spenrose

45 ms·

571.
by spenrose 14y ago
350.org and others are working on it -- help them!
572.
by spenrose 14y ago
You don't. Instead you add wind and storage and quick-cycling natural gas.
573.
by spenrose 14y ago
Nuclear doesn't play nice with big solar and wind because nuclear plants don't want to turn on and off rapidly. See http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/energy-futurist/why-baseload... an many others.
574.
by spenrose 14y ago
That's true. Fortunately: (1) it's always sunny somewhere (2) we are increasing our ability to store power (3) industrialized countries use less power at night.
575.
by spenrose 14y ago
Apparently it was very sunny that day, and cool temps actually help PV efficiency IIRC.
576.
by spenrose 14y ago
Total world energy consumption is about 16 Terawatts. The article reports Germany's solar production peaked at 22 Gigawatts. That's over 0.1% of humanity's use, from a single country covering a land area smaller than California. We have jus
577.
Market values in US history(nytimes.com)
2 points by spenrose 14y ago|0 comments
578.
by spenrose 14y ago
Well bowled. See also: the original Macbook Air.
579.
by spenrose 14y ago
Because I submitted it and it got some upvotes. I submit a fair number of hey-pay-attention-to-the-political-economy-of-our-wealth links, and this is the first (?) that's gotten traction. It may be the last, and if so that's fine. Why did I
580.
Too Hot for TED: Income Inequality(nationaljournal.com)
189 points by spenrose 14y ago|223 comments
581.
Cornucopians In Space(gregor.us)
1 points by spenrose 14y ago|0 comments
582.
Inclusive Tech Companies Win the Talent War(smarterware.org)
1 points by spenrose 14y ago|0 comments
583.
by spenrose 14y ago
I got about halfway through Out of the Tarpit. I found their claims implausible. The way to refute my reaction is to build a great system using their approach. Anyone done it?
584.
by spenrose 14y ago
Two things: both mtts and Silhouette are expanding on what I meant (rather than what I wrote): McCarthy's Lisp:{Python,Ruby}::zygote:adult human mtts as quoted by Silhouette gets it right IMO. Conversely, S's distinction between ex
585.
by spenrose 14y ago
McCarthy's Lisp:zygote::Python-or-Ruby:adult human. You could say that both Python and Ruby are instances of Lisp's fragmentation, rather than unfragmented alternatives. (I am not a Lisp programmer, BTW.)
586.
Apple, incredibly profitable, squeezes localties for tax money(statesman.com)
3 points by spenrose 15y ago|0 comments
587.
by spenrose 15y ago
My point is that the insofar of the promise of space is "let's send lots and lots of stuff, especially people/food/air/water", then the fundamental economics center on energy use. Are you saying that some of the orbital velocity can be reca
588.
by spenrose 15y ago
The real cost of space flight is energy, specifically: 1) The huge amount of energy required to lift mass out of Earth's gravity well. 2) The vexing practical expense of obtaining that energy in useful form (e.g. rocket fuel) for launch. Ro
589.
Tennessee's urban trees are worth $80B(arstechnica.com)
1 points by spenrose 15y ago|0 comments
590.
Getting ready for the end of growth on Earth(arstechnica.com)
4 points by spenrose 15y ago|0 comments
591.
A model of oil prices(smartplanet.com)
1 points by spenrose 15y ago|0 comments
592.
A physicist looks at peak fossil fuels(physics.ucsd.edu)
1 points by spenrose 15y ago|0 comments
593.
by spenrose 15y ago
Compilers are programs for working with type systems. It's not surprising that a language that is all about working with type systems expresses them concisely.
594.
by spenrose 15y ago
One tried-and-true solution is to use it on "non-enterprise" projects (small, invisible, failure-tolerant) within your enterprise, then mention that you've used it, then use it on something slightly less obscure and mention it again ... wor
595.
by spenrose 15y ago
500K LOC in Python is what, 2.5M->5M in a statically typed language? At that size I would expect any project to require explicit convention and communication management, simply because no one person can hold the whole thing in their min
596.
by spenrose 15y ago
For "changed" please substitute "have gotten more specific, more grim, and better corroborated." WRT irrigation, we lack enough water now on a global scale.
597.
by spenrose 15y ago
No, I read very smart people who try to analyze what it would take to adapt, and they range from deeply concerned to terrified. Start here: http://physics.ucsd.edu/do-the-math/2011/10/the-energy-trap/ or here: http://earlywar
598.
by spenrose 15y ago
Did you follow the link? Buffet's recommendation comes with a long time horizon, and the asserion that he can predict stability: "Whether the currency a century from now is based on gold, seashells, shark teeth, or a piece of paper (as toda
599.
by spenrose 15y ago
Buffet: "A century from now the 400 million acres of farmland will have produced staggering amounts of corn, wheat, cotton, and other crops -- and will continue to produce that valuable bounty, whatever the currency may be." Buffet implicit
600.
by spenrose 15y ago
Stallman reminds me more of Steve Jobs than anyone else does: - 70's wunderkind - simple, clear belief about what computing should be - realized his vision, creating permanent improvement enjoyed directly or indirectly by every c

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