Blown Electric Ladyland

Mrs. Spacetropic blew a fuse this morning while using the hair dryer.

But this was not the only factor. Her nerd husband, with his stack of PCs, external drives, and cable modems (a dizzying galaxy of blinking LEDs) was a part of the problem. But the biggest culprit is our house, which was built in the 20s and wired for power before anyone imagined that the average citizen would fill their home with so many electrical devices.

We all use copious amounts of electricity, every day - more than any time before in history. Some are naturally inclined to assume this is a bad thing - and they invent reasons why Bush is to blame with his meanspirited wars. Of course, this conveniently ignores the fact that most electricity is generated by coal - a resource that is mostly obtained from geopolitically friendly sources - like Montana.

We can't get enough electricity. Take the news, yesterday, that Intel has developed a new series of microprocessors that are vastly more power efficient. How green of them, right? Wasn't this done in a Carter-like spirit of highmindedness over using less energy? Not really. These processors are intended for use in portable devices , which consumers expect to offer astonishing features at the expense of limited battery technology.

Are gas prices obscene? Yes. Will the Boston Globe be filled with angry editorials linking the high price of winter heating oil (used mostly in the Northeast) to Bush? Count on it. Energy - like economics - is a topic on which the most ill-informed Americans feel entitled to opine. Natural gas prices are on the rise too, for example, and this fuel is also derived from mostly domestic sources - or Canada. These inconvenient facts will not get in the way of dis-informed debate.

Power in the form of electricity is very similar to freedom and democracy. We are so accustomed to having it in abundant supply and using it to it's fullest extent that we take it for granted.

This doesn't stop some people from fretting over developing countries - wondering, hypocritically, "if they are ready to handle it". In places like China they are rapidly building out infrastructure while simultaneously promoting efficiency and clean technology - because they are using massive amounts of electricity - more each year. They clearly understand that energy efficiency does not mean using less in total - it means making the most from our need for more.