The heat generated by growing plants indoors, combined with poor insulation, led police to a “cannabis factory” in northern England

Members of the community reported suspicions about what was happening at a rented house in Montrose Road, Leicester.

When officers began checking out the information, they noticed the house was one of the few in the area without snow on the roof. Cannabis factories tend to be very warm due to the high number of industrial-strength lights used to encourage plant growth.

Officers obtained a search warrant, and yesterday (Thursday December 16) they raided the house. They discovered around 300 plants worth tens of thousands of pounds, and a sophisticated growing system.

[…]

“By closing this drugs factory we have disrupted a significant criminal enterprise, and stopped a large amount of drugs from reaching the streets of Leicester.”

Marijuana raids always mention a number of plants and 300 seems to be fairly common, as reported in California, Connecticut, Kansas, Florida, Idaho, Pennsylvania….

At first I was curious how 300 compares with other amounts reported for “significant” indoor finds so I searched by incrementing 100s (400, 500, etc.); I gave up when I reached 6400 (more than a ton, estimated at $9 million). That could melt a lot of snow.

The Leicestershire Constabulatory concluded their report with this quick guide to “cannabis factory” spotting:

* Windows obscured at all times
* Heavy condensation on windows
* The distinctive smell of cannabis
* Lights being used at odd times
* Deliveries of large items late at night

A Senior VP of UPS tells CNN that left turns on commercial roads are less safe, take longer and cost the company more (to the tune of $20 million). It sounds like he also assumes low or no pedestrian traffic (on the right).

Some very compelling arguments on CNN for ending the Ethanol tax subsidy

“The news that this tax credit is subsidizing exports undermines the argument that ethanol is needed to help end our oil dependency,” said Sasha Lyutse, a policy analyst at the Natural Resources Defense Council, responding in a blog post to a story first published this weekend in the Financial Times.

The ethanol exports also aren’t sitting well with food industry associations, which say that increasing ethanol use is driving up the price of corn.

“At the end of the day, we’re all trying to get the same bushel of corn,” said Kristina Butts, legislative director for the National Cattleman’s Beef Association. “This is a mature industry. It should stand on its own.”

Hey, that rhymes.

IBM has exciting news on the BBC. They predict future supercomputers will focus on maximum efficiency..

The BBC also wants you to know they ‘will fit in a sugar cube’ but, even though I drink tea, here is the quote that really grabbed my attention:

“In the past, the Top 500 list (of fastest supercomputers worldwide) was the important one; computers were listed according to their performance.

“In the future, the ‘Green 500’ will be the important list, where computers are listed according to their efficiency.”

The need for efficiency is clear. The lower cost of output has brought into focus the cost of input. Can the same or better output be generated with same or less input?

The challenge is related to problems of thermal dissipation — removing heat while using higher processor density. IBM is talking about ways to use miniaturized water channels to flow around the shrinking processors because a volume of water can remove far more heat than air.

A country concerned about national security would see the huge importance of this innovation path, especially for inefficient industries like transportation. Progress comes from smaller, more powerful engines that run more efficiently (less input needed for same output) and that generate less waste. More with less is success.