markvdb

60 ms·

721.
by markvdb 8y ago
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coo-Trois-Ponts_Hydroelectric_... It has 1164MW capacity, with ~1000GWh/year supplied.
722.
by markvdb 8y ago
> First of all, the oil reserves in Saudi-Arabia aren't going to last forever - but they will need massive amounts of energy to maintain their cities, especially for drinking water. Desalination is ridiculously expensive, and water
723.
by markvdb 8y ago
The material stil has to be mined. Even with US companies treating the health risks to their employees in an exemplary way (hah!), there still would be extra deaths in asbestos mining and processing in Russia or Brazil...
724.
by markvdb 8y ago
Many el cheapo Canon consumer cameras can run the alternative CHDK firmware. CHDK exposes almost all of the camera's canonical UI masked bits... I built a series of book scanners using these under the umbrella of the http://
725.
by markvdb 8y ago
Rohlofff. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rohloff
726.
by markvdb 8y ago
Testicles versus main body is the classical example. Sperm production and conservation just works better around 32°C. On a more practical note, I wonder how feasible a thermoelectric powered earpiece would be...
727.
by markvdb 8y ago
Professional guitar teacher here. I had to look for a few minutes myself before this started making some sense. I'm sorry to say that I can't feed to this to my students as it is. On one hand, it's extremely information dense
728.
by markvdb 8y ago
Have a look at the trucking jobs in the European Union. Loads of truck drivers from low wage EU member states. Some working for under 500€ a month, or 6000€ a year. A friend from the Baltics is teaching new drivers... from the Phillipines,
729.
by markvdb 8y ago
Here are some numbers (even if I'm not sure about the use of comparing # of people in France and # of Americans in poverty): https://poverty.ucdavis.edu/faq/what-current-poverty-rate-un... TLDR: Depending on the c
730.
by markvdb 8y ago
Makes me think of Pete Seeger[0]'s songs about "his friends who went to Spain" (example [1] ). [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pete_Seeger [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqe7LpBUzq
731.
by markvdb 8y ago
No static ip or dyndns needed if you use autossh.
732.
by markvdb 9y ago
> I wonder if Belgium in recent history had censorship of either language or if students were made to wear shame plates "today I spoke French/Dutch"... Depends on how you define recent history. Discrimination of the Dutch
733.
by markvdb 9y ago
Plenty of personal observations of this cultural friction in Latvia indeed. I'll share an anecdote from a different place though, something that gave me an epiphany on how to judge this kind of situation. Years ago, I was on a train ne
734.
by markvdb 9y ago
As far as I can find out, the SF MTA is spending ~1.5% (under $20*10^6 annually) of its budget on cycling infrastructure [0]. According to the SFMTA, bicycle usage is at around 3.9%[1], up from 2.3% in relative numbers. Up almost 200% in ab
735.
by markvdb 9y ago
I tell myself I have just a lower middle class wage to spend, even if it is a bit more. I like to think of my thrifty spending as a way to keep in touch with the reality of people of more humble means. What you earn more than a cashier, the
736.
by markvdb 9y ago
One thing always strikes me in terms of design when I'm in Latvia (USSR republic in 1940 and 1945-1990). It is how modular, repairable, and in that way "simple" things that have survived from the Soviet era look. Ingeniously
737.
by markvdb 9y ago
> Ireland's corporate tax rate is 12.5% which is in the lower half of the table of EU rates but that's no basis to brand it a "tax haven". Things like https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_Irish_ar
738.
by markvdb 9y ago
Sorry, reading your comment just now, and have to run soon, so... the obvious starting point: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Latvia
739.
by markvdb 9y ago
> the intellectual Steve Bannon Even within this well-educated microclimate, the irony in that statement might not be clear enough to everyone. May I suggest either crystal clear irony ("the most eminent intellectual of our times St
740.
by markvdb 9y ago
Other than Greece, recent examples of brutal govenment spending cuts can be found in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The cuts there were actually worse, both in relative and absolute terms. Latvia for example had a 26% drop in GDP and a 55%
741.
by markvdb 9y ago
Cheap nuclear fusion energy would be a great human achievement. I do wonder about its effects on society though. Any reading containing well reasoned speculation on that? Here's what I can think of myself. * A cheaper, cleaner energy s
742.
Tech billionaire, ordered to reopen public beach, appeals to supreme court(theguardian.com)
2 points by markvdb 9y ago|0 comments
743.
by markvdb 9y ago
Only because of this Boeing pressure, Bombardier sold its Cseries to Airbus. So no breaking the duopoly for now until the Chinese start building competitors to the A320 or the 737...
744.
by markvdb 9y ago
Breitbart, Orban, Kaczynski, Dragnea and friends hate him. He must at least be doing something decent. He is smart, rich, old, and has an outspoken agenda. I have an opinion of him and his Open Society Foundation, but I'd rather keep t
745.
by markvdb 9y ago
As countless other countries have been doing for ages. Even Belgium does it: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=be.Nextel.Emer...
746.
by markvdb 9y ago
Individual beneficial ownership as a criterium would widen your definition only somewhat. Plus you could give corporate shareholders non-voting shares I guess.
747.
by markvdb 9y ago
Only consumers in Western Europe pay ~2.5 to 3 times as much for fuel due to differences in taxation.[0][1] [0] https://www.touring.be/nl/artikels/benzineprijzen-europa [1] https://www.eia.gov/petr
748.
by markvdb 9y ago
Use a Ubiquiti Nanostation directional antenna. These things are quite powerful and relatively cheap. Have used them before to link two sites ~20m apart.
749.
by markvdb 9y ago
Totally OT, but when hearing "Falcon 9 Zuma launch", I couldn't help but think of the song "Chase the Devil"[0] :-) [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjGb56hX9WE
750.
by markvdb 9y ago
E-government in Estonia, all fine and dandy[0]. But there is so incredibly much low hanging fruit to fix on an administrative level, all over the EU... I recently completed an advanced level of "Kafka quest": a 40-day fight with t

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