Week 4
CleanTechnica: "The Army’s interest in hydrogen vehicles surfaced on the CleanTechnica radar back in 2010, when they were investigating fuel cells to generate auxiliary power for tanks. Around that time the Army also launched a small test fleet of GM fuel cell vehicles in Hawaii.
Signs of a continued interest in fuel cell trucks emerged in 2017, when the Army took note of the stealth advantages of a Chevy Colorado electric vehicle powered by fuel cells. Last year the Army also demonstrated a fuel cell rescue vehicle capable of going 1,500 miles between refills, a key consideration for operation in remote locations.
As for how to deliver hydrogen to vehicles in remote locations, the Army has also been testing a mobile electrolysis unit, which can scavenge local water and renewable energy resources to generate green hydrogen on the spot (see lots more green hydrogen background here)...
In the latest development, the Army has emerged as a funder in support of the California-based hydrogen compression firm Verne. The startup launched in 2020, leveraging decades of research at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory to increase the energy energy density of stored hydrogen by deploying cryo-compressed hydrogen technology (CcH2 for short)"
The deficit spending is for their benefit, it flows to their coffers, to their companies. But now the government is in debt, no problem, the rich buy that debt with the extra cash they received from the government itself.. Good deal eh? The public is screwed twice, first money does not increase their assets, second the rich end up with the excess money which they use to increase their assets meaning a decrease in living standards for the poor.
"When government deficit spends, how does the rich buy that debt incurred from the deficit spending?"
Sun's mass is the dead giveaway. Simply rearranging grav pull force for $M$ w/ given $m,G,F$ will make that clear. Plasma cannot provide the density that the Sun has.
Universe is not isotropic. Dark Energy has been disproven. The sun is not plasma (it consists of solid/liquid matter). Cosmic inflation is debunked. Black holes are burning discs, even Hawking changed his mind on their existence. There was no Big Bang. What else is left of modern cosmology?
"Astrophysics Without Black Holes.. Victor Ambartsumian noted.. that galactic centers are observed to eject [not pull]"
SciAm: "[2020] According to the key tenets of modern physics, the cosmos is 'isotropic' at multi-billion-light-year scales—meaning it should have the same look and behavior in every direction. Ever since the big bang nearly 14 billion years ago, the universe ought to have expanded identically everywhere...
Now, however, an x-ray survey of distances to galaxy clusters across the heavens suggests some are significantly closer or farther away than isotropy would predict. This finding could be a sign that the universe is actually 'anisotropic'..
An anisotropic universe would shake the pillars of physics, demanding major revisions to current thinking about cosmic evolution. 'If [the universe’s growth] is indeed different in different directions, that brings a whole new wrinkle into a cosmological assumption about homogeneity of the expansion over sufficiently large regions of space,' says Megan Donahue, a Michigan State University astrophysicist who was not involved in the study. A lopsided expansion 'would be astonishing and depressing,' she adds, because it would suggest our understanding of the universe’s large-scale structure and evolution is profoundly—perhaps permanently—incomplete"
Al-Monitor: "As Trump returns, Iran's IRGC steps up Hormuz military drills.. Iran's influential hard-liners have long argued that closure of the oil-strategic strait can serve as a bargaining chip in any confrontation with Israel and the United States"
TDB: "Donald Trump’s Department of Defense nominee, Pete Hegseth, barely won Senate confirmation Friday night.. It took newly-inaugurated Vice President JD Vance rushing to the Senate floor to cast a tie-breaking vote to salvage Hegseth’s nomination after former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell cast a stunning 'no' vote against Hegseth"
OS News: "They tried to keep it from prying eyes, but several people did notice it: Google made a pretty significant policy change regarding the use of fingerprinting by advertisers. While Google did not allow advertisers to use digital fingerprinting, the company has now changed its mind on this one.
Previously, Google did not allow advertisers to pass any information to it that
- Google could use or recognize as personally-identifiable information.
- Permanently identifies a particular device (such as a mobile phone’s unique device identifier if such an identifier cannot be reset).
The second rule has been removed in the new policy. In other words, advertisers may identify users based on the devices that they use and may pass the information to Google for tracking purposes.
Martin Brinkmann at gHacks
Google really tried to hide this change. The main support article talking about the reasoning behind the change is intentionally obtuse and nebulous, and doesn’t even link to the actual policy changes being implemented – which are found in a separate document. Google doesn’t highlight its changes there, so you have to compare the two versions of the policy yourself.
Google claims this change has to be implemented because of 'advances in privacy-enhancing technologies (PETs) such as on-device processing, trusted execution environments, and secure multi-party computation' and 'the rise of new ad-supported devices and platforms'. What I think this word salad means is that users are regaining a modicum of privacy with some specific privacy-preserving features in certain operating systems and on certain devices, and that the use of dedicated, siloed streaming services is increasing, which is harder for Google and advertisers to track.
In other words, Google is relaxing its rules on fingerprinting because we’re all getting more conscious about privacy"
Look at US, how effed they are, because of their private complex, revolving doors, corporate stupid wars. Why would anyone want to end up like them?
If a regulation stops unnecessary spending on "defense" that is good regulation.
Firstpost: "Europe's 'crazy' regulations hampering defence spending & investment, warns Nato chief"
For citizens to matter, citizenship has to mean something. It should not be doled out to all like cotton candy. Curbing illegal immigration will be useful for the left in the long run.
WSJ: "Trump empowers Justice Department agents to deport illegal migrants"
Al-Monitor: "Yemen's Huthis say freed detained ship's crew after Gaza truce"
That is nice of MB. Other billionaires, pay up too..
Better yet, gov tax them.
F24: "Billionaire Michael Bloomberg will fund the UN climate change agency after the US withdrew from the Paris Agreement again, President Donald Trump announced. Bloomberg’s pledge ensures the UNFCCC remains operational, covering the 22% of its $96.5 million budget previously provided by the US for 2024-2025"
BBC: "LinkedIn accused of using private messages to train AI"
People can't buy if they don't have money to spend.. pro-business growth policies won't work.
Murphy: "[I wrote about Labour] sacking the chair of the Competition and Markets Authority that is tasked with protecting the public from abuse by monopolies, and their replacement by a person from Amazon, in a move that is intended to deliver growth"
CNET: "Fed Up With Instagram? How to Move Your Photos to Pixelfed.. You can keep your Instagram posts and host them somewhere other than Meta"
PV Magazine: "Clean hydrogen set for commercial liftoff by 2030.. Department of Energy report says planned project capacity increased 26% in 2024"
Motor1: "Hydrogen-powered vehicles are already here. Internal combustion hydrogen engines are being used in commercial applications in Europe, while numerous automakers globally have patents for hydrogen engines for both commercial and performance applications. Just like gas or diesel mills, air is mixed with fuel to make horsepower. And Cummins already has a special turbocharger to force-feed these new engines, called the CCS H2 ICE.
It's a variable geometry turbo designed to 'meet the unique requirements of hydrogen engines,' according to Cummins. The exact details of the design aren't shared, though it's said to incorporate a bespoke aerodynamic design that caters best to hydrogen, which has a lower density compared to gasoline or diesel. A by-product of burning hydrogen is water, and being a turbocharger, it's driven by the engine's exhaust system. As such, the turbo is also designed to handle that water both in terms of power production and longevity"
European Alternatives for Popular Services
Jews from the Caucuses (see the Asimov link below) converted into the religion for political reasons. They made being overtly different a key part of their political identity. If the Jews descending from this group (mostly in Europe then US) has any common feature, it is this... Being different, and overtly so because it helped them in the area where they came from. The shtick obviously did not help them as much in 30-40s Germany.
Morgan Freeman:
"America would not be the same without black people"
"They call me African-American, but I'm not African, I am an American".
He is basically saying the same thing.
Racial attributes do not define culture. Immigrants do contribute, can cause changes, but their kids will assimilate into the whole, not the little parts their parents brought in. Everyone is a little Irish, a little black, no matter the race. Religious subcultures cannot remain isolated either, Jews especially come to mind here who proudly claim their extremely distinct. They are not.
Whichever country you were at between ages 0-7 you have its culture. You are in it, you are it. Child born to immigrant Jamaican parents will never be Jamaican. Same is true for others.
Iraq, Syria surely have their own singular culture. Culture code homogenizes existing elements into one, from birth kids would assimilate into that. I'm talking about politics; when people feel threatened, what group do they take up arms with?
It's not about me wanting secterianism in Syria, or Iraq. Secterianism already exist, and players position themselves according to it. If you are making only moralistic arguments against secterianism, you are missing a large part of what's going on.
I hope they nix the whole thing, and with it gone, there can be massive pressure to pass a sane gov-funded health insurance measure.
Politico: "SCOTUS agrees to hear challenge to Obamacare’s preventive care coverage"
NYT: "Fire Breaks Out at a Huge Battery Site in California.. The fire at the Moss Landing plant, which stores electricity for the power grid, was unrelated to wildfires in Los Angeles"
Rubio had issues early on w/ Zio lobby, but since then they seem to have kissed and made up... If he gets too hawkish, I'll start calling him Marco Rubenstein.
Marco Rubio is a known "Zio"; his confirmation happened at breakneck speed. Hegseth talked a little too much about Pentagon audits, he is having problems..
Reuters: "New allegations against Hegseth as Senate readies vote on Pentagon nominee"
"@JustUs4Pali@mastodon.social
...if this is 'self-defence', wtactualf! is 'terrorism'?"
![[-]](https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/864/507/877/171/259/original/4b7fc8068e8ec890.png){kind=link}
"@pixelfed@mastodon.social
We've received more offers to acquire our platform/assets.
We belong to the people.
Our Kickstarter is launching soon, help us prove that we, the people, can build healthy and vibrant communities, without being controlled by vested interests who don't share our values...
Spread the word ✨"
Pikkety: "Biden is not wrong [about the dangers of oligarchy]. The issue is that he has done little to oppose the oligarchic drift taking place both in his country and globally. In the 1930s, his predecessor Roosevelt, also deeply concerned about such trends, did not stop at making speeches. Under his leadership, Democrats implemented a robust policy of reducing social inequalities (with tax rates on the highest incomes nearing 70%–80% for half a century) and investing in public infrastructure, health, and education...
In the 1980s, Republican Ronald Reagan, deftly playing on nationalism and a feeling of catching up, undertook to dismantle Roosevelt’s New Deal. The problem was that Democrats, far from defending this legacy, actually helped legitimize and solidify Reagan’s turn, notably under the Clinton (1993-2001) and Obama (2009-2017) administrations.."
The New Arab: "[2024/06] Pro-Israel billionaire Miriam Adelson backs Trump's campaign, pushes for West Bank annexation"
A break from fighting in Gaza but increase of tension in the West Bank? Annexation begins?
NYT: "Israel Embarks on an ‘Extensive’ Military Operation in the West Bank"
Politico: "Trump kicks off potentially messy fight over Biden’s infrastructure money.. An executive order by President Donald Trump requiring agencies to stop paying money for two mammoth Biden-era laws could bring a wide range of infrastructure, transportation and energy projects to a halt — including those already delivering jobs to Republican-led states"
Jeff Beck with Imogen Heap-Rollin' And Tumblin' #music
World Inequality
Perfect setup, a piece of the floor is mobile, the exterior geodesic dome of bioceramic material. Exterior can be deconstructed piece by piece quickly. When you are not living in it, your land doesn't necessarily have go have a house on it.. Lower belongings underground, deconstruct the exterior, done.
For residential, single family homes can build a vertically moving platform for a piece of the floor to lower belongings (furniture, appliances) below ground when needed. Place a door on top, something fire resistant, lock it, get out of dodge.
No eye gauging, no groin attacks, no hitting back of the head.. if one trains for such artificial rules, fighter will not be ready for what's out there... There are entire stances in certain styles created specifically to protect groin.
But go ahead crawl around on the ground like gay lovers.. if you are into that, fine, but beware, your training is incomplete.
"Most fights end up on the ground".. Most fights end with someone on the ground, and they end quickly. That's different.
#Davis #Corruption
Whiskey's Gone Zac Brown Band #music
I listen to any song about whiskey
Understand red states.. dig into some country.
Firstpost: "Trump signs executive order to defer TikTok ban by 75 days"
It's been a hell of a ride for djt #47
Propublica: "Following a Series of Government Hacks, Biden Closes Out His Administration With New Cybersecurity Order.. The executive order follows a ProPublica investigation that found Microsoft prioritized profit over security, leaving the federal government vulnerable to the largest hack in U.S. history...
ProPublica found that, for years, Microsoft leaders ignored warnings about the flaw from one of their own engineers because they feared that publicly acknowledging it would alienate the federal government and cause the company to lose ground to competitors.
That profit-over-security culture was driven in large part by the rush to gain ground in the multibillion-dollar cloud computing market, the news organization reported
#Chollet
"If your learning algorithm is based on correlation rather than causation, it will struggle with overfitting. To understand something is to identify its minimal sufficient causal mechanisms. Parsimony isn't just elegance, it's generalization robustness"
Self-defense should decide picking a style. Take BJJ. Recent version of the art is sadly being developed to beat itself, not random attackers in a context of self-defense.
Philly Shell defense is useful, but I dont think it would work well on the street. The gloves are a big part of why it works.
High Guard ok, but better, just lift up your arms, create a an obstacle area in front (while also moving out of the way).
"The US green hydrogen firm Plug Power has just nailed a $1.66 federal loan guarantee towards the goal of building up to six hydrogen hubs around the country"
"@bmac@jawns.club
@Ianagol The prompt of annoyance at unsolicited AI turning up in my work apps, in my Zoom calls, and in a frickin' PDF of all places. So I channeled my irritation into rhyme"
"@Ianagol@mathstodon.xyz
@bmac Which prompt did you use to make this?"
"@bmac@jawns.club
I do not like this new A.I.
Its nonsense answers make me sigh
I do not want to hear its tale
I do not want it in my mail
I do not want it a-la-mode
I do not want it in my code
I do not want it with a scone
I do not want it in my phone
I do not want it as my chef
Not even in a PDF
I do not like this new A.I.
This is the truth I won't deny"
He has some pieces right but they are all put together crooked. Democracy is broken in US, true, so bad a monarch would be better, also true. But the culprit is corporate power, not bureucracy. Reps and Democrats allowed that to happen, starting w/ Carter, then w/ Clinton, black Bill Clinton, so on.
NYT: "Yarvin Says Democracy Is Done.. [he says] the mainstream media and academia, have been overrun by progressive groupthink and need to be dissolved. He believes that government bureaucracy should be radically gutted.. America needs to.. get over our dictator-phobia — that American democracy is a sham, beyond fixing, and having a monarch-style leader is the way to go"
Adam McKay: "What you’re seeing.. is the hyper-financialisation and corporatisation of studios and streamers where everything now is just immediately funnelled into the boardroom…That economic model is what's antagonised the climate crisis. When you look at things only through quarterly revenue models and your only responsibility is to shareholders, that’s a destructive machine."
In the right circumstance a decentralized, digital cash can become the defacto global currency. A new kind of politics can give it that power.
Currently, official currencies are based on paper. What is more (relatively) worthless than paper?
That is not the right criticism against Bitcoin or cyrpto. No money in history, including gold, had intrinsic value. Politics gives value, it decides what is valueable as currency. Politics did that for gold, the king demanded taxes to be paid in gold, dug up gold from mines he controlled (this is key) and gave it to his soldiers to spend, and voila! The public rushed to sell stuff to the army to get the golds to pay taxes. Two birds with one stone: army is supplied, the king controls money.
"Bitcoin has no intrinsic value"
#Debris
Budget 120 mil, it will lose money. I can see where the relatively high audience score comes from. Fine to watch once but not enough to recommend, so word-of-mouth would not carry it further... I agree with a commentator, if this movie was made in the 80s when the audience did not know what to expect from a comic book movie, Kraven would be well received. But after Spiderman 2, Infinity War, it's a different game. Still fine for me.
u.boxofficemojo("Kraven")
Out[1]:
{'Domestic Opening': '$11,001,109',
'Domestic': '$24,546,778',
'International': '$34,861,214',
'Worldwide Total': '$59,407,992',
'Release Date': 'December 11, 2024'}
u.rottentomatoes("Kraven the Hunter")
Out[1]: {'critics': '16', 'audience': '74'}
Krave the Hunter, average.. but ok to watch. The scenery, pace was good..
Ed Zitron: “Our economy isn’t one that produces things to be used, but things that increase usage”
You think Japanese construction cos love to spend extra time earthquake proofing their buildings? They do it because they have to.
Gov should've mandated all houses to be fire-resistant but after decades of a culture talking down government (tax is "theft", regulation "innovation hindrance"), this is where shit ends up. As ash.
Reuters: "Owners of a fire-resistant house hope LA rebuilds smarter"
House construction tech is outdated. Bioceramics are the way. Flame resistant, strong, durable.
"@cryptadamist@universeodon.com
Los Angeles crypto bros reporting that they lost their life's savings because they had their seed phrase stored in their house is exactly why cryptocurrency is way better than a regular bank"
"@toxi@mastodon.thi.ng
Re-animating my old iPad (original) with iOS5... The UI and my app selection instantly makes it feel like an artifact from an alternative timeline, one with a more humanist & less-consumerist outlook on tech. Sadly almost none of the online connected apps work anymore, neither do many websites (possibly due to newer JS/TLS, but also even if they do load, there're a LOT of HTML/CSS troubles, showing again just how temporally brittle the web stack is)... It's just been 15 years!"
"@cam@hachyderm.io
Reports in Israel are saying that Trump's envoy, Steve Witkoff, did exactly what Biden and Blinken refused to do: tell them to stop bombing and take the ceasefire deal. Biden fully shredded Dem support from Arabs and Muslims in this country to then fail to beat Trump in the election, in the process probably throwing tons of young people into either apathy or the GOP by calling them anti-semitic terrorists on college campuses"
👍 👍
CNN: "The House voted on Tuesday to pass a GOP-led bill that would ban transgender athletes from women's and girls' sports at federally funded funded schools and educational institutions"
#StatusCoup #MSDNC #Oligarchy
#Frontline #UA #RU - 01/13 - 01/19