They're talking about the COP - the Coefficient of Performance. It's the ratio of useful heating or cooling provided to the work (energy) required.

Direct heating can never be more than 100% "efficient," yes, because you're turning one form of energy (electrical or chemical) into another form of energy (thermal).

Heat pumps instead _move_ thermal energy around. And it turns out, if you push 100W of electricity into a heat pump, and the temperature differential is low enough, you can move 300W of heat from outside the building to inside the building. This gives a COP (or "efficiency" of 300%.

The OP is correct, heat pumps can be much more efficient than direct heating, in terms of power required to warm up your home.

Note that this doesn't break any laws of thermodynamics, it just accesses another source of energy in addition to the electrical input - the thermal energy that is outside the house.

Not to mention the generally agreed upon impracticality of taking the train across oceans. Yes, I know, there are ships but a ship is not nearly as fast as a train. Even slower if they can't burn fuel oil.

That's right. Only 70% of all plane travel in the US in 2018 was domestic. If we can't do away with 100% of the planes, it's not worth trying to replace any of them with high speed rail, right?

. . . that Chrome won't eat it all.

Here's the part you're missing:

Employer A pays you $X/mo, and pays for your health insurance at $Y/mo. Between when you started working at A and now, you were diagnosed with mild cardiovascular disease.

Employer B offers you a job for $Z/mo. Unfortunately, if you move to B, you lose your health insurance through A. And because you've got cardiovascular disease, that counts as a pre-existing condition. Now you either _cannot_ get health insurance through B, or the cost is astronomically higher.

Given the ridiculous number of things that count as pre-existing conditions in the US these days, it becomes very difficult to change jobs because of that astronomical cost/lack of coverage.

If the US implemented a single-payer health care system, you wouldn't be changing health insurance providers when you change jobs, so there would be no "pre-existing condition" clause activated.

So you think the pain of not being able to conceive doesn't count as human suffering? A woman who desperately wants to have a child, but is medically unable? Not very compassionate of you, there.

As far as curing cancer goes - are you working towards that? What contributions have you made to eliminating cancer? The truth of the matter is that different doctors have different specialties, and they work within those disciplines.

Certified compostable bags that can go in my green bin, to divert all of that kitty litter from landfills.

Neat. I'm gonna go start five numbered corporations, of which I'm the sole shareholder, and buy five properties to put on the short-term rental market. Thanks for your legislation.

Hell, I'd pay a premium to be sedated in the departures lounge, stacked in a tiny coffin on the plane, and woken up at my destination. Load me in any damn order you like once I'm unconscious.

God, grant me the serenity to not read the comments,
The courage to not read the comments,
And the wisdom to not read the comments.

What's been happening recently is that changing ocean temperatures have been disrupting and weakening the jet stream. Normally, the jet stream blows west-to-east, and acts as a sort of barrier to keep arctic air up north. As it destabilizes, it flows in big lobes, allowing arctic air to push further south. Right now, there's a big lobe that covers Ontario and Northeastern USA.

nb - layman's explanation from a layman. Not a climatologist. Not a meteorologist. Not even a TV weatherman.

FYI - the blank audio media levy is collected only for audio works, and the subsequent law allowing duplication of copyrighted works for personal use applies only to music.

You theoretically _can_ still be taken to court for copying a movie, a television show, or even an audio book.

Let's not forget that most people legitimately _don't_ want to cause the death of strangers.

Probably the isolation pay they'd need to shell out in order to get people to work on that platform.

Unfortunately, my proof cannot fit in the margins of this post.

It's important to note that Tasers were _never_ advertised as "less than lethal" weapons. They are "less lethat" weapons. The implication is that they are still just a little bit lethal.

In my opinion, because they are still a lethal weapon, cops should have to fill out the same reports and have the same reviews as when they use their firearms. Here in Ontario. a cop has to file a report if they draw their sidearm. Imagine what would happen to taser use if the same was true.

I'll cheerfully support a cop pulling out and using a taser _if and only if_ the situation would warrant pulling out a firearm as well.