They switched to new computers, so nothing terribly impossible is being described. It also isn't very amazing, imagine, newer computers being more energy efficient than older ones.
I can't see using the system to deny callers access to an operator, so the system doesn't have to work particularly well to reduce the average response times for time sensitive emergencies.
(I suppose some people would freak out and say that adding a minute to any response time is unacceptable, even if the overwhelming typical case is that it reduces response times, but I'm willing to write those people off as crazy)
Maybe the analysis is a little more sophisticated than all these posts are guessing and can detect underlying tension, even if the caller is not hysterically screaming (I have no idea, just saying that people are awfully quick to associate relatively calm callers with low voice stress, which I don't think is so obvious).
Then there is the part where this is only going to factor in when the call centers are overloaded, a situation where something that only works a lot of time can still do lots of good.
Is there a large scale energy technology that doesn't require some relatively scarce resource?
Wind and solar both work best with a few somewhat scarce resources (at least, resources that require mining), and stuff like tidal or wave power hasn't really been demonstrated to be practical.
There are other factors though; part of the reason Virgin Mobile is cheaper is that the phones only work on towers that Sprint owns (whereas a Sprint branded phone will roam on Verizon towers some of the time).
You seem to think deer all weigh about the same amount as a rabbit. A white tail would feed a couple of people for a week, a mule deer or elk would feed a lot of people for a week.
Yeah, I don't see many good arguments against doing conservation, it is just obvious that it isn't sufficient.
I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure your numbers are waay off with nuclear, and if you assume that the incident rates will go down over time (a big assumption, but it is also the whole idea behind engineering, understand a thing to control it), the environmental effects are a lot better than coal.
Wind and what not can be used to offset both, but getting to the point where alternatives are enough for everybody is going to take a long time.
That's the thing, the Virgin Mobile phones are cheap, and the $50 no contract plan is the "Unlimited" Voice/Text/Data (but no tethering).
So the carrier locks are still there, but it isn't a big deal, especially with the dual standards and multiple frequency licenses in use in the U.S.
Their coverage isn't as good as the other carriers, but it isn't terrible, and lots of people are more concerned with coverage they can use everyday than they are with coverage they might use once in a while.
It's gonna get better. Virgin Mobile has a couple of okay Android phones for less than $200 and no contract. They probably market those phones with a minimal markup, but I can't imagine they are losing a huge amount on each sale.
I don't really want them to have to wedge the circuitry in there to work on AT&T and T-Mobile, having to buy a second $100 phone is okay.
We aren't going to conserve our way to 7 billion people having electricity.
The important implication there is not that developed countries should stop trying to conserve or create cleaner tech, it is that developing countries aren't going to take advice that prevents them from developing, especially when that advice comes with some measure of hypocrisy.
Still, there aren't any reports of radiation sickness among the workers.
Of course, that doesn't mean that there has not been any severe exposures, but the only way to know what is going to happen to the workers is to wait and see.
And the evacuations are part of the reason for that, they are managing the exposure as much as they can.
I'd rather have the Microsoft people participating in a raid led by a federal agent than I would have the federal people turn the computers directly over to Microsoft after seizing them.
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More complicated answer: They completely replaced the systems, so the heat levels should not necessarily be expected to match up.
They switched to new computers, so nothing terribly impossible is being described. It also isn't very amazing, imagine, newer computers being more energy efficient than older ones.
I can't see using the system to deny callers access to an operator, so the system doesn't have to work particularly well to reduce the average response times for time sensitive emergencies.
(I suppose some people would freak out and say that adding a minute to any response time is unacceptable, even if the overwhelming typical case is that it reduces response times, but I'm willing to write those people off as crazy)
Maybe the analysis is a little more sophisticated than all these posts are guessing and can detect underlying tension, even if the caller is not hysterically screaming (I have no idea, just saying that people are awfully quick to associate relatively calm callers with low voice stress, which I don't think is so obvious).
Then there is the part where this is only going to factor in when the call centers are overloaded, a situation where something that only works a lot of time can still do lots of good.
Actual liability seems like it would lead to almost zero mergers where the board was "playing with other people's money".
But maybe that would be a feature.
And all the (apparently) corrupt regulators. And Toshiba and Hitachi.
I don't mean to defend GE (I'm not terribly sold on the utility of megacorporations), but you sure are painting a nice simple picture of things.
Is there a large scale energy technology that doesn't require some relatively scarce resource?
Wind and solar both work best with a few somewhat scarce resources (at least, resources that require mining), and stuff like tidal or wave power hasn't really been demonstrated to be practical.
GE apparently did the design work:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boiling_water_reactor#The_simplified_boiling_water_reactor_.28SBWR.29
What magic sauce are you going to fund that indemnification with?
You really think a commitment to pay $39 billion actually requires that you have the $39 billion sitting somewhere?
There are other factors though; part of the reason Virgin Mobile is cheaper is that the phones only work on towers that Sprint owns (whereas a Sprint branded phone will roam on Verizon towers some of the time).
You seem to think deer all weigh about the same amount as a rabbit. A white tail would feed a couple of people for a week, a mule deer or elk would feed a lot of people for a week.
No no, he clearly stated that he will help anyone who needs to get out of his way to the next life.
There is nothing crazy about owning a rifle or shotgun in an area where the deer and turkeys have a higher population density than the people.
What about dinner?
I thought the "last mile" to the grid was the problem, not the power available on the local grid (grid power is the first supply in an emergency).
I don't think they have run hundreds of miles of new cable in a week, just new local infrastructure.
That's a terrible way to phrase it. Having backup power on sense makes a great deal of sense.
The key is making sure that there is a good response in place if those systems fail.
(and It seems making the backup generators submersion resistant is probably a good idea to explore, rather than ever higher walls)
Yeah, I don't see many good arguments against doing conservation, it is just obvious that it isn't sufficient.
I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure your numbers are waay off with nuclear, and if you assume that the incident rates will go down over time (a big assumption, but it is also the whole idea behind engineering, understand a thing to control it), the environmental effects are a lot better than coal.
Wind and what not can be used to offset both, but getting to the point where alternatives are enough for everybody is going to take a long time.
That's the thing, the Virgin Mobile phones are cheap, and the $50 no contract plan is the "Unlimited" Voice/Text/Data (but no tethering).
So the carrier locks are still there, but it isn't a big deal, especially with the dual standards and multiple frequency licenses in use in the U.S.
Their coverage isn't as good as the other carriers, but it isn't terrible, and lots of people are more concerned with coverage they can use everyday than they are with coverage they might use once in a while.
It varies. Most of my recent wall warts and my 4 year old laptop power supply all say something like 100-240V.
It's gonna get better. Virgin Mobile has a couple of okay Android phones for less than $200 and no contract. They probably market those phones with a minimal markup, but I can't imagine they are losing a huge amount on each sale.
I don't really want them to have to wedge the circuitry in there to work on AT&T and T-Mobile, having to buy a second $100 phone is okay.
We aren't going to conserve our way to 7 billion people having electricity.
The important implication there is not that developed countries should stop trying to conserve or create cleaner tech, it is that developing countries aren't going to take advice that prevents them from developing, especially when that advice comes with some measure of hypocrisy.
20 mSv / year is the dose the workers receive by working at the plant. The previous legal limit in Japan was 100 mSv, I'm not sure over what interval.
Still, there aren't any reports of radiation sickness among the workers.
Of course, that doesn't mean that there has not been any severe exposures, but the only way to know what is going to happen to the workers is to wait and see.
And the evacuations are part of the reason for that, they are managing the exposure as much as they can.
I'd rather have the Microsoft people participating in a raid led by a federal agent than I would have the federal people turn the computers directly over to Microsoft after seizing them.