growsomethinggood

@growsomethinggood@reddthat.com

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Mexican President Threatens to Sue Google Over 'Gulf of America' Label on Maps.⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago⁩:

  It shows up as “Gulf of Mexico (Gulf of America)” outside of the US apparently. That seems like enough to make a fuss to me; bodies of international water have specific rules around name changes and the US can’t unilaterally decide differently.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨[deleted]⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  Are you sure they are intending it in a diminutive sense and not a familiar or affectionate sense? Buddy is pretty common to call people you are being friendly with in American English at least. If you don’t like a nickname or term of endearment, you can tell your friends not to use it, but fair warning, friends of your age might just tease you about it instead of respecting your wishes.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Swiss Experiment Will Place Solar Panels Between Train Tracks⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  Haha, all good until you get some gravel in the brush!

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Swiss Experiment Will Place Solar Panels Between Train Tracks⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  Hey, ideas are great to explore, and we don’t know if there’s a place or community this would serve. Not every project has to be scalable! Diversity of uses is a good thing. There’s not a single solution for moving to renewable energy, creativity will be required.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Swiss Experiment Will Place Solar Panels Between Train Tracks⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  A very neat idea, quite innovative! My initial reaction would be that this would be a great way to recycle panels from larger, traditional projects that are getting upgraded anyway. My concern with new panels is that with moving trains above them, there’s a strong chance for breaks in the glass depending on what’s being transported, and a huge amount of loss due to dirt accumulating. Those conditions may result in harsh losses for new panels, which may be more beneficial in production elsewhere! Mid- to end-of-life panels might not be producing as much power anyway, so getting a second life in a situation like this one might squeeze a little more power out of them that you wouldn’t get otherwise.

  Of course, solar panels are very inexpensive nowadays, so financially it might not make that big a difference, but I think it’s good to think about best use of the resources we have regardless!

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Monsters Help 🥺⁩ ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  I don’t know much to be useful in id-ing on sight, but can you describe the conditions it’s been in? Is the soil well-draining? How long does it take for the top inch of soil to appear dried out, and how often are you watering? Did you repot it recently, and/or is the pot the right size (just a bit bigger than the roots)? How often are you using fertilizer? Is it getting any direct light? How many direct and indirect light hours total do you think? Is it autumn where you are and it’s adjusting to less light, or vice versa?

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨have you ever had to confront a female mob at the workplace?⁩ ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  Is there a reason you have characterized this incident as a gender issue?

  Was the poor work the work of the nurse who heard you and chewed you out? Do you often criticize the work of your coworkers in a nonproductive manner, expletives or no?

  Did you say anything else before saying “fuck” to your coworker, or before she chewed you out? Do you think you were on good terms with her before this incident?

  Are you listening to the specifics of your coworkers’ complaints? What are they asking you to do differently?

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Stardew Valley 1.6 is Coming November 4th.⁩ ⁨⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  I’d hesitate to call it a replacement but it is very fun! Top of the Stardew-likes imo

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Transparent solar cell technology could allow smartphones and cars to self-charge⁩ ⁨⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  You could look at it another way- a solar power screen on a phone won’t charge it all the way, but as a secondary source of power that is essentially always on when the sun is up or other light sources are on, it reduces the battery drain over the day, meaning less charging needed at night.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Do renewable energy investments create local jobs? | Analyzing data from over 3900 Spanish municipalities (2017–2021), we find that new jobs frequently do not remain in the host communities⁩ ⁨⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  One of the good things about renewable energy projects is that largely they don’t require a ton of labor to maintain, but they do need a fair bit of spin up to get planned and permitted and installed. Wind tends to require more specialized installation, so you may have a traveling install crew there, but solar often relies on local labor pools. So there are a few years of community jobs generated but it’s very small for the life of the project.

  Some project developers (the good ones at least) are working to invest in local communities like other member businesses- sponsoring little league teams, creating community gardens, funding science education, etc. Is that enough? Hard to say, but I think the idea that projects can bring value to communities should be decoupled from the amount of local jobs they bring at least. Ideally that’s through some means of UBI, but more likely some form of tax on profits going to community reinvestment (that’s broad enough to cover Walmarts and more too).

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨It's a pretty solarpunk fact that small, distributed wind turbines use steel more efficiently than big centralised ones⁩ ⁨⁨5⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  Sonori is completely right here, and it feels in bad faith to critique the semantics of their comment rather than the substance of them.

  One of the things that is difficult about solarpunk is that there is a huge divide between where we currently are and where we want/need to be. Smaller turbines for a more distributed power grid is a part of a great future to look towards! But it’s not the reality of our power demands now, which necessitate larger turbines and more steel production to meet any of our climate goals. Speaking coherently through that divide can really lead to mismatched expectations and miscommunications.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Chat is this real⁩ ⁨⁨5⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  *Her rights, the deceased doctor was a woman, her husband is the one suing

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨The ACLU Fights for Your Constitutional Right to Make Deepfakes⁩ ⁨⁨6⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  Oh, I completely understand you’re correct here, I’m just, so, so tired of fighting to keep all the sociopolitical gains of the past 10-50 years, y’know? I know they have a lot going on, it just feels shitty considering the rest of the political climate.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨The ACLU Fights for Your Constitutional Right to Make Deepfakes⁩ ⁨⁨6⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  Sigh, ACLU, is this really that high a priority in the list of rights we need to fight for right now? Really?

  Also, am I missing something, or wouldn’t these arguments fall apart under the lens of slander? If you make a sufficiently convincing AI replica that is indistinguishable from reality of someone’s face and/or voice, and use it to say untrue things about them, how is that speech materially different from directly saying “So-and-so said x” when they didn’t? Or worse, making videos of them doing something terrible, or out of character, or even mundane? If that is speech sufficient to be potentially covered by the first amendment, it is slander imo. Even parody has to be somewhat distinct from reality to not be slander/libel, why would this be different?

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨New “Recall” feature in Windows 11 is a privacy nightmare⁩ ⁨⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  In case anyone read the headline and was worried it would pop up on your computer overnight, it does appear to need some hefty and recent processors and between 6-25GBs free in order to run at all, so I don’t think it’ll sneak up on folks any time soon.

  On the bad news front, I thought this was standard AI bad until I got to the part where it won’t obscure passwords. But, surprise, it will obscure DRM content (and private browsing, but just if you’re using Microsoft Edge).

  Terrible for privacy aware consumers but I really anticipate the worst of this will be in a corporate setting. Plenty of employers already spy on employees but this would be pretty next level.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Billionaire bets big on largest solar project ever proposed to deliver power across oceans: 'At the forefront of the clean energy transition'⁩ ⁨⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  Transmission over long distances is much harder with power since you have to send it through cables that have some resistance; fiber optic cables are reflecting light that doesn’t degrade as quick.

  I think this is doable, the only question is, at what cost? Losing a lot of energy is inefficient, but that’s only if you care about the efficiency more than the result (getting cleaner energy to a place that wouldn’t have it otherwise). There may be better solutions, but I appreciate the desire to get this going here.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨my humps⁩ ⁨⁨9⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  Good news! Artists have already covered this one, please enjoy The Bone Game by Drawfee

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨RIMJOBS⁩ ⁨⁨10⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  You’re thinking of Mpox, ie monkeypox

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Sleep scientists reveal how often to exercise to reduce insomnia risk⁩ ⁨⁨10⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  Tldr if you’re not opening the article, the study doesn’t specifically prescribe an amount of exercise, just that people who consistently exercise (and continue to consistently exercise) get better sleep. Consistent exercise is defined as 2+ times per week, for (an assumed weekly sum of) 1+ hours.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Exception implies deficiency. Am I the only one who sees this?⁩ ⁨⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  I think you have identified some small truth, but have made an error in narrowing the scope of where the deficiency actually lies to the individual/group. Exceptions can imply deficiency (among other things) but I would argue that said deficiencies often are in how these groups are treated by society and not inherent to the groups or individuals themselves.

  I’m going to use calculus as an example, since there are plenty of reasons you’d expect someone to not be able to do calculus. If you’re sufficiently young, maybe you don’t have the complex reasoning skills to understand calculus (deficiency, but not permanent). If you’re an adult without a math education, would your inability to do calculus be considered a deficiency, or just a lack of opportunity which can be fixed through assistance? If you have been told your kind of person would suck at doing calculus but you really want to learn, and are performing worse than your peers who are told they are good at this naturally, is that a deficiency in the individual or the system they live in? If you have to work more than one job to keep your family housed and don’t have time for calculus, if you are targeted for police violence, if you’re discriminated against by even the most well-meaning people with authority over you, you could be the most brilliant mathematician and it wouldn’t matter- society at large is failing you.

  When you’re talking about “exception” here, I think what is really happening is people taking measures to level the playing field for people who have experienced discrimination. In a perfect world with no individual or systemic discrimination, current or historical, these sorts of “exceptions” wouldn’t be necessary! But that’s not the world we live in. The first step to making a more equitable society is recognizing where people got shafted historically and what affect that still has on society today. Getting the short end of the historical stick does not imply immutable qualities about a group of people today.

  So, no, I don’t think that giving exceptions to people who need them most inherently implies that they are individually or categorically deficit.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Solar Panels Spread Across America's Heartland as Farmers Chase Stable Returns⁩ ⁨⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  Easier to move than, say, wind turbines, but there’s a lot involved to solar installations in the field. Often they have to have significant piles driven into the ground (or you’ve just made a big glass kite ready to blow away), and the individual panels are about as tall as a person and double sided glass (think about shower glass/slider door glass installation and how often you see videos of them exploding). Installation alone can take over a year for larger facilities. I’d imagine there could be some creative solutions to rotating solar with crops, but I generally agree with the other folks suggesting some form of agrovoltaics is more viable with the technology we have currently!

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Solar Panels Spread Across America's Heartland as Farmers Chase Stable Returns⁩ ⁨⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  In the right places, this can be incredibly reliable income if you’re renting your land for 30+ years, and doesn’t necessarily preclude certain types of farming on the same land. Sheep are very compatible with solar installations since they will naturally graze on vegetation that can affect the panels. Goats however are not compatible since they will eat electrical cables and jump on the panels!

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨How do you refer to the lgbtq+ "community" least excludingly?⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago⁩:

  Hey OP, can you elaborate on the context for which you are looking to talk about the queer community? I think that matters a bit. There are more formal and more casual descriptions that I do think are important to discuss the differences of use.

  For instance, Gender and Sexual Minorities or GSM is probably the most formal you can go with. This might be appropriate for corporate DEI, but you will get absolutely roasted on social media if you refer to gay people that way. (It’s very clinical, not really something the community uses, but it’s a wide umbrella)

  LGBT(QIA+) is a little old school nowadays, a mouthful, and always feels a bit like you’re always going to be missing some letters. If a cishet ally used any variety this, I’m not going to be offended and I’d appreciate that they’re trying- it’s clear that the intention is there and it’s better to signal support imperfectly that be silent imo. This one usually comes up most frequently around Pride Month as there’s a lot more visibility on our community from those who are not in it.

  The queer community is probably your best all-purpose use but may not work 100% in formal situations as “queer” has historically been a pejorative. Boomers tend to look at you funny when you use it, and some younger folks who don’t think that slurs can ever be reclaimed can sometimes be put off as well. That said, it’s probably what the majority of the community uses as an umbrella term. This is the one I’d use when chatting with friends. “Gay” can also be used as a substitute for “queer” in this context as many folks will also use that as an umbrella term, but this can be confused with discussing just gay men, so you may have to know your audience.

  I had a presumed cishet friend in high school who just used “homosexual”. I wouldn’t recommend. All of the formality of GSM, none of the inclusion.

  Other things I would not recommend: alphabet mafia (unless you’re on tiktok), anything that is still generally considered a slur (some folks are reclaiming the f-slur, t-slur and d-slur but I would consider that a deeply personal choice of self expression and not something for cishet folks to use at this time, unless personally invited to use to describe only that person), and lastly, using any of these broad identifiers to refer to specific people who have shared their specific label with you (ie don’t call someone a queer woman when they have told you they identify as bisexual, or a queer man if they said they are a trans man, etc. Some people do identify as queer though, so if they have said as much you can use that specifically then).

  That’s a lot of minutia but I think the important thing is, the community generally knows when you are trying your best. Even if you accidentally offend someone, just asking what they would like to be referred to in the future is probably all you need to worry about.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨How do you refer to the lgbtq+ "community" least excludingly?⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago⁩:

  I think there are ways OP can use queer respectfully, and there are ways they may accidentally slip into something that can sound homophobic, so, tread with caution. “The queer community” is fine, that reads to me with the same respect as “queer theory” in an academic setting. “The queers” =homophobic (unless you are part of that community and are being ironic), “are you queer?” =also bad, “my queer colleague” =not good unless that is the specific label they identify with, etc.

  Alphabet mafia is best left to the Gen Z kids on TikTok, even as one of them queers myself I’d never use that in a serious setting.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Eight solar farms pass into community ownership in 'biggest ever' UK transfer⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago⁩:

  Is community energy in the UK that significantly different that the US? Community solar is growing here, and it tends to be for individuals who get direct credits on their energy bills. This can be useful for people who want to benefit from solar but don’t own property or their property isn’t solar compatible.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Best service for filing taxes?⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago⁩:

  I can also vouch for FreeTaxUSA, I’ve compared it against a few major tax companies and at least for relatively simple stuff, they were totally identical results, and just as easy to use.

  There are a few options for free filing based on income (generally, lower that $79k) here: irs.gov/…/free-file-do-your-federal-taxes-for-fre…

  And if you’re in one of 12 lucky states, there’s an IRS Direct File trial program:

  Arizona
  California
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  Massachusetts
  Nevada
  New Hampshire
  New York
  South Dakota
  Tennessee
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  Wyoming
  

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Thousands of Software Engineers Say the Job Market Is Getting Much Worse⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago⁩:

  Coding skills are almost always valuable even if you’re not coding directly. Depending on what you’re good at/interested in, I’d recommend data analysis (everyone has data! Gotta look at it somehow), database management, engineering roles other than just software engineering, IT, etc. Might not pay exactly as well as a big coding job out the gate, but it’ll certainly be interesting if you like coding.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Sweeping Reset Underway for New York State Renewable Development | Developers Cancel Contracts for Over 8 GW of Projects, Hope to Rebid at Higher Cost⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago⁩:

  The full article appears to be paywalled, but, some rough thoughts on headline alone: this isn’t tremendously unexpected, or likely to have a strong impact on renewables investments besides a slightly slower timeline. The short answer is that a lot of things, material and labor, are more expensive now than when these contracts were likely signed. Renewable technology as a whole is getting more inexpensive over time (particularly solar panels), but the technology alone isn’t the whole picture. You have to have installers and maintainers, metal and concrete. I expect these projects to end up with successful re-bids quickly, and delays of around a year or so because of it.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Why we should be putting solar panels on our fields and lakes | DW⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago⁩:

  Caveat: I haven’t watched the video (sorry!) so this may be covered there.

  Fields: yes, totally. Lakes: MUCH iffier for solar. Floating solar has been a bit of a pipe dream for quite some time now. Not saying it can’t be done! But the biggest issue is that water+electricity is very tricky. Water (not purified) is conductive, as are the bodies of little critters that want to crawl all over the sudden islands now in their habitat, and it usually doesn’t go great for them or your electronics. Water can be corrosive, and what do you do if your lake is in a location where it will freeze in the winter?

  Where I think you can go well with combining solar and water: canal “roof” style (well above the water, the sun there not really used for any other purpose, allows animals to access water, prevents water from evaporating). I think there is a place for floating solar to combo with dams (often a water supply you don’t want evaporating too quickly, you’ve got your electrical hookups right there, the dam itself is essentially a giant battery) but you have to solve the electricity+water issue somehow (raising it up like a big floating parking garage has been considered, maybe something like that?) before I think we start seeing it rolled out.

  Fields are great for so many reasons- easily accessible for installation/maintenance/emergency services, pretty abundant in the US, fairly close to where people are, gives rental income to farmers who may be struggling, etc. Many times solar farms can be used in conjunction with conventional farming, usually under the blanket term of “agrovoltaics”.

  One of my favorite ideas for places to put solar though is retired golf courses- already fairly flat with paths for vehicles, cleared of trees, near people, can’t farm on it due to the chemicals used to maintain that specific grass, etc.

  Solar is only growing in the US (and hopefully the world) in the next decade! It’s great to think about what novel places we can plan to put it to maximize access and utility for everyone (including distributed grid options).

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Native Americans are building their own solar farms⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago⁩:

  This is a specific provision of the Inflation Reduction Act! This legistation is a huge step in the right direction for clean energy for so many people, and I am so glad that a solid chunk of that is going directly to indigenous communities.