Zorg

Zorg , 9 days ago

A single billion is an obscene amount of money for an individual, I can’t fathom how anyone can be worth/earn a billion in a couple of years.

Zorg , 9 days ago

Apparently decreasing sales, but half a million Buicks sold in 2023, plus the whole: “GM China sales decreased nine percent to 2,098,980 units during the complete 2023 calendar year. Sales decreased at all five brands marketed by GM in the Asian country, including Buick, Chevrolet, Cadillac, Baojun and Wuling.”
gmauthority.com/…/gm-china-sales-figures-numbers-…

At that scale, it would be extremely embarrassing if GM can’t stay competitive & profitable.

Zorg , 9 days ago

They actually gave them a loophole doing the exact opposite, vehicles with a bigger footprint had less strict mpg requirements.

This was written in 2011:

CAFE standards create profit incentive for larger vehicles
The current Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards create a financial incentive for auto companies to make bigger vehicles that are allowed to meet lower targets, according to a new University of Michigan study.
…
The loophole is the formula for setting mile-per-gallon targets. The standards, which actually depend on the sizes of vehicles automakers produce, are expected to require that firms boost average fuel economy to 35.5 mpg by 2016 and 54.5 mpg by 2025. Those oft-cited numbers are averages. In reality, each car company must meet a different standard each year determined by the literal “footprints” of the vehicles it makes. A vehicle’s footprint is its track width times its wheelbase.
According to the study, the sales-weighted average vehicle size in 2014 could increase by 1 to 16 square feet
news.umich.edu/cafe-standards-create-profit-incen…

Zorg , 16 days ago

In 59 crashes examined by NHTSA, the agency found that Tesla drivers had enough time, “five or more seconds,” prior to crashing into another object in which to react. In 19 of those crashes, the hazard was visible for 10 or more seconds before the collision. Reviewing crash logs and data provided by Tesla, NHTSA found that drivers failed to brake or steer to avoid the hazard in a majority of the crashes analyzed.
…
NHTSA also compared Tesla’s Level 2 (L2) automation features to products available in other companies’ vehicles. Unlike other systems, Autopilot would disengage rather than allow drivers to adjust their steering. This “discourages” drivers from staying involved in the task of driving, NHTSA said.
“A comparison of Tesla’s design choices to those of L2 peers identified Tesla as an industry outlier in its approach to L2 technology by mismatching a weak driver engagement system with Autopilot’s permissive operating capabilities,” the agency said.
Even the brand name “Autopilot” is misleading, NHTSA said, conjuring up the idea that drivers are not in control. While other companies use some version of “assist,” “sense,” or “team,” Tesla’s products lure drivers into thinking they are more capable than they are.
theverge.com/…/tesla-autopilot-fsd-nhtsa-investig…

It is not a single crash. There are assisted driving system out there using pupil tracking, to make sure drivers are still paying attention.
Tesla’s solution is something along you need to be resting at least one hand on the steering wheel. And don’t get me started on how they are diluting the concept of “full self driving”…

But yeah, you’re right, the only reason I’m sceptical of Tesla’s semi-self-driving tech; is because I think Elon is an egomaniac little bitch, who is incapable of ever admitting he was wrong in even the smallest way.

Zorg , 3 months ago

Could you skip the turbine and slap a bunch of peltier elements on the reactor?
Probably not super efficient, what with the vacuum of space being bad at absorbing hear, and if I recall right peltier produces more power the larger heat gradient.

Zorg , 3 months ago

Everyone else is saying vinegar, which will certainly work.
But if you’re like me and cannot stand the stench of vinegar, then I recommend citric acid. 2 tablespoons to a liter of water is a good place to start, but you can most likely find dosage specific to your machine with some googling.
Also, you can get 2kg of citric acid for 1525 $or€. I use it to descale everything from coffee contraptions, to shower heads; and a big bag of it lasts us 1½ years. Our water is fairly hard too, about 160 TDS.

Zorg , 3 months ago

You are correct, every dishwasher I saw in Europe has had a salt compartmebt for softening. None of the US ones I’ve come across have one. Those do on the other hand have a hot water inlet next to the cold inlet, which is kinda neat I guess.

Zorg , 3 months ago

What the duck is that beak, possibly of some kind of soft tissue, above the tongue??

Zorg , 3 months ago

Dang, that’s much bigger than I expected!

Zorg , 3 months ago

Dang, that’s much bigger than I expected! Good to know though, thanks!

Zorg , 4 months ago

Thanks Biden indeed!

But, you know I may just be a humble earthling; maybe they should make it the law that companies have to pay for cleaning up anything they polluted?
What with all the externalized costs