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NickB79
NickB79's Journal
NickB79's Journal
April 13, 2024
FACT-Iran has been arming and training terrorists across the Middle East for decades
Hamas, Hezbollah, Syria, Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Their missiles were fired by the Houthis they trained, with coordinates they supplied, at US warships this winter, with one only seconds from impacting a US destroyer when it activated it's last-ditch defenses and shot it down.
https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/02/middleeast/phalanx-gun-last-line-of-defense-us-navy-intl-hnk-ml/index.html
Iran doesn't have a moral leg to stand on in this fight. They've been stirring up shit in the ME for decades. Iranian generals operating outside of Iran, like the one killed in the Damascus strike, have made themselves fair game by their own actions.
April 13, 2024
The 21st century is gonna see some things.
After climate tipping points, change will come slowly, then all at once
https://thehill.com/opinion/energy-environment/4585835-after-climate-tipping-points-change-will-come-slowly-then-all-at-once/amp/The planetary danger signals are increasing. Climate scientists are beginning to worry we may be at a terrifying juncture, where the climate shifts dramatically from one state to another. An abrupt global warming episode, during which climate changes happen in decades, not centuries, and interrelated tipping points cascade into one another amplifying the sudden shift in the world climate, pushing the planet out of the temperate sweet spot we humans have been lucky enough to live in.
Could this sudden shift happen? Unfortunately, the answer is yes.
We can see it in the ice core record. About 11,500 years ago, during the Younger Dryas era, temperatures in Greenland leapt 10 degrees Celsius in a decade, with the rest of the world seeing a matching jump to a new state in a matter of decades, not centuries.
Sea levels rose rapidly by tens of meters, driven by Greenland ice melt and other ice loss in the Arctic and Antarctic. An entire area of northern Europe, Known as Doggerland, which linked the United Kingdom to Europe, disappeared forever beneath the waves. Until the shock of the Younger Dryas warming, my ancestors could have walked from Scotland to the Netherlands.
Could this sudden shift happen? Unfortunately, the answer is yes.
We can see it in the ice core record. About 11,500 years ago, during the Younger Dryas era, temperatures in Greenland leapt 10 degrees Celsius in a decade, with the rest of the world seeing a matching jump to a new state in a matter of decades, not centuries.
Sea levels rose rapidly by tens of meters, driven by Greenland ice melt and other ice loss in the Arctic and Antarctic. An entire area of northern Europe, Known as Doggerland, which linked the United Kingdom to Europe, disappeared forever beneath the waves. Until the shock of the Younger Dryas warming, my ancestors could have walked from Scotland to the Netherlands.
The 21st century is gonna see some things.
April 13, 2024
And we're still early in this scheme. Some people want to ramp it up 100-fold.
Water scarcity and clean energy collide in South Texas (green hydrogen strikes again)
https://www.texastribune.org/2024/04/12/texas-corpus-christi-water-shortage-hydrogen-clean-energy/Chemical company Avina Clean Hydrogen Inc. has purchased the last available water supply from the Nueces River of South Texas, raising concerns of regional scarcity as reservoirs dwindle and drought persists.
Avina’s Nueces Green Ammonia plant plans to separate the hydrogen from water, convert it to ammonia and export it as a high-tech fuel alternative to oil and gas. It’s one of several such projects currently proposed in Texas, driven by federal subsidies. Governments and scientists say this technology plays an important role in the transition away from fossil fuels.
But officials in the nearby city of Corpus Christi have warned that the project could threaten water supply for more than 600,000 regional customers.
Avina’s Nueces Green Ammonia plant plans to separate the hydrogen from water, convert it to ammonia and export it as a high-tech fuel alternative to oil and gas. It’s one of several such projects currently proposed in Texas, driven by federal subsidies. Governments and scientists say this technology plays an important role in the transition away from fossil fuels.
But officials in the nearby city of Corpus Christi have warned that the project could threaten water supply for more than 600,000 regional customers.
And we're still early in this scheme. Some people want to ramp it up 100-fold.
April 11, 2024
Ocean currents threaten to collapse Antarctic ice shelves, study finds
https://phys.org/news/2024-04-ocean-currents-threaten-collapse-antarctic.ampA new study published in Nature Communications has revealed that the interplay between meandering ocean currents and the ocean floor induces upwelling velocity, transporting warm water to shallower depths. This mechanism contributes substantially to the melting of ice shelves in the Amundsen Sea of West Antarctica. These ice shelves are destabilizing rapidly and contributing to sea level rise.
Led by Taewook Park and Yoshihiro Nakayama, an international team of researchers from the Korea Polar Research Institute, Hokkaido University, and Seoul National University employed advanced ocean modeling techniques to investigate the underlying forces behind the rapid melting ice shelves.
In a departure from prior assumptions linking ice shelf melting primarily to winds over the Southern Ocean, this study underscores the significant role played by the interactions between meandering ocean currents and the ocean floor in driving the melting process.
The Pine Island and Thwaites ice shelves are among the fastest-changing in Antarctica and are of particular interest due to their vulnerability to warming ocean waters. They act as massive barriers restraining the glaciers behind them from flowing into the ocean.
Led by Taewook Park and Yoshihiro Nakayama, an international team of researchers from the Korea Polar Research Institute, Hokkaido University, and Seoul National University employed advanced ocean modeling techniques to investigate the underlying forces behind the rapid melting ice shelves.
In a departure from prior assumptions linking ice shelf melting primarily to winds over the Southern Ocean, this study underscores the significant role played by the interactions between meandering ocean currents and the ocean floor in driving the melting process.
The Pine Island and Thwaites ice shelves are among the fastest-changing in Antarctica and are of particular interest due to their vulnerability to warming ocean waters. They act as massive barriers restraining the glaciers behind them from flowing into the ocean.
April 11, 2024
It's largely greenwashing hopium designed to trick us into thinking we can take our time cutting emissions, when in reality we can't.
Taking CO2 out of the air would be an absurdly expensive way to fight climate change
https://www.theverge.com/2024/4/11/24127331/carbon-dioxide-removal-costs-rhodium-group-reportAttempting to filter enough carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere to make a significant impact on climate change would require hundreds of billions of dollars in government spending, according to a new report.
The suite of technologies emerging to attempt that task all fall under an umbrella called carbon dioxide removal, or CDR. It’s still risky and astronomically expensive. But there’s been growing chatter about it, particularly as the US continues producing record amounts of oil and gas.
According to the new report by research firm Rhodium Group, the US needs to spend roughly $100 billion a year on CDR in order to scale up to a level that would help the country meet its climate goals. A majority of that needs to come in the form of supportive policies like tax credits and procurement programs.
The suite of technologies emerging to attempt that task all fall under an umbrella called carbon dioxide removal, or CDR. It’s still risky and astronomically expensive. But there’s been growing chatter about it, particularly as the US continues producing record amounts of oil and gas.
According to the new report by research firm Rhodium Group, the US needs to spend roughly $100 billion a year on CDR in order to scale up to a level that would help the country meet its climate goals. A majority of that needs to come in the form of supportive policies like tax credits and procurement programs.
It's largely greenwashing hopium designed to trick us into thinking we can take our time cutting emissions, when in reality we can't.
April 11, 2024
$45K EV smuggles a 620-mile solid-state battery out of the lab
https://newatlas.com/automotive/im-ls-lightyear-solid-state/IM calls the battery pack in question "Lightyear" and offers it as the power source for the ¥330,000 (approx. US$45,600) flagship L6 Lightyear Max. It's not a strictly zero-fluid solid-state chemistry, instead utilizing a semi-solid layout that includes solid material suspended in a liquid electrolyte. It's a step toward the solid-state future, though.
The 900-V Lightyear pack has a capacity of 130 kWh for a total range estimated to exceed 1,000 km (620 miles) on China's CLTC testing cycle. Just as impressively, it's said to be capable of adding 400 km (249 miles) of range in just 12 minutes when wired up to a properly quick ultra-fast charger.
The 900-V Lightyear pack has a capacity of 130 kWh for a total range estimated to exceed 1,000 km (620 miles) on China's CLTC testing cycle. Just as impressively, it's said to be capable of adding 400 km (249 miles) of range in just 12 minutes when wired up to a properly quick ultra-fast charger.
April 9, 2024
Something to keep in mind as the planet warms.
Canadian study throws ice water on idea that fans can effectively cool you down during extreme heat
https://m.jpost.com/science/article-795787“Fans improve sweat evaporation, but this effect is not strong enough to significantly lower your body’s internal temperature when it’s already hot (above 33-35°C).
Fans provide even less cooling benefits in older adults who may have a reduced ability to sweat,” Meade explained. “In fact, even in younger adults, fans provide only a small fraction of the cooling power of air conditioning.”
Fans provide even less cooling benefits in older adults who may have a reduced ability to sweat,” Meade explained. “In fact, even in younger adults, fans provide only a small fraction of the cooling power of air conditioning.”
Something to keep in mind as the planet warms.
April 5, 2024
Stick a fork in him, he's done.
Tesla is abandoning their plan for a $25,000 EV
https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/tesla-scraps-low-cost-car-plans-amid-fierce-chinese-ev-competition-2024-04-05/?fbclid=IwAR0QdykjowjkA8Ndy88VIuwO4vpoDAuMp4CgHslppZBGAEWub6Hq8x3NVpkApril 5 (Reuters) - Tesla has canceled the long-promised inexpensive car that investors have been counting on to drive its growth into a mass-market automaker, according to three sources familiar with the matter and company messages seen by Reuters.
The automaker will continue developing self-driving robotaxis on the same small-vehicle platform, the sources said.
The decision represents an abandonment of a longstanding goal that Tesla(TSLA.O) Elon Musk has often characterized as its primary mission: affordable electric cars for the masses. His first “master plan" for the company in 2006 called for manufacturing luxury models first, then using the profits to finance a “low cost family car.”
The automaker will continue developing self-driving robotaxis on the same small-vehicle platform, the sources said.
The decision represents an abandonment of a longstanding goal that Tesla(TSLA.O) Elon Musk has often characterized as its primary mission: affordable electric cars for the masses. His first “master plan" for the company in 2006 called for manufacturing luxury models first, then using the profits to finance a “low cost family car.”
Stick a fork in him, he's done.
April 5, 2024
The 'growing crisis of the young American male' could send home prices falling for years or even decades
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/growing-crisis-young-american-male-185400449.htmlMeredith Whitney, deemed the “Oracle of Wall Street” for successfully calling the financial crisis, says home prices are likely to fall substantially, and the reasons have to do with habits picked up by young guys.
“You have men staying single longer…and then you have what I call a growing crisis of the young American male…they’re twice as likely to live at home than women. So one out of five young men live at home with their parents, and these aren’t young men going to college and coming home for holiday breaks, these are young, grown men choosing to live at home,” Whitney told CNBC this morning.
The outcome could have profound effects on the housing market, she said.
“I think you’re going to start to see housing prices begin a multi-year/decade decline, just due to supply/demand dynamics,” Whitney said. “So you’ve had a demand, supply imbalance: more demand, less supply. And I think that’s going to invert.” So what that means is supply will then outweigh demand, which is why she sees home prices falling for years.
“You have men staying single longer…and then you have what I call a growing crisis of the young American male…they’re twice as likely to live at home than women. So one out of five young men live at home with their parents, and these aren’t young men going to college and coming home for holiday breaks, these are young, grown men choosing to live at home,” Whitney told CNBC this morning.
The outcome could have profound effects on the housing market, she said.
“I think you’re going to start to see housing prices begin a multi-year/decade decline, just due to supply/demand dynamics,” Whitney said. “So you’ve had a demand, supply imbalance: more demand, less supply. And I think that’s going to invert.” So what that means is supply will then outweigh demand, which is why she sees home prices falling for years.
April 3, 2024
I had a case of COVID in July 2022. Since then, every single cold seems to turn into bronchitis
I was a healthy, athletic 42 yr old man, regularly lifting weights and working on my hobby farm, fully vaccinated, and had every booster available to that point on schedule. I was the kind of person who bounced back from colds in a matter of days. But after a 4th of July get-together, I came down with COVID. I was in bed for a week, horrible headache and lack of strength. Afterwards, I had shortness of breath for a few weeks, and eventually ended up in urgent care with a bad case of bronchitis, bordering on pneumonia. I was told that, were I any worse, they would have sent me to the hospital. I was given an inhaler, antibiotics, and a nebulizer. I recovered quickly after that, but now every little cold I get seems to progress to bronchitis. And my daughter is 13, so she regularly brings home stuff from middle school. I'm currently hacking up mucus for the second time this year alone. I still get every COVID and flu shot available every fall, and am otherwise a healthy person. It's just so weird how a little sniffle one day progresses so rapidly to violent coughing the next.
Is this permanent? Is this a long COVID symptom? The last case I toughed out and it took 3 weeks to resolve itself. I just started coughing yesterday night, and I'm not doing that again. If I'm still coughing by Friday, I'm going back in. But I can't help but worry that this is my future now. And God help me if I ever get a case of the flu that the vaccine doesn't stop.
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