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The EU is not a tech company. Then yet, they are funding these kinds of things. Check for instance https://gaia-x.eu/

However, these projects don't really have good results and generally are better made in the private sector. Same in the US actually


Because of better and easier to prove legal definitions. It's not about the lack of competition, but just the number of users you have.


A good way is to put in on bio powered power plants. So you grow trees etc in dedicated areas, which remove co2 from the air. You harvest it for centrally burning for energy and co2 capture. In the meantime you grow new trees etc at the harvest locations. Do this at scale. It makes money, energy and results in a net co2 loss.

Obviously you can also make systems to do direct air capture, but that is much more expensive, you'll need wind turbines because of low co2 density in air, and it won't make money. So just using trees on large areas is probably hard to beat.


Where is the land going to come from? You either use wilderness or agricultural land. The latter will need to be replaced so will end up taking wilderness anyway. No net win and probably a huge net loss.

On top of that wood burning is highly polluting in other ways.


Contrast that to Zelensky's: "The fight is here; I need ammunition, not a ride." Putin's weakness is showing all around.



It might be that that is what relativity theory implies. Then again, it might not. We don't know and that is what Hossenfelder is pointing out. We just have some formulas that seem to fit our observations mostly on large scales. We know they don't fit on quantum scales.


Some issues that string theory has:

- We have not found any evidence for it.

- Some predictions have been made from it that weren't found (e.g. no supersymmetric particles in the LHC).

- It can be tuned to fit almost fit any universe and any observation, which doesn't really make it scientific.

- The reasons for inventing it might have been misguided or flawed. (universe must be beautiful / simple / etc).

The lack of results are turning a growing part of the scientific community off, while there is still a core amount of scientists holding on to it.


There are such reachable truths, but every mathematical system has a non empty set of axioms - or assumptions- which are 'given'.


These axioms are not given in course of socialization and generally are observations of nature rather than human.


There are multiple set theories using different axioms. Is the Axiom of Choice based on an observation of nature or do mathematicians keep it around because it's useful? It's a statement about infinities that absolutely have no physical reality. You can do mathematics without it, and the question of whether to do math relying on it is a matter of opinion.

(Yes, proofs relying on AC are arguably true even if you don't accept AC, but as a social reality some sets of axioms are considered valid bases for work and some aren't, you can keep adding stronger axioms to ZFC to prove more things more easily, but how far you go with that before it stops being interesting is a matter of opinion)


... of what people can and also choose to observe about nature.


No, they're not wrong. Some of these concepts are hardly explainable without math.


Actually the concepts are perfectly explained by plenty of people who, you know, actually know. Read the other links in this thread. But please downvote me some more. It's obvious you're not arguing reasonably because you're clearly leaving out the fact that the terms in all these relevant equations are associated with physical components that we talk about WITH WORDS

Like mass and charge and energy and probability

If you know the math you can share it here and say what the terms mean

If you dont know the math then your comment contains the lie that you know what you're talking about and that people should listen to you


The way to express "cosine squared" in words, without including "cosine" or "squared", would be a lesson in cosines and a lesson in squaring. So you're correct, but why is this point useful?


using your example only, those are words which mean something geometrically and relationally. they are functions for numerical computation of those relationships. they dont describe physical systems that we're all talking about originally. if you show me some QM math about some experiment I will tell you what it means. why is everyone so confused about this? that's one thing here i cant understand easily. it's amazing. first they say we cant use words at all. then they say theyre hardly explainable with words. my mistake earlier was not simply retorting with the question of what % the things are explainable with words and not. mind blowing.


Because, interpreted strictly, what you're insisting is trivially true. Obviously anything can be explained with words. However, sometimes the volume of words required would make the explanation incredibly tedious, and words aren't the most appropriate language.

English/natural language isn't a privileged mode. It's one of many, including math, musical notation, computer code, and chess notation. We use the best language for the context, and who cares that laborious translations are available to others? I could be typing ascii codes in binary, instead of letters right now, but so what?


i stopped reading after your first paragraph. you are doing nothing but insisting on your opinion. language and concepts are compressable and often easily abstracted. just give us an example of something that requires me to talk to you only in math expressions instead of concepts in english and maybe i'll concede the point but i said many times now i already have been proven right by the single example of the plain english description of a nonzero amount of the principle behind something otherwise called "the most complicated concept". that must amount to a supposedly inordinate quantity of complexity described plainly. qed. the real question is why we are having so much trouble agreeing. take care


You seem quite upset. Take a break.


no, I'm pretty sure that my defending the senseless subjugation of people who tell the truth is much more important than my avoiding a little bit of stress. after the ridiculous life that I've had to live, I'd rather die 20 years too early then not have a conscience.


1.) You're talking about a nested comment on a hacker news post. A little perspective is helpful.

2.) You are making grandiose and uncharitable assumptions about the interpretations of things other people said, e.g. equating not having the words to to describe something to implying that we should give up trying to understand it more.

3.) Having a physical definition for every term in an equation does not mean the resulting behavior/phenomenon can be conceptually explained with words. Can you conceptually explain what "spin" is for an electron?


3. For starters, the math does not explain "what spin is". So you've introduced a fallacy off the bat, and I suspect it was intentional. But if you tell me how you know about spin then I will explain it conceptually. It's not so complicated. None of this proves anything though. What's the fallacy called? I dont remember.


And I guess you're going to invoke some vague connection to angular momentum to do so? We're talking about empirically derived properties. The math certainly predicts the empirical results but it does not give an accurate conceptual connection to concepts that we, as humans living and interacting with a classical world, can actually understand.

edit to add a bit more: I should also point out that no one introduced a fallacy except you. You are, yet again, stretching other peoples words to build straw man arguments for yourself. I don't remember ever making the claim that the math explains ""what spin is"".


we dont live in a classical world, noob. things tend to decohere and mix at this scale but quantum phenomena are obviously observable. and no, you're the one arguing in bad faith. this discussion was about whether these mathematically modelable concepts can be explained by a knowing person with words. not whether i can magically explain something you dont even have math for. go away and find something productive for your life instead of attaching yourself to discussions to feel more alive.

"Can you conceptually explain what "spin" is for an electron?"


You are really an unpleasant person to interact with. And let me know next time you personally observe a quantum phenomenon with your own senses.


> You are really an unpleasant person to interact with.

I'm sure Meletus felt that way while Socrates was absolutely wrecking him in court and exposing his hypocrisy. Maybe that's why they murdered Socrates?

You are not qualified to take part in the debate I raised. It's obvious you dont understand the little physics you have read nor know the math you're trying to talk about. You should count yourself lucky instead because this conversation is a chance for you to open your eyes to a world of physics which is even more amazing than you realized. Instead you'll probably just keep trolling. 'The starting point of true learning is the realization that you're not actually aware of anything yet.'

> let me know next time you personally observe a quantum phenomenon with your own senses.

to my knowledge, literally every single "sense" measurement is a "quantum" phenomenon which happens via entanglement along with literally everything else at all scales. you still have insufficient understanding of this.

and dont mince words about quantum being a theory and things being beyond theory. you contradict yourself in that way and if consciousness is beyond our science now and that is your point then I invite you to stop arguing with me and will remind you that we are discussing experiments in real life and what physics means, not what I feel in my heart.

please stop now


I remember when I had delusions of grandeur in my mother's basement as well. I'm sure in your mind you're "absolutely wrecking" every person you attack online. As stated by a previous commenter, you should probably spend less time on the internet inventing straw men to "absolutely wreck".


as long as you do not discard your preconceptions and delusional words then you are going to misunderstand that what is being opposed or destroyed while you are being freely educated and benefited is you. just forget about me and go read about entanglement and measurement.


If you want fame, status or power -> certainly don't be humble.

If you want truth, understanding or science discoveries -> be very humble (intellectually).


I would love that. But honestly, I would be surprised if fusion energy will be economically feasible before 2100. If ever.


I'd bet on that. I'd give Commonwealth Fusion Systems alone 40% in the next 20 years.

More on recent fusion developments: https://astralcodexten.substack.com/p/your-book-review-the-f...


I hope you win! I usually get my reality checks from Sabine Hossenfelder, who a while back explained that all these fusion claims are wildly optimistic. You can find her video here: https://youtu.be/LJ4W1g-6JiY

I am no scientist, so it is hard for me to know if team optimistic or team pessimistic is right. But even if it is the latter, I think we should put more money and research on it!


The video isn't nuts, but it's mostly focused on clearing up a common misconception around what "break even" means. It discusses how ITER is not going to be powering the grid in 2025 (strong agree) but I don't see any discussion of the commercialization projects (of which Commonwealth is the strongest) or discussion of timescales anywhere near 2100.


> Sabine Hossenfelder

FYI she's largely been debunked as a fear monger. She swings the pendulum too far in the other direction when reality is somewhere in between.


Sources pls?


According to SimCity, the year is 2050 on the dot.


Just watch out for any stray solar microwave beams in the mean time.


Fusion will never be cheaper then fission.

Unless maybe if somebody figures out aneutronic fusion but we are nowhere close yet.


Would be interesting if solar beats it out. Both honestly are fusion energy.


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