DennisP

33 ms·

751.
by DennisP 2y ago
What do you think might be the most promising substitute for aluminum? And what do you think of the Japanese idea of using wood?
752.
by DennisP 2y ago
To some extent, but they keep it local as much as they can. https://www.theverge.com/2024/6/13/24175985/apple-intelligen...
753.
by DennisP 2y ago
There's always something to complain about. If the AI runs on servers then oh no there's no privacy. If it runs locally then oh no it won't run on my old hardware. Given Apple's general emphasis on privacy and selling ha
754.
by DennisP 2y ago
These are good points, but I still think it's technically feasible to make non-aluminum satellites, and reasonably economical even if it costs somewhat more. If the only alternatives are giving up on large satellite networks or destroy
755.
by DennisP 2y ago
Since Starship itself is made of steel, it seems possible that the satellites could be as well. Assuming it's overall heavier, you have to carry more fuel, and then the rocket equation kicks in and you have to carry more fuel than that
756.
by DennisP 2y ago
One of the main reasons we have governments is to solve those sorts of problems. That's how the ozone problem was successfully addressed before.
757.
by DennisP 2y ago
As long as they throw away the rocket on each launch, that seems really unlikely. Starship at scale will be down to the cost of fuel and ground services, with just a tiny amount amortized for the rocket itself. Even Falcon, with only the fi
758.
by DennisP 2y ago
Everyday Astronaut did a fantastic video of his visit to Stoke Space, that goes into a lot of detail on what makes them so interesting. It's a really nifty design, and they do the same kind of rapid development that SpaceX does. https
759.
by DennisP 2y ago
Couldn't find an easy answer but if you're determined, wikipedia has a complete list of launches, mostly with tonnage: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Falcon_9_and_Falcon_He...
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by DennisP 2y ago
SpaceX is already the world's cheapest launch provider by a significant margin, and transports 90% of the world's tonnage to orbit. That's with a launch platform that costs a bit over a thousand dollars per pound. Once Starsh
761.
by DennisP 2y ago
Yes I understand the argument, but you're still not posting actual numbers for any specific materials required by these particular technologies. I could just as well mention the immense materials required for grid-scale batteries, but
762.
by DennisP 2y ago
The fossil industry is going to make specious arguments no matter what we try to do. It's not like they'll say "oh, you're focusing on solar, guess we'll just shut down our businesses then." In my ideal world,
763.
by DennisP 2y ago
The politics is awful but the one thing we have going for us is the stunning and continuing price drop for wind, solar, and batteries. Now that's it's getting cheaper than other sources, the transition is unstoppable. Meanwhile, a
764.
by DennisP 2y ago
Yes, and it looks like the quickest, cheapest way to do that is by electrifying everything we can and generating electricity with wind, solar, and battery storage. In the US, the most economical way to get a reliable grid out of that is 2X
765.
by DennisP 2y ago
DAC uses a thousand times less land area.
766.
by DennisP 2y ago
This could use some citations. In particular, I'm interested in these new methods, which are very energy efficient: https://engineering.princeton.edu/news/2024/03/14/engineers-... https:/&#x2F
767.
by DennisP 2y ago
We already are. Wind and solar are already quite cheap, and getting cheaper. I used to worry about grid-scale battery storage but sodium and iron-air batteries pretty much have that solved for reasonable cost too.
768.
by DennisP 2y ago
The numbers he posts are not all that bad really. It's 181kWh per metric ton CO2. At an electricity cost of 5 cents/kWh that's nine bucks per ton. That's quite a bit cheaper than the actual cost projected by real project
769.
by DennisP 2y ago
Exactly. Another issue is that some emission sources are very hard to eliminate. All the non-disastrous IPCC scenarios include substantial negative emissions after 2050, and that won't happen unless we start developing and scaling it n
770.
by DennisP 2y ago
I really like the popup text on that: "The universe is probably littered with the one-planet graves of cultures which made the sensible economic decision that there's no good reason to go into space--each discovered, studied, and
771.
by DennisP 2y ago
If you haven't yet, watch the series For All Mankind . It's a look at how history might have played out if the Soviets had gotten to the Moon first and the space race just kept going. It's really well done, and for any space
772.
by DennisP 2y ago
You'd likely start with the near-Earth asteroids. The easiest have the same delta-v requirement as the Moon. SpaceX is planning about a dozen refueling flights for a Moon landing but that's for a hundred tons of payload. For the m
773.
by DennisP 2y ago
There was no demand, at the absurd travel costs you get when you throw away an expensive rocket with every launch. Now that we're on the verge of mass-produced rockets that are completely and rapidly reusable, the economics are about t
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by DennisP 2y ago
It's not impossible that rocks have consciousness. Some modern philosophers advocating pantheism think they just might. Meanwhile, according to Sabine Hossenfelder, a recent paper shows evidence that Penrose was right about quantum eff
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by DennisP 2y ago
One or two years ago I accidentally watched one of these for a live SpaceX launch, when it came up at the top on Roku's search. They switched over to an ad five seconds before liftoff.
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by DennisP 2y ago
Only if you miss the open enrollment period, and even then, you still have Medicare regardless. It seems reasonable not to let people over 65 wait until they have cancer before purchasing supplemental insurance.
777.
by DennisP 2y ago
Insurance companies haven't been allowed to deny coverage for preexisting conditions since 2014, due to Obamacare. They can't even raise premiums. The only variables are age, sex, smoking, and where you live. This applies both to
778.
by DennisP 2y ago
It's great for spies. As I've learned from movies, it's important for them to hold their booze better than their sources.
779.
by DennisP 2y ago
I'm the same way with whisky. I might have to imitate the professional tasters: just swirl and spit. Seems like a travesty but less so than letting my collection gather dust indefinitely.
780.
by DennisP 2y ago
I did mention batteries above, but that's a lot of battery. Hydro is great but not available everywhere. Gas turbines have substantial carbon emissions. Curtailment is fine but doesn't help on windless nights; what we need is powe

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