skybrian's recent activity
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Comment on Wealthy AI workers send San Francisco house prices soaring in ~finance
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Wealthy AI workers send San Francisco house prices soaring
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Comment on Big Boy no. 4014 in ~transport
skybrian LinkFrom the article:From the article:
Big Boy No. 4014 is the world’s largest operating steam locomotive. Of the eight remaining Big Boys in existence today, No. 4014 is the only one still in operation.
Twenty-five Big Boys were commissioned exclusively for Union Pacific Railroad, the first of which was delivered in 1941. These massive locomotives were built to haul heavy equipment in support of the war effort, normally operating between Ogden, Utah, and Cheyenne, Wyoming. The Big Boys are 133 feet long and weigh 1.2 million pounds.
Due to their great length, the frames of the Big Boys are “hinged,” or articulated, to allow them to negotiate curves. They have a 4-8-8-4 wheel arrangement, which means they have four wheels on the leading set of “pilot” wheels to guide the engine; eight drivers on the first engine; another set of eight drivers on the second engine; and four wheels trailing that support the rear of the locomotive.
No. 4014 was retired in Dec. 1961 after traveling 1,031,205 miles. Union Pacific reacquired it from the RailGiants Train Museum in Pomona, California, in 2013 and relocated it back to Cheyenne, Wyoming, for a multi-year restoration. It returned to service in May 2019 to celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the Transcontinental Railroad's Completion.
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Big Boy no. 4014
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Comment on Ukrainian forces strike twenty-one Russian tankers, four tugboats, two cargo ships in ~society
skybrian LinkFrom the article: [...] [...]From the article:
The Ukrainian Defense Forces carried out a series of large-scale strikes against Russian maritime logistics on Saturday, July 11, hitting 21 oil tankers, four tugboats, and two dry cargo ships in the Sea of Azov.
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According to sources cited by Reuters, the Russian Border Guard Service has stopped accepting applications from shipping companies seeking transit through the Kerch Strait and the Don-Azov Canal, effectively freezing commercial navigation between the Black and Azov seas. Russian authorities have not provided a timeline for reopening the strait.
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Because the Azov Sea handles up to 25% of Russia’s outbound wheat shipments – with major agricultural hubs in Rostov and Krasnodar situated along its coast – the closure immediately impacted global food markets. Following reports of the shipping restrictions, wheat futures on the Euronext exchange surged by nearly 4%, reaching a six-week high.
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Ukrainian forces strike twenty-one Russian tankers, four tugboats, two cargo ships
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Comment on Japan successfully launches and lands reusable rocket in ~space
skybrian LinkFrom the article:From the article:
Japan’s space agency said Saturday its prototype reusable rocket successfully completed the first liftoff and landing test, marking a step forward in the cost-cutting technology dominated by SpaceX.
The prototype, launched from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s (JAXA’s) test site in Noshiro, Akita Prefecture, reached a height of about 10 meters, and then landed.
The flight lasted about 40 seconds, according to JAXA.
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Japan successfully launches and lands reusable rocket
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Comment on The end of reading is here in ~books
skybrian Link ParentI prefer reading articles and books by historians who tell you about the debates between different historians (the historiography) and what consensus there is, along with an overview of what...I prefer reading articles and books by historians who tell you about the debates between different historians (the historiography) and what consensus there is, along with an overview of what evidence historians have to work with, as well as their own personal opinion. They can be biased too, but at least they give you context.
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Comment on US Federal Communications Commission approves test of space mirror to light night sky despite outcry in ~space
skybrian Link ParentPlants and animals also have to deal with changes in sunlight due to weather, so it might not be so bad for limited hours per day or occasional use. I can imagine good and bad scenarios, but it...Plants and animals also have to deal with changes in sunlight due to weather, so it might not be so bad for limited hours per day or occasional use. I can imagine good and bad scenarios, but it seems like studies would be needed to figure it out.
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Comment on US Federal Communications Commission approves test of space mirror to light night sky despite outcry in ~space
skybrian Link ParentMaybe that's why they want to launch lots of satellites?Maybe that's why they want to launch lots of satellites?
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Comment on How Ukraine built a war fighting state in ~society
skybrian LinkFrom the article: [...] [...]From the article:
I've been following the Ukrainian-Russian war since 2022. Most Western analyses favored the Russians to win because of their much bigger population and economy. Yet the Ukrainians continue to hold back the Russians and have recently shifted the momentum their way. How did the Ukrainians achieve this? The following are some of my imperfect observations.
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Russia's population is ~5x that of Ukraine's, and its economy is similarly larger. Defenders have the advantage, but Ukraine needs to do more than defend to win. The obvious implication is that the Ukrainians must kill Russians relentlessly, produce more combat power per worker, and use that combat power more effectively.
The outcome of the war has global importance. Many countries support their favored side. Ukraine has the support of most industrialized, rich countries, while Russia relies on nearby autocracies. These outside actors can and do have large impacts on the fighting.
The victory formula for Ukraine is to develop better technology, manage its resources shrewdly, and leverage allies.
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The upside is that Ukrainians have built a war machine that can grind down Russian forces and inflict serious damage to their combat power and economy. Some sources claim the kill-to-loss ratio is 8:1 in Russians to Ukrainians lost, up from only ~2:1 in previous years. Early in the war, Russia could correct some of its woes by eliminating severe underperformance compared to its theoretical capabilities. Now the Russians need to increase the theoretical ceiling, the tempo, and execute at a higher level to regain the upper hand. The Ukrainians would introduce a few copies of a new weapon before their full war industrialization, giving the Russians time to adjust. New weapons now come in the hundreds or thousands, dealing severe damage in the absence of immediate adjustment.
The downside is that Ukrainian strategic victory relies on a Russian collapse. The Ukrainians seem to lack the ability at this time to conduct a theater-wide, combined arms offensive with tactics and weapons adapted for drone warfare. It is a waiting game unless Ukraine's ability changes.
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How Ukraine built a war fighting state
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Comment on The end of reading is here in ~books
skybrian Link ParentI think of science fiction as fantasy with tech vibes. It can be very good fantasy (for example I recommend Ada Palmer) and it can be scientifically or historically informed with bits of truth in...I think of science fiction as fantasy with tech vibes. It can be very good fantasy (for example I recommend Ada Palmer) and it can be scientifically or historically informed with bits of truth in it, but even supposedly “hard” science fiction often cuts corners. And as for the “human condition,” one wouldn’t read Ursula K Le Guin’s anthropological science fiction to understand what any real society is like, but rather to imagine other possibilities. (Often, impossible possibilities, but you can suspend disbelief.)
Similarly, historical fiction is usually historically inaccurate, and even stories that are historically well-informed often fill in details we simply don’t know much about. Sometimes it inspires me to read actual history, and then it’s often surprising the very basic things we simply don’t know and can only guess at. That’s particularly true of ancient history.
What good is all this reading? It increases the range of possibilities we can imagine when speculating. Often, it doesn’t help much for narrowing it down to what did happen, because you need real evidence for that.
So I’ve accepted that it’s mostly entertainment that keeps the mind active. And you can say that of a lot of things.
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Comment on US Federal Communications Commission approves test of space mirror to light night sky despite outcry in ~space
skybrian (edited )Link ParentI think batteries are a better solution in most places, but that’s more cost-effective for evening and overnight use rather than seasonal energy storage. Near the poles during winter, I think it...I think batteries are a better solution in most places, but that’s more cost-effective for evening and overnight use rather than seasonal energy storage.
Near the poles during winter, I think it might be quite nice to get a bit of sunlight? Perhaps for a holiday event. Assuming the environmental effects can be lived with and that would have to be studied.
It would also make sense that this should only be allowed to be used with approval of the government of the land affected.
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Comment on US Federal Communications Commission approves test of space mirror to light night sky despite outcry in ~space
skybrian LinkFrom the article: [...]From the article:
In a license issued on Thursday, the Federal Communications Commission gave the green light for Reflect Orbital of Hawthorne, Calif., to launch its Eärendil-1 satellite into low Earth orbit. The company plans to deploy its test satellite this year but has said it eventually wants to send as many as 50,000 big mirrors into space.
The approval came despite a flood of opposition from astronomers, wildlife experts and others who say the light from the mirrors could distract airplane pilots, wreak havoc on astronomical observations and interfere with circadian rhythms, the light-and-dark cycles that help people, animals and plants know when to wake and sleep, to bloom or to migrate.
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Roughly the size of a dorm fridge, Reflect Orbital’s first prototype, once in space about 400 miles up, would unfurl a square mirror nearly 60 feet wide. The mirror would bounce sunlight to illuminate a circular patch about three miles wide on the Earth’s surface.
Reflect Orbital hopes to launch 1,000 larger satellites by the end of 2028, and 5,000 others by 2030. The largest mirrors are planned to be nearly 180 feet wide, reflecting as much light as 100 full moons.
The F.C.C. stressed, however, that it was approving only “a single demonstration satellite” that would test a technology that could advance American leadership in outer space. “Reflect Orbital’s demonstration satellite is an example of a potentially groundbreaking technology,” the commission said in its order granting the license.
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US Federal Communications Commission approves test of space mirror to light night sky despite outcry
40 votes -
Comment on Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson finally explains his decision to bid $3.2B for parking meters before walking away in ~transport
skybrian Link ParentRevenue alone doesn’t give us the full story here. We also need to know how much it cost to build, as well as how much the expenses are to maintain and operate the highway.Revenue alone doesn’t give us the full story here. We also need to know how much it cost to build, as well as how much the expenses are to maintain and operate the highway.
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Comment on Zig creator weighs in on the Bun Rust rewrite in ~comp
skybrian Link ParentI don't know what it would even mean if Linux "went down." If some controversy happened, the various Linux distributions and tech companies that use the Linux kernel could start up a new fork...I don't know what it would even mean if Linux "went down." If some controversy happened, the various Linux distributions and tech companies that use the Linux kernel could start up a new fork pretty quick, like Redis / Valkey.
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Comment on Zig creator weighs in on the Bun Rust rewrite in ~comp
skybrian Link ParentZig has been pre-1.0 for a decade and I think it’s fine to ignore it until it’s stable. They haven’t even finalized the language yet, let alone the standard library or the tools. Maybe it will be...Zig has been pre-1.0 for a decade and I think it’s fine to ignore it until it’s stable. They haven’t even finalized the language yet, let alone the standard library or the tools. Maybe it will be good when it’s done, though.
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I can confirm that listing houses for sale at prices below their "true" asking price is routine now, even in the east bay where we were looking. It's what real estate agents recommend. You need to look at the automatic estimates on real estate websites to get a sense of what a house might really go for, or ask your real estate agent to do an estimate.
Typically they have open houses for a few weeks and then there's a day when people should get their offers in, but sometimes would-be buyers will jump the gun with an early offer.