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submitted 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) by rtxn@lemmy.world to c/showerthoughts@lemmy.world

60 watts to illuminate just one room used to be the norm. Now it sounds insane. Maybe losing the perfect color rendering index was a worthwhile tradeoff after all.

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[-] sunsofold@lemmy.zip 1 points 1 day ago

Efficiency is always dependent on the variables chosen as your metrics. Burning can be a very efficient way of getting rid of garbage under certain metrics. Burning wood is very efficient in terms of startup costs for heating up an area. Burning coal gas released because you want to make coal coke is materially efficient in thermal output per tonne of coal. I do have to wonder what the timeline would look like if some of the more efficient designs for vehicle engines had been in use all the way back when Benz was starting up.

[-] Schemen110676@lemmy.ml 1 points 14 hours ago

Mincing words...

Going from heat to motion might be a relatively simple way but at least with common heat engines its...not efficient.. by any metric.

[-] sunsofold@lemmy.zip 1 points 2 hours ago

What would you call an efficient way to turn hydrocarbons into useful work?

this post was submitted on 04 Nov 2026
228 points (99.1% liked)

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