California: Starting in 2020, Most New Homes Must Include a Solar Power System
May 9th, 2018Disclosure: I sell solar power systems in New Zealand.
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I’m such strident solar power advocate that, when the topic comes up, people in the room who know me roll their eyes and think, “Oh god, here we go again…”
My wife and I have had 5kW of panels on our roof since 2014 and I’ve been selling solar power systems since then.
We have the highest electricity prices in New Zealand combined with 3rd world style grid reliability. With our solar system, we have reduced our dependence on the grid by about 80%. We hope to deal with that remaining 20% with a Tesla Powerwall. The Powerwall will also provide full house backup. We export more power than we use, so we will be very close to 100% independent from the grid with solar plus storage provided by the Powerwall.
In other words: I like solar power. A lot.
What do I think about this news from California?
Solar power is a libertarian technology and it saddens me to see it shoved down people’s throats by the maniac state government in California.
Additionally, I have always been against building codes, and this is just more insanity piled on top.
If you’re looking at this solar power situation in California from somewhere else, and holding your head in your hands: Please don’t let ridiculous government policies taint your view of the technology. Do the math for yourself to determine whether solar power makes sense for you, or not.
Via: GTM:
Starting in 2020, virtually all new homes in California will be required to incorporate advanced efficiency measures and rooftop solar — in an historic development for clean energy in the state.
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Updates to the Title 24 standards are projected to reduce home energy use by 53 percent compared to the current code, saving Californians $1.7 billion in energy costs over the next 30 years. This calculation, conducted by the CEC, does not take into account increased energy demands or a reductions in technology costs, which could result in even greater savings over time.
The new rules apply specifically to all new residences and major home renovations on buildings under three stories, starting on January 1, 2020. In the event a building isn’t suitable for a rooftop array, the standards require homes have access to community solar or offset energy usage through additional efficiency gains, while some homes may be exempt.
The Strange Case of Christopher Snyder
May 9th, 2018Via: Heavy:
A 41-year-old man who claimed to have a classified military past killed three people inside his neighbor’s house after a domestic dispute with his wife and then fatally shot himself during a standoff with police, authorities say.
Christopher Wilson Snyder, of Brookeville, Maryland, was found dead inside his home Monday night, more than six hours after the fatal shootings next door, the Montgomery County Police Department said.
Plans Moving Forward for Miami-Dade Mega Mall: The American Dream
May 9th, 2018Ski slopes in gator country…
I wish Hunter S. Thompson was here to tackle this one.
Via: CBS:
A mega mall and entertainment complex in Northwest Miami-Dade that would dwarf any other appears to be on course for approval, but not without controversy.
It’s called the American Dream.
It would be the largest mall in the world.
A shopping and entertainment complex slated to go up on vacant land south of where the Florida Turnpike and I-75 meet near Broward County.
“We are not a run-of-the-mill mall,” said attorney Miguel Diaz de la Portilla, who represents the developers of the mall project. “We’re a family destination. We’re an entertainment complex. We’re a job-creating vehicle for Miami-Dade County.”
Developers say the retail shops, indoor pool and beach, waterslides and ski slopes would hire 14,000 people.
“We fully want to see this happen,” said Miami-Dade resident Ken Forrest. “Because it helps to improve the overall tourism industry.”
A local mother told the planning board the American Dream would save a drive to Disney World in Orlando, some three-plus hours away from Miami-Dade.
“As a mother of four small children, I’m very excited about the prospect of having a theme park for them,” said Homestead resident and mother Summer Davis.
Google Demonstrates New AI Having Phone Conversations with Humans
May 9th, 2018Via: Guardian:
Google’s virtual assistant can now make phone calls on your behalf to schedule appointments, make reservations in restaurants and get holiday hours.
The robotic assistant uses a very natural speech pattern that includes hesitations and affirmations such as “er” and “mmm-hmm” so that it is extremely difficult to distinguish from an actual human phone call.
The unsettling feature, which will be available to the public later this year, is enabled by a technology called Google Duplex, which can carry out “real world” tasks on the phone, without the other person realising they are talking to a machine. The assistant refers to the person’s calendar to find a suitable time slot and then notifies the user when an appointment is scheduled.
More: Google Duplex: An AI System for Accomplishing Real World Tasks Over the Phone
How Silicon Valley Elite Store Billions of Dollars Worth of Bitcoin
May 9th, 2018Via: Bloomberg:
Behind the guards, the blast doors and down corridors of reinforced concrete, sit the encrypted computer servers — connected to nothing — that hold keys to a vast digital fortune.
Argentine entrepreneur Wences Casares has spent the past several years persuading Silicon Valley millionaires and billionaires that Bitcoin is the global currency of the future, that they need to buy some, and that he’s the man to safeguard it. His startup, Xapo, has built a network of underground vaults on five continents, including one in a decommissioned Swiss military bunker.
South Wales Police Facial Recognition System Generated 92% False Positives at Soccer Match
May 7th, 2018Via: Engadget:
Ask critics of police face recognition why they’re so skeptical and they’ll likely cite unreliability as one factor. What if the technology flags an innocent person? Unfortunately, that caution appears to have been warranted to some degree. South Wales Police are facing a backlash after they released data showing that their face recognition trial at the 2017 Champions League final misidentified thousands as potential criminals. Out out of 2,470 initial matches, 2,297 were false positives — about 92 percent.
U.S. Navy Resurrecting Second Fleet
May 7th, 2018Via: Independent:
The US Navy is resurrecting its Second Fleet to counter the renewed threat from Russia.
Admiral John Richardson, chief of naval operations, said the reformed group would control ships, aircraft and landing forces on the East Coast and north Atlantic Ocean.
“Our National Defense Strategy makes clear that we’re back in an era of great power competition as the security environment continues to grow more challenging and complex,” said Admiral Richardson when he announced the move.
“That’s why today, we’re standing up Second Fleet to address these changes, particularly in the north Atlantic.”
It disbanded in 2011 to save money and its responsibilities were merged into the United States Fleet Forces Command.
At that time the US was primarily focused on terrorism and the campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Now its top national security concern is what intelligence analysts call “inter-state strategic competition”.
Oil Rises Past $70
May 7th, 2018Via: Reuters:
The dollar rose to fresh 2018 highs on Monday while oil prices surged to their highest since late 2014, driven by declining Venezuelan crude production and worries the Unites States could re-impose sanctions on Iran.
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U.S. crude rose 73 cents to $70.45 a barrel, while Brent gained $1.22 to $76.09.
Australian Government Launches Urgent Fuel Security Review as Reserves Dip Below 50 Days
May 7th, 2018Via: New Zealand Herald:
Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg has ordered an urgent review of Australia’s liquid fuel reserves as the country dips below 50 days, but says it should “not be construed as Australia having a fuel security problem”, reports news.com.au.
The International Energy Agency mandates that countries hold at least 90 days’ supply, but Fairfax reported on Monday that Australia has just 22 days of crude oil, 59 days of LPG, 20 days of petrol, 19 days of aviation fuel and 21 days of diesel remaining.
Australia depends on the Middle East for 91 per cent of its transport fuel imports, but recent instability in the region amid US-led air strikes on Syria has prompted warnings that the country has no “plan B” in case of an oil and fuel supply interruption.
More than 1,600 Arrested Amid Protests Against Putin in Russia
May 5th, 2018Via: CBS:
Russians angered by the impending inauguration of Vladimir Putin to a new term as president demonstrated throughout the country on Saturday. Police responded by reportedly arresting more than 1,600 of them, including protest organizer Alexei Navalny, the anti-corruption campaigner who is Putin’s most prominent foe. Police seized Navalny by the arms and legs and carried the thrashing activist from Moscow’s Pushkin Square, where thousands were gathered for an unauthorized protest.
Police also used batons against protesters who chanted “Putin is a thief!” and “Russia will be free!”
Demonstrations under the slogan “He is not our czar” took place throughout the country, from Yakutsk in the far northeast to St. Petersburg and Kaliningrad on the fringes of Europe.
