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Joined 6 months ago
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Cake day: January 7th, 2024

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  • There’s no point about talking about the physics of the grid without the economics.

    The story of the New York blackouts is not one of groundbreaking physics.

    It’s the story of two lightning strikes, some very basic physics, and a systemic failure.

    Understanding the systemic failure is not a physics question. Electricity is already well understood and that physics isn’t changing.

    A renewable grid is not a physics question either. It’s one of regulation, redundancies and the end goal hasn’t changed.

    Saying “production and consumption on the grid must match” might as well be put in the pile with statements like “wires must be made of conductive material”. They’re just 2 things that haven’t changed.


  • There’s a Russian Pravda and a Ukrainian Pravda.

    Both extremely partisan. Neither what I’d call reliable sources of news but you’ve probably seen propaganda from both.

    Of course the Ukrainian Pravda has literally been able to print facts, unguilded, and they’ve matched what they would say as propaganda anyway so it’s appeared like a reputable news source recently.

    That’s what happens when Russia genuinely does things like use chemical weapons (cs gas) banned by the Geneva convention.

    (For those wondering, even though cs gas is used in riots the convention bans all gas based weapons as they target indiscriminately and could easily be mistaken for nerve agents by either side. Leading to either accidental use of nerve agents or accidental retaliation with something similarly destructive)

    Or when the Russians directly hit a nuclear reactor 3 times.

    Meanwhile the Russian Pravda has to manufacture its propaganda, like claiming an Islamic State attack which Islamic State issued video evidence of and claimed was somehow Ukrainian.


  • That’s wrong and it’s simple to explain why.

    If the grid allows negative prices, grid storage becomes a profitable business opportunity.

    The power consumption will always go up or production will go down if prices go negative.

    We are missing a key piece of the puzzle to decarbonise the grid and that’s storage of the abundant renewable power we could easily create.

    This is a sign the market is ready for investment in storage.



  • It’s a problem I recognise but in my opinion those who have grown up in illegal settlements have to be the ones to move.

    I do blame their parents. Their parents have knowingly broken international law and it is essentially their fault their children are legally homeless.

    This is where I have sympathy for those who will genuinely experience displacement when illegal settlements are handed back, but there was a choice made by those children’s parents to put them in that situation.

    Compare that with the families forcibly removed from the land in the first place with no agency or choice.

    I can see that there are those who are the victim of the oppression and aggression of Zionists because they were forced to leave.

    There are those who may end up facing trauma because they were forced to move there.

    There are victims on both sides, the important thing is not allowing those who have perpetrated harm to continue to do so.

    The illegal settlements must be returned, those who have invaded will have caused harm to their own community and will face the consequences for that.

    I hope for some reciprocity from both sides like in Ireland where there is not a continuous seeking for justice and further consequences. But the initial acts of oppression and theft must be undone.

    There was a war in 1967. The occupation since has been illegal.

    The 1967 war itself was justified because of the actions of guerillas, not state actors. Israel was the aggressor and preemptively struck against other nations.

    Israel defended itself against threats. That was justified.

    But Israel then went on to punish ordinary people and civilians. It’s a pattern of behaviour that has continued since 1967. Highlight the actions of terrorists, take from the civilians. Blockade the civilians, starve the civilians. Limit food, water, medicine, other supplies.

    There have been times where Israel has allowed some normalcy in the 90s. But they’ve maintained a blockade and occupation. They’ve maintained an oppression.

    All justified mostly by the actions of terrorists and external states. Not the people they’ve been persecuting.

    Hamas are just the latest group. Israel cannot continue to punish civilians because of the actions of terrorists.


  • Israel definitely want evacuated Palestinians to give up on returning home and integrate into other countries.

    Forcing Palestinians to do this is one of the definitions of genocide.

    If someone is suggesting that refugees become citizens of other countries of other countries automatically then that’s actually enabling a genocide.

    This is the problem with looking at solutions on the small scale when the problem is large scale.

    Every individual in those refugee camps would likely have a better life if they “integrated” into another country. It’s easy to say those people should get a better life.

    But “integrating” into another country is also the language used to suggest the abandonment of culture and claim to their former home.

    They are refugees because their homes have been under constant blockade or attack for decades. It’s time to give them their homes back.


  • Rights framed in a constitution are important.

    The responsibility of the government is to uphold law and the rights that law protects.

    But a legislator sets the law, so without rights being part of a constitution, the government gets no responsibility from a constitution.

    The most important stuff is all pertaining to elections. How the government gets elected being in the constitution stops the government changing that before an election.

    Then rights directly effecting elections. Speech, protest, anti-discrimination.

    Can’t have those changed before the ballot.

    Everything else can and should be part of a separate bill or constitution of rights.



  • They wish to disrupt trade. And disrupt the narrative of the war.

    Evidence: they’re disrupting trade. We’re talking about this.

    My entire point is that pollution and article is irrelevant.

    No side is perfect but there’s one side who have ultimately orchestrated that part of the world to the place it’s in now.

    The US put the extremists in charge in Iran because of the Red scare.

    The US put the extremists in charge in Saudi Arabia for the oil supply.

    The US has supported Israel’s stance against any non-jew in creating an apartheid state.

    The US has given weapons to several sides.

    The US has directly bombed several countries.

    All while not supporting the Arab spring and grass roots push for democracy.

    “Not perfect” doesn’t cut it. The US is aggressively colonialist, just as the British were before them.





  • Wales being a separate country is debatable.

    They went from being a principality with some sovereignty to having none.

    Currently they have devolved powered but the UK parliament has full sovereignty and can veto anything the Senedd decides.

    They have no currency or mint. No separate legal system. No separate military.

    Essentially they are were a part of England on joining the UK and their sovereignty comes from the UK parliament.

    If Scotland left and the Union was broken they’d be a part of England again.

    Northern Ireland is complicated.


  • This issue with that is Wales and Northern Ireland haven’t been independent territories either.

    England conquered them. They haven’t voluntarily joined a union, they have been conquered.

    Northern Ireland with “power sharing” meaning they cannot elect a democratic parliament is essentially is run as a colony. The only caveat being they do have seats in the UK parliament.

    Wales is a semi-autonomous part of England with a local government having some say but no ultimate control should the national government decide against something. Again they have seats in the national parliament so they aren’t a colony.

    Essentially in any other place Wales would be just part of England, not a separate country. Not a separate territory as there’s no significance to the border except a historical one.


  • Wales isn’t a kingdom. It’s a principality of England.

    Without Scotland it isn’t a unity of kingdoms at all.

    Edward I took over Wales while divided and it’s been a principality of the English crown since.

    If Scotland becomes independent it’s logically back to “England” officially.

    If England still has sovereignty over Wales and Northern Ireland one is a principality, the other a territory. Neither is a kingdom capable of forming a union of kingdoms.

    Another name might be chosen but “United Kingdom” wouldn’t be accurate anymore. If it stayed the same it would be an anachronism.