Difference between revisions of "2641: Mouse Turbines"

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| number    = 2641
 
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| date      = July 4, 2022
 
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| title    = Mouse Turbines
 
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| image    = mouse_turbines.png
 
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| titletext = It's sad seeing those videos of turbine blade being torn apart in high winds, but it's the only way they can disperse their seeds.
 
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}}
 
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==Explanation==
 
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[[Beret Guy]] and [[Megan]] are walking during the summer, where Beret Guy expresses his appreciation for typical features of a summer day. Though, considering the rest of the comic, Beret Guy could mean there are {{w|Cloud computing|large (or popular) server farms}} [[908: The Cloud|somewhere]] and that the bugs are {{w|Zoom (software)|video chatting}}.  He also mentions "wind turbines" put up by field mice, which Megan initially assumes to be referring to {{w|Taraxacum|dandelions}} (similar to the wordplay that Beret Guy utilized in [[1322: Winter]].) However, Beret Guy turns out to be speaking literally, as he picks up what is in fact a tiny {{w|wind turbine}}, says to [https://www.dandelionpress.com/dandelion-blog/2015/4/6/how-to-wish-on-a-dandelion make a wish,] and blows into it. This causes the blades of the turbine to spin rapidly, generating a lot of power for the structure it is connected to, thus causing a field mouse to cheer in excitement.
 
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The comic was published on the 40th anniversary of the film release of {{w|The Secret of NIMH}},[https://twitter.com/DonBluth/status/1543282578173489153] a story featuring field mice and rats who escaped from a lab experiment which left them with a similar intelligence to human beings. The story takes place as the rats strive to achieve self-sufficiency, so that they no longer need to steal power from human-built electrical lines. (The novel this film was based on, {{w|Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH}}, describes the experiments and the rats' struggles in more detail.)
 
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The title text builds on the similarities between small wind turbines and dandelions by claiming that turbines reproduce by dispersing their blades, in the manner of dandelion {{w|seed dispersal}}. Randall's suggestion of turbine seeds conflicts with Beret Guy's assertion that the turbines were built by field mice.
 
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=== Efficacy ===
 
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Sadly, the power output per size of wind turbines increases with their size,[https://www.energy.gov/eere/articles/wind-turbines-bigger-better] a limitation not shared by other forms of renewable energy such as {{w|solar panel}}s and {{w|pico hydro}}. According to [https://www.omnicalculator.com/ecology/wind-turbine this calculator], a 10 centimeter radius wind turbine powered by a 5.7 meter/second breath[https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2215098616300830] would produce one watt at just 26% efficiency.
 
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Further frustrating mouse use of wind power, {{w|Wind gradient|windspeed increases logarithmically with height}} above ground. Windspeed is reported as its value 10 meters above ground, where it is 1.5 times faster than at ground level.[https://www.nooutage.com/wind.htm] In the U.S., where Randall lives, average year-round windspeed is about 15 km/h,[https://sciencing.com/average-daily-wind-speed-24011.html] or about 2.8 m/s at ground level, yielding only 0.11 watts from such turbines. However, a typical adult mouse weighs 25 grams,[https://web.jhu.edu/animalcare/procedures/mouse.html] compared to about 81 kilograms for humans in the U.S.,[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3408371/] so we could estimate that mouse electricity needs would be about 0.03% of people's.{{Dubious}} The average U.S. residential customer uses 1,242 watts of electricity,[https://www.electricchoice.com/blog/electricity-on-average-do-homes/] 0.03% of which is 0.37 watts. Therefore, the three turbines visible in this comic could serve about 89% of a mouse's needs. While this figure does not account for necessary {{w|home energy storage}} efficiency (92.5% for the {{w|Tesla Powerwall}}) overhead, mice usually live much less extravagantly than typical Americans,{{citation needed}} so three turbines per mouse should be sufficient.
 
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==Transcript==
 
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:[Megan and Beret Guy are walking on grass.]
 
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:Beret Guy: Ahh, summer!
 
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:Beret Guy: The clouds are big, the bugs are zooming,
 
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:[Beret Guy stops walking. There are three small trefoil structures and a tiny building on the grass in front of him.]
 
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:Beret Guy: and the field mice have put up their little wind turbines.
 
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:[Beret Guy picks up one of the turbines. Under the turbine there is a wire attached to the ground.]
 
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:Megan (off-panel): You mean dandelions?
 
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:Beret Guy: No.
 
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:[Beret Guy holds the turbine in front of him.]
 
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:Beret Guy: Make a wish!
 
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:[Beret Guy blows into the turbine blades and makes them spin. The wire transfers electricity towards the ground.]
 
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:''Puff''
 
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:⚡ ⚡ ⚡ ⚡
 
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:Voice at ground level: Yaaay!
 
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{{comic discussion}}
 
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[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
 
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[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]
 
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[[Category:Animals]]
 

Revision as of 22:31, 29 January 2024

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