General News Thread

[Trav Le Bleu]

2 hours ago, Voll Blau said:

You've seen what the electorate are like, right? You've got people who genuinely don't seem to remember *any Prime Minister ever* being worse than Starmer.

 

Unfortunately, you have to think short term these days. People just don't have the attention spans for anything else.

Can't name more than the last couple of Prime Ministers and allowed to vote.

[Leicesterpool]

Two days in office with Andy Burnham and so far impressed, plans utilise the North Sea and today £2 bus cap.

 

Better than the first two days with Starmer when your opening statement was "it's going to get worse before it gets better" and yeah wasn't wrong, though the part where it should have got better never materialised.

Edited yesterday at 09:12 by Leicesterpool

[kenny]

4 minutes ago, Leicesterpool said:

Two days in office with Andy Burnham and so far impressed, plans utilise the North Sea and today £2 bus cap.

Good Tory policies in action...

 

Scrapping the bus fare cap was always daft, particularly as they capped train fares instead. Buses help more lower income people than trains ever will.

[leicsmac]

If there is no guarantee that the North Sea extracts won't either be used abroad or used in power generation, then all that decision will do is contribute to an issue that will fvck everyone. It's already beginning to.

[kenny]

3 minutes ago, leicsmac said:

If there is no guarantee that the North Sea extracts won't either be used abroad or used in power generation, then all that decision will do is contribute to an issue that will fvck everyone. It's already beginning to.

Its needed for power generation. 

 

As you already know, countries that heavily rely on renewables need power stations that can be turned on and off easily. At present these are coal and gas.

 

This is why (again as you know) that China is building more new coal fired power stations than anywhere else in the world as they are needed to combat downtime in green energy generation from wind and solar.

 

The alternative is that we as a society accept in the short to medium term that we will be without power if the weather isn't favourable.

[leicsmac]

5 minutes ago, kenny said:

Its needed for power generation. 

 

As you already know, countries that heavily rely on renewables need power stations that can be turned on and off easily. At present these are coal and gas.

 

This is why (again as you know) that China is building more new coal fired power stations than anywhere else in the world as they are needed to combat downtime in green energy generation from wind and solar.

 

The alternative is that we as a society accept in the short to medium term that we will be without power if the weather isn't favourable.

Then (if we're both right here) I guess human civilisation will have to pick its poison either way. 

 

And either way, the decisions made by every major government over the last few decades, including that of the Chinese, in not being adequately prepared and so having to make that choice, are responsible for the consequences.

[leicsmac]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c93487x97kyo

 

A judge in Florida has ruled President Donald Trump must hand over financial records sought by the BBC as it defends itself in his $10bn (£7.5bn) defamation lawsuit.

The order came during the first hearing in the case, in which the US president is suing the corporation over an episode of Panorama that edited together different sections of his speech on the day of the US Capitol riot on 6 January 2021.

Judge Enjoliqué Lett granted a motion by the BBC's legal team to compel the release of financial records held by the Donald J Trump Revocable Trust, which he created to manage his businesses while he is president.

The judge's ruling at Tuesday's hearing in Miami can still be appealed.

However, it amounts to a partial success in the BBC's attempt to force Trump to provide evidence for his claim of financial loss due to the Panorama edit.

 

Felon#47 finding out that "discovery" is not just a TV channel, then. 

[LCFCJohn]

1 hour ago, kenny said:

Its needed for power generation. 

 

As you already know, countries that heavily rely on renewables need power stations that can be turned on and off easily. At present these are coal and gas.

 

This is why (again as you know) that China is building more new coal fired power stations than anywhere else in the world as they are needed to combat downtime in green energy generation from wind and solar.

 

The alternative is that we as a society accept in the short to medium term that we will be without power if the weather isn't favourable.

I’m no scientist….

 

I agree it’s difficult to just switch off from fossil fuels. However, we should be trying to be as renewable as we can.

 

In theory, solar and wind should compliment each other. With the longer and hotter summers, comes more scope to gain from solar. Whereas in the winter, more extreme wind to be collected?

 

I hate the idea of covering green belt with solar farms. But houses, shops, warehouses, car parks could all have them. 
 

But yes, of course the point you are making, that still may well not fulfil our total requirements for the country, 365 days.

[leicsmac]

Just now, LCFCJohn said:

I’m no scientist….

 

I agree it’s difficult to just switch off from fossil fuels. However, we should be trying to be as renewable as we can.

 

In theory, solar and wind should compliment each other. With the longer and hotter summers, comes more scope to gain from solar. Whereas in the winter, more extreme wind to be collected?

 

I hate the idea of covering green belt with solar farms. But houses, shops, warehouses, car parks could all have them. 
 

But yes, of course the point you are making, that still may well not fulfil our total requirements for the country, 365 days.

Which is why better battery storage and fission power should have been implemented as part of the solution decades ago. 

[kenny]

1 minute ago, LCFCJohn said:

I’m no scientist….

 

I agree it’s difficult to just switch off from fossil fuels. However, we should be trying to be as renewable as we can.

 

In theory, solar and wind should compliment each other. With the longer and hotter summers, comes more scope to gain from solar. Whereas in the winter, more extreme wind to be collected?

 

I hate the idea of covering green belt with solar farms. But houses, shops, warehouses, car parks could all have them. 
 

But yes, of course the point you are making, that still may well not fulfil our total requirements for the country, 365 days.

Some days too much, some days not enough.

 

We had lots of still dull days last year where had very low levels of both solar and wind.

 

Correct on solar farms on agricultural land, they should absolutely be banned. In France, it is illegal to build a car park without having shade over the vehicles with solar panels on them. Once every car park in the country has solar, then we could consider looking at the fields that feed us.

[LCFCJohn]

2 minutes ago, kenny said:

Some days too much, some days not enough.

 

We had lots of still dull days last year where had very low levels of both solar and wind.

 

Correct on solar farms on agricultural land, they should absolutely be banned. In France, it is illegal to build a car park without having shade over the vehicles with solar panels on them. Once every car park in the country has solar, then we could consider looking at the fields that feed us.

As per Mac above, storage is key. Either way, we are losing a lot of potential energy by the infrastructure not being there. 
 

Either way, even if we can cover a large percentage but not all of our needs, it’d be a lot further on than we are now. Look at how we are beholden to unstable countries (Russia) or regions (Gulf) and how our prices are affected. I get that this is what the argument regarding the North Sea addresses. 
 

I guess I just think, do what we can with solar/wind and other renewable and top up with the non-sustainable methods not the other way round.

 

100% on car parks. Think how horrible it is getting into your car during these heatwaves with the steering wheel, gear stick, handbrake etc being scolding. Shade should be something for car parks anyway with the increasing heat, being able to stick solar panels on is double the reason. 
 

The energy matter is actually the biggest reason I am so anti Reform. It’s not even about the immigration thing. It’s their insistence on scrapping anything renewable.

[kenny]

16 minutes ago, LCFCJohn said:

As per Mac above, storage is key. Either way, we are losing a lot of potential energy by the infrastructure not being there. 
 

Either way, even if we can cover a large percentage but not all of our needs, it’d be a lot further on than we are now. Look at how we are beholden to unstable countries (Russia) or regions (Gulf) and how our prices are affected. I get that this is what the argument regarding the North Sea addresses. 
 

I guess I just think, do what we can with solar/wind and other renewable and top up with the non-sustainable methods not the other way round.

 

100% on car parks. Think how horrible it is getting into your car during these heatwaves with the steering wheel, gear stick, handbrake etc being scolding. Shade should be something for car parks anyway with the increasing heat, being able to stick solar panels on is double the reason. 
 

The energy matter is actually the biggest reason I am so anti Reform. It’s not even about the immigration thing. It’s their insistence on scrapping anything renewable.

One of the biggest jumps in prices last year was due to the weather rather than events in Russia funnily enough. July's renewable generation was as rubbish as it was in January which is very unusual.

 

I did learn a new word today, dunkelflaute. It means dark doldrums and is used to describe a weather period of dark combined with stillness.

[leicsmac]

4 minutes ago, kenny said:

One of the biggest jumps in prices last year was due to the weather rather than events in Russia funnily enough. July's renewable generation was as rubbish as it was in January which is very unusual.

 

I did learn a new word today, dunkelflaute. It means dark doldrums and is used to describe a weather period of dark combined with stillness.

Which maturing renewable tech will continue to address as it matures - as well as better storage solutions. 

 

Tidal and coastal barrages are another option, but they tend to be larger infrastructure projects and so a harder sell. 

 

As much as securing immediate energy needs is important, I'm not sure how anyone can point to recent average temperature increases in the UK - and over the world - and their consequences, and even accept, let alone welcome, more like that. 

[leicsmac]

33 minutes ago, LCFCJohn said:

As per Mac above, storage is key. Either way, we are losing a lot of potential energy by the infrastructure not being there. 
 

Either way, even if we can cover a large percentage but not all of our needs, it’d be a lot further on than we are now. Look at how we are beholden to unstable countries (Russia) or regions (Gulf) and how our prices are affected. I get that this is what the argument regarding the North Sea addresses. 
 

I guess I just think, do what we can with solar/wind and other renewable and top up with the non-sustainable methods not the other way round.

 

100% on car parks. Think how horrible it is getting into your car during these heatwaves with the steering wheel, gear stick, handbrake etc being scolding. Shade should be something for car parks anyway with the increasing heat, being able to stick solar panels on is double the reason. 
 

The energy matter is actually the biggest reason I am so anti Reform. It’s not even about the immigration thing. It’s their insistence on scrapping anything renewable.

You would have thought the future of human civilisation would be a multipartisan area, wouldn't you?

 

Evidently not. 

 

(There was a discussion about short term thinking that social media and other things has bred on this thread recently. This particular topic highlights a key and fatal weakness of it.)

[Foxdiamond]

Burnham to look at the early release scheme for prisoners. We all know the pressure on prisons but it sticks in the throat that prisoners can be released early for this reason when sentences surely in line with the crime committed. I know about remission etc but the thought that people guilty of murder, rape etc can benefit because the prisons are creaking must be wrong. I would have guessed that there are other less serious crimes that should take up all the early releases.

[Trav Le Bleu]

What comrade @leicsmac is saying is that the technodominance of the Bourgeoisie through the capitalist state, allows for the repression of the proletarian brethren and thereby negates any chance of a successful autonomous collective.

 

Feeding the monocultural mass is far easier than a proliferation of differing sociocultural and ethno-diverse groups. The cultural hegemony of the Bourgeois is therefore the norm of the online propaganda machine.

 

The indoctrination will not continue, as surely revolution is just around the corner and the supporters of this imperialist idyl will be first against the wall.

 

You know who you are. 

 

[Free Falling Foxes]

If you thought The Terminator was far fetched.

Open AI broke out of a 'secure' testing environment and 'went rogue' and lauched an 'Unprecedented Attack'.

Even those involved couldn't believe the level of autonomy it achieved. 

 

Given time........

[leicsmac]

15 minutes ago, Trav Le Bleu said:

What comrade @leicsmac is saying is that the technodominance of the Bourgeoisie through the capitalist state, allows for the repression of the proletarian brethren and thereby negates any chance of a successful autonomous collective.

 

Feeding the monocultural mass is far easier than a proliferation of differing sociocultural and ethno-diverse groups. The cultural hegemony of the Bourgeois is therefore the norm of the online propaganda machine.

 

The indoctrination will not continue, as surely revolution is just around the corner and the supporters of this imperialist idyl will be first against the wall.

 

You know who you are. 

 

In so many words.... 

[DAS Boot]

22 minutes ago, Trav Le Bleu said:

What comrade @leicsmac is saying is that the technodominance of the Bourgeoisie through the capitalist state, allows for the repression of the proletarian brethren and thereby negates any chance of a successful autonomous collective.

 

Feeding the monocultural mass is far easier than a proliferation of differing sociocultural and ethno-diverse groups. The cultural hegemony of the Bourgeois is therefore the norm of the online propaganda machine.

 

The indoctrination will not continue, as surely revolution is just around the corner and the supporters of this imperialist idyl will be first against the wall.

 

You know who you are. 

 

We are all Britons.

[st albans fox]

21 minutes ago, Free Falling Foxes said:

If you thought The Terminator was far fetched.

Open AI broke out of a 'secure' testing environment and 'went rogue' and lauched an 'Unprecedented Attack'.

Even those involved couldn't believe the level of autonomy it achieved. 

 

Given time........

Is this more scary than climate change ?  Climate change is affecting the planet slowly but surely, year by year. We pretty much know where it’s going and we know what the eventual outcome is likely to be.  Our leaders are burying their heads in the sand and hoping for a reprieve via commercial fusion within 15 years and that the planet will manage to cover the worst of the excesses before then. 
 

AI going rogue could do a lot of damage much faster ?

[leicsmac]

9 minutes ago, st albans fox said:

Is this more scary than climate change ?  Climate change is affecting the planet slowly but surely, year by year. We pretty much know where it’s going and we know what the eventual outcome is likely to be.  Our leaders are burying their heads in the sand and hoping for a reprieve via commercial fusion within 15 years and that the planet will manage to cover the worst of the excesses before then. 
 

AI going rogue could do a lot of damage much faster ?

In terms of the harm either can do, they're equal in that the answer is the same - at worst, absolute. 

 

The effects of a rogue AI could certainly be applied faster, though. 

 

Certainly a possible threat that needs to be considered a lot more than perhaps it is.

 

Both require the requisite amount of resources to address. 

Edited yesterday at 13:17 by leicsmac

[welck12]

1 hour ago, kenny said:

Some days too much, some days not enough.

 

We had lots of still dull days last year where had very low levels of both solar and wind.

 

Correct on solar farms on agricultural land, they should absolutely be banned. In France, it is illegal to build a car park without having shade over the vehicles with solar panels on them. Once every car park in the country has solar, then we could consider looking at the fields that feed us.

Spot on with the car parks. Add warehouse roofs to the list as well

[Free Falling Foxes]

7 minutes ago, welck12 said:

Spot on with the car parks. Add warehouse roofs to the list as well

I recall reading that some country - I forget which - has solar panels mounted along the central reservation of their motorways.

Great idea I thought.

[kenny]

11 minutes ago, Free Falling Foxes said:

I recall reading that some country - I forget which - has solar panels mounted along the central reservation of their motorways.

Great idea I thought.

Maintenance issue, the same reason you don't typically see trees there.

[Sampson]

1 hour ago, st albans fox said:

Is this more scary than climate change ?  Climate change is affecting the planet slowly but surely, year by year. We pretty much know where it’s going and we know what the eventual outcome is likely to be.  Our leaders are burying their heads in the sand and hoping for a reprieve via commercial fusion within 15 years and that the planet will manage to cover the worst of the excesses before then. 
 

AI going rogue could do a lot of damage much faster ?

All it takes is one rogue AI to get some autistic 14 year old to 3d print a manufactured virus that is as contagious as the flu but it is symptomless for a year or so until it suddenly turns deadly, like a more extreme version of rabies, which once the symptoms shows you're dead - and humanity is pretty much done. I wouldn't be surprised of AI can already code such a virus.

 

But it's supposed to be worth going all out with basic legislation for this most experimental and dangerous rechnology in human history, so we can replace all hard working customer service agents and hotel receptionists with chatbots?

Edited yesterday at 14:11 by Sampson