Eric_the_Cerise's recent activity
-
Comment on Meet the biggest heat pumps in the world in ~engineering
-
Comment on Statement from Mozilla's new CEO in ~tech
Eric_the_Cerise LinkHaving skim-read it, my takeaway ... I think that he thinks that, if he uses the word "trusted" enough times, the trust will simply seep into us thru osmosis.Having skim-read it, my takeaway ... I think that he thinks that, if he uses the word "trusted" enough times, the trust will simply seep into us thru osmosis.
-
Comment on Statement from Mozilla's new CEO in ~tech
Eric_the_Cerise Link ParentAs I read this thread, I can also see the far-left line of browser-icons installed on my laptop -- LibreWolf Waterfox Zen Browser Tor (Ungoogled) Chromium Mullvad I unreservedly recommend all of...As I read this thread, I can also see the far-left line of browser-icons installed on my laptop --
- LibreWolf
- Waterfox
- Zen Browser
- Tor
- (Ungoogled) Chromium
- Mullvad
I unreservedly recommend all of them.
Edit to Add: I don't have it yet, but Helium Browser is on my "Someday Soon" list.
-
Comment on I need to tell you why coffee makes you poop in ~food
Eric_the_Cerise Link ParentFlashback to Pink Floyd's The Wall, specifically the song "The Trial" "The way you made them suffer -- Your exquisite wife and mother -- Fills me with the urge to defecate!"Flashback to Pink Floyd's The Wall, specifically the song "The Trial"
"The way you made them suffer --
Your exquisite wife and mother --
Fills me with the urge to defecate!" -
Comment on Cato Institute - The US Government unconstitutionally labels Immigration and Customs Enforcement observers as domestic terrorists in ~society
Eric_the_Cerise Link ParentWait 'til They get going!!!Wait 'til They get going!!!
-
Follow-up on that drunk raccoon in VA; apparently, he has a history
19 votes -
Comment on Without looking, do you have a vague idea of your coordinates? in ~talk
Eric_the_Cerise LinkLatitude, yes, within 4-5 degrees. Longitude, no; pretty sure I'm "something-" east, and I feel like I could guess fairly closely from having looked it up at some point, but I might be close, or I...Latitude, yes, within 4-5 degrees.
Longitude, no; pretty sure I'm "something-" east, and I feel like I could guess fairly closely from having looked it up at some point, but I might be close, or I might be 50+ degrees off (w/o re-checking now).
Edit: I just checked ... I was off on latitude by < 1/2 a degree, off on longitude by ~40 degrees.
So, at least I know what I don't know.
-
Comment on I fixed my lactose intolerance -- by chugging all the lactose in ~health
Eric_the_Cerise (edited )LinkNot validating this idea, but anecdotally ... I regularly fast for a few days at a time, usually 3-7 days ... and after I start eating again, I am generally lactose intolerant for a week or two,...Not validating this idea, but anecdotally ... I regularly fast for a few days at a time, usually 3-7 days ... and after I start eating again, I am generally lactose intolerant for a week or two, until my intestines remember how to digest the stuff.
-
Comment on Collapse of critical Atlantic current is no longer low-likelihood, study finds in ~enviro
Eric_the_Cerise Link ParentFWIW, I actually found this report to be somewhat comforting. I am already well in the camp that the tipping point for the AMOC--if it's going to collapse at all--is either too soon for humans to...FWIW, I actually found this report to be somewhat comforting. I am already well in the camp that the tipping point for the AMOC--if it's going to collapse at all--is either too soon for humans to prevent (not technically, but politically), or already actually in the past.
The "good news" (such as it is) from this report is that, even if the tipping point is already behind us, the actual slowdown/shutdown of the AMOC is still, likely, a century or more away. Additionally, whenever it does happen, these models strongly suggest that it will be a slow shutdown (in human terms, at least) of multiple decades ... providing a generational timeframe to adapt.
We have had previous studies and reports suggesting that A) the AMOC could shutdown within the next decade or three, and that B) it could happen extremely fast, potentially in under a decade -- both circumstances that would have been utterly devastating for Europe.
So, IDK what human society will look like a century from now, but I am confident that we will have plenty of other climate- and resource-related catastrophes to deal with long before the AMOC shuts down (if it ever does).
-
Comment on Have you ever designed/created a spaceship for fiction, RPGs, etc? How did you do it? in ~creative
Eric_the_Cerise LinkIt might be overkill for your needs, but there was a recently-completed "generation ship" design competition called Project Hyperion, the idea being to design a ship that could get humans (over...It might be overkill for your needs, but there was a recently-completed "generation ship" design competition called Project Hyperion, the idea being to design a ship that could get humans (over the course of multiple generations) to Alpha Centauri or another nearby solar system.
I was fascinated by the whole thing, got lost for a couple of days in the design details -- not just of the winners, but all of the submissions, each of which comes at the challenge from a very different perspective, different philosophy, different foci and priorities, etc. So, lot of cool ideas in there on spaceship design.
-
Comment on Reality check: EU Council chat control vote is not a retreat, but a green light for indiscriminate mass surveillance and the end of right to communicate anonymously in ~society
Eric_the_Cerise LinkSide-note: I'm not saying this article is incorrect or dubious or anything ... however, am I the only one who finds the reporting style weird, at the very least, if not downright suspicious? By...Side-note: I'm not saying this article is incorrect or dubious or anything ... however, am I the only one who finds the reporting style weird, at the very least, if not downright suspicious?
By which, I mean ... No author is attributed to the article. That said, it appears that Patrick Breyer wrote it -- it is his website, "patrick-breyer.de", and it looks like everything on the site is his work. And yet, the writing style keeps referring to him(-self?) in the 3rd person, as though some unnamed 3rd party was reporting, after witnessing or investigating the actions of Patrick Breyer.
I may not be explaining it well, and I know that sometimes, single-person sites try to give the impression of being a larger, more communally run organization ... but this one really comes across as sketchy, at least to me.
-
Comment on Views on over-posting? in ~tildes
Eric_the_Cerise LinkMoar Space please! I read a lot of space exploration and rocket tech articles ... I should be sharing more of it here, as well. Just at a glance, I see we had 6 space articles in the entire month...Moar Space please!
I read a lot of space exploration and rocket tech articles ... I should be sharing more of it here, as well.
Just at a glance, I see we had 6 space articles in the entire month of November (to date). That seems (to me, at least) extremely low. I would like to be an average of at least one-a-day.
-
Comment on EU countries must mutually recognise same-sex marriages, European Court of Justice rules in ~lgbt
Eric_the_Cerise Link ParentWho, Tusk? He's good, we like him.Who, Tusk? He's good, we like him.
-
Comment on Peter Watts on Margaret Atwood and the hierarchy of contempt (2003) in ~books
Eric_the_Cerise LinkFor the past few weeks, I've actually been contemplating a closely-related question on my own. And that is, if a story is set in the future (of something akin to the Real World -- ie, not...For the past few weeks, I've actually been contemplating a closely-related question on my own. And that is, if a story is set in the future (of something akin to the Real World -- ie, not obviously Fantasy), does that automatically mean it is sci-fi? I'm still pondering it, though I'm leaning towards 'no'.
So, I had to look this guy up, Peter Watts, to see if I should actually care about his opinion ... I guess I should; he's got credentials.
I'm inclined to believe that there is some fuzzy line between speculative fiction and "real" sci-fi ... and I would also agree that Atwood is way over at one end of that fuzzy line. Much of her work that she wants to call speculative, I--and most people--would call sci-fi.
So, nutshell ... the guy has a point.
But also, to paraphrase, "methinks the sci-fi guy doth protest too much" ... rather like he's trying really hard to justify and validate his own chosen genre. At the very least, his diatribe here irritates me a lot more than Atwood's over-broad labeling of speculative fiction.
-
Comment on Google must double AI serving capacity every six months to meet demand in ~tech
Eric_the_Cerise LinkThere is, potentially, a big difference between "Google must do XYZ" and "Google Leadership tells its employees that it must do XYZ". The headline proclaims the first one, but the article clearly...There is, potentially, a big difference between "Google must do XYZ" and "Google Leadership tells its employees that it must do XYZ". The headline proclaims the first one, but the article clearly shows it is the latter.
A bit of a nitpick, but I still think it's relevant.
Others have already remarked upon "how much of this 'demand' is self-inflicted". I would add to that discussion, "how much of it is self-fulfilling/wishful thinking"?
-
Comment on US President Donald Trump calls Democrat video to troops 'seditious behaviour, punishable by death' in ~society
Eric_the_Cerise Link ParentI'm sure it has nothing to do with a 5-billion-dollar lawsuit...I'm sure it has nothing to do with a 5-billion-dollar lawsuit...
-
Comment on Blue Origin reveals a super-heavy variant of its New Glenn rocket that is taller than a Saturn V in ~space
Eric_the_Cerise Link Parent70 tons to LEO is very respectable; as things stand currently, it would be second only to the SLS. But also important is New Glenn's crazy large payload fairings. The current "7x2" version has 7m...70 tons to LEO is very respectable; as things stand currently, it would be second only to the SLS.
But also important is New Glenn's crazy large payload fairings. The current "7x2" version has 7m diameter fairings, which--I believe--are already the largest in the industry, and the "9x4" version is slated to use 8.7m fairings. That's hard to compare directly to Starship, since that (probably?) will use bay doors instead of fairings ... but Starship is 9m diameter, so payload capacity should be comparable, maybe even a bit better for NG, given that fairings tend to allow for larger (or at least, easier) payload deployment.
But most important is, all of this is still just vaporware. Designs for both systems keeps changing, and ultimately, all that really counts is what either can actually get off a launchpad.
Oh, here's another article that talks a bit more about the NG specifications.
Addendum: 70 tons to LEO would only be half of the Saturn V's capacity (which could put 140 ton into LEO) ... but again, it's still very respectable, and yeah, easily enough put a lander on the Moon.
-
So, NPR fixed their RSS ... it seems to work globally again
This is really just a follow-up update to my old post, Did NPR just shut down support for RSS?, but that post is a week old and I wanted to make sure this update gets eyes on it. I heard back from...
This is really just a follow-up update to my old post, Did NPR just shut down support for RSS?, but that post is a week old and I wanted to make sure this update gets eyes on it.
I heard back from NPR this morning, and they indicated that this was not a policy decision, but an issue that they have now fixed. NPR RSS links once again work outside of the US/Canada.
Passingly curious how this kind of thing happens accidentally ... any informed guesses? My best guess is that they intentionally geoblocked something else, and it accidentally got extended to the RSS.
37 votes -
Comment on A rare GM EV1 saved from the crusher is going to be driveable again in ~transport
Eric_the_Cerise LinkI'm still bitter about this. I still won't buy a GM, 20+ years after I learned about the fate of the EV1 (long predating the documentary...).I'm still bitter about this. I still won't buy a GM, 20+ years after I learned about the fate of the EV1 (long predating the documentary...).
-
A rare GM EV1 saved from the crusher is going to be driveable again
29 votes
A couple of other points ... heat pumps can be designed to be much more efficient, when they can count on a steady source temperature.
Residential heat pumps (most of 'em) are air-to-air, extracting heat from outdoor air and moving that heat indoors ... but the outdoor temps (obviously) vary significantly. The Mannheim pump is using water from the Rhine as its source heat, where the water temp will only vary by a few degrees. That gives the engineers the opportunity to design a much more efficient heat pump.
The other thing I don't think has been pointed out ... the Mannheim project is replacing an existing coal-fired district heating system. In other words, they were already pumping hot water (or steam?) thru miles of pipes t/out the city ... the piping system is already there. They're just replacing the system that heats that water.
Honestly, reading about all the ways they can improve the efficiency and flexibility with these industrial-sized heat pumps, it's actually surprising they didn't start using them decades ago. Once they're up and running, it'll probably end up being a lot cheaper than the old coal-burning systems.
Like, literally, even burning coal to make the electricity to run the heat pumps would have been a lot cheaper and more efficient (and even more environmentally friendly) than just burning coal for heat.