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Comment Re:It won't last. (Score 1) 33

Another way to go would be to keep burning jet fuel but purchase bricks of carbon from a sequestration company that captures it from the air.

I know there are more efficient types of carbon credits, like investing in cleaner energy in the first place, or increased efficient at the point of usage such as insulation, or preserving rainforest that would otherwise be developed.

The problem is all that gets complicated and thus subjective. Maybe carbon credits could work if it is based on a new type of 'coin' that is 1 kg of pure carbon that is chucked into an old mine.

Comment uh, both, dummy ? (Score 2) 88

Obviously, sooner or later we will want to do things that require our physical presence. And be it because the ping time to Mars really, really sucks.

Robots are way easier to engineer for space than humans, even though space is so unforgiving that that's not trivial, either. The same is true for other planets. Building a robot that works well in 0.2g or 5g is an engineering challenge but doable even with today's tech. Humans... not so much.

But let's be honest here: We want to go out there. The same way humans have found their way to the most remote places and most isolated islands on planet Earth, expansion is deeply within our nature.

So, robots for exploration to prepare for more detailed human exploration to prepare for human expansion.

And maybe, along the way we can solve the problem that any spaceship fast and big enough to achieve acceptable interplanetary travel times (let's not even talk about interstellar) with useful payloads is also a weapon of mass destruction on a scale that makes nukes seem like firecrackers.

Has What If? already done a segment on "what happens is SpaceX's Starship slams into Earth at 0.1c" ?

Comment Re:That dog won't bring home Huntsman's Rewards (t (Score 1) 145

I agree with GP, it's a big kickback scheme for employees that have discretion over business expenses. Most types of card rewards are not reportable as income, which sweetens the deal even further. Score one for the upper-middle-class little guy, I guess...

Submission + - Is Google/YouTube ripping off advertisers? 1

Anne Thwacks writes: I have been on YouTube since it started, and I have never clicked on an advert. Not once. I was taught by my grandmother "if they need to pay for advertising, what they are selling must be terrible!" (OK, this was in the 1950's when food, clothing and everything else was rationed — but hunger is hard to forget).

However, If I go on YouTube, I am literally pounded with adverts, even though YouTube know I won't click. I am a pensioner — I can't afford to pay for the stuff, even if I did want it. But advertisers are paying for it — and I know its not cheap — my employers used to buy Google Ads.

Google Ads are pocketing the money — knowing it won't ever sell anything. How is this not theft?

Submission + - Target Mandates Worker Smiles, Friendliness to Boost Sales in "Forced Joy" (bloomberg.com) 2

joshuark writes: The Minneapolis-based retailer has a new directive for store employees: If a shopper comes within 10 feet of you, then make sure you smile, make eye contact and greet or wave. If they come closer — within four feet — ask whether they need help or how their day is going, according to new guidance confirmed by Bloomberg News. This is part of the Forced Joy trend.

The new initiative — dubbed the 10-4 program internally — is among Target’s latest efforts to make its stores more welcoming and reverse its extended streak of weak sales. “Heading into the holiday, we’re making adjustments and implementing new ways to increase connection during the most important time of the year,” Chief Stores Officer Adrienne Costanzo said in a statement to Bloomberg News.

Target, which is set to report quarterly earnings later this month, recently cut 1,800 corporate roles to remove complexities and move faster. The company’s shares are down more than 30% year-to-date, compared to a 14% gain for the S&P 500. The retailer’s cheap chic allure has faded and customers have complained on social media about bare shelves and long lines.
Target has made trumped-up enthusiasm an expectation. Bugs Bunny said it best... https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

Comment Re: I think it's more than slavery (Score 1) 145

Tesla stock is only up a cumulative 6% from the peak it achieved exactly 4 years ago. That is not even close to keeping up with inflation - 18% over the same time period. So if just getting attention from a market flop is a strategy for driving up the share price, I guess it isn't working very well.

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