Archive for April, 2016
Wind and Solar Are Crushing Fossil Fuels
April 6th, 2016Disclosure: I sell solar power systems in New Zealand. — Via: Bloomberg: Wind and solar have grown seemingly unstoppable. While two years of crashing prices for oil, natural gas, and coal triggered dramatic downsizing in those industries, renewables have been thriving. Clean energy investment broke new records in 2015 and is now seeing twice as […]
Southern California Braces for Summer Blackouts Due to Porter Ranch Gas Leak
April 6th, 2016Via: Los Angeles Times: State officials warn that Southern California could face as many as 14 days of scheduled blackouts this summer because of depleted reserves of natural gas caused by the massive leak in Aliso Canyon. The canyon in the hills above Porter Ranch is a crucial gas storage facility, supplying 17 power plants […]
‘The Police Could be Controlling Your Self-Driving Car’
April 3rd, 2016Late library books? Unvaccinated children? Offensive comments on Facebook? Better keep your bicycle handy. Sarcasm. Sort of. Via: MarketWatch: More intrusive controls may be called for to deal with crime. For instance, high-speed chases could become a thing of the past. The vehicles of drunk/drugged individuals who insist on doing their own driving could be […]
New Zealand: Hawaiki 30Tbps Trans-Pacific Subsea Cable Commences Construction
April 3rd, 2016Finally. Via: ZDnet: The 14,000km subsea cable connecting Australia and New Zealand to Hawaii and the West Coast of the United States has finally commenced construction, almost three years after first being announced. The cable will be jointly constructed by Hawaiki Submarine Cable, based in Auckland, and TE SubCom, a company from Eatontown, New Jersey. […]
The Panama Papers: Massive Leak About Shell Companies Operated Through Law Firm Mossack Fonseca
April 3rd, 2016The media organizations involved with this story want to present it as an endless drip of information for as long as possible. Here are a few portals to begin with: Süddeutsche Zeitung Guardian The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists If you want a single story summary of what this is, see, What Are the Panama […]
Dutch Government Considering Only Allowing Electric Vehicle Sales Starting in 2025
April 3rd, 2016I’d like to see people buying EVs, but not because that’s their only choice. I’m guessing that by 2025, electric vehicles will not only outperform gas models in every metric, they will be cheaper to buy, operate, maintain and insure. No maniac nanny state legislation necessary. Via: Electrek: After India evaluating a scheme for all […]
New Zealand: Council in Drought Prone Canterbury Consents to Foreign Company Extracting 40 Billion Litres of Water
April 3rd, 2016Meanwhile, west of Whangarei, Golden Bay and Hastings… Now that the New Zealand milk bubble has busted: How about water? Via: Stuff: A council in the drought-prone Canterbury plains is selling the right to extract 40 billion litres of pure, artesian water to a bottled water supplier. The Ashburton District Council is selling a section […]
Where’s the Lane? Self-Driving Cars Confused by Shabby U.S. Roadways
April 2nd, 2016*har* Via: Reuters: Volvo’s North American CEO, Lex Kerssemakers, lost his cool as the automaker’s semi-autonomous prototype sporadically refused to drive itself during a press event at the Los Angeles Auto Show. “It can’t find the lane markings!” Kerssemakers griped to Mayor Eric Garcetti, who was at the wheel. “You need to paint the bloody […]
Austria Wants to Deploy Soldiers to Border with Italy
April 2nd, 2016Via: Reuters: Austria plans to deploy soldiers at the Brenner border with Italy to stem an expected increase in migrants trying to get to northern Europe, Defense Minister Hans Peter Doskozil told a German newspaper on Saturday. Austria, which has broken ranks with Germany in handling Europe’s migrant crisis by imposing border restrictions, has previously […]
America’s Million-Doctor Shortage Is Right Around the Corner
April 2nd, 2016Via: MarketWatch: The doctor is disappearing in America. And by most projections, it’s only going to get worse — the U.S. could lose as many as 1 million doctors by 2025, according to a Association of American Medical Colleges report. Primary-care physicians will account for as much as one-third of that shortage, meaning the doctor […]
