mastodon 4.7.3Software engineer at the School of Mines, Imperial College. Brand new London resident.
War is a tactical error
"This suggests a principle that ought to be obvious but apparently is not: any nation powerful enough to mount a serious military campaign is, almost by definition, powerful enough to pursue its interests through diplomacy, economic leverage, and strategic patience. The return on investment of war is almost always catastrophically negative compared to the alternatives. Even when you win."
Transport for London signs contract for 65GWh of solar per year
"TfL currently uses about 1.6 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity each year, making it the largest single electricity consumer in London. Once operational, the solar installations could supply up to 65,000 megawatt hours (MWh) of renewable electricity each year — equivalent to roughly two-thirds of the Victoria line’s annual power consumption."
Hundreds and hundreds of articles on what to do about the rising price of oil, and none on new solar or wind installations.
Monika Herzig's new album, TransParent, documents in jazz her journey in raising a transgender child. Dr. Herzig is a professor at Indiana University.
Waterstones shows there is still life in the British high street
"The survival of bookshops wasn’t inevitable. Much of the industry seemed destined for pulping. Foyles and Blackwell’s, two iconic chains, struggled with profitability before being bought by Waterstones under the dynamic Mr Daunt. The Booksellers Association, the industry’s trade body, recorded a long decline in independent bookshops starting in 1995, which finally levelled off in 2016."
YOU'RE not blockading the Strait of Hormuz, I'M blockading the Strait of Hormuz!
S&P Considers Forcing Millions To Buy SpaceX Stock
They're considering allowing SpaceX to join after 6 months instead of 12 like every other company, and not bothering to calculate the number of shares available to trade before allowing it in.
This would force index funds to buy tons of shares to keep up with the index. Most people with 401(k)s have a fair amount of money in index funds.
https://finance.yahoo.com/markets/stocks/articles/elon-musks-spacex-could-fast-180121306.html
Guardian provides us with a peculiar headline
"UK households to be urged to use more power this summer as renewables soar". No, we don't want to use *more* power, we want to move our usage to times when the grid isn't being powered by fossil fuels!
"Under the new plans, people could be encouraged to run dishwashers and washing machines or charge up their electric vehicles when there is more wind and solar power than the electricity grid needs."
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/apr/14/uk-households-power-renewables-soar
Russia's 'shadow fleet' makes mockery of UK naval power
"On 9 April, two Russian "shadow" oil tankers were escorted through the channel by a Russian navy frigate armed with all manner of weapons, including anti-ship missiles. In response, the Royal Navy could only muster an auxiliary fuel tanker to follow it helplessly. The Daily Telegraph reported on this heroic operation from the deck of a 40-foot fishing boat following in the tanker’s wake."
London councils to share £95m for safer roads and new cycle routes
"The latest funding will support the expansion of London’s Cycleways network, the installation of additional pedestrian crossings, and the introduction of more School Streets schemes to restrict traffic outside schools at key times of day."
The cynic in me wonders how the councils will use this money to make cars go fast; but I have to reminding myself it's not the USA.
The World Keeps Asking Iran the Wrong Question
"Washington and Tel Aviv entered the 2026 war wanting something contained—pressure on the nuclear program, the missiles, the regional network. Iran expanded the frame. When military pressure reached a threshold, Tehran closed Hormuz, converting the confrontation into a global economic crisis. Every time Washington sets the rules of the game, Tehran changes the playing field."
We can make electricity cheaper by developing more solar and wind power
"By far the cheapest component of our energy supply is the electricity produced by renewables, principally wind and solar. It’s the same story worldwide. But the price of electricity does not reflect the mix of sources. It is set at almost all times by its most expensive component. And what might that be? Oh yes, fossil gas."
Clean power offers protection
"Clean electricity, by contrast, cuts gas demand and reduces exposure to volatile markets. The political pressures are jobs, tax revenues and the economies of Scotland and north-east England tied to a declining asset.
Clearly, more drilling will not shield households from price spikes; it will mainly boost oil company profits – which explains why the industry is lobbying to scrap the windfall tax."
Housebuilding in London has collapsed to record lows
"Nobody is against high building standards, safety or support for local infrastructure. But botched implementation and a failure to anticipate how policies would interact have created a perverse situation where it is no longer economical to build homes in one of the world’s most prosperous and desirable cities."
Power just comes out of the wall. There should be per-plug monitoring to show you exactly what you're using power for. Heated your pizza in the microwave? 1.5 kilowatt-minutes. Made a pot of coffee? That's 5kwm you used. OMG YOU RAN THE DRYER? 180 kwm you've chewed through today!
Mayor Sadiq Khan protects the public by not allowing secretive Palantir contract
"The Met had planned to hire Palantir, which was co-founded by the Trump-supporting tech billionaire Peter Thiel, to automate aspects of investigations. But the mayor’s office, which oversees large Scotland Yard contracts, said there had been a “clear and serious breach” of procurement rules."
Is it the
It's about time for Sir Keir to start releasing from the Strategic Solar Panel Reserve.
Lessons Learned about Technology and Reform
"But if you believe, as I do, that teaching is anchored in a relationship between an adult and a student then relationships cannot be replaced by even the most well designed software, efficient device (including ChatbotGPT) or virtual reality."
Teaching, perhaps. *Education* is about getting a passing grade to move on to high school, or college, or a good paying job. Fixing this would truly be transformative.
https://larrycuban.wordpress.com/2026/05/16/lessons-i-have-learned-about-technology-and-reform/
I do not know why drunk helicopter pilots are buzzing my flat.
