18. Smart Grid: Your Future Friend?
Smart Grid: Your Future Friend? Here’s how today’s conversation about The Grid between the English major and the Physicist began. English Major: Sooo, if amps are “current,” what are volts? Physicist: I can’t explain that, it’s too complicated (and I'm lazy) EM: No, I mean, isn’t there a word for what volts are, like “current” is what amps are? P: Yes, “volts.” Volts are volts. That’s why it’s complicated. EM: Well, I mean, like what do they do?? Do they, do they - (shot in the dark:) Do they just push it or something? P: Yah, they push it, that’s what they do, fine. EM thinks: At this rate, this is going to be a lonnnggg conversation... Last column we talked about The Grid in a simple enough way that the less technically inclined of the two of us could construct true sentences about it. While this proved interesting and the English Major may have learned something useful and perhaps even memorable, still the thrill was minimal. T...