Wellington City Water

The capital city of New Zealand has a problem; 45% of the city's potable water is lost due to leaks.

That's a lot of water lost and water restrictions have been introduced. But the council refuse to do anything about it, leaks can be literally found on every street. It is below Third World. 

What the council are doing is holding the region to ransom, and demanding money from the taxpayer through central government. 

Solution: the NZ Government should step in, sack the Wellington City Council and put in place a commissioner to run the city. This happened to Environment Canterbury previously, and it worked.

Do it now, be firm and decisive. 

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/507900/wellington-water-suggests-2-point-5b-to-fix-city-s-pipes

Greens Naysaying Again

Why do young people vote Green? They've got to be the most negative political party I've seen. Their latest opposition is against the water export scheme from South Westland in the South Island of New Zealand. First they opposed non-renewable, now they oppose renewable as well, when will this end, when homo sapiens are back living in caves?

I wrote about the scheme here: http://kenhorlor.blogspot.com/2017/01/innovative-water-export-scheme.html

I notice the campaign to stop this project are completely misrepresenting where the water is to be taken from and what impact it will have on the environment. The water is not being taken from a national park, and it will have absolutely no effect on the environment.

The impact on global climate change will be positive and schemes like this should get widespread support from environmentalists. One of the problems of climate change is the lack of  cloud formation and thus precipitation from the areas where it is most needed. As an example, the Sahara desert is spreading south because of this, but the problem is global. Greening areas impacted by a lack of water holds back the tide. Water from South Westland is literally a drop in the bucket for that region but a vital resource for those that need the water.

Greens, a message, stop being silly and get behind something that helps the environment and which is renewable.

Innovative Water Export Scheme

I've been saying it for a long time and now it looks like someone has got the idea over the line - almost.

The West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand is one of the wettest places on earth. The rain runs right off the mountains into the sea. It's pure fresh water untouched by industry. The water is suitable for export as ships can park right off the coast for loading.

>> The Scheme <<

A company has ambitious plans to pipe glacial water from rugged South Westland mountains directly onto tanker ships headed overseas.

Plans such as these help combat global climate change if the water is used right. If the water is exported to help green the deserts, then moisture from plant growth would help cloud formation and hence precipitation around the earth in areas where water is badly needed. The volume they're talking about taking is a drop in the proverbial bucket compared to the total rainfall on the West Coast.

Business Ideas

Hey, this an ideas thread. Ideas I've had for some time and done nothing about myself. I've taken note though, as time has gone by, that no-one has done them, or anything similar. Maybe there are good reasons for this. Hmm.

1. Baby Boomers Retiring:-

New Zealand this, not talking in the USA etc., where private equity is well established....

No, I'm not talking about retirement homes, or farming oldies. I'm thinking all those baby boomers are retiring and what happens to their businesses? Like Auckland house prices, the amount of capital needed to buy these businesses has gone beyond the reach of younger investors.

Baby boomers also inherit their parents business and want the cash out. Or the baby boomers don't have children capable of taking over, or the children are not interested, or the children have taken over and want to cash out. Whatever, you get the idea.

Simple idea really, a private fund buys these good businesses and runs them under management. They're either directly governed or brought together into industry groups which can be floated off onto a stock exchange, or sold to management later, maybe being split up before doing so.

I'm not aware of any consultant or investment banker in NZ operating in the space where the businesses are smaller, but not the corner shop either - let's not get carried away here; I'm thinking 20-50 employees and under $50 million worth.

It could even be handled like a reverse mortgage, the retiring owner stays in place in a senior governance role and is paid out over time. Nothing really new in that angle I guess though, but where I think I'm different is that the group buying these businesses packages or bundles them up.

I can think of literally dozens of businesses where the owner is older, nearing retirement and carrying on regardless. Some I personally know and they say they have to carry on as no-one can buy their business.

So that's an opportunity for an enterprising investor.

2. Search by thought and eyes:-

The next Google is a search engine that processes your thinking. Reads your mind. Maybe through your webcam it reads your eye movement. Touch screens yes, but if you can touch the screen why can't the screen touch you?

3. HorlorVision:-

This is an implant, far beyond Google glasses. It's in your brain and you can see any movie or TV show ever made, right inside your head.

Or driving along you can see Google street view in part of your brain.

Or the military application - you can implant all the necessary steps for being an excellent soldier. Correctly configured, the soldier can work with satellites and drones, seeing behind targets ( who's hiding behind the wall?).

4. Basketball Jumping Shoes

Intelligent clothing. The rules of basketball say you're not allowed to get an advantage by jumping off or being held by someone else (technical foul). So no riding on someone's shoulders or jumping off something (such as jumping off a body crouching like a stool, or a hand off or climbing onto the backboard). But shoes have some leeway, and have improved over the years. I think Adidas put out a shoe they said allowed a higher jump, and the sole looked good.

But I'm talking a sole that applies leverage but never changes shape. This avoids the charge that the shoes are like someone standing on stilts. The interior of the shoe would use leverage to propel the player higher (the foot inside the shoe would need room).

In the next development the sole itself would have a memory that equates to a spring like a lever spring, but no actual large spring. The sole is flat but when activated by toe reflex, springs the player upward. Look at these Rosta bearings, the unit on the far right is what I'm talking about miniaturising, get the idea? This could be inside the sole and would provide massive lift...
These elements pictured work in industrial applications, inside a shoe they'd provide maybe two and a half feet of lift for the average size person - BOOM - every competent player is a dunker.

5. Water Driven Car

People go on about electric vs petrol vs fuel cell.

Well woop de doo. I'd get excited if one day you can get the garden hose and fill your tank with water and drive along using that.

Two ways this could be possible, c'mon engineers do it...

(a) the first is you have a uranium using nuclear plant in your car and it turns the water to steam, which then drives your car. The advantage of this is that when at home the same plant can power your house with electricity and feed the national grid, or;

(b) The water is fed through a cracker which splits the water into hydrogen and oxygen. Most talk about hydrogen, but the oxygen is useful here I think, bring the elements back together and boom, ignition. The nuclear unit would crack the water.

The idea is that you fit the nuclear unit to the car and it goes for the life of the car without replacement uranium, the car being disposed of when dead after 20 years or so. I haven't costed the uranium and the quantity available on planet earth. The idea falls over if there isn't enough uranium to go around.