[Tailback]

and judging from how loud those things can get, that could cause some serious insomnia.

Obviously you've never been around a tactical/quiet military 60kw generator. That's what I've recently reclassified to operate and they are amazing pieces of equipment.

Everytime someone brings up the electric/hybrid car issue, I ask them who will be supplying all of the batteries? Where do heavy metals used in batteries come from? Where will all the used batteries end up? What about the acid?

In other words, if all the cars in the US were changed to hybrids, instead of affecting the environment with (so-called) greenhouse gasses, we pollute the environment with increased heavy metal strip mining.

It usually causes the greenies to get a brain cramp!

[SlickWillard]

Obviously you've never been around a tactical/quiet military 60kw generator. That's what I've recently reclassified to operate and they are amazing pieces of equipment.

Do you have any links for companies that you can recommend?

For a while I've been semi-seriously nursing this fantasy of going 100% offline - phone service from a cell phone company, internet connectivity off a satellite [e.g. DirecPC], and power from my own diesel generator [which would also power the well, for potable water].

The sorts of consumer-grade generators that they sell at e.g. Home Depot are almost as loud as going to a tractor pull, or a monster truck race.