Analysis of The Red Vineyard at Arles (Van Gogh)

Nature, with her endless beauty, has inspired man in many ways; painters, musicians, architects, doctors, fashion designers and the list goes on. Vincent Van Gogh (1853 – 1890), the famous impressionist, was no different. One day, he happened to walk past a vineyard and was so mesmerized by the richness of nature that he painted the scene entirely from memory. The only painting he ever sold during his lifetime, 'The Red Vineyard at Arles' is a beautiful composition of contrasting fiery colors.

The painting now rests in Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow, Russia.

Perspectives on the Painting

I had the opportunity to discuss the painting with a few friends and here are a few snippets of the interesting conversation that ensued (the names have been hidden on request):

A: I like (painting) for two reasons: 1- it's the only painting he ever sold during his lifetime and this creates an attractive sense of sobriety for the painting; 2 - the reds and yellows used in the painting seem to tell a deep and rich story for the scenery, which gets me thinking and wondering...

B: You're drawn into the painting and become part of the scene and; interaction of the people. A very humanistic piece that I think most people would relate to. It has a real family working together flavour."

A: The picture does pull you into itself and you... believe you're in the 1800s overseeing the peasants work the field

B: It kind of reminded me of Holland, Russia or another country where there was peasants working diligently to bring in their crops for the winter. The last of the summer warmth, before the cold sets in... lovely. Interesting though, you see yourself as the overseer, where I see myself as one of the workers. The symbolism says a lot for who we are in life.

A: Your suggestion about the symbolism is rather interesting since I find it difficult to interpret. I would have thought, perhaps, it would relate to our personalities, but maybe you've got a different view you'd like to share.

B: For me, it would be definitely related to how we view ourselves in the world.You saw yourself as the overseer and I saw myself as a peasant working in the fields. Doesn't mean that one is better than the other, just depends on what you see and value yourself, most as...this picture mostly reminded me of a family working together to provide for the future. The gathering of the grains and the fish. Love symbolism and enjoy interpreting things from my perspective of the world. We all see things differently, which is why we are all so unique and special. Hope I'm making sense.

A: Thanks for explaining it so wonderfully... I completely understand what you're saying ... it's odd how even though i see myself as an overseer, I do not consider myself a leader. When I look at that picture, I am merely a passerby who observes the story of the peasants as a charmed tourist, perhaps. you, on the other hand, saw yourself as one who creates value...without this function, little would be accomplished in this world :)

B: I don't think when I looked at the painting I saw myself as one who created value, I was just one of the peasants working diligently to provide what was needed to sustain a family orcommunity, through what I imagined would be the cold and desolate winter months.

Source: Art.com (Image)
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Solar Power - Definition, How Does it Works & its Advantages

Put simply, ‘solar power is the generation of electricity from sunlight’, which is the most abundant energy source on the planet.


Since prehistoric times, we've relied on the Sun for a lot of things: light, warmth, vitamin D, rainbows, and the list goes on and on. But this article goes on to talk about our dependence on the Sun for electricity, i.e. solar power, its benefits, solar cells, how solar energy is harnessed and where it’s used.


On a sunny day, this form of alternative energy can generate enough electricity through solar cells (called photovoltaics or photoelectrics) to power our homes and store the excess if needed.


Tell me about solar cells


Solar cells were originally developed to power satellites in space, but during the 1970s a lot of homes started using them too. Unfortunately, the technology wasn’t advanced enough to sell at low prices so the common man preferred energy made from power plants that relied on fossil fuels. However! While the prices of fossil fuels rise, the cost of solar power systems has fallen around 90% since then, and now you and I see solar cells everywhere – even our calculators use them.


How is solar energy harnessed to make power?


I’ve already mentioned one method of producing solar power, i.e. through photovoltaics or PV (solar cells). The amount of energy created by PV cells simply depends on the amount of sunlight, the tempearature and the type of solar cell (to read more about how PV cells create electricity, click here). The other is simply by concentrating solar power (CSP), like the experiments we carried out as kids trying boil a glass of water by focusing sunbeams through a magnifying glass. In real life, huge concave structures can create enough heat to boil water for power plants.


What is solar power used for?


Even with the obvious drawback that solar power is an intermittent power source, its quickly gaining popularity. Not only are tropical countries using their ample supply of sunlight to generate power in areas inaccessible by power grids, but commercial buildings, residences, street lamps, water heating systems, hybrid cars, and remote telephone booths all over the world also rely on solar energy to function.


But why bother?



Solar power comes with a few drawbacks but I’ll give you three good reasons why its becoming popular: solar power is very economical, it’s environmentally friendly and it’ll never run out like oil and coal (read about other advantages of alternative sources of energy here). Even cloudy days aren’t a problem. Thanks to the met office, the weather is fairly predictable so we simply use stored solar power on rainy days, or revert to other sources of energy.


It’s amazing how powerful the Sun is considering its distance from Earth (140 million kilometers). Only a fraction of its original solar energy reaches us, yet this is enough to sustain us in numerous ways forever. The Sun is only one of many gifts of nature.


Source: BBC, Wikipedia, Solar Power Answers, Get Solar (Image)
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Global Warming Defined

Here's a small presentation I made which serves as a general guideline as to what the global warming phenomenon (also referred to as climate change) is, how man is responsible for rises in the earth’s natural temperature, how the world’s ecology is slowly changing for the worse, and what we, as individuals, can do to lessen the impact of this unfortunate global issue.

Global Warming: Time to Face The Heat

View more presentations from Technology Page.

A lot of people wonder how La nina and El nino relate to global warming. They're cycles of extreme cold and extreme heat and they come about every few years, even during global warming. While the earth may get warmer one year and cooler the next, the temperatures are still a lot higher than they were, say, a hundred years ago, or the last 200,000 years ago which goes on to prove global warming is not joke.

Source: BBC

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Used Car or Hybrid Car - Which is Greener?

If you think buying a hybrid car is the greenest, most environmentally friendly way to drive, you may be wrong. This video will make you think twice.

What’s so special about hybrid cars? Very Little.

The idea of green driving embraces hybrid cars, albeit in a half-hearted manner. Since hybrid cars run on both and electricity, they combine efficiency with power but the benefits offered ends somewhere here and I’ll tell you why.


Why the world loves hybrid cars


Almost anyone with deep pockets and a green-conscience has a hybrid car. I don’t say this new technology is futile, but I certainly say it’s over-rated. Hybrid car manufacturers claim the following benefits exist over traditional cars:

• They conserve fossil fuels by consuming electricity the majority of the time (petrol is only injected into the engine when immense power is needed)
• They offer better mileage than cars purely dependent on petrol and diesel on account of their smaller, lighter engines
• They cause very little pollution (especially plug-in hybrids because you simply plug them into the nearest socket and use regular electricity to charge them)

All this is sounds very appealing, but there’s a flip side to this.


Why the world shouldn’t love hybrid cars


Let’s go about this one step at a time:

• Plug-in hybrid cars don’t always reduce pollution. They depend highly on electricity so the potential for causing pollution simply travels up the line to the actual power company and if the power source is fossil fuel, we’re back to square one. But even if the power plant produces alternative energy(such as hydro power or wind power), the actual setup is not always green. You can read more about this here.
• Plug-in hybrids also greatly increase your electricity bill, so you now And as power companies see this trend emerge, they are beginning to raise power tariffs to exploit the opportunity.
• Hybrid cars aren’t very compatible with your wallet. You now have to determine whether you can afford to go green. Not only are hybrid cars around $10,000 to $15,000 more expensive than regular cars, plug-in hybrids add to your electricity bill as well and power companies are set to exploit this trend by raising power tariffs.

Green living has always been about simpler living. Shunning wild consumerism and adopting a cleaner, low-cost lifestyle. But the hybrid car solution still has a long way to go before it fulfills its potential.


Sources: How Stuff Works, Future Pundit, eZine Articles, Only in Silence (Image)
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Is Alternative Energy Always Green Energy? No.

These days, it’s almost fashionable to go green. We talk about alternative energy and renewable energy often but we don’t realize these terms are the same as green energy. Yup! There are subtle differences between the two.


Here’s the deal.


Wood is a renewable source of energy because it can be grown over and over again. But, if you burn it in the wrong way, you’ll create a lot of pollution. Burning it inefficiently leads to lots of smoke and emission of carbon dioxide.


You also know hydroelectricity is an alternative source of fuel. But building dams for hydroelectric power stations damages the environment.


Similarly, hidden costs related to wind turbines are blamed for negative environmental impacts of wind farms. A study by published by New Scientist Magazine in 2006 pointed out:

• Wind farms are responsible for killing around 1,500 birds each year
• The construction of wind farms release a lot of carbon dioxide
• Wind farms constructed on Irish peat bogs ended up hampering the other purpose of these bogs, which is to purify drinking water.

So it’s simple. The manner of generating electricity determines whether green energy is involved. As always, the means justifies ends.


Some sources: The Independent, Alternative Energy Primer, eHow (Image)

Fossil Fuels & Alternative Energy: the Difference & Advantages

The difference between fossil fuels and renewable sources of energy is pretty big. Here are a few defining factors:

Supply Problem


Since it took millions of years to make fuels, it naturally follows that they won’t last forever if we continue to use them at the rates we do, which are pretty high. In other words, the supply of non-renewable energy sources (fossil fuels) is diminishing.

• Alternative Energy Solution

A majority of alternative energy sources have unlimited supply. The wind will never cease to stir, and the sun will never cease to shine. Similarly, the supply of water on earth is abundant to say the least. But the supply for other sources such as biomass (used to make biofuel) needs to be replenished by replanting maize.

I might add here that just because something is renewable, it’s not green. For instance, trees aren’t considered sources of alternate energy, even though their supply can be increased by man. You can read more about this here.

Environmental Problem


Burning fossil fuels emits carbon into the atmosphere. Now the Earth’s ecology is designed to handle a certain amount of carbon dioxide (CO2), but man’s uncontrollable consumption of oil and coal has led to an environmental problem. Excessive pollution and CO2 are creating a greenhouse effect where the earth traps a lot of heat and then, global warming begins.

• Alternative Energy Solution

Typically, alternate energy sources do not deplete the environment because their energy is harnessed as a natural process. For instance, if a hydro-power plant is located across a flowing river, the natural movement of the water will generate electricity.

You may have already thought about an anti-thesis. What if a dam is created first? Wouldn’t that damage the ecosystem? You’re right. It all depends on how the alternate energy is generated. That’s why alternate energy isn't always clean energy.

Higher prices


The limited supply of fossil fuels has made them rather precious. The scarcity of oil, for instance, means the countries that own oil fields, (consider OPEC) can easily control the price of crude oil for their political interests. These countries also have the power to alter the supply of oil and use it as a political/strategic weapon. I dare say a few theories say certain wars were initiated because of this vital fossil fuel.


Even if such drastic events do not take place, the price of fossil fuels is so volatile and artificially controlled, it is often difficult for the common man to access them. It was only last year, when the prices of oil shot up to $126 a barrel, forcing economies to either foot high energy import bills, or switch to alternative sources of energy, such as natural gas. The common motorist could not afford petroleum any longer and the automobile industry almost collapsed.


All this mayhem was a result of an oil bubble.

• Alternative Energy Solution

It’s not possible for a few countries or individuals to control the prices of alternate energy sources because they’re available everywhere! One cannot say, ‘I shall sell the wind at $100 a gallon’. It’s bizarre. What can, however, be said is, ‘I shall sell you this wind turbine at $100 a piece’. But it’s a one-time expense and after a while, the cost-savings begin to emerge.

The story is a little different when it comes to hybrid cars. But that’s a topic for another post!

Some references: Save Energy: About.com, iStockPhoto
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Alternative Energy: Definition, Types & Benefits

Defining alternative energy is a little tricky with all the new types and different consequence of using them and what not. But the simplest definition is this: alternative energy is anything other than the traditional form of energy. So let’s start with that and then move to the definition of alternative energy, the various types and their advantages.


Defining Traditional energy


Traditional energy, sometimes called non-renewable energy, comes from burning fossil fuels, which are carbon-based substances made from compressed dead organic matter. Trees, dead organisms and other biological matter get crushed between different layers of the earth over millions of years to form various types of fossil fuels:

• Crude oil
• Kerosene
• Petroleum and diesel
• Coal
• Natural Gas

We burn these fuels to generate electricity, a by-product of which is the harmful gas called carbon dioxide. Energy derived from fossil fuels is called traditional energy because it refers to a majority of the energy produced in the world today and it’s called non-renewable because it’s supply is limited.


Defining Alternative Energy


According to our previous definition, alternative energy is anything other than carbon-based fossil fuels, so the following general definitions also apply:

• Alternative energy is renewable energy (i.e. it can be made from sources that do not have a limited supply, so we can make this form of energy over and over again)
• Alternative energy is clean / non-polluting (as in, it doesn’t harm the environment by emitting carbon dioxide), or
• Alternative energy does very little damage to the environment (this is because not every type of alternate energy is green energy)
• Alternative energy does not deplete our natural resources (well, this is almost like the first point)

In short, alternative energy is green energy which is clean energy and sustainable energy. But this isn't always the case and you can read about it here. And if you want to know more about the differences between fossil fuels and alternative energy sources, you can click here.


There are plenty of energy sources that fulfill these criteria, but we’ll just mention a few broad categories:

• Wind power
• Hydro power
• Tidal power
• Solar power
• Biomass energy
• Hydrogen power

Some liberal definitions of alternative energy also include nuclear energy because it’s renewable, but nuclear power plants are potentially deadly and that has naturally created opposite opinions.


Advantages of Alternative Energy


You may be wondering why alternative energy is so important. Why so much emphasis on non-traditional energy sources when traditional energy sources have been working so well for centuries? Here are a few answers:

• Alternate energy will help you save money (sometimes over the long run and sometimes over the short)
• The use of alternative energy improves the conservation of fossil fuels
• With alternative energy, you’ll never have a problem of limited supply
• Alternative energy sources protect the environment because they do not lead to harmful by-products such as carbon dioxide.

Over the last few decades, the need for alternative energy has made itself felt owing to the stark increase in pollution and depletion in various ecosystems. So the next question that arises is this…


What is the world is doing about this?


Well, our leaders are slowly trying to take remedial and preventive measures by reducing dependence on fossil fuels and increasing the use of renewable or alternative energy. Many countries signed the Kyoto Treaty a few years ago and this year’s Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen is another attempt in the same direction. Maybe they’ll all reach a politically binding deal if not an economically binding one. We can keep our fingers cross.


Some References: Alternative Energy Primer, Article Base, Wiki, iStockPhoto
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