I would call the photo here deceptive. The manufacturer of the “Greenline 48 Fly,” as it’s called, represent their product as “environmental boating. Yet it has two diesel engines that deliver a combined 440 horsepower. In full sun, that solar array will deliver about 0.5 horsepower, so about 0.1% of what’s required.
Further to our conversation on police violence, particularly against people of color, here we have a case of aggravated battery.
Given that it took place in California, we turn to California Penal Code section 243(d), and learn that aggravated battery is battery with “serious bodily injury.” To prove you guilty of this offense, the prosecution has to prove beyond a reasonable doubt the following: 1) you touched the person of another; 2) you did so willfully; 3) you did so in a harmful or offensive manner; and 4) your target suffered serious bodily injury as a result. (more…)
A friend from high school who now lives in China wrote an open letter to his old buddies, wondering how it’s possible that Americans are doing such a terrible job in complying with what public health officials are begging us to do. He writes: (more…)
Here’s an exciting video that reminds us of the awesome power of nature. Wow. That’s a lot of energy.
Where does all this energy come from? Early on in the 2GreenEnergy part of my career, I put together this energy infographic to answer that precise question. (more…)
Yes, he’s prepping his base to start a civil war if he loses in November.
Not sure how well they’ll do against 800K law enforcement personnel with SWAT equipment, assisted as necessary by 1.3 million U.S. military personnel with hundreds of billions of dollars budgeted for war machines. Every single one of these folks has sworn to uphold and defend the U.S. Constitution, and if that requires quelling an uprising with force, that’s what’s going to happen–fast, and hard.
Obviously, everyone hopes things don’t escalate to that point, we can all imagine public service announcements that go something like this: “If you’re brandishing a firearm, the best you can hope for is a six-month jail sentence. If you appear poised to use that firearm, every law enforcement officer in this country understands that he has the duty to shoot to kill.”
I have to admit that I’m extremely jealous of The New Yorker’s comic writer Andy Borowitz. How does he do this? Just look at what he wrote here.
We all have access to the same information. How is it possible that, several times a week, he combines two or more of Trump’s attributes into a “news” story that’s so utterly hilarious? (more…)
The Energy Department has announced a new initiative that aims to boost the declining coal industry by making about $122 million available to discover new uses for the fossil fuel. (more…)
A reader sent me this video interview of a physicist who disbelieves in the efficacy of face masks as a tool to reduce COVID-19 cases and asked me to review it.
A few points: (more…)
Capacity factor is a percentage, calculated by dividing the unit’s actual electricity output by the maximum possible output, i.e., it’s a measurement of how fully a unit’s capacity is used. Nuclear has a huge CF, because, except for downtime for maintenance, it runs at full capacity 24 hours a day; it’s not ramped up and down according to the changing load. Solar and wind have low CFs for the obvious reason that they are variable/intermittent energy sources by nature; in addition, wind is often “curtailed,” meaning shut off due to low electricity demand. (more…)
Gosh that’s so strange. More than 1600 polling places closed, which obviously makes it harder for people to vote, especially people who have to rely on public transportation. Why would anyone want to suppress voter turnout?
If only there were some commonality among these states–maybe something about where they’re located geographically. No, doesn’t seem to be any.
What a mystery.
