Prices of the electricity we use to charge

[lenny]

Today, we receive over 20 GWh of batteries annually, which equates to more than 250,000 electric vehicles.

Redwood Materials | Circular Supply Chain for Lithium-ion Batteries

Redwood is building a domestic battery supply chain comprised of battery recycling, refining, and remanufacturing sustainable battery materials, like cathode.

www.redwoodmaterials.com

 

[lenny]

How to keep warm when budgets are squeezed

How to keep warm in cold weather when budgets are squeezed

A cold snap across the UK comes just as energy prices have risen, so here are a few tips to help you keep warm.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Ghost1951]

@saneagle @Ghost1951 - I can'tfind your posts about BASIC. Those were the good old days when every computer shipped with a programming language, and your BASIC savvy students were targeted by Microsft using Visual Basic, a runaway success for the company which morphed into .NET. These days a programming environment has to be downloaded and installed, and isn't nearly as immediate or fun for youngsters wanting to learn to create solutions to problems. That era when most computers weren't predominately consnumer devices, spawned so many programmers, and we may never again see the like.

Saneagle's post is here where he is responding to something i said:

https://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/threads/prices-of-the-electricity-we-use-to-charge.42917/post-734108

I did post a reply to that, but later deleted it, because it was lengthy and not of general interest, and most of it was not directly relevant to saneagle's remark.

The thing to say about those days and the machines when they came out is that unless you used them for programming, they were probably not much use, which I suppose is why in the main, as a person not gifted or that interested in writing my own software, I found the zx81, rather disappointing. That disappointment was particular to my own interests, rather than the actual machine itself.

As you suggest - these days there is a mass of engaging software readily downloadable and if you don't mind the apps spying on you, most of it is free.

That said, about 18 months ago I bought miniature balloon transmitter in connection with my weak signal amateur radio hobby, which had a simplified basic operating system loaded on it, and that had to be programmed using 'putty' to communicate with it via a USB cable. That took me back forty years. It worked very well in spite of the fact that the whole thing would sit inside a desert spoon and weighed less that a couple of grams when you snapped off its USB port protrusion to get it ready to fly. I didn't fly mine. I just ran it in my garden with a couple of solar cells and its 17 milliwatt radio signals were detected and decoded in the USA and all over Europe. It is amazing these days how small a fully functioning computer system can be. The other side of the board contains a GPS receiver and a temperature sensor. When people flew these with a couple of party balloons, the well put together and lucky ones flew multiple times around the planet at about 35,000 feet and were tracked by a network of automatic amateur radio stations and uploaded the data to a centralised reporting system. The data covered altitude, position, temperature and solar cell voltage supplying them. I think I paid about £55 for the board.

U4B - Balloon tracker

qrp-labs.com

qrp-labs.com

 

[MikelBikel]

"Govs can't pick winners, but Losers can sure pick govs"

 

[lenny]

Faced with widespread tree die-offs, scientists are racing to determine the upper thermal limit of the world’s trees.

Between Hot Drought and Heat Waves, Climate Change is Killing Trees

Faced with widespread tree die-offs, scientists are racing to determine the upper thermal limit of the world’s trees.

www.earthisland.org

 

[lenny]

Even desert plants known for their resilience are burning and dying in the heat
Agave and saguaro cacti, both heat-tolerant and drought-resistant, are suffering as climate change makes heat waves more frequent and intense.

Even desert plants known for their resilience are burning and dying in the heat

Agave and saguaro cacti, both heat-tolerant and drought-resistant, are suffering as climate change makes heat waves more frequent and intense.

www.nbcnews.com

 

[MikelBikel]

Faced with widespread tree die-offs, scientists are racing to determine the upper thermal limit of the world’s trees.

Between Hot Drought and Heat Waves, Climate Change is Killing Trees

Faced with widespread tree die-offs, scientists are racing to determine the upper thermal limit of the world’s trees.

www.earthisland.org

Some trees can withstand a "hell" of a temperature

Are they getting confused with Dutch Elm Disease (Fungus)

And Ash Tree Dieback (Fungus)

Or Pine Tree Beetle (Fungus)

 

[lenny]

The latest data confirms: Forest fires are getting worse

The latest data confirms: Forest fires are getting worse

The latest data on forest fires confirms what we've long feared: Forest fires are becoming more widespread, burning at least twice as much tree cover today as they did two decades ago.

www.preventionweb.net

 

[lenny]

The World’s Carbon Sinks Are on Fire
Carbon emissions from forest fires increased more than 60 percent globally over the past two decades, according to a new study.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/17/climate/carbon-fires-forests-global-warming.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swampy_(environmentalist)

 

[lenny]

Rainforest leaves feel the burn of climate change as temperature limit approaches

Rainforest leaves feel the burn of climate change as temperature limit approaches

If the worst case predictions of climate change come to pass, rainforests could be at serious risk.

www.nhm.ac.uk

 

[soundwave]

Saneagle's post is here where he is responding to something i said:

https://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/threads/prices-of-the-electricity-we-use-to-charge.42917/post-734108

I did post a reply to that, but later deleted it, because it was lengthy and not of general interest, and most of it was not directly relevant to saneagle's remark.

The thing to say about those days and the machines when they came out is that unless you used them for programming, they were probably not much use, which I suppose is why in the main, as a person not gifted or that interested in writing my own software, I found the zx81, rather disappointing. That disappointment was particular to my own interests, rather than the actual machine itself.

As you suggest - these days there is a mass of engaging software readily downloadable and if you don't mind the apps spying on you, most of it is free.

That said, about 18 months ago I bought miniature balloon transmitter in connection with my weak signal amateur radio hobby, which had a simplified basic operating system loaded on it, and that had to be programmed using 'putty' to communicate with it via a USB cable. That took me back forty years. It worked very well in spite of the fact that the whole thing would sit inside a desert spoon and weighed less that a couple of grams when you snapped off its USB port protrusion to get it ready to fly. I didn't fly mine. I just ran it in my garden with a couple of solar cells and its 17 milliwatt radio signals were detected and decoded in the USA and all over Europe. It is amazing these days how small a fully functioning computer system can be. The other side of the board contains a GPS receiver and a temperature sensor. When people flew these with a couple of party balloons, the well put together and lucky ones flew multiple times around the planet at about 35,000 feet and were tracked by a network of automatic amateur radio stations and uploaded the data to a centralised reporting system. The data covered altitude, position, temperature and solar cell voltage supplying them. I think I paid about £55 for the board.

View attachment 61649

U4B - Balloon tracker

qrp-labs.com

qrp-labs.com

View attachment 61650

 

[lenny]

Heat is coming for our crops. We have to make them ready

Unchecked, climate change will make it harder to produce food on a large scale. We get over 40% of our calories from just three plants: wheat, rice and corn. Climate change poses very real risks to these plants, with recent research suggesting the potential for synchronised crop failures.

Heat is coming for our crops. We have to make them ready

Humans and animals can hide from extreme heat. But plants have no escape. To protect our crops from the heat to come will likely mean modifying them.

theconversation.com

 

[lenny]

"Govs can't pick winners, but Losers can sure pick govs"

How Climate Change Will Affect Plants

How Climate Change Will Affect Plants

While elevated levels of CO2 can help plants grow, the impacts of climate change mean it’s not all good news for the plant world.

news.climate.columbia.edu

 

[Ghost1951]

More hyperbolic boll ox from the usual fellow.

Fact -

in 1850, the mean planetary global temperature was 14c.
In 2024 it was 15C.

The annual mean temperature in Newcastle upon Tyne is 9C.

Stop the idiocy and get things in proportion.

By the way - my co2 emissions are about half the average emissions for a UK citizen at under 4 tonnes including my food. Sensible reduction in emissions is no problem for me. What I HATE, and I do HATE it, is hyperbolic hysteria like we see above here.

Last Wednesday when we had temperatures of -7C, I burned 3.5 cubic meters of methane gas to keep warm and to wash myself, and emitted 7kg of co2 in doing so. I also used 3,167 kwhrs of electricity which emitted about 210 gms of co2. Not to forget that I also breathed out 1kg of co2 from my food being alive, though it might have been slightly more than that since I walked up a steep hill for a mile and a half breathing harder than normal, and then came back again, so in total my existence on the coldest day of the year so far caused just over 8 kg of co2 to be emitted 1/7th of which was from breathing.

I have not calculated the embedded fossilised co2 in my food from its production. Maybe another kg.

 

[Woosh]

More hyperbolic boll ox from the usual fellow.

Fact -

in 1850, the mean global temperature was 14c.
In 2024 it was 15C.

The annual mean temperature in Newcastle upon Tyne is 9C.

Stop the idiocy and get things in proportion.

By the way - my co2 emissions are about half the average emissions for a UK citizen at under 4 tonnes including my food. Sensible reduction in emissions is no problem for me. What I HATE, and I do HATE it, is hyperbolic hysteria like we see above here.

You ought to add to that 4 tonnes all the imported goods, flights, holidays abroad etc. As townies, the vast majority of us don't do anywhere near enough to offset our carbon footprint.

 

[lenny]

Copernicus: Second-warmest November globally confirms expectation for 2024 as warmest year

Copernicus: Second-warmest November globally confirms expectation for 2024 as warmest year | Copernicus

C3S routinely publishes monthly climate bulletins reporting on the changes observed in global surface air and sea temperatures, sea ice cover and hydrological variables.

climate.copernicus.eu

 

[lenny]

Climate change impacts grip globe in 2024
Climate change impacts gripped the globe in 2024, with cascading impacts from mountain peaks to ocean depths and on communities, economies and the environment.

Climate change impacts grip globe in 2024

The year 2024 is set to be the warmest on record, capping a decade of unprecedented heat fuelled by human activities, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). Greenhouse gas levels continue to grow to record observed highs, locking in even more heat for the future.

wmo.int

 

[lenny]

Climate change doubles frequency of concurrent drought and heatwave events in low-income regions

Climate change doubles frequency of concurrent drought and heatwave events in low-income regions | School of Geography and the Environment

www.geog.ox.ac.uk

 

[Ghost1951]

You ought to add to that 4 tonnes all the imported goods, flights, holidays abroad etc. As townies, the vast majority of us don't do anywhere near enough to offset our carbon footprint.

I calculated all my travel inside that figure. I last went on a plane in 2009 and flew to Spain for a walking holiday. I don't buy large amounts of stuff. I'm probably one of the least impactful people in this country. I only use my car to visit my family in Newcastle once a week and the mean long term fuel consumption of that trip is 60mpg (included in that figure above of under 4 tonnes). The average American emits four times as much as I do.

The mad hyperbolist above is whining on about people in hot countries. What do I care about them? Why should I be bothered that they have now reproduced so much that they can't feed themselves? When I went around collecting money for Ethiopia in 1984 there were 39 million people in that country. Now there are 132 million. Ha ha ha - why would I care that they will reap what they sowed? The country could barely support them when they had under forty million so what did they do when we sent them help? They bred like rabbits and multiplied the population by over three times. Fk 'em, I say.

 

[Ghost1951]

Climate change doubles frequency of concurrent drought and heatwave events in low-income regions

Climate change doubles frequency of concurrent drought and heatwave events in low-income regions | School of Geography and the Environment

www.geog.ox.ac.uk

Why are they low income countries?

Answer - because the people are stupid, corrupt and lazy. Why else do you think countries stuffed with resources can't get better off. And don't tell me its because of 'colonisation'. The countries in Africa that were never colonised are as badly off as the rest and the more recently the countries were freed from colonisation, the better off they are.

Unpalatable facts? Yes - but un-deniable. The only development going on in Africa worth speaking of is being done by the Chinese. In a previous century, we Europeans did it for them. Now its the Chinese and to some extent the Russians are capitalising on the wealth of that continent too. Everywhere else - chaos and warfare.

Look what happened in China when the corrupt dictatorship that kept them poor and miserable let go its grip on the economy.They developed in a way we never saw before and probably never will again. Africa and the middle east? Not so much.