EcoModder is TWELVE! 12th birthday prize contest! (ScanGauges, etc.)

[Xist]

I just wanted to thank everyone for my nice new shirt. Sure, Darin and Tim do all of the work, but if the board wasn't active, I wouldn't have a shirt.

I took a picture in the shirt, but I was surprised how fat my torso looked, and that wasn't how I wanted to represent the forums. I work with a guy that is 6'6" and in shape, but he walks so fast one way, and I walk so fast the other, we never really have time to talk.

Have a great day!

[I happily showed the shirt to Mom and she asked "What's E-commodore?!"]

[toc]

Originally Posted by Xist

I just wanted to thank everyone for my nice new shirt. Sure, Darin and Tim do all of the work, but if the board wasn't active, I wouldn't have a shirt.

I took a picture in the shirt, but I was surprised how fat my torso looked, and that wasn't how I wanted to represent the forums. I work with a guy that is 6'6" and in shape, but he walks so fast one way, and I walk so fast the other, we never really have time to talk.

Have a great day!

[I happily showed the shirt to Mom and she asked "What's E-commodore?!"]

Is an e-Commodore an ecomodded Holden Commodore, or, is it an electric Holden Commodore?

[Xist]

She just read Ecomodder incorrectly.

[MetroMPG]

Xist - you're welcome! May it serve your torso well.


Strangest mis-reading of ecomodder I've heard was a guy who pronounced it "eee-commode-r" ... as in, "what a fancy electronic toilet you have there."


I'm sad that ecomodding never entered the general lexicon the way hypermiling did. Wayne won that round. (Anybody know if he actually coined the term? Memory is supect, but I don't think Ben or I actually coined "ecomod/der/s/ing"... we were brainstorming with some people online somewhere)

[redpoint5]

I like ecomodder as a noun/verb just fine, but I don't think it's as precise as it could be. People might want to get better fuel economy for many different reasons, but only 1 of those is represented in the name. Hypermiling suggests getting great economy, but leaves the reasons to do so up to the individual. I've never really liked that term though. Someone with no context hearing the word for the first time is probably more likely to think it refers to a car with a lot of miles on the odometer, or someone that drives an unusually large amount.

[MetroMPG]

ecomodder ... I don't think it's as precise as it could be. People might want to get better fuel economy for many different reasons, but only 1 of those is represented in the name.

Can you expand on that?


I assume you're referring to the "eco" part. I always thought it could refer to either economic motivation or ecological.

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

Can you expand on that?


I assume you're referring to the "eco" part. I always thought it could refer to either economic motivation or ecological.

I was thinking the same thing too, but I don't think most people associate eco with economics. Back around 2004 when I was contemplating a Taxi company using only Prii, I was going to brand it EcoTaxi. I still don't know if it's pronounced eeko, or echo.

The other thing people bring up here is reducing foreign oil imports, or increasing energy independence.

My overriding motivation is that I have an interest in efficiency, purely for efficiency's sake and learning how things work, and how to optimize systems. Next would be to save some money. Environmental benefits and increasing energy independence are important to me too, but perhaps less so since my saving fuel won't be noticed at all by Mother Nature, and isn't going to bring about energy security to the nation. However, it will be noticed in my pocketbook, and I will have learned a lot in the process.

[stefanv]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

Environmental benefits and increasing energy independence are important to me too, but perhaps less so since my saving fuel won't be noticed at all by Mother Nature, and isn't going to bring about energy security to the nation. However, it will be noticed in my pocketbook, and I will have learned a lot in the process.

That's the thing though. If everyone tried to save fuel (I've heard, probably on this forum, that the average driver can save about 30% just by adjusting their driving habits), Mother Nature will notice, and the nation (whichever one that might be) will be quite a bit closer to energy security.

[toc]

Originally Posted by stefanv

That's the thing though. If everyone tried to save fuel (I've heard, probably on this forum, that the average driver can save about 30% just by adjusting their driving habits), Mother Nature will notice, and the nation (whichever one that might be) will be quite a bit closer to energy security.

But only if everyone did.
If 200 people did, it's probably not statistically noticeable.

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by stefanv

That's the thing though. If everyone tried to save fuel (I've heard, probably on this forum, that the average driver can save about 30% just by adjusting their driving habits), Mother Nature will notice, and the nation (whichever one that might be) will be quite a bit closer to energy security.

Sure, I get that, but everyone isn't going do something just because I do something. I get the principle of it though. Doing the right thing regardless if others are doing it, by definition, is doing the right thing.

As I say, environmental and energy security is still important to me, but less so than the other things I mentioned. There's no pride to be had in polluting marginally less than my peers. The point of living isn't to have as little impact as possible, otherwise the logical conclusion is to kill ourselves.

I'm not about employing deceptive scare/shame tactics either to manipulate the masses into "good" behavior. We've got to want it collectively, otherwise we get what we deserve.