Coldfusion

Okay, reality check. This month in Texas, a severe weather event followed by extreme cold overstressed the grid to the point of failure. Last year in California, abysmal system maintenance led to catastrophic and deadly wildfires. During the PJM polar vertex of 2014, the current Texas scenario happened, but the system kind of survived. And during the Enron scandal in California in 2000, a company manipulated and exploited a recently changed market and caused rolling blackouts. These aren’t just unfortunate coincidences. The entire system is broken. The issue is not a market issue, and it is not a technical issue. The issue is that the whole system — inclusive of the state laws, state regulations, state oversight, federal laws, federal regulation, federal oversight, monopoly… Source link

The Clark County Commission’s Tuesday debate over renaming McCarran International Airport for former Sen. Harry Reid perfectly crystallized the divide between political insiders and the public. If the question had been put to the voters, it very likely would have failed. (Almost all of the people who emailed, called or tweeted to me about it preferred the simpler “Las Vegas International Airport.”) But behind the dais at the Government Center, it passed the all-Democrat commission unanimously. All that remains now is the Federal Aviation Administration’s sign-off. The result was forecast in advance, as most every elected Democrat in the state issued a statement in support, from Gov. Steve Sisolak to Reid’s sometimes-adversary, Rep. Dina Titus. The head of Culinary Local… Source link

In search of inspiration for his master’s thesis in sociology at the University of Essex in 1970, Harry Collins wandered around the school’s scientific laboratories. He ended up writing about a research group that was trying to replicate a new type of laser. Collins focused on the tacit transfer of knowledge among scientists. “Science is more about learning a language or culture than about transmitting discrete bits of information or following formulae,” he says. Credit: Susan Collins For his PhD, at the University of Bath, and then at various institutions around the world, Collins continued studying scientists. He has published more than 20 books on topics ranging from the discovery of gravitational waves to developments in artificial… Source link

An adorable retro-inspired electric vehicle got a lot of attention a few weeks ago. The Alpha Motor Ace, an electric coupe with an aesthetic that can only be described as mid-century modern European, seemed to capture the full potential of EVs to break out of contemporary car styling and explore unusual and interesting forms. With fewer constraints from packaging hardpoints, EVs—and in particular, skateboard-chassis ones—are ripe for this sort of thing. The Ace’s cartoonish (in a good way) proportions communicate fun in a way no Nissan Leaf can. Carrying that to its next logical extreme, there’s the Jax, an off-road inspired variant (that still only exists in digital form), and a sleeker Ace Performance Edition. See all 34 photosfalse It must be said that we were hoping the next time… Source link

“There was once, when we were in Australia…” How many great stories start that way? It’s the “one time, at band camp” for musicians. This particular yarn comes from Foo Fighter’s frontman, Dave Grohl — rock god and pulled pork pitmaster — about the origin of his obsession with pairing KFC Original Recipe chicken and champagne. The tale comes from the latest episode of Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend, featuring Grohl. The whole interview is a delight; Dave Grohl is sunshine in human form, after all. But the first ten minutes shine the brightest, as the megastar waxes poetic on the magical combo of fried chicken and champagne. The gist of the story is this, O’Brien and the Foo Fighters have the same tour manager, Gus Brandt. While commiserating comically about… Source link

THE WOODLANDS, Texas, Feb. 15, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Ortus Solutions, Corp announced the release of its Ortus Software Community site, a place dedicated to support all software initiatives and provide developer/customer interaction. As part of that effort, all the Google Group threads have been imported to the new Ortus Community and effective immediately, the Google Groups are closed for further posting. “I’m excited to finally bring all of our mailing lists together under one roof to consolidate our community and improve the experience for our users,” said Brad Wood, Senior Developer at Ortus Solutions. “The Ortus Community will be easier to use and… Source link

By Robert Hazen, Ph.D., George Mason University Scientists study the natural world utilizing the scientific method, but this method didn’t came to be overnight. It emerged gradually, as humans began to realize the great scientific principle that many aspects of the physical universe are predictable. However, some of the greatest scientific discoveries are due to the unpredictable nature of creativity. The scientific method consists of question, observation, hypothesis, prediction, and testing.(Image:ibreakstock/Shutterstock) The Scientific Process Is Nonlinear Science is a procedure, and like any other process, requires an exact framework. The scientific method has four parts. The first involves observations, experiments, data collection about the natural world, and… Source link

Superior technology can aid clean energy The Letter to the Editor from Robin Traywick Williams (“Natural gas better than windmills, solar panels) in response to my Letter to the Editor (“Climate change critic? Then offer alternatives”) is thought provoking. This is a discussion we need concerning the existential threat of climate change and how we should address it. Natural gas is only a bridge fuel to a non-carbon energy environment. Nuclear power is a non-carbon method of producing energy, but we will have to deal with the waste from conventional nuclear power plants indefinitely. If nuclear cold fusion, thorium or molten salt fusion, etc., become viable energy sources they should be used. They are not now. There are negatives associated with all energy sources — but it is… Source link

It still sends chills down my spine when I think of Brad Giesinger’s Facebook post. Not that it was scary, but it was just that feeling of being very, very cold. Brrrrrr. Giesinger, 39, a former Memphian now living in Phoenix, Arizona, where he’s in the luxury real estate business, takes a plunge in his pool every day. Even if the temperature is below 50 degrees. “I know the pool is there and it’s cold,” he says.  … Source link

In the boating world, outboard motors reign supreme in terms of portability, ease of maintenance, and better power-to-weight ratio in comparison to their inboard counterparts. However, these design advantages limit the engine’s power output, which is a fair trade-off for the benefit of larger cabin space. That’s the reason why the Lexus LY 650 opted for a 2,700-horsepower (2,013-kilowatt) Volvo inboard engine setup, while the Lamborghini 63 luxury yacht has two V12s integrated within the hull, each making 2,000 hp (1,491 kW). 12 Photos … Source link