Brexit, for once some facts.

flecc

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Oct 25, 2006
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Your argument would have validity had the research been done by those private companies, who had to pacify investors and shareholders, however it is being done in the main by State Agencies ,
Not so.

As I quoted I was replying to a post proposing that two big fuel companies, Shell and BP provide the investment to carry out additional research to speed up the process. My argument was entirely valid within that context since it is their investors and shareholders who would need to be pacified.
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Woosh

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Not so.

As I quoted I was replying to a post proposing that two big fuel companies, Shell and BP provide the investment to carry out additional research to speed up the process. My argument was entirely valid within that context since it is their investors and shareholders who would need to be pacified.
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fusion technology is still not really investable for some time yet.
 
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guerney

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fusion technology is still not really investable for some time yet.
Large space based solar arrays transmitting power to earth using microwaves from Lagrange points L4 or L5, are a more investable proposition than fusion, at the mo:

 

guerney

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Yes - I agree. But when "they" go on about limitless inexpensive power, I think it worth doing the thought experiment of what it would mean if it did come to pass - however unlikely.
If we had fusion, we could make any element which stars and star collisions make, and have limitless power to collect the raw materials. Possibilities for humanity would become limitless, we'd survive for more than a few hundred years and this planet could be left behind in a better state, as we populate the rest of the solar system and beyond... to eventually use those other planets and debris to construct a Dyson Sphere around the sun, which will enable us to move en-masse out of the way of species extinguishing cosmic events, and thereby guarantee thousands of billions of years for earth creatures of all kinds. Sadly, it will require more than a multitude of several election terms, as well as the troublesome fusion nut finally getting cracked. Details are available in my manifesto.
 
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guerney

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@jonathan.agnew I slow jogged 1.075 miles uphill and the same distance down again, but this time I didn't stop off for a Greggs cheese pasty. I could see none baked, too early, but I had resolved to ignore cheese during my short journey. I couldn't stop for just chocolate eclairs and donuts give me wind. I'm still about half a stone away from my healthy low weight, and a stone away from my target weight - I need to get lighter than is healthy by a smidge, so that I can regrow some of the muscle mass I've consumed as energy along with body fat, by way of intermittent fasting. I'm sweating like a pig about to consume 900g of spinach from Iceland (the shop). Hope your exercise regime is going well.
 

guerney

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@Zlatan The only windsurfers I've known who considered transporting their boards by car to a UK windsurfing destination, were the competition entering types. Everyone else hired when they got there, especially when abroad. Like car dealerships, selling foils to hire companies via credit agreements from a third party might be your best move? Even if the companies tank, you'd still get paid. I bet many jetskis are bought on credit; items of similar expenditure. On the other hand, people spend far more than 12k on paragliders, therefore personal ownership of 12k foils might not be as undesirable as I suppose?
 

jonathan.agnew

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Dec 27, 2018
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@jonathan.agnew I slow jogged 1.075 miles uphill and the same distance down again, but this time I didn't stop off for a Greggs cheese pasty. I could see none baked, too early, but I had resolved to ignore cheese during my short journey. I couldn't stop for just chocolate eclairs and donuts give me wind. I'm still about half a stone away from my healthy low weight, and a stone away from my target weight - I need to get lighter than is healthy by a smidge, so that I can regrow some of the muscle mass I've consumed as energy along with body fat, by way of intermittent fasting. I'm sweating like a pig about to consume 900g of spinach from Iceland (the shop). Hope your exercise regime is going well.
Good to hear - slow jogs keep me sane (meditation and all that) but isn't good for my weight - I overfuel, a long run becomes a licence for eating as much as I want to. Caffeine when out is a great appetite suppressant. A skinny latte with an extra shot. Why the spinach?
 

guerney

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Sep 7, 2021
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Good to hear - slow jogs keep me sane (meditation and all that) but isn't good for my weight - I overfuel, a long run becomes a licence for eating as much as I want to. Caffeine when out is a great appetite suppressant. A skinny latte with an extra shot. Why the spinach?
I know what you mean - I've just now thrown my day's calories down my gullet, whereas if I hadn't gone slow jogging, I'd have consumed all that at about 3pm. Spinach and raw garlic afterwards, because I don't want to die of a sudden heart attack after a jog, like my hero Douglas Adams:

 

guerney

Esteemed Pedelecer
Sep 7, 2021
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Good to hear - slow jogs keep me sane (meditation and all that) but isn't good for my weight - I overfuel, a long run becomes a licence for eating as much as I want to. Caffeine when out is a great appetite suppressant. A skinny latte with an extra shot. Why the spinach?
A couple of days ago, I went without food for 38 hours - I didn't feel hungry, I didn't feel cold... I could have gone longer but for a nightmare and an intense adrenaline rush in my gut. So I ate like a pig and reset my schedule to how it was before. I got so much done during those 38 hours, very productive was that "Keto high". There were many coffees with splodges of evaporated milk though lol.
 

guerney

Esteemed Pedelecer
Sep 7, 2021
11,306
3,213
Good to hear - slow jogs keep me sane (meditation and all that) but isn't good for my weight - I overfuel, a long run becomes a licence for eating as much as I want to. Caffeine when out is a great appetite suppressant. A skinny latte with an extra shot. Why the spinach?
Slow jogging is wonderfully relaxing, when slow enough you forget you're slow jogging and just drift along all peaceful like... I'll stick to about 2 miles. Any longer, it ceases to remain "Low impact" IMHO, but I might just be making excuses.
 

Mrs Honeyman

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Dec 29, 2021
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A quick question:

To great fanfare, celebration and joy from Conservative MPs and Daily Mail readers, the Prime Minister has announced that if you get Covid, you no longer need to keep your distance from other people for a few days. Even better, apparently, if you are going to visit a sick or vulnerable friend, you don’t need to do a quick lateral flow test to see if your visit is likely to kill them. The flow tests are to be withdrawn, to help us stop doing them.

How are we all going to benefit from this and what’s to celebrate? I‘m sure it’s there because everyone one is cheering the changes in the Daily Fail. However, I can’t see why at the moment. Any help appreciated.
 
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Mrs Honeyman

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Dec 29, 2021
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Your post contains a self fulfilling prophesy, the research you advocate makes certain electricity will drastically rise in price, fusion or no fusion.

I give you the drug companies as an example. They too sink vast sums into research that has very real risks of not producing anything worthwhile. As a result, when they finally do succeed on the odd occasion in making a worthwhile drug, the whole of that vast investment has to be recovered by pricing the drug very high.

Imagine it takes a hundred years of that immense investment from the biggest companies to achieve practical fusion. Then think of how much each unit of electricity will cost to recover all that long term money and the interest paid that it caused. Then on top of that the construction of hundreds of immense fusion plants. We might end up with only the investors who provided all that invested money being able to afford the electricity!
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You mentioned drug companies and the research they do. They use this vast research cost to justify the eye watering prices they charge for some drugs, cancer treatments in particular.

What about Cancer Research U.K? Their research is funded by charitable donations. Which cancer drugs have they invented and currently sell at cost price?
 
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jonathan.agnew

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Dec 27, 2018
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A
A couple of days ago, I went without food for 38 hours - I didn't feel hungry, I didn't feel cold... I could have gone longer but for a nightmare and an intense adrenaline rush in my gut. So I ate like a pig and reset my schedule to how it was before. I got so much done during those 38 hours, very productive was that "Keto high". There were many coffees with splodges of evaporated milk though lol.
Ah, nightmares and binges. The blight of a marred personal history. These days known as developmental trauma. Waking up in the kitchen. My go too is a good coffee machine (I know it's becoming a refrain - but is such a reassuring ritual, making a cappucinno at 3am while the world ouutside seem to be standing still) and a good kitchen and if one has the space a dog (had a German shepherd back in Africa that was as good as many analysts)
 

flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
53,152
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What about Cancer Research U.K? Their research is funded by charitable donations. Which cancer drugs have they invented and currently sell at cost price?
I've no idea what they've achieved, if anything. I do remember a few years ago one of their leading scientists walking out of their cancer research, creating a stir by saying it was a waste of time and would never succeed.
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flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
53,152
30,567
A quick question:

To great fanfare, celebration and joy from Conservative MPs and Daily Mail readers, the Prime Minister has announced that if you get Covid, you no longer need to keep your distance from other people for a few days. Even better, apparently, if you are going to visit a sick or vulnerable friend, you don’t need to do a quick lateral flow test to see if your visit is likely to kill them. The flow tests are to be withdrawn, to help us stop doing them.

How are we all going to benefit from this and what’s to celebrate? I‘m sure it’s there because everyone one is cheering the changes in the Daily Fail. However, I can’t see why at the moment. Any help appreciated.
It's called learning to live with it.

Translated that means accepting the deaths from it.
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Mrs Honeyman

Pedelecer
Dec 29, 2021
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It's called learning to live with it.

Translated that means accepting the deaths from it.
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If you are unfortunate enough to catch Covid, is staying out of the way for a few days in order to reduce the risk of passing it on a big deal?

I heard this a couple of days ago. Look away if you’re squeamish:

What did the deaf, dumb & blind orphan child get at Christmas?

Cancer.

If you were going to visit such a child, is doing a quick lateral flow test a big ask?

I still can’t see what we are all applauding.
 
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Mrs Honeyman

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Dec 29, 2021
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I've no idea what they've achieved, if anything. I do remember a few years ago one of their leading scientists walking out of their cancer research, creating a stir by saying it was a waste of time and would never succeed.
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I don’t know either. I know how the CEO has benefited. The CEO is taking it home in a wheel barrow. I’m not sure if the cancer kid I refer to above is so lucky.
 
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oyster

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Nov 7, 2017
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If we had fusion, we could make any element which stars and star collisions make, and have limitless power to collect the raw materials. Possibilities for humanity would become limitless, we'd survive for more than a few hundred years and this planet could be left behind in a better state, as we populate the rest of the solar system and beyond... to eventually use those other planets and debris to construct a Dyson Sphere around the sun, which will enable us to move en-masse out of the way of species extinguishing cosmic events, and thereby guarantee thousands of billions of years for earth creatures of all kinds. Sadly, it will require more than a multitude of several election terms, as well as the troublesome fusion nut finally getting cracked. Details are available in my manifesto.
That would be fusion beyond anything anyone has seriously suggested being possible.

And remember: For iron, and for all of the heavier elements, nuclear fusion consumes energy.
 
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