Semi-Hemi-Demigod

Semi-Hemi-Demigod , 11 months ago (edited 11 months ago) to fediverse in Mastodon is Rewinding the Clock on Social Media — in a Good Way

The second ads are required the customer stops being the users and starts being the advertisers. This starts the enshittification snowball shitball, Randers.

Semi-Hemi-Demigod , 11 months ago to technology in X wants permission to start collecting your biometric data and employment history

He's trying to build the US equivalent of WeChat without having the government on his side.

Aaaand now I just have a new worst fear.

Semi-Hemi-Demigod , 11 months ago to news in Forsyth County schools cancel talks after author says the word 'gay' to elementary school students

This just in: Schools no longer allowed to play "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" because of the line "gay happy meetings"

Semi-Hemi-Demigod , 11 months ago to memes in Most refreshing shower of my life 😫

animal: evolves to run away from predators as a defense mechanism

humans: ayo catch that it will go great with the evil plants

Semi-Hemi-Demigod , 11 months ago to world in Young climate activist tells Greenpeace to drop ‘old-fashioned’ anti-nuclear stance

This attitude is about a decade out of date. It made sense around 2010 when wind and solar weren't widely deployed and cost more than nuclear per megawatt hour. Now we have more wind and solar deployed than nuclear, and they're significantly cheaper and faster to construct and make better economic sense than nuclear.

Semi-Hemi-Demigod , 11 months ago to world in Young climate activist tells Greenpeace to drop ‘old-fashioned’ anti-nuclear stance

This was true a decade ago but since then renewables have plummeted in price. Solar is 5x cheaper than it was a decade ago. Nuclear, meanwhile, has gone up in price by 50%.

Semi-Hemi-Demigod , 11 months ago to world in New research shows renewables are more profitable than nuclear power

I think innovation at the consumption end is going to help a lot. On Technology Connections I saw an electric induction stove that could be powered from a regular socket. It had a battery that would trickle charge throughout the day and then use the batteries to power the induction cooktops, as well as a couple of plugs. If widely deployed and in other appliances, with a little smarts that could provide power leveling at the home level.

Another solution would be adding some intelligence to water heaters. Have a temperature control valve on the output where you set the temperature, and program the water heater get to 160-180°F when electricity is cheap. This would be a thermal battery that would easily level out demand for electricity for heating water.

Or you could do thermal storage by heating a house very warm/cold prior to a large cold snap/heat wave, and letting it coast down/up to a temperature instead of heating/cooling a lot during the cold/hot weather. He's got a video on this technique here

Semi-Hemi-Demigod , 11 months ago to risa in It doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop, ever... until you are dead!

Somebody fucked with Spot and Data went John Wick

Semi-Hemi-Demigod , 11 months ago to risa in It doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop, ever... until you are dead!

I need your tricorder, your uniform, and your shuttlecraft

Semi-Hemi-Demigod , 11 months ago to world in Young climate activist tells Greenpeace to drop ‘old-fashioned’ anti-nuclear stance

Nuclear power isn't even cheap anymore. Solar power is 5x cheaper per megawatt than it was 10 years ago. Wind power is half the price. Both are cheaper than nuclear, which has gone up in price despite a decade of research to make it cheaper.

Semi-Hemi-Demigod , 11 months ago to world in Young climate activist tells Greenpeace to drop ‘old-fashioned’ anti-nuclear stance

How long do you think it will take for a nuclear power plant to earn back the $34 billion it takes to build one? They're definitely not making that much money the first year the plant is online.

Semi-Hemi-Demigod , 11 months ago (edited 11 months ago) to world in Young climate activist tells Greenpeace to drop ‘old-fashioned’ anti-nuclear stance

Considering nuclear plants consistently go tremendously over budget, budget that could be used on renewables, and how quickly renewables are improving, I would take that bet in a heartbeat.

For reference, here's a graph comparing the cost per megawatt hour over cost per installed capacity from 2010-2019. Solar is now 1/5th what it was 10 years ago, onshore wind is half, and offshore wind is down by 25%.

The cost of nuclear power in that time has increased by more than 50%.

I would much rather invest in something that's showing improvements in cost and technology than Cold War white elephants.

Semi-Hemi-Demigod , 11 months ago to world in Young climate activist tells Greenpeace to drop ‘old-fashioned’ anti-nuclear stance

If we started building nuclear powerplants right now it would take 10-20 years before they're even online. That's 10-20 years worth of technology improvements that could make it obsolete, especially if we don't pin our hopes on nuclear baseload and start building a grid that can be 100% renewable.

And that's not even mentioning the truly massive budget overruns. Or the environmental impact of mining and refining fuel.

Semi-Hemi-Demigod , 11 months ago to world in Young climate activist tells Greenpeace to drop ‘old-fashioned’ anti-nuclear stance

So after 10-20 years of construction and cost overruns and 10-20 years of operating at a loss you start making money.

And that's assuming electricity rates don't drop in that time. Which they are as renewables get deployed more and more because they don't go 100% over budget in time and money.

If we get started building nuclear power plants now, how much will storage and transmission tech improve before they're even completed, let alone profitable?

Semi-Hemi-Demigod , 11 months ago to world in Young climate activist tells Greenpeace to drop ‘old-fashioned’ anti-nuclear stance

That's your opinion. I think funding nuclear is just burning money and wasting time we don't have.