Ten technologies that deserve to die

[Aristotle]

I thought this article had been posted here a long time ago. Perhaps it was and got purged. It is such a good article that it needs to be here.

Ten technologies that deserve to die

[kiania]

There are a good number on there that I agree with (nuclear weaponry, cosmetic surgery, coal-based power, and land mines being the prominant 4). And it actually made me think about other ones (eg dvds), which although I appreciate because it means I can watch dvd's at uni on my laptop (even the tv in my room back at home isn't plugged into an aerial, I use it purely for dvd watching).

Either way, I agree with nearly all of them (its dvd's i'm still pondering)

[Savaric]

Ah look, there's my light bulb argument! Spooky.

[Snrrub]

"Internal-combustion engines ... need to be replaced by
hydrogen and fuel cells, technologies that are simpler,
safer, and cleaner."

Unfortunately, none of these points on fuel cells are accurate.

Hydrogen fuel cells (especially those powerful enough to be used in cars)
are extremely complex, and require a massive amount of peripheral
equipment and control systems to keep everything running smoothly.
By far, they are more complicated to design, tune, and operate than an
internal combustion engine.

Safety is another roadblock on the path to developing
automotive fuel cells. In order to achieve the energy densities
necessary to power a car, the hydrogen needs to be heavily compressed
until it condenses to a liquid state. These tanks of liquid hydrogen
are much more dangerous than a tank of gasoline. They are prone to
ruptures do to immense internal stress, and are highly explosive.

Another misconception about fuel cells is how green they are. That
they are 'zero emission' engines. Something that people should keep in
mind is that on earth, hydrogen is not a fuel. There are no hydrogen deposits
that can be mined. Hydrogen gas must be formed from more complex molecules
that are abundant on earth (primarily water). Electrical power stations are
necessary to provide the energy required to produce hydrogen, and these
electrical power plants often burn petroleum based fuels, and produce
pollution.

Finally, I'll mention that material costs in fuel cells are quite high.
An automotive fuel cell (say, 100hp), costs roughly between $500,000 and
$1,000,000. So I wouldn't wave goodbye to the good old internal combustion
engine quite yet.