No, it's definitely shifting, based on [0] the carbon emissions per kwh globally are down from 542 g/kwh to 481 g/kwh in the last 10 years, that's over a 10% reduction. Countries that are staying flat are the exception, not the norm.
My impression is it's auto and fuel companies putting out this unworkable alternative to current technologies so they can appear to be concerned about climate change without having to actually stop making money, also if it does work they can crack the petro chemicals to get hydrogen out and people who point out it's basically as dirty as ICE engines will look like pedants.
The scientists are just there because if you give them the opportunity to work on hard technical challenges, they'll take it. The morality is much greyer than the ones being paid to contrive models with the initial goal of "higher CO2 is actually good for everybody."
I would imagine the supernova rate to be higher in the early universe, as we've already passed peak stellar formation rates and the heavier (and shorter lived) stars were more likely to be formed earlier when the average density of the universe was higher.
You're in luck! The author's earlier piece on the subject attempts to address that exact question. Learning curve effects and piggy backing off the computer chip industry are major factors if I recall, but I haven't reread the piece in a while.
I don't know, it's been a while since I've read on the subject, but I thought part of what drove the Irish to subsisting off of a monoculture was somewhat driven by necessity from the english consolidating lots of holdings to english lords and collaborators, tax policies shaping what little output they had left basically meant with the amount of arable farm land available to the Irish, it was only the surprisingly effective potato that could keep up.
If that recollection is correct, then while the english might not have lit the metaphorical fire, they definitely gathered the kindling.
This is a thing I've been curious about lately, how close do they have to be? 100 meters? 50 meters? 10? Grid tie ins at a certain point get way beyond my V=IR and V^2/R=W intuitions.
Given the length of the interconnect queue these days, I'm assuming a lot of industrial/large power draw systems will start to just colocate with enough pv+wind+storage to have a local grid with a very small if any connection to the exterior grid.
Obviously it's a cost, but it's one less action item on the set up process and one less possible area for delay, there will be cases where the cost pencils out.
I wonder if the waymo solution is very vehicle specific or if it could be easily applied to say, a 10~12 person van that could accommodate a wheelchair? It would be interesting to design a transit system around 4~5 times as many vehicles with higher interval or more responsive pathing with something like pick up kiosks.
Many cities are already upgrading their transit systems to implement "rapid ride" where they run buses on a 10min schedule through popular routes.
This eliminates the need for planning routes - go the nearest stop, wait 10-15min (sometimes buses get bunched up so it's not really every 10min), and get on the next bus.
Buses already have drivers, wheelchair (and bicycle!) support, etc. and the stops usually have live tracking of the next arriving buses.
I recently came across an article on the early years of the Zürich streetcar. In the early 1900s, 5 minute schedules were customary, with one especially busy line running a 3 minute schedule!
In contrast, nowadays the peak schedule is 7.5min.
Self-driving makes the most economic sense when fewer people are in a vehicle. With a large van or bus, the cost of the human driver is split between more passengers. Also van or bus service is less compelling to individuals, as it makes them beholden to bus stop locations and schedules instead of picking them up and dropping them off when and where they want.
Adding support for wheelchairs introduces new failure modes that would require more software and/or human intervention. For example: Wheelchairs need to be strapped down for safety, and not all wheelchair users can do this themselves.
> Also van or bus service is less compelling to individuals, as it makes them beholden to bus stop locations and schedules instead of picking them up and dropping them off when and where they want.
Exactly this. The attraction of self-driving transit is the support for individual planning. Everyone gets a direct route to their destination, no delays stopping or detouring for other people.
There's also increased safety in having a personal ride. You're not being hassled, stalked, or threatened by random people.
>That's an odd thing to say. The only times I've ever been randomly threatened in public were on the road, by another driver.
There's a reason we let drunks ride public transit but not drive.
The bar for conduct behind the wheel is higher than on the subway because the risks and stakes are much higher hence why people get pissed off much easier.
Not getting accosted on the subway is a simple task of not crossing paths with the few people doing the accosting. Not getting accosted on the road requires actively performing in a manner that keeps thing flowing smoothly.
What makes an "idea" atomic/discrete/cardinal? What makes an idea "complex" vs simple or merely true? Over what finite duration of time does it count as "simultaneously" being held?
The rationale mentioned was it was under the subheading of people interested in strong encryption, people who care about being unobservable might have something to hide. Maybe it's a good list? People who you might want to ramp up a new Bletchley Park? Probably not.
Whatever you do, don't broadcast on the airwaves, as in pirate radio. That really does put you on the list.
I don't believe they have the people to monitor those that know 'how to use grep' and put them on a list. It stands to no reason, government civil servants are rarely from the top drawer.
Lovely word "materially" there, doing a load of work. That way you can just say that subsidizing renewables, or battery manufacturing, or efficiency refits for housing isn't "material" and now you aren't a liar!
[0]https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/carbon-intensity-electric...