Recent comments in /f/Futurology

[deleted] t1_jdbm7a0 wrote

Reply to comment by Dontsleeponlilyachty in IPCC chart says Solar PV and Wind Turbines are best way to achieve Deep, Rapid, and Low Cost emission cuts before 2030. by DisasterousGiraffe

Real intelligent. Making fun of the people you want to get on board with you usually works like a charm. Then, politicize it so right away that anyone on that side you're demonizing who may have listened isn't going to listen

Here's what some of us who can think critically see.

From an environmental standpoint, the end products do what they're advertised to do. What is not widely covered is that the manufacturing process isn't the most environmentally friendly, nor is the disposal of them when they reach the end of their service life.

Turbines are made of non-renewable resources, fiberglass to be specific. When they reach the end of their service life, they are buried on site. On average, a 5-MW (megawatt) turbine holds 700 gallons of oil and hydraulic fluid; like car oil, these need replacing every nine to 16 months. Let's not forget that like anything with moving parts and seals, those seals leak and usually aren't replaced until they're leaking bad. It's not something great for marine life near those offshore sites.

Solar panels are hard to recycle because they're made up of the same stuff all electronics are made of. The batteries typically needed to store the excess energy in a residential system are made of lithium ion, not that environmentally friendly, nor is the slave labor used to mine the materials for the batteries. Lithium ion batteries can become unstable and catch fire rather easily as well.

It's JUST conservatives who are questioning whether or not these things are really that environmentally conscious. It just so happens that anyone with any thinking skills is on the conservative side. 😁

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Throbbing_Furry_Knot t1_jdbk0cs wrote

Reply to comment by LouSanous in IPCC chart says Solar PV and Wind Turbines are best way to achieve Deep, Rapid, and Low Cost emission cuts before 2030. by DisasterousGiraffe

>Some layman will post one article about a SMR that's like 20 years out from commercialization

Out of curiosity, what do you think of Rolls Royce's efforts? Their first commercial SMR is supposed to power up 6 years from now. I imagine I will probably be disappointed with that timeline, but their previous experience with nuclear submarines, and that they are going the generic and not reinvent everything route makes me think it may be possible.

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DRAWVE t1_jdbiwa7 wrote

Reply to comment by Surur in Women are less likely to buy electric vehicles than men. Here’s what’s holding them back. by filosoful

I own an EV and charge it at home 99% of the time. It is much more convenient, and I feel more safe than going to the gas station. They are not good for long trips, and I would not recommend one to anyone who would need to use it for long trips very often. I understand the concern with not owning a home being a barrier to having a personal charger.

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ArguesWithWombats t1_jdbacbn wrote

Reply to comment by Fryceratops in Have your cake and print it: the 3D culinary revolution is coming by TurretLauncher

Your six years of Latin are failing you, because I’m afraid it’s in Old French. But check out 1.recto line 201 for a reference to lait d’amandes in the oldest surviving copy: https://i.imgur.com/lc6gf62.jpg However the almond milk recipe itself is in one of the other three surviving copies, the newer one held by the Vatican: https://i.imgur.com/64aYmhX.jpg There is this and other historical evidence that milk has definitely not “always been dairy”, which was your position, and I object to.

Of course animal milks are different from plant milks. I did not say otherwise. Nor was I even comparing them to plant milks. If you read what was actually written, I was arguing that there really isn’t anything special in the composition of modern cow milk that isn’t in the rest of our diet, and that therefore I don’t feel it really should have any privileged linguistic claim to ‘milk’ on the basis of chemical composition, any more than goat milk or coconut milk or platypus milk.

My argument definitely isn’t “because I say so”. My position is firstly that you are incorrect regarding historical usage, therefore plant milk is milk because its a common culinary usage; and secondly that descriptivism>prescriptivism and therefore we should just let people call things by whatever convenient terms that they want to use, whether or not they are technically scientifically correct.

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[deleted] t1_jdb49b5 wrote

Reply to Persuasive piece by Robert Wright. Worrying about the rapid advancement of AI no longer makes you a kook. by OpenlyFallible

Consider that social media amplifies negative views much more than others.

It's now possible to leverage the tool to do really great stuff. Things are not slowing down and being worried doesn't seem like a good strategy. We need more people creating solutions for accessibility, helping people unable to speak or move to re connect with the world and million other constructive things.

Even climate crisis could be minimized with the help of the new wave of tools. Being cynic about may be trendy but doesn't contribute in meaningful ways.

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alpain t1_jdawzkk wrote

Reply to comment by duckduckohno in Mobile Nanogrids Can Provide Electricity, Clean Water During a Disaster. A single Nanogrid from Sesame Solar can power up to six homes. by Sariel007

the website has this

> > How much solar power can the Sesame Solar Nanogrid produce?

> > Depending on the model, Sesame Solar Nanogrids can produce between 3 - 20 kW of solar power, with a total battery storage of 15 - 150 kWh and back fuel cell power of 2 - 8 kW and/or wind power of 1 -2 kW. Sesame Solar Solutions are engineered to meet peak and average use and provide uninterrupted, sustainable power. Hybrid models incorporating generators are also available.

> > How much power can a Nanogrid produce and store? > > > Nanogrids can produce between 3-20 kW of solar power, with total battery storage of 15-150 kWh. Engineered to meet peak and average use and provide uninterrupted, sustainable power.

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