So I had an idea about energy...

How about, everyone has an exercise bike in their house, and the unemployed have to submit a certain number of hours on the bike before they can get their giro. The twist is, the bike is linked to the national grid. If people who are employed want to use the bike, they can either contribute to their own household electricity or get fuel tax cuts in line with their helping to produce alternative forms of energy. The bikes would have weight and biometric sensors installed so as to prevent energy fraud. The cost of installing a bike in every home would be fractional compared to what it would take to drill new supplies of oil, i.e., millions compared to billions. If say 10 million people generated enough electricity to run 5 lightbulbs for 10 hours a day, what a saving that would be, right? Plus it has the benefits of making people fitter.

Good idea

and it can also be given to fat / obese people as NHS treatment for obesity

[Paul the 6th]

i always wondered about the possibility of linking exercise bikes, cross trainers and other resistance based cardio equipment in gyms - into dyno/generator equipment to create power. "Eco-gyms" = no need to use external power for those big plasma screens with the nearly naked pretty people dancing round.

As for energy credits - what an idea I was reading about an article in new scientist (bought it by random in manchester when I had an hour to kill)...

"Miniaturisation of hydrogen storage
By Tom Wells

One of the biggest challenges facing the global response to climate change is getting people to equate their actions with an energy, and thereby carbon, cost. The miniaturisation of hydrogen storage and related fuel cell technology will usher in a full hydrogen economy and solve this. Once every home has a hydrogen tank, and everyone carries around a smaller version in their pockets, the joule can start to replace standard units of currency. Eventually employees will be paid and transactions made by transferring quantities of hydrogen either between hand held devices or, for larger amounts, between energy vaults. The idea of profit will be replaced by meeting the energy demand of your operations and employees. Suddenly solar panels are a licence to print money, conference calling makes more sense than that flight to America and we will be able to see all that money disappearing up the chimney!"

edit: just found the original article and it's part of a wider feature called "Visions of the future"...

Originally Posted by chakraist

How about, everyone has an exercise bike in their house, and the unemployed have to submit a certain number of hours on the bike before they can get their giro.

I'm currently unemployed.

I can say this in full knowledge that what you're going to see is nothing much more than a string of bleeps but writing it will help me no end.

**** off you ****ing elitist ****ing *******. I'm ****ed off with people thinking the unemployed are scum of the earth and I'm ****ed off with you and every other ****er thinking you're better than me. **** off.

You lot seriously think something's wrong if the unemployed aren't crawling around in rags and grovelling at your supreme being. Well I'm not bowing down, you're not better than me so please, kindly, **** the **** off.

And I thought I was the only one that could kill a thread stone dead

Originally Posted by MiniMatt

I'm currently unemployed.

I can say this in full knowledge that what you're going to see is nothing much more than a string of bleeps but writing it will help me no end.

**** off you ****ing elitist ****ing *******. I'm ****ed off with people thinking the unemployed are scum of the earth and I'm ****ed off with you and every other ****er thinking you're better than me. **** off.

You lot seriously think something's wrong if the unemployed aren't crawling around in rags and grovelling at your supreme being. Well I'm not bowing down, you're not better than me so please, kindly, **** the **** off.

Whilst I'm sure you're a lovely chap, I don't really feel that your frustration at being unemployed warrants an unprovoked, undirected rant on this level. I certainly don't look down on anyone who is unemployed, especially having followed your link and reading your personal circumstances, which obviously warrant you not having a job. It's unfair that you don't get any incapacity benefit especially having been very ill for a very long time - and having to exhaust your savings in the process.

Please point out where I was being elitist, and I will happily back down. I am currently a student working my way through university (21 hours a week, pays the rent and for the bike) and if a scheme like this was introduced I would be more than happy to have to contribute in order to continue my student loan payments.

Perhaps the scheme would work better if there was a cooling period, such as if you were unemployed for a fortnight you would have to do 5 hours a week to claim, 10 hours for a month, and so on up to maybe a full 35 hour week for those who remained unemployed for a year.

If you're unemployed due to personal circumstances making it difficult for you to have a job at the current time, ill health or other valid reason, then the scheme would obviously compensate for this.

[yorkie_chris]

Originally Posted by MiniMatt

I can say this in full knowledge that what you're going to see is nothing much more than a string of bleeps but writing it will help me no end.

And also give me a bit of a chuckle.

I am currently a student working my way through university

F**ing tax dodgers!!!

Think of the energy and resource it'd take to build, transport, safely wire up, monitor and maintain these bikes ... I wonder how long/how much peddling it'd take to 'zero' that cost (if ever), let alone start value add!!

I think the unemployed should be sent out to do something for 8hrs a day for their pay cheque!! ... you know like pick up litter, clean the streets, caring for old people ... that sort of thing ... basically any job that means it'd be preferable to get off your behind and get a 'proper' job over having to do for your dole money as you are having to work for that anyway ...

If the person can't 'get about' then there must be some telephone/desk jobs they can do!

Basically at that point you have 2 choices ... work (job or dole job) or perish!!

[the_lone_wolf]

Originally Posted by MiniMatt

**** off you ****ing elitist ****ing *******. I'm ****ed off with people thinking the unemployed are scum of the earth and I'm ****ed off with you and every other ****er thinking you're better than me. **** off.

You lot seriously think something's wrong if the unemployed aren't crawling around in rags and grovelling at your supreme being. Well I'm not bowing down, you're not better than me so please, kindly, **** the **** off.

get a job you hippy...




and TRIM THOSE SIDEBURNS!!!