Posted on 04/06/2010 2:22:07 PM PDT by traumer
(Eric English) (Eric English) PHOENIX -- Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is implementing a new inmate program at Tent City Jail called “Pedal Vision.”
The program uses inmate-powered cycles to generate electricity for televisions.
Reports say Arpaio’s recent visit to Tent City inspired the idea, when he saw that many of the inmates were overweight.
The stationary bikes are customized so that as an inmate pedals, a connected television is powered once the cycle generates 12 volts of electricity.
One hour of pedaling equals one hour of television viewing for the inmates, according to Arpaio.
Arpaio said the inmates will only be able to watch television in the television room if they choose to pedal.
"I started with the females because they seemed more receptive to the idea," Arpaio said. "The only exercise the females get right now is speed-walking around the tents yard and few are doing that. This gives them a reason to get moving and a way to burn up to 500 calories an hour. They won't be charged a monthly gym fee but they will have to sign a contract."
Sheriff Arpaio debuted the pilot program on April 1.
Arpaio for PRESIDENT ! :o)
How many TV shows are pedal worthy?
I’d like to get one of these for the house. It would limit TV viewing to only what was worth the sweat!
Arpaio for PRESIDENT ! :o)”
DITTO THAT!!
Just wait till the Liberals start comparing this practice to water-boarding.
I had the same idea years ago. If anybody wants to watch TV somebody has to exercise.
Will probably be construed as cruel and unusual punishment by somebody.
Exactly!!!! Maybe more inmates will start reading.....LOL! ;)
That would be a great commercial idea for women who want to lose weight. Place a vibrator attachment on a stationary bike seat and operate it by generator power. The faster one pedals, the more thrilling the experience. There’s a fortune in it!
Limit them to Fox News, C-Span, religious (non-Muslim) and learning oriented programming.
[Cue “Another Night” by The Real McCoy. If you’ve ever seen the video, you know why.]
This is a stunt. Televisions don’t run off of 12 volts.
That is probably the reason that this ABC affiliate considered this story newsworthy.
There are some portable, small-screen tv's that do. But I suspect that you're right. This is a matter of earning your TV time.
We used to run a TV and VCR in the minivan for the kids in the back, with a converter off the 12V car battery.
Bet they have to pedal pretty hard to push enough current through, though!
500 dietary calories/hour is approximately 581 watts. That would power a goodly plasma screen.
Ha ha!
I support green energy solutions!!
Or you can use a DC/AC converter....
No, it probably does work. The 12 volt batteries are most likely connected to an invertor that changes it to AC power, which the TV is plugged into.
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