Disqus - Latest Comments for Gnoll110

Re: Why pick on banks when monopoly electricity networks make 10 time more profit?

Gnoll110 — Tue, 16 May 2017 01:10:19 -0000

Historical context, ACTEW Corp (ACT Electricity & Water) was sold to AGL Ltd by Kate Carnell's Liberal ACT government in 2000. This mess has history.

Re: Tesla releases details of its solar roof tiles: cheaper than regular roof with ‘infinity warranty’

Gnoll110 — Wed, 10 May 2017 20:54:52 -0000

Only one elevation, so hard to tell. Is this design based on a New England saltbox house?
Work making this design energy efficient was done by builder/author James Kachadorian during the 70's and 80's.

Re: How to Sell Your High Value Equipment to China

Gnoll110 — Tue, 11 Apr 2017 23:24:12 -0000

5 is interesting, very much America's attitude to IP in the 19th century.
After China thinks they've caught up and has less to steal and more to protect, it will toggle the other way? Like America did in the 20th century.

Re: What we do next

Gnoll110 — Wed, 16 Nov 2016 00:23:32 -0000

In Australia, I've never waited more than 10 minutes in a queue to votes. I'm over 50 and never missed an election at an tier on government. Voting is compulsory here, with token fines.

Queues the size seen in US TV news report would be regarded as a sign of civil incompetence here.

Re: Finding the Soul of America in Small-Town Iowa

Gnoll110 — Fri, 28 Oct 2016 05:06:19 -0000

Well put. I'm the son who didn't go farming.

It's a global phenomenon, my now retired parent's local primary school (Australia) had two teachers and 45 students in 1980, now it has 8 students. Only thing saving it for now in the distance that students would need to be bussed if it closed.

It's a long term trend too. In 1929 ag in West countries was about 30%-35% of the workforce, now it's < 3%. Why? Productivity growth. When ag productivity growth is ~7% and demand growth is 2%-3%, ag can't help but shed jobs.

Manufacturing has the same productivity growth/demand growth differentials now as ag did during the decades after 1929. I think manufacturing as a percentage the total workforce is going to <3% too.

The only thing left is services and reduced hours. After all it was Keynes who said in 1930, the he expected a 15 hour week within a century.

Re: Who will pay the $17.8 billion mining rehabilitation bill?

Gnoll110 — Tue, 02 Feb 2016 00:59:21 -0000

This problem shows a wider flaw in the business environment. Limited Liability, it's the same loophole Clive is using, not to pay his QNI employees their already earned benefits.

Limited Liability is a needed thing for high risk projects, like mounting exploratory expeditions in search of a new routine to India. It has benefits that business use, weather they are in profit or not. They should pay for it, with a small levy on turn over, to be used to cover outcomes just like this. A sort of compulsory insurance policy to cover damage to others, if a business fails.

Re: Mapping the Sexism of City Street Names

Gnoll110 — Mon, 28 Dec 2015 23:51:55 -0000

An exception for you.
http://www.mappery.com/maps...

7 to 4, 8 to 4 if you include Queen Street.

Re: Amid Great Progress, Texas High-Speed Rail Takes a Big Step Back

Gnoll110 — Fri, 20 Nov 2015 02:58:40 -0000

When infrastructure get rejected for 'cost' alone, you know that financing system is broken.

Re: Dorms for Grownups: A Solution for Lonely Millennials?

Gnoll110 — Tue, 10 Nov 2015 07:31:10 -0000

I see today that people in the UK are being offered 35 and 40 year mortgages, up from 25 years.

Is a sure signs that young home buyers are getting a 'entitled' deal.

When you've exported lots/most jobs, you can't create inflation (fight deflation) be raising wages. The only thing left is offering cheap credit, this keeps those already with houses happy with capital gains, despite their stagnate pay.

Raise rate and to risk crashing assets (including house) prices.
You can't ease your way out of a ponzi.
This is why I can't see rates increasing in most places, for the foreseeable future. There will be a 'black swan' somewhere, then it will be on for young and old.

Re: Dorms for Grownups: A Solution for Lonely Millennials?

Gnoll110 — Tue, 10 Nov 2015 07:13:34 -0000

When did Boomers stop being the "Me Generation"?

Re: Dorms for Grownups: A Solution for Lonely Millennials?

Gnoll110 — Tue, 10 Nov 2015 07:10:04 -0000

Yer, calling this kind of thing bad is a very Anglosphere way of thinking. Other culture are more open different ownership structure, like co-ops, land trusts etc.

Re: The Astronomical Hijinks of the Shortest Day of the Year

Gnoll110 — Tue, 10 Nov 2015 06:41:49 -0000

You're the one making the claims.
Put up or shut up.

A.K.A. include your references.

Re: The Astronomical Hijinks of the Shortest Day of the Year

Gnoll110 — Mon, 09 Nov 2015 08:18:57 -0000

Links?

Re: Dorms for Grownups: A Solution for Lonely Millennials?

Gnoll110 — Mon, 09 Nov 2015 08:12:49 -0000

The design of the more private areas is still generic. The same old trap that mass produced housing has fallen into since the end of WWII. In designing to everyone, you really design for no one,

The design of the private areas should be driven by the needs and wants of the initial occupiers. It needs to be a mix of one, two, family & special needs units. Decide what budget of space and money for the each type. Then let the architect and builders thrash out final layouts and finishes with the 'clients' final arbiters.

Christopher Alexander covers this in books 2 and 3 of The Nature of Order.

Re: A New Prime Minister in Australia

Gnoll110 — Mon, 14 Sep 2015 11:00:12 -0000

Out going PM is Roman Catholic. He's strongly opposes marriage equality and recently stated 'coal is good for humanity'.

The incoming PM is one of the most moderate members of the Liberal Party and from a electorate with a high LGBT population. He polls well because he is a moderate, but the party wouldn't tolerate his more progressive positions. He stance on climate issues is why he lost the leadership of the party to Abbott when he was the Opposition leader previously.

Re: Entrepreneurship: Increasingly, the Province of the Wealthy

Gnoll110 — Wed, 09 Sep 2015 19:11:17 -0000

So the last paragraph says, basically what Bernie Sanders started doing in Burlington VT, when he was the mayor. Burlington targeted it most run down commercial buildings, assisted land owners to renovate and make cheap space available for small business. Aiding both small business formation and growth.
Result, Burlington had one of the smallest downturns [in the US, in job lose terms] during the Global Financial Crisis.

Re: The Effects of China's Economic Woes on Global Stocks

Gnoll110 — Mon, 24 Aug 2015 10:57:39 -0000

To all those saying this is just the markets giving back some of the gains since 2011, just remember those gains were based on growth *expectations* that didn't happen. So this isn't just profit taking, it's a potential change in trend. Dare I say a 2nd Minsky moment.

Re: The Effects of China's Economic Woes on Global Stocks

Gnoll110 — Mon, 24 Aug 2015 10:45:18 -0000

Lawrence H. Summers/@LHSummers

On twitter, half an hour ago:
"As in August 1997, 1998, 2007 and 2008 we could be in the early stage of a very serious situation".

https://twitter.com/LHSumme...

Re: This 1940s House-Building Machine Was the Original 3-D Printer

Gnoll110 — Sun, 16 Aug 2015 00:30:30 -0000

30's and 40's were a fascinating time.
The first solar passive building designs were built by the likes of John Gaw Meem (of Santa Fe style fame).
The first sealed no maintenance batteries were produced commercially.

Re: 40 Finalist Designs for New Zealand's Next Flag

Gnoll110 — Tue, 11 Aug 2015 10:59:23 -0000

Just googled the two designs with seven stars.
It isn't the Southern Cross plus other stars (including Epsilon Crucis).
They are the Pleiades/Seven Sisters/Matariki. Matariki is also the Māori New Year season (when Matariki & Rigel/Puanga/Puaka first appears just before sunrise in late May/early June.

Re: A Modest Proposal to Build a Giant Wall Around San Francisco During Burning Man

Gnoll110 — Mon, 10 Aug 2015 20:13:25 -0000

You don't see BM as a technologist Woodstock?

Re: A Modest Proposal to Build a Giant Wall Around San Francisco During Burning Man

Gnoll110 — Thu, 06 Aug 2015 19:16:57 -0000

The Math/Science vs Humanities divide made physical?

Re: How I Gave Up Alternating Current

Gnoll110 — Wed, 05 Aug 2015 05:18:45 -0000

Strikes me as being the mindset of a lower status late Edo period(1603-1868) samurai.
That mix of keeping up most of the pleasures associated with tradition/position, while doing it on a limited income (resources).

Doing without AC is much like taking an income cut and deciding to do without one major thing, then rearranging the household's operations to cope. The start of the Edo period is interesting. Prior to that Japan had over exploited it's forests, there were serous erosion problems, falling food production and 8 million people. Changes in practices meant that be the 1860's, it forests had recovered (while still being regularly harvested) and it could sustain a population of 30 million. Azby Brown's writings on the period are enlightening.

Re: Vertical Farming: What Is It, And What's Fueling Its Growth?

Gnoll110 — Sun, 26 Jul 2015 11:13:31 -0000

Still think vertical farming is a poor use of resources. Cities gain their value from the density of people, it's a network effect so it's an exponential, not just linear increase. Food production beyond education & recreational needs is counter productive when all things are considered.
Intense undercover horticulture does make sense. Super low water use in a controlled environment is really productive for a lot of things, but grains aren't really suitable because of the large areas they require.
Transport is a real issue too, so the closer the better.

The most logical configuration both resource & capital wise is intense greenhouse culture in the near hinterlands.

Re: Dubbo 'envy of the world'

Gnoll110 — Wed, 15 Jul 2015 18:43:52 -0000

No mention of how it's being rolled out, so it safe to assume Dubbo isn't on the 'early list'. 'Early list' places like Toowoomba, had signed contracts (with work commenced) on a fibre to the premises (FTTP) roll out before the change in government.

What this means for new fibre to the node (FTTN) areas, is that at some future point (I think about 10 years), the 'last mile' to homes will need to be replaced. In some places it will happen quickly, in others not. It going to be a bit of a 'node lotto' in both when bottleneck become apparent and when/if they get fixed. Another push factor, pushing innovative people and businesses to relocate to the state capitals.