PuddleOfKittens's recent activity
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Comment on Ukraine pulls US-provided Abrams tanks from the front lines over Russian drone threats in ~news
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Comment on Ukraine pulls US-provided Abrams tanks from the front lines over Russian drone threats in ~news
PuddleOfKittens (edited )Link Parent"Drones" just means unmanned vehicles that can steer themselves; there's not that much difference between a drone and a missile. A $10 000 kamikaze drone could easily carry enough explosives to..."Drones" just means unmanned vehicles that can steer themselves; there's not that much difference between a drone and a missile.
A $10 000 kamikaze drone could easily carry enough explosives to bust a tank (here is a picture of Shahed 136
missiles(edit: drones) in a truck, for scale), and even if you pay $50k each and waste 10 of them for a single tank, you're still winning the economics considering that your equipment loss is only $500k whereas tanks cost multiple millions of dollars.The key term for the Shahed here is "loitering munition", i.e. unlike a missile it can hang around in the sky for quite a while, to wait for a target to show up.
A standard quadcopter is not being used to blow up a tank unless some idiot leaves the tank's hatch open and switches off their brain.
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Comment on The cycling revolution in Paris continues: Bicycle use now exceeds car use in ~transport
PuddleOfKittens Link ParentAnother phrase to consider is "if there's so much demand for a bridge, then why don't I see anyone swimming across?"The phrase I use when talking about demand for infrastructure is "If you build it, they will come."
Another phrase to consider is "if there's so much demand for a bridge, then why don't I see anyone swimming across?"
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Comment on Rooftop solar panels are flooding California’s grid. That’s a problem. in ~enviro
PuddleOfKittens Link ParentExpanding the macrogrid is politically hard because when expanded past state lines it's definitionally interstate commerce and thus can be federally regulated. Basically, California doesn't want...Expanding the macrogrid is politically hard because when expanded past state lines it's definitionally interstate commerce and thus can be federally
sabotagedregulated. Basically, California doesn't want any of their grid to be regulated by Trump if he wins 2024.There are ways to mitigate this and expand the grid across state boundaries anyway (and this is being done), but it's not the freebie it looks like.
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Comment on Rooftop solar panels are flooding California’s grid. That’s a problem. in ~enviro
PuddleOfKittens Link ParentBatteries aren't quite where it's at - load shifting is where it's at. So for instance, being able to use AC to store heat/cold during peak, then tap into it during off-peak. Or basically turning...Batteries aren't quite where it's at - load shifting is where it's at. So for instance, being able to use AC to store heat/cold during peak, then tap into it during off-peak. Or basically turning any time-sensitive appliance into one that's not time-sensitive, even if it's less efficient as a result.
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Comment on Why do negative topics dominate social media sites, even here? in ~tech
PuddleOfKittens Link ParentI think this is missing the point, and to explain why I'm going to go off on a tangent: Recently, there was a YouTube video called "capitalism is good, actually" which said that the problem with...Soooooo many times I'm reading something about some "big problem with/under capitalism" and just think "that's not a problem inherent to capitalism, the social policies in your country just suck."
I think this is missing the point, and to explain why I'm going to go off on a tangent:
Recently, there was a YouTube video called "capitalism is good, actually" which said that the problem with climate change wasn't capitalism, it was the lack of carbon tax. Except, we've the recognized the carbon tax as the obvious solution since the 1980s; we just haven't been able to implement it is due to corporate lobbying from fossil fuel companies.
Capitalism is not a list of laws. Capitalism is a process that prevents laws from being changed if they sufficiently benefit the rich and powerful. Saying "other country X doesn't have that law" is missing the point, the existence of any given law is a historical accident (e.g. the US "chicken tax" that prevents small foreign truck imports, guess where the name comes from) and won't be consistent across countries.
So: the key term here is the political economy (I.e. the market for buying/selling political influence). The political economy is inherent to capitalism, and there has never been a capitalist society without one. A political economy inevitably causes distortions in the free market, because buying a distortion in your company's favor ("regulatory capture") is frequently profitable. This means that any failings of checks/balances of capitalism can be caused by capitalism itself, and can't necessarily be used as justification for "that's not capitalism, your [checks on capitalism] just suck".
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Comment on China is battening down for the gathering storm over Taiwan in ~misc
PuddleOfKittens Link ParentMy point here is that it doesn't make a lot of sense for a news article to mention it in the first place - it's a given. It's like reporting that Chinese troops have been practicing digging...My point here is that it doesn't make a lot of sense for a news article to mention it in the first place - it's a given. It's like reporting that Chinese troops have been practicing digging trenches: yes, so what? How is that relevant to anything? Military gonna military.
We do technically have evidence, by the way - all their missile silos are underground, which includes not only the silo itself but also the accompanying infrastructure (the point of a silo is that the big metal door stays closed and relatively bomb-proofed except the moment the missile launches; building everything underground is a key part of making the facility able to hopefully survive a nuke).
Again though, this is not interesting or surprising.
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Comment on China is battening down for the gathering storm over Taiwan in ~misc
PuddleOfKittens Link ParentNot really - putting military complexes underground is really obvious; everyone knows where everything above-ground is, thanks to satellite imagery, and concrete is expensive and...Is there better evidence for that somewhere? If true, it seems like interesting reading.
Not really - putting military complexes underground is really obvious; everyone knows where everything above-ground is, thanks to satellite imagery, and concrete is expensive and not-overly-necessary when you can build your bunker under 50 metres of solid rock.
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Comment on China is battening down for the gathering storm over Taiwan in ~misc
PuddleOfKittens Link ParentTaiwan doesn't just offer chips (everyone has chips), they offer the cutting-edge chips. As long as TSMC stays well ahead of all their competitors, then their silicon moat will remain....I think that Taiwan's "silicon moat" will last only 10–20 years, as other countries have now realized that modern chip manufacturing is a critical industry to homeshore and are mobilizing significant resources to accomplish that.
Taiwan doesn't just offer chips (everyone has chips), they offer the cutting-edge chips. As long as TSMC stays well ahead of all their competitors, then their silicon moat will remain.
Cutting-edge chips matter for things like aircraft, where tech advantages can be nonlinear (i.e. if you outrange your opponent in detection range even a little bit, then you're launching your missile and bolting before they see you, and they're too busy dodging to line up any return-fire and thus you're winning most/all of your battles). For that sort of thing, some 2010-era chip just won't cut it.
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Comment on Saudi Arabia’s 105-mile long Line city has been cut a little short – by 103.5 miles in ~design
PuddleOfKittens Link ParentSo this is unconfirmed. Guaranteed, but unconfirmed.the person familiar with the matter said, who asked not to be named discussing non-public information.
So this is unconfirmed. Guaranteed, but unconfirmed.
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Comment on Zilog discontinues production of original Z80 processor after 48 years in ~tech
PuddleOfKittens Link ParentHe's not, though: there's a difference between having a tool installed and having it exposed. Not to mention, Windows does not make it easy to draw a line on the screen. For security, obviously,...because he wanted to have a system that doesn’t have the same barriers as modern systems for programming.
But he is wrong.
Almost no computer gets sold without some sort of programming tool installed.
He's not, though: there's a difference between having a tool installed and having it exposed. Not to mention, Windows does not make it easy to draw a line on the screen. For security, obviously, but a barrier is a barrier.
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Comment on For those involved / interested in Web3, what do you make of the near and long term future for it? in ~tech
PuddleOfKittens (edited )Link ParentIMO the core problem with block chain here is that the "guarantee of de jure" can't be appealed - let's say someone steals your crypto wallet: you have no recourse, you lost your everything. This...IMO the core problem with block chain here is that the "guarantee of de jure" can't be appealed - let's say someone steals your crypto wallet: you have no recourse, you lost your everything.
This is a common problem that crypto doesn't and can't solve, by design, but that the traditional banking system does: they're designed to be reversible in exactly this case. Yes, common scams route around this (e.g. by insisting you transfer by wire), but they also mark themselves as sketchy by that very nature. Also, the scams only change the de-facto here, there's nothing the scammers can do to block your de jure claim other than show they aren't scammers. In contrast, block chain scammers can steal your de jure, because you've explicitly defined de jure as what's written on the blockchain.
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Comment on Modder packs an entire Nintendo Wii into a box the size of a pack of cards in ~games
PuddleOfKittens LinkThis sounds like the WiiBoy.This sounds like the WiiBoy.
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Comment on Two years to save the planet, says UN climate chief in ~enviro
PuddleOfKittens Link ParentChina imports ~1/3 of its food IIRC, to the point that to avoid the US crippliing them by blockading the Strait of Malacca they have poured billions of dollars into their Belt And Road project to...More realistically, as the US hyperfocuses on itself and retreats into its own collapsing society, we'd probably fall into China's bubble without that counterweight. If China is still able to project force and isn't bogged down by its own famines and droughts.
China imports ~1/3 of its food IIRC, to the point that to avoid the US crippliing them by blockading the Strait of Malacca they have poured billions of dollars into their Belt And Road project to set up a land-based alternative (also, Taiwan would be useful in breaking a US blockade, I'm sure they haven't forgotten that).
China also imports a ton of coal and oil and gas, which would also rapidly disappear alongside food exports since the Arab gulf nations aren't exactly known for their thriving agriculture. If China is still relying on that coal/oil/gas to run their AC units then they'll be massacred by the first heatwave.
In contrast, the USA exports legendary amounts of food and has some of the best energy resources on the planet. There is absolutely zero chance that a global export collapse will wreck the US's economy but not China's.
There'll be massive refugees crises from Indonesia and Papua New Guinea which Australia will bear the brunt of. Australia itself will fare rather poorly as well.
Oh bugger.
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Comment on Networked geothermal is catching on in Minnesota in ~enviro
PuddleOfKittens Link ParentThere are two types of heat here: "ambient heat" (think 10ºC/50ºF), and usable heat (think hot springs and boiling water). The former can help heat pumps (AKA reverse-cycle air conditioners) run...There are two types of heat here: "ambient heat" (think 10ºC/50ºF), and usable heat (think hot springs and boiling water). The former can help heat pumps (AKA reverse-cycle air conditioners) run in extremely-cold weather (but doesn't actually do anything), and the latter can be used to generate electricity or heat homes.
This article is talking about a project to access ambient heat. It is not talking about usable heat. In fact, if they were going to tap usable heat, then the reverse-cycle air conditioners would be entirely redundant! If you're pulling up heated water of over 50ºC/122ºF then you don't need a heat pump to heat your water, it's already hot and perfectly capable of heating homes to a temperature of e.g. 25ºC/77ºF.
In the article, it does sound like they want to use electricity to heat water
This sounds like they want to slap down a heat battery ala Polarnight Energy/Rondo Energy/Fourth Power/that one starting with A. That's not geothermal, but it involves similar principles and would synergize quite nicely with district heating.
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Comment on Iran launches dozens of drones toward Israel in ~news
PuddleOfKittens Link ParentIt really isn't. Israel bombed an embassy. They explicitly aimed at territory marked as Iranian soil, and while they claimed they were aiming at Irani generals, that literally doesn't matter. If...This whole situation feels very similar. The two sides are engaging in tit-for-tat retaliatory attacks, but they're deliberately designed to be relatively minor.
It really isn't. Israel bombed an embassy. They explicitly aimed at territory marked as Iranian soil, and while they claimed they were aiming at Irani generals, that literally doesn't matter. If they weren't trying to escalate, then they failed spectacularly! There's no way that Iran could not retaliate to the unprovoked (as in, not specifically provoked) bombing of their embassy.
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Comment on Networked geothermal is catching on in Minnesota in ~enviro
PuddleOfKittens LinkAFAICT this isn't talking about geothermal, it's talking about district heating and ground-source heat pumps (used because the temperature a few meters below ground is more consistent than the...AFAICT this isn't talking about geothermal, it's talking about district heating and ground-source heat pumps (used because the temperature a few meters below ground is more consistent than the air). See:
For the electric grid, networked thermal systems could bring relief because they use substantially less electricity than competitive solutions. Ground source heat pumps operate more efficiently than air source heat pumps, which now outsell fossil gas furnaces. And although ground source heat pumps use electricity, they consume less energy than heating alternatives, Gaalswyk said.
Actual geothermal runs a steam turbine off the heat to produce electricity instead of being a net consumer of electricity, this isn't what @EsteeBestee thinks it is.
The state’s two major gas utilities, Xcel Energy and CenterPoint Energy, included networked geothermal pilots in plans submitted under the Natural Gas Innovation Act to the Public Utilities Commission.
I don't trust them at all - gas companies tend to want to sell gas. This project would not be able to run over the gas network (you need a loop of usually-water that runs through a radiator at the client side, and gas pipes probably aren't waterproof and they're almost certainly not insulated) so this would be a project to just replace them, and companies tend to want to eke value out of the thing they've already invested heavily in.
This is great news - I want district heating to succeed - but the terminology is misleading and at best technically accurate.
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Comment on Twitter replaces twitter.com with x.com without user consent. Bad implementation invites an influx of Phishing attacks. (german source) in ~comp
PuddleOfKittens LinkHey, we have a palestine/israel megathread, can we also have an "everything Musk touches is a shitshow" megathread? Nothing interesting is happening here.Hey, we have a palestine/israel megathread, can we also have an "everything Musk touches is a shitshow" megathread? Nothing interesting is happening here.
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Comment on Hey, monthly mystery commenters, what's up with the hit-and-runs? in ~tildes
PuddleOfKittens Link ParentOh shit, I'm not meant to aim for long comments?Oh shit, I'm not meant to aim for long comments?
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It's time for operating systems to rediscover hardware (1hr 6mins)
17 votes
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Keep in mind that drone operators don't upload videos of their failures very often; you only see the highlight reel. Drone kills only tell us that drones can work, not that they're reliable.
Tanks aren't going away unless they don't have utility. Wars aren't won by K/D ratio, they're won by achieving objectives (usually taking land). If you're trying to assault any sort of fortified position, then spending a few tanks to take otherwise-unconquerable ground can be priceless.
Also, I imagine the tank logic applies to APCs: APCs are used to transport troops in and out, and to evacuate the wounded. Even if APCs are vulnerable to drones, they aren't vulnerable to just any dickhead with an AK, which is a huge step up compared to a $500-per-use drone that's in short supply.
Come to think of it, kevlar doesn't actually stop bullets - it's a bullet-resistant vest, but people still use the stuff because wrecking a $1000 vest to block a $1 bullet is worth it to save a >$1000 soldier.