them to make more fuel.
Besides power, the burning of gasoline in an engine produces water and carbon dioxide. In order to synthesize one unit of fuel, it takes approximately 4.5 units of water and 3 unites of carbon. AFS begins by turning the H2O and CO2 into methanol using an updated version of the process Mobil used in the 90s. And then they turn the methanol into petroleum based fuel. The synthesis process, aside from producing the fuel, also emits oxygen. This new fuel has been tested and proven; it works just as well as natural fossil fuels.
Now, why should you care? Because once AFS puts their first commercial refinery into production, given that it works according to plan, the price of fuel will be in their hands. Prices could rise, fall, or stay constant. Wondering which it will be? Well, so am I.

New Look on "Grown-Ups"

Who is to say at what point someone may be considered "grown up"? Is living at home through college living at home too much? People will say that kids shouldn't return home after going away to college in order to grow up, but why? Kids are moving back home after college more and more these days, but they aren't kids anymore. In Lev Grossman's essay "Grow Up? Not So Fast", he claims that you cannot be grown up until you achieve economic and social independence. He cites such attributes such as living at home, taking longer to graduate, waiting longer to get married, and moving from job-to-job as evidence suggesting that the newer generations are taking longer to grow up. Grossman accuses young adults of being immature and irresponsible when in reality they are just the opposite.
Living at home saves something that is in short supply these days: money. It isn't costing parents anymore to use space they already have and it gives new adults a chance to work and save money in order to successfully move out on their own later. Taking longer to graduate is necessary in order to get a better education in such a competitive job market. Waiting to get married only enables people to make better decisions about who they marry so as not to make the mistake so many of their parents made. Job hopping is only a quest to be content in a career. So why is Lev Grossman so upset by what he sees as an inability to grow up? Possibly because when he was a young adult, the social norms were different. People left home to tough it out on their own, get married and have kids (only to divorce a few years later). Sounds something like jealousy.
Society, just like everything else, goes through an evolutionary cycle. In today's society it is acceptable to take longer to "grow up" because it makes it easier to live a fulfilling life. It doesn't appear to be hurting anyone besides Lev Grossman, so I say live it up, all you new adults. Take advantage of this chance to stock up now, because life is only going to get tougher. Good luck.

Review of "Clockwork Angels: The Novel"

Clockwork Angels, the novel by Kevin J. Anderson from a story and lyrics by Neil Peart and with the art of Hugh Syme, published by ECW Press, is an exciting "steam-punk" adventure full of light hearted humor, daring optimism and scheme going very much awry. In a world where everything goes according to the Watchmaker's plan, there is a dreamer "foolish" enough to know his ordered and contented life cannot possibly be enough. Owen hardy can't stop thinking big and so his destiny becomes entwined with that of two polar opposites fighting for the application of their ideologies.
This novel parallels the story told in Rush's latest album of the same title, for which Neil Peart wrote the lyrics. Rush fans will recognize lyrics woven into the text from a broad spectrum of their works; spotting these references is almost comical and very fun. Fortunately, for the majority of you who aren't fans, you won't be missing anything if you don't understand the references.
I would surely recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys adventure tales with compelling plots and rather fulfilling endings; Rush fan or not.