What determines who we are, how we think, and how we behave towards others? Why are some people more compassionate, and others more or less indifferent to the needs of other people?
Author: craigshields
People Who Read A Lot of Books Are Way Nicer, Kinder and Empathetic
Tagged with: self-described liberals and conservatives
Solar and Wind: What About Subsidies?
Here’s a discussion in the newsletter of the American Energy Society on the subject of the phase out of the tax credits for solar and wind. Those who install solar currently enjoy an “investment tax credit” (ITC) of 30%, meaning …
Tagged with: accumulation of toxins and grenhouse gases in our atmosphere is clearly a social ill, American Energy Society, biomass, geothermal, hydrokinestics, investment tax credit" (ITC), phase out of the tax credits for solar and wind, phasing out of fossil fuels in favor of renewables, production tax credit (PTC), subsidizing oil production
Official’s Climate Warning Blocked Because It Didn’t ‘Jibe’ With Trump’s View
Here’s something that should get the attention of all Americans: Our president is preventing us from receiving the truth about global warming.
Plant Trees
Here’s another post featuring the work of Italian artist Maurizio Rega, who, as far as I can tell, features trees in every piece. And my Lord is this guy prodigious. He cranks out several of these every week, normally announcing …
Tagged with: climate change mitigation
Cleantech Powers the Developing World
Today’s LEDs are approximately 250 times more efficient (250 times more lumens per Watt) than those that first lighted Broadway in the late 19th Century. This has brought about some marvelous advantages, not only in terms of reduced power consumption, …
Threats to Human Civilization
A friend and I were talking about the threat to our civilization posed by runaway artificial intelligence; I recommended neuroscientist Sam Harris’s TED Talk on the subject (see below). He writes: “It’s excellent. Though I don’t have a well-structured thought process …
Compressed Air Energy Storage
It’s good to see that Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) is still in the news. Though it’s been around for decades, it hasn’t enjoyed successful commercialization, but perhaps that’s about to change.
Tagged with: compressed air energy storage
World Freedom Rankings: Mixed Review for U.S.
As shown here (larger version below), the United States comes in #53 in the Freedom House world freedom rankings this year. This report offers some interesting reading as to how this was derived.
Tagged with: climate change mitigation, corporate and government whistleblowers, defunding of public schools, Freedom House world rankings, global warming and other forms of ecologic destruction disproportionately affect the poor, healthcare is a basic human right, obstruction of justice by the U.S. president, overturning the "Citizens United" decision
Trump’s Greatest Asset
The majority of Americans and the overwhelming majority of those living outside the U.S. are still scratching their heads, wondering how Trump continues to pull off his torrent of lies and his ongoing outrageous behavior on a day-to-day basis. If …
Tagged with: Trump's Greatest Asset
Gravity-Based Energy Storage
About a decade ago, a client hired me to evaluate a start-up in the energy storage field called Advance Rail Energy Storage (ARES). The concept is a variation on the theme of pumped hydro, which currently represents more than 95% …
