Robotbeat🗽 ➐
@Robotbeat
“Only we are Earthseed. And the destiny of Earthseed is to take root among the stars.” —Octavia Butler (tweets don't reflect employer policy)
Maybe space resources can help Earth survive. But, like the Polynesians who settled the Pacific, that's really not the primary reason humanity wishes to explore & settle this new ocean, the depths of space. (Quote below is from Christina Thompson's excellent book Sea People.)
"...Occasionally, there is famine or some other type of trouble, but usually it is a matter of chiefly ambition or pride." (Important. I've often been told the reason Polynesians explored & settled the Pacific is a desperate need for resources. Polynesians' own stories disagree.)
Sometimes people try to highlight how cringe and bad weeaboos are by inverting it to be a Japanese guy aping American culture and it just never works since a foundational part of the U.S. is that nearly anyone can be an American. So a lot of Americans just think this is awesome.
Same
Interesting realization: I have found work to be considerably more enjoyable when we're super busy for the whole day, I go into a flow state and do a lot and then the day is over with much accomplished. Perhaps why I didn't enjoy some of my other jobs as much as I should have.
America has incredible resources. When Britain had long cut down their forests, US was able to heat early industry with wood. nearly a quarter the global coal reserves, produce more gas & oil than anyone else, food as well, more nuclear electricity, & vast solar & wind capacity.
the US was the richest country in the world by the end of the *19th* century. american prosperity has never depended on american hegemony, and historically it has generally been the former which made the latter possible, not vice versa
the US was the richest country in the world by the end of the *19th* century. american prosperity has never depended on american hegemony, and historically it has generally been the former which made the latter possible, not vice versa
Much of America will be an infinitely depressing place if it ever loses its "empire" and thus the ability to fund mass affluence. Unlike Europe, our structures aren't cut out to tastefully weather a century of malaise. Cracked vinyl siding blowing in the wind . . .
Nothing says you want to remove bureaucracy to unleash American energy dominance quite like adding bureaucracy to hobble American energy dominance.
On the Trump admin requiring Secretary-level approval of renewable project permits, via @JasonGrumet on @politico energy pod:
dryers save tons of time a week for a chore that is typically done by women. i don’t have a dryer in Germany & the clothesline adds a whole extra step (hanging everything individually). dryers also de-wrinkle, so now i need to iron. i spend like 4x as much time doing laundry here
Ice isn't a luxury, its just a cultural difference - our drinks are also much smaller and we drink them faster, so there's less need for so much ice. Dryers aren't really necessary, clotheslines can be a vibe (why do Americans hate them when they have so much free space??)
TIL people used to board planes at Dulles like this
It was weirder and better when the "mobile lounges" were a thing.
Texas is an oddity in the western electricity world: fastest growing load, ultra-low prices, crazy development of renewables. Texas consumes now more power than France, despite having only half the population. Prices are a factor 4 lower compared to 20 years ago. And 90% of…
🎙️Ep187. Texas: Power Surge or Power Splurge?#applepodcast podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/red… #spotify open.spotify.com/show/4FDIRo16s… @MegaWattXinfo and @gerardreid14 dive deep into the Texas Energy system with @ArushiSF
Imagine if most of our DoD communication and coordination during the Cold War was via adversary-built Russian computers designed and manufactured under Soviet law with Kremlin supervision. Too unbelievable for even the most cynical satire, right? Now consider Lenovo.
This dude's campaign launch is an incredible collection of the best left-NIMBY tropes. This "selling out to out of town developers" he cries about has led to one of the single largest drops in rent in Austin's history. He's literally running on raising the rent! 💀
Friends: It is with great pleasure that I am announcing my candidacy for Austin City Council (District 9). This City Council has *sold out* to out-of-town developers and become a doormat for out-of-control development. I want to help us take back Austin. If elected, I pledge…
I spend more time than you could imagine correcting people's lazy thinking on this. It's such a clear example of the Dunning Kruger effect, the surprising thing is how pervasive it is with satellite people.
You're welcome.
San Francisco is having its coldest summer since 1982
2050 politics
Strongest trick in the D book is running some Big Giant Chungus guy who is way more masculine than their Republican opponent.
The overwhelming majority of San Francisco’s celebrated Victorian homes were built with facade elements that were mass produced with power tools in off-site factories and ordered from catalogs. Basically none of them were “hand carved.”
San Francisco is well known for its beautifully constructed homes. But to hear some people tell it, it might sound as though The City’s architectural heyday has long since passed. sfexaminer.com/news/housing/s…
I think that in the "normal" timeline we had a full nuclear exchange during the cold war. Everything seems weird and gets continually weirder because we are in a super-low probability reality generated by Stanislav Petrov's impulsive decision to disregard the "incoming" alert.
CERN flipped the switch on the Large Hadron Collider in 2010 and nothing has been right since.
I really want Astra to succeed because it’d be hilarious.
Hotfire at our test facility in preparation for testing the new combustion chamber for the next-generation Astra first stage engine that will power Rocket 4.