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User: radl33t

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  1. ha-ha on The Downside to Low Gas Prices · · Score: 1

    Can't wait for all the fossil fuel die hards to watch their ridiculously subsidized infrastructure crumble before their eyes, while they complain to me about solar energy subsidies.

  2. Re: It's only worth it on Will Lyft and Uber's Shared-Ride Service Hurt Public Transit? · · Score: 1

    I do in Minneapolis, year round. Not a big deal.

  3. Re:Obama on President Obama Backs Regulation of Broadband As a Utility · · Score: 1

    And if you were one of those people your participation on this thread would make no sense.

  4. Re:Are renewable energy generators up to task ? on Denmark Faces a Tricky Transition To 100 Percent Renewable Energy · · Score: 1

    Do Not Grok. Panel efficiency especially matters in this context on the necessary area for the array. Panel efficiency matters in the residential market where space limitations are frequently present and many system costs now scale with panel number. Otherwise I was advocating the use of insolation data over GPs method.

  5. Re:Are renewable energy generators up to task ? on Denmark Faces a Tricky Transition To 100 Percent Renewable Energy · · Score: 1

    You double counted efficiency. 10W/ft2 is approx. the output of a 12% solar panel so your figure is off by a factor of at least 8. But calculating things from hr/day is error prone, annualized, monthly, or daily radiation data is much better.

    Also 12% is a dated figure, the best price point for panels today is around 16-18%, after system losses this yields AC output of ~14.5%. But modules comprise such a small portion of system costs these days (typically about 20%), that we should really all be going for 21-24% modules on rooftops because -25% installer times are likely going allow lower total system costs. Those modules (eg sunpower, panasonic) give about ~18% AC.

    Let's try that again. Germany = 1000 - 1400 kWh/m2-yr (go with 1200)
    Peak AC output on a system of 17% modules is conservatively .145*1200 = 174 kWh/m2
    3600kWh/174 = 21m2 (225ft2), which is around 15 panels or ~3-3.5 kW system (on the small side) and consistent with practice.

    Solar thermal is also very popular in Germany. Solar thermal is 2-4x more efficient for "heating" than PV, and passive solar is 3-6x more efficient than PV, so most of the heating premium (plus hot water) can be decreased and outright eliminated. Using solar thermal to void the heating premium and provide the standard 60-75% of hot water energy makes it very reasonable to leverage south oriented large roofs (7-12kW systems) to provide much extra solar for the 2-5x residences that cannot squeeze 11-15 panels on their roof. Also wind will contribute as least as much than solar to the overall energy budget.

  6. Re:Are renewable energy generators up to task ? on Denmark Faces a Tricky Transition To 100 Percent Renewable Energy · · Score: 1, Interesting

    modules are very cheap (cheap enough and getting cheaper, but this is now a minor variable in PV system costs). it costs 3x their price to install them on a roof.

    module quotes in china right now are on the order of 0.46 EUR/W or 0.58 USD/W, total eqpt costs are under 1 USD/W, install costs 1.20 to 1.60 at utility scale and 1.80 to 2.50 on residential roofs.

    We need robot installers and a large competitive market to reduce customer aqusition costs

  7. Re:Big woop on What Happens When Nobody Proofreads an Academic Paper · · Score: 3, Insightful

    zero tolerance does that.

  8. Re:It's all about Taxes on President Obama Backs Regulation of Broadband As a Utility · · Score: 1

    What is the problem with that? If the costs of regulation via tax give me the internet speed and price I have observed in other countries, what is not to like?

  9. Re:Finally. It's about time. on President Obama Backs Regulation of Broadband As a Utility · · Score: 1

    put away your crystal ball for another 18 months please.

  10. Re:Ok, so no net neutrality in US on President Obama Backs Regulation of Broadband As a Utility · · Score: 1

    Obamacare was single payer. AHA was a compromise to republicans, what did I miss?

  11. Re:Obama on President Obama Backs Regulation of Broadband As a Utility · · Score: 4, Insightful

    What has Comcast innovated with respect to the internet? It's actually rather remarkable the internet has evolved in spite of our grotesque environment. I was one of the first customers on cable broadband in my area (under Time Warner, now Comcast, before one of their infamous territory swaps to trade for monopoly markets) in 1998. I paid $46/mo. I now pay $40 instead of $46 because I own my modem. I have the lowest tier of service, which is 1mb slower down than my 1998 service.

    Since that time the cable companies have come up with such innovations as requiring me to have basic cable to get internet at the regular price, banning modems that remain compliant, decreasing the cost effectiveness of my service, provide additional congestion during peak times, and eliminate or charge extra for services that were previously free (allbeit useless). Yep, that is what Comcast innovated in the last half of my life.

    In that time I lived in out state for one year and had access to two cable companies, presumably enabling the competition that brought me faster internet for $10 less. In that time I lived in Germany, where I got 50mb/50mb for a hair under $30/mo.

    I'd really like to know the innovation Comcast has brought to the table. Perhaps you can counter my experience with your own. Actually what the heck does innovation really mean in this context? How do utilities innovate at all? Why should a utility innovate at all? What do private waste management companies "innovate" that my muni garbage monopoly does not? What are some recent water/sewer/electrical/gas utility"innovations"?? IMO, this is just some bullshit buzzword that means nothing, but signals the correct political team one should join for the sake of lazy argumentation.

  12. Re:Oh no on Study: Body Weight Heavily Influenced By Heritable Gut Microbes · · Score: 1

    just poop into a calorimeter.

  13. Re:It looks a lot like Ivee on Amazon's Echo: a $200, Multi-Function, Audio-Centric Device · · Score: 1

    looks like ivee costs $199.99 to me.

  14. Re:The future of capitalism on After Silk Road 2.0 Bust, Eyes Turn To 'Untouchable' Decentralized Market · · Score: 1

    capitalism isn't most of those things. its simply about privately own capital and production seeking profits. that's it. the false ideals you attribute it are the reason why ignorant people love "capitalism."

  15. Re:Why? on Tesla Delays Launch of Model X Until Q3 2015 · · Score: 1

    spoken by someone who clearly has no expertise in the field, aka slashdot where fucktards extend one irrelevant technical competency to all fields of science and engineering.

    also, it's not "like" your poor analogy either.

  16. Re:America is a RINO on Marijuana Legalized In Oregon, Alaska, and Washington DC · · Score: 4, Informative

    Because it happens in the house based on the Census.................... Republicans controlled redistricting in 17 states controlling 173 Congressional districts, while Democrats controlled redistricting in just 6 states with 44 Congressional districts (four states with 21 Congressional districts featured split control of the process). Independent or politician-led commissions, state and federal courts, drew the maps for 15 states, and another 7 have no Congressional redistricting process because they only have one at-large seat.

  17. Re:The Real Problem on A Smart Electric Bike: Taking the Copenhagen Wheel Out For a Spin · · Score: 1

    Where did I imply that you or any other suburbanite is missing anything?

    Civil services cost money. Maintenance costs money. 40 - 70% of municipal budgets and hence municipal fees and taxes depend strongly on population density (think water, sewer, roads). This is compounded often by terrible city planning choices, which occur more frequently in the suburbs due to less expertise and oversight. It is also compounded by harebrained state and federal assistance to shiny public works projects that muni budgets are ill equipped to maintain.

    Continued growth, increases in local taxes, the slow and dereliction of basic maintenance, and disproportionate levels of assistance from state and federal governments are all important factors in this relationship that accentuate or mask the problem. All else equal municipal budgets correlated to population density must be spread across 4 - 12, sometimes 15-20 times less people. It will reach steady state by adding people or taxes. Are you going to pay 400% higher taxes for the suburb? What about 1200% ?,One acre lots = 6000%. Probably not, you will just accept the wave of multi-family developments that are presently sweeping out from the cities precisely because suburbs will otherwise die.

  18. Re:The Real Problem on A Smart Electric Bike: Taking the Copenhagen Wheel Out For a Spin · · Score: 1

    20% park land in 200 parks doesn't hurt. Not needing a car for 95% of travel is also wonderful. While suburbians commute into the city, I read 50 books a year. While suburbians enjoy their 1 acre lots, I enjoy my 0.07 acre and I am in walking distance to a thousand acres of city parkland, a national park stretching thousands of miles along the river, or one of several national wild life refuges, public lakes and creeks. While suburbians buy houses for 250K I spend less than half. I have closer and cheaper access to more shopping more eating more culture. I am closer to the airport. I am closer to several major hospitals. I am closer to major entertainment venues. I am the same distance to state and federal parks. My property taxes are 50% lower. The air and water quality is exactly the same. Crime is the same. The schools are the same, on average.

    short answer: yes

  19. Re:The Real Problem on A Smart Electric Bike: Taking the Copenhagen Wheel Out For a Spin · · Score: 1

    No belief necessary. There is data. Suburbs do not have the population density to support modern infrastructure without growth. You might think of it as a Ponzi scheme.

  20. Re:Louisiana too on Boo! The House Majority PAC Is Watching You · · Score: 1

    If it isn't a justification, in what way does it matter? I don't think we are lacking evidence on this point. We could discuss very disturbing evidence as to primordial "nature" of man, but since I have no intent on justifying these behaviors, there is no point.

  21. Re: Louisiana too on Boo! The House Majority PAC Is Watching You · · Score: 1

    It doesn't beg any questions. Either you accept this action or you do not.

    We can set aside the more egregious genocidal campaigns for a moment and contemplate the fact that an apparently enlightened free and democratic society uses threats and deception to steal resources. Accepting these methods undermines the values of this society. It reduces it to a team in a game with no rules, which has zero capacity to judge or question other teams and is also hollow. Internal rules against murder, deception, and theft are arbitrary, insofar as the only downside is being subjected to arbitrary punishment if caught. aka anarchy.

  22. Re:Old news, old news on Boo! The House Majority PAC Is Watching You · · Score: 1

    Yes. Notably in this election, major republican super PACS, but both DNC and GOP have been doing it since at least 2010.

  23. Re:Doesn't solve the problem on A Smart Electric Bike: Taking the Copenhagen Wheel Out For a Spin · · Score: 1

    For $20 you can get a 1000 lumens shipped with a Cree LED and Panasonic Li Ion cells. At 800 to 1000 lumens, it is frankly blinding. At 600 lumens it compares to auto lead lamps. Pair it with a bike pump air horn and your presence will be known.

  24. Re:Doesn't solve the problem on A Smart Electric Bike: Taking the Copenhagen Wheel Out For a Spin · · Score: 1

    yay for MN bike commuting. Last winter was awesome.

  25. Re:Could be good if just for legal mumbo jumbo on A Smart Electric Bike: Taking the Copenhagen Wheel Out For a Spin · · Score: 1

    In most places you don't want bicycles on sidewalks at all. It is not safe. It is tolerated in some places and rightly prohibited in others.