thbb

joined 1 year ago
[–] thbb@kbin.social 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

If it works out like in the "Servant of the people" TV show that launched Zelensky drive, they will be remain unscathed.

[–] thbb@kbin.social 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

Renewables will inevitably become cheaper than fossil fuels, as the resource dwindles. The problem is how to make energy abundant enough to satisfy our current needs and those of the rest of the world, who expects to reach our standards of living?

(A: it's not possible, nuclear can help, but only for a while, perhaps enough time for the demographic transition to complete)

[–] thbb@kbin.social 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

In general, the price of a good in a competitive market is directly tied to its energy cost (either manual or machine labor), which is itself tied to its carbon footprint. If something is more expensive, it is very likely that its production emitted more GHG, or that you're getting scammed.

As an exemple, beef is more expensive than chicken, which is itself more expensive than vegetables.

That's why the best personal action to save on GHG emissions is still to become poorer/reduce your material comfort. Compensate with richer interactions with others and a sense of community.

[–] thbb@kbin.social 5 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (4 children)

Also, eating industrial food over organic:

First because, per calorie produced, organic farming emits 12 to 40% more green house gases.
(Depending on the study).
Second, because you'll be less healthy and die sooner.

[–] thbb@kbin.social 2 points 1 year ago (5 children)

Stupidly click baity title. The only corporation that does not pollute is the one that doesn't produce anything. Sure, regulations such as carbon taxes are necessary to contain negative externalities, but if there's a demand for cheap products there will be a lowest bidder that will take all market share.

Lowering our consumption is unfortunately the way to make those companies pollute less.

[–] thbb@kbin.social 10 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

The same type of program is being introduced at European universities.

In my doctoral school, this is a five hours course, presented as a MOOC. Not too sure it really is useful.

The educated public generally feels concerned about the subject, and such a generic course feels boring to its intended audience.

[–] thbb@kbin.social 9 points 1 year ago

My go to answer is to say that I don't have a mobile phone. Actually, I have one, but it's only for personal contacts, not for institutions. When a clerk asks me for my phone number, I answer: sure, give me your phone number, I'll text you my contact.

Same for administrations and my employer: my boss has my phone numbers but not HR in my company.

The only institution that has my phone number is my bank, and i'm seriously considering using an alternate authentication method for 2FA at my bank.

If enough of us do that, it won't happen.

[–] thbb@kbin.social 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It says it has a "high res monitor". For having learned to program graphics on this machine, we had to count the pixels to be able to fit our drawings in the screen: 512x342, that's not a lot of screen real estate. The 640x480 PC screen was a luxury.

[–] thbb@kbin.social 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Just don't believe this is anything new. Back in time, people used to seriously believe in faeries, trolls, deamons, angels and other supernatural phenomena.

That's how you could lead people to carry holy wars and consider serfdom and slavery as natural order of things.

Back in the 80's, I remember a report from an ethnologist going to Nepal and meeting people who seriously believed that Russians had goat feet.

If anything, the internet has revealed the credulity of the general population, and provides means to fight and contain superstitions of various kinds.

I'm an optimist.

[–] thbb@kbin.social 1 points 1 year ago

I do keep this monthly reminder that all my moves are tracked. I find it's better to be kept aware of this than to play it like an ostrich.

This said, in Europe at least, opting out of this service should force google to drop your data, and retain it only in aggregate forms that do not allow reidentifying you.

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