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Is it really a 'scientific breakthrough' if it's just that they've firing fusion shots with 'net positive energy output'? Good work, but IMHO we're still a lon
by jacknews 4y ago
Is it really a 'scientific breakthrough' if it's just that they've firing fusion shots with 'net positive energy output'?
Good work, but IMHO we're still a long way from using fusion for energy, if ever, even if only because it will be so expensive to build and run these ultra-high-tech plants. But also because of all the downsides of D-T fusion, like, where is the tritium, and that most of the energy comes of as fast neutrons, etc.
- P5fRxh5kUvp2th 4y agohow do you run before you can walk, and what has this level of cynicism done for you in life?
- tuatoru 4y agoScepticism. Prevented buying crypto, because I couldn't understand how it could be both a currency and an investment.
- P5fRxh5kUvp2th 4y agoyou're mistaking cynicism for skepticism and you're trusting yourself entirely too much (a common flaw for smart people). Consider that even too much water can kill a person and the original computers filled buildings.
- jfengel 4y agoIt saves time. The most you can actually get from such an announcement is to slightly update your priors. It doesn't affect your actions at all. So you see it, note it, become slightly miffed that the Internet will be full of comments that think it's a bigger deal than it is, and move on with your life. The cynicism serves as a mental balance to the hype that might otherwise tempt you to spend more time on this than it merits.
- P5fRxh5kUvp2th 4y agoskepticism does that, not cynicism. They're not the same thing.
- jfengel 4y agoWhen dealing with news, skepticism and cynicism are practically identical. They're not the same, but cynicism is less effort and achieves similar results. And it's easily reversed. If this turns out to be useful, you'll get many more chances to re-evaluate.
- P5fRxh5kUvp2th 4y agoI reject your premise that they're "practically identical" and it's going to be on you to show that such a grand claim is true. skepticism is requiring facts, cynicism is a generally negative outlook. You can change skepticism by producing facts, you cannot change cynicism that way. confusing the two is a very common mistake.