Yeah no, that’s not how things work. Green energy is inherently not competitive, and the only reason it might seem that way is because of penalties levied on cheaper and more reliable power sources. Hydro is great, but apart from that “green” means mediocre. Nuclear, gas, and coal are the most cost-effective, and cheap energy is the foundation of a strong economy. The yanks understand this, which is why they’ve opted to stop voluntarily crippling themselves.
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there’s plenty of solar available in the U.S., with multiple manufacturers and suppliers. the problem is that solar is less than 30% efficient even on the sunniest days. Solar is just not there yet to be a viable replacement for fossil fuels, as much as the greenies wish it to be. Neither is wind, which has its own efficiency issues as well as environmental damages.
Hmmm, I still overall disagree and partly agree. Your perspective is limited to the cost of energy related to the technique used which is fine if you’re only looking at the energy generated and nothing else.
The reality…there is a health cost where there is money paid for treatment resulting from pollution. There is also a climate risk where billions of dollars of damage can be done in a very short space of time due to a storm or flood. It seriously isn’t cheap to finance health and climate as the cost of both can be astronomical where nobody can actually afford it without help, we simply have to include these aspects when considering what energy production method is more “cost effective”.
I just did a google AI on the cost of pollution for the USA and it would seem it is over $800 billion per year, which includes climate related illness, extreme weather like hurricanes and wildfire, there is a cost to everything.
I think this point is widely understood, I don’t think anybody expects green to replace fossil. The general idea is to use green methods to suppliment fossil use where everybody is making a huge effort to investigate, research and implement methods to cut down on fossil use as much as reasonably possible.
I did another Google AI and it does factually appear that Chineese companies are making massive strides in breaking this 30% efficiency which is exactly my point. China seems to have maintained their laws on climate and seem to be financing it very well which has resulted in scientific advancement in solar tech.
If the USA aren’t financing green tech they will be in a position where they don’t know what they don’t know due to lack of funding. Do keep an eye on this as it looks like all other solar designs will become obselete.
That’s why you build your coal plants along the border of a country you don’t like very much.
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MMM…we can blanket Canada.
The pursuit of Fussion reactors still so far behind. Recent Innovation of a Diamond battery is a great start but still not in use.
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Thorium reactors have improved to be competitive to uranium, making the proliferation of nuclear reactors with little threat of damage to locals or environment possible. If the anti-nuclear whinebabies hadn’t gotten their way in the 90’s, we’d have an energy surplus and be paying literal cents for electric use by now.
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It does look like investment has been poor on this as there is no or limited commercial infrastructure for it, the main reason for investment into uranium is that it was driven by the need for weapons and security where it’s difficult to make weapons using thorium.
More could have been done even before the 90s.
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Thorium reactors are not real yet. Also there are a couple of reasons why everyone ran with uranium reactors rather than bother themselves with thorium: first, thorium is not fissible and can’t sustain a chain reaction. That’s a plus if you are afraid of runaway fission events, but it also makes difficult to just keep the fission going on.
And the second reason is that thorium deposits are low grade to the verge of inexistence. Currently thorium is a byproduct of titanium mining and there’s exactly one location in the world where thorium might be non-scarce enough to mine for it, and this begs the question of how exactly do you plan to mine for thorium without diesel fuel for the machinery and knowing that everyeffin else is gonna be a better investment of that preciously scarce diesel fuel.
Remember, the USA no longer has the kind of heavy oil necessary to distil diesel from it, certainly not with the current refineries that were never rebuilt to work on lighter oils, and almost all diesel in the USA is either imported or distilled from heavy oil drilled abroad in places like Canada, Mexico, the Middle East (Iran has specially large deposits of heavier oils), Russia and Venezuela.
There are no techno-miracles to save us from the mess we’ve put ourselves in. The world is changing and we must adapt… wasting resources away is not the solution.
All the craze with AI is to turn pipedreams of prosperity into real money in a few unaccountable pockets. Doesn’t matters if the “gigawatt computing center” never is built or shuts down amid losses after a few weeks: the money to pay the decision makers will already be in those pockets and away from the consequences of failure.
Same as goes with China’s flirting with technotrash, doesn’t matters that electric motorbikes are exploding so often that the CCP has taken on seizing them by the millions, which in China means, the government steals your motorbike and you get a kick in the ass for your troubles. The people who became millionaires manufacturing trash motorbikes (and trash electric cars, and trash everything) is already millionaire and they make sure to tie in politically that money (“the guvment told me to manufacture a million e-bikes because China Number One, so I did, was the guvment wrooong?”).
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I’ve replaced all the artists and musicians with ChatGPT.
It’s more affordable and I have more control over the art.
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Well, let’s be honest. Has there really been any “professional” music and “artists” that have not been a manufactured product of suits and autotune since 2010? My music collection ranges from the 50’s to the late 90’s with a few choice from early '00’s. Everything since is garbage outside of some independents who break out on Youtube.
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I listen to a lot of “electronic” music which was started in the 80s due to the adoption of synthesizers, drum machines and MIDI, for me computing has definitely played a huge part in the music I like.
Generally the computer would synthesize a piano for example where the user was then able to manipulate values like pitch, amplitude which gave the piano a unique sound that many could relate to. There are many genre’s these days where the music is purely created using electronics.
Food for thought…
…serious thought…
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Yes somewhere in Australia, someone is trying to learn how to use AI techniques and make them perform tasks like Make Phone Calls using a synthesis voice clone of my own voice.
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You do know that you are AI? Right fang?
There is talk of an AI Tax which businesses might need to pay if their AI usage removes jobs from the economy. I think this is a good idea because it would be difficult for a government to provide unemployment benefits and housing without financial assistance.
Decision makers do need to be careful here as this could trigger a recession, all it takes is a few too many people who become unable to pay their loans/mortgages then very quickly you may find that a handful of banks are unable to pay their liabilities as a direct result.
These banks will then go and seek a bailout from the tax payer, where the treasury might need to print money for immediate distribution and then burn it a couple of years later.
It could be that the businesses who are adopting AI at faster than light speed are infact speeding up the collapse of the economy.
AI Overview
The ongoing conflict involving Iran in early 2026 has introduced significant, immediate risks to the artificial intelligence sector, with experts warning of potential, profound disruptions to AI infrastructure. While some analysts suggest the sector is robust enough to avoid a complete “collapse,” t The war is expected to create severe bottlenecks, accelerate the popping of the AI investment “bubble,” and fundamentally alter the market landscape
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Indeed, since we understand that much of AI is dependant on fossil fuels any disruption to the world supply of oil will affect the ability to deliver AI services. AI is important but it will never be as important as the normal economic uses for oil no matter how much AI enthusiasts argue.
Currently it looks like a possible 6 month wait to get anyone sensible on the issue as I understand the USA has their midterms in november where more control of foreign policy could be transferred to congress, failing that it will be a 2 year and 6 month wait.
It’s looking positive that Trump will have less control over these matters in 6 months time, it does look like his policies in other areas of the economy have affected most people in the USA quite badly so I definitely have my fingers crossed that those affected badly will band together and vote for a more positive and helpful policy.
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