What in high heavens has the ego of Assange to do with anything? You are just taking part in the good old character assassination campaign. They got material, they published the material, they are journalists. Freedom of press exists outside of your personal stamp of approval - thank god.
Wikileaks is at war with your country now? Did you just declare the "War against Freedom of the Press"(TM)? Would fit in well with the War on Terrorism(TM) and the War on Drugs(TM).
So, journalism is only journalism when you approve of the content? Does that extend to all press or is this just your special "lex wikileaks"? Freedom of the press, yes or no?
So basically, arms control on individual level is bad, because you can't round up the usual suspects before proven guilty, and arms control on nation level is good, because you can round up the usual suspects before proven guilty?
Yeah, that might very well be. But keep in mind that at the moment you are comparing a decades-old nuclear technology to a quite experimental solar one. Just comparing the costs 1:1 is not a realistic picture. I am not saying that you can provide all our electricity needs by solar, but I think it should be part of the mix. Especially with projects like Desertec coming up. Nuclear is just another part of the mix - I am not opposing that. All these discussions, however, seem to end up in a nuclear vs. solar standoff, which is, frankly, bullshit.
Don't get me wrong - I am not exactly arguing against nuclear here. We will need a mix of sources anyway. I am just wondering, why there is this hate against solar.
On the topic of Andasol - Andasol 1 is the first large scale salt storage system now - I'd consider that still experimental. And there is growth potential in my opinion. No doubt that with the current implemented tech, you need gas backup, but that is not a fundamental point against the technology.
Molten salt solarthermal has enough storage capacity for night load, if it gets close, supplement with pumped storage, if it gets even closer, yes, supplement with natural gas. What the hell is it with this rabid ideological opposition to solar? Do you think it is somehow unamerican or something?
When again as Iran started a war? How many wars have the US started for purely geopolitical reasons? How many batshit crazy dictatorships have the US propped up, because they were "their bastards"? Don't get me wrong, in my opinion, no one should have nuclear arms, but if you start selectively banning nations from it, you gotta have some kind of standard. And by none of mine, the US would qualify.
And how exactly would a country like Iran "kill the entire human race"? At best, they'd get one bomb on target and be pounded into dust afterwards. The real point is - one single bomb would protect them from the USA bringing them "freedom". Can't have that, can we? Thought you are about "promoting liberty", by your sig? Doesn't that extend to Iran running its own nuclear program? Ah, I get it, it is "liberty for the privileged to shit on everyone else". Nothing to see there, just another libtard. Move along.
Why worry about proliferation? Isn't an armed society supposed to be a polite society? Or does that not extend to nation states, especially nation states apart from the US?
That is why as soon as any industry proposes a voluntary self-regulation scheme, I instantly know they are big fat liars. Never has worked, never will. The majority of businesses within that industry will cheat, the few honest ones will get the disadvantage, in the end we have every major player cheating.
New era? We are deep in this shit for decades now. It might be nostalgia, but I guess the time of credible people in management positions was a very short one - after the robber baron capitalism was reigned in and before the globalized mega-capitalism was let loose. The only examples of businessmen with any moral fibre seem to stem from that period - and then only in owner-operated businesses.
I suspect lots of people will want to see this. Don't underestimate the size of the religious fringe. And also, don't underestimate the amount of money on the hands of fringe churches. They might very well throw some cash in this direction, and there you go.
Ahh well... the denial is based on the "fact" that God supposedly told Noah that he was done with the flood business now. Now more global floods, never again - that was God's promise to Noah. So, obviously, there can't be global warming.
With regard to the flood myths, I find the pervasiveness of that certain story most fascinating myself. The simple explanation is that most early agricultural cultures arose in flood plains, because of the fertile soil. The yearly flood was good, however, every few generations, a catastrophic one happened, which led to those myths. Another, and more fascinating explanation is that this is one of the oldest oral traditions of mankind, originating at the end of the last ice age, where sea levels rose and dammed-in lakes of glacier melt water broke free and flooded vast stretches of land catastrophically. I like the second one, especially given that throughout the cultures, the flood myth seems to be coupled with a story of the decline of mankind from a golden age. That golden age might very well be the hunter-gatherer society, falling and being replaced with the agricultural lifestyle, which supports a way greater population but is more restrictive on the individual.
Slashdot Mirror
What in high heavens has the ego of Assange to do with anything? You are just taking part in the good old character assassination campaign. They got material, they published the material, they are journalists. Freedom of press exists outside of your personal stamp of approval - thank god.
If the US moves Wikileaks on the list of terrorist organizations, I move the US on my list of fascist nations.
Hmm.. I might consider that. On what grounds did you file the complaint? Unfair business practices under the EU competition law?
Wikileaks is at war with your country now? Did you just declare the "War against Freedom of the Press"(TM)? Would fit in well with the War on Terrorism(TM) and the War on Drugs(TM).
So, journalism is only journalism when you approve of the content? Does that extend to all press or is this just your special "lex wikileaks"? Freedom of the press, yes or no?
So basically, arms control on individual level is bad, because you can't round up the usual suspects before proven guilty, and arms control on nation level is good, because you can round up the usual suspects before proven guilty?
Yeah, that might very well be. But keep in mind that at the moment you are comparing a decades-old nuclear technology to a quite experimental solar one. Just comparing the costs 1:1 is not a realistic picture. I am not saying that you can provide all our electricity needs by solar, but I think it should be part of the mix. Especially with projects like Desertec coming up. Nuclear is just another part of the mix - I am not opposing that. All these discussions, however, seem to end up in a nuclear vs. solar standoff, which is, frankly, bullshit.
On the topic of Andasol - Andasol 1 is the first large scale salt storage system now - I'd consider that still experimental. And there is growth potential in my opinion. No doubt that with the current implemented tech, you need gas backup, but that is not a fundamental point against the technology.
Molten salt solarthermal has enough storage capacity for night load, if it gets close, supplement with pumped storage, if it gets even closer, yes, supplement with natural gas. What the hell is it with this rabid ideological opposition to solar? Do you think it is somehow unamerican or something?
While PV won't provide baseload, solar thermal can and will - particularly in tropical/subtropical regions with highly predictable sunshine.
Excuse me a second, just pissed myself laughing. Individuals are rational? Seriously?
Guess we can agree on that then. Sorry for going all out in the first post - I am in a particularly cranky mood today :P
When again as Iran started a war? How many wars have the US started for purely geopolitical reasons? How many batshit crazy dictatorships have the US propped up, because they were "their bastards"? Don't get me wrong, in my opinion, no one should have nuclear arms, but if you start selectively banning nations from it, you gotta have some kind of standard. And by none of mine, the US would qualify.
So, the question remains. You oppose giving unstable states weapons of war - do you oppose giving unstable persons handguns? The logic is the same.
And how exactly would a country like Iran "kill the entire human race"? At best, they'd get one bomb on target and be pounded into dust afterwards. The real point is - one single bomb would protect them from the USA bringing them "freedom". Can't have that, can we? Thought you are about "promoting liberty", by your sig? Doesn't that extend to Iran running its own nuclear program? Ah, I get it, it is "liberty for the privileged to shit on everyone else". Nothing to see there, just another libtard. Move along.
Why worry about proliferation? Isn't an armed society supposed to be a polite society? Or does that not extend to nation states, especially nation states apart from the US?
That is why as soon as any industry proposes a voluntary self-regulation scheme, I instantly know they are big fat liars. Never has worked, never will. The majority of businesses within that industry will cheat, the few honest ones will get the disadvantage, in the end we have every major player cheating.
New era? We are deep in this shit for decades now. It might be nostalgia, but I guess the time of credible people in management positions was a very short one - after the robber baron capitalism was reigned in and before the globalized mega-capitalism was let loose. The only examples of businessmen with any moral fibre seem to stem from that period - and then only in owner-operated businesses.
For lack of modpoints I present you with a shiny new Internet which you just won. Well played, Sir.
In that particular context, you got a point, good Sir.
You think you get through to people who think they know about scientific work from taking computer "science" 101?
Because they have to keep up with the always changing climate effects you guys cause by constantly burning unpredictable amounts of strawmen.
Did you even read what I wrote there? Or are you just plain nuts?
I suspect lots of people will want to see this. Don't underestimate the size of the religious fringe. And also, don't underestimate the amount of money on the hands of fringe churches. They might very well throw some cash in this direction, and there you go.
With regard to the flood myths, I find the pervasiveness of that certain story most fascinating myself. The simple explanation is that most early agricultural cultures arose in flood plains, because of the fertile soil. The yearly flood was good, however, every few generations, a catastrophic one happened, which led to those myths. Another, and more fascinating explanation is that this is one of the oldest oral traditions of mankind, originating at the end of the last ice age, where sea levels rose and dammed-in lakes of glacier melt water broke free and flooded vast stretches of land catastrophically. I like the second one, especially given that throughout the cultures, the flood myth seems to be coupled with a story of the decline of mankind from a golden age. That golden age might very well be the hunter-gatherer society, falling and being replaced with the agricultural lifestyle, which supports a way greater population but is more restrictive on the individual.