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Joined 1 year ago
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Cake day: January 7th, 2024





  • To exclude certain Semites from the definition of “antisemitism” based on religion…

    The definition of antisemitism is anti Semite.

    As long as we come across people playing language games while excusing a genocide.

    It’ could be reasoned it’s not accurate to call Israel’s actions “antisemitic” as that has been chosen as meaning only Jewish related hatred.

    It can also be reasoned that it’s perfect valid to call Israel’s actions “anti Semitic” as this is a genocide against an Arabic speaking Semitic population.


  • You could afford a house and got a free or cheap education

    The state has sold off everything in your lifetime to keep your taxes low, including housing. Which you bought and now own.

    Millennials are generation rent with a government renting back what it sold as taxes rise.

    And the cold war is still going on, what is it about Gen X that makes them think it stopped. Putin is at war in Europe right now. The cold war only ever paused.

    Proxy wars didn’t stop with Vietnam, the cold war didn’t stop with the fall of the Berlin Wall.

    You get to experience the events of the world while being comparatively rich.

    You got to experience the only decade or so without a cold war threat while millennials experience the threat of Russia and an increasing threat from China.

    And millennials were told as children the world would burn if we did nothing. Gen X and the Boomers did nothing.

    Yes it sucks.

    But you had it good, and politically you’ve fucked us recently. After being previously politically apathetic.

    We’ve got a world to repair and it remains to be seen if Millennials will actually move past apathy into fixing it with Gen Z or continuing to fuck it up like Gen Z.



  • It isn’t that simple. Solar power wasn’t economical until China made a push to manufacture at scale.

    Wind power received that push in Europe. Then China and India have joined in.

    Not buying the massive nuclear reactors and buying smaller units could be possible. They exist. Alternative technologies also exist.

    But nuclear generates heat, which we use to heat water into steam. Which drives a turbine to produce AC electricity.

    Massive steam turbines are massive because they are efficient. Multistage turbines range from near 70% efficient for massive ones to 25% efficient for the smallest ones in serious use.

    NTAC-TE is a technology that converts the radiation into electric current. Like solar panels converting the sun’s radiation into electric current.

    NASA uses it in space craft.

    If we can get that working at an efficient rate smaller radioactive units will produce power without the efficiency loss of small steam generators. Then we can talk about small modular nuclear energy.

    Unfortunately every pro nuclear person parrots the same gumf about nuclear being good, therefore we need to build the massive nuclear reactors.

    They only consider talking about any other technology to try and defend nuclear when you point out why they shouldn’t be built anymore.

    So in 20 years, if we stop building massive nuclear reactors with the money, we might be able to complete some research and start building the correct nuclear technology at scale.

    But that 20 years is vital and we need to spend that on carbon reduction now. That’s reducing usage through insulation. That’s renewables being added to the supply directly now. That’s grid level storage to allow us to stop relying on massive steam turbines to hold a steady grid load.

    In 20 years we can talk about nuclear again. Add an additional time for every wasted effort on a reactor like Hinckley C or Olkiluoto 3. Starting out as a thin justification and just economically viable.

    But then spending 400% of their budget meaning carbon reduction would have been much higher investing elsewhere.






  • I know everything I need to know about heat pumps.

    I live in a flat. I am literally not allowed to install anything outside for a proper split.

    There is no location in my small property where noise would not disturb sleep or the general enjoyment of being here. So even with permission an air source pump is not viable.

    I’d need permission to install a ground source unit outside which wouldn’t be impossible.

    But then it’s likely to be got the whole building as that would be the most efficient.

    I’m not sharing an energy bill for heating with my neighbours. My consumption is low.

    There are millions like me in this country.

    What I would install is an electric boiler. Essentially inductive or resistive heat.

    Which is half as efficient as a heat pump. But I’d have control of my bill and with the consumption for a single person flat the long term expense of installing and maintaining a heat pump eat into any efficiency savings they have.

    The only thing stopping me is gas is cheaper per kW because we’re burning gas to make electricity at a ~45% efficiency compared to a 90% efficiency of piping it here to be turned directly into heat.

    Cut fossil fuels out of the electricity supply. Then I’ll install an electric boiler. Until then I’ll burn gas more efficiently here.

    Heat pumps work for those with outside space. Those who have luxuries.

    Electric cars work for those with driveways. More outside space. More luxury.

    I could buy into that luxury soon enough. I will upgrade my property at some point. But it’s not going to solve any climate change issues unless they solve the issue for everyone, not just the middle class and upwards.

    The government need to stop burning gas for electricity. When they do I’ll probably be paying more for energy, but the poorest can use the same infrastructure and be subsidised.

    Renewables, grid storage, reasonably priced charging with on street chargers near everyone’s homes. We’ll all be able to go carbon free.

    Heat pumps are part of the solution, but really they’re the smallest part. They only offer an efficiency saving over resistive heating. The cost is noise pollution, maintenance cost, space, and complexity.

    I don’t take the government’s climate targets seriously when heat pumps are their main policy.



  • The water system is a business. The labs are businesses. A competent business shuttering when the market shrinks to avoid making a loss is an effect of Brexit.

    The fact our water infrastructure is run as a business is an effect of Thatcher selling it.

    We need to vote for a government to reverse Brexit eventually. But we’re also still waiting 35 years to reverse the privatisation of the 80s.

    The problem with voting for destructive Conservative governments is it costs a lot of money to replace the things they’ve given away or destroyed.


  • Honestly this isn’t hard.

    Businesses plan more than a year in advance.

    These labs carried on as long as they could make a profit without significant maintenance cycle costs.

    Then they look at their market and whether the next cycle is worth the investment.

    If we were in the EU they’d be looking into claiming that large market in 2026, instead they’re shuttering the business before it starts making a loss.

    They’re looking at 5, 10, and 25 year profitability. You’re looking at a 1 year plan.

    This is why politicians and their billionaire donors are so easily able to trick you into voting like an idiot. You choose not to think.


  • People still want more than 12 thousand a year.

    So anyone you like, but the price for keeping someone turning up to any menial working environments raises a lot.

    Plumbing is already a skilled trade, there will be no shortage of plumbers. They will work for the money. Of course you might find they’ll walk more easily if treated with disrespect. Honestly that’ll happen with a good plumber now.

    The same will happen to all jobs. You can’t yell at anyone anymore or you’ll be refused service.

    If no one had to be there the worst customers who ruin service work suddenly have to behave like decent human beings all the time. Or they don’t get the privilege of being a customer.




  • Due to a quirk of unifying 2 standards, Europe and the UK, the range is 216.2 volts to 253.0 volts.

    That encompasses infrastructure built to a tighter tolerance around 220V in Europe and infrastructure built to a tighter tolerance around 240V in the UK (and Australia).

    We expect 3150W out of a kettle most of the time. Our heaters will say 3kW.

    Usually you’ll find a few volts over 240 out of our outlets and that’s to design spec.