Week 27

Aviation Week: "Airbus’ Hydrogen Project Is In Full Swing.. Although ZEROe has yet to become a full-fledged program, Airbus’ plan to have hydrogen-powered commercial aircraft in service in 2035 is making significant progress. Ground trials of a fuel cell engine are achieving positive results. Preparations are underway for fuel cell engine flight tests"

Bcz there is an M$ product at both ends..? 😅 too funny

"@yonabee@eldritch.cafe

Microsoft is both sending advertisements to my work email and automatically categorizing them as spam and quarantining them for me. Truly the world's most advanced company"

The Shidaowan plant is the Chinese take on the HTGR, they call it PBMR (pebble bed modular reactor) or HTR-PM ( High Temperature gas-cooled Reactor – Pebble bed Module). The tech looks solid. Hopefully it spreads within and outside China.

Engineering News: "Graphite is the material used to moderate the nuclear chain reactions. The fuel is in the form of small spheres (hence the name ‘pebble bed’), 60 mm in diameter, each containing 7 g of low (8.5%) enriched uranium fuel, coated with four layers of ceramics and graphite. The fuel load for each reactor comprises about 12 000 such pebbles"

Business Insider: "[2023/12] China's bragging about being the first to build a next-generation nuclear reactor...China on Wednesday said the Shidaowan nuclear reactor is officially contributing to the power grid... it's the world's first reactor that uses helium, not water. Nuclear plants often use billions of gallons of water per day, a problem for water-starved China...

Reactors typically need around 400 to 720 gallons of water for every megawatt produced for an hour, meaning a single nuclear plant can use billions of gallons per day. Experimental reactors using helium have been built before, such as one in Oarai, Japan, but the Shidaowan is the first to be used commercially"

Battery-brain shitlibs are pretty foolish actually. They didn't even use their own brains to make this judgement btw, one Dem made the wrong call, and they followed like cattle. Rest of the world copied because US is a trendsetter, and the suck spread and spread.

Sad

Trump: "All they know is electric, they want electric army tanks, they want electric planes.. they want electric everything every day. They want electric boats. The problem, the boats, they don't float because the battery is so heavy. It sinks the boat. They say we don't care. We want em anyway"

Joint Statement: "The Administration’s policy in Gaza is a failure and a threat to U.S. national security. America’s diplomatic cover for, and continuous flow of arms to, Israel has ensured our undeniable complicity in the killings and forced starvation of a besieged Palestinian population in Gaza. This is not only morally reprehensible and in clear violation of international humanitarian law and U.S. laws, but it has also put a target on America’s back..

Critically, this failed policy has not achieved its stated objectives—it has not made Israelis any safer, it has emboldened extremists while it has been devastating for the Palestinian people, ensuring a vicious cycle of poverty and hopelessness, with all the implications of that cycle, for generations to come. As a group of dedicated Americans in service of our country, we insist that there is another way. In this Statement, we describe the current crisis, explain what we have seen...

SMSgt Mohammed Abu Hashem, Lily Greenberg Call, Anna Del Castillo, Stacy Gilbert, Tariq Habash, Maryam Hassanein, Maj Riley Livermore, MAJ Harrison Mann, Josh Paul, Hala Rharrit, Annelle Sheline, Alexander Smith"

[-]

CNN: "The US government employees who have publicly resigned in protest of the Biden administration’s Gaza policies released a joint statement.. for the first time, stating they 'stand united in a shared belief that it is our collective responsibility to speak up' and outlining steps they believe the US government should take. The 12 signatories tendered their resignations at various points over the course of the nearly nine-month conflict between Israel and Hamas, with one resigning as recently as Tuesday"

We know sanctions as one country (usually US) placing trade restrictions on another country to punish them. UK is probably the only country of late that effectively sanctioned itself. They said "I'm going to punish myself to restrict my trade with my biggest trading partner". Well how do you like it now, chap?

Cons got what they deserved.. This is Brexit the mistake coming home to roost.

WaPo: "U.K. election results: Landslide Labour win ends 14 years of Conservatives"

Told ya.. guy got his ass kicked.

London Evening Standard: "Jeremy Corbyn wins Islington North seat by almost 8,000 votes over Labour candidate"

Renewable Energy Magazine: "Mahle Powertrain, the specialist engineering subsidiary of the Mahle Group, is expanding its Northampton facility to include a dedicated hydrogen powertrain testing capability"

Euractiv: "Hydrogen sector asks EU to help local firms compete with China.. European manufacturers of hydrogen equipment have urged the European Union to step in to help the industry compete with cheaper Chinese producers, in a letter seen by Reuters"

"American Airlines commits to conditional purchase of 100 ZeroAvia hydrogen-powered engines, increases investment in hydrogen-electric innovator"

TechXplore: "'Nearly sustainable' hydrogen could cut ammonia production emissions by 95%.. In a study looking at the European ammonia industry, researchers from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) and ETH Zurich have now calculated the conditions under which it would be worthwhile to switch ammonia production to green or almost green hydrogen. The research is published in Nature Communications.

Two results stand out. First, in some European countries such as Norway, Spain, Hungary or Poland, ammonia production from green or almost green hydrogen would already make economic sense today. In these countries, generating sustainable electricity from solar or wind energy is particularly cost-effective"

Gasworld: "Sungrow wins $4bn China hydrogen and ammonia project bid... Sungrow Hydrogen's 1000Nm/h ALK hydrogen production system will be applied to the 4bn dollar project, which is expected to produce 110,000 tonnes of green hydrogen, 600,000 tonnes of green ammonia and 60,000 tonnes of green methanol"

Enerdata: "World Bank grants US$1.5bn loan to support India’s hydrogen development"

Modern minimalism is great.. SBUX stores are an example, no?

"Minimalist interior design.. involves using the bare essentials to create a simple and uncluttered space. It's characterised by simplicity, clean lines, and a monochromatic palette with colour used as an accent"

[-]

TV movie Archangel had some talking down on Russian history and culture, Daniel Craig performed his task well like the asset that he is.

De Schutter, The Guardian: "Obsession with growth is enriching elites and killing the planet... In the past four years alone the world’s five richest men have more than doubled their fortunes, while nearly 5 billion people have been made poorer. If current trends continue, 575 million people will still be trapped in extreme poverty in 2030 – the deadline set by the world’s governments to eradicate it. Currently, more than 4 billion people have no access whatsoever to social protection"

Econ distress must be rising... Was Squid Game a sign?

Politico: "Young Men Are Swinging Hard Right in Korea. It's a Warning for America."

Looking at its energy footprint it will more likely contribute to climate crisis rather than solve it. And as per finding a solution, it is likely to suggest to put glue on your pizza, and not provide any sane solutions.

"DeepMind Wants to Use AI to Solve the Climate Crisis"

The sad thing is the systems aren't even intelligent.

Engadget: "Google's greenhouse gas emissions climbed nearly 50 percent in five years due to AI"

#RU #UA #Frontline 06/27 - 07/04

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Arab News: "Russia claims control of part of Chasiv Yar, Ukraine reports heavy fighting"

Head-to-head match-ups are not as crucial as the approval number of the incumbent. The other parameters used in the prediction formula are growth and incumbency.

Biden net aproval fell to -20, if it goes down to -23, with GDP 1.5% growth, the odds become even, 50/50.

[-]

WION: "Biden heaves a sigh of relief as Democratic governors say we 'have his back'"

WION: "Israel-Hamas conflict: Children in Gaza hit hard by dangerous skin diseases amid prolonged war"

NYT: "Israeli Generals, Low on Munitions, Want a Truce in Gaza..Israel's military leadership wants a cease-fire with Hamas in case a bigger war breaks out in Lebanon, security officials say"

The Economic Times: "World Bank lends $1.5 billion push to power green hydrogen market.. New Delhi: The World Bank Friday approved a 1.5 billion loan to help India accelerate low-carbon energy development by promoting a market for green hydrogen as well as electrolysers and renewable energy penetration"

Racer: "After four seasons of Extreme E, Extreme H will arrive next year... 'There’s never been more need to look into new ways of using alternative energies than now,' [CEO Agag says]. '.. we’re going to focus on cars and the use of hydrogen for cars; it’s a championship that is going to be focused on hydrogen in general.'..

Agag has spoken before about Extreme H’s ambition to attract energy companies and tech companies.. manufacturers are once again taking note, especially as consumer doubts around conventional EVs remain.

'We had a very, very productive meeting a few weeks ago where a very large number of car manufacturers showed up with great interest for the championship,' he says. 'I was surprised myself'"

But NL is at least part of the EU, we'll give them some brownie points

Tulip Mania was out of Holland wasn't it? The first widely recognized econ bubble of the past 500 yrs.

It looks like the rabid trader, plutocracy-based culture also survived in Netherlands. It's interesting, when we look at all the countries who are most disturbed by Russia (which descends from a security / militocratic culture) are the Anglo, and Netherlands.. In relation to its size and influence, the amt of aid NL supplies to Ukraine is massive. The issue might be cultural.

Turchin: "Gunpowder weapons underwent a rapid evolution during the fifteenth century.. Small principalities and city-states could no longer hide behind their walls, which were easily breached by cannons. Intense military competition between European states weeded out those that couldn’t raise large armies; produce muskets and artillery in quantity; and build expensive modern fortifications that could withstand cannon fire...

The Military Revolution also triggered a revolution in governance and finance because successful states had to learn how to efficiently extract and use wealth from their populations.. As a result, medieval militocracies gradually evolved into ruling classes that combined military and administrative functions...

[T]hanks to its protected position in the British Isles.. England dispense[d] with the standing army.. The squirearchy, which started as a military class, gradually lost its military character and became simply a class of landowners.. A large merchant class evolved.. the United Kingdom came to be ruled by an elite that combined economic and administrative functions... Although most plutocracies rapidly went extinct, some lingered longer than others... The Netherlands survived into the twenty-first century, in part thanks to its waterways and canals"

Christian Bruhn (Germany) - Komm' In Fahrt - Der Hansa Pils-Hit #music

[-]

Railway Gazette: "Siemens Mobility and its Smart Train Lease subsidiary have signed a co-operation agreement with Tyczka Hydrogen to offer fuel cell trains with a full hydrogen supply chain and appropriate support services.

The partnership announced on June 25 is intended to ‘pave the way for a successful transformation of railways towards hydrogen mobility’, the companies explained"

"Walmart Canada Becomes the First Major Retailer in Canada to Introduce a Hydrogen Fuel Cell Electric Semi-Truck"

Fox Business: "Tesla owner says he’s locked out after battery died, replacement costs $26K.. A Tesla owner in Canada.. is locked out of his 140,000 vehicle after the battery died, and that the electric automaker told him a replacement would cost 26,000.. Mario Zelaya posted a video on TikTok saying his 'piece of trash' Model S died and that the car is locked, preventing him from being able to get inside. The caption on the video reads: '26K for a new battery. Locked out of car. Recalls are needed'"

Ruski Brewski #music

[-]

Have a little Ruski Brewski

"@XLCChelt@mastodonapp.uk

Liberals will say 'hey, why don't you lefties stop the "far-right"?'

Because in what is called 'politics', 'left' parties are only allowed to 'win' if they'll continue all the current economic systems - capitalism and the wealthy with power and status at the top.

Otherwise the whole establishment's might will get unleashed to stop them, well before they can make the required real economic change, as that is what would end their whole scam taking [from] the rest of us"

#EricBerg

[-]

Electrolytes: regulate body's electrical functions. A lot of hidden ailments are tied to a lack of it: calcium, chloride, magnesium, potassium, sodium. There are water solubile tablets, easy to take. Note these elements are not all vitamins, but specific minerals for neural sys.

Dark Matter, good show. Its science is unsurprisingly bullshit (again, multiverse) but by now this is "established Holywood science", so everyone takes it for granted... But they built a good script on top.

Joan Westennerg: "6 months ago, I left the bullshit industrial complex.. I used to be good at spinning stories. Give me a half-baked startup idea, a semi-charismatic founder and a fistful of VC dollars, and I could write a story compelling enough it barely mattered whether there was an ounce of truth in it... [But] I would lie awake at 3 AM, staring at the ceiling. My life was slipping away, and I had nothing to show for it but a series of cynical half truths paid for by shit shovelling wannabe billionaires hell bent on leaving the world worse off than they found it. I knew I was a part of something poisonous. It had been years since I'd displayed a shred of journalistic integrity...

One morning, I sat down at my desk to craft yet another press release touting yet another 'game-changing' startup that had raised - yet another - $25 million. And I realized I couldn't remember the last time I'd written something I believed in. The words that used to flow felt like trying to squeeze ancient toothpaste from an empty tube. That was the day I cracked... Somewhere along the way, I'd allowed my writing—the thing that used to give me purpose—to be co-opted by the bullshit industrial complex...

I have zero faith in the idea that unfettered vulture capitalism and a blind pursuit of 'disruption' will lead us to a better world. I've seen how perverse incentives and boiler room pressure to deliver exponential growth can warp even the most idealistic founders' vision. I've watched brilliant minds get sucked into the vortex of funding rounds and vanity metrics, losing sight of why they started their companies in the first place"

"@GossiTheDog@cyberplace.social

Saw a Threads employee liking a Fediverse toot just now - from Threads back into my Mastodon server - looks like more integration is coming"

Could have helped blunt Trump criticism but now it all got drowned out by that debate stuff.

WION: "The number of migrant crossing along the southern border of the United States has dropped more than 40 per cent since June 4 when President Joe Biden announced suspension of new asylum claims"

#SAF #RSF #Frontline 04/15 - 07/02

Color red denotes RSF territory. Birdeye view suggests SAF is doing somewhat better compared to RSF.

[-]

"@GeofCox@climatejustice.social

[A]fter the war the allies pretty much imposed the 'Mitbestimmung' system (worker participation in management) on German industry - because it was clear that inequality, exploitation and social division had led to fascism, war, holocaust - but bizarrely failed to adopt it themselves, even when it became clear it was working better than their own systems"

Monbiot, The Guardian: "Things are not going to get better as long as oligarchs rule the roost in our democracies.. [Some post-WWII beneficial] politics were the result of something known to economic historians as the 'great compression': a drastic reduction in inequality caused by two world wars. In many powerful countries, a combination of the physical destruction of assets, the loss of colonial and overseas possessions, inflation, very high taxes, wage and price controls, requisitioning and nationalisation required by the wartime economy, as well as the effects of rising democracy and labour organisation, greatly reduced the income and assets of the rich. It also greatly improved, once the wars had ended, the position of the poor...

[Scheidel] shows how warfare economies have been turned into welfare economies... For example, following the defeat of Japan, the US occupation government, led by General Douglas MacArthur, sought what it called 'the democratization of Japanese economic institutions' to ensure 'a wide distribution of income and ownership of the means of production and trade'. To this end, it imposed high property taxes, with a top marginal rate of 90%; broke up business conglomerates; demanded a labour union law enabling the right to organise and strike, and higher wages for workers; organised comprehensive land reform, which dissolved large holdings and distributed them to peasants; and introduced fiscal reform that led eventually to taxes on the highest incomes of 75% and an inheritance tax on the largest estates of 70%. These programmes resulted in the near-total destruction of income from capital and the creation in Japan of a political and economic democracy, almost from scratch"

Business Insider: "Denver gave people experiencing homelessness $1,000 a month. A year later, nearly half of participants had housing"

Homelessness is a direct result of inequality, overpriced assets due to asset hoarding by corporations and the rich.

However from a regular city dweller POV, the encampments are on public space that are open to all, but permanent structures on it, however shoddy, deny others that public space. It's like encampments create little privatized spaces plundered from the citizenry, for free. The SCOTUS decision is fine from that angle, long-term fixes on inequality, and near term help for homeless with public housing would be good too.

BBC: "US Supreme Court allows cities to ban homeless camps"

Reshare

WRMEA: "[2022/11] AIPAC Election Role Raises Question of Foreign Agent Registration.. For the first time, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) formed two [PACs] which have set records in their contributions to candidates in primary election campaigns this year...

AIPAC also launched a super PAC [UDP].. which initially did not include any mention of Israel in its 'About Us' statement. As a super PAC, UDP can accept unlimited donations, but it must disclose its donors. It cannot fund candidates directly, but it can spend unlimited amounts advocating for or against candidates. UDP was the biggest spending political action committee during the primaries and dispensed more than $24.2 million in support of its favored candidates. Out of eight candidates backed by UDP, six won their primaries..

Going back to the 1950s, the Eisenhower administration repeatedly insisted that the American Zionist Council (AZC) register as 'agents of a foreign government'..

[In his book Grant F. Smith] writes: 'Not until the early 1960s would the Senate begin to investigate whether U.S. aid sent overseas and other funds were being secretly laundered back into the U.S. to obtain political influence and additional foreign aid. In 1963, a close analysis of [AZC official] I. L. Kenen’s financing revealed that this was indeed happening'.. The Senate hearings documented the fact that in the early 1960s, Israel funneled $5 million (more than 35 million in today’s dollars) into U.S. propaganda and lobbying operations"

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"@EUCommission@ec.social-network.europa.eu

Apple's new slogan should be 'act different.'

Today, we informed Apple of our preliminary view that its App Store rules are in breach of the Digital Markets Act, as they prevent app developers from freely steering consumers to alternative channels for offers and content.

We also opened a new non-compliance procedure over concerns that its new contractual requirements for third-party app developers and app stores fall short of ensuring effective #DMA compliance"

H2 View: "Quantum Dots Boost Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production.. A paper recently published in the journal Applied Sciences reviewed the application of quantum dots for photocatalytic [H2] production.. Carbon quantum dots possess unique electrical and optical properties.. [they] serve as electron reservoirs to prevent charge carrier recombination and as photosensitizers to enhance solar light absorption, leading to improved photocatalytic performance"

"@ashleygjovik@mastodon.social

TLDR; EPA discovered that Apple was:

• illegally treating hazardous waste

• illegally transporting hazardous waste to disposal facilities

• illegally dumping hazardous waste into the ambient air outside the facility (into the apartment windows)

• leaving stockpiles of extremely dangerous chemicals unattended on weekends"

"@ashleygjovik@mastodon.social

In 2020, I nearly died from mysterious industrial chemical exposure at my apartment. Later, in 2023, I discovered my employer was dumping toxic waste into the apartment windows from their Skunkworks semiconductor fab next-door. I tipped off the US EPA, who sent their env cops to raid Apple's plant in Aug of 2023. The US EPA finally released the report of their enforcement inspections & sent me a copy on Friday"

"Lhyfe to develop 10MW green hydrogen plant in Sweden"

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"@thomasfuchs@hachyderm.io

Hi journalists, it's not an 'AI boom'.

It's an 'AI bubble'.

It doesn't even matter if AI works or not (it doesn't). All the hallmarks of an economic bubble are there:

1. Hugely inflated asset prices far beyond their intrinsic value (NVIDIA is the world's highest capitalized company right now)

2. Way too much money all chasing just AI companies

3. Highly speculative behavior trying to strike it rich by waiting to sell to new investors, despite knowledge that value is highly inflated"

Will JB pull a Fetterman and still win, or go down like Dukakis after that picture on the tank? Trump was fine, looked presidential.

Biden debate perf did not look good.. Whoever came up with the format, picked something that does not work for potus. The muted mics, interruption-free speak time allows him to go off on tangents get lost in the woods.

"@GossiTheDog@cyberplace.social

I don’t think any news outlet has picked up on this yet, but Suno - which is being sued by every major record label for stealing their artists songs - is baked directly into Microsoft Copilot"