Hacker News Reader

Factoriumon Is nuclear power our best bet against climate change?

Solar can't provide district heating. When temperatures reach -10, -20 celcius, a heat pump's COP is near 1.0, at which point its basically just a space heater.

Small Modular Nuclear Reactors are the perfect solution for Europe: there's plenty of water, typically cold temperatures, intelligent and stable populations, and high densities. Already nuclear plants around the continent provide heat for district heating systems.

Every major town and city in Europe should have a small modular nuclear power plant. We need to begin manufacturing these units in the dozens each year, ideally the hundreds for installation around the OECD.

In places like Australia the plant can also be used to directly power desalinisation and the water will also provide cooling. Otherwise, the major unsolvable issue for Nuclear is the need to provide a direct water source.

Factoriumon UK to put nuclear power at heart of net zero emissions strategy

The UK strategy is to replace those gas burners with heat pumps, which you can power with nuclear energy.

The problem in the UK is that many houses are very old and poorly insulated. Passivhaus basically needs to be the standard (if it isn't already).

Factoriumon UK to put nuclear power at heart of net zero emissions strategy

The UK should build dozens of Rolls Royce SMRs each year, and setup a factory line for them with multiple in simultaneous construction. If we value our civilization, we would be building hundreds of units a year for use across the Western world.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/oct/15/uk-poised-t...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_modular_reactor

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_small_modular_reactor_...

https://www.gridwatch.templar.co.uk/

470MW per unit, 2 years to build, 2 years to install. 1.8 billion pounds each. With just 64 units, combined with some renewables and storage (ideally allowing EVs to smart charge/discharge based on grid conditions), the UK would be completely energy secure for 115billion pounds.

Factoriumon Privacy fears as Moscow metro rolls out facial recognition pay system

'Contact Tracing' for COVID:

https://www.9news.com.au/national/wa-police-stand-by-decisio...

Factoriumon Uber Freight boss says 'We're living in shipping Armageddon'

Sounds like its a good time for Tesla Semi with convoy functionality:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=529MNAxoSYA

Factoriumon Real estate agents caught on camera steering buyers from low-commission homes

Don't people just find houses they like from online real estate sites now anyway?

Factoriumon Intellectuals urge Germany to keep nuclear plants online

Russia supplies 55% of Germany's natural gas imports. Cut that off and say goodbye to manufacturing, electricity, heating.

Factoriumon Intellectuals urge Germany to keep nuclear plants online

Current wholesale electricity prices in Germany are $194/MWh:

https://www.energylive.cloud/

How much does Germany spend on the military? Cancel it, and spend the money on nuclear power. Otherwise Germany has a significant strategic weakness (gas imports) to Russia, its only realistic enemy.

Factoriumon Intellectuals urge Germany to keep nuclear plants online

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-41447603

Former Chancellor Gerhard Schroder oversaw the shutdown of Germany's nukes.

Now he's on the board of Rosneft, a giant fossil fuel company controlled by the Russian Government.

Factoriumon Europe Considers Breaking Climate Promises and Turning to Coal

Any prematurely closed nuclear power plants that can be restarted?

Factoriumon How to Get over Fear of Disappointing Others (FODO)

Its the Minto Pyramid Principle / Situation Complication Question Answer:

https://www.richardhare.com/2007/09/03/the-minto-pyramid-pri...

Factoriumon Mechanical sympathy for QR codes: making NSW check-in better

The QR codes are security theatre: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Security_theater

With cases now in the hundreds/thousands per day in Australia, plus widespread vaccinations, these QR codes are pointless... same as masks and international border restrictions.

Factoriumon Finland lobbied EU to declare nuclear power sustainable

The operating costs of Nuclear are minimal, the problem is planning, building, regulating, decommissioning them.

On that basis, modular nuclear reactors seem to make the most sense. Rolls Royce in the UK looks to be onto a winner with their 470mw SMR:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_small_modular_reactor_...

2 years site prep, 2 years building the unit. £1.8 billion per unit. They could be mass produced with the right investment.

Operate them for 60 years each, take out the remaining fuel, and just leave the rest of the power plant in the ground forever.

We should be mass producing these units right now and installing them across the EU, UK, USA, Australia. We could be building 100 a year with the right investment.

Factoriumon Impact of circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants on mRNA vaccine-induced immunity

There's a lot of moral hazard here. The weaker the vaccine, and the greater the dismissal of natural immunity (which according to Israeli hospital data [1] is completely superior to vaccination), the greater the profit for big pharma.

The dystopian outcome is that we basically outsource/financialise the human immune system - and that 6-monthly COVID booster shots will be forced (/mandated) on everyone, forever.

The ideal outcome is that we immediately drop all COVID restrictions and just bundle these booster shots into influenza vaccinations for the immunocompromised and those aged 70+

https://youtu.be/9bamaEMftg4

Factoriumon Plant-based meat deceleration signals niche future

Plant-based meats are processed foods - consumer spending probably follows marketing and advertising intensity, same as for a can of Pringles or a bottle of Red Bull.

To replace frozen meat in a Whopper, it simply needs to be a cheaper input. The 'Impossible Whopper' was $1-2 more expensive.

Factoriumon Android phones are sending significant amount of user data with no opt-out [pdf]

Your opt-out is to buy an iPhone.

Factoriumon France bets on more nuclear power in face of Europe energy crisis

Not as much of an issue in Europe, where the waste heat can be used for district heating, where there is plenty of water, and generally lower temperatures.

Factoriumon Led by France, 10 EU countries call on Brussels to label nuclear energy as green

We also need to ban politicians from accepting donations, bribes and post-career board positions from fossil fuel companies;

ie. Gerhard Shroder, former Chancellor of Germany who oversaw the beginning of their nuke shutdown, and now works for Rosneft! (A giant Russian fossil fuel company controlled by the Russian Government)

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-41447603

Factoriumon Teachers Union Urges TikTok, Facebook, Others to Stop Spread of Viral Challenges

Why allow children to use these platforms, at all? Image-oriented social media should be restricted to ages 16 and up.

Factoriumon California first state to require ethnic studies for high school graduation

These studies just reaffirm tribal and racial differences between Americans. If you were Russia or China, eagerly awaiting the strategic downfall of America (which can only come from within), you'd happily champion and fund these sort of studies.

What is life like in Armenia, Israel, Africa, Punjab? Poorer, less free, less liberal (in the original sense of the word) than America.

This is not an education, its indoctrination.

Factoriumon The US Is a Banana Republic: The 1% Own More Wealth Than the Entire Middle Class

5%+ inflation rate, 0.25% interest rate.

The USA interest rate should be at least 2% right now. That would take the wind out of insane asset valuations.

Factoriumon The US Is a Banana Republic: The 1% Own More Wealth Than the Entire Middle Class

Social media takes care of any insurgency - just deplatform anyone who seems to be getting too rowdy and organised.

Factoriumon Canada's 'gamble' on delaying, mixing and matching Covid-19 vaccines paid off

Try once a decade: https://swprs.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/sweden-monthly-...

Factoriumon Canada's 'gamble' on delaying, mixing and matching Covid-19 vaccines paid off

It will happen if we tolerate it. Bi-annual COVID booster shots, for life, for the entire population. Big Pharma's wet dream. No employment, entertainment, travel, or shopping if you resist. Constant government surveillance - 'contact tracing'.

Factoriumon How to Move More Goods Through America’s Clogged Infrastructure? Robot Trains

Human train labour is not really a big deal. Modern drivers are basically security, comms, engineering, exception handling that conveniently moves with the vehicle.

If freight trains go routinely robotic then expect to see more of this in the USA:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHc6DrCgqTw

Factoriumon Eight million Britons unable to buy essential food items in last fortnight

There are labour shortages across the UK because people are still being told to self-isolate if they have contact with someone who is COVID+

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/self-isol...

Poles are returning back home quicker than than expected post-Brexit because Poland doesn't have a vaccine mandate and was quicker to return to post-virus normal.

Part of the solution to fixing this is abandoning all COVID measures (including masks) and treating the virus just like any other seasonal illness - just as has been done by Norway, Denmark, Sweden etc. recently. People will be more comfortable moving to the UK, and working.

Factoriumon Hydrogen’s moment is here at last?

So you can access those sweet Government subsidies:

https://www.ispionline.it/en/pubblicazione/eus-hydrogen-stra...

> “'Hydrogen Europe' promotes the growth of green hydrogen production in the EU... €145bn in support between grants and subsidies."

Factoriumon A Population-Level Decline in Serum Testosterone Levels in American Men (2007)

Pornography should be classified as an addictive, restricted service, and should not be freely available online.

Sites should be mandated to charge a minimum fee per month (eg. $10), and ISPs should be instructed to block websites which do not comply.

In this way it will be restricted from minors, and be more easy for adults to control their own access to.

Factoriumon Covid vaccine immunity is waning – how much does that matter?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bamaEMftg4

Dr John Campbell

Factoriumon IBM says all US employees must be vaccinated by Dec 8 or face unpaid suspension

Those vaccines last decades or a lifetime and have been around for generations.

If you agree to vaccine mandates now to COVID, you're effectively consenting to 6 monthly booster of it, forever.

This is already the case in Israel.

MRNA and Adenovirus technology has unknown long-term side-effects, the chief 'innovation' seems to be that its cheaper to manufacture than traditional vaccines.