175328323
submission
NoWayNoShapeNoForm writes:
OpenVault believes that data caps on broadband are not a problem because most people do not exceed their existing data caps. OpenVault contends that people that do exceed their broadband data caps are simply being forgetful — leaving a streaming device on 24x7, or deploying unsecure WiFi access points, or reselling their service within an apartment building.
Yes, there may be some ISPs that have older networks that they have not upgraded. Or maybe they are unable to increase network capacity in "the middle mile" of their networks, but the Covid pandemic certainly encouraged many ISPs to upgrade their networks and capacity while many ISPs that had broadband data caps ended that feature.
Perhaps the biggest problem, according to OpenVault, is that most broadband users do not really have any idea how much bandwidth they 'consume' every month. If Internet access is a service that people want to treat as a "utility", then you have to ask, "Would they keep the water running after finishing their shower?"
175179861
submission
NoWayNoShapeNoForm writes:
Job hopping as a way to boost your earnings may not be as profitable as it was in 2022. Data from ADP, based on payroll data of almost 10 million employees, suggests the salary gain between "stay" and "jump" has definitely narrowed across all age groups, gender classes, industries, and company sizes.
https://payinsights.adp.com/
https://finance.yahoo.com/news...
174799350
submission
NoWayNoShapeNoForm writes:
A Tesla Semi truck had a battery fire while on US I-80 near Colfax, California after running off the highway. Fire temperatures estimated as high as 1000 F (538 C) and firefighters having to pour thousands and thousands of gallons of water on the fire in an attempt to keep it cool and prevent the fire from spreading to a nearby forested area. Firefighters reported that fires like this must be allowed to burn themselves out since the ignited cells will eventually start the unignited cells on fire, causing the battery fire to feed upon itself. Additionally, firefighters wait out the fire, keeping it contained, while the batteries are discharged during the burning process process.
As an industry and as a nation we should all carefully consider the dangers of battery-powered vehicles to our surroundings.
174490277
submission
NoWayNoShapeNoForm writes:
E&E News by Politico posted an investigative article looking into the power outages in the Greater Houston area after Hurricane Beryl pass through. The article makes the case that the US Department of Energy denied a 2023 grant application filed by Centerpoint Energy, the major power provider in the Houston area, for 100 million USD so that Centerpoint could specifically harden those portions of it's distribution grid that would be susceptible to wind and water damage. The grant was filed under the auspices of a 10.5 billion USD DOE program that was specifically designed to assist power companies in increasing the resiliency of their system. Centerpoint laid out it's submission and subsequent denial in a detailed filing with the Texas PUC. The DOE only approved 58 projects for a total of 3.5 billion USD and did not name any projects that it denied. In that approval document is mention of an approved project for CPS Energy for similar "resiliency work" on their grid located 200 miles west of Houston.
Link to DOE program info: https://www.energy.gov/gdo/gri...
Link to Texas PUC filing: https://interchange.puc.texas....
Link to DOE project approval list: https://www.energy.gov/article...
174471543
submission
NoWayNoShapeNoForm writes:
Nature Magazine recently posted an open access (not paywalled) article that studies the lifecycle of lithium-ion batteries once they are manufactured. The study is a "cradle-to-grave" look at these batteries and certain chemicals that they contain. The University researchers that authored the study found that the electrolytes and polymers inside lithium-ion batteries contain a class of PFAS known as bis-FASI chemicals. PFAS chemicals are internationally recognized pollutants yet they are found in consumer and industrial porcesses such as non-stick coatings, surfactants, and film-forming foams. PFAS chemicals have been found in windmill coatings, semiconductors, solar collectors, and photovoltaic cells.
174363635
submission
NoWayNoShapeNoForm writes:
Harvard Business School used AI to discover findings in in it's recent EV review data collected from multiple open sources.
Quoting from the HBS article: "New data-driven research led by a Harvard Business School fellow reveals a significant obstacle to increasing electric vehicle (EV) sales and decreasing carbon emissions in the United States: owners’ deep frustration with the state of charging infrastructure, including unreliability, erratic pricing, and lack of charging locations."
Sounds like the key issues for many potential EV owners is not "range anxiety" but "charging anxiety".
The study URL: https://ojs.aaai.org/index.php...
174341721
submission
NoWayNoShapeNoForm writes:
Patagonia told 90 US remote staff they had to relocate within 60 miles of Atlanta, Austin, Chicago, Dallas, Pittsburgh, Reno or Salt Lake City OR leave the company. All affected employees work in Patagonia's Customer Services (CX in Patagonia 'speak') function. The Patagonia CX function has 255 employees. Affected employees were offered $4,000 towards relocation costs. There is a severance package.
Affected employees were given 3 days to make their decision.
174315579
submission
NoWayNoShapeNoForm writes:
ARSTechnica posted this 3-page story regarding the power usage of AI in today's data centers. Other web articles, listed below, claim AI power usage is dire bordering on apocalyptic. This ARSTechnica article begs to disagree with those speculations.
Also of interest will be these links to articles suggesting disasterous power usage in these data centers.:
https://www.bloomberg.com/grap...
https://www.washingtonpost.com...
174218517
submission
NoWayNoShapeNoForm writes:
A Dutch newspaper has written a lengthy article (in Dutch) discussing the possibility of impending unreliable electric supply due to the surge in renewable generation outpacing the growth rate of supporting electric infrastructure, i.e. "the Grid". The lack of supporting infrastructure in places is causing some companies to be placed on a "wait list" to btain their connection to the Netherlands electric grid. Future electric outages could be 14 hours per year according to Tennet, a system operator in The Netherlands and Germany.
https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2024...
Here is an English language article regarding this Dutch article:
https://dailycaller.com/2024/0...
