No.9533
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So it's been a month now carrying a Geiger counter everywhere I go.
I might be picking up some smoke alarm Americium, past that...background. When the parts come, I'll build a more sensitive model, if I can keep the size reasonable.
Suppose I need to debate something. I live equidistant between two Nuclear power plants (sadly neither of which have tours or bus service.) You can talk about nuclear power, if you like. Nuclear waste storage is controversial, if nothing else.
No.9534
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>>9533>Suppose I need to debate something. Or you can post on
>>>/pony/...
>You can talk about nuclear power, if you like. Most people who oppose building new modern nuclear power plants are ignorant and/or retarded. Coal power plants release more radioactivity than modern fission plants, and risk of catastrophe in modern designs is very small. But what's really sad is the lack of funding into fusion plants. Global warming wouldn't be such a major problem if had developed practical fusion plants.
No.9535
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Hah! Talk about the political joke that is Belgium here!
Back in the early 2000s there was a plan to make nuclear power obsolete pushed by political parties.
So outphasing for 2020 and then an action to be set in motion to close the plants and replace stuff with renewables. Because nuclear power is "bad" and "horrible for the environment".
But 20 years later: barely any renewables and no investments made to build new Nuclear plants or upgrade the existing ones. And a massive push to shut the existing plants down.
So, what are we gonna do for power now?
Well, buying energy for neighbouring countries of course.
And, get this, replace existing plants with gas plants. And this is the plans set in motion by the Green party.
So we're gonna use fossil fuels, which need to be built after the nuclear is getting shut down and for now buy our energy where available, pushing our sizeable energy bills to unpayable highs while probably getting very unreliable service to work with.
No.9536
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>>9534This board was created because the pony board was a poor context for civility, and I don't have the energy to communicate with internet trolls or people who wish to stop my scientific work or learning. The ponies on this board seem...good.
I don't know what to think on fusion, other than it would be very nice, and much of the work seems to be going on overseas [from the USA].
>risk of catastropheCertainly the well-known very expensive catastrophes are a problem. Not many deaths, as far as catastrophes go, but a lot of trouble. Coal/gas diffuses the trouble -- that's better PR.
No.9538
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>>9537Far as I can tell science is one giant hot-button political topic. Even something as banal as Galilean mechanics -- balls falling and stuff -- can be related to assertions about the shape of the Earth or maybe even the age of celestial bodies. Come to think it is, are there still aristotelians out there -- followers of Roman Catholicism perhaps?
And radiation, certainly. One can assert an age for rocks, for example, which are very inappropriate in some environments. We have to remain civil no matter what ages we prefer.
Everything is politics, at least to someone.
No.9539
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>>9535That sounds bad. There are some renewables in there, but as you say, not much. So you'll have to about double fossil fuel use, it seems.
>About 80% of all types of energy used in the United States is derived from fossil fuels.Your sum comes to 74% or so. Plus or minus a few, it's about the same profile as the United States -- a bit better.
The US is generally letting their nuclear plants be, as far as I can tell.
No.9540
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>>9535...but building no new nuclear plants -- mostly natural gas and wind. As I drive around -- which I don't do much not having a car -- I see lots of new wind farms overlooking the farm-farms. Some people don't like that, but I think it's probably good.
No.9541
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>>9538Properly speaking, science is completely orthogonal to politics. Science answers "is" questions, whereas politics answers "ought" questions.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fact-value_distinctionhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Is-ought_problemhttps://www.lesswrong.com/posts/HLJGabZ6siFHoC6Nh/sam-harris-and-the-is-ought-gapOf course, some areas of science are politically charged, because people cite scientific findings to argue in favor of political policies. Global warming is an obvious example. Other areas of science are related to hot-button culture-war topics, such as race and genetics (especially SNPs related to intelligence).
Nobody on this website is a non-ironic flat-Earther or a young-Earth creationist. Any purely scientific topic other than global warming and racial genetics is probably fine for /pony/. You can message the mods or make a post on /canterlot/ if you're still unsure.
No.9543
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>>9541>Science answers "is" questions, whereas politics answers "ought" questions.Yeah, strict science and...rational politics would go that way. But I've been around long enough to know science is often mixed with pseudo-science (which makes strict science oppositional sometimes), and politics often relies on particular values of 'is' -- you mention global warming.
I know there are probably only about 2-4 active posters on this board. Of course, it's impossible to know, and perhaps bad form to even guess [individual distinctiveness has a single-thread scope, presumably tied to your IP address and/or browser cookies -- I haven't bothered to look too closely].
No.9544
File: 1627998543863.png (7.58 KB, 415x58, 415:58, Screenshot from 2021-08-03….png) ImgOps Google
>>9543>browser cookiesDoes this roll me a new name?
No.9545
File: 1628113089988.png (332.37 KB, 1142x536, 571:268, Screenshot from 2021-08-04….png) ImgOps Google
Anyway, here's the map of radiation over a confidential facility where I happen to spend much of my time. The lower 17 is where the smoke alarms are.
No.9548
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>>9542> I feel like I got banished to this board because I'm bad at small talk and like science and stuff. Huh? The mods banned you from /pony/? I guess /pony/ was a lot more tense a while ago, but it's more chill now. You can probably appeal to Moony and get allowed back in.
No.9550
>>9549>Talking to mods seems like talking to cops, best to be avoided if you don't want punishment.In most places, you'd probably be right, but Ponyville.us is blessed with an excellent moderation team. You can talk to them without fear.
Marginally related: Scott Aaronson's recent post on blankfaces:
https://www.scottaaronson.com/blog/?p=5675
